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Okay, sorry for the delay on this release. Above is the character sheet for Mildred and her stats. The larger numbers in different colors are show numbers, while the numbers in parentheses are real numbers, meaning the actual attack or speed in this case. As for the story, I was planning on writing just a short story to set up Mildred getting pulled into this crazy game but it came out a 18 and 1/4 page story that I am actually excited to post finally. So let's get into it. Ahem...
Story
Project Metal Slug
Prologue: Another World
After a long day at work, feeling worn out, frustrated and angry with her workplace, Mildred arrives home. The only thing on her mind, was forgetting her vexing day at work and settling into a week's vacation she had fought her workplace long and hard for. Once her car was parked in it's garage, Mildred mumbled less than kind words about her employers and co-workers under her breath as she walked up to her garage's door to enter her home. As if she hadn't been through enough for one day, Mildred makes the unfortunate mistake of grabbing the door knob a little too roughly, causing the door knob to break off. As the rest of the establishment hits the floor and the door creaks open, Mildred stares at the now useless metal object in her hand. After a brief fifteen second stare, she very slowly tilts her hand until the knob falls and bounces down the steps to the garage floor, while she continues her stare at the door. After the tiny metallic rolling sounds stop, Mildred closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before pushing the dismembered door open and letting herself in. She dropped her purse on the kitchen table and started to head to the couch. She stopped short, changed direction and headed back into the kitchen. A cup of coffee is what she needed to start her long time away from work. Upon opening her cabinets she gazed at the different coffees she had, a collection that would no doubt make Grey Duck green with envy. Along side the typical American caffeine, Mildred's collection ranged from across the globe to some that a person wouldn't think existed. She settled on one she had been saving for a day like today, a German coffee that even sounded far fetched to her the first time she heard its name. “By Oden's Beard” it was called, not the most creative or attracting name in the world but the coffee's taste and texture more than made up for it. It was a wonderful concoction that made it's way into her secret favorite coffee list, so much so that she would only drink it on a special occasion. She carefully removed the box from it's perch, retrieved her favorite cup and got everything else she would need for her favorite beverage. All that was left, was to ready the coffee maker. A light smile made it's way onto Mildred's face as she turned the machine on. She imagined herself in her soft, comfy bath robe, lounging on the couch, favorite coffee in hand, and the driest British comedy she could ever find on tv. Her fantasy was interrupted by the sound of the coffee maker sparking and bursting into flames. Calmly and with the most unenthusiastic expression on her face, Mildred unplugged the machine and spayed it with the sink hose until the flames were no more. For a time, she stood staring at the charred remains of the now deceased coffee maker as her mouth quivered slightly. The sink hose slipped from her hand and whipped back into it's usual position. Mildred remained fixated on the sight in front of her. After what felt like and hour Mildred picked up her empty cup and looked at it for a moment before putting it to her mouth and sipping the air from it.
Knock Knock Knock
A knocking came from her front door. Mildred walked towards her door sipping once more from her empty cup before opening it. On the other side of the door, Bindy stood with a smug expression, clearly aiming to make Mildred's already bad day worse. Mildred stood staring at Bindi with the same expression she gave the coffee maker's tragic death.
“Hey Fluff Butt.” Bindi crossed her arms.
Mildred took a long sip from her cup then gave a bored, “Hey.”
“Me and like, a few of the boys figured we would give you a proper send off before you started your vacation.” Bindi pointed to the Fanboys behind her with a big grin, “You look like you could use an uplifting-”
Bind's taunting was cut short by the sound of Mildred sipping the air in her cup again. As Mildred lowered her cup back down to chest level, she continued her blank stare. This caused a bit of confusion in Bindi.
“Like...” Bindi paused looking at Mildred's empty cup, “You do know that that's empty don't you?”
A blunt “Yup”, came from Mildred as she sipped from the cup again.
“Are just going to keep drinking nothing?” Bindi pointed at the cup uncomfortably.
Mildred looked at the cup for a few moments before giving another “Yup.” Then sipped from it again.
As Bindi watched Mildred drink the air from her cup, her eyes caught sight of the ruined coffee maker in the kitchen.
“Like, what happened to your coffee maker!?” Bindi almost squeaked.
“It had a bad day.” Mildred said while glancing at the smoldering machine then returning her stare to Bindi.
“...” Bindi stood now very confused, “Are you even the least bit concerned about that starting a fire?”
“Nope.” Mildred said as she closed the door on her unwanted guests and locked the door.
Mildred marched off to her bathroom as she set her coffee cup on the counter. Forget everything else, she just wanted a shower now. Mildred tossed her cloths one at a time to various corners of her bedroom before entering the bathroom and turning on her shower and waiting for the water to warm up.
Once the water was nice and warm, she hopped into the shower. For a while she stood under the water, finally letting herself relax. She finally smiled again as she took a deep breath, enjoying the shower's warmth. Mildred grabbed the shampoo and began lathering her hair. Things aren't so bad, she thought to her self, my vacation has just started, I need to give it time to really get going. Suddenly, the room shook for a brief moment before the water shut off, leaving Mildred soaked and soap in her hair. A wide eyed expression inhabited Mildred's face as she stood frozen in her silent shower. Mildred grabbed the shower knob and began twisting it, attempting to get it to run. With some angry grunts, she gave up and reached out of her shower and grabbed her towel. She did her best to dry her self off as she stepped out of the shower. As Mildred walked to what she thought was her bathroom's door, she found her self stepping on nothing and was now quickly falling through... the sky!
“WAAAAAAH!” Mildred screamed as she noticed the blue back drop with clouds falling upwards. “WHAT IS THIS!? WHERE AM- AAAAAGH!”
Mildred plummeted through the sky. She wrapped herself in the towel she clutched in her hand. Her breathing accelerated into panicked gasps as she frantically looked around at the fast moving sky and... are those clouds smiling? What is going on here? One moment she was in her bathroom and the next she is falling in a sea of smiling clouds! This can't be real, she thought, this can't be happening. I can't be falling from the sky! Mildred's train of thought was interrupted by the now rapidly approaching
ground below her. Mildred frantically screamed and kicked her legs as she came closer and closer to the ground. What came next was a loud splash as she crashed down in a small lake. She opened her eyes. It was the clearest lake she had ever seen, she could see far into the lake's depths. She could see all the plants and... fish with over sized lips? And squids... with black masks on their faces? Mildred quickly swam up to the water's surface. She gasped for air as her head came above the water. She continues to frantically pant as she quickly looked around before swimming to shore. Mildred clambered her way out of the lake and onto dry land, nearly stumbling over her own footsteps in the process. Mildred tightened her towel as she tried to make sense of what was happening. She looked up at her surroundings, everything was so colorful. The grass was so green, the trees were so fluffy, there were giant mushrooms of various colors in the distance, rolling hills and mountains scattered throughout the environment... and the clouds were still smiling.
“What kind of over saturated, cartoony place is this?” Mildred said aloud as she gazed at the scene before her with a mixture of awe and discomfort.
BOOM!
Something large and heavy crashed down behind her, scattering water and mud fragments everywhere. Mildred spun around to see what landed behind her. The object behind her looked partially
square, with white tiles, a curtain blowing in the wind and....
“Is that my SHOWER!?” Mildred squeaked in surprise at the sight of her own shower sitting lop-sided in the lake.
“Hey, are you okay?” a voice asked from behind her.
“WLAAAAGH!” Mildred shrieked as she spun around and backed up slightly away form the source of the voice.
Before Mildred stood three individuals much shorter than her. Their heads were bulbous like mushrooms, with a white cap and colored polka-dots. One individual was blue, another was green and the third was purple. They wore vests that matched the color of their spots, baggy white pants and shoes that seemed a little large for beings with stubby legs. The three beings looked at her with surprise and concern mixed in their faces. Finally, the person in green stepped forward, carefully raising a hand to show a calm greeting.
“Uh... Hello,” he said with a careful tone, “Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you. We saw you over here panicking and wanted to help if we can.”
“H-who are you?”, Mildred asked with nervous breaths, “What... are you? A-are you guys a-aliens?”
“Aliens?” the one dressed in purple repeated, “We're not aliens. My name is Dave.”
“And my name is Fred.” said the one in blue.
“I'm Franky!” said the one in green, “And as for what we are. We're toads!”
“Toads?” Mildred repeated in confusion, “Like in relations to toadstools? Mushrooms?”
“You got it.” said Fred, “Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom!”
“Mushroom Kingdom.” Mildred said looking around with a very nervous smile and tone, “I'm on an alien planet... or I have completely lost it.”
“No offense lady,” said Dave, “you look more like an alien to us.”
“Yeah,” said Franky as he started to walk a circle around Mildred, “Are you supposed to be some kind of bipedal fox or something?”
“Yeah,” Mildred nervously said watching Franky complete his circle around her, “You could say that.”
“Cool,” said Franky as he finished his observation, “So what do we call you? Do you have some crazy or cool sounding name? Or is it a name that can't be pronounced by Toad kind?”
“Actually,” Mildred raised a nervous finger, “My name is Mildred.”
The three Toads paused and looked at each other for few moments before Dave spoke up.
“Well that's a boring name for an alien.” He said.
“Like Dave, Franky and Fred are any better.” Mildred gave an irritated scowl.
“Oh-ho!” Franky said with a big smile, “I like you, Mildred. I think you and I will be great friends!”
“I just met you.” Mildred said with a less pleased expression.
“The best!” Franky swung his right fist to his left side.
“Oh my lord.” Mildred put her hand to her forehead.
“I hate to cut this short,” said Dave, “But we better get back to town before any more of those weirdos show up. It's not safe out here.”
“Weirdos? Not safe?” Mildred said looking around again, “These weirdos wouldn't happen to be dingoes by chance would they?”
“Oh no, they're not dingoes.” said Fred, “These guys are humans!”
“Humans?” Mildred's ears sprang up.
“Yeah, but they are dressed in army uniforms with these X's on the shoulders.” said Dave, “And they have guns and these big scary war machines they have been using to attack us and other kingdoms!”
“Word is,” Franky said, “that there is this massive battle ship that moves on land attacking Dessert Land!And there's other giant machines out there too! And to make things worse, these guys allied themselves with the koopas! That makes it double trouble for sure!”
“A battle ship that moves on land!?” Mildred said in disbelief, “How do you expect me to believe a battle ship can move on land? And what the heck is a koopa!?”
“There's no time for anymore explanations,” Fred said, “We need get back to town.”
“Why don't we fly in your space ship to get there faster?” Franky asked with excitement.
Mildred looked at the lake and then back at the three Toads, “That's not a ship... that's what's left of my shower...”
The three toads looked at each other again. Then Franky responded with, “You flew to our planet in a shower?”
Some time later, the group arrived at Toad Town. As they walked down the town's main street, Mildred looked around at the many mushroom shaped buildings of various colors and sizes. There were shops that seemed to be themed around different kinds of clothing, markets, items and... power ups? Mildred watched as a pink toad touched a brown stripped leaf they had just purchased and gained a raccoon suit that allowed them to then fly away across town. As they continued their walk through town, Mildred noticed a few toads would be caught off guard by her appearance from time to time. Mildred gave a nervous wave in repose and did her best to smile so not to make the locals feel threatened. Continuing through Toad Town eventually brought Mildred to the entrance of a large castle clad in red and white. Above the main entrance to the castle was a large stain glass window with a person printed in it. The person in the window looked like a princess. Wait, a princess!?
“Wait a second guys,” Mildred said in realization of where she was, “are guys taking me to see your ruler?”
“Yes.” said Dave, “The Princess has asked that if any civilians who come across someone who looks as though they have been affected by any of the events happening lately, to bring them to the castle for shelter and protection. And to get a rough explanation of what's happening.”
“With me looking like this!?” Mildred hinted at her towel, “I'm not dressed for this!”
“What's wrong with your dress?” asked Fred.
“This isn't a dress,” Mildred said gripping the top of her towel, “I'm in a bath towel.”
There was a brief pause before Franky said, “Why is this alien so... normal?”
“I'm not an Alien, guys!” Mildred protested.
“Actually,” Fred says as he pretends to adjust a pair of glasses, “Since your are not familiar with anything in our kingdom, and you are clearly not from our world, this clearly makes you an alien.”
The three toads began nodding and agreeing with each other as though they were scientists at a presentation.
Mildred let out a soft, accepting sigh, “I guess you got me there. But can you just call me Mildred instead of an alien?”
“Mildred it is.” the three toads said in unison.
“It sounds so much better,” Franky said as they started walking to the castle again.
“Indeed, indeed,” Fred agreed as he adjusted his imaginary glasses again, “Such a nice ring to it.”
“Lovely indeed.” Dave said as fancily as he could.
“Guys!” Mildred tried to get their attention, “Guys wait! Can I at least get some new cloths before I go in there!?”
The three toads continued walking towards the castle door talking among themselves.
Mildred let out another sigh before saying to herself, “Bath towel it is.”
Mildred walked quickly to catch up to the three toads before they accidentally leave her behind or something. As she caught up to them, she noticed the guards to the castle had already opened the large double doors and her escorts were just starting to walk in. Mildred nervously waved at the guard who watched her follow behind the chattering toads in front of her. On the inside of the castle, Mildred was greeted by the sight of a large foyer. The floor was covered in checkered tiles with trails of red carpet leading to various rooms and other pathways. Colorful paintings line the walls around the foyer, and doors seemed to open up to paintings bigger than life. There were toads throughout the foyer civilian and guards alike... who also got caught off guard by Mildred. At this point Mildred was more concerned about meeting this worlds princess in a bath towel. She could just see it now, the princess takes one look at her, is disgusted with the fact her subjects brought some unclothed creature in a bath towel before her, and just like that she's spending her vacation or longer in a dungeon for public indecency. On the upside, at least she can finally get away from Bindi, the Fanboys and all the other jerks she puts up with. Seeming to be a running thing today, her train of thought once again got interrupted by a sudden change in her environment.
“My word,” said an older sounding voice, “another victim of this catastrophe that has befallen us?”
Mildred looked up to see a toad dressed in a royal purple vest, wearing circular glasses, and carrying a cane. The spots on his head were that of a brown color and he had a large mustache that covered the lower half of his face. He approached Mildred with a look of concern.
“My dear,” he said, “are you alright? You look quite stirred by everything around you.”
“I'm not sure exactly what to feel at this point.” Mildred said awkwardly looking around the room, “One moment I'm at home taking a shower, the next I'm plummeting through the sky and landing in a lake. Then these three brought me here.”
“Good heavens.” the old toad said with a slight look of surprise, “So the Professor was right. My dear, you very well may have been pulled out of your own dimension into our own.”
“A-a... another dimension!?” Mildred couldn't believe what she was hearing. This sounded even more crazy than the battle ship Franky spoke about earlier. Although, she has never seen this place on any map, ever. Maybe what the old toad says is true. At least he seems more down to earth than Fred, Franky and Dave were. “I guess that would explain a lot....”
“You mentioned that you were attempting to bathe before you found yourself here?” the old toad continued, “Perhaps it would be better to allow you to use our bathing facility before we continue. We can not have you being uncomfortable while you stay with us.”
“Oh, but you really don't have too-” Mildred started to say as the old toad raised his hand.
“Nonsense,” he said, “You are a guest here at the castle. And we shall tend to your needs while you are here. Would someone kindly show our guest to the spa room so that she can get tidied up?”
Two toads dressed in spa uniforms kindly started guiding Mildred in the right direction.
“Oh, and before I forget,” the old toad said, “What might your name be?”
“Mildred.” she said calmly.
“Splendid,” the old toad responded, “I am Toadsworth, if you need anything from me, just send for me. Please do enjoy your bath Mildred, I shall inform the princess that we have another guest that has arrived.”
Well that went better than expected, Mildred thought to herself as she continued to follow the spa toads. Mildred wasn't expecting such a warm welcome from anyone in this royal castle, but she had no complaints. It was nice to be talked to with such respect. She couldn't help but smile to herself as that good feeling came over her. Fred, Franky and Dave gave her their best see you later as they waved to her. Mildred found herself smiling even more and waving back to them. They weren't so bad, she thought so herself, despite their energy they were pretty likable. Mildred maybe away from home, and her shower may be sinking in a lake, but staying in a royal castle for a vacation wouldn't be so bad. This was assuming she would be returning home at the end of the week. Mildred took the time to look at the paintings and other decorations around the castle as she continued on her path with her guides. Each painting seemed to feature multiple moments in the Princess's life. The Princess too, was human. In most of the paintings the princess seemed to be wearing a long, pink regal dress. Her hair was long and blond and she always had a kind and polite expression on here face through her happy smile. Her arms were covered by white gloves that nearly reached her shoulders. She seemed like the type of person everyone would like to be around. As she continued onward, Mildred could see other paintings depicting the Princess in many other events like sports and parties with what seemed to be her friends. Mildred soon found herself outside the doors to the castle's spa. A spa... This castle has a spa Mildred realized.
“Here we are.” said one of the spa toads as he and the other spa toad opened the doors, “Welcome to the castle's spa room!”
“Whooooa...” Mildred gazed in awe at the massive room of relaxation. “D-don't tell me about the options, sign me up for everything!”
The toads nodded in acknowledgment and guided Mildred to the first thing she was very happy to see, the showers. Mildred was given a fresh towel, in much better shape than the one she was wrapped in, soap, a robe and the shampoo of her choice. Once she was given everything she needed, the toads left her to her privacy. Mildred looked through the curtain to see a spacious area, no where near as compact as the showers she was used to seeing. Repeating her steps from her first attempt at a shower, Mildred stepped in and took her time having the relaxing shower she wanted earlier. Once her shower was finished, she dried off and wrapped herself up in the plush robe the toads had also left for her. She picked up the shower supplies and placed them in the available drop basket and left the showers. The spa toads greeted her once again and waited for her next choice of spa activity. Despite the fact that she had just had a shower, Mildred couldn't help but find herself being pulled to the hot tubs. An experience that was just as relaxing, if not more relaxing than the shower she just had. This... this is just what she needed. The warm water accompanied by the floating steam and the cushy head rest made for perhaps a little to relaxing, causing Mildred to doze off for a little while. Mildred was awakened by the sound of one of the spa toads voices asking her if she was doing alright. Mildred responded with a, I'm fine, and decided it was time to exit the hot tubs and enjoy something else she was wanting really bad, a massage. The massage tables looked as appealing as everything else in the room. Mildred laid face down on the table and prepared for her muscles to be further loosened. But just before she could get to enjoy it, her massage was interrupted by the castle going on red alert.
“Red alert,” said one of the spa toads, “we have to evacuate to the castle's bunker!”
“Sorry Miss Mildred, we have to go!” said the other.
Mildred was now very unhappy, “I can't have anything nice toady.” she mumbled under her breath.
At this point Mildred had lost count of the number of times something she was trying to enjoy got interrupted. She angrily put the robe back on and followed the spa toads to the castle's bunker. As she followed behind them, Mildred thought some less than hospitable thoughts about the situation. If she ever met the bum that was making a habit of ruining her day, there would be a very unpleasant conversation. Mildred soon found herself in the castle's bunker. It was more of a military bunker than just a safety bunker. Other of the castle's staff had already arrived to the bunker and had finished securing any civilians who were in the castle as well. As Mildred walked towards the nearest seat to sit down in, she looked around the bunker as castle guards and staff continued to scramble around, ensuring that everyone was safe. It just occurred to Mildred that she still didn't know what was going on. She was just about to cross her arms in frustration when Franky appeared.
“There you are Mildred!” he said cheerfully, “Hey, you got a chance to enjoy the castle's spa I see. Hope that was enjoyable.”
“At least my shower didn't get interrupted this time,” Mildred replied with a slight disappointed tone.
“Didn't get to experience the other stuff, huh?” Franky said with an understanding smile, “Hey maybe meeting the Princess will brighten up your cloudy sky.”
Mildred couldn't help but smile a bit at Franky's words. She stood up and followed Franky, off to meet the princess.
“We're off the meet the Princess,” Franky sang, “the wonderful Princess of... um... I don't know how to finish that without breaking the rhythm.”
Mildred let out a chuckle at Franky's fumble and they continued on their way to meet the Princess. Franky led Mildred to what appeared to be a sort of command center for a base of operations. Many toads were gathered around different control s and monitors. In the center of the room stood the Princess accompanied by Toadsworth.
“What is it?” Toadsworth inquired, “What is attacking us this time?”
“We're not sure.” a toad looking at a radar responded, “The radar is struggling to pick it up. It keeps fading in and out!”
“Professor E. Gadd, can you increase the radar's power?” Toadsworth asked a strange old man in a white coat.
“I'll make the necessary adjustments!” he said beginning to work on the machine.
“Master Mario,” Toadsworth spoke into the console's intercom, “ready the team to defend the castle.”
“These attacks are becoming more frequent,” the Princess said turning to Toadsworth, “I fear that the castle itself may become unsafe for our people.”
“I'm afraid you may be right, Princess,” Toadsworth said glumly, “we may need to make plans for evacuation of the city all together.”
“Franky,” Mildred turned and said in a hushed tone, “I don't think this is a good-”
“Miss Mildred!” Toadsworth said in surprise, “Why are you not with the other civilians? Master Franky, what is the meaning of this?”
“Sorry,” Franky said, “but she hasn't met the Princess yet.”
“This is hardly the time!” Toadsworth said.
“It's fine, Toadsworth.” The Princess said calmly as she walked towards Mildred, “I'm sorry for the events that are currently happening, Mildred. Toadsworth told me you arrived here from another dimension and you may have a lot of questions. To start, I am Princess Peach. It is nice to meet you despite the situation.”
“I just want to say,” Mildred started, “thank you for welcoming me into your home so warmly.”
“You're welcome Mildred,” Peach said, “we need to take care of each other in these troubling times.”
“Still, thank you again.” Mildred said.
The princess took a deep calm breath before she continued. “It started a month ago, there were light tremors that turned into more intense quakes. Finally, there was a great quake and before we knew it, people from another dimension appeared and began-”
*KABOOM *
With out warning there was a large explosion that opened up the side of the command room. As the dust began to clear Mildred noticed a UFO with tank treads came hovering into the room. A human military general with an eye-patch and mustache stood atop the machine laughing as it drew closer. Toadsworth and a few guards surrounded Mildred and Princess Peach in an attempt to protect them.
“Princess Peach!” the man proclaimed, “The day of reckoning has come. The Koopa King has requested your audience. And I, his loyal ally shall not disappoint!”
He paused for a moment to look around at Peach's frightened subjects. Then his gaze fell on Mildred.
“Good heavens, Princess Peach!” he said, “You certainly know how to make some ugly looking friends. You might want to have that fox-thing checked for flees before conversing further with it.”
“EXCUSE ME!?” Mildred barked in offense to the remark.
“But enough about your questionable friends Princess,” the man continued, “let's get you back to his highness ASAP!”
A metallic claw shot out from the UFO's base and clamped around Peach's waist. Before Toadsworth and the guards could grab on, the claw retracted and re-clamped itself to the UFO's base with Princess Peach kicking and attempting to get free. The man began laughing again as his odd ship began backing up towards the entry hole it had made. Just then a man in a red shirt, cap and blue overalls dashed into the room. With his white gloved hands clinched in fists he jumped high in the air across the fallen debris in an attempt to reach the craft.
“Ah, Super Mario!” the man announced, “The man of the hour! Too little to late I'm afraid!”
A pulse of green energy erupted from the craft launching Mario back into the concrete wall causing him to be stunned in pain. The man began laughing again as his craft floated in the massive hole in the wall. Mildred, now very angry, ran towards the flying craft.
“HEY,” She yelled, “GET YOUR BIG DUMB MUSTACHE DOWN HERE, AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!!!”
“I'm impressed Princess,” the man taunted again, “you taught this creature to talk and think that it's an attack dog. Run along little dog-fox-woman-thing, I have better things to d-BRRF!!”
A chunk of concrete thrown by Mildred collided with the general's face causing him to stumble, he shook his head in recovery and looked back down at Mildred who was now fuming.
“SCREW YOU!!!,” She yelled at him again, “Why does everyone keep calling me a thing, an alien or a FRICK'N FLUFF BUTT!? MY NAME IS MILDRED!!! Not alien, not THING, IT's MILDRED!!! Now if you're finished overcompensating, get off that stupid looking vehicle, come down here AND FIGHT ME YOURSELF YOU ONE-EYED CHICKEN!!”
“A bold one you are, Mildred.” The man replied, “But as I stated before, I have better things to attend to, so I must leave. But if you must, you can t with Super Mario, and come find me yourself when I have more time. My name is Donald Morden, that name well.”
Without any further delay, Donald Morden hopped into his flying machine, while laughing once again, and flew away with Princess Peach kicking and yelling for help as the both of them disappeared into the distance.
“NO!” Toadsworth called after them, “Princess! Oh, Princess come back! Return her this instant!”
That was the last straw, Mildred's hands violently shook as she clinched her fists in rage. This day has been nothing more than one giant, pain in the butt, annoyance. Mildred couldn't take it anymore. After the abuse she took at work today, nothing going right on the start of her vacation, her house likely getting destroyed, the insults, it became too much!
“mmmMMRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!” Mildred screamed at the top of her lungs, “I'VE HAD IT!! I HAVE HAD IT WITH THIS BULL CRAP!!!”
Everyone stood in nervous silence as Mildred began her rageful rant.
“First,” Mildred continued, “my stupid hair brush got caught in my hair this morning! Then... I had to put up with that STUPID, speed bump of a person BINDI when I got to work making me fifteen minutes late in the process! And as if that circus wasn't BAD ENOUGH! No! NO! Those lousy, no good, ankle biting, FANBOY DIRTBAGS HAD THE NERVE TO USE ME AS A FRICK'N CARNIVAL ATTRACTION! ALL DAY... ALL FLIPPING DAY! *gasp *... *gasp *... A-ANd if... if that wasn't bad enough, I finally get off work and those little monsters CHASE ME CLEAN ACROSS THE PARKING LOT... with the largest canister they had! And then after that escape and I'm finally able to get home, the door to my garage falls apart in my hands, MY COFFEE MAKER DIES, BINDI AND THOSE MONSTERS ATTEMPT TO HARRASE ME AGAIN, AND THEN MY ATTEMPT AT A SHOWER AND FINALLY RELAXING GET'S RUINED BY THE DIMENSIONS WARPING AND I FALL INTO A LAKE FROM THE SKY!!! And don't even get me started on those smiling clouds that seem to always stare at you! But it doesn't stop there, oh no, no it does NOT!!! From there, I proceed to be stared at by mushroom people, have the generous spa time offered to me ruined, have to sit in a military bunker, then I get insulted by a janitor in a flying helmet who proceeds to fly off with the one person I was actually looking forward to meeting today! I HATE THIS FUDGING DAY! When I get my hands on the jerk who ruined my shower and my vacation all together, I'M PUTTING A HOLE THOUGH SOMETHING SENSITIVE!!!”
Mildred finally stopped her rant, she was now out of breath and was breathing heavily. Her hands opened and closed in succession as her eyes blinked in a rapid pattern. Her tail was quivering as she struggled to breathe calmly. Frank carefully came walking up beside Mildred and he placed his hand on her forearm. Mildred quickly turned her head so fast it made her hair flop up over her shoulder.
Franky had a sorrowful look in his eyes as he looked at his friend. Seeing him, made Mildred's breathing slow to long shaky breathes.
“My day was bad enough, Franky...” Mildred wiped her eyes as tears formed from the amount of stress she was under, “I can't have anything nice today... I can't even have a conversation with the person who welcomed me into her home... This day... s-ucks.”
“I'm sorry your day has been so bad, Mildred.” Franky said, “I guess we're all having a rough day. But on the plus side, you still made three goofy little friends today. And I know you can guess who they are.”
“Okay,” Mildred said smiling with a sigh, “I it it Franky. Even though I just met you guys, you, Fred and Dave are my friends.”
“Now and for always.” The little toad said with a big smile, “And don't worry about the Princess, Mario and his team will get her back! Mario's team are the greatest heroes ever!”
Mildred stood for a moment in silence. Every person she has met ever today has shown kindness to her, while she was huffing about her day on the inside and now on the out. Mildred stood up straight as she regained her composure. She calmly took a few deep breaths before she finally spoke again.
“I want to help.” Mildred said.
Franky looked at her in surprise.
“I want to help save your Kingdom,” Mildred said turning to Toadsworth and the other toads, “and the kingdoms beyond it. I'm not going to take everything that's happened today lying down. That nut is going to get it for running of with Princess Peach, and terrorizing your people. And not going to let him get away with treating me like I'm some kind of pet or something.”
“Miss Mildred,” Toadsworth interjected, “I cannot advise such action! The enemy forces at work are very dangerous. If something were to happen to you because I allowed you to run off with Master Mario and the other of his team, the Princess would be most upset and I would never forgive myself!”
“I don't want to sit here and do nothing.” Mildred said, “I can't just stay here while Princess peach is in need. I would just mope if I did. She invited complete strangers into her home for protection, myself included. And now she is in need of saving. If the roles were reversed, I feel like she would do the same for me.”
“Despite hardly knowing her you are right, Miss Mildred.” Toadsworth said calmly, “The Princess would do everything she could to save you if you were the one in danger. Master Franky, see to it that Miss Mildred is given proper attire and supplies. And Master Mario, please introduce yourself and the rest of your comrades when she is ready.”
“Yes sir, Mister Toadsworth sir!” Franky saluted.
“Okie Dokey!” Mario gave a thumbs up as he started back towards the supply area.
“Very well, off you go then Miss Mildred,” Toadsworth said, “Please take care, and be safe on your journey.”
“I will do the best I can.” Mildred said as she followed after Franky, “And Toadsworth, thanks again for the hospitality you shown me.”
“The Princess wouldn't have it any other way.” He replied.
“Come on Mildred,” Franky said confidently, “Let's get you suited up!”
Mildred was taken to an area where she was able to pick out clothing of her choice to wear. She looked over her selections carefully, and found the clothing she liked. She entered a changing room, and came out shortly afterwards. Mildred was now dressed in a dark gray tank-top, with a pair of black jeans, complete with a belt and a black vest with a collar that stood up around her lower face. Mildred looked herself over in a mirror to make sure everything was to her liking. With a satisfied smile, Mildred left the changing rooms and headed for the the supply room where all of the weapons and ammo was located as well as where the debriefing was to take place.
In the debriefing room there were a good number of people there. All of them appeared combat ready and a few of them were even dressed like it. Mildred walked over to a pillar and leaned against it as she watched a man with broad features walk up next to a projector screen. He was wearing a white tank-top, a pair of army green pants with the legs tucked into his army boots, a red vest with a brownish green backpack attached to it and thick dark gray gloves. He had a white bandanna wrapped around his head that covered his eyebrows. His short blond hair had a long lock that curved down over his head band and sideburns that nearly reached his chin.
“Alright people listen up.” He said as he tapped the table in front of him.
Everyone else quieted down and turned their attention to him. He paused for a moment before speaking again, making sure everyone was paying attention.
“As you all know by now,” he spoke again, “the castle fell under attack approximately twenty minutes ago and Princess Peach was captured and taken by Donald Morden.”
Murmurers of agreement arose from the group. Mildred could see a look of frustration on Mario and man sitting next to him, who wore the same outfit as him but he had a green shirt and hat instead.
“That being said,” The man continued, “We are now tasked with one mission; To locate and retrieve Princess Peach, and defeat Donald Morden and Bowser Koopa if at all possible and liberate any foreign kingdoms along the way.”
The others started to get fired up for the idea of setting out to the enemy's base.
“But before we start discussing our course of action,” He said, “it's time to say hello to our new recruit. Everyone this is Mildred, she'll be ing us on our mission to rescue the Princess.”
The team turned to face Mildred who raised a hand to greet them. As expected some of the of the team were surprised by Mildred's appearance. However, those dressed in similar attire to the man in the red vest seemed to just react as though she was just like anyone else, some even waved back.
“Mildred,” said the man in the red vest, “this is the craziest group you will ever work with, I guarantee it.”
Mildred felt that there was competition to be had with people she dealt with on a daily basis.
“For starters,” He said as he placed his hand on his chest, “I am Marco. You have already met Mario here in some way I've heard.”
“Hello again!” Mario said happily raising a hand.
“The taller thin one in green next to him is his brother, Luigi” Marco said pointing to him.
“Hello there!” Luigi, much like his brother gave a happy greeting.
“The man here to my right is Tarma.” Marco pointed to a man siting at the table wearing the same exact outfit as him. The difference was Tarma had messy red hair with side burns, sunglasses, and a yellow vest instead of a red one.
“Hey.” Tarma said with a smile.
“Next to him is Eri and Fio,” Marco continued down the list of people. The two girls he referred to were dressed in the same outfit as each other. A tan-ish vest covering a white tank top, shorts, dark gray gloves, knee pads and combat boosts. The only differences for them was Eri had blond hair with a bandanna on her head. And Fio had glasses, with red hair done in a ponytail and a ball cap.
“Hi.” Eri said.
“Welcome to the team.” Fio said as she bowed in her seat.
“The odd fellow over there at what's left of the snack table is Wario.” Marco said hinting at a large over weight man with muscular arms and short legs, wearing a yellow hat with a W on it and a short sleeved shirt, pinkish purple overalls, green pointy shoes and white gloves with large blue W's printed on them. He had pointy ears, very broad facial features, a large, pink, bulbous nose, bulky eyebrows and a mustache that made him look like he was wearing a lightning bolt on his face. He turned around squinting at Mildred, looking her over as though to size up a foe or something.
“Ha ha,” Wario laughed, “Hey Waluigi, get a load of the loser with the stupid haircut. She must have gotten lost on her way to the petting zoo!”
Mildred chose to stay silent and say nothing. She had already lashed out enough for one day. Besides if this guy is going to underestimate her, she'll just have to prove him wrong. Wario of course, had some final thoughts on the moment.
“Uh oh, I guess I touched a nerve.” Wario mockingly shrugged, “Wait, wait, I forgot to be polite! PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPBTH!”
“Wha ha ha ha!” laughed Waluigi. He was a tall skinny man, who wore a purple hat with an upside down L on it and a purple shirt with black overalls, a pair of orange pointy shoes, and a pair of white gloves with yellow upside down L's on them. He had a pointy chin, a pink pointy nose, pointy ears, and a thin mustache that looked like it was in the shape of a couple of L's.
“Charming aren't they?” Marco said with an irritated tone to his voice.
Mildred simply shrugged with a tilted, half smirk while rolling her eyes. While Wario and Waluigi continued their antics over to the side, Marco continued his attempt to introduce the team.
“You by now are familiar with these little guys.” Marco lifted a hand towards a toad with red spots and wearing a blue vest, “This is Toad.”
“Hello,” Toad said raising a hand, “nice to meet'cha!”
“That's everyone for now.” Marco said turning back to face Mildred, “We have two other guys on the team. However, they have already headed out ahead of us to scout out what we're dealing with. You'll get to meet them later. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time to get to know each other since we are pressed for time. But there will be time for that in the field. Alright people, gather around we've got a list of missions to discuss.”
Everyone got as close as they could to the table. Marco walked over to the left side of the projector screen, while Mario stood up and walked over to the right. Mildred left her position next to the pillar and sat at the back corner of the table next to Eri. Wario and Waluigi tried to get one last remark towards her, but Tarma gave them a dirty look which detoured them from causing any more trouble. The lights then when out, and the projector turned on to reveal a map of the Mushroom Kingdom and the kingdoms beyond it leading to Dark Land. It didn't take much for Mildred to realize that was a lot of ground to cover.
“So here's the reality of things.” Marco said as he tapped his chin while observing the map, “We have a total of eight missions packed into one to deal with.”
Marco then turned to face the team before speaking again. He and Mario began discussing the courses of action needed for the mission, pointing to the map at times when needed.
“I want to get a clear understanding going here.” Marco continued, “Princess Peach is a very important person to most of us in this room. However, she is not our first priority at the moment. If we are to have any hope of a rescue, we are going to have to take back and free each and every kingdom that has been taken by the Koopa-Rebel Army. And from what we know, there are six to recover excluding Dark Land and the one we are in now. But that doesn't mean this one is safe. Shortly after Peach's capture we received word that the Koopa-Rebel Army has crossed into the Mushroom Kingdom boarder and is now invading it. So our first mission, is to drive back the invasion and prevent them from taking the Mushroom Kingdom. I don't know about you guys, but Mario here introduced me to some nice eateries here and I'd sure hate to lose 'em.”
The group let out a subtle chuckle before Marco continued.
“Now,” Marco continued as he pointed to the next location on the map at the kingdom's boarder, “there is no doubt a War Machine waiting for us when we reach the main invasion force. Every invasion force I have ever dealt with has always had at least one giant War Wachine backing them up. At times they have had a few weaker ones with them too, which seems to be the case with these guys this time around. But, if we take out the main War Machine that will secure us the win. As far as we know, there is a War Machine guarding every single kingdom.”
“That's-a right,” Mario said, “according to the spies we sent out, the Koopa-Rebel Army has machines developed by Bowser and machines developed by General Morden.”
“As Franky might put it,” Marco said, “That means double trouble for us.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, save for Mildred who didn't quite fully understand the situation surrounding the War Machines.
“Excuse me Marco,” Mildred said raising her hand, “I've never dealt with a War Machine before. How bad are these things?”
Marco looked at her for a moment before saying with a serious tone, “Let's just say these things are bad enough to make you think what ever you've got isn't good enough.”
The sound in his voice made Mildred feel uneasy. Marco then looked back at the map.
“These machines are a very serious matter.” Marco was staring at a spot on the map before he pointed at it, “There are rumors about Desert Land that I don't like to hear. Word is... there's a Big Shiee there keeping the kingdom under the Koopa-Rebel Army's thumb. I just hope that the rumors are false.”
“What's a Big Shiee?” Mildred asked wondering if it was a bad idea to ask.
Tarma leaned forward to answer the question, “It's a massive vehicle, capable of destroying an entire town in minutes, and a city in an hour. If you ever come face to face with a Big Shiee, you better hope that you have enough luck under your belt to survive it.”
There was a deafening silence that followed Tarma's words. Mildred now had an intense sinking feeling as she thought about the possibility of something being able to erase an entire city off the planet by itself. Marco started speaking again to break the silence.
“While that was a blunt explanation,” Marco said, “Tarma is right about how frightening the Big Shiee is. However, it's only rumors we have heard about one being in Desert Land. So until we get there, let's put our thoughts about that aside for now.”
“Marco is-a right,” Mario added, “our main focus for now should be to keep the Koopa-Rebel Army from taking over the Mushroom Kingdom. Once we do that, we can-a focus on the kingdoms ahead.”
“That's right.” Marco said, “To continue, once we clear out the enemy in our front yard, we'll head northeast to Forest Land and clear it out. From there, we head east to Water Land. Once Water Land is free, we'll need to continue east to reach and free Jungle Land. But before we enter Jungle Land, we'll need to make a stop at a little place called Yoshi's Island and drive our trouble making friends out of there. It seems that the enemy is trying to use the island as a base for developing new weapons and the like to aid there conquest. So that's gotta go. Once we finish with Jungle land we'll need to catch a train that will get us across a large body of water to Desert Land. Once our time in Desert Land is over, we head south to a place called Giant Land. From Giant land we head to the far north where we will reach Ice Land, which is connected to our place of interest, Dark Land. By the time we reach Dark Land the enemy's strength should be weakened enough for us to march into Dark Land, make our way to Bowser's Castle and put an end to all of this madness caused by Bowser and Morden.”
“Question,” Luigi raised a hand, “we now the path but... how do we free these kingdoms we plan to save? What's-a the plan for that?”
“Good point Luigi,” Marco said as he held up a finger, “we do need a plan. Sadly we don't know exactly what all we're going up against at the moment due to our forces being locked down here at the home front. Even the spies haven't been able to get in far enough to see what the enemy has in these kingdoms. Which is why our first priority when entering these places is to figure out what it is they have and then plan a way to take them out.”
“This-a almost sounds like any other time Luigi and I had to save-a the Princess in the past,” Mario added.
“Us too.” Tarma, Fio and Eri said together, referring to their mission experiences.
“We are fortunately not entirely in the dark on this though.” Mario continued as different photo's started cycling on the screen, “Our spies managed to at least get some photos from the areas as far as Jungle Land's beach. While not-a the most detailed, they give us a relative idea of what could be there.”
After the pictures finished cycling, the projector shut off, and the light's came back on.
“So now we know the main plan at least.” Marco said, “To recap; We first defend the home front, make our way to Dark Land, free the kingdoms under control of the Koopa-Rebel Army along the way, defeat Bowser and Morden, then return to home base with the Princess in tow. Any questions?”
“I have one more.” Mildred said,” I meant to ask, what do we call this team of ours?”
A big smile crossed Marco's face as he replied, “Don't ask how we came up with it, but this little team goes by the name... Project Metal Slug. Alright, meeting is adjourned. Everyone gather your weapons and supplies and head to the exit bay of the base, we head out in twenty minutes. And before I forget, someone take Mildred to receive her own weapons and a vehicle.”
Vehicle? Mildred wondered what kind of vehicles they had for her to choose from as everyone got up and headed out to the main garage. As she entered the room herself she was greeted by Franky again, but this time Fred and Dave as well. This time the trio were dressed in mechanic uniforms and looked eager to show Mildred the goods. Mildred followed the trio to a work desk where she was given a revolver and a holster to attach to her waist. Then four larger weapons were placed on the table in front of her for her to choose from.
“Alright Mildred it's time to pick your favorite,” Fred said, “First on the table we have the Heavy Machine Gun! This rapid fire gun has a good range on it, but a bit of bullet spread. It is good for clearing clusters of enemies though. Next we have the Flame Shot! If you like setting stuff on fire, this is the gun for you! Just be aware that it doesn't share quite as long of a range as the Heavy Machine Gun. Next is the Shot Gun! This gun has a pretty short range on it but hits hard enough to launch enemies through the air and wreck vehicles with ease! Lastly we have the Rocket Launcher! This gun is for the person who just likes to watch things explode! It's like watching a firework show that makes people scream and run in terror! But enough about that, just pick the one you would like!”
Mildred looked at the weapons before her and thought carefully about what gun she wanted take with her. After a few moments of thinking, she made her decision.
“I'm going with the Shot Gun.” Mildred said as she picked up her new weapon.
“Nice choice!” Fred said as he turned to Dave, “Alright Dave let's get her a Slug!”
“Aha-alright!” Dave raised a fist into the air with excitement, “It's Slug time, let's go!”
“What's a Slug?” Mildred asked in confusion.
“No more questions, come find out!” Dave exclaimed as he ran off across the garage, causing Mildred to have to chase after him.
When Mildred caught up to him he was standing in front of a large tarp, which he pulled off without hesitation. When the tarp hit the floor, Mildred's jaw dropped as she was greeted by the sight of... a tank! It was a chubby little chibi tank! And it was perfect! The Tank was about fifty percent larger than an automobile, had a bulky turret with a stubby cannon on it. On top of the turret was a couple of handles towards the front, a pair of antenna towards the back of the turret, and on the entry hatch was a large search light. Attached to the lower front of the tank's turret were a couple of pistons that connected the turret to the base, that Mildred imagined allowed the turret to angle up and down. The tank's base had a couple of bulky treads that looked like they could grind stones and metal to dust. The treads were protected by a thin section of armor that looked as though a coconut was growing out the top on each of the treads. Two large tractor mufflers stuck up behind the tank's turret. Attached to each side of the tanks engine just above the rear of the tank's treads, were two, big vulcan gatling guns. These guns gave Mildred the impression that they were the kind of guns that no one wanted to get in front of. Mildred was in love. The tank was beautiful, and she wanted it.
“What is this beautiful machine before me called?” she said awestruck, “Is this a tank?”
“Heh heh,” Dave laughed, “This is no ordinary tank, Mildred. This, is the Super Vehicle Unit One! SV-001 for short. But you can call it, Metal Slug!”
“Metal Slug!?” Mildred said still trapped in awe of the vehicle, “Our team is named... after the Metal Slug!?”
“Yes it is,” Dave said as he turned to get ready to introduce another Slug to Mildred, “Next we have-”
“I want the Metal Slug.” Mildred interrupted while running over to the tank, she looked closer at the mechanics connecting the turret to the tank's base.
“Are you sure Mildred,” Dave said, “we still have a few others to look at.”
“Metal Slug, Dave!” Mildred said quickly as she pointed at the Metal Slug.
“Can I at least show you the others first?” Dave said starting to laugh at Mildred's excitement over the Metal Slug.
“Give me the Metal Slug!” She exclaimed.
“But we have an amphibious submarine,” Dave started again, “and a jet-”
“Chubby tank I want Dave!” Mildred said with gritted teeth and exaggerated eyes.
“If it's tanks you love,” Dave started to loose control of himself, “We have a mech that converts into a t-”
“Fluffy lady want chibi, bang, bang, boom, car go squish!” Mildred accidentally drooled a little as she snarled.
“Fwa ha ha haha ha,” Dave finally couldn't contain himself and fell over laughing, “Okay, ha ha ha ha, okay you can have the ta-ha-ha-ha-ank!”
“YES!!!” Mildred shouted while throwing her arms in the air.
While Mildred had selected everything she wanted to use for the mission ahead of her, she couldn't take her new tank friend with her just yet. The Metal Slug was still needing some repairs to be finished on it before it was battle ready. But it would be deployed by the time Mildred needed it. Mildred wasn't to happy at first about having to leave her new toy behind in the garage and not being able to drive it right away. But Dave promised that it would be in perfect working order when she needed it. And Franky promised to paint a special logo on it to show that it was hers. This of course made Mildred happy and excited. She decided to be patient and wait for the Metal Slug to be repaired and for it to get it's new logo, even though she still wished she could at least sit inside the tank. Regardless, Mildred made her way over to the exit of the base where the rest of the team was waiting. They did one final check on their supplies and were ready to head out. The garage door opened, and the team set out, ready to face the challenge ahead.
To be continued?
I am considering writing an entire series following Mildred's adventures with her new pals in this world, and the challenges they face. We'll know for sure once I start posting it again. In other news, I am sorry for such a long wait on the release of chapter two in Universe Comics. I have been working on it but it has taken me longer to get it ready than planned. I will continue working on it until I can release it. But until then please enjoy the other updates to come.
Mildred Abzug, Bindi, and Fanboys © GreyofPTA
Everything Mario related © Nintendo
Marco, Tarma, Eri, Fio and everything else Metal Slug © SNK
Update:
Story challenge; draw your favorite moment from the story. Let's see your imagination at work!
Story
Project Metal Slug
Prologue: Another World
After a long day at work, feeling worn out, frustrated and angry with her workplace, Mildred arrives home. The only thing on her mind, was forgetting her vexing day at work and settling into a week's vacation she had fought her workplace long and hard for. Once her car was parked in it's garage, Mildred mumbled less than kind words about her employers and co-workers under her breath as she walked up to her garage's door to enter her home. As if she hadn't been through enough for one day, Mildred makes the unfortunate mistake of grabbing the door knob a little too roughly, causing the door knob to break off. As the rest of the establishment hits the floor and the door creaks open, Mildred stares at the now useless metal object in her hand. After a brief fifteen second stare, she very slowly tilts her hand until the knob falls and bounces down the steps to the garage floor, while she continues her stare at the door. After the tiny metallic rolling sounds stop, Mildred closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before pushing the dismembered door open and letting herself in. She dropped her purse on the kitchen table and started to head to the couch. She stopped short, changed direction and headed back into the kitchen. A cup of coffee is what she needed to start her long time away from work. Upon opening her cabinets she gazed at the different coffees she had, a collection that would no doubt make Grey Duck green with envy. Along side the typical American caffeine, Mildred's collection ranged from across the globe to some that a person wouldn't think existed. She settled on one she had been saving for a day like today, a German coffee that even sounded far fetched to her the first time she heard its name. “By Oden's Beard” it was called, not the most creative or attracting name in the world but the coffee's taste and texture more than made up for it. It was a wonderful concoction that made it's way into her secret favorite coffee list, so much so that she would only drink it on a special occasion. She carefully removed the box from it's perch, retrieved her favorite cup and got everything else she would need for her favorite beverage. All that was left, was to ready the coffee maker. A light smile made it's way onto Mildred's face as she turned the machine on. She imagined herself in her soft, comfy bath robe, lounging on the couch, favorite coffee in hand, and the driest British comedy she could ever find on tv. Her fantasy was interrupted by the sound of the coffee maker sparking and bursting into flames. Calmly and with the most unenthusiastic expression on her face, Mildred unplugged the machine and spayed it with the sink hose until the flames were no more. For a time, she stood staring at the charred remains of the now deceased coffee maker as her mouth quivered slightly. The sink hose slipped from her hand and whipped back into it's usual position. Mildred remained fixated on the sight in front of her. After what felt like and hour Mildred picked up her empty cup and looked at it for a moment before putting it to her mouth and sipping the air from it.
Knock Knock Knock
A knocking came from her front door. Mildred walked towards her door sipping once more from her empty cup before opening it. On the other side of the door, Bindy stood with a smug expression, clearly aiming to make Mildred's already bad day worse. Mildred stood staring at Bindi with the same expression she gave the coffee maker's tragic death.
“Hey Fluff Butt.” Bindi crossed her arms.
Mildred took a long sip from her cup then gave a bored, “Hey.”
“Me and like, a few of the boys figured we would give you a proper send off before you started your vacation.” Bindi pointed to the Fanboys behind her with a big grin, “You look like you could use an uplifting-”
Bind's taunting was cut short by the sound of Mildred sipping the air in her cup again. As Mildred lowered her cup back down to chest level, she continued her blank stare. This caused a bit of confusion in Bindi.
“Like...” Bindi paused looking at Mildred's empty cup, “You do know that that's empty don't you?”
A blunt “Yup”, came from Mildred as she sipped from the cup again.
“Are just going to keep drinking nothing?” Bindi pointed at the cup uncomfortably.
Mildred looked at the cup for a few moments before giving another “Yup.” Then sipped from it again.
As Bindi watched Mildred drink the air from her cup, her eyes caught sight of the ruined coffee maker in the kitchen.
“Like, what happened to your coffee maker!?” Bindi almost squeaked.
“It had a bad day.” Mildred said while glancing at the smoldering machine then returning her stare to Bindi.
“...” Bindi stood now very confused, “Are you even the least bit concerned about that starting a fire?”
“Nope.” Mildred said as she closed the door on her unwanted guests and locked the door.
Mildred marched off to her bathroom as she set her coffee cup on the counter. Forget everything else, she just wanted a shower now. Mildred tossed her cloths one at a time to various corners of her bedroom before entering the bathroom and turning on her shower and waiting for the water to warm up.
Once the water was nice and warm, she hopped into the shower. For a while she stood under the water, finally letting herself relax. She finally smiled again as she took a deep breath, enjoying the shower's warmth. Mildred grabbed the shampoo and began lathering her hair. Things aren't so bad, she thought to her self, my vacation has just started, I need to give it time to really get going. Suddenly, the room shook for a brief moment before the water shut off, leaving Mildred soaked and soap in her hair. A wide eyed expression inhabited Mildred's face as she stood frozen in her silent shower. Mildred grabbed the shower knob and began twisting it, attempting to get it to run. With some angry grunts, she gave up and reached out of her shower and grabbed her towel. She did her best to dry her self off as she stepped out of the shower. As Mildred walked to what she thought was her bathroom's door, she found her self stepping on nothing and was now quickly falling through... the sky!
“WAAAAAAH!” Mildred screamed as she noticed the blue back drop with clouds falling upwards. “WHAT IS THIS!? WHERE AM- AAAAAGH!”
Mildred plummeted through the sky. She wrapped herself in the towel she clutched in her hand. Her breathing accelerated into panicked gasps as she frantically looked around at the fast moving sky and... are those clouds smiling? What is going on here? One moment she was in her bathroom and the next she is falling in a sea of smiling clouds! This can't be real, she thought, this can't be happening. I can't be falling from the sky! Mildred's train of thought was interrupted by the now rapidly approaching
ground below her. Mildred frantically screamed and kicked her legs as she came closer and closer to the ground. What came next was a loud splash as she crashed down in a small lake. She opened her eyes. It was the clearest lake she had ever seen, she could see far into the lake's depths. She could see all the plants and... fish with over sized lips? And squids... with black masks on their faces? Mildred quickly swam up to the water's surface. She gasped for air as her head came above the water. She continues to frantically pant as she quickly looked around before swimming to shore. Mildred clambered her way out of the lake and onto dry land, nearly stumbling over her own footsteps in the process. Mildred tightened her towel as she tried to make sense of what was happening. She looked up at her surroundings, everything was so colorful. The grass was so green, the trees were so fluffy, there were giant mushrooms of various colors in the distance, rolling hills and mountains scattered throughout the environment... and the clouds were still smiling.
“What kind of over saturated, cartoony place is this?” Mildred said aloud as she gazed at the scene before her with a mixture of awe and discomfort.
BOOM!
Something large and heavy crashed down behind her, scattering water and mud fragments everywhere. Mildred spun around to see what landed behind her. The object behind her looked partially
square, with white tiles, a curtain blowing in the wind and....
“Is that my SHOWER!?” Mildred squeaked in surprise at the sight of her own shower sitting lop-sided in the lake.
“Hey, are you okay?” a voice asked from behind her.
“WLAAAAGH!” Mildred shrieked as she spun around and backed up slightly away form the source of the voice.
Before Mildred stood three individuals much shorter than her. Their heads were bulbous like mushrooms, with a white cap and colored polka-dots. One individual was blue, another was green and the third was purple. They wore vests that matched the color of their spots, baggy white pants and shoes that seemed a little large for beings with stubby legs. The three beings looked at her with surprise and concern mixed in their faces. Finally, the person in green stepped forward, carefully raising a hand to show a calm greeting.
“Uh... Hello,” he said with a careful tone, “Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you. We saw you over here panicking and wanted to help if we can.”
“H-who are you?”, Mildred asked with nervous breaths, “What... are you? A-are you guys a-aliens?”
“Aliens?” the one dressed in purple repeated, “We're not aliens. My name is Dave.”
“And my name is Fred.” said the one in blue.
“I'm Franky!” said the one in green, “And as for what we are. We're toads!”
“Toads?” Mildred repeated in confusion, “Like in relations to toadstools? Mushrooms?”
“You got it.” said Fred, “Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom!”
“Mushroom Kingdom.” Mildred said looking around with a very nervous smile and tone, “I'm on an alien planet... or I have completely lost it.”
“No offense lady,” said Dave, “you look more like an alien to us.”
“Yeah,” said Franky as he started to walk a circle around Mildred, “Are you supposed to be some kind of bipedal fox or something?”
“Yeah,” Mildred nervously said watching Franky complete his circle around her, “You could say that.”
“Cool,” said Franky as he finished his observation, “So what do we call you? Do you have some crazy or cool sounding name? Or is it a name that can't be pronounced by Toad kind?”
“Actually,” Mildred raised a nervous finger, “My name is Mildred.”
The three Toads paused and looked at each other for few moments before Dave spoke up.
“Well that's a boring name for an alien.” He said.
“Like Dave, Franky and Fred are any better.” Mildred gave an irritated scowl.
“Oh-ho!” Franky said with a big smile, “I like you, Mildred. I think you and I will be great friends!”
“I just met you.” Mildred said with a less pleased expression.
“The best!” Franky swung his right fist to his left side.
“Oh my lord.” Mildred put her hand to her forehead.
“I hate to cut this short,” said Dave, “But we better get back to town before any more of those weirdos show up. It's not safe out here.”
“Weirdos? Not safe?” Mildred said looking around again, “These weirdos wouldn't happen to be dingoes by chance would they?”
“Oh no, they're not dingoes.” said Fred, “These guys are humans!”
“Humans?” Mildred's ears sprang up.
“Yeah, but they are dressed in army uniforms with these X's on the shoulders.” said Dave, “And they have guns and these big scary war machines they have been using to attack us and other kingdoms!”
“Word is,” Franky said, “that there is this massive battle ship that moves on land attacking Dessert Land!And there's other giant machines out there too! And to make things worse, these guys allied themselves with the koopas! That makes it double trouble for sure!”
“A battle ship that moves on land!?” Mildred said in disbelief, “How do you expect me to believe a battle ship can move on land? And what the heck is a koopa!?”
“There's no time for anymore explanations,” Fred said, “We need get back to town.”
“Why don't we fly in your space ship to get there faster?” Franky asked with excitement.
Mildred looked at the lake and then back at the three Toads, “That's not a ship... that's what's left of my shower...”
The three toads looked at each other again. Then Franky responded with, “You flew to our planet in a shower?”
Some time later, the group arrived at Toad Town. As they walked down the town's main street, Mildred looked around at the many mushroom shaped buildings of various colors and sizes. There were shops that seemed to be themed around different kinds of clothing, markets, items and... power ups? Mildred watched as a pink toad touched a brown stripped leaf they had just purchased and gained a raccoon suit that allowed them to then fly away across town. As they continued their walk through town, Mildred noticed a few toads would be caught off guard by her appearance from time to time. Mildred gave a nervous wave in repose and did her best to smile so not to make the locals feel threatened. Continuing through Toad Town eventually brought Mildred to the entrance of a large castle clad in red and white. Above the main entrance to the castle was a large stain glass window with a person printed in it. The person in the window looked like a princess. Wait, a princess!?
“Wait a second guys,” Mildred said in realization of where she was, “are guys taking me to see your ruler?”
“Yes.” said Dave, “The Princess has asked that if any civilians who come across someone who looks as though they have been affected by any of the events happening lately, to bring them to the castle for shelter and protection. And to get a rough explanation of what's happening.”
“With me looking like this!?” Mildred hinted at her towel, “I'm not dressed for this!”
“What's wrong with your dress?” asked Fred.
“This isn't a dress,” Mildred said gripping the top of her towel, “I'm in a bath towel.”
There was a brief pause before Franky said, “Why is this alien so... normal?”
“I'm not an Alien, guys!” Mildred protested.
“Actually,” Fred says as he pretends to adjust a pair of glasses, “Since your are not familiar with anything in our kingdom, and you are clearly not from our world, this clearly makes you an alien.”
The three toads began nodding and agreeing with each other as though they were scientists at a presentation.
Mildred let out a soft, accepting sigh, “I guess you got me there. But can you just call me Mildred instead of an alien?”
“Mildred it is.” the three toads said in unison.
“It sounds so much better,” Franky said as they started walking to the castle again.
“Indeed, indeed,” Fred agreed as he adjusted his imaginary glasses again, “Such a nice ring to it.”
“Lovely indeed.” Dave said as fancily as he could.
“Guys!” Mildred tried to get their attention, “Guys wait! Can I at least get some new cloths before I go in there!?”
The three toads continued walking towards the castle door talking among themselves.
Mildred let out another sigh before saying to herself, “Bath towel it is.”
Mildred walked quickly to catch up to the three toads before they accidentally leave her behind or something. As she caught up to them, she noticed the guards to the castle had already opened the large double doors and her escorts were just starting to walk in. Mildred nervously waved at the guard who watched her follow behind the chattering toads in front of her. On the inside of the castle, Mildred was greeted by the sight of a large foyer. The floor was covered in checkered tiles with trails of red carpet leading to various rooms and other pathways. Colorful paintings line the walls around the foyer, and doors seemed to open up to paintings bigger than life. There were toads throughout the foyer civilian and guards alike... who also got caught off guard by Mildred. At this point Mildred was more concerned about meeting this worlds princess in a bath towel. She could just see it now, the princess takes one look at her, is disgusted with the fact her subjects brought some unclothed creature in a bath towel before her, and just like that she's spending her vacation or longer in a dungeon for public indecency. On the upside, at least she can finally get away from Bindi, the Fanboys and all the other jerks she puts up with. Seeming to be a running thing today, her train of thought once again got interrupted by a sudden change in her environment.
“My word,” said an older sounding voice, “another victim of this catastrophe that has befallen us?”
Mildred looked up to see a toad dressed in a royal purple vest, wearing circular glasses, and carrying a cane. The spots on his head were that of a brown color and he had a large mustache that covered the lower half of his face. He approached Mildred with a look of concern.
“My dear,” he said, “are you alright? You look quite stirred by everything around you.”
“I'm not sure exactly what to feel at this point.” Mildred said awkwardly looking around the room, “One moment I'm at home taking a shower, the next I'm plummeting through the sky and landing in a lake. Then these three brought me here.”
“Good heavens.” the old toad said with a slight look of surprise, “So the Professor was right. My dear, you very well may have been pulled out of your own dimension into our own.”
“A-a... another dimension!?” Mildred couldn't believe what she was hearing. This sounded even more crazy than the battle ship Franky spoke about earlier. Although, she has never seen this place on any map, ever. Maybe what the old toad says is true. At least he seems more down to earth than Fred, Franky and Dave were. “I guess that would explain a lot....”
“You mentioned that you were attempting to bathe before you found yourself here?” the old toad continued, “Perhaps it would be better to allow you to use our bathing facility before we continue. We can not have you being uncomfortable while you stay with us.”
“Oh, but you really don't have too-” Mildred started to say as the old toad raised his hand.
“Nonsense,” he said, “You are a guest here at the castle. And we shall tend to your needs while you are here. Would someone kindly show our guest to the spa room so that she can get tidied up?”
Two toads dressed in spa uniforms kindly started guiding Mildred in the right direction.
“Oh, and before I forget,” the old toad said, “What might your name be?”
“Mildred.” she said calmly.
“Splendid,” the old toad responded, “I am Toadsworth, if you need anything from me, just send for me. Please do enjoy your bath Mildred, I shall inform the princess that we have another guest that has arrived.”
Well that went better than expected, Mildred thought to herself as she continued to follow the spa toads. Mildred wasn't expecting such a warm welcome from anyone in this royal castle, but she had no complaints. It was nice to be talked to with such respect. She couldn't help but smile to herself as that good feeling came over her. Fred, Franky and Dave gave her their best see you later as they waved to her. Mildred found herself smiling even more and waving back to them. They weren't so bad, she thought so herself, despite their energy they were pretty likable. Mildred maybe away from home, and her shower may be sinking in a lake, but staying in a royal castle for a vacation wouldn't be so bad. This was assuming she would be returning home at the end of the week. Mildred took the time to look at the paintings and other decorations around the castle as she continued on her path with her guides. Each painting seemed to feature multiple moments in the Princess's life. The Princess too, was human. In most of the paintings the princess seemed to be wearing a long, pink regal dress. Her hair was long and blond and she always had a kind and polite expression on here face through her happy smile. Her arms were covered by white gloves that nearly reached her shoulders. She seemed like the type of person everyone would like to be around. As she continued onward, Mildred could see other paintings depicting the Princess in many other events like sports and parties with what seemed to be her friends. Mildred soon found herself outside the doors to the castle's spa. A spa... This castle has a spa Mildred realized.
“Here we are.” said one of the spa toads as he and the other spa toad opened the doors, “Welcome to the castle's spa room!”
“Whooooa...” Mildred gazed in awe at the massive room of relaxation. “D-don't tell me about the options, sign me up for everything!”
The toads nodded in acknowledgment and guided Mildred to the first thing she was very happy to see, the showers. Mildred was given a fresh towel, in much better shape than the one she was wrapped in, soap, a robe and the shampoo of her choice. Once she was given everything she needed, the toads left her to her privacy. Mildred looked through the curtain to see a spacious area, no where near as compact as the showers she was used to seeing. Repeating her steps from her first attempt at a shower, Mildred stepped in and took her time having the relaxing shower she wanted earlier. Once her shower was finished, she dried off and wrapped herself up in the plush robe the toads had also left for her. She picked up the shower supplies and placed them in the available drop basket and left the showers. The spa toads greeted her once again and waited for her next choice of spa activity. Despite the fact that she had just had a shower, Mildred couldn't help but find herself being pulled to the hot tubs. An experience that was just as relaxing, if not more relaxing than the shower she just had. This... this is just what she needed. The warm water accompanied by the floating steam and the cushy head rest made for perhaps a little to relaxing, causing Mildred to doze off for a little while. Mildred was awakened by the sound of one of the spa toads voices asking her if she was doing alright. Mildred responded with a, I'm fine, and decided it was time to exit the hot tubs and enjoy something else she was wanting really bad, a massage. The massage tables looked as appealing as everything else in the room. Mildred laid face down on the table and prepared for her muscles to be further loosened. But just before she could get to enjoy it, her massage was interrupted by the castle going on red alert.
“Red alert,” said one of the spa toads, “we have to evacuate to the castle's bunker!”
“Sorry Miss Mildred, we have to go!” said the other.
Mildred was now very unhappy, “I can't have anything nice toady.” she mumbled under her breath.
At this point Mildred had lost count of the number of times something she was trying to enjoy got interrupted. She angrily put the robe back on and followed the spa toads to the castle's bunker. As she followed behind them, Mildred thought some less than hospitable thoughts about the situation. If she ever met the bum that was making a habit of ruining her day, there would be a very unpleasant conversation. Mildred soon found herself in the castle's bunker. It was more of a military bunker than just a safety bunker. Other of the castle's staff had already arrived to the bunker and had finished securing any civilians who were in the castle as well. As Mildred walked towards the nearest seat to sit down in, she looked around the bunker as castle guards and staff continued to scramble around, ensuring that everyone was safe. It just occurred to Mildred that she still didn't know what was going on. She was just about to cross her arms in frustration when Franky appeared.
“There you are Mildred!” he said cheerfully, “Hey, you got a chance to enjoy the castle's spa I see. Hope that was enjoyable.”
“At least my shower didn't get interrupted this time,” Mildred replied with a slight disappointed tone.
“Didn't get to experience the other stuff, huh?” Franky said with an understanding smile, “Hey maybe meeting the Princess will brighten up your cloudy sky.”
Mildred couldn't help but smile a bit at Franky's words. She stood up and followed Franky, off to meet the princess.
“We're off the meet the Princess,” Franky sang, “the wonderful Princess of... um... I don't know how to finish that without breaking the rhythm.”
Mildred let out a chuckle at Franky's fumble and they continued on their way to meet the Princess. Franky led Mildred to what appeared to be a sort of command center for a base of operations. Many toads were gathered around different control s and monitors. In the center of the room stood the Princess accompanied by Toadsworth.
“What is it?” Toadsworth inquired, “What is attacking us this time?”
“We're not sure.” a toad looking at a radar responded, “The radar is struggling to pick it up. It keeps fading in and out!”
“Professor E. Gadd, can you increase the radar's power?” Toadsworth asked a strange old man in a white coat.
“I'll make the necessary adjustments!” he said beginning to work on the machine.
“Master Mario,” Toadsworth spoke into the console's intercom, “ready the team to defend the castle.”
“These attacks are becoming more frequent,” the Princess said turning to Toadsworth, “I fear that the castle itself may become unsafe for our people.”
“I'm afraid you may be right, Princess,” Toadsworth said glumly, “we may need to make plans for evacuation of the city all together.”
“Franky,” Mildred turned and said in a hushed tone, “I don't think this is a good-”
“Miss Mildred!” Toadsworth said in surprise, “Why are you not with the other civilians? Master Franky, what is the meaning of this?”
“Sorry,” Franky said, “but she hasn't met the Princess yet.”
“This is hardly the time!” Toadsworth said.
“It's fine, Toadsworth.” The Princess said calmly as she walked towards Mildred, “I'm sorry for the events that are currently happening, Mildred. Toadsworth told me you arrived here from another dimension and you may have a lot of questions. To start, I am Princess Peach. It is nice to meet you despite the situation.”
“I just want to say,” Mildred started, “thank you for welcoming me into your home so warmly.”
“You're welcome Mildred,” Peach said, “we need to take care of each other in these troubling times.”
“Still, thank you again.” Mildred said.
The princess took a deep calm breath before she continued. “It started a month ago, there were light tremors that turned into more intense quakes. Finally, there was a great quake and before we knew it, people from another dimension appeared and began-”
*KABOOM *
With out warning there was a large explosion that opened up the side of the command room. As the dust began to clear Mildred noticed a UFO with tank treads came hovering into the room. A human military general with an eye-patch and mustache stood atop the machine laughing as it drew closer. Toadsworth and a few guards surrounded Mildred and Princess Peach in an attempt to protect them.
“Princess Peach!” the man proclaimed, “The day of reckoning has come. The Koopa King has requested your audience. And I, his loyal ally shall not disappoint!”
He paused for a moment to look around at Peach's frightened subjects. Then his gaze fell on Mildred.
“Good heavens, Princess Peach!” he said, “You certainly know how to make some ugly looking friends. You might want to have that fox-thing checked for flees before conversing further with it.”
“EXCUSE ME!?” Mildred barked in offense to the remark.
“But enough about your questionable friends Princess,” the man continued, “let's get you back to his highness ASAP!”
A metallic claw shot out from the UFO's base and clamped around Peach's waist. Before Toadsworth and the guards could grab on, the claw retracted and re-clamped itself to the UFO's base with Princess Peach kicking and attempting to get free. The man began laughing again as his odd ship began backing up towards the entry hole it had made. Just then a man in a red shirt, cap and blue overalls dashed into the room. With his white gloved hands clinched in fists he jumped high in the air across the fallen debris in an attempt to reach the craft.
“Ah, Super Mario!” the man announced, “The man of the hour! Too little to late I'm afraid!”
A pulse of green energy erupted from the craft launching Mario back into the concrete wall causing him to be stunned in pain. The man began laughing again as his craft floated in the massive hole in the wall. Mildred, now very angry, ran towards the flying craft.
“HEY,” She yelled, “GET YOUR BIG DUMB MUSTACHE DOWN HERE, AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!!!”
“I'm impressed Princess,” the man taunted again, “you taught this creature to talk and think that it's an attack dog. Run along little dog-fox-woman-thing, I have better things to d-BRRF!!”
A chunk of concrete thrown by Mildred collided with the general's face causing him to stumble, he shook his head in recovery and looked back down at Mildred who was now fuming.
“SCREW YOU!!!,” She yelled at him again, “Why does everyone keep calling me a thing, an alien or a FRICK'N FLUFF BUTT!? MY NAME IS MILDRED!!! Not alien, not THING, IT's MILDRED!!! Now if you're finished overcompensating, get off that stupid looking vehicle, come down here AND FIGHT ME YOURSELF YOU ONE-EYED CHICKEN!!”
“A bold one you are, Mildred.” The man replied, “But as I stated before, I have better things to attend to, so I must leave. But if you must, you can t with Super Mario, and come find me yourself when I have more time. My name is Donald Morden, that name well.”
Without any further delay, Donald Morden hopped into his flying machine, while laughing once again, and flew away with Princess Peach kicking and yelling for help as the both of them disappeared into the distance.
“NO!” Toadsworth called after them, “Princess! Oh, Princess come back! Return her this instant!”
That was the last straw, Mildred's hands violently shook as she clinched her fists in rage. This day has been nothing more than one giant, pain in the butt, annoyance. Mildred couldn't take it anymore. After the abuse she took at work today, nothing going right on the start of her vacation, her house likely getting destroyed, the insults, it became too much!
“mmmMMRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!” Mildred screamed at the top of her lungs, “I'VE HAD IT!! I HAVE HAD IT WITH THIS BULL CRAP!!!”
Everyone stood in nervous silence as Mildred began her rageful rant.
“First,” Mildred continued, “my stupid hair brush got caught in my hair this morning! Then... I had to put up with that STUPID, speed bump of a person BINDI when I got to work making me fifteen minutes late in the process! And as if that circus wasn't BAD ENOUGH! No! NO! Those lousy, no good, ankle biting, FANBOY DIRTBAGS HAD THE NERVE TO USE ME AS A FRICK'N CARNIVAL ATTRACTION! ALL DAY... ALL FLIPPING DAY! *gasp *... *gasp *... A-ANd if... if that wasn't bad enough, I finally get off work and those little monsters CHASE ME CLEAN ACROSS THE PARKING LOT... with the largest canister they had! And then after that escape and I'm finally able to get home, the door to my garage falls apart in my hands, MY COFFEE MAKER DIES, BINDI AND THOSE MONSTERS ATTEMPT TO HARRASE ME AGAIN, AND THEN MY ATTEMPT AT A SHOWER AND FINALLY RELAXING GET'S RUINED BY THE DIMENSIONS WARPING AND I FALL INTO A LAKE FROM THE SKY!!! And don't even get me started on those smiling clouds that seem to always stare at you! But it doesn't stop there, oh no, no it does NOT!!! From there, I proceed to be stared at by mushroom people, have the generous spa time offered to me ruined, have to sit in a military bunker, then I get insulted by a janitor in a flying helmet who proceeds to fly off with the one person I was actually looking forward to meeting today! I HATE THIS FUDGING DAY! When I get my hands on the jerk who ruined my shower and my vacation all together, I'M PUTTING A HOLE THOUGH SOMETHING SENSITIVE!!!”
Mildred finally stopped her rant, she was now out of breath and was breathing heavily. Her hands opened and closed in succession as her eyes blinked in a rapid pattern. Her tail was quivering as she struggled to breathe calmly. Frank carefully came walking up beside Mildred and he placed his hand on her forearm. Mildred quickly turned her head so fast it made her hair flop up over her shoulder.
Franky had a sorrowful look in his eyes as he looked at his friend. Seeing him, made Mildred's breathing slow to long shaky breathes.
“My day was bad enough, Franky...” Mildred wiped her eyes as tears formed from the amount of stress she was under, “I can't have anything nice today... I can't even have a conversation with the person who welcomed me into her home... This day... s-ucks.”
“I'm sorry your day has been so bad, Mildred.” Franky said, “I guess we're all having a rough day. But on the plus side, you still made three goofy little friends today. And I know you can guess who they are.”
“Okay,” Mildred said smiling with a sigh, “I it it Franky. Even though I just met you guys, you, Fred and Dave are my friends.”
“Now and for always.” The little toad said with a big smile, “And don't worry about the Princess, Mario and his team will get her back! Mario's team are the greatest heroes ever!”
Mildred stood for a moment in silence. Every person she has met ever today has shown kindness to her, while she was huffing about her day on the inside and now on the out. Mildred stood up straight as she regained her composure. She calmly took a few deep breaths before she finally spoke again.
“I want to help.” Mildred said.
Franky looked at her in surprise.
“I want to help save your Kingdom,” Mildred said turning to Toadsworth and the other toads, “and the kingdoms beyond it. I'm not going to take everything that's happened today lying down. That nut is going to get it for running of with Princess Peach, and terrorizing your people. And not going to let him get away with treating me like I'm some kind of pet or something.”
“Miss Mildred,” Toadsworth interjected, “I cannot advise such action! The enemy forces at work are very dangerous. If something were to happen to you because I allowed you to run off with Master Mario and the other of his team, the Princess would be most upset and I would never forgive myself!”
“I don't want to sit here and do nothing.” Mildred said, “I can't just stay here while Princess peach is in need. I would just mope if I did. She invited complete strangers into her home for protection, myself included. And now she is in need of saving. If the roles were reversed, I feel like she would do the same for me.”
“Despite hardly knowing her you are right, Miss Mildred.” Toadsworth said calmly, “The Princess would do everything she could to save you if you were the one in danger. Master Franky, see to it that Miss Mildred is given proper attire and supplies. And Master Mario, please introduce yourself and the rest of your comrades when she is ready.”
“Yes sir, Mister Toadsworth sir!” Franky saluted.
“Okie Dokey!” Mario gave a thumbs up as he started back towards the supply area.
“Very well, off you go then Miss Mildred,” Toadsworth said, “Please take care, and be safe on your journey.”
“I will do the best I can.” Mildred said as she followed after Franky, “And Toadsworth, thanks again for the hospitality you shown me.”
“The Princess wouldn't have it any other way.” He replied.
“Come on Mildred,” Franky said confidently, “Let's get you suited up!”
Mildred was taken to an area where she was able to pick out clothing of her choice to wear. She looked over her selections carefully, and found the clothing she liked. She entered a changing room, and came out shortly afterwards. Mildred was now dressed in a dark gray tank-top, with a pair of black jeans, complete with a belt and a black vest with a collar that stood up around her lower face. Mildred looked herself over in a mirror to make sure everything was to her liking. With a satisfied smile, Mildred left the changing rooms and headed for the the supply room where all of the weapons and ammo was located as well as where the debriefing was to take place.
In the debriefing room there were a good number of people there. All of them appeared combat ready and a few of them were even dressed like it. Mildred walked over to a pillar and leaned against it as she watched a man with broad features walk up next to a projector screen. He was wearing a white tank-top, a pair of army green pants with the legs tucked into his army boots, a red vest with a brownish green backpack attached to it and thick dark gray gloves. He had a white bandanna wrapped around his head that covered his eyebrows. His short blond hair had a long lock that curved down over his head band and sideburns that nearly reached his chin.
“Alright people listen up.” He said as he tapped the table in front of him.
Everyone else quieted down and turned their attention to him. He paused for a moment before speaking again, making sure everyone was paying attention.
“As you all know by now,” he spoke again, “the castle fell under attack approximately twenty minutes ago and Princess Peach was captured and taken by Donald Morden.”
Murmurers of agreement arose from the group. Mildred could see a look of frustration on Mario and man sitting next to him, who wore the same outfit as him but he had a green shirt and hat instead.
“That being said,” The man continued, “We are now tasked with one mission; To locate and retrieve Princess Peach, and defeat Donald Morden and Bowser Koopa if at all possible and liberate any foreign kingdoms along the way.”
The others started to get fired up for the idea of setting out to the enemy's base.
“But before we start discussing our course of action,” He said, “it's time to say hello to our new recruit. Everyone this is Mildred, she'll be ing us on our mission to rescue the Princess.”
The team turned to face Mildred who raised a hand to greet them. As expected some of the of the team were surprised by Mildred's appearance. However, those dressed in similar attire to the man in the red vest seemed to just react as though she was just like anyone else, some even waved back.
“Mildred,” said the man in the red vest, “this is the craziest group you will ever work with, I guarantee it.”
Mildred felt that there was competition to be had with people she dealt with on a daily basis.
“For starters,” He said as he placed his hand on his chest, “I am Marco. You have already met Mario here in some way I've heard.”
“Hello again!” Mario said happily raising a hand.
“The taller thin one in green next to him is his brother, Luigi” Marco said pointing to him.
“Hello there!” Luigi, much like his brother gave a happy greeting.
“The man here to my right is Tarma.” Marco pointed to a man siting at the table wearing the same exact outfit as him. The difference was Tarma had messy red hair with side burns, sunglasses, and a yellow vest instead of a red one.
“Hey.” Tarma said with a smile.
“Next to him is Eri and Fio,” Marco continued down the list of people. The two girls he referred to were dressed in the same outfit as each other. A tan-ish vest covering a white tank top, shorts, dark gray gloves, knee pads and combat boosts. The only differences for them was Eri had blond hair with a bandanna on her head. And Fio had glasses, with red hair done in a ponytail and a ball cap.
“Hi.” Eri said.
“Welcome to the team.” Fio said as she bowed in her seat.
“The odd fellow over there at what's left of the snack table is Wario.” Marco said hinting at a large over weight man with muscular arms and short legs, wearing a yellow hat with a W on it and a short sleeved shirt, pinkish purple overalls, green pointy shoes and white gloves with large blue W's printed on them. He had pointy ears, very broad facial features, a large, pink, bulbous nose, bulky eyebrows and a mustache that made him look like he was wearing a lightning bolt on his face. He turned around squinting at Mildred, looking her over as though to size up a foe or something.
“Ha ha,” Wario laughed, “Hey Waluigi, get a load of the loser with the stupid haircut. She must have gotten lost on her way to the petting zoo!”
Mildred chose to stay silent and say nothing. She had already lashed out enough for one day. Besides if this guy is going to underestimate her, she'll just have to prove him wrong. Wario of course, had some final thoughts on the moment.
“Uh oh, I guess I touched a nerve.” Wario mockingly shrugged, “Wait, wait, I forgot to be polite! PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPBTH!”
“Wha ha ha ha!” laughed Waluigi. He was a tall skinny man, who wore a purple hat with an upside down L on it and a purple shirt with black overalls, a pair of orange pointy shoes, and a pair of white gloves with yellow upside down L's on them. He had a pointy chin, a pink pointy nose, pointy ears, and a thin mustache that looked like it was in the shape of a couple of L's.
“Charming aren't they?” Marco said with an irritated tone to his voice.
Mildred simply shrugged with a tilted, half smirk while rolling her eyes. While Wario and Waluigi continued their antics over to the side, Marco continued his attempt to introduce the team.
“You by now are familiar with these little guys.” Marco lifted a hand towards a toad with red spots and wearing a blue vest, “This is Toad.”
“Hello,” Toad said raising a hand, “nice to meet'cha!”
“That's everyone for now.” Marco said turning back to face Mildred, “We have two other guys on the team. However, they have already headed out ahead of us to scout out what we're dealing with. You'll get to meet them later. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time to get to know each other since we are pressed for time. But there will be time for that in the field. Alright people, gather around we've got a list of missions to discuss.”
Everyone got as close as they could to the table. Marco walked over to the left side of the projector screen, while Mario stood up and walked over to the right. Mildred left her position next to the pillar and sat at the back corner of the table next to Eri. Wario and Waluigi tried to get one last remark towards her, but Tarma gave them a dirty look which detoured them from causing any more trouble. The lights then when out, and the projector turned on to reveal a map of the Mushroom Kingdom and the kingdoms beyond it leading to Dark Land. It didn't take much for Mildred to realize that was a lot of ground to cover.
“So here's the reality of things.” Marco said as he tapped his chin while observing the map, “We have a total of eight missions packed into one to deal with.”
Marco then turned to face the team before speaking again. He and Mario began discussing the courses of action needed for the mission, pointing to the map at times when needed.
“I want to get a clear understanding going here.” Marco continued, “Princess Peach is a very important person to most of us in this room. However, she is not our first priority at the moment. If we are to have any hope of a rescue, we are going to have to take back and free each and every kingdom that has been taken by the Koopa-Rebel Army. And from what we know, there are six to recover excluding Dark Land and the one we are in now. But that doesn't mean this one is safe. Shortly after Peach's capture we received word that the Koopa-Rebel Army has crossed into the Mushroom Kingdom boarder and is now invading it. So our first mission, is to drive back the invasion and prevent them from taking the Mushroom Kingdom. I don't know about you guys, but Mario here introduced me to some nice eateries here and I'd sure hate to lose 'em.”
The group let out a subtle chuckle before Marco continued.
“Now,” Marco continued as he pointed to the next location on the map at the kingdom's boarder, “there is no doubt a War Machine waiting for us when we reach the main invasion force. Every invasion force I have ever dealt with has always had at least one giant War Wachine backing them up. At times they have had a few weaker ones with them too, which seems to be the case with these guys this time around. But, if we take out the main War Machine that will secure us the win. As far as we know, there is a War Machine guarding every single kingdom.”
“That's-a right,” Mario said, “according to the spies we sent out, the Koopa-Rebel Army has machines developed by Bowser and machines developed by General Morden.”
“As Franky might put it,” Marco said, “That means double trouble for us.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, save for Mildred who didn't quite fully understand the situation surrounding the War Machines.
“Excuse me Marco,” Mildred said raising her hand, “I've never dealt with a War Machine before. How bad are these things?”
Marco looked at her for a moment before saying with a serious tone, “Let's just say these things are bad enough to make you think what ever you've got isn't good enough.”
The sound in his voice made Mildred feel uneasy. Marco then looked back at the map.
“These machines are a very serious matter.” Marco was staring at a spot on the map before he pointed at it, “There are rumors about Desert Land that I don't like to hear. Word is... there's a Big Shiee there keeping the kingdom under the Koopa-Rebel Army's thumb. I just hope that the rumors are false.”
“What's a Big Shiee?” Mildred asked wondering if it was a bad idea to ask.
Tarma leaned forward to answer the question, “It's a massive vehicle, capable of destroying an entire town in minutes, and a city in an hour. If you ever come face to face with a Big Shiee, you better hope that you have enough luck under your belt to survive it.”
There was a deafening silence that followed Tarma's words. Mildred now had an intense sinking feeling as she thought about the possibility of something being able to erase an entire city off the planet by itself. Marco started speaking again to break the silence.
“While that was a blunt explanation,” Marco said, “Tarma is right about how frightening the Big Shiee is. However, it's only rumors we have heard about one being in Desert Land. So until we get there, let's put our thoughts about that aside for now.”
“Marco is-a right,” Mario added, “our main focus for now should be to keep the Koopa-Rebel Army from taking over the Mushroom Kingdom. Once we do that, we can-a focus on the kingdoms ahead.”
“That's right.” Marco said, “To continue, once we clear out the enemy in our front yard, we'll head northeast to Forest Land and clear it out. From there, we head east to Water Land. Once Water Land is free, we'll need to continue east to reach and free Jungle Land. But before we enter Jungle Land, we'll need to make a stop at a little place called Yoshi's Island and drive our trouble making friends out of there. It seems that the enemy is trying to use the island as a base for developing new weapons and the like to aid there conquest. So that's gotta go. Once we finish with Jungle land we'll need to catch a train that will get us across a large body of water to Desert Land. Once our time in Desert Land is over, we head south to a place called Giant Land. From Giant land we head to the far north where we will reach Ice Land, which is connected to our place of interest, Dark Land. By the time we reach Dark Land the enemy's strength should be weakened enough for us to march into Dark Land, make our way to Bowser's Castle and put an end to all of this madness caused by Bowser and Morden.”
“Question,” Luigi raised a hand, “we now the path but... how do we free these kingdoms we plan to save? What's-a the plan for that?”
“Good point Luigi,” Marco said as he held up a finger, “we do need a plan. Sadly we don't know exactly what all we're going up against at the moment due to our forces being locked down here at the home front. Even the spies haven't been able to get in far enough to see what the enemy has in these kingdoms. Which is why our first priority when entering these places is to figure out what it is they have and then plan a way to take them out.”
“This-a almost sounds like any other time Luigi and I had to save-a the Princess in the past,” Mario added.
“Us too.” Tarma, Fio and Eri said together, referring to their mission experiences.
“We are fortunately not entirely in the dark on this though.” Mario continued as different photo's started cycling on the screen, “Our spies managed to at least get some photos from the areas as far as Jungle Land's beach. While not-a the most detailed, they give us a relative idea of what could be there.”
After the pictures finished cycling, the projector shut off, and the light's came back on.
“So now we know the main plan at least.” Marco said, “To recap; We first defend the home front, make our way to Dark Land, free the kingdoms under control of the Koopa-Rebel Army along the way, defeat Bowser and Morden, then return to home base with the Princess in tow. Any questions?”
“I have one more.” Mildred said,” I meant to ask, what do we call this team of ours?”
A big smile crossed Marco's face as he replied, “Don't ask how we came up with it, but this little team goes by the name... Project Metal Slug. Alright, meeting is adjourned. Everyone gather your weapons and supplies and head to the exit bay of the base, we head out in twenty minutes. And before I forget, someone take Mildred to receive her own weapons and a vehicle.”
Vehicle? Mildred wondered what kind of vehicles they had for her to choose from as everyone got up and headed out to the main garage. As she entered the room herself she was greeted by Franky again, but this time Fred and Dave as well. This time the trio were dressed in mechanic uniforms and looked eager to show Mildred the goods. Mildred followed the trio to a work desk where she was given a revolver and a holster to attach to her waist. Then four larger weapons were placed on the table in front of her for her to choose from.
“Alright Mildred it's time to pick your favorite,” Fred said, “First on the table we have the Heavy Machine Gun! This rapid fire gun has a good range on it, but a bit of bullet spread. It is good for clearing clusters of enemies though. Next we have the Flame Shot! If you like setting stuff on fire, this is the gun for you! Just be aware that it doesn't share quite as long of a range as the Heavy Machine Gun. Next is the Shot Gun! This gun has a pretty short range on it but hits hard enough to launch enemies through the air and wreck vehicles with ease! Lastly we have the Rocket Launcher! This gun is for the person who just likes to watch things explode! It's like watching a firework show that makes people scream and run in terror! But enough about that, just pick the one you would like!”
Mildred looked at the weapons before her and thought carefully about what gun she wanted take with her. After a few moments of thinking, she made her decision.
“I'm going with the Shot Gun.” Mildred said as she picked up her new weapon.
“Nice choice!” Fred said as he turned to Dave, “Alright Dave let's get her a Slug!”
“Aha-alright!” Dave raised a fist into the air with excitement, “It's Slug time, let's go!”
“What's a Slug?” Mildred asked in confusion.
“No more questions, come find out!” Dave exclaimed as he ran off across the garage, causing Mildred to have to chase after him.
When Mildred caught up to him he was standing in front of a large tarp, which he pulled off without hesitation. When the tarp hit the floor, Mildred's jaw dropped as she was greeted by the sight of... a tank! It was a chubby little chibi tank! And it was perfect! The Tank was about fifty percent larger than an automobile, had a bulky turret with a stubby cannon on it. On top of the turret was a couple of handles towards the front, a pair of antenna towards the back of the turret, and on the entry hatch was a large search light. Attached to the lower front of the tank's turret were a couple of pistons that connected the turret to the base, that Mildred imagined allowed the turret to angle up and down. The tank's base had a couple of bulky treads that looked like they could grind stones and metal to dust. The treads were protected by a thin section of armor that looked as though a coconut was growing out the top on each of the treads. Two large tractor mufflers stuck up behind the tank's turret. Attached to each side of the tanks engine just above the rear of the tank's treads, were two, big vulcan gatling guns. These guns gave Mildred the impression that they were the kind of guns that no one wanted to get in front of. Mildred was in love. The tank was beautiful, and she wanted it.
“What is this beautiful machine before me called?” she said awestruck, “Is this a tank?”
“Heh heh,” Dave laughed, “This is no ordinary tank, Mildred. This, is the Super Vehicle Unit One! SV-001 for short. But you can call it, Metal Slug!”
“Metal Slug!?” Mildred said still trapped in awe of the vehicle, “Our team is named... after the Metal Slug!?”
“Yes it is,” Dave said as he turned to get ready to introduce another Slug to Mildred, “Next we have-”
“I want the Metal Slug.” Mildred interrupted while running over to the tank, she looked closer at the mechanics connecting the turret to the tank's base.
“Are you sure Mildred,” Dave said, “we still have a few others to look at.”
“Metal Slug, Dave!” Mildred said quickly as she pointed at the Metal Slug.
“Can I at least show you the others first?” Dave said starting to laugh at Mildred's excitement over the Metal Slug.
“Give me the Metal Slug!” She exclaimed.
“But we have an amphibious submarine,” Dave started again, “and a jet-”
“Chubby tank I want Dave!” Mildred said with gritted teeth and exaggerated eyes.
“If it's tanks you love,” Dave started to loose control of himself, “We have a mech that converts into a t-”
“Fluffy lady want chibi, bang, bang, boom, car go squish!” Mildred accidentally drooled a little as she snarled.
“Fwa ha ha haha ha,” Dave finally couldn't contain himself and fell over laughing, “Okay, ha ha ha ha, okay you can have the ta-ha-ha-ha-ank!”
“YES!!!” Mildred shouted while throwing her arms in the air.
While Mildred had selected everything she wanted to use for the mission ahead of her, she couldn't take her new tank friend with her just yet. The Metal Slug was still needing some repairs to be finished on it before it was battle ready. But it would be deployed by the time Mildred needed it. Mildred wasn't to happy at first about having to leave her new toy behind in the garage and not being able to drive it right away. But Dave promised that it would be in perfect working order when she needed it. And Franky promised to paint a special logo on it to show that it was hers. This of course made Mildred happy and excited. She decided to be patient and wait for the Metal Slug to be repaired and for it to get it's new logo, even though she still wished she could at least sit inside the tank. Regardless, Mildred made her way over to the exit of the base where the rest of the team was waiting. They did one final check on their supplies and were ready to head out. The garage door opened, and the team set out, ready to face the challenge ahead.
To be continued?
I am considering writing an entire series following Mildred's adventures with her new pals in this world, and the challenges they face. We'll know for sure once I start posting it again. In other news, I am sorry for such a long wait on the release of chapter two in Universe Comics. I have been working on it but it has taken me longer to get it ready than planned. I will continue working on it until I can release it. But until then please enjoy the other updates to come.
Mildred Abzug, Bindi, and Fanboys © GreyofPTA
Everything Mario related © Nintendo
Marco, Tarma, Eri, Fio and everything else Metal Slug © SNK
Update:
Story challenge; draw your favorite moment from the story. Let's see your imagination at work!
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CarrieRP
~carrierp
Whoa... mildred i never seen you THIS angry O.O
Dragonflyer29
~dragonflyer29
When Mildred, finds the one brought her into Mario's world, they'll screaming for help.
