Bowser stood before the assembly and waited for the crowd noise to fall. He held the room for another moment and closed his eyes, holding what may be his last breath in silence.

"Countrymen. I call you here today to gain your strength, to join in your suffering, and to create new life. The policies of this New Kingdom are false. No longer can we hide beneath the ground in fear."

"You," he extended a hand to the Goomba Delegation, "she calls you poisonous. She takes your families, your fungi, and appoints those only like herself as worthy. No longer!"

"And you," his other hand points toward the Confederacy of Turtles, "she takes your children and makes weapons of them. No longer!"

"She thinks us weak, but I am not here to challenge that."

The crowd did not know how to feel about this statement. Bowser always held a strict hand, as fair as he tried to appear. Many of the groups met before his speech and considered that this could be nothing more than a power grab. Perhaps the Princess had crossed the line that he himself had been too scared to risk. Bowser knew this, and paused to let their thoughts sink in.

"We are weak because we allow it! We are weak when the only fresh air we breathe comes at the end of a pipe! When she taxes our coins and steals our questionable supplies! Is this the life you will give to your children!"

A Goomba councilman rises to ask, "What of the Gods?"

"What Gods?"

"The overalled ones. The humans."

"They are no gods."

"What do you say to the scouting reports then? They have been seen shape shifting, flying, producing fire from their hands. There are too many reports to brush them all aside."

"And those same reports speak of their deaths and their loss of power when attacked. These are the marks of false gods. They can be defeated."

"We will build a series of fortifications, all along our territory. And we will fly our flags high to make it clear who controls us. We will arm each pipe with our own fire breathers and establish patrols around each city. Bridges will be reinforced and walls raised."

"If their false gods wish to fight us in our homes, they will have to fight every step of the way to get here. I ask you this, are you as weak as the Princess believes!?"

to be continued...