Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Super Monkey Ball franchise or any characters associated with the franchise. All rights belong to Sega. This is not my intellectual property, and no financial gain is made from this nor will be sought. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.
"Come on, Baby," Meemee said to the youngest monkey in the group. Baby was shaking in fear as the four monkeys viewed the seventh Expert course from inside their plastic balls, with nothing but the effects of their magical "Ei-Ei-Poo" chant keeping them aloft.
The course, Exam-C, was an intimidating array of narrow ramps, stairs, a cluster of tiny platforms that resembled a checkerboard, and a long, winding, narrow bridge that led towards the goal.
"We can do this," Aiai told everyone. "Since we don't have too many obligations, we might have dinner at the Burger Cube later, once we're done with the rest of the levels here." Meemee, Baby, and Gongon nodded, and they all floated down towards the small starting platform. "How about we do this one together, like a competition?" Aiai continued.
"I don't think so, Aiai," Meemee said nervously. "Exam-B was hard enough, and we did that one alone, one after the other!"
"How about I, Baby, and Gongon go together, and then you can attempt it on your own after," Aiai suggested. Meemee nodded in response. "Great, then let's go, everyone!"
As everyone neared the starting platform, a holographic label that read: "STAGE 7: EXAM-C" briefly appeared in front of them.
"Okay, so I'm staying behind," Meemee said, stopping where she was in midair just before the others were about to land on the tiny platform. "Have I got that right, Aiai?"
"Yes," he replied, briefly glancing at her before returning his focused gaze to the narrow path ahead of him.
"Ready?" a voice asked once the three monkeys were ten feet above the platform.
"Of course we are!" Aiai and Gongon said confidently.
"Go!" The trio dropped down onto the starting platform, and they began to fight over who would be the first to roll across the long, narrow bridge ahead of them. Gongon, being the strongest monkey in the group, ended up knocking both Aiai and Baby off the course, and he laughed as he heard their piercing cries.
"You snooze, you lose," Gongon growled, and he rolled across the bridge. By the time Aiai and Baby floated back up to the beginning of the course, Gongon was already at the far end of the course, making his way down the long, stair-like bridge.
"We'd better catch up to him!" Aiai told Baby, and the two monkeys rolled across the first bridge in single file, safely arriving at the far end in virtually no time at all. They could see Gongon effortlessly speeding across the checkerboard-like cluster of platforms.
"How will we roll acwoss dis bwidge, Aiai?" Baby asked once they were lined up with a narrow, peak-like bridge at the far end of the stage.
"Speed, Baby, speed," Aiai told him. "Watch." Aiai rolled back slightly before charging towards the bridge, and his speed was barely enough for him to make it over the peak. Aiai watched as Baby did the same, and he also barely managed to cross the bridge.
"Gongon's nearly at the goal now," Aiai said to Baby. "We must hurry." They raced down the narrow, stair-like path, which turned out to be incredibly bumpy. Once they reached the bottom, the two monkeys were standing in front of the checkerboard-like platforms. They attempted to roll across, but Baby lost his balance, and he fell through one of the openings. (Too bad they couldn't just jump across like in Banana Blitz.) As a result, Baby floated back up to the beginning of the stage, and he was forced to start again.
By this point, Aiai had successfully crossed the treacherous array of platforms, and he was looking down at his feet as he began to roll down the winding, extremely narrow path to the goal. However, by this point, the timer was running very low.
"Hurry up!" the voice exclaimed, startling Aiai so much that he lost his balance and fell off the path.
"Darn it!" Aiai shouted as he was levitated back to the starting point of the level. He rolled along as quickly as he could, and he caught up to Baby, who had finally conquered the checkerboard-like platforms.
"I did it! I did it!" Baby cried joyfully. "Aiai, I did it!"
"I am proud of you, but we have to hustle along this path quickly!" Aiai told Baby. "You're in the smallest ball, so you can do it first." Baby cautiously proceeded forward, and Aiai watched as Baby rolled down the long, winding path. Before long, Baby reached the goal, and he broke the tape, causing a shower of confetti to rain down on him.
"Way to go!" Meemee shouted. "You can make it, Aiai!"
Aiai shook his fist, and he rolled along the path for the second time, his heart pounding faster than it ever had in his entire life. Eventually, he managed to reach the goal, and Baby and Gongon applauded him. Meemee, on the other hand, had already started to conquer the level by herself.
"Go, Meemee!" Aiai yelled as loudly as he could. Meemee faltered quite a few times while on the course, but eventually, she made it across the goal, where the other monkeys were waiting.
"We did it!" Aiai cried in joy. Never one to give up so easily, he said, "Now, let's move on to Skeleton!" And with that, the four monkeys rocketed into the air to begin their next challenge.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this oneshot I penned here. Feel free to review! :)