Disclaimer:
Captain N was produced by Nintendo and DIC Entertainment. Super Mario Brothers was produced by Nintendo.
New Captain N: Warp Zone
By: RB3
Explorers of Videoland 2: Our Princess is in Another Cell
When the big day came, Lana led Kevin, Sonia, and a group of guards travelled down to the basement beneath Power Palace. After passing the foyer containing the stairs up, they encountered a honeycomb-like network of metallic, hexagonal rooms connected to each other by corridors. Each room represented a small hub with arches marked by unique icons representing the world. Due to the Power family's seal, most of the warps were not present. This location was the warp zone hub House Power had guarded for generations.
Lana led her group to one specific arch, which was active. It had an ovular, energy doorway beneath its identifying arch. On the arch was a plate with a carving of a mushroom with a cap and spots. "The seal had weakened enough to allow this warp to open. It leads to the Mushroom Kingdom," informed Lana.
"Whoa, Super Mario Brothers. I can't wait to meet Mario, Luigi, and Peach. I'm a big fan of those games," admitted Kevin.
"It's kind of weird, seeing the characters from our video games in person," remarked Sonia. "I guess they're like celebrities to us."
"Let's go," said Lana.
Lana's group stepped through the warp and fell into a network of tubes. They turned up, down, and sideways, making the trip a veritable roller coaster. When they reached the end of this exhilarating trip, they emerged at the top of a green water pipe in the middle of a forest. It was a quiet wooded region filled with rounded tree tops and bright red fruit. A yellow, caterpillar-like creature with a flower growing out of its head walked by. The creature seemed very cute and unassuming, not likely something which would try to harm Lana's group.
Lana's guards trained guns at it. "Hey, that's a Wiggler," informed Kevin. "He's harmless, but make sure not to step on him. That makes him really angry."
While the guards remained behind to guard the warp, Lana's group travelled some ways out of the forest and came upon a lush verdant plain. The sun was shining brightly and a light breeze picked up and caused Lana's hair to flutter. Several minutes later, the party came upon a second group of people. They were seated at a series of benches and tables with food items and utensils arrayed on the tables. They appeared to be having a picnic. Most of the people were quite diminutive and wore clothing which gave them the appearance of mushrooms.
The person at the head of the group was a young woman with frizzy blond hair. She wore a gold crown and an elegant pink dress, suggesting she was royalty. "That's Princess Peach!" remarked Kevin.
"Oh, hello everybody!" greeted Peach. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Hello Princess Peach. I'm Princess Lana Power of Videoland. It's great to meet you," replied Lana. "These are my friends, Kevin and Sonia Keene."
"Power?" asked Peach, she then noticed the Power Glove emblem on Lana's bracers. "Oh, I know you! It's been so long time since your family came to visit. Why, the last time you came was when my great, great, great, great, great, great... Well, it was a long time ago. Is the warp open now? Oh forgive my manners! I'm Princess Peach Toadstool. I'm happy to make your acquaintance. Please, sit down and be our guest. We have a lot to catch up on."
"Thanks," replied Lana.
"How about some tea?" asked Peach, holding up a tea pot. Lana placed her cup below, which Peach filled to the brim. Kevin and Sonia sampled some of Peach's sandwiches, which were quite delicious and well made. "It's been so long since House Power has even spoken to us. How have you been?"
"We've been doing well," replied Lana. "I'm sorry we couldn't visit. My ancestor, Charles Power I, had to seal the warp zones because he feared a threat coming from the warps. It's been a long time since then and the seal is starting to weaken."
"Oh that's too bad. At least now, we can visit each other and be friends again," said Peach.
"Yeah, that's a good thing," said Lana. "I'm concerned that as the warps begin to open, our palace would be placed in danger. That puts your kingdom in danger too."
"Uh Princess Peach," began Kevin.
"Please, just call me Peach," said Peach.
"Okay, I was wondering where Mario and Luigi were?" asked Kevin.
"Oh, they got called out on an emergency. They're exorcising a haunted mansion," replied Peach.
Kevin nodded in understanding and continued his meal. Lana and Peach continued their discussion to make up for lost time. The Powers and the Toadstools seemed to know each other from way back when, before the warps were sealed. Most of their conversation was simple fluff such as talking about the weather and humorous stories about their families. The two princesses seemed like best of friends who knew each other forever, even though they had only met a few minutes ago.
A member of Peach's retinue looked up and noticed an object which looked like a white, half-sphere with clown-like face. The object was actually a flying vehicle, which was moved by a single small, yellow propeller on its under side. Seated in this "clown car" was a large creature which looked like a turtle with a spiky shell and facial features of both an ox and a dragon. The driver carried a massive burlap sack in his hands, more than large enough to scoop up a picnic table and all its occupants.
"RUN! It's Bowser!" cried the servant.
Kevin looked at the sky. When he realized it was him, he threw down his sandwich and reached for his Zapper. It was too late, for Bowser was already swooping down upon Peach's table. This motion had generated a burst of air which knocked him down and the Zapper out of his hand. He ran the bag across the length of the table, scooping it up with Peach, Lana, and some of Peach's servants into the sack. When Kevin recovered, he retrieved his Zapper and aimed for Bowser's back.
The sack with his captives was slung over his back and they were struggling from within to break out. If he fired now, Kevin might accidentally hit a servant or possibly one of the princesses. He put away his weapon and got off the ground. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but the picnic is a mess and he got Lana and Peach," replied Sonia.
"What do we do? Mario and his brother are still at the mansion," said one of Peach's retainers, Toad. "None of us can stand up to Bowser."
"We can," replied Kevin. "I've beaten Bowser plenty of times in Super Mario Bros. Now that I have a weapon and my mom's help, it will be even easier."
"Lana and Peach are counting on us. We have to help them," said Sonia.
"You're going to rescue the princess for us?" asked Toad.
"Yeah," replied Kevin. "Bowser has taken our princess too. Since we're going to save Lana, we might as well go for 100% completion while we're there."
"Thank you, thank you so much!" replied Toad. "Please bring the princess back safely. Good luck."
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Kevin and Sonia made their way west to the volcanic lands beyond the Mushroom Kingdom. These dark, barren lands was the domain of Bowser, King of the Koopas. As a rival to the Mushroom Kingdom, the turtle-like Koopas often made raids and invasions into Peach's kingdom. In particular, Bowser was enamoured with Princess Peach, often kidnapping her and trying to get her to marry him and rule together as husband and wife. However, the Mario brothers usually came on the scene and thwarted Bowser, rescuing Peach from captivity.
This wasn't the first time Bowser had done so. Bowser had kidnapped Peach on so many occasions that the Mushroom Kingdom had become used to it. The Mario brothers would swoop in and rescue her shortly afterwards and send Bowser home empty-handed. Ironically, both sides had developed an odd friendship and rivalry with each other as a result of this. This rivalry played out when they competed in sports such as go-kart racing. In fact, these competitions were some of the few times Bowser ever got clear victories over the Mario Brothers.
"This place is hot," remarked Sonia, wandering through the volcanic lands of the Koopas.
"You want to rest?" asked Kevin.
"Yeah, let me sit on this rock," said Sonia. After sitting and resting for a few moments, Sonia spoke again. "This is like a dream. I'd never expected to become the heroine that I play as in my video games."
"It's dangerous, but exciting," said Kevin, sitting on a second rock nearby. "I've always wanted to go on adventures like this."
"You're young. I'm too old for these things. I prefer a nice quiet life," replied Sonia.
"At least we won't be bored," said Kevin. After a few moments of silence and rest, Kevin got up. "Let's go."
The two soon came upon an area where the path split into two. One path led into a tunnel which passed through the mountain up ahead. It was lit by lanterns and appeared to be very cramped. It was likely an exhausted mine which had been converted into a tunnel for traffic. The other led up above the tunnel, going around the mountain and rejoining the other road at the end. There was no other way around the mountain, as there were pools of lava surrounding the base of the mountain.
Kevin and Sonia noticed a Koopa in a green shell and helmet wandering the top path. This Koopa, armed with a hammer, was appropriately called a Hammer Brother. "There's a guard patrolling up there," informed Sonia.
"Yeah, and more in the tunnel," said Kevin, spotting a Koopa-like shadow cast by the lantern light.
"Which way should we go?" asked Sonia.
"I think the top way would be best. I can pick off that Hammer Brother from here," said Kevin.
He peered through the lens of the Super Scope, putting the Hammer Brother right in the crosshairs. When he fired, the Koopa's slumped forward and lost his footing. He tumbled into the lava pool below. With the road clear, it was a smooth, uneventful trip straight to Bowser's Castle. From their distance, they could see that the castle had a facade much like Bowser's face. It had a dark, almost Gothic appearance, much of it taking after Bowser's own spiky appearance.
A pair of guards were patrolling by the front door, both of which were Hammer Brothers. The front door was too risky to enter, so Kevin and Sonia snuck past them to the castle's rear. There, they found a dumpster area for disposing of the castle's waste. The area reeked of spoiled food, packed in bags and dumped in the metal containers. A single door was there, likely leading into the kitchen and its mess hall. The door was ajar and the duo heard footsteps approaching the area.
Kevin and Sonia moved out of sight. A single Koopa worker entered the area and tossed more trash into the dumpster. Kevin suddenly burst out of hiding and pistol-whipped the Koopa in the back of the head. The Koopa fell unconscious facefirst into the ground. Kevin dragged him behind the dumpster, hiding him from prying eyes. "He won't stay out long. We have to hurry," said Kevin.
The duo passed through the kitchen, which was very quiet as only a few chefs worked at this hour. They entered the dining room, seeing a few Koopas seated at the tables for snacks. They kept their heads low, sneaking through the room without being seen. They eventually reached the central hall, which had a green-shelled Koopa patrolling. Sonia cast a "Mind Vision" spell on the Koopa, which allowed her to see through his eyes as he made his rounds. The Koopa passed through several stone archways and a storage closet, but none of them were of any pertinence.
After moving to the very end of the hall, she could see a stone staircase down to the lower floors of the castle. However, this was the end of the Koopa's patrol route and he was turning around to go back to his original position down the hall. "Get ready," whispered Sonia.
Kevin took a firm grip of his weapon as he waited for the Koopa to return. Once the Koopa did so and turned to go the other way, Kevin moved. He pistol-whipped the Koopa in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Making sure no one spotted him, Kevin dragged the guard into the storage closet and closed the door on him. He and Sonia descended the stairs to the underground dungeon of the castle.
This area was made of cobblestone and mortar and lit by torches. It was darker and less elegant, being far more utilitarian in its design. As this was where all prisoners were kept, the security in this area was tighter. Near the first archway, Kevin peeked around the corner and saw a guard patrolling down the cell corridor. There were unknown people in the cells, and it wasn't where he and Sonia wanted to be. Kevin and Sonia slipped past the archway to the next one and saw Lana and the other prisoners in the neighbouring corridor.
A Hammer Brother was in the corridor's pathway, talking to a second Koopa. This unique Koopa had wild blue hair parted in two down the middle. His back was turned to the duo as he spoke with the Hammer Brother. "Lieutenant, how's the situation with the prisoners?" asked the blue-haired Koopa.
As they spoke, Lana was in the nearby cell, eating a dinner she had received earlier. She noticed Kevin and Sonia in the corner of her eye and nearby blurted out his name, blowing their cover. Fortunately, she had caught herself just in the nick of time, coughing to clear her throat. Kevin put a finger up to his mouth, signalling her to keep quiet. As Lt. Hammer Bro. spoke with the Koopa, Kevin slinked back into his hiding place and eavesdropped.
"That's Ludwig von Koopa," he whispered to Sonia. "He's one of Bowser's Koopalings. It might be tough to get past him."
"I've got that covered," said Sonia.
"The girl here says she is a member of the Power royal family," said Lt. Hammer Bro. At that moment, Sonia had landed a 'Dominate Mind' spell on him. "They..."
Lt. Hammer Bro went stiff and his eyes glazed over as his mind fell under Sonia's control. "They what?" asked Ludwig. "Speak up!"
Lt. Hammer Bro suddenly clubbed Ludwig over the head with his hammer! Ludwig collapsed, knocked unconscious. Sonia turned Lt. Hammer Bro around, leaving his back vulnerable. Kevin quickly ran out and pistol-whipped him in the back of the head. Kevin snatched the key from his waist and locked both unconscious Koopas in the nearby empty cell. He rushed to Lana's cell and quickly opened the lock. Lana ran up to Kevin and hugged him. "Thank you Kevin, I knew you'd come for me."
Kevin smiled. "I'm just glad you're safe. Where's Princess Peach? Do you know where she is?"
"Our princess is in another cell," said one of Peach's servants from the neighbouring cell. "Bowser has a special room where he keeps Peach whenever he kidnaps her. You can reach it from his throne room in the north wing."
"Thanks," replied Sonia.
"Kevin, let me get these people out. You go and save Peach," said Lana.
"Will you be okay on your own like that?" asked Sonia.
"I'll be fine, just worry about Peach," said Lana. "She's the important thing right now."
"Okay, be careful. We'll get Peach out as soon as we can," said Kevin.
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Kevin and Sonia crossed the stone hallway leading to Bowser's throne room. It was adorned by a red carpet and a row of statues flanked the carpet. They were depictions of former kings of the Koopas, Bowser's venerable ancestors. There were also portraits of them behind each statue. The family resemblance to Bowser was quite strong and very evident. In a side alcove by the far door, there was a portrait of one of Bowser's ancestors. He was posing with a man who wore a mushroom-like cap and crown and a second man who looked much like King Charles.
"Bowser's ancestor knew Lana's," remarked Sonia.
"Yeah, and the other guy must be a former king of the Mushroom Kingdom," said Kevin. "They must have known each other a long time ago, before the warps closed. It looks like the Koopa and Mushroom Kingdom feud started after that. Let's keep going, we have to rescue Peach."
"Okay," said Sonia.
Kevin opened the massive steel double doors which led to the throne room. He rushed in with his weapon trained on Bowser with Sonia following right behind. "Hold it right there!" said Kevin.
"Who are you?" Bowser asked as he stood up from the throne.
"We're friends of Princess Lana, who you took hostage when you grabbed Peach. We got her out, but now we want you to release Peach," said Kevin.
"Ha ha ha, do you think you can take on me with that little pea shooter? Bring it on!" replied Bowser, who advanced on the duo.
Kevin fired his Zapper. To his surprise, Bowser found that Kevin's shots stung quite a bit when they hit him. They stung enough that Bowser had to cover himself in face of this onslaught. When Kevin stopped to recharge, Bowser spit several fireballs at him. Kevin dove away and continued running from cover behind a pillar. Sonia unleashed a Smite spell upon the Koopa king, staggering him with the hammer-like blast. She then cast Holy Fire, erupting golden flame around Bowser. Bowser withstood these attacks and breathed fire.
Sonia cast Power Word: Shield, creating a bubble of golden light to blunt the flames. As they washed over harmlessly, Kevin peeked out and fired. Bowser reared back in pain, ceasing his breath. He turned to Kevin and immediately charged. Kevin quickly dove away, narrowly avoiding Bowser as he punched through the pillar, reducing it to rubble. Kevin ran to the middle of the throne room and continued shooting. Bowser leapt high above, but Kevin dove away just before Bowser crashed down.
Bowser had cracked the ground and through the cracks, Kevin could see a glowing redness. This gave him a very sneaky idea. "Where are you, you little pest?" asked Bowser looking around for Kevin.
Kevin peeked out and fired, alerting Bowser to his location behind a pillar. Bowser charged in as before, only to have Kevin dive away and end up smashing the pillar to rubble. Kevin moved to the cracked floor in the middle of the room and fired at Bowser. They annoyed the Koopa king rather than cause any lasting harm. As before, Bowser jumped high over Kevin and descended. Kevin lagged him back into the air before diving to safety.
Bowser followed through with his momentum and smashed the ground. The floor, already cracked from his previous descent, gave out beneath him. "AAAAAAAH!" screamed Bowser as he plummeted into molten hot lava below.
"Will he be okay?" asked Sonia, seeing Bowser submerged in his fiery doom below.
"I'm sure he will. He always comes back to kidnap the princess in the next game," replied Kevin.
At that moment, a pair of Italian men entered the room. Both wore blue overalls, but one wore a red shirt and matching cap, while the other green. The one in red was also a bit more rotund, compared to his more slender green counterpart. Kevin instantly knew who they were. They were the Mario Brothers, Mario and Luigi. Mario was the man in red while Luigi was the one in the green. They looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.
"What's a-happening here?" asked Luigi.
Lana came out from behind the Mario Brothers and hugged Kevin. "Oh Kevin, I'm glad you're okay," said Lana.
"My son and I took care of Bowser before you arrived," Sonia replied to Luigi. "He tricked Bowser into falling into the lava below."
"Where's a-Peach?" asked Mario.
"Peach should be in Bowser's room," replied Sonia.
"Thank you a-very much," said Mario, before rushing into that room to get Peach. He came out moments later with the princess, who had been unharmed during her captivity. "Let's get you home."
At that moment, they heard a stirring from the lava below. From the opening, they could see Bowser swimming out of the thick lava to the nearest shore. "Bowser's out of the lava," remarked Luigi.
"Take Peach back to the Mushroom Kingdom," said Kevin. "We'll take care of him."
"Okie dokey," replied Luigi. "You a-be careful now."
Mario and Luigi led Peach out of the castle and back to safety in the Mushroom Kingdom. Kevin, Sonia, and Lana made their way to the lower floor, to the lava-filled room below. Bowser was lying on the edge of the lava pool, panting from having to swim out of such a thick, molten liquid. One of Bowser's Magikoopas, a bespectacled Koopa sorcerer dressed in a blue robe, came by to check on his master.
Kevin noticed him coming and trained his Zapper on him. "Whoa, I'm not here to fight," said the Magikoopa. "I just want to check up on my master."
"Who, who are you guys?" asked Bowser, mustering the strength to speak between breaths. "I was expecting the Mario Brothers, but not you. What do you want with me and Princess Peach?"
"Like I said, we're friends of Lana. You took her prisoner when you nabbed Peach," replied Kevin. "We decided to help the Mushroom Kingdom, so we went after you."
"That's me," said Lana. "I'm Princess Lana of House Power. I did NOT appreciate you kidnapping me along with her."
"Power?" asked Bowser. "Why does that sound so familiar? Wait... Power? As in Charles Power?"
"Yeah, he was my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, well, something like that," replied Lana. "My father is King Charles XXI."
Bowser was shocked. "Charles I was a friend of Bowser I."
"Yeah, we saw that painting in your gallery," said Sonia. "It looked like the Koopa King, Charles I, and the old Mushroom King were once friends."
"We were," said Bowser. "After the Powers sealed the warp, the Koopas and the Mushroom Kingdom drifted apart. Even I don't know why. It was so long ago. Why? Why did Charles I seal the warps?"
"Charles I feared the evils growing in other worlds. He sealed the warps so they couldn't reach the palace," replied Lana. "The seal is weakening, so it's only a matter of time before we are vulnerable again."
"I see," said Bowser. "The Koopas owe so much to you. I may be a bad guy, but my dad still taught me to return kindness to your friends. Let me join you."
"Wait, you want to come with us?" asked Kevin.
"Did you hear what I said?" asked Bowser. "I said I wanted to join you. I may not look like it, but I take care of my Koopas. Besides, only I get to take over the Mushroom Kingdom! I'm coming along to make sure everyone else knows that."
"O-kay..." remarked Kevin.
"We should give him a chance. I'm sure my father would like to reopen relations with the Koopas and the Mushroom Kingdom," said Lana.
"I'm fine with that too, as long he doesn't go around causing problems," said Sonia.
"Well, you've talked me into it," said Kevin. "Welcome to the team."
END OF CHAPTER