The Koopaling Carnival

Chapter Ten: Going Up

"Dang, it's dark in here…"

"I can't see my hand in front of my own face!"

"What do we do now?"

"Ow! That was my foot!"

"Sorry."

"How do we get out of this one?"

"I'll try and look for a way past that block. Maybe I could move it or something…"

"Be careful, Art."

There was a series of slow creaks as Art crawled upwards. "No use. This thing is heavy- Ow, and spiked!" He toppled back down the stairs. "Okay, anyone got a plan B?"

"There was-a an elevator," Mario recalled. "But when-a I pressed the button, nothing-a happened. I think-a it was locked."

There was a long silence. Then it was broken by a laugh.

"What's-a so funny?" Mario wondered.

"Those kids did a pretty good job of trapping us in this crazy carnival of theirs," Dot said slyly. "But they made a little mistake."

"Really?" Luigi said skeptically. "To me, it looks like they've got it all figured out."

"Oh, but they don't, right, Art?"

"Right, Missus Dot." There was a rustling noise. "As chief of staff for the park, I naturally have access to all areas of the Boardwalk. The Koopalings took my keys…but they didn't take my emergency key card!"

"Emergency what-now?"

"My key card," Art repeated. "It's like a master key. It works on everything and anything in the park, so I don't have to worry about getting stuck anywhere. I keep it on this handy little chain here…They probably didn't think to look…" More rustling. "Got it! This will get that elevator up-and-running before you can say eureka!"

"That's great!" Luigi cheered.

"Yeah." Art paused. "Now I just gotta find the key card slot, which won't be too easy since it's dark and all…Uh, this might take a while."

Chris sat down against the wall with a sigh. "How many times will we have to say eureka?"

While they waited, Mario and Luigi told the whole story about the park and Peach's kidnapping.

"Even if we do get the elevator working," Luigi realized, "that shield will keep us from getting out unless the Koopalings want us to."

"Hmm," Pete considered. "It sounds like the Koopalings had you in the fun house. I'll bet anything that's where the force field is based. If we can disable it, you're free to go and save Princess Toadstool."

"Really?" Mario beamed. "You'll bring down that-a field for us?"

"Uh…That could be a problem. I'm not exactly a techno whiz."

"Then how do we get-a out of here?"

"Techno whiz…" Art whispered, still searching. "Hey, if we can find Kate, she can probably fix it! She's not the best mechanic in the park for nothing, you know!"

"Great!" Mario jumped to his feet. "Watch out, Koopalings! Here come-a the Super Mario Brothers!"

"As soon as I find this danged slot," Art reminded him.

With a sigh, Mario sank back down.

A few minutes later, Art's voice rang out, "Got it!"

Ding.

There was a faint hum as the elevator doors slid open, spilling glorious light into the cellar. They all piled inside.

"Going up!" Dot chirped, pressing the button.

Back in the Koopalings' little control room, things had just started looking up. They'd freed their siblings from the cage in the water park, and they had the Mario Brothers trapped!

Until…

"Uh-oh…" Larry moaned.

"I don't like ze sound of zat," Ludwig muttered, pushing him aside for a better view of the screen. "Vhat is it?"

"I don't know how, but somehow, they got out of the haunted house!"

"WHAT?!" the others shrieked.

"I don't believe this," Wendy said faintly. "They just don't give up…"

"They've got the managers with them! And the chief of staff, and one of the managers' daughters!" Morton added, despairing. "That's it! We're done! That's all, folks-"

"Shaddup, Bigmouth," Roy growled, smacking him on the head. "You goin' on a five-houa' rant about how our whole plan's screwed up won't fix nothin'!"

Ludwig closed his eyes. "If zey have got ze managers, zhen zeir next move vill most likely be to try and shut down ze force field," he deduced.

He grinned suddenly. "But zat means zey'll need ze ozzer girl…"

"And that means we're not done yet!" Lemmy cheered. "Hey, guys…Kate must be pretty lonely down there, all by herself…Wanna go pay her a visit?"

"Sure!" they all laughed.

"Oh, ze'll get ze ozzer girl, all right," Ludwig chuckled. "But at a price!"