Author's Note: Alright, here we-wait, Jacob's getting off Minecraft? Awesome, now I can go and play-

Coron: Oi, what about your chapter?

Pax: …oi? What are you, British?

Coron: Look, are you going to write this chapter or not?

Pax: Oh fine, fine…


Chapter 28-


Pax: WAIT!

Coron: Oh for the love of… what is it now?

Pax: …I forgot to tell the reader to enjoy!

Coron: Dear Lord…

Pax: Anyway, enjoy!


Chapter 28: Secret Paths


Enter Pax:


"Oh…" I moaned, forcing myself to sit up as I rubbed my aching head. "Geeze… what happened there?"

"Mario!"

I turned and found myself attacked in a hug by Goombella.

"You're awake!" she laughed. "Oh thank the Stars you're-"

She froze, then peeled away, coughing awkwardly as she blushed.

"Yeah, well… er, good to see you're awake," she said, looking away from me.

"Glad to see you too," I smiled.

"Pax, you're alive!" Leon said, jumping on me and hugging me.

"Was there any dou-ERT!" I gasped, suddenly caught in Flurrie's death hug.

"Oh Mario, we thought you'd never wake up!" she sobbed, crushing my spine.

"Back… crushed… losing… air… pain…" I gasped.

"Turning… into… pancake…" gasped Leon.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Flurrie said, dropping us to the ground with a thump.

"It's okay… ouch," I said, rubbing my head. I winced and pulled my hand away, as I felt something sharp scratch my head. Turned out I rubbed with my left hand, and my glove was completely destroyed.

"Holy… what happened?" I asked, pulling my sleeve up to cover the claw.

"You… uh…" Koops said, looking down.

"What?" I asked.

"…you entered a Nightmare Rage," Goombella said.

"A what?" I asked.

"You see… when a Nightmare reaches their complete and utter emotional limit…" Goombella said. "They… go into a rage. They create a barrier to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the area, then they do everything in their power to… eliminate the cause of their Rage."

"Oh…" I said. "So… Bowser's-"

"Hurt, but alive," Koops said.

"Crap…" I muttered.

"If it makes ya feel better," Leon said, "he was just brushed right off into the ocean!"

"Serves that thing right…" I said.

"Mario… there's something else," Goombella said. "…who's Bomb-"

"No," I interrupted, standing up. "Just… don't."

I walked over to the door.

"Mario, w-what are you doing?" asked Koops.

"Getting ready for next match," I said.

"What?" Goombella said, running in front of me. "Mario, you're nuts! You can't fight in this condition!"

"Can and will," I said. "I'm not that hurt, and I don't want to stay here for a week longer to totally heal."

"You saw what happened after using your Nightmare Powers so much, though!" Goombella said. "If you think we'll let you fight with it so much, you're nuts!"

"Who said anything about Nightmare Powers?" I asked, summoning the Crystal Sword.

"You're… using a sword?" Leon asked.

"Hey," I shrugged, "most of the people we're facing up against are going to use spikes and such."

"…nice point," Leon said.

"Now c'mon, let's clear though these guys," I said, spinning the sword in my hand as I stepped out of the Locker Room.


I collapsed on my bed, panting heavily.

"I don't like saying I told you so, but…" Goombella said.

"Hey," I panted, rolling over on my back, "we're up against the champion next."

"Yup, Rawk Hawk," Leon said. "Can't wait! We're gonna teach that overgrown bird a thing or two!"

"Heh… that's my Yoshi," I said, patting Leon on the head.

"Hey, Dreamer."

We all turned our heads to the Security Guard who was standing at the door.

"Time for your match," he said.

"Wait, really?" I asked. "THIS soon?"

"It's a special match," the guard said. "Just follow me."

"Right… er, little help?" I asked, trying to stand up. After Flurrie helped me back to my feet, we followed the guard down the hall…

…in the exact opposite direction as the door to the arena.

"Hey, where-" started Goombella.

"Special match," the guard said. "You're going to a special waiting room."

The Guard opened the door to an old abandoned Minor League locker room and motioned us in. After we stepped in, the guard closed the door behind us. We didn't get suspicious until we heard the clicking of the door locking behind us.

"What?" I asked, trying the door. It was, indeed, locked.

"Alright, time to bust this thing-" I started, pulling back my Nightmare first.

"No!" Goombella said. "Mario, you agreed NOT to use your Nightmare Powers!"

"Grr… but how else are we going to get out of here?" I asked, glaring at the door.

"Well… maybe there's some sort of secret way out of here?" Koops asked.

"You are correct!" Goompa said, he suddenly standing on Koops' head.

"AH!" Koops shouted, jumping back. "How did you DO that?"

"I stand!" Goompa said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He was still standing in the exact spot Koops' head was, floating in the air.

"Goompa, now's NOT the-" I started.

"Mario, wait…" Goombella said. "Lately… Goompa's been HELPING us."

"…you're kidding," I said.

"He's the reason you're still here," Leon said.

"…well," I inhaled, "I never thought I'd see the day… so Goompa, what is it you were going to say again?"

"Purple!" Goompa said. "But enough about cabbages! I'm here to open a secret path for you!"

"Well… great!" I laughed. "Which way?"

Goompa jumped down and kicked a locker open. A portal was wavering inside it.

"…thanks!" I said, stepping forward. "C'mon guys! What could possibly go wrong?"


"I HATE THAT SENILE GOOMBA!" I screamed, running away from the ghost shooting fire at me. We were in an Underground-like area, full of lava and ghosts and Zombie Pigmen.

"Hey, check out this stone!" Leon said. "It's… glowing!"

"Oink?" a Zombie Pigman asked, poking Leon with a golden sword.

"Hey, watch it buddy!" Leon said, glaring at the Zombie Pigman. "…hey, are those swords really… you know, worth it? It's shiny and all, but… it looks really fragile. I mean, look… hey, can I hold that?"

"Oink," nodded the Zombie Pigman, handing it over.

"Thanks," Leon said, then easily bent the blade into an L with his bare hands. "I mean, look! What kind of damage could something like this do?"

"Oink…" the Zombie Pigman said, looking down in sadness.

"Hey… don't look sad like that," Leon said, patting him on the shoulder. "All you have to do is forge a stronger sword. There's plenty of glowing rock around here… maybe you can make a magic glowing sword out of that?"

"…oink!" the Zombie Pigman said, pulling out a Golden Pickaxe.

"Well… it's a start," sighed Leon. "C'mon, let's go mine for some stuff to make a sword out of-AUGH!"

Leon was picked up and carried off by Flurrie, who was also being chased by ghosts.

"We have to leave, now!" Flurrie said, flying over lava. She passed a pillar with Goombella and Koops, back to back against an army of Zombie Pigmen.

"You just HAD to attack them, didn't you?" asked Koops.

"You totally saw that thing grab me!" Goombella said. "He was asking for it!"

"Actually… I'm pretty sure that one was a girl," Koops said in thought.

"…yeah, I hate this place," Goombella growled. A Zombie Pigman screamed and jumped at them, holding his sword high, when I jumped in, slicing through it. It screamed and dropped to the ground, fading away into smoke and leaving behind a cooked pork chop.

"Hey, Flurrie found the portal!" I said, slicing through Zombie Pigmen as they jumped at us.

"Oh wow, you know, that would be really helpful if we could FREAKIN' GET THERE," Goombella said, calling attention to the fact we were on a pillar surrounded by lava.

"Wait… Mario, how did you get here if this pillar's totally cut off from anything else?" Koops asked. "Come to think of it… how did WE get here?"

At this, Goombella and I both nodded to the cliff above us with a gaping hole.

"…oh," Koops said. "Right."

"And as to how we'll get out…" I said, slicing through a Zombie Pigman. "Well… watch!"

I held out my arms and fell back off the pillar.

"MARIO!" Koops and Goombella cried, looking over the cliff. They saw me fall directly into the Portal, which was hanging below.

"…ladies first?" Koops asked. Goombella sighed and jumped right in, Koops following behind.


"Well…" Grubba said, turning to Rawk Hawk. "Looks like the Dreamer ain't showin' up."

"Ha!" Rawk said. "Told you, no one wants to mess with the RAWK!"

"Yeah… but you know what's really buggin' me?" asked Grubba.

"Why you're not giving me that Champion Belt right now?" Rawk Hawk asked.

"Naw… why there's a big, glowing portal directly above us," Grubba said, looking up at said portal.

"…huh, where did that come from, any-" started Rawk, but suddenly, the five of us fell through the portal and onto the stage.

"Hi guys," I said, standing up and waving to the audience. "I'm sorry we're late."

"What?" Rawk asked, taking a step back. "How did you-"

"It's a long story involving a senile Goomba," I said, getting into battle position. "Anywho, that doesn't matter! Get ready to be beaten to a pulp!"

My friends gathered by me, getting into battle positions as well.

"Ha!" Rawk said, holding out his hand. "Bring it!


Author's Note: Chapters will now update around Noon (EST). Next chapter will be up against Rawk Hawk! Until next time, this is Pax the Dreamer, signing out!