A/N: I want to thank Oderus, Q, FairyTalePrincess16, SpiderDom321, and Infinite's Ruby for their reviews in the last chapter. I do have an important note at the bottom. But to keep this intro short, let's move on to the next chapter!
Disclaimer: Nintendo and Sega own the rights to Mario and Sonic. I only take credit for this story.
Chapter 34: A Chance to Escape
Location: Bowser's Castle
Another night had fallen in Dark Land as thunder boomed outside the large fortress. To this day, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, Rouge, Blaze, Vector, Espio, and Charmy remained locked in the underground dungeon since they teleported here. Over two weeks had gone by, and all they had to survive were a bunch of crummy meals, consisting of dry bread, day-old meat, and water – the same things served to Amy, Cream, and Cheese when they were confined. Being stuck in what's basically prison was never a fun time. It started to get on some of their nerves, specifically Shadow and Knuckles.
"If only these bars were malleable, I would've bent these out of shape and get us out of here," Knuckles muttered.
"But since you tried that on the first day we were here, all you had were bruised hands," said Shadow.
"You're not helping me or anyone in this situation."
"Knuckles, Shadow, calm down, will ya?" Vector stepped in between them. "We already had enough of you two fighting with each other."
"There's a reason why they keep giving us less food every day. You're always bothering the guards outside or those turtles upstairs," Espio crossed his arms.
"Maybe if we warped to the right location-"
"How many times do you have to bring that up? I said I was sorry!" Silver shouted angrily at Shadow.
"It doesn't help much."
"What am I supposed to do?!"
"Rot back to your future timeline."
"Shadow, stop it," Blaze stood up from the ground. "Listen, we all understand that being locked up isn't fun for anyone. But sometimes, you need to ease up on the attitude. It's literally irritating everyone."
"Who thinks that?"
That's when everyone else, including Rouge, raised their hands.
The ebony hedgehog rolled his eyes, huffing. "Fuck you."
Speaking of the white bat, she was concentrated on the lock. She was trying to pick it with one of her bobby pins. She stuck her tongue, trying to fit the metal utensil in the right spot.
"Um, Rouge," Charmy flew up to her.
"What's up?" she asked without turning her head.
"No offense, but don't you think that you might not get us out of here by picking the lock? I mean, it's not like I doubt your skills, but after trying for the last two weeks with no success-"
"You can stop right there. Yes, it's frustrating not to get this thing unlocked, but I'm not giving up. I feel like I'm getting closer each day."
"Just consider yourself lucky that none of the guards have caught you trying to escape," Knuckles told her.
"Please. Those Koopas don't know a thing about me, and they don't know how sly I am. If I wasn't picking the lock, I can probably manipulate them to let us out without even trying."
"By playing the victim card?"
"Victim card?"
"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about. You have to make others look like the fool so you can get what you want. It happens all the time whenever you try to take the Chaos Emeralds or the Master Emerald for yourself."
"Let's get one thing straight here," she said, turning her head to him. "I don't try to pin scorn on anyone unless it's Eggman or you."
"Why am I included?" Knuckles clenched his teeth.
"Because it's fun whenever I poke fun at you. Seeing you hotheaded never fails to amuse me."
"Hotheaded?!"
"See, you're showing it off right now. Don't work up a huge sweat though, or your head might explode like your temper," she stared at him with half-lidded eyes and a grin. To Knuckles, the idea that was she was flirting infuriated him, like every other time the two engaged in conversation.
"Grr! You're batty!" the echidna flailed his fist. (1) He was about to charge at her, but Vector and Espio reacted immediately, holding him by the underarms. Rouge shrugged to herself before shifting her attention to the lock.
Silver laid his head back on the brick wall. "We're never going to get out of here."
"I thought you were more optimistic than that," Blaze skeptically looked at him.
"I would be if that guy didn't take the Chaos Emerald. That was probably our only chance to get out of here."
"I'm sure we'll figure something out. If not, we'll have to rely on Rouge to get break us free."
"And if that doesn't work?"
Blaze wished she had a legitimate answer. "I honestly don't know."
By the time the airship returned to the hangar, Kamek immediately delegated cleaning roles for Paraplonk, Goomp, and Sergeant. Their first order of business: cleaning the bathrooms, their least favorite chore. Once the Elite Trio grabbed their cleaning supplies, Kamek reached the outside of Eggman's room. His door was open, but he tapped it with his wand.
"Ahem, Dr. Eggman?"
Eggman raised his head and turned around to see the Magikoopa. "Oh, it's you. You're back."
"I figured I would stop by here first."
"And you retrieved the Chaos Emerald, I presume?"
"Well, I have some good news and bad news."
"Of course," he grumbled. "Every time something like this happens, there always has to be some. Give me the bad first."
"The Elite Trio and I have failed our mission. After a long day of searching in Sarasaland, we came up short to those mischievous heroes. We had to retreat back to the castle without it. I take full responsibility for the loss."
Eggman grunted, pounding his fist on the table as his pens flew up a couple of inches. "Gah! Blast that hedgehog and his stupid, red companion! Why didn't you and those muppets beat them and steal the Emerald?!"
"It's a long story, Doctor. We had to chase a particularly fast creature who took the Emerald to another province of the continent."
"Particularly fast? Don't you mean-"
"It wasn't the blue hedgehog," Kamek quickly clarified. "It was a purple bandit named Nabbit. We ended up following him and the heroes into a volcano. And since it was about to burst, we had no choice but to flee."
"Hmph. Then what about Sonic and the rest of those chumps?"
"Needless to say, I don't have any doubts that they survived. If in the case they did, which is highly unlikely, that could make the competition for finding the Chaos Emeralds less heated than before. We should have the upper hand if no one else will search for them. But I should say that I'm not certain if they escaped the erupting volcano."
"I guess I see your point. In that case, I still want someone else to go out there and search for them."
"Yes, sir. Oh, and before I forget..." Kamek waved his wand as a glass vial with Mario's hair. "The good news was that I managed to pluck one of Mario's hairs from him."
Eggman did perk up from that. He replaced his standard white gloves with some clean, rubber ones. He took the vial and unscrewed the lid. Carefully, he let the hair slide onto his left hand and scrutinized the DNA sample. His teeth flashed into a wide grin. "Ah, perfect. I think this will help me with the Metal Mario clone. And if I'm lucky, I can also make one that looks like his green brother. By the way, what's his name anyway?"
"Hmm? Oh, that's Luigi. But almost everyone forgets his name. Lord Bowser does that all the time, really."
"Luigi... Hmm, I'm gonna be honest, that name has got a nice ring to it."
"If that's what you think..." Kamek trailed. "I'll leave you be. I have to explain everything to my master now."
"I think he's in the dining room with the other Koopas. They should be having dinner."
"You're not joining them?"
"I told the chefs to deliver my food since I'm still busy."
"Uh-huh. I guess that's understandable."
"And thanks for the hair. I may not be happy about the whole Chaos Emerald situation, but at least I have something."
"My pleasure," the Magikoopa bowed before exiting.
Dr. Eggman went straight to business for his next project. He put the hair on a glass slide and placed it under a microscope. He adjusted the focus so he could clearly see it through the eyepiece lens. He then stepped back to stare at a sketch of Mario and Luigi that Kamek drew up for him a week ago. A sneer formed, followed by an evil chuckle.
"Soon, there will only be one pair of Mario Bros. to live."
The next ten minutes went by very slowly for the prisoners, but Knuckles quelled his temper. Everyone else either stood against the wall or sat on the floor, watching Rouge fiddle with the bobby pin. Just then, she heard a slight click in place.
"Ah-ha!" she smirked, pushing the cell door.
"Alright! We're free!" Charmy raised his fists.
"Shh! Don't yell!" Espio hissed. "We don't want those guards to hear us."
"Oh, right. Sorry," the bee whispered.
"Okay, if we're careful, we can try to sneak out of this place," said Vector.
"Forget about careful. I'm going to get that damn Emerald back."
"Shadow, this is not the best time to be hasty," Blaze suggested.
"What makes you say that?"
"I have to agree with her," Rouge spoke up.
"Oh, come on. Why are you going with this?"
"Listen, I may be one of your comrades, but if I were you, I would rather play it safe and make a run for it. Until we can find Sonic or any kind of help, we should hold off taking the Emerald from them."
Shadow grumbled as he glared down at the floor. "Don't complain to me if this backfires on us."
"Fair enough."
Suddenly, the dungeon doors creaked open. Rouge immediately shut the prison and pretended that it was still locked. The Koopatrol guards, Tom and Ken, headed toward the captives with two more trays of the same boring meal.
Rouge turned to everyone, raising her eyebrows as a vague gesture. After slightly tilting her head towards the guards, she whispered, "Follow my lead. When the time is right, run."
Everyone nodded as they reached the cell.
"Dinner's ready," said Tom.
"Great. Another meal of bread and water," Knuckles groaned sarcastically.
"I'll open the door," Ken put the tray on the floor to grab his keychain. But when he was about to insert the key, he saw that the door wasn't closed all the way. "What the... Why is this not-"
Rouge kicked the door with her boot, slamming Ken out of the way. His spikes pierced into Tom's armor as they fell to the ground, spilling the food.
"RUN!" Everyone made a beeline for the exit as the scurried past the fallen Koopatrols.
"Ow. That bat nearly gave me a concussion," Ken rubbed his helmet.
"Come on, Ken! We have to run after them! Or at least tell the boss!" Tom quickly got up, helping his partner on his feet before they dashed after Sonic's friends.
"Urgh, my steak is tough," Morton complained.
Ludwig glanced at his dish. "I thought you wanted medium well."
"I did! There's no pink though!"
"Really?" Lemmy stood up from his seat and looked from across. "I can see a little pink in there."
"Well, I don't see it!"
"Are you sure you're not color blind or something?" Larry asked.
Bowser didn't want this conversation to continue, so he immediately asked one of the Koopa chefs to bring him a new steak. Everyone else continued to eat. Bowser Jr. managed to finish his meal in three big bites. Wendy was repulsed when she saw him.
"You know, you're going to get stomach pains if you don't chew your food thoroughly." Jr. ignored her and took a sip of soda. He let out a loud belch. "Ugh, you're sickening!"
"Whatever. As long as I get to dessert first before any of you, that's all I care about!"
"Jr., you haven't eaten your vegetables," his father grunted.
"Aw, Dad, do I have to?"
"Don't complain. Finish your broccoli before you get to dessert."
"But that's not fair! You don't have those nasty greens on your plate! I never see you eat vegetables!"
"I had to when I grew up. And yes, I hate them to this day. But if you want to be as big and strong as me, you need to do the same."
Jr. pouted before he gave up. "Fine!" He moved his fork before stabbing the stalk. He reluctantly took a small bite before he spat the broccoli out in disgust. It ended up on Roy's cheek. "Pfft! Gross!"
"Hey! Watch where you spit!" Roy flicked it off.
"Oh, forget him. It's not like he's going to apologize to you," Wendy rolled her eyes.
"I'm gonna get some more soda," Iggy got up from his chair. But as he was about to enter the kitchen, the doors busted open, knocking the green-haired Koopaling into the wall.
"This way!" Rouge yelled as the others ran behind her.
"Hey! Why are they out of their cell?!" Bowser roared.
"Ow..." Iggy's head started to spin. "Th-th-that h-hurt... I think I'm gonna- OOF!" The doors hit him again when Tom and Ken appeared.
"Your Hungriness! The animals escaped!"
"You think I didn't SEE that?! Koopalings! Go after them!"
"But what about my steak?" Morton groused.
"GET MOVING!"
The Koopalings scrambled out of the dining hall as they went to retrieve their wands. Iggy slowly recovered before following them, even though his eyeballs were completely crazed. Jr. went over to hop in his Koopa Clown Car and chased the captives down the hall.
"Get back here, you little brats!"
"Says you! Have you seen yourself in the mirror?!" Knuckles fired back.
In retaliation, Jr. pushed a button and released a spike ball from the mouth. It hurtled over the heads of the Chaotix, barely missing Vector as he ducked down. However, it landed in front of them, causing them to stop.
"Guys! Keep going! We'll stall this guy!" the crocodile shouted.
Espio whipped out a couple of shuriken stars at the young turtle while Charmy flew up to try and sting him. Unfortunately, he blocked both of them with a glass dome over his head. Vector jumped up to punch the barrier, but even with his strength, he failed to make a crack. Bowser Jr. chuckled before he brought out the Koopa Clown's boxing gloves. Both of them extended towards the trio as they tried to avoid getting punched.
"If our attacks aren't working, we better keep going," Espio wheezed before leaning back from one of the gloves.
"I second that! Let's bail!" screamed Charmy.
"Hey! Wait a second! Why are you running away?!"
"Isn't it obvious? We're leaving this place!" replied Vector.
"That's what you think! Get back here!"
The rest of the Sonic gang split up when Lemmy, Larry, and Morton caught them at one of the hallways. The three Koopalings chased after Silver, Blaze, and Knuckles while Rouge and Shadow ran down a different corridor.
"Let me at 'em!" Lemmy got on top of a balancing ball and had several more to bounce off the walls and floor to distract them.
Morton pounded the ground to stun the animals while Larry shot three magical blasts at them. One of them nearly singed Blaze, but Silver stopped it with his telekinesis. Knuckles punctured a bouncing ball as it deflated from the spikes. He used his other fist to punch one at the Koopas. Blaze hurled a flame with her pyrokinesis, heading straight to Lemmy. It scorched his feet, causing him to tumble off of his balancing ball. Another hit Morton in the chest and had trouble getting through the burning pain.
"ARGH! That hurts!"
"Take this!" Larry counteracted with more of his magic, but Silver continued to keep him at bay, manipulating the magical spheres to take down the blue-haired Koopaling. As they kept on running throughout the hallways, Knuckles was starting to get frustrated.
"Where the hell is the exit?!"
"How are we supposed to know?!" Blaze countered. "You happen to enter the castle! Don't you remember the route?"
"Directions are not my forte, you know!"
"Just keep going!" Silver told them.
In a different wing of the fortress, Shadow skated over the red carpet with Rouge flying next to him. When they turned a corner, they stopped to see Wendy and Ludwig blocking their path. When they tried to go back, Roy and Iggy were standing behind them, even though the latter was still dizzy.
Rouge noticed the female Koopa's jewelry around her neck. "Nice necklace you got there. It'd be a shame if I-" she paused as she flew over and tugged on the red beads, "-stole it from you."
Wendy slapped her hand away, scowling. "Hands off the merchandise, Bat Girl! Roy, I got her. You and Ludwig get the black-furred rat."
"Are you kidding me?" Shadow mentally groaned. Apparently Sonic wasn't the only hedgehog who's been called by the wrong species.
"W-What about me?"
"Uh, just use your magic as normal. But don't get too close to them. You're still recovering," Ludwig told him.
Iggy nodded and started his attacks. Meanwhile, Wendy waved her wand and a pair of magical rings rebounded off the walls and floor. Rouge thought it wasn't a big deal; but when she wasn't paying attention, one of them hit her in the back, right below her wings. She felt it sting her body and rubbed the spot beneath her black unitard. Seeing the smirk on Wendy's lips, she challenged her back with her martial arts. A few kicks and fists caught the Koopa off guard that she didn't expect the bat swiping her feet against hers. She landed on her shell and struggled to get up.
While that took place, the other battle with Shadow versus Ludwig and Roy took place. The glasses-wearing Koopa pounded the hallway floor, but he was dismayed that the hedgehog wasn't fazed. Shadow sped forward to spin dash into his head, starting a chain reaction on the other male Koopas. Iggy wasn't able to dodge in time, and Ludwig hid in his shell to resist the damage. He jumped in the air and did a ground pound. But Shadow sidestepped away effortlessly. A few kicks put Ludwig against the wall.
Roy waved his wand and emitted streams of pink magic blasts. Rouge and Shadow were unaware that the clouds had a sleeping effect, and they didn't realize it until the bat was stunned by the spell. As she started to lose focus, Shadow growled and carried her over his shoulder.
"Hey! Dat's not fair! Get back here and fight!" shouted Roy.
"I rather suffocate from Sonic's annoying banter than your slumber spell," Shadow countered before dashing off.
Wendy got up from Roy's help. She scowled at him afterward. "Way to go, dumbass."
"How was this my fault?!"
Ludwig was shaking his head from the crash. "Come on, let's run the other way. I'm not passing through that." He, Roy, and Wendy backtracked while Iggy sluggishly followed behind them after getting up.
Conveniently, the eight Mobians congregated at an intersection after they got away from the Koopalings.
"Hey, look!" Charmy pointed. "It's the front entrance!"
"Alright! Let's bail!" Vector charged down the hallway with the other following behind.
Suddenly, two individuals stopped in front of them. Everyone was too late to react as they crashed into each other, forming a dogpile on the floor. Then, they used their extendable arms to wrap them up. Knuckles was the first to notice the ones who blocked their escape.
"Metal Sonic?!"
"And is that... a Metal Tails robot?!" Blaze gasped.
The robots' red eyes gleamed brightly, which intimidated Charmy. Everyone else, besides Shadow, was in disbelief. They soon heard footsteps coming from where they ran from, only to see the evil doctor glancing from above.
"Well, what do we have here? How metal-some of you to try and leave your dungeon? And now you're all tied up from your escape!"
"I thought you hated puns," Silver wondered.
"I never said that. I just hate it whenever Sonic uses them in front of me! But since that hedgehog is hypothetically gone, I'll make puns whenever I feel like it!"
"What do you mean that he's hypothetically gone?" Knuckles growled.
"I've received some special news from my colleague's apprentice."
"You mean that cone-headed wizard who stole our Chaos Emerald?" Shadow raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, him. And it's our Chaos Emerald now!"
"What exactly happened to Sonic?" Espio wanted to get to the point.
"He said that Sonic and his buddies got trapped in a volcano when they were trying to get a Chaos Emerald. But it seems that the volcano erupted before they could escape."
"What?! That can't be true!" Vector was skeptical.
"Which is why I said he's hypothetically gone. He could be alive if a miracle went his way. But I highly doubt it. Still, I have to expect the possibility that he's alive just because that irritating rat somehow gets away with a lot of things."
"And what exactly do you plan to do next?" Rouge questioned him.
"Hey! There they are!" they all heard Jr. yell. He was with Bowser, Kamek, and the Koopalings.
Bowser stepped forward, leering at the Mobian animals. "Thanks to you, our dinner was ruined, and we had to deal with a near breakout. And not only that, one of my Koopalings will need medical attention!" he pointed at Iggy who leaned against the wall to keep himself up.
"What are you gonna do to us now?" Blaze stared at Bowser.
When the Koopa King turned to glare at her, she lowered her head to avoid eye contact. He then turned to his partner. "I want them back in their dungeon. And tomorrow morning, I'm sending the Koopalings to go back looking for the Emeralds."
"Actually, Bowser," Eggman interjected, "I have a proposition for you."
"You're going to let us leave?" Charmy asked with a little bit of delight.
"Zip it, insect!"
"What do you have in mind?"
"I assume Kamek has told you about his journey with the Elite Trio."
"No, he hasn't told me anything," he turned to the Magikoopa.
"Your Incomprehensiveness, I was unaware of the prisoners escaping. And by the time I reached the dining room, you were absent." Kamek took the next minute to explain the predicament.
Bowser emitted a low grunt. "And what's your plan?"
"I want to send my Metal clones out for action. If in the case that they're still alive, I want Sonic to react to the idea of having to face both of them."
"Hmm... I don't know."
"Give the Koopas another day off and let my robots handle the next task. In the meantime, I'll be building Metal Mario and Metal Luigi as they take care of business."
Bowser was a bit reluctant, but he eventually committed to the plan. "Alright. We'll go with that."
"Excellent," Eggman sneered. "Now then, Metal Sonic, Metal Tails, take these lunatics back to where they belong."
His slaves nodded to his command and carried the restrained Mobians to the underground dungeon. After they watched them leave, Morton tapped on Bowser's leg.
"What?"
"Can we go back to dinner now? And can I get a new steak?"
Bowser sighed, running a claw through his hair before nodding. The perks of being a Koopa King included being able to support a family and a kingdom. What he didn't want was dealing with a plumber who had harrowed him countless times and a hedgehog who has done the same thing to his cohort. But as long as the plan comes into fruition, their archenemies will join their younger brothers in the afterlife. Then, he and Eggman would rule every single square foot in the universe.
END OF CHAPTER
It's been a while since we've seen the guys at Bowser's Castle, so I wanted to include them here. Unfortunately for Sonic's friends, they couldn't make it out thanks to Eggman's metal minions. And this is just the beginning for those two...
Speaking of Eggman, he'll get to work with the other Metal robots while our heroes move on to the next part of their quest. The thing is, I'm going to do something different. I've put a poll on my profile to let you choose where you want Mario and Sonic to travel next. I have three different options, and they will all be found in the story (unless I have a last-second change). By the end of two weeks, the most popular choice will be used. I'll try my best to get started on that when I'm not busy with work.
Please review below, let me know if I have to fix any errors, follow/favorite for more, and I'll see you in Ch. 35 of New Brotherhood! This is TGN, signing off.
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): If this sounds familiar, then you might recognize it from Sonic X. I can't help but reference this line from one of their moments in the show. Knuckles and Rouge don't get along in one aspect, yet I always find it hilarious whenever they quarrel or when the former loses it.