Mario wiped the sweat off his brow, and emerged from the horrible dark cave he had been exploring for the past half-hour. Princess Peach Toadstool, who had been awaiting his appearance, had an anxious look on her face.
"Is everything going to be OK?" she asked. He nodded, and closed the door to the basement behind him.
"It should be fine. Most of the washers were getting rusty, so I had to replace them. But I think that should do it."
She nodded satisfactorily. "Good. I was tired of all those gurgling noises through the pipes all night long. Thank you, Mario." She gave him a smile, and he blushed a tiny bit.
"Think nothing of it, Your Highness. Has Wooster finished lunch yet?"
She laughed that bright, clear laugh of hers. "Let's go see." They emerged from the basement of her castle and began to walk through the foyer to the kitchen, when they stopped. The foyer contained a skylight, enchanted so that during the day it always caught the light and focused it onto a painting of the sun on the floor.
Except the sun painting was no longer there. It had been replaced by a red circle, split into four quadrants by a cross a bit to the lower-left of the center.
"Princess…?"
"I don't know what it is." The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom walked over to the new design and stepped on it. She promptly vanished.
"Princess!" Mario shouted. Muttering under his breath, he adjusted his plumber's cap and followed her lead. A moment later, the foyer was empty.
***
King Bowser Koopa strode through the stone hallways of his castle, shaking his head. He'd just concluded an argument with his seven children Larry Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr., Wendy O. Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, and Ludwig von Koopa.
They'd come up with a plan to tunnel into Princess Toadstool's castle and conquer it from the inside. He'd vetoed that plan right off the bat; it didn't have the King Koopa sense of style that the Mushroom Kingdom had come to recognize and fear over the years.
To think one of them would someday rule over the Turtle Tribe…! And they wondered why he'd left them out of his last couple of invasion plans.
"Any idea what I should do with those brats?" he asked his advisor, the Magikoopa called Kamek, who was walking just behind him and to his right.
"Perhaps, sire, you could allow me to teach them the magical arts, much as I taught them to you all those years ago. It instills a certain discipline."
Bowser snorted. "Absolutely not! They're rowdy enough as it is without them knowing sorcery. Maybe I should let them try ruling over their own territories again. Or maybe appoint them as Vice-Presidents of the Apook Co." Kamek, having given his own two Koopabits, merely nodded in assent.
"You may go now, Kamek. I'll yell for you if I need you." His advisor bowed and turned down a side hallway while the king continued to his throne room. He opened the door, and stopped.
The design on his throne had changed. Usually the design was the emerald emblem of the Turtle Tribe. But now it was a crimson circle, broken into four pieces.
"What in the name of Nimbus Land…?" Curiosity and annoyance mixed within him. He touched the new design with a claw.
He disappeared, and the throne room was again empty.
***
The man-sized green dinosaur known as Yoshi, of the species also known as Yoshi, strolled through the forests of what was naturally called Yoshi's Island. Every now and then he would spy a delicious looking fruit and grab it with his long tongue.
He wondered how his old friend Mario was doing. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd heard from him.
Something caught his eye in the verdant foliage. It looked like someone had painted a shape on the trunk of one of the trees.
Squeaking in curiosity, he approached to get a better look. It resembled a circle cut in four. He placed a paw on it, and vanished from the forest.
***
On DK Island, the current head of the clan Kong swung from vine to vine through the Kongo Jungle.
Donkey Kong sighed. This daily patrol for Kremlings was the least favorite part of his day, but his grandfather Cranky Kong really got on his case whenever he forgot. And that cane of his could deliver quite a rap to the head.
His ancestors were lucky. Cranky's archnemeses had been Mario and that exterminator Stanley. His father "Junior" was even luckier. After dueling with Mario, he had mostly stopped fighting. He spent most of his time nowadays on the road, racing or playing tennis to earn money for the family.
But Donkey Kong? He had to take on King K. Rool and his entire army of Kremlings. Life wasn't fair.
He reached the end of the current series of vines and dropped to the rainforest floor. He scampered along the path, keeping an eye out for a flash of reptilian scales, a clawed footprint or any other sign that Kremlings were nearby. Fortunately, in case there were, the barrels scattered at intervals along the path contained items that would be able to help.
He stopped running and stared at one of the barrels. The containers usually had a pictogram portraying their contents on the outside. This one, however, had a mark he'd never seen before. A red circle split into four parts by a cross.
What could be in it?
He grabbed the barrel to break it and find out. But before he could, he disappeared from the jungle.
"Is everything going to be OK?" she asked. He nodded, and closed the door to the basement behind him.
"It should be fine. Most of the washers were getting rusty, so I had to replace them. But I think that should do it."
She nodded satisfactorily. "Good. I was tired of all those gurgling noises through the pipes all night long. Thank you, Mario." She gave him a smile, and he blushed a tiny bit.
"Think nothing of it, Your Highness. Has Wooster finished lunch yet?"
She laughed that bright, clear laugh of hers. "Let's go see." They emerged from the basement of her castle and began to walk through the foyer to the kitchen, when they stopped. The foyer contained a skylight, enchanted so that during the day it always caught the light and focused it onto a painting of the sun on the floor.
Except the sun painting was no longer there. It had been replaced by a red circle, split into four quadrants by a cross a bit to the lower-left of the center.
"Princess…?"
"I don't know what it is." The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom walked over to the new design and stepped on it. She promptly vanished.
"Princess!" Mario shouted. Muttering under his breath, he adjusted his plumber's cap and followed her lead. A moment later, the foyer was empty.
***
King Bowser Koopa strode through the stone hallways of his castle, shaking his head. He'd just concluded an argument with his seven children Larry Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr., Wendy O. Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, and Ludwig von Koopa.
They'd come up with a plan to tunnel into Princess Toadstool's castle and conquer it from the inside. He'd vetoed that plan right off the bat; it didn't have the King Koopa sense of style that the Mushroom Kingdom had come to recognize and fear over the years.
To think one of them would someday rule over the Turtle Tribe…! And they wondered why he'd left them out of his last couple of invasion plans.
"Any idea what I should do with those brats?" he asked his advisor, the Magikoopa called Kamek, who was walking just behind him and to his right.
"Perhaps, sire, you could allow me to teach them the magical arts, much as I taught them to you all those years ago. It instills a certain discipline."
Bowser snorted. "Absolutely not! They're rowdy enough as it is without them knowing sorcery. Maybe I should let them try ruling over their own territories again. Or maybe appoint them as Vice-Presidents of the Apook Co." Kamek, having given his own two Koopabits, merely nodded in assent.
"You may go now, Kamek. I'll yell for you if I need you." His advisor bowed and turned down a side hallway while the king continued to his throne room. He opened the door, and stopped.
The design on his throne had changed. Usually the design was the emerald emblem of the Turtle Tribe. But now it was a crimson circle, broken into four pieces.
"What in the name of Nimbus Land…?" Curiosity and annoyance mixed within him. He touched the new design with a claw.
He disappeared, and the throne room was again empty.
***
The man-sized green dinosaur known as Yoshi, of the species also known as Yoshi, strolled through the forests of what was naturally called Yoshi's Island. Every now and then he would spy a delicious looking fruit and grab it with his long tongue.
He wondered how his old friend Mario was doing. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd heard from him.
Something caught his eye in the verdant foliage. It looked like someone had painted a shape on the trunk of one of the trees.
Squeaking in curiosity, he approached to get a better look. It resembled a circle cut in four. He placed a paw on it, and vanished from the forest.
***
On DK Island, the current head of the clan Kong swung from vine to vine through the Kongo Jungle.
Donkey Kong sighed. This daily patrol for Kremlings was the least favorite part of his day, but his grandfather Cranky Kong really got on his case whenever he forgot. And that cane of his could deliver quite a rap to the head.
His ancestors were lucky. Cranky's archnemeses had been Mario and that exterminator Stanley. His father "Junior" was even luckier. After dueling with Mario, he had mostly stopped fighting. He spent most of his time nowadays on the road, racing or playing tennis to earn money for the family.
But Donkey Kong? He had to take on King K. Rool and his entire army of Kremlings. Life wasn't fair.
He reached the end of the current series of vines and dropped to the rainforest floor. He scampered along the path, keeping an eye out for a flash of reptilian scales, a clawed footprint or any other sign that Kremlings were nearby. Fortunately, in case there were, the barrels scattered at intervals along the path contained items that would be able to help.
He stopped running and stared at one of the barrels. The containers usually had a pictogram portraying their contents on the outside. This one, however, had a mark he'd never seen before. A red circle split into four parts by a cross.
What could be in it?
He grabbed the barrel to break it and find out. But before he could, he disappeared from the jungle.