Author's Notes: Welcome back to the war universe, where we will be following sports Mario and sports Bowser as they try to make sense of their new reality. Enjoy :)
Chapter 6
Six Feet Under
Mario and Yoshi travelled across many types of terrain in this strange new version of Yoshi's Island. They battled many Koopas, Goombas, Chargin' Chucks, Fire Bros, and more. Mario wasn't sure what was going on. He wondered if perhaps there was a mutiny in the Koopa Kingdom and Bowser had lost control. He also wondered if Tatanga's forces were back and holding Bowser and Peach prisoner. He was willing to accept many theories, but he still didn't doubt that Bowser wasn't responsible for this. He kept this to himself however, so that Yoshi wouldn't think he was secretly a traitor or something.
Soon the lush greens of the jungle gave way to a dark and damp cave, which Yoshi indicated was the quickest route to a fortress where Peach might be held. Mario allowed Yoshi to lead the way, since he really wasn't sure where anything was anymore. The landscape was completely different now, and Mario wondered if he had awakened in some weird other dimension created by the infinite warp pipe. Bowser's inventions frequently malfunctioned, but it would be a real tragedy if the entire world had been altered by one.
"Yoshi!" Yoshi shouted as he pointed to several Koopas crawling along the ground in the cave.
"Shh! Let's 'a not bother them," Mario whispered, "Maybe they're just 'a minding their own business."
Yoshi wasn't convinced, but listened to Mario's advice. Instead of immediately stomping on the Koopas, Yoshi instead tip-toed around the edge of the cavern in hopes of avoiding detection. Yoshi knew this was unnecessary. He could eat them with a single flick of his powerful tongue. He could end them with a mere stomp of his powerful feet. Mario could do the same. So, why was his friend suddenly being so cautious around these horrible invaders?
"Ooooh!" A moan suddenly reverberated around the cavern.
"Hey, what was that?" One Koopa asked another.
"It could be trouble. We better check it out," The second Koopa replied.
"Yoshi," Mario whispered, "Follow them. I think I know that voice."
Yoshi did as instructed and quietly trailed the two Koopa Troopas. The shelled troops went around a bend in the cavern and climbed down to a lower level where no troops were assigned to patrol. What they found seemed to make this their lucky day...
"Hey, it's green Mario!" One of the Troopas exclaimed.
"Oh boy!" The other one cheered, "If we kill this guy, then King Bowser will surely promote us for our bravery!"
Yes, it was Luigi, barely conscious and suffering from severe burns. He was powerless to run or to fight against the Koopas, but fortunately for him he wasn't alone. Mario and Yoshi saw what was happening, and both were disgusted and angry. Killing a helpless man was not Mario's definition of 'brave'. Defending one's family however...
"Stop 'a right there!" Mario cried out.
The pair of Koopas looked up at the ledge in fright, seeing Mario and Yoshi in all their glory glaring down at them.
"It's him! Mario!" One shouted.
"Attack!" The other one rallied, not afraid of a fight.
Mario leapt from Yoshi's back and straight down at the charging Koopas. He landed in front of them, and they drew their spears to impale him. Mario was no amateur though, and leapt from his position onto the red shell of his attacker. Once he had incapacitated that one, he leapt to the green shell of the second Koopa. With both knocked out, Yoshi swallowed each of them whole, and then burped out the fire from eating that spicy red shelled Koopa.
"Luigi! Luigi, are you alright?" Mario shouted as he lifted up his brother's prone form.
Luigi opened his eyes, barely able to see what was going on. He recognized that voice however, and smiled up at Mario.
"Mario...you made it," Luigi rasped, "I thought...Bowser...had killed you. I was trying to...save 'a the princess...alone. I won against Iggy Koopa, but I...was ambushed. Fire Bros...everywhere. Need...mushroom."
"I'm sorry, Luigi. I don't have a 1-Up mushroom on me," Mario apologized, fearing that his brother was slipping away, "Don't worry though. Just hang in there, and I'll find one."
"Red mushroom...will do," Luigi told him.
"Red mushroom?" Mario asked in confusion.
Yoshi, understanding what he meant, dug into his shell until he found a red mushroom he stored just for such an occasion. Mario saw what Yoshi was holding, and couldn't believe it.
"No! Luigi, you cannot eat that!" Mario exclaimed in revulsion, "That is for kart and machinery fuel, not 'a for people! The body cannot digest it!"
"Hahaha, you're so funny, bro," Luigi laughed, though his laughter was weak, "Thank you, Yoshi."
Luigi then ate the mushroom whole, and Mario's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw Luigi grow physically larger. Now that he thought about it, Luigi did look kinda small a moment ago. Mario's mind went in two directions in that moment. One, he was so glad his brother would be okay. Two, he was definitely using those red mushrooms to get bigger in his next strikers game. That was when he remembered...
"Oh no! I'm missing it!" Mario shrieked.
"Missing what?" Luigi asked, the burn marks disappearing even as he spoke.
"The annual strikers game!" Mario cried out in horror, "We're supposed to be finalists! Everyone will think the Mushroom Kingdom is 'a snubbing them! Without us and Peach then there will be no one to represent our home."
"Strikers?" Luigi asked in puzzlement, "But Mario, we're at war. Who cares about sports during a war? We have to defeat Bowser's forces, or he will destroy the kingdom and everyone in it."
War. Mario never thought he would hear such a sentiment from Luigi. He knew this world was different from his own, that much he could figure out, but how could it be this bad? Was he in the future? Did Bowser's machine change the past or the present, thus resulting in a dystopian future? No, Luigi looked about the same age as him. So then, what? Why was there war instead of friendly competition? Why would Bowser do such a thing?
"Morton Koopa Jr.'s castle in somewhere under the mountain in these caverns," Luigi informed Mario, "If he has 'a the princess, then we need to defeat him."
"Morton Koopa Jr.?" Mario repeated, "As in, a successor to Morton Koopa?"
"Of course. He's one of Bowser's sons," Luigi informed him, "Mario, do you not remember where we're going?"
"Yoshi remembers," Mario replied, a little dazed, "I trust him to lead the way."
"Yoshi Yoshi," Yoshi told them they should get going while they still could.
Mario allowed Luigi to climb onto Yoshi's back so he wouldn't wear himself out after healing, and Mario walked beside them. As they walked, so many thoughts ran through Mario's head. Morton Koopa was Bowser's father. Mario remembered the old Koopa well. In his youth Morton Koopa had been a war monger and a conqueror that the Mushroom Kingdom lived in dread of. Mario's father had told the boys tales of how Morton Koopa once set fire to a Toad village and demanded that the region be handed over to him, or how he once tried to kidnap the princess of the Bean Bean Kingdom.
That had been the old Morton Koopa however. Everything changed when his advisor, the evil Kamek, had tried to murder him and take the newborn heir Bowser as his own son. Morton survived the attempt, and the Mushroom King of all people had come to Morton's aid to rescue baby Bowser.
Their combined armies had killed Kamek and rescued the young prince, which led to the peace treaty between their kingdoms. It had also led to the betrothal of Princess Peach to Prince Bowser, but Bowser didn't want to marry Peach just because of a political agreement. He wanted to have fun and rule the kingdom his own way. By the time he got to do just that, his people loved him and the Mushroom Kingdom was a strongly entrenched ally.
"Wait a moment...change 'a the past..." Mario pondered softly to himself.
"Change 'a what?" Luigi asked, having barely heard him.
"Um, Luigi...how long has Bowser been king of the Koopas?" Mario inquired.
"When wasn't he king?" Luigi shrugged.
"No, I mean, when did Morton Koopa die?" Mario asked.
"I dunno. It was a long time ago," Luigi replied, "I'm not even sure if we were born yet."
"Yoshi Yoshi," Yoshi indicated they were.
"Do you remember?" Mario asked.
Yoshi went on to explain that he remembered Morton Koopa died mere days after Bowser's birth. Yoshi had even once had to rescue baby Mario and Luigi from Kamek and baby Bowser, because Kamek was trying to kill off any children that might grow up to be more powerful than a mere Toad or Koopa. Kamek had raised Bowser, and one tyrant gave way to another as Kamek died and King Bowser took power.
"That's it!" Mario exclaimed, "That's what went wrong! Morton Koopa died too early, and now Bowser is evil!"
"What are you talking about?" Luigi asked in concern.
"Luigi, I know this is going to sound 'a crazy, but I'm not your brother," Mario tried to explain.
"Look, Mario, I know I annoy you sometimes," Luigi interrupted, "And I know I shouldn't come on adventures I'm not 'a ready for, but-"
"No, Luigi, let 'a me finish!" Mario likewise interrupted, "I am Mario, but not the Mario you know. I come from another world. One where events in history played out differently."
"Excuse me?" Luigi asked in confusion.
"In my world, Bowser is not evil. He's our friend even," Mario explained, "In my world, there is no war. Everyone gets along, you and I are sports stars, and I am engaged to Peach."
"You? Engaged to the princess?" Luigi snorted in laughter, "Bro, I know you're a good fighter, but no way would the Mushroom King allow a commoner to marry his daughter! We're just plumbers during peacetime, and soldiers during the war. No way is that good enough for royalty!"
"Plumbers?" Mario asked, "I haven't done 'a plumbing in years!"
"Yes you have," Luigi argued, "Just a few weeks ago we fixed the leaky faucet at Tayce T's bakery."
"Mama Mia..." Mario sighed, "How am I going to get home?"
Bowser couldn't believe he was so close. When Toadette had told Bowser that Prof. Gadd was in prison he expected to have to go to the farthest reaches of his domain to free the old inventor, but as it turned out the process was a lot simpler than that. Bowser had thrown E. Gadd in prison alright...into the dungeon of his own castle. In fact, Gadd was only a few levels below Princess Peach.
"Seven levels of dungeons..." Bowser muttered to himself as he walked down the stone staircase, "Why are there so many? Yeesh! I gotta remember to act like I know what I'm talking about. Those bratty kids will suspect something, and given how violent everyone is around here someone might try to dethrone me. Then again Gadd is a scientist. He will probably understand...or else think I'm a witch, because that's about how my luck has bee going lately. I hate this new reality..."
Bowser knew that a lot of his hopes rested on the shoulders of Prof. Elvin Gadd. Time was of the essence if he was ever going to make it home, and the most knowledgeable man Bowser knew besides himself was E. Gadd. He only wished he had Luigi with him to convince the old man to help, since for whatever reason Gadd liked Luigi. Then again, perhaps that wouldn't work. Bowser was thinking of the old Gadd. Who knew what sort of person he would find beneath his new nefarious castle.
As Bowser drew closer to the cells he could see that one was guarded by a Goomba and a Koopa. He could also hear soft incoherent muttering from the other side of the door. This was most likely Elvin Gadd's cell.
Bowser peered inside the room through the barred-off slot that served as a window to the massive wooden door. Gadd didn't notice the Koopa King as he sat on his cot; so lost was he in his own little world. Bowser was starting to fear that his plan wasn't going to work, since the brilliant scientist seemed to have been replaced by a blithering mad man.
"Come to see me, sire?" Gadd asked suddenly, causing Bowser to look at him in surprise, "I'm flattered. I don't get visitors, you know. So, have you finally come to execute me? Perhaps cart me off to your throne room for a public exhibition? Or am I not important enough for that? It's okay, sire. I know you don't want your involvement in my previous failure to be revealed. We can just do it here and get it over with. I'm just surprised it took you ten years to remember me. Heeheehee..."
Bowser was a little unnerved by the way the man spoke. Elvin Gadd always had a few screws loose, but he was generally an affable man. This guy seemed like he was at the end of his rope and simply ready to give up. Bowser would have felt pity, if he was sure this man wasn't an adversary.
"I'm not here to kill you, Gadd," Bowser replied, trying to regain control of the situation, "I'm here because I want you to help me with an invention."
"Please don't jest with me sire, for it is torture greater than a bed of Spiny Koopas!" Gadd moaned, "I merely wish to rot in peace. I know my life is over, let alone my career. Please don't toy with my blackened old heart."
"I'm serious. I need your help," Bowser insisted, "You're probably the only one who can understand my situation. You see, I'm, uh...not from around here."
"Oh?" This piqued Gadd's interest, "You mean to say you come from another dimension?"
"I think so," Bowser replied uncertainly, "I mean, I'm not sure if my world still exists or not. All I know is this isn't it. I come from another world, with a different son and different friends. I think I destroyed everything, and all I want is to make everything the way it was. Will you help me?"
"Why ask when you can order?" Gadd questioned, "You are the king. Are you a king in your universe, Bowser?"
"I am," Bowser confirmed, "But not like this. In my universe I'm not at war with the Mushroom people. The Bowser that rules this place is clearly a monster."
"A monster yes, but a monster with vision," Gadd shrugged without judgment, "If my plan had succeeded I would have owned my own kingdom. If only I had prepared for every contingency. I don't think you want a hack like me anywhere near your inventions. If only I had managed to kill those Mario Brothers."
Bowser's breath hitched when he heard those words. So, the alternate version of himself had tried to kill the alternate versions of Mario and Luigi. He was grateful the plan had failed, but it still bothered him that he was enemies with his best friend. Was the Mario of this world evil? Or was he? The question still nagged at him.
"What exactly did you do to Mario?" Bowser couldn't help but ask, "Was he injured?"
"Sire, it was only ten years ago. You've forgotten already? Oh, wait, you're not really Bowser. I forgot."
"I am Bowser!" The king roared, "Listen old man, I'm trying to help you, but I need help in return. Will you work on the pipe or not?"
"Of course I will," Gadd replied with a placid smile, "I have so longed for machines and tools in my hands. Ever since the shadow debacle I've felt simply useless in this cold dark cell."
"The shadow debacle? What the flaming pits are you talking about?" Bowser asked derisively.
"My greatest, and worst, achievement," Gadd recalled, his large circular glasses reflecting the dim light of the torches beyond his window, "My ultimate plan to be rid of the Mushroom Kingdom's greatest warriors. I remember it like it was only yesterday..."
"Here we go," Bowser muttered to himself in annoyance.
"It all started in the forest, when I first met you and your delightful sons..."
...The evil King Bowser was a difficult figure to hide, but thus far the cloak disguise was working quite well. Either that or everyone was just too afraid to admit they knew it was him. Either way Bowser and his envoy were able to make it to the Forest of Illusion without difficulty. Bowser's sons, Iggy and Lemmy, were there not only to serve as envoys to the king but also to guard him in case something went wrong.
Bowser had kidnapped the princess from the Mushroom Kingdom, the benevolent Peach Toadstool, and he intended to make her his wife. His plans for world domination were under threat however, thanks to two young men from the Mushroom Kingdom with the ability to wield power items like few others could. Bowser didn't know much about these unknown warriors, but he did manage to learn their names from one of his surviving troops: Mario and...he wanted to say Lumbago? Lima Bean? Lucifer? Eh, it didn't matter.
Ever since he heard those accursed names Bowser wanted nothing more than to see those two interlopers dead. The lovely young Peach begged him to spare their lives, but he had no intention of allowing their treachery to stand. After all, he was King Koopa. No one should dare oppose his will.
It took some effort, but after scouring the land for an assassin Bowser believed he had found the perfect candidate, an elderly humanoid scientist named Elvin Gadd. He lived alone in a spooky forest, no one knew who he was, and those that did know him said his inventions were abominations wrought unto the world. He sounded like the perfect man to kill those mushroom munching morons.
Lemmy knocked on the door, just in case there was a trap set out for visitors. Sure enough, his instincts were spot on. Lemmy fell through the porch floor with a frightened screech!
"Lemmy!" Iggy called out as he looked down the hole, dropping his glasses in the process, "Dad, we have to do something!"
"I intend to," Bowser growled.
The turtle tyrant then sucked in a large breath, and blew out a steady stream of fire! He set the wooden door on fire, which began to spread to the entire house! Before everything could completely catch fire however, a robot zoomed outside with a vacuum-like device. The device blew out foam and put out the flames.
"Gadzooks! What have you done to my house?!" A little humanoid with thick glasses exclaimed angrily, "You better have an explanation for this!"
"Your house ate my son. I was just returning the favor," Bowser dryly replied.
"Your child is fine. This trap door goes to a cushioned area of my basement," Gadd explained, "Now tell me, who are you and what do you want with me?"
Bowser then pulled back his cowl, revealing his scaly face and many sharp teeth.
"Ah! King Koopa!" Prof. Gadd shouted fearfully, "This land is a buffer territory! You have no right to demand taxes from me!"
"I don't want your money, shorty!" Bowser snapped, causing Gadd to stumble and fall backwards on his bum, "I demand that you help me destroy two enemies of my kingdom."
"Oh, you want weapons? Well, I have weapons," Gadd replied, sighing in relief, "Would you like some Bullet Bill shooters? Perhaps some specialized hammers for your ground troops. I have a lovely-"
"I don't want that chump stuff!" Bowser snarled, "I want guaranteed results! These men are the fiercest warriors I have ever encountered, and I need something that can compete with everything they can throw at me. They use power items, they jump with ferocity, and they can withstand a lot of damage. They're fast, strong, and apparently fearless. Now, help me get rid of them!"
"So, it's a challenge, eh?" Prof. Gadd pondered, "Well now, that's different. This could give me the chance to try out my latest, deadliest invention. I warn you, it's a bit unethical."
"Does this face look like I care?" Bowser asked while pointing to his very bored expression.
"Excellent. Of course, the cost of this latest experiment would be very pricey..." Gadd not-so-subtly hinted.
"How does your own island territory sound?" Bowser asked enticingly.
"It sounds like you just bought my services," Gadd replied with a sinister grin, "Now, follow me to the basement to collect your son and observe my genius."
"He better have said genius," Iggy snickered silently.
Bowser just rolled his eyes and continued following the old lunatic down the hallway. As they wound down the spiral staircase leading into the dark cavernous lair of Prof. Gadd, Iggy clung to the back of Bowser's shell in subdued terror. Bowser didn't reprimand him, but he also offered no comfort. The king was focused on his mission, to destroy the greatest threat to his reign since the birth of his first child. He just hoped Gadd wasn't going to become a double agent.
Once they made it to the lab Bowser immediately sniffed at the dust in disgust. Gadd seemed to have kept every machine he ever made, and coupled with the gaudy artwork on the wall everything in his basement conspired to make him look like an utter pack rat.
"So, what exactly do you have in mind, Gadd?" Bowser asked impatiently.
"Yeah, and can somebody get me out of here?" A new voice requested.
Bowser looked over to see Lemmy, knee deep in a pile of cushions...that were locked behind a cage door.
"You locked up my son?" Bowser asked, a low edge to his tone.
"N-Now, now...no need for anger," Gadd stammered nervously, "I'll let him out straight away."
"No! You tell me what I'm paying you for first!" Bowser demanded, "Because if I don't like your sales pitch, well then...let's just say you won't have to worry about taxes, or anything else, ever again."
Gadd gulped and backed away from Bowser, backing into the cell door where Lemmy was being held. He unlocked the door immediately, and Lemmy stuck his tongue out as he walked past the old man.
"Gadd!" Bowser barked.
"Of course, my plan!" Gadd smiled, trying to force himself to be calm, "I actually do have an idea for how to defeat a foe of your enemies' caliber. I've been working on this for years, just in case anyone ever conquered The Forest of Illusion."
Bowser narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, clearly not impressed at potentially being the target of Gadd's wrath. Gadd noticed this, but said nothing. After all, who would willfully anger a fire breathing monster with an army of millions?
"Let me ask you something, your majesty. Would you say that sunshine covers most of the world, and touches every person at some point?" Gadd asked conspiratorially.
"Some denizens of my kingdom live underground," Bowser pointed out.
"Perhaps, but you miss my point," Gadd replied, undeterred, "Even a Monty Mole comes up for air. Everything is nourished by the sun. Sunshine offers warmth, energy, and life. However, sunshine also creates shadows. What is your enemy's name?"
"Mario. And, uh, I forgot the other one's name," Bowser replied uninterestedly, "Why?"
"Because the only way to defeat the sunshine is with the shadow," Gadd replied with a devilish grin, "And I will give you exactly what you need to kill your most hated enemy. A Shadow Mario..."
"...Oh, how I wish I had simply never answered the door that day!" Gadd wailed while the current Bowser was trying to not look annoyed at the long story, "It was all my fault! I was too eager, too excited at the prospect of creating life and testing my abilities as a scientist! I was wrong to play with the forces of nature, and now I am of no use to you...or anyone."
"I already said you were," Bowser reminded him, "You can help me rebuild my infinite warp pipe."
"You don't understand," Gadd groaned, "I had a way to send you home already! I had long ago discovered a means to travel to other dimensions. I would meet with my other selves so we could exchange ideas and materials. I find I prefer my own company to that of other people, so I went through dimensions, space, and time to meet my counterparts. Then it was all ruined."
"Wait, you have the technology to send me home?" Bowser repeated, "Well that's great! We can just rebuild that machine!"
"It would take some effort," Gadd told him, "The original design and specifications were destroyed in the wake of the Shadow Project. I was arrested shortly afterward because I was unable to deliver either a weapon or the heads of your enemies. You didn't want excuses, you wanted results. Well, at least your counterpart wanted results. You don't seem like such a bad fellow, actually."
"I'm not, but I'm not the most patient Koopa either," Bowser warned, "Now, which do you think is faster? The pipe or your doohickey?"
"My 'doohickey' as you called it cannot be replicated in short order. At least, not by this version of me," Gadd explained, "We'll have to build your warp pipe and hope for the best. I can at least tell you which materials will be best suited for your purposes. If I do this, will you give me a head start so I can run from this universe's version of you? I would really like my freedom back, and I'm sure you can understand why."
"Deal," Bowser nodded, "Just get me home."
