I used several new-area descriptions in this chapter. I took some liberties on what the workshop would look like, and I had a very specific picture in mind. I hope I was able to paint it in yours!
Mario quickly led the way through the tunnel, with Luigi cowering by his side. Bowser was right behind the twins, with Peach to the back left of him. Thankfully, there was a lot more solid ground than before, and there was no danger of falling.
Mario spotted light from around a curve, and he rushed forward. He banked around the gradual turn, spotting the tunnel's end barely ten feet ahead; populated by large (for elves, anyway) buildings. The doors were at least half the size of normal ones, and the windows were down near their knees. It was quite cute, but the children didn't have the time to marvel at it; they had a troublemaker to stop.
A fork in the road make them halt, the tracks continued one way, but a smaller road led the other way. Mario glanced back and forth, bringing a hand to his chin.
"Which way did he go?" Peach asked, her voice heightening in pitch.
"I don't know," Mario replied. His breathing started to quicken as he frantically tried to guess which way Wario could have gone. We have one chance at this! If they messed up or took the wrong way, Wario could get away with several gifts.
Bowser darted to the front, his nostrils trembling. He sniffed one way, then the other. He crouched to the ground, practically pressing his snout to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Luigi asked, but Mario shushed him with a hand. He had a pretty good idea of what Bowser was doing, and they couldn't break his concentration.
Bowser gave a snort, pushing himself to his feet. "He went that way!" He pointed to the smaller road. He cocked an eyebrow, likely at Luigi and Peach's dubious expressions. "What? That guy stinks so bad I'm surprised that even you humans can't smell him."
"It's like a dog," Mario contrasted. "Bowser has better nose than us."
"It's a Koopa thing," Bowser added before he whipped around and marched down the smaller road.
"Can we trust him?" Luigi whispered.
"Of course we can," Mario replied, keeping his voice low. "Come on, guys!" He hurried after the Koopa, who glanced back at him as he fell right behind him. "Lead the way!"
Bowser smiled.
They arrived at several forks in the road, but Bowser's nose led them through each one. Even in times where Wario had gone down both paths, Bowser still managed to figure out which one was his ultimate choice. It was quite impressive, in Mario's opinion.
They came upon a near dead end, though a small tunnel stopped it from being so. Bowser sniffed, dropping to a squat besides it. He leaned forward, his hands touching the ground to help him balance. His tail perked, and he turned back to the group. "He went down here."
"Then we'll go down there, too!" Mario stepped forward, but Bowser quickly stood and shook his head.
"No, no no! We're not going down there!" His eyes were wide. "It's too small, we'll get stuck! Plus, we have no idea what's down there!"
"You don't have to come, but I'm going!" Mario went to push Bowser aside, but the Koopa punched him in retaliation. Mario stumbled back, falling onto his backside. His chest ached, and he turned a wide-eye, jaw-drooped, gaze up at him.
Bowser shifted a little, but a glare was firmly on his face. A growl had risen back in his throat.
"What's your problem?!" Luigi snapped, stepping in front of Mario. "Why'd you hit my brother?!"
Bowser kept his cool as his eyes trailed up to meet Luigi's. "Because he was going to force me down." He turned his head away. "I'm not going down there."
"Are you afraid of getting stuck?" Peach asked, kneeling down to Mario's side.
Bowser's face flushed. "I will get stuck. This stupid shell won't let me go down there…" His glower faltered as he bit his lip, but he forced it back on. "And you're not going down without me. You need me!"
"We can help you," Peach offered. "We won't leave you behind, Bowser." She moved closer to him. "Is that what you're afraid of?"
Bowser's eyes flicked from the three human children. His expression wavered. His head drooped, and his posture slumped. "Yeah… stupid thing to be afraid of, huh?" He forced a laugh, but stopped upon noticing that nobody else was.
"We won't leave you behind," Mario proclaimed, rising to his feet with a slight wince. Luigi reached for him, but Mario shook his head. He put a hand on Bowser's shoulder. "You can go first, and we'll push you down!" He winked as Bowser rose his head. "We need you as our tracker!"
"Yeah…" Bowser smiled, speaking his next words with much more energy, "Yeah! You would never be able to find your fat cousin without me!"
"That's the spirit!" Mario cheered, pumping a fist into the air. He swept a hand towards the hole. "You first!"
Bowser took a breath, getting down onto his knees. He pressed himself to the ground and dragged himself into it. The spikes on his shell scraped the top of the tunnel, and he froze.
"It's okay, keep going!" Peach encouraged, smiling despite the fact that he couldn't see it.
Mario put his hands on Bowser's shell. "I'll push you, hold on." He eased Bowser forward as the Koopa kept inching himself forward. Once he was completely inside, he no longer needed Mario's assistance. He pulled himself further in, and immediately slid down and out of sight with a shriek.
Mario gasped. "Bowser!" He poked his head into the tunnel. "Bowser, are you okay?!" Had sending him down first been a bad idea after all? Oh no, what if it's not safe?
Bowser's screams cut off with a loud grunt. After a heart-wrenching moment, his voice rang up through the tunnel. "Yeah, stupid thing's a slide! Come on, Wario's been down here! We've already given him a head start, don't make it worse!"
Mario wasted no time in entering, making sure to have his feet go first. He let out a whoop as he slid down, though it transitioned to a scream as the tunnel spit him out a good couple feet above the ground. Pain jolted up his spine as he landed, and he rubbed his lower back with a wince. Bowser was standing right in front of him, his arms crossed and a wide smirk on his face. He chortled a little as Mario rose to his feet.
"That was a lot funnier to watch that it was to actually do!" He giggled. "And I get to see that two more times!"
Mario opened his mouth to make a retort, but a sharp scream pierced his ear. A hard weight struck his back, knocking him flat to the floor. He let out a yelp. "Owowow!"
"Sorry! Oh, I'm so sorry!" Peach gasped, quickly lifting herself off him. She grabbed his hand, pulling him up. Her face was slightly pale as her eyes darted across his body. "I'm sorry… did I hurt you?"
Mario held up his free hand, shaking it along with his head. "No, no! I'm okay!" He laughed, rubbing his hair. "You just surprised me, that's all!" Admittedly, it had hurt. The little princess was heavier than he'd expected. Then again, she'd also had the added speed of the slide.
A high-pitched shriek drew their attention back to the tunnel. It was so high, that Mario would've mistook it for a girl had not he heard Luigi scream before. Peach and Bowser certainly didn't know, as they had on very confused expressions; Bowser's eyebrows were knitted together, and Peach's head was tilted ever so slightly.
Luigi shot of the tunnel, flailing his limbs as he fell to the ground. He bounced once, and kept screaming until his eyes landed on the group. Crimson spilled into his face, and he shrunk under the Asgus children's gazes. Mario stepped forward to help him up as Bowser started to laugh.
"You sound just like a girl! Bwahahaha!" Bowser hooted. He fell onto his tail, kicking his legs and holding his stomach.
Mario shot him a glare as he helped Luigi rise to his feet. Luigi covered his face with a moan as Bowser continued his fit. Peach shook her head, raising her voice above his outbursts, "We need to keep moving, stop laughing, Bowser."
He nodded, making a very visible effort to hold them back; his cheeks puffing and chest heaving. Giggles still slipped past. A darkness seemed to pass over his face. Bowser halted his laughter, smushing away even the slightest hint of a grin. It was a little chilling, Mario had to admit, at how fast it was.
Bowser's nose twitched as he sniffed. His snout wrinkled. He turned and pointed. "He's definitely been here." He scampered deeper into the room, and Mario took the liberty to actually look around.
"Wow…" he breathed.
In front of them was an enormous tech system beyond their times. They stood on a square aluminum pane, which was barred from the room by one-and-a-half foot bars. A large machine loomed about three feet beyond it; it had a little conveyer belt that led into a large box. A monitor rested on the left side, though Mario couldn't see what it displayed. Nor could he spot the other side.
Directly to their left were six lifts, made from vertical conveyor belts and several jutting platforms. They lead up a red-stripes translucent pipes, and rolling silver bars allowed for the presents to slid down into the pipe's opening. They were labeled 'insufficiently wrapped', 'child gone naughty', and 'no label'. Further down were two more, each labeled 'broken'. A slide, made from the silver bars, ran from the machine directly to the pipes.
The room's walls were painted green, and even in the dim lighting Mario could spot the yellow twinkles of glitter stars. Ice blue streamers were strung across the ceiling, stretching from one end to the other. They were close to the roof, and none hung down to even brush the heads of the brothers; the tallest of the children.
Beyond all that, on the other end of the room was a large glass window. It overlooked a large room with several slides leading to a main conveyor belt. A couple of the vertical pipes dotted the sides, and Mario could see into other rooms across the bigger one.
"This is where they organise the presents," Peach surmised. She walked forward, her eyes taking in the room's decor at a more close range. She gestured to something beyond Mario's sight. "And I bet that's how they get to the sleigh." She let out a squeal. "This is so cool!"
Mario and Luigi stepped forward. Luigi breathed a "Wow…" as their heads turned, their eyes soaking in the wondrous sight. Mario turned his attention to the machine. The monitor was blank, though there were two buttons besides it. One displayed a picture of a whole present, the other an image of a broken one; jaggedly split down the centre. From the other side of the large box-area was another conveyor belt. There was a flipper bar that was designed to flip back and forth between two paths. It currently blocked the way to the 'broken' pipes. The other ran to another slide, with a the letters 'ready for load' painted above it.
In the far corner was a small table with a tiny computer, which Mario gawked at for a moment. Seriously, how could a computer be that small? It could easily sit in his lap, not to mention it was only a screen, mouse, and keyboard, all of which were one piece. The display flashed several pictures of a winter wonderland, each fading into the other.
"Luigi, look at that!" Mario grabbed Luigi's pajama collar, pulling him close and pointing to the mini computer.
Luigi's eyes bulged. "Is that a computer?!" he squeaked out.
"I think so!"
"This is all so cool…" Luigi breathed. He let out a sigh. "I wish I could see this in action." He grabbed Mario's hand, his face lighting up. "Mario, do you think that we can ask to stay for another day or two? Maybe come earlier next year? Just to see the elves work?"
Mario shook his head. "I don't think that's how it would work. Plus, Ma and Pa would be worried sick about us. Right now, I bet they don't even know we're gone. A few days is a lot more than overnight." And if this is a dream, I can always come back to see. Or, this was his dream. He could make it happen. He closed his eyes. Come on, start up!
The factory powered on with a hiss. The lights flickered on, and the conveyer belts started up. Peach and Luigi jumped with a yelp, while Bowser seemed oblivious to the whole thing, sniffing around the machine. Huh… A pit dropped in Mario's stomach. This really is a dream. This confirmed it. He'd turned on the workshop with his mind.
The centre machine's monitor flicked on, and it whirred to life. Bowser, whose head was inside the box, gave a yelp as he crashed forward. His body was dragged inside. Mario gasped, staring at the monitor. It showed a skeletal version of the Koopa. The eyes were empty, and the bones sharp and white. The odd sight made Mario a little sick to his stomach. What kind of machine is that?
Bowser came out the other side shaking his head with a snort. He pushed himself up, but the silver bars rolled under his feet. He flailed his arms with a chorus of yelps, his feet fighting to stay still. He crashed onto his side, sliding towards the sharp dip.
"Bowser!" Mario rushed towards him. He was going to fall into the slide if the boy didn't do something!
Mario reached his friend too late, the Koopa screamed as he slid down the slope, crashing right through the flaps blocking his way. Mario leapt after him, hitting the floor with his elbow. "Come on!" he yelled to Luigi and Peach, just managing to get the message out before he entered the larger room.
He let out a yell as he was jerked down the half-tube, getting dumped straight onto the largest belt. He instantly jerked his head up to search for Bowser, finding the Koopa standing on an open platform.
"Here!" he called, reaching out a hand. As Mario got closer, he grabbed it, and Bowser pulled him besides him. Bowser folded his arms. "That stupid thing caught me by surprise. Who the heck turned this thing on, anyway?"
Me. Mario kept the answer to himself, merely shrugging instead. "Dunno. Maybe it's automated."
Another scream jerked their attention behind Mario. Peach was sitting mermaid-style on the main belt, while Luigi landed with a thump on his back. Bowser moved to help Peach while Mario grabbed his brother.
"Now what?" Luigi asked, glancing around. He turned his attention to Bowser. "Hey, is Wario here?"
Bowser tilted his nose up, giving a deep inhale. "Uh… no." His brow crossed. "I don't smell even a whiff of him."
A cackle drew their attention down the line. Wario stood on the conveyor belt, a cruel smirk on his face. He wore a cowboy hat and an oversized sleeveless black leather jacket, held a harmonica in his left hand, and had a hot wheels box tucked under his right arm. He waved to them, the belt taking him towards a giant flap-blocked chute. "So long, losers!"
"Wario! Those aren't yours!" Luigi cried, beating Mario to the punch. He leapt onto the conveyer belt, racing towards their cousin. He stumbled as it dipped below his feet, but kept his pace steady. Wario rolled his eyes, the belt pushing him through the flaps. Luigi dove after him moments later.
Two screams started up, one the high-pitched of Luigi, and the other Wario's odd "Waaaaaaaa!" Wario's shouts turned to laughter moments later, however.
"Come on!" Mario jumped onto the conveyor. He rushed froward as fast as he could, stumbling several times and nearly falling. The sudden dips the belt made under his feet tossed his balance askew as his feet stumbled over each other. Peach followed, though she moved far more slowly, relying mainly on the movement to take her along.
"You're crazy!" Bowser snapped, but he too stepped out onto the conveyer, taking wobbly bounds to try and catch up.
As Mario reached the end of the belt, he dropped onto his backside, kicking his feet out in front of him. He passed through the flaps, the large plastic sheets clawing delicately at his skin. He dropped off the conveyor belt and onto another slide. The gradient quickly turned sharp, Mario grabbed onto his hat as he slid to the peek. "Mama Miaaaaaaa!"
He sped down at the speed of a bullet, screaming all the while. The slide curled in turns, and Mario banked left and right. Other screams filled his ears, the girlish ones of Luigi and Peach, and Bowser's more gritty yowl. Wario kept laughing, however. Mario didn't even raise his head to try and spot anyone, fearing that he could fall out of the narrow half-pipe.
The path curved sharply to the right, and Mario nearly was jerked out of the slide. He let out a squeal, nearly taking a hand off his hat. If he lost it now, he'd probably never get it back!
Up ahead the slide opened up into a wider, slanted bowl. Mario gasped as he was pulled down the bowl's slope. Wario let out a scream, jerking Mario's attention to the centre. His jaw dropped.
It wasn't a bowl, it was a funnel; a giant hole rested in the dead centre, its shadows hard and foreboding.
Wario dropped through the hole with a scream. Luigi followed shortly afterwards.
"I don't like this!" Bowser shrieked.
Mario circled around the hole, getting drawn closer with every movement. He couldn't help but close his eyes as the drop grew closer and close. His stomach lurched. I hope there's a soft landing!
The metal slipped out from beneath him, and Mario let out a high shriek as he plummeted, his stomach doing front flips and his heart beating a million miles a minute.
Mario's fall was halted as body hit several hard boxes, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped and sat up, his landing shifting beneath him. He was sitting atop a giant pile of presents, wrapped in paper of all colours and patterns. Luigi and Wario were laying only a few feet away, groaning as they collected their bearings.
Luigi recovered first. "I'll take that!" He took the harmonica. "And that, and that," he swiped the hot wheels box and cowboy hat. He reached for the leather jacket. "And…" He tugged at it, but gave up with a shrug. "You're gonna have to give that back."
Wario sat up with a growl, grabbing Luigi's pajama collar. He winded a fist back. "Make me!" he hissed.
Mario scrambled for a footing. "Hey, leave him—!"
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
Peach and Bowser dropped down among them. The princess landed between Mario and Wario, while Bowser crashed down right on top of the latter. Wario let out a pained yelp, releasing Luigi to push Bowser off.
"Slimy turtle!" he barked, his face crinkled up in disgust. He wiped the palms of his hands on the leather jacket.
"Slimy?!" Bowser snarled, raising his claws and baring his fangs. Wario flinched. "You're one to talk! You're nothing but a fat smelly slob of a human. All you are is a fat jerk who picks one others for your own enjoyment! Now you're trying to ruin Christmas for everyone!" He thrust his face in Wario's. "Species like you make me sick." He snorted a puff of smoke—literal smoke!— in Wario's face, causing him to cough a little. Bowser turned away with a huff, his eyes blazing as a smirk curled on his snout. "Ha, I told him!"
"You sure did, buddy." Mario grinned. "You sure did." Admittedly, it was a bit harsh, but Wario really did need to stop being so mean to everyone around him. The only one he seemed to treat even somewhat respectfully was Waluigi. He didn't even respect his own mother.
"Well you're just a stupid turtle. Your opinion doesn't matter," Wario shot back.
"It does to!" Peach yelled, her voice harsh. She trained a devil's glare at Mario's cousin, one that even sent shivers down Mario's spine.
Mama Mia… I didn't even know she could look that angry!
"Bowser's opinion does matter, and he's not stupid. He's my friend!" Peach defended. "He's right, you're just a jerk, and I don't know how anyone can stand you! You're trying to take things that aren't yours, just because you're greedy and selfish! Think about it this way, how would you feel if woke up Christmas morning expecting presents, and they weren't there?"
"I—" Wario tried to say.
"You'd feel horrible, right? That's what you're trying to do to the children who those gifts belong to. Whoever raised you clearly forgot to teach you respect and empathy! I can't believe how much greed is in your heart, and I know you don't care for a single word I'm saying!"
Wow… The princess had spunk, no doubt about it. It was quite unexpected, but perhaps that's what made it so impactful. Even Wario appeared a little guilty, his shoulders sagging and eyes trailing to the presents besides him.
"Geez, lady. I'm sorry," he grumbled, and slipped the leather jacket off. He dropped it. "You happy?"
Peach folded her arms, her expression still cross. "It's a start."
The presents jerked, and the children toppled over. Bowser recovered first, and he let out a gasp. "We're moving!" he cried.
"What?" Mario struggled to push himself up, the presents shifting under his hands. He spotted the roof, slowly drifting past. They halted under a large red target. Okay… what's going on?
"What's happening?" Luigi asked, staring up at it. "I don't like the looks of that."
"I'm sure it's not a big—"
*Pew!*Pop!*Psssh*Pewsh!*
Four missiles shot up from around them, causing them to cover their heads with a scream. Are we being attacked?! What'd going on? Luigi kept up his scream far longer than anyone else, though he abruptly stopped with a cough. Mario peeked out, his jaw falling open. Four thick strands of rope followed the missile's trails, straight out of a the hole of the target's bulls-eye. Mario was tempted to voice his questions (What is going on? What are the ropes for?) but one look at the other children's faces told him that they had no clue what was going on, too. All stared, openmouthed at the target. Bowser broke his trance for a moment, meeting Mario's gaze.
The Koopa stiffened, scrambling to spin around and clamber to the edge of the peak. He peered down, and then his eyes bulged out of his head. Mario would've moved to join him, but he didn't trust that he could safely go that close to the edge.
"What?" he asked instead.
"Th-there's a red… a giant red bag! The strings are pulling it up!" Bowser turned to them, his eyes wild. "We have to get out of here!"
The sack. The truth of their location hit Mario like a truck. He smiled, clapping his hands. "No, it's okay! That's Santa's sack! These are all the presents for the children in the world!"
"Worlds," Peach rectified. "We're from different ones."
"Right." Mario had forgotten. Well, almost. Bowser wasn't exactly a creature of Earth.
The rim of the red sack rose up, past the children. For a moment, Mario feared it would be sealed shut, and they would be left to rot in the darkness. Luigi latched onto him, and he held onto him.
"Mario… I'm scared…" Luigi whimpered, shaking a little. Mario could offer nothing but the comfort of his arms, as his own heart was pattering away in his chest.
The rim was stretched to its apparent limit, leaving only a gap the size of a manhole. The presents and sack started to sway, and, with a groan, the target on the ceiling slid away. The night sky was revealed, along with what Mario could best describe as a double zeppelin. It had blue-and-purple-striped balloons, and a spotlight shone from the front of a giant metal grid. The strings lead right up to said grid, and were presumably attached. The view of the ceiling drifted out of sight as the sack rose.
They had liftoff.
Gotta ask a real important question... Have YOU been naughty or nice this year? Whatever your answer is, make sure to check it twice!
('Tis the season to make holiday jokes, no matter how terrible)