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"It can't be!" Bowser said in a flabbergasted tone as he starred at a wall covered with beautiful mosaics which glowed under the light of his torch. "We've searched everywhere in this god damned labyrinth and the brothers are nowhere to be found! Where the hell are they?!"

"I haven't a clue, sir." one of the red-shelled Koopas said. "Maybe they managed to slip past us while we were searching down the other cave."

"Impossible!" Bowser shouted. "I had a couple of troops on the lookout while we searched the tunnels! If they tried escaping, they would've been captured!"

"Are you sure they wouldn't get pummeled by them?"

Bowser took out his little radio and tuned to the appropriate channel.

"Do you copy?" he asked.

"Loud and clear!" said the guard at the other end.

"Have you seen any sign of the brothers near the temple entrance?" Bowser asked.

"No, sir." said the guard.

"Alright, then." Bowser said. "If you do see them, just holler at me through the radio."

"Will do."

Bowser was now frustrated.

"How the hell did those two brothers get out of here?!" he asked out loud. "They couldn't have just walked through these walls!"

"I'm stumped, sir!" said a green-shelled Koopa. "This is the toughest brainteaser I've ever encountered!"

"Well, we need to solve it!" Bowser shouted. "Otherwise, the brothers might get a hold of the next star!"

"But we don't even know where they're at!" shouted the red-shelled Koopa.

"THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO START LOOKING!" Bowser yelled, slamming his fist onto a diamond chunk that was embedded in the wall. Suddenly, wall started moving and Bowser discovered that it was a door.

"What did I do?!" Bowser asked. "Was that supposed to happen?"

"Let's take a look inside!" said the green-shelled Koopa.

Bowser and his small platoon walked inside the room and were astounded by the amount of gold coinage and jewelry inside.

"I think you found a treasure room, sir!" said the red-shelled Koopa enthusiastically.

"Look at this!" Bowser said, pointing to an open, empty treasure box. "Someone stole the boxes contents! I wonder what used to be inside."

"Master, Bowser!" shouted the green-shelled Koopa. "There's a giant hole in the wall over here. It looks like a passage leading outside! I can here the sound of water too."

"Hmm." Bowser said as he continued starring at the empty treasure chest. Looking around, he saw that much the treasure had been disturbed, like someone had been sifting through it recently. He started to think and suddenly came to startling conclusion.

"I think the brothers were here." Bowser said. "We have to get back to the surface and stop them!"

"But..." pleaded the Koopas.

"NOW!" Bowser shouted.

Pauline had been wandering through the toxic underground sewers for almost an hour before she finally found a route that looked promising. Just ahead was a rusty ladder which would take her back up to the volcanic surface.

"Finally!" she said to herself as she continued walking across the slimy concrete with her bare feet. "Time to get out of this death trap!"

Pauline started up the ladder very slowly and carefully to ensure that her feet would not suffer any injury. Once she got to the top, she pushed the metal lid up and pushed it over to create an opening for her to escape. She then climbed out and took in the 'fresh' air.

"Where am I now?" Pauline asked herself as she looked around at the scenery. She could see Bowser's castle in the distance along with the huge guard towers that loomed at the first checkpoint. Looking the other direction, Pauline could see bridges going over rivers of seething lava. Farther away was the second checkpoint which was armed with huge bullet bill cannons on both sides.

"That doesn't look too promising!" Pauline said to herself. Suddenly, she heard loud sirens echoing out in the distance.

"Somehow I need to get past the cannon without being noticed." Pauline said to herself as she attempted to devise a plan. She took out Kamek's wand which had since regained a large portion of magic. She had a new idea.

"Maybe I could just blast right through them!" Pauline said. "Or at least warp them somewhere else. I wish I knew how this worked exactly... But what choice do I have?"

Pauline took a deep breath, even though the air was hazardous, and started making her way to the next checkpoint across the first bridge over a river of seething lava. She looked up and heard a blast coming from the cannon as a bullet bill started heading towards her at an incredible. She immediately ran and jumped out of the way as the bullet bill exploded upon contact with the ground, sending the bridge into the lava where it erupted in a tower of flames. Pauline quickly got back onto her feet as another bullet bill headed her way.

"Great!" she said to herself. "They know where I'm at now!"

Pauline sprinted along the trail as the second bullet bill exploded behind her. She took out Kamek's wand and started to wave it, not knowing what she was doing. As a third bullet bill came at her, she waved the wand at it and watched as the projectile randomly changed course and headed towards the gate at the second checkpoint. The Koopas that were stationed at the gate were in hysteria as the bullet bill exploded, leaving a giant opening in the wall for Pauline to escape through. Troops went flying through the air, landing on the hard volcanic ground with deadly force.

"Once again, you've ceased to let me down." Pauline said as she examined the magic wand. "I can see why Kamek would keep this with him all the time! Still, I think it has better uses."

Pauline quickly ran across another bridge that crossed another river of molten lava and sprinted through the second checkpoint to avoid Koopa detection. She looked back and saw that there were no Koopas left after the explosion. They were all dead and laying face-down to the ground.

"I need to get out of here before more Koopas arrive!" Pauline said. "I hope I make it out soon!"

As she continued down the trail, she rounded a corner and suddenly found herself looking over the edge of a tall cliff that was overlooking a large, extensive valley. There were many small buildings dotting the valley floor and platoons of Koopa Troops were marching through cracked roadways in unison. There was also a section on the far side of the town that contained many airships, possibly an airport used for private military missions. Walking down the trail, Pauline became terrified the closer she got to the village. Somehow, she would have to make it through the village alive, for it was the only path that would take her out of the Darklands.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire... Pauline made it out of the underground sewers and past the second checkpoint, but now has to venture through a Koopa village in order to safely exit the Darklands, or so she thinks. Is there another way for her to exit the Darklands? Or is there more hidden danger that lurks beyond the village that she's unaware of? Will she make it out? If so, how?

Bowser's temperment has increased once again to its normal level as he discovers that Mario and Luigi are nowhere hidden in the tunnels. Instead, he finds the hidden room that the brothers used to escape the labyrinth by unwittingly pressing the diamond chip they used to open the secret door in the first place. With Mario and Luigi gone, Kamek stranded in the snow in the north, and Pauline escaping from the Darklands, Bowser's fury is sure to rise anytime soon and it may turn ugly if he doesn't get his way soon. Only time will tell for sure!

In the mean time, Mario and Luigi are about the explore the eastern pyramid to search for one of the two remaining keys to the second Crystal Star. What will they find? As always, I'll see you the next time I update and I will also be busy formulating possible scenarios for Volume 3 (yes, I'm that excited!). See you later :)

saturn95