Once again, I have returned! This took longer than I had hoped it would, but better late than never I suppose.
Chapter 3: Brawling with Bowser
The entryway to Bowser's Keep certainly made the Eds feel like they were in a castle. It was a large room, made up of stones similar to the ones they had seen outside on the bridge. Eight large statues stood side by side on two walls of the room. The statues looked like turtles of sorts wearing armor and carrying hammers. An unfamiliar scent hit the noses of the Eds almost immediately upon their entry, alongside of an uncomfortable amount of heat. Eddy brought his hand up to his nose to block the smell.
"Ugh, and I thought Ed smelled weird. What is that?" Eddy grunted in disgust.
"That would be the smell of lava," Mario answered, seeming to be unfazed by it. "Bowser has an obsession with lava and anything fire related."
"Oh dear, what have we gotten ourselves into?" Double D wondered with a worried look.
Mario gave him a reassuring look. "I wouldn't worry about it. It hasn't stopped me yet, and as long as you listen to what I tell you to do, I'll make sure you stay safe." Double D's expression didn't change, but said nothing in response.
Eddy tapped his foot impatiently. "Can we hurry up? The faster we can get back home, the better," he raised his voice as Mario looked back at him and nodded.
"Right. Let's go." As soon as Mario finished his sentence, Ed ran ahead of everyone at a high speed and made his way to the door at the end of the hall. "Ed wait! You shouldn't-" Ed ignored him as he opened the door. In the next room were many what appeared to be turtles with green shells and wearing silver armor. At the sound of the door, each one of them turned to look at Ed. He blinked and stared at them for a moment, then slammed the door shut.
"I don't like them, guys!" Ed shouted, giving them a panicked expression as he now attempted to use his body as a barricade for the door. Fists pounding against it could be heard echoing in the entryway. Mario raised his fists and took a fighting stance.
"We're going to have to fight our way through them," Mario stated. Both Eddy and Double D gave alarmed expressions at that statement.
"F-fight!?" Double D stuttered. "But w-we can't-" At that moment, Ed was unable to keep the door closed, and the turtles burst into the room. Mario pulled Ed back behind him as the large Ed stumbled away from the door, narrowly avoiding a punch from one of the turtles.
"In that case, you three stay behind me! If things go sour, get out of here and don't look back!" Mario gave them a quick glance before literally leaping into battle. He had no weapons, but he didn't seem need one. Several turtles charged at him with their fists flying in front of them. Mario quickly ducked underneath them all and sent a fast kick to their legs, knocking all three onto their backs. They were struggling to get up due to their shells and armor.
A few more were thrown off of Mario after they tried to grab him. They shook their head to try to regain their bearings, then noticed the three Eds watching Mario's brawl from a small distance away. All three looked at one another, them charged at the Eds. Double D was the first to notice and grabbed the attention of his comrades.
"Oh dear!" Double D gasped in horror. Ed and Eddy both looked in that direction, and their eyes widened. Mario looked back at them as he knocked another Terrapin away from him and gasped.
"Guys! I'm coming!" Mario shouted, but then felt several hands on his shoulder. He then found himself being pulled away from the three Eds by the Terrapins he had yet to defeat. "No!" He shouted, trying to push them off of him. He was forced to focus his attention on getting out of their grip instead of helping the Eds.
Ed looked at the Terrapin charging at him and gave it his best brave face. "You don't scare me, mister!" Ed shouted, pointing at it, then leaped headfirst at it in a tackle. He sent the now terrified Terrapin stumbling backwards after he hit it. Ed then pushed it against one of the statues. It hit its head on the statues stone hammer, then slumped forward, now unconscious. Eddy then looked around as the Terrapin charging at him was nearing him. He did a quick roll to the left just as he was about to be hit. He stood up as the guard spun around to look at him. He raised his hands and took a stance similar to a boxer, then sent his fist forward and hit its chest. He almost immediately regretted it, as he had hit the guards armor and felt an immense pain throughout his hand. "YEOUCH!" He screamed, feeling the throbbing pain.
"Ed!" Eddy and Double D gasped. Ed pulled his hand back and held it gently, trying his best to dull the pain. The Terrapin that had been starring him down then began laughing at his attempts to hurt it.
Eddy growled at it. "So, you think that's funny, do ya?!" he yelled, pushing his arms forward and shoving the distracted Terrapin on the ground. It struggled to get up due to its shell and the weight of its armor. Ed laughed as Eddy smirked down at it.
"Look, Eddy! He's fallen and can't get up!" Ed grinned, pointing at the downed Terrapin.
Eddy laughed in response. "Who's laughing now, tough guy?" Getting an idea, Eddy suddenly grabbed one the Terrapin's flailing arms and began running around in a circle, the guard spinning with him. After several seconds, Eddy let go of its arms and let it spin on its own. The Terrapin retracted its arms, legs, and head into its shell. Eddy put his hands on his hips in a gloating fashion and laughed at the Terrapin on the ground. He sent his foot out to kick it, but once again regtetted his desicion due to the shell being extremely heavy and tough. He let out another screech of pain. "Why you little-"
"I AM IN NEED OF SOME ASSISTANCE, GENTLEMEN!" Double D suddenly shouted. Eddy and Ed looked over to the sound of his voice and gasped. The hat-wearing boy had been backed into a corner and was cowering against the wall in terror. He raised his hands to make some sort of effort to protect himself, as well as trying to get the Terrapin away from him. "P-please! Couldn't we be more civilized about this?" The only response he received to that was the Terrapin punching its fist eagerly, causing Double D to gulp.
"Oh no! Double D is going to be kidnapped and turned into of their own!" Ed shouted in alarm.
"Well, how about you do something about it!?" Eddy shouted back at him, at a loss for what to do. Mario looked over at the three of them and gritted his teeth. He pushed the last of the Terrapins that had grabbed him to the ground and rushed over to them. Quickly noting the shell on the ground, Mario stopped right in front of it and kicked it towards Double D's foe. The shell struck the Terrapin's feet, knocking it onto its back and giving Double D an easy escape route. The shell bounced off of several walls before being stopped by Mario just as it was about to shoot by him. He took a deep breath and looked at the Eds.
"You three alright?" Mario asked.
"Yeah. I mean, we're not dead, so I guess we're okay," Eddy responded.
"I believe I've been more terrified today than I have my near 13 years of life, but yes, I believe I am okay," Double D replied, still shaking slightly from his encounter.
Ed, however, grinned happily."I am Ed, and in the name of plumbers," Ed shouted, "we have won!"
Mario gave Ed a slightly perplexed look at his response. "I'm going to assume you mean, 'Why yes, Mario, I'm fine.'" Mario assumed. "Now how about we get out of here before they all wake up?" His response was given to him in to form of all three Eds running for the door on the other side of the hall. Mario sighed and joined them in the next hallway. It was extremely similar to the entryway. and it seemed even bigger due to the fact that it was empty.
"Is it just me, or is it getting hotter in here?" Eddy grunted a bit as they approached the next door. The temperature had indeed been increasing, or at least appeared to, as the approached closer and closer to the end of the hall. Mario said nothing, but opened the door and made a motion with his hand to reveal the next room. The next room was filled with lava, and had two platforms raised out of it with bridges connecting them.
Double D looked at them skeptically. "I'm not so sure this is a safe idea..." Double D trailed off. Eddy approached and gave him a hard slap on the back.
"C'mon, Sockhead! Grow a backbone already, will ya?" Eddy grinned confidently and began walking across the slightly rickety wooden bridge. "See? Nothin' to it! Even you could do it, So- AUGH!" Eddy suddenly screamed and landed on his rear when a fireball leaped out of the lava and appeared right next to him. He quickly stood up and watched it as fell back into the lava. He then turned to face the others, who were all snickering. "I-I wasn't scared! It just surprised me, that's all!" He argued as they walked past him on the bridge. He glowered at them and followed them onto the second bridge.
Ed looked over the edge down at the lava and grinned. "This is cool, guys!" he exclaimed.
"Actually, Ed, 'cool' would be better to use as an antonym for our situation," Double D corrected otherwise.
Eddy sent an annoyed look towards Ed. "Hurry up, Lumpy! This heat is killin' me!" Eddy yelled.
Ed nodded towards Eddy and began to walk forward, but stopped when the bridge began shaking. Looking behind him, Ed discovered that the second bridge was collapsing plank by plank behind him. "What should I do now, guys?" Ed asked, looking back at the others, who now had panicked expressions on their faces.
"RUN!" they all shouted at once. Ed took their one word to heart and ran as fast as he could. He managed to reach them just before the last plank fell beneath his feet. Mario turned towards the door and pointed at it.
"Let's get out of here before we have any more near death experiences," Mario stated as he pushed the doors open and entered the next room with the Eds. It was darker than the last, seemingly lit only by some lights that were located on the floor. Spikes jutted up from the floor at the edges of a path made of slightly lighter stones. Mario looked around the room suspiciously. "It's quiet... Too quiet for my liking." Everyone jumped at the sound of a booming laughter above them. The group of four looked up and gasped. Two chandeliers hung above them, but that's not what startled them. The giant orange and green turtle that was standing on top of the chandelier above them all was more along the lines of what surprised them. Next to the turtle was a woman wearing a pink dress and blonde hair, tied up and hanging from the ceiling.
"Is that-" Double D began to ask.
"Bowser. Yes, it is, with the princess as well might I add," Mario quickly responded. Bowser grinned down at Mario, who was now glaring at the Koopa King.
"I see you brought some brats with you, plumber boy! Grah ha ha ha!" Bowser cackled. "How sad is that? Too scared to fight me, so you bring some kids along to help you! Either way, it doesn't matter. You'll still lose to me!"
"We'll just have to see about that, now won't we?" Mario remarked back, putting on a confident face for the confrontation.
"How about you come join me an the princess first, plumber boy?" Bowser retorted before he laughed once more. Mario looked up at the chandelier, and then back at the Eds.
"I want you three to grab onto me in any way you can."
Double D gave him a bewildered look. "S-surely you don't intend on jumping up there!?" he exclaimed. "It's far too high, not to mention that you'll have extra weight added with us!"
Mario smirked back at him. "You underestimate my abilities. Now do what I said!" Double D sighed, but did as they were asked alongside Ed and Eddy. "Alright, up and away we go!" Mario made a large leap into the air, surprising all three Eds. He just barely managed to get the group up to the chandelier, much to Bowser's surprise. Mario let out a breath of relief. "What did I say, huh?"
"Mario!" Bowser interrupted. "Prepare yourself for the great beyond!"
"Don't let Bowser bruise you, Mario!" the princess called out. Mario smiled up at her and tipped his hat, then returned his attention to the fight that had just begun. Bowser stomped his foot on his chandelier three times before they began to rattle, then began shooting up higher and higher towards the ceiling of the keep. As soon as this happened, Ed made the unfortunate mistake of looking down, then screamed at the sight of the disappearing ground.
"AH! TOO HIGH! TOO HIGH!" Ed screamed in fear, grabbing and yanking the chandeliers chain back and forth. The chandelier swayed in response to Ed's reaction, much to the displeasure of everyone else.
"ED!" Eddy shouted at him with an annoyed tone. "Knock it off! Just don't look down!"
Ed gripped the chain tighter and shook his head rapidly. "I can't, Eddy! Every time I try, it happens anyways!" To demonstrate his point, Ed tried looking up at the ceiling and tried his best not to allow his eyes to wander downward. He put a hand up to his face to block the view, but he could peek through his fingers and looked down. He screamed once more and began shaking the chain again.
"ED!" both Eddy and Double D shouted this time. Double D was holding onto the chandelier itself while sitting down. He seemed to have turned a shade of green and was trying to keep himself from throwing up. Mario looked back at the trio and sighed. He tried to take a proper stance to confront Bowser several times, but Ed's actions made the task much harder than it should have, and it frustrated him. Bowser, however, seemed to be rather amused by the spectacle, and was laughing even more than he had before.
"Bwahaha! Can't find your footing there, huh Mario?" Bowser grinned, which Mario gave him a glare in response. He then made a quick decision to jump high into the air, making all the Eds stop their bickering and watch as Mario leaped from their chandelier to Bowser. Mario made a graceful landing onto the Kinklink holding the light up, making it cringe in pain. Both the princess and the smartest of the three Eds noticed this, though neither Mario or Bowser seemed to. Bowser let out a mighty roar and charged at Mario.
Mario narrowly dodged a swipe from Bowser's long claws. The Koopa King stomped in frustration, the sudden action once again surprising and making the Kinklink cringe. Mario aimed a punch right at Bowser's nose and caused him to stumbled backwards while holding it. As he regained his footing, Bowser once again glared at the plumber. He turned away from him, much to Mario's confusion. He tilted his head at the action, though he quickly discovered why it had been done. One of the spikes on the back of Bowser's shell shot out at him like a missile, alarming him. He was hit dead on by it in the stomach, which Bowser laughed at with an evil grin on his face. The princess bit her lip then looked at the Kinklink. It was struggling to hold on.
One more hit could send that thing to the ground, she realized. "The chain, Mario! Aim for the chain!" she shouted as loud as she could, hoping she could be heard over the Eds. Mario looked up at her in confusion.
"The chain?" Mario repeated, then looked at the struggling Kinklink. His eyes widened at the sight of its struggles. He looked back at her once again and gave her a nod and a thumbs up. Bowser charged at him once again, seeming to have not hear the words said by the princess. Mario dodged again, but this time jumped away in the air. Bowser watched him as he jumped over his head, swiping at air the whole time in hopes of grabbing him. Mario landed on the Kinklink's head, exactly where he needed to. The chandelier began shaking as the Kinklink felt its strength fading from its jaw. Almost immediately after landing, lightning struck outside near the keep, as if it had been waiting for the right moment. Bowser looked around in confusion.
"What was that sound?!" Bowser asked, then his eyes widened as they fell onto the chain. He jumped back in surprise and shouted, "N-NO! It's a chain reaction! Hang on, Kinklink!" He begged, but it was to no avail. The Kinklink could hold on no longer and let go of the chandelier. Mario grabbed and held onto the chain while Bowser fell with the chandelier. The chandeliers also stopped rising as soon as Bowser fell. Mario let out a breath, then looked up at the princess and Eds. He held up two fingers as a sign of victory, though any celebration there could have been was cut off short. "Coming, Mario?" Bowser's voice rang out. A hammer then suddenly struck Mario, catching him off guard and causing him to loose his grip.
"Hold on, Mario! Fight!" Princess Toadstool shouted at him. Eddy looked over at him as he held onto Ed's jacket sleeve to balance himself.
"C'mon man! Pull yourself up! We need someone stop to stop this crazy guy!" Eddy pointed at Ed as he spoke. Ed had stopped shaking the chain as harshly, though the chandelier still continued to sway, much to the displeasure of the other Eds. Though it took several long moments of concentration, Mario was able to successfully pull himself up. Bowser, however, had other ideas.
"This should finish you!" Bowser exclaimed, then threw another hammer at Mario. Mario was unable to keep holding onto the chain after having to pull himself back up, so he fell down, much to Bowser's pleasure. Mario fell down onto the chandelier Bowser was standing on. "Did you think I was just gonna give her to ya!? You're always in my way! This is it! I'm gonna take you out, Mario!" he vowed, then lunged at him with his claws out. Mario was prepared, however, and once again jumped out of the way. This time, though, he jumped on Bowser's head and used it as a boost to get back up. "Funah! Foiled again!" Bowser cried out as Mario couldn't help but smirk at his foe's defeated form.
"So long, Bowser!" Mario shouted, then grabbed the chain and climbed back up. Toadstool smiled down at him.
"Oh, Mario. You had me so worried!" she smiled to him. Mario sheepishly smiled back at her, then turned his attention to the Eds.
"Are you three okay?"
"...I feel like I'm going to be sick," Double D groaned, then put a hand to his mouth as he once again seemed to turn a shade of green. Eddy pushed Double D's other hand that was resting on his shoulder off of him and pointed behind him with his thumb.
"Hey, if you're gonna do that, there're places all around us. Just don't do it on me!" Eddy told, though Double D shook his head.
"No...I believe I'll be fine. My apologies for worrying you." He looked over at Mario. "I must also apologize for our being more of a liability than an asset to you, Mario."
The plumber waved his hand in dismissal. "It's fine. I wasn't expecting you three to help, though Ed's little outburst was a surprise," Mario explained. "How about you three help me return the princess to the castle, then I'll see what I can do about helping you get home?"
"Whatever. Sounds good to me," Eddy replied with a shrug. "Now can we ge-" Eddy was cut off when the entire area around them shook violently. The princess let out a shriek of terror while Eddy and Double D both grabbed onto Ed.
"Mario! I'm going to fall!" Toadstool shouted.
Above and outside the keep, there were several bright clouds above the dark red ones that were visible from the bridge of the castle. In the center of them, there was a white star glowing brightly. But then, the light from the star began flickering as a hole opened up in the the layer of clouds. The light disappeared and separated into seven, much smaller stars. Those stars then began floating downwards alongside of a giant sword. The seven golden stars seemed to trying to hold the sword back, but their strength was lacking. The sword broke through whatever kind of defense the stars had, and scattered them all throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.
One in the outskirts of a bustling town.
One inside a forest where many become lost.
One in a small mountain town.
One on a hill made of wishes.
One into the bottom of the sea.
One into a volcano that towers over the land.
And one into the castle the sword crashed in.
As for Mario and the Eds, they too were sent flying out of the castle.
What will happen to Mario and the Eds? Well... you probably already know actually, if you've played the game anyways.