Hey readers! First of all, I'm sorry I took almost two weeks to update, but I've been super busy lately! Anyways, today's chapter involves the journey down Goomba Road, which is full of action and laughter! I hope you enjoy, and please remember to review!
Goomba Road's scenery was very similar to the scenery of the Goomba family's backyard . The path winded through a verdant grassland, dotted with the occasional tree here and there. Mario and Goombario had just begun their journey down Goomba Road when they saw a sign. Mario, whose interest was now piqued, bent down to read the sign.
"Beware of Goombas," the sign stated. There was also a picture of a Goomba right next to the sign.
"Hey! That's kind of offensive, you know," said Goombario. Suddenly, the picture of the Goomba leaped out of the sign towards Mario's face. Luckily, the plumber was able to roll out of the way just in time to avoid getting his face mauled.
"Bet you weren't expecting that, now were you," bragged the Goomba who had leapt out of the sign. "Oh you were all bent over reading the sign and then suddenly I attacked! I'm a ninja! I'm the…" The Goomba's bragging was interrupted when Mario whacked him with his hammer, defeating the Goomba in one swing.
"Cheap shot," muttered the Goomba before fainting.
"Are all of Bowser's minions this stupid?" Goombario asked.
"Kind of," replied Mario. "Most of them are either stupid or average intelligence. There are a few of them that are smart, but that's rare."
"Oh, I see."
However, a pair of Goombas overheard the conversation and needless to say, they weren't pleased. "Did they just call us stupid?" asked one of the Goombas.
"You know what?" The other one replied. "I think they did! Let's get 'em!" The pair of Goombas rushed Mario and Goombario. However, they were prepared for the Goombas. Mario took out one Goomba by jumping on it just as it was about to ram him, meanwhile, Goombario took out the other one by headbonking it.
"Maybe we shouldn't jump to conclusions…" groaned one of the two Goombas before fainting.
Mario and Goombario just groaned at the high levels of stupidity and moved on again. After about an hour or so of walking and defeating Goombas that weren't as stupid as the ones before them, the duo came across another sign. Mario kept his distance as he read the sign just in case something else would pop out of the sign.
"Eat a Mushroom to regain energy!" the sign stated. This one had a picture of a Mushroom on it.
As expected, the Mushroom jumped out of the sign. The duo was a little tired, so they decided to split the Mushroom. Both Mario and Goombario felt re-energized and were ready to move on. However, right next to the sign, they found a hexagon-shaped pin with a star on it.
"Mario! That's a badge called Close Call!" exclaimed Goombario. "If you put it on, enemies' attacks will sometimes miss if you're tired or almost out of health!"
"Oh, that's cool!" Mario said. He pinned the badge to his overalls and motioned to Goombario that he was ready to move on.
After another half-hour of walking and defeating Goombas of various types, the two of them reached a small cliff wall with a spring next to it. However, before they could use the spring, two oversized Goombas (one red and one blue) at the top of the cliff walked towards the edge.
"Hey! Hold it right there!" shouted the blue oversized Goomba. "You! Yeah you, suspicious guy! Don't move!"
"Aha! You're Mario!" yelled the blue oversized Goomba. "I knew it. You can't go past here, Mr. Big Shot! It's a direct order from the Goomba King, that's right! I'm sorry, but the only way through here is through the Goomba Bros. That's me, Red Goomba, and my brother, Blue Goomba! Let's get him!"
"Wow, those are such creative names," groaned Mario sarcastically. "Goombario, what do you know about these guys?"
"Well, as you heard in their little speech, those are the Goomba Bros," Goombario began. "These guys have the same attacks as a normal Goomba, pretty much the only thing they can do is bonk you over the head. Mario, you can totally take these guys. They just have a bit more endurance than a normal Goomba."
"Alright, good to know. Thanks Goombario!" Mario opened the battle by whacking Red Goomba with his hammer. Red Goomba, however, was not too pleased with that.
"Lucky shot, punk!" Red Goomba spat at Mario. "But that's nothing compared to my headbonk!" Red Goomba then leaped at Mario's face, but Mario quickly and calmly slid out of the way.
"What? How did I miss?" Red Goomba guffawed.
"Maybe you shouldn't warn me that you're going to attack," replied Mario sarcastically.
"Whatever."
Meanwhile, Goombario was in his own little duel with Blue Goomba, and was holding his own to say the least. Blue Goomba was getting quite frustrated that Goombario's headbonk seem to hurt just as much as his own. What was also frustrating was that every time that he went in for a headbonk, Goombario would just roll out of the way and counter. Eventually, Blue Goomba realized that if he wanted to stay in this battle, he would need to try something desperate. The first step of his plan was to dodge Goombario's attacks for just a little longer…
Back over where Mario and Red Goomba were dueling, Mario had him on the ropes. Red Goomba was looking kind of tired. Mario, wanted to finish him off quickly, mainly because he thought that if he didn't Red Goomba would try something desperate. He decided to try his new Power Jump move to try and finish off Red Goomba. He began to focus his energy. Red Goomba noticed this and seized this opportunity to attack. It worked, knocking Mario off balance. Mario decided he'd need to focus a bit more directly this time. Red Goomba tried to attack again, but this time, Mario was ready. Just before the headbonk reached Mario, he jumped straight up into the air to dodge the headbonk, then landed square on the head of Red Goomba. The Power Jump was too much for Red Goomba to handle, and he fainted right after that jump.
Blue Goomba immediately realized that something was wrong and rushed over to Red Goomba to see what had happen. "Red?" Blue Goomba said. "Come on, wake up! Are you OK?" It took a moment for Blue to realize that Red was knocked out, but when Blue Goomba realized that, it made him angry to say the least. "OK Mario and you little punk Goomba. No one beats up my brother and gets away with it!" Using his rage as a motivator, Blue Goomba tried to ram into Mario and Goombario. Mario got out of the way, but Goombario didn't get so lucky, Blue Goomba ran him over.
"Are you okay Goombario?" Mario asked.
"Yeah, just a little dazed," replied Goombario.
Blue Goomba was getting ready to headbutt Goombario again, but this time, Goombario was ready. Just as he was about to slam into Goombario, Goombario jumped out of the way. Luckily for the duo, Blue Goomba tripped, leaving him vulnerable. Mario used this opportunity to smack him with his hammer, ending the battle.
Somehow, both of the Goomba Bros. got up at the same time. They cursed at Mario and Goombario, promising they would be back eventually before jumping on the spring and running away.
"I know they're idiots and cowardly but… that's just sad," was all Goombario could say about the situation. Mario agreed and the duo used the springboard to get up the cliff and continue their journey down Goomba Road. There weren't any problems until they reached a castle-like structure, about two stories tall, that happened to be right next to a large canyon. The castle looked like it had one room on each floor as well as a balcony on the top floor. "Hey, Mario," began Goombario. "Didn't there used to be a bridge there?"
"Yeah, you're right," replied the plumber. "I wonder what's going on…" Mario's thoughts were interrupted when Goombario noticed the Goomba Bros. at the door to the castle.
"The Goomba Bros! What are they doing here?"
"I really don't know. Let's hide behind those bushes so we can listen in," replied Mario, pointing at a nearby clump of bushes. Goombario nodded and the duo dived in so they could listen.
"Goomba King, let us in!" Red Goomba yelled in a whiny, high pitched voice.
"Yeah!" added his brother. "Mario beat us up!"
"Goomba King? What's that?"
"I'll tell you in a second…"
Their thoughts were interrupted with a loud stomp that shook the ground with its mighty force.
Goombario was startled by this. "What was that? Could that be the Goomba King?" The loud and forceful stomping continued, each one shaking the ground so violently it launched the duo off of the ground. Suddenly, the stomping stopped abruptly and then the Goomba Bros. appeared on the balcony of the tower.
"I told you we'd be back!" Red Goomba yelled at the duo obnoxiously. As if that wasn't bad enough, the biggest goomba the duo had ever seen in their lives popped up right after them. This Goomba had a small, white mustache near his lips and a crazed look in his eyes. He was also wearing striped pants, alternating colors of red and white. A small crown also rested atop his head.
The Goomba King then began to speak in a voice that was a cross between commanding and crazed. "So Mario, it's true. You've made it this far and I respect you for that! Unfortunately, this is as far as you'll ever get! Because I, the great and powerful King Goomba, will see it that you advance no farther!
"You hear that Mario?" Red Goomba chimed in. "No further! Are you scared, little man?"
"Yeah, you're scared alright!" Blue Goomba yelled. "Wanna say you're sorry?"
"Holy crud!" Goombario exclaimed. "That Goomba King is huge! I'm sure you can take him though. Let's get him!"
"Ready to meet my wrath Mario?" The Goomba King asked in an almost psychotic tone. "You better be!" The three Goombas then proceeded to jump down from their castle towards Mario and Goombario.
"Beat him up Goomba King!" Red Goomba shouted.
"We've got your back!" Blue Goomba shouted.
"Leave him to me!" Goomba King responded.
"Mario, I think we should take out the Goomba Bros. first," said Goombario. "They probably don't have much energy left because we just beat them up back there."
Mario nodded. He began the battle by hammering Red Goomba while Goombario headbonked Blue Goomba.
Meanwhile, the Goomba Bros. were so tired that they hid behind some of the nearby bushes, which was cowardly to say the least.
"Are they really doing that?" Goombario gawked. "They cannot be serious!"
"Get 'em Goomba King!" The Goomba Bros. cheered. "Beat them up!"
"Oh I will!" The Goomba King shouted in an enraged tone.
The Goomba King then began to circle around Mario. When the time was right, he went in and headbutted Mario, knocking him over. Then, the Goomba Bros. jumped out of the bushes and they both began to rush Goombario. However, Goombario dived at the last second and the two Goomba Bros. ran right into each other. Goombario was able to finish off Blue Goomba with a headbonk, but Red Goomba was able to get up before he could get headbonked too. Mario was about to try and finish off Red Goomba, but at the last second, the Goomba King purposely fell over and squashed Mario. Mario crawled out from underneath the girth and hammered the Goomba King. Mario tried to get another blow in, but Red Goomba pinched in and knocked Mario away at the last second.
Mario and Goombario needed a plan and the faster the better. The Goomba King's sheer size put him at a huge advantage, and Red Goomba was always there to make sure Mario couldn't finish his attacks. Goombario then noticed a nearby tree with some of the largest Goomnuts he had ever seen. "Hey wait a second… that's it! The tree!" He turned to Mario and whispered something in his ear.
"Good idea! You can distract Red Goomba while I take care of the Goomba King!" Mario replied.
Goombario nodded. "Hey, Red Loser!" he shouted. "I beat up your pathetic little brother in one hit! Wanna come try the same with me? Free shot!"
"Oh, that does it!" Red Goomba yelled back with rage boiling inside of him. I'll show ya free shot!" Red Goomba then charged towards Goombario, who was standing right in front of the Goomba King's castle. Red Goomba, however, being the idiot he is, didn't notice that. So when Goombario hopped out of the way at the last second, he ran straight into the castle wall, which instantly knocked him out.
"That was pretty stupid…" was all Goombario could say after that.
Meanwhile, Mario was luring the Goomba King over to where the Goomnut Tree was. In order not to make the Goomba King suspicious, he went in for a few swings of his hammer, but purposely missed so the Goomba King couldn't counterattack. Finally when the Goomba King was close enough to the Goomnut Tree, Mario swung his hammer at the Goomnut Tree, causing the giant Goomnuts on the tree to fall right onto the Goomba King's head. The blow to the head from the Goomnuts disorientated the Goomba King, as he was now stepping in random directions while mumbling gibberish.
"Wow, that blow to the head really messed him up," commented Goombario while headbonking the Goomba King.
Mario agreed and smacked the Goomba King with his hammer. That blow was enough to bring the Goomba King down for good.
"That was a king? I've seen stronger Koopas than him!" Mario said.
After about five minutes, the three Goombas regained consciousness. They all saw the look in the duo's eyes and immediately ran inside.
"Are they related or something… because the Goomba King is just as wimpy as the Goomba Bros," pondered Goombario. "Well, that's the least of our problems. We still have no clue how to get across that gorge." Just as he began to think, the duo heard voices coming from the Goomba King's tower. "Hey, maybe we should eavesdrop!" Mario nodded and the duo hid behind some nearby bushes to listen in.
"Now, are you positive that you hid the switch in a place where Mario can't find it?" The Goomba King asked.
"Oh yeah," replied Red Goomba. "I hid it in the bushes outside of the fortress!"
"What! Mario will find them for sure, you idiot!"
"Maybe he hasn't found it yet! We can still trick him!"
"How stupid are these guys, seriously?" Goombario wondered. "If you're going to argue about something important, don't argue in loud, obnoxious voices."
Mario agreed and headed over to the nearby clump of bushes. After a few minutes of rummaging through the bushes, he pulled out a large blue switch. However, before he could push it, the Goomba King appeared on the balcony of his castle. "Uhh… Mario, good fight and all," began the Goomba King in a "fake" friendly tone. "But I need to warn you of something. If you find a blue switch hidden around these parts, something bad will happen to me, uh I mean you if you press. A terrible fate!"
Mario held the switch up at the Goomba King. "Oh, does it look like this?"
"Yes! Don't press it!"
"Too late!" Mario stomped on the switch, which caused the Goomba King to freak out.
"What? You pressed it? Oh no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-!"
At first, nothing happened. Suddenly, an earthquake started. The ground shook vigorously and nearby trees began to fall down. Mario and Goombario were struggling to keep their balance amidst the shaking. But the most worried of all was the Goomba King. His castle was collapsing right under his feet. The Goomba Bros. were running around the castle in panic. When the castle had fully collapsed, the Goomba King shouted "Ohhh noooooooo!" The castle then sprung up and transformed into a bridge, shooting the three Goombas in the air. "Curse you Mariooooooooo!"
"Wow," was all Goombario could say. "Hey, we can finally cross the bridge! Off to Toad Town!"
However, nobody knew that Kammy Koopa was watching…
"Oh dear," she sighed. "Lord Bowser isn't going to be happy about this."
Yep, I love making Goombas (Goombario excluded) look really stupid. I always pictured the Goomba King as a psycho lunatic, so that's how I wrote him out. I hope I did good. Please remember to review, and you'll get a free cyber cookie!