Junior kept on running. He could feel his breath getting short, but he couldn't slow down for even a moment's rest. He had to get out of there; get as far away and as quickly as possible. Sweat was running down his face and the sides of his shell. His bandanna was becoming damp from the moisture. Soon enough, his legs gave out and the little Koopa collapsed to the ground. He slowly picked himself up and dusted off the dirt. He couldn't turn around no matter what. Bowser had really done it this time and Junior was determined not to let it slide. He had to find a way home, and he had to do it without his father's help. As far as he was concerned, Bowser didn't deserve to make it home.

The Koopa King had fought off the three golems and nearly got himself killed in the process. Junior saved his life with that cannonball at the last moment. But did he get any sort of acknowledgement from his father for such quick thinking? Of course not. Junior selflessly used his own wish to help his father. Yet all Bowser could've thought to do was yell at him for not wishing for the two of them to be home. Why had it never occurred to him that Junior had tried to wish for that, but couldn't make it happen? Not once did he even bother to ask why. Just when Junior thought his father might actually change and stop scolding him for once, he falls right back into his old behavior. This was no different than when Bowser was yelling at him for not taking a bath, going to bed, or doing any of the other stuff.

Well, this was the final straw. If Junior could never do anything right in Bowser's eyes, he wouldn't have to worry about having a lousy son much longer. The little Koopa was determined to find his way back home without his father's help. If Bowser wanted him to be an evil king so badly, what better way than to steal the throne right out from under him? If Junior could make it back on his own and seize the position as king for himself, he could change everything. Junior could be the leader he wanted to be, not the one Bowser wanted. If he wanted Junior to be assertive and take what he wanted so badly, what better way to finally earn some respect than taking the throne for himself? The little Koopa was practically trembling just thinking about it. But was it from excitement at the thought of finally earning his father's respect…or was it something else?

Deep in his gut, something about this plan just didn't feel right. As cold as he was, Bowser was still his father. He was the only parent Junior had left after his mother passed away. If he didn't love Bowser, who else did he have? The little Koopa realized that if he pushed his dad away for good…he would have no one. He would be all alone. Was earning his father's respect worth isolating himself from love altogether?

Junior hated having to even think about making a decision like this! He stopped and stared at his tiny hands. He was a child. He had to be way too young to be thinking about becoming king already. Wasn't it a parent's job to handle all of the hard stuff until the kid was older? Well, perhaps Bowser really was just that terrible of a parent if Junior felt he had to think about all of the hard stuff himself. Whatever happened next, it was Bowser's fault. Of this, Junior was absolutely certain.

In the late afternoon, Junior reached the end of the dirt road and found himself standing in front of an incredibly tall mountain that seemed to pierce the sky. But where was he supposed to go from here? The mountain was incredibly vast and covered the land for miles in both directions so the little Koopa couldn't just go around it. But the thought of having to climb all the way up to the top with little solid ground to stand on in between made Junior's stomach do backflips. After a bit of walking, he discovered an entrance to a cave at the mountain's base. It had to lead somewhere. Despite some sunlight still remaining, the cave was incredibly dark and somewhat intimidating. He couldn't see a thing from the outside.

The thought of having to wander around in a pitch black cave alone terrified Junior. He was starting to have second thoughts about his solo journey. Maybe it would be better to wait until his father came through this way so they could travel together? Junior shook his head to ward off the idea. No way! Junior denied to himself. He made it clear that he was doing this on his own. He couldn't rely on Bowser anymore. Besides, what future king was afraid of a little cave? If he really wanted to be king that badly, Junior couldn't act like a baby anymore.

Junior reached up and tore off a small branch from a nearby tree. He remembered a trick Bowser once taught him about how to make a torch with his flame breath. Unfortunately, Junior was still young and his powers hadn't fully developed yet at his age. He had tried to breathe fire on multiple occasions in the past, but it always came out as tiny fireballs instead of a grand stream of heat like Bowser's. Now was as good a time as any to try again.

He stared intensely at the stick in his hand, took a deep breath, and tried to breathe fire. But nothing came out of his mouth. He tried two more times, but the result didn't change. Junior continued to breathe fire until he was out of breath. His desperation and frustration were reaching an all-time high. At that moment, he'd wished he were a grown-up Koopa more than ever before instead of being stuck in his helpless seven-year old body.

Junior threw his tree branch in frustration. It landed near a bush growing by the mountain's exterior. What caught Junior's attention though, was the berries growing on the shrub. The little Koopa heard his stomach grow loudly. He hadn't eaten anything since the apples from the night before and he'd burned up most of his energy just running here. He resolved to snack on the berries and try to regain some of his strength. The little Koopa scarfed down the berries in a hurry, but soon regretted that decision when he felt an uncomfortable sensation in his system.

His eyes practically lit up when he felt immense heat in his throat and he burped up a small stream of smoke. Piecing together what was happening, Junior quickly retrieved the tree branch he threw earlier just in time. He burped a small stream of fire, which lit the branch ablaze; thus creating the torch he'd been seeking. An unconventional way of doing things, but it would have to do. Junior wasn't sure why eating these particular berries helped him trigger his fire breath, but they could come in handy. The little Koopa snatched a handful of the berries from the plant and stored them in his shell for later. With torch in hand, Junior proceeded into the mountain's cave.

It wasn't long before the little Koopa reached a dead end in the cave's interior. He discovered a tall tower-like room with bright crystals lining the walls and a winding slope pathway that spiraled around several times; connecting to an exit high above. Junior approached the slope's beginning at the ground floor and prepared for an arduous walk up to the top.

However, not long after beginning his climb, Junior felt an intense tremor. He examined the ground in time to notice it beginning to crack and fall apart underneath him. Panicking, Junior picked up the pace and ran up the path before it vanished underneath him. The crack that was growing and racing after him quickly caught up before finally passing Junior. Just as the collapsing path reached him, the little Koopa leaped. He grabbed onto the edge of the stable ground before the falling rubble took him down with it. Junior struggled a little bit before finally managing to pull himself onto the slope. He looked back down.

A sizable amount of the path had crumbled behind him. There was no realistic way to get back down there safely even if he'd wanted to; no turning back now. The little Koopa was thankful to have jumped in time or else he probably would've been stuck down there, crushed under rocks. The torch he dropped was buried under the pathway's pieces as a boulder smothered the flame and put it out. He wasn't too distraught about losing his light source though since the crystals on the wall were shining bright enough for Junior to see the rest of the way up. Thus, his quest continued.

Junior reached the exit just as nightfall began. The violet night sky was decorated with thousands of stars, but this was no time to be mesmerized by their beauty. Junior climbed onto a small stalagmite nearby and could just barely make out a steady decline off the mountain, but it was pretty far off. He would still have to follow the winding pathway through the mountain top to reach it.

The little Koopa journeyed for several minutes until he felt sweat starting to run down the side of his head. The temperature was drastically rising. But how? The air was cool just a moment ago. As he continued walking, Junior soon realized that the mountain was housing a river of lava at its summit. The little Koopa kept his wits about him. As long as he stayed on the path in front of him, he was in no danger of falling in. He could practically ignore the river of lava entirely. Unfortunately, his luck ran out as he soon reached a dead-end. The lava river expanded into a full-on lake with no consistent solid ground to cross over it.

Just as Junior was pondering how to get across, the entire mountain began to tremble. Was this the same force that had caused the path in the cave to fall apart earlier? Suddenly, something emerged from the lava lake. A long, dragon-like serpent with eyes of fire rose from the depths and towered over Junior, who was now sitting horrified in its wake. The creature glared at him.

"Persistent little insect," said the lava serpent.

"…H-huh!?" Junior responded.

"You did not heed my warning. How dare you invade my mountain."

"Wait…that shaking earlier…that was you?" the little Koopa gather.

"It is my warning to all foolish creatures who dare to set foot in my domain," the serpent explained. "You are treading on forbidden grounds, insect. Leave now before I decide your fate."

"W-wait!" Junior cried. "I didn't want to come through here! But I didn't have any other choice. Please, I'm just trying to get home," he explained. The terror in the serpent's eyes did not fade.

"You continue to defy me. May you perish swiftly!" the creature roared. It whipped its tail in a circle around the mountain top as it caused rocks to break off and fall from above and stirred the lava. Junior jumped and ran to avoid the splashes and rubble. Pieces of the ground broke off and started to drift out onto the lava.

….That's it! Junior gathered. He could use those pieces of the ground to cross the lava. The little Koopa stood up and ran towards his new path. He jumped over to the first platform, but something grabbed him before he could land. The serpent had snatched Junior up by his bandanna around his neck and hoisted the little Koopa high into the air with its teeth. Desperate to get down somehow, Junior reached into his shell and pulled out the berries he'd been saving from earlier. He ate them quickly and waited for them to take effect in his stomach. Much to Junior's horror, nothing happened.

The lava serpent tossed Junior high up into the air and caught him with its tail just before he reached the liquid fire. Junior struggled but couldn't break free from the monster's grip.

"You would hardly make for a satisfying meal," the serpent commented. It carried Junior over to a hole in the upper ground above the lava, which had been created by one of the falling boulders. "Perish in obscure silence instead!" The serpent uncurled its tail and dropped Junior into the hole. The little Koopa collided against the sides of the thin chasm as he fell. He reached the bottom with a painful thud.

The little Koopa willed himself back into consciousness, but he was in enormous pain. His head was pounding and his legs ignored his attempts to move. His arm had gone completely numb. This was a familiar pain to him. Undoubtedly, his arm was broken again. Still, Junior found the will to get up. The little Koopa used a nearby rock to get his balance and steady himself. He looked straight up and saw a small piece of the night sky. The hole was uncovered. There was still a way out. Junior grabbed onto wall with his only good arm and attempted to climb out. But he immediately fell back down to the bottom. He sat up and tried again, but the result was the same. Junior's body got weaker with every attempt, but his mind refused to accept the truth. Junior couldn't get stuck down here. He had to get out somehow so he could find his way home.

As he hit the ground one last time, Junior finally lost the will to move.

"DAD!" Junior cried out. No response came back to him, not that he really expected one to. Junior was desperate to get help. "KAMMY!…LARRY!...MR. ELDSTAR!" Junior knew deep down that there was no one here who could hear him from the bottom of the hole. But his mind was desperate to convince itself otherwise. "….MOM!...ANYBODY! PLEASE….," Junior spoke as his voice gave out. "…..help…."

His vision grew blurry as his eyes watered. Alone at the bottom of this tiny chasm, deep within the heart of the mountain, Junior quietly began to cry.