4
Mario and Luigi scrambled through the thick snowstorm as ice and snow pelted their faces like shards of glass. The only thing that they could do was to keep moving forward and hope that relief would be on its way. But the storm was unrelenting, and the brothers could feel their faces freeze in the bitter cold. Even the hairs on the back of their necks seemed frozen in place. Night had fallen and the landscape was no an utter black...except for a small light coming from far ahead. Mario and Luigi looked closer and saw that it was a small living establishment: a cabin.
"Maybe whoever lives there can help us!" Mario shivered as the wind started picking up. "They probably have food too!"
"I sure hope so!" Luigi replied, his stomach growling at the thought of a delicious, warm meal. Oatmeal? Eggs and bacon? Turkey? Ham? He could not decide on which food sounded better, for anything sounded tasty. Even if it was a food Luigi did not care much for, he would still eat it. That was how hungry he and Mario were as they started walking towards the lonely cabin.
As they got closer to the cabin, they saw a figure in the window that was in the shape of a penguin. The brothers immediately knew that a penguin was living there; however the window was covered up the second time they looked through the window.
"That's weird." Luigi said. "Whoever's living there is acting suspicious of our presence. He probably thinks that we're a couple of Koopas roaming around in the snow looking for trouble."
"After all, we did arrive in one of Bowser's air carriers!" Mario said. "But it's always worth a shot to see if anyone will answer, just like when we used to go door to door to offer them pipe services. Remember that, Luigi?"
"Yes." he replied.
Mario and Luigi walked up to the wooden cabin door and knocked.
No answer.
They tried knocking again after a few seconds.
Still no answer.
Finally, Mario started banging his fist on the door.
"Go away!" said a voice from inside. "You Koopas aren't taking me away from my cabin! I don't care if Bowser punishes you or not, just don't kidnap me!"
"We're not Koopa Troops!" Mario shouted. "Would you please let us in before we freeze to death?!"
"How do I know you aren't lying?!" the penguin yelled.
"Just open the door!" Luigi yelled. "I assure you that we're telling the truth!"
"I still don't believe you!"
"For God's sake! We're Mario and Luigi!" Mario yelled. "We're the two heroes who were prophesied in the Book of Prophecies."
Slowly, the door opened and the penguin peaked through the door crack and saw the two brothers. He was surprised to see them standing there.
"It...It really is you two, isn't it?!" the penguin said in a lighter tone. "Please, come in! Make yourselves at home!"
Mario and Luigi entered the cabin and followed their penguin host into a large den area where a small television set was displaying images and sound. There were two large couches in the room along with a small chair with a tiny table next to it which had a small lamp. At the very far end of the room was a large fireplace where a huge fire was burning and warming the cabin. The two brothers did not even bother hesitating when they saw it, for they were too cold to feel their hands and feet.
"You two look really tired." said the penguin. "Might I offer you two some sort of warm beverage or maybe something to eat?"
"I could use something to eat." Luigi said. "Me and my brother have been unable to eat for almost two days. We've been wandering around the desert of Sarasaland in search of the second Crystal Star while being chased by Bowser and his cronies."
"Oh, heavens!" said the penguin. "Please take whatever you want from the kitchen! You two must be starving!"
"Might I ask who you are?" Mario asked. "What's your name?"
"My name is Mark." said the penguin. "I've been living in this region of the world for quite some time, secretly spying watching the broadcasts from Bowser's satellites to see what's next on his evil agenda. Sometimes, he steals broadcasts from other parts of the world and displays them on his station."
"Really?" Mario asked in a surprised tone. "How have you been managing that?"
"You see, Bowser has a secret outpost located up in the snowbound mountains just behind my cabin. I've been picking up the signals that are received there for many years, but it's only recently that I've seen the area under so much activity. It's a madhouse right now."
"I wonder why?" Luigi asked sarcastically. He then turned towards the television. "Hey! What are they talking about?!"
"It looks like a broadcast from the Mushroom Kingdom!" Mario said as they both listened.
"The frightened astronomers at Toadstool Observatory announced earlier today that they have found what appears to be a giant cloud of dark energy. Observational analyses have indicated that the cloud is moving faster than anything else that astronomers around the world have ever seen, faster even than the fastest comet or solar eruption. Its course will take it on a collision course with Earth and bring 'doomsday' to our civilization in less than two weeks at around the same time an alignment of the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn is said to take place on the exact opposite side of the sun relative to us. It is currently moving way from the planet Saturn and is said to arrive at Jupiter in about four days. We will keep you updated on its course. The only things that we as a civilization can do now are to hope and pray that this cloud of dark energy will miss us and that we will live to tell the tale. As of right now, things don't look very promising for planet Earth."
"Oh no!" Mario said. "That message inside the pyramid...that's the evil force that it's referring to, Luigi!"
Mario and Luigi looked at each other with looks of terror in their eyes. They knew they were in for more than they could handle. Mark was puzzled.
"What exactly are you talking about?" Mark asked. "What is this message of which you speak of?"
"Here, let's sit down." Mario said. "Me and Luigi will tell you everything that has happened so far."
The three of them sat down in the den and Mario started telling Mark everything that happened from the very beginning.
Hey, everyone! I'm back! Sorry for such a long wait. School has been my number one priority for the past two weeks because I've been working on what is called a 'senior project'. It's something that me and the other seniors at my school have to do, otherwise we would not be able to graduate. Now that it's all over with, I can update this story more frequently again and start carrying forward the events that are taking place with the Mario Brothers.
Right now, the brothers are seeking refuge from the cold in the small residence of a penguin named Mark, who has been tracking Bowser's movements for quite some time. He tells the brothers about an outpost that Bowser has situated in the mountains, the place where Mario and Luigi have to go to find the third star. Also, the brothers are now fully aware that there is a cloud of dark energy making its way towards Earth, which means the stakes have been raised, not just for them, but also the entire world. Now, Mario will the tell the whole story of how the two brothers made it to where they are standing now...
The next chapter will continue where this one left off. Then, we'll check back on some of the other characters as the story progresses. And, as usual, I will see all of you this next time I post a chapter. I promise that the waiting period will be shorter from now on, and if there is another time that I'll be really busy, I'll try and alert you guys beforehand :) See ya!
saturn95