"Hello!" Luigi yelled. The sound reverberated throughout the. "Mama mia!"
While Luigi messed around with his echo, Ridley closed his eyes and listened. By measuring the exact timing and sound of Luigi's echoes he was able to gauge the general layout of the tunnel system they were trapped in.
"This way." Ridley pointed in the direction that determined was most likely to lead into an exit and started walking. Luigi followed.
The duo made their way through the damp subterranean cavern. Luigi whistled as they made their way through the apparently empty tunnels system, which made it easier for Ridley to find their way through the labyrinthine caves.
"What do you-a think this-a place is?" Luigi asked after a while.
"My guess would be an old diamond mine." Ridley replied.
"What-a makes you-a say that?"
"Because of all the diamonds." Ridley gestured to some of the many crystal structures jutting out of the blue stone walls.
"Oh, right." Luigi gave an embarrassed chuckle. "They-a sure are pretty, though, with the way they-a light-a up the cave and-a everything."
"I suppose so." Ridley was already bored with this conversation. "It would appear that light is probably shining in from the tunnel entrance and reflecting off of some of the crystals further into the cave, and so on. The light should be fading as it goes further into the cave, though. Or why this mine wouldn't still be in use considering how full it still is."
"You know, it-a does seem awfully quiet in-a here." Luigi said after they went a little further. "It-a seems like-a normally we'd be running into more of-a Bowser's goons by-a now."
"It's not like anyone would have guessed that we'd end up down here." Ridley pointed out. "And even if we did, it would be foolish to send anyone else after us as we could use them to find a way out."
"I-a never even thought about-a that." Luigi paused for a moment. "Hey, do you-a hear water?"
"It's coming from up ahead." Ridley replied. "Although I'm not sure that it's water."
"That-a must mean that-a we're almost out of-a hear!" Luigi perked up and run ahead excitedly.
"Wait, Green One!" Ridley called out to Luigi, but it was too late.
Luigi ran out into the large open chamber up ahead and was barely able to stop himself before running off a cliff and falling down into the massive pool of lava below.
"I guess this might explain a few things." Ridley said as he caught up to Luigi.
"Mama mia!" Luigi yelled. "Why-a is it always lava?"
"I did try to warn you." Ridley said smugly.
"Well-a what do-a we do now?" Luigi asked.
Ridley responded by pointing to another tunnel across from them, then to the thin ledge that spanned the outer edge of the cave.
"How-a do you expect-a us to make it across that-a way? That path-a looks like could-a barely hold us."
"Then we'll just have to tread lightly." Ridley grinned.
Luigi sighed and put his back against the wall, slowly shuffling along the pathway. Ridley did the same, though he was much less cautious as he could just fly back up as he fell. In fact, he could easily just fly across the lava pit to the other side easily while carrying Luigi. But that would mean not being able to enjoy watching Luigi struggle.
After a couple of hours, Luigi finally reached the other side. As soon as he stepped foot into the tunnel, he dropped to his knees, panting with exhaustion. Ridley kicked off from the wall and glided the rest of the way there while Luigi wasn't watching.
"I… can't… uh… believe… we… uh… made… it…" Luigi said between gulps of air.
"Now if only we were any closer to actually finding a way out of here." Ridley said sarcastically.
"Do you-a hear something?" Luigi asked as he straightened up again.
"Do you mean that 'boom boom' noise coming from up ahead?"
"Yeah, that. What do you-a think is causing that-"
Luigi didn't have time to finish his question before a large brown blur came out from around the bend in the tunnel just ahead and rushed towards them. Ridley barely had time to react, shoving Luigi out of the way while falling back to avoid getting hit himself. The object skidded to a stop behind them, appearing to be some sort of brown rock covered in large white spikes.
"Mama mia!" Luigi exclaimed. "What was-a that?"
"I don't know, but it's definitely not friendly."
"Boom boom boom!" The spikes retracted into the brown mass before it stood up, revealing itself to be a turtle-like creature around Luigi's height. "Boom boom boom boom!"
"It's-a Boom Boom!" Luigi revealed.
"What a creative name." Ridley remarked. "You go on ahead I'll take care of this."
"Alright, but-a be safe." Luigi said before hightailing it out of there.
"Boom boom boom!" Boom Boom shouted and charged after Luigi, flailing its arms around wildly.
Ridley whipped his tail along the ground in Boom Boom's path, causing the overgrown Koopa to trip.
"Don't think you can get away from me that easily." Ridley said tauntingly. "I just said that I was going to take care of you, didn't I?"
"Boom boom boom boom boom!" Boom Boom got back onto his feet and turned to face Ridley.
"You think that you can beat me?" Ridley goaded Boom Boom as he slowly backed up towards the edge of the lava pit. "Well, why don't you just try it?"
"Boom boom!" Boom Boom charged at Ridley, who effortlessly sidestepped out of the way, causing Boom Boom to go right over the edge of the cliff.
"That was no challenge at all."
Ridley smirked and waited for about three seconds. Then he turned around and dived over the edge of the cliff. He caught the falling Boom Boom in midair and pulled up, spreading his wings out wide so that the heat radiating from the lava down below caught them and lifted both reptilians back up, where Ridley threw Boom Boom into the ground before landing beside him.
"Boom… boom boom?" Boom Boom asked, confused as to why Ridley would save him.
"Let's just say that I don't feel like seeing anyone of their own stupidity." Ridley lied. "Now, why don't you show me the way out of this place?"
"Boom." Boom Boom relented.
Before they could leave, however, the tunnel began to shake violently.
"Who dares to disturb the slumber of Gargantua Blargg?"
The powerful voice echoed throughout the cavern and a massive pillar of lava rose up, towering high above Ridley and Boom Boom. The pillar of lava seemed to have a face, with two beady black eyes and an enormous pair of bushy black eyebrows. A mouth opened, displaying two very large and very prominent fangs.
"What are you?" Ridley was caught off-guard by this, as he had seen a lot of lava in his long lifetime(s) but had never seen it grow a face before.
"I am Gargantua Blargg!" Gargantua Blargg answered. "And you have met your end!"
Gargantua Blargg opened his mouth wide and sprayed a stream of lava at them. Ridley quickly turned around and spread his wings, shielding Boom Boom from the lava.
"Boom boom boom boom?" Boom Boom looked up at Ridley, thankful for the space dragon, that he, like almost everyone else, thought was Mario.
"Don't get used to it." I bit of strain was evident in Ridley's voice.
"Boom boom boom boom boom." Boom Boom pulled out something he had tucked under his shell.
"What is it?" Ridley asked.
Boom Boom held out a blue flower similar to the orange one that Ridley had seen Luigi use earlier. Ridley took the gift as Gargantua Blargg's attack subsided and the flower dissolved in his hand. Ridley could feel his body temperature make a dramatic decline and his skin turned a light shade of blue as he transformed into Ice Ridley. The power that the Ice Flower granted flowed through him in a sensation that felt like nothing he had felt since the entire universe's supply of Phazon was destroyed by the Hunter. Ice Ridley turned around to face Gargantua Blargg, feeling like he could take on anything.
"You weren't supposed to survive that." Gargantua Blargg was a bit thrown off by this unexpected turn of events. "Not that it will matter after this!"
Gargantua Blargg took in a deep breath, preparing to spit even more lava at them. As soon as the giant lava creature opened his mouth, however, Ice Ridley used a breath attack of his own. Thanks to the Ice Flower that he had just absorbed, his normal Plasma Breath attack had been replaced with an even more powerful Ice Breath ability. A frosty white and blue beam shot out of Ice Ridley's mouth, filling Gargantua Blargg's mouth with a massive block of ice. Gargantua Blargg's eyes began to water as lava built up in his throat until he passed out, unable to breathe.
"I'm not going to pretend that I understand how any of that worked." Ice Ridley turned back to Boom Boom as Gargantua Blargg melted back into the lava pool. "But I do suppose that I should thank you for this new power."
"Boom boom." Boom Boom said gratefully. "Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom, boom boom."
"I suppose so." Ice Ridley concurred. "Then I guess once you show me the way out of here, we'll be even."
"Boom!"
The rest of the way through the tunnels proved fortunately uneventful and it wasn't too long before Ice Ridley and Boom Boom reached the tunnel exit, and they were able to walk out into the sunset, where Luigi was waiting.
"Mama mia!" Luigi was shocked to see Boom Boom with Ice Ridley. "What-a happened in there?"
"Not much." Ice Ridley lied, then turned to Boom Boom. "Before we part ways, I was wondering if you could tell us where the Princess is being kept."
"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom." Boom Boom explained.
"Bowser's Castle, huh." Ice Ridley muttered to himself. "I don't know why I would have expected somewhere else."
"Boom boom!" Boom Boom waved as he headed off.
"I supposed we should get going as well." Ice Ridley turned back to Luigi. "The Princess won't save herself. I mean, it would be convenient if she did, but…"
Ice Ridley briefly pondered what had become of his life.
