The Snowfields
Snow Kingdom
The Ice castle is glimmering as always. Even in heat, it's frozen solid except for those ever-so reliable doors. The Penguin King enters, admiring the two stars floating in front of him.
"It's still surprising of Cranky to do something kind." He says. "That human has impacted more than meets the eye. Now we possess such power."
"What are we going to do with it?" His loyal penguin soldier asks.
"Use it wisely. That's always been the answer. If someone irresponsible got their hands on this Power, it would be catastrophic."
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
The King and his soldier waddle out. When they swing those doors open, the king gasps. "HIM?"
A airship, with Bowsers face engraved upfront floats to the castle. There's loads of cannon space on each side. A cannon shoots Bowsers minions to the ground. With each shot comes a new hoard, practically covering the other side of the kingdom whole!
"My lord…we need a plan."
"There's only one plan we can use." The king says, putting on his crown and red robe.
The airship touches down. Kamek floats out, and lowers a door for a terrifying silhoutte. As the Penguin army lines themselves up, some shudder not from the cold, but pure terror. They have to put on a happy face against this monster of an army..and their monster of a king.
Bowser steps out, looking like a giant compared to everyone else. Kamek clears his throat. "Give a cold welcome to the King of za Koopas!"
Some penguins back away from the sheer size of the giant. Others can't disguise their shaking, and aim their sharp icicles at him. Bowser grins, smelling the fear of this army. They may have charged it against the Kongs, but the Koopa Kingdom's ferocity can't be matched. The Penguin's King stares into the eyes of that Koopa, who has no good intentions.
"This is your final warning. Leave with your army intact, or face our wrath.."
"Bwahahaha! The little furball wants to order US around?" Bowser immediately blasts the castle with his fire breath, causing the penguins main base destruction in SECONDS. Chunks come flying odd, and crush some unlucky soldiers. The icicles the penguins use don't even pierce the silver armor of the Koopas.
Fry Bones take their own heads off, and hurl them at the penguins! It's an unfortunate collision for the few.
"THIS MAGIC IS CORRUPT!"
"WHAT ARE YOU?!"
"Clack!"
"Clack!"
"Clack!"
Hammer Bros and Fire Bros send throw their specialties into the crowd of defenders, knocking some clean out, and making others run circles to wipe the flames off their tails. Kamek uses his reliable magic to take control of penguin bodies, and send them flying to the side. It's a clear path for the Koopa King. "Kiss those babies goodbye!"
The Penguin King looks back at the now exposed Power Stars. These terrorists getting one is bad enough, but two? He couldn't leave it to chance. A blockade of Penguins, dawning Ice chestplates, block their king. Despite the danger they are in, they put on brave faces.
"Away! Away!"
"Keep your oversized hands off the king!"
One tail whip dismisses them. All that flops in Bowser's way now is that Penguin King. Being the last line of defense, he puts his flabby arms up. "Fight me if you dare." A purple aura surrounds him, and holds him in place. No matter how hard he strains himself, he can't get any movement. Bowsers grin just ticks him off more.
"You use deceptive tactics.."
"Get that crap outta here."
Kamek sends the king right into Bowser's Tail Whip! He hits the ground. His backs in pain, he has to roll onto his stomach just to get anywhere. Bowser leaps into the air, with the king beneath him. The last thing the king can see is that Koopa's rear coming down on him..
.
.
CRASH!
.
.
Bowser raises himself from the wreckage he made. The penguin's head honcho has been literally flattened. His loyal soldiers are being forced into cages by the armored Koopas. Worst of all: a tyrant has access to the most valuable possessions in this land.
Bowser takes BOTH Power Stars, staring back and forth. His excitement grows every second, as he starts to cackle. The penguin can only look on helplessly. The situation he found himself in is the exact opposite he wanted with the Kongs. Now there's no Mario around to save his kingdom.
"BWORHORHORHOR!"
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
Luigi's flailing around, traveling through a plastic pipe where he can spot a weird world outside. White clouds surround his view, with the lightest bit of sunlight poking through. He feels a force on his shoulder, and gets spun around.
Mario grabs both shoulders. "RELAX! I've-a done this before. Nothing's gonna happen as long-a as we're together…"
Luigi's still looking at every angle. "HOW do you know? We could get sent ANYWHERE?"
"I came back with dad, didn't I?"
Luuigi loudly gulps. "Yeah?.."
"I'm-a coming back with you."
The younger bro's breathing starts to slow. His hyperventilating has ceased. "Get in, get out, right?"
Mario nods, burning with confidence. "It'll be like nothing-a happened." A piece in the middle of the path breaks them apart, sending them into two separate paths! Mario reaches out, but that plastic gets in his way.
"MARIOOOO!"
"LUIGI!"
Mario can only watch as Luigi gets a one-way trip to a smoke cloud, dark with lightning crackling inside. Mario's confident smile quickly turns to a dejected frown. He has no clue where in this world his brother went, and he even has to brace for his own impact. He looks to the path ahead, and sees a mass cluster of stones, with red pipes messily thrown in.
"Mamamia.."
Underground
A red pipe rises through the rocky blue ground, popping out a returning Mario. He's familiar with some parts of the world, but what he sees is new..or rather, what he can't see. A few loose Glow Blocks lay there, being his only source of light. He picks one up,
"What-a the—"
It's light starts to dim, so he shakes the block. His light source is a-ok, but a bigger, round one shines on his face. He looks away before he can get blinded. The source of the light? A red Toad, with a big light on his head. He's got a backpack on, with some tools poking out.
"Thank god..if I didn't see someone else I'd go CRAZY! I'm Toad, but my friends call me Captain."
"It's-a Mario." The plumber links this new toad up with the ones he saw from Toad Town. Maybe he can get some answers. "Where am I?"
"Underground."
"W-wha?"
"Oh..you weren't down here last time. Don't worry, I gotcha!" Captain Toad clears his throat. "You can only get here through pipes. I was walkin' through the plains and fell in. Stubborn thing didn't rise up.."
"That-a sucks."
"Yeah, but it makes me do my job." Toad turns the focus back to Mario. "How'd you get back here?"
"Me and-a my brother got sucked through a drain. I don't-a know where he want, but I-a know we've gotta get out of here!" Mario says, getting to a knee. "You got-a map?"
Captain Toad digs into his pack, and pulls a sheet out. He points to a pipe at the far left. "I came here. We just walk back, and we don't gotta panic."
"See anything-a bad down here?"
"No! Just some homeless Goombas. They talk a big game but can't back it up." The captain's struggling to climb a rock. "Gh..gh..COME ON!"
Mario rushes up that rock, and raises the captain up, "Can't-a climb?"
"No matter how hard I try.."
They turn to see a massive rectangle, with spikes on its side. It rises onto the short end, making itself look wider. It's red eyes pierce the two. Captain Toad runs behind Mario, shivering. "I'm just an adventurer!"
"What's-a up with that?"
"This Thwomp territory!" It grunts. "You pay!"
"That's a uh..THWOMP…" the explorer explains.
"A what now?"
It throws itself forward, trying to pancake Mario. Mario slides out of the way, leaving the Thwomp's back exposed. A white bandage is on the very center of its back. Mario leaps onto it, driving his brown boots into the weak point. The Thwomp grunts, almost throwing Mario off with the shake.
"Hey!" Captain Toad throws a rock at the Thwomp. The mass doesn't take that lying down, picking itself up and going for him with that angry expression. He wraps his hands around the Toad right, squeezing him like a stress ball.
"NO ONE DISRESPECT THWOMP!"
Mario runs up the purple wall, and dropkicks the weak point! Thwomp collapses onto Captain Toad! It doesn't take long for the Captain to start pleading. Mario can see a flat arm poking out, so he slides a hand under the Thwomp, and raises it to pull Toad out.
"You okie dokie?"
Captain Toad looks like a sheet of paper, but forces himself back into his normal form. He clutches his big round head. "Ohhh..
"Before you were-a interrupted..what is this all about?"
Captain Toad shakes his head. "OH! We're underground. There's some pipes going random places. Don't recommend. I got lost in the desert.."
"So we—" A black shell comes flying at Mario. He just hops onto the shell, stopping it in place. "What's-a the problem?!"
A group of Buzzy Beetles start swarming the two. Mario kicks the shell into one mob, knocking them out. It comes right back though, and knocks him on his ass! "WAHH?" The shell richochets off every little corner, knocking those Beetles out. Mario and Cap Toad have to keep jumping just to avoid it.
"Thats-a it!" Mario snatches the shell off the ground, his face going red, and he just punts the shell into a a Beetle on the ceiling. It lands on its back, and Mario just walks off.
"Mario! Wait for me!"
He almost falls flat on his face, on the chase, but picks himself up and follows the Italian. Mario finds a green pipe lodged into stone. He sticks his head in there, causing the Toad to come bolting over. "DON'T DO THAT!"
"What's-a wrong?"
A Piranha Plant gobbles him up! Mario's legs are sticking out! Captain Toad uses whatever strength Hehe has to pick up a loose chunk of stone. He slams it on the plants head, making it spit Mario at the wall! The plant poofs into smoke, leaving the pipe open. "Don't run ahead like that!"
Mario takes off his hat, and checks his brown hair for marks. There's nothing there, but the memory of near-death. He wipes some goop off himself. "I saw-a ungodly things in there…" Captain Toad forces his headlight inside.
"All clear! Let's go Mario!"
The Toad drags Mario into the pipe with him. Mario can feel the suction, but can't see a thing. What comes next is uncertain for the brother, but as long as he can find his blood, everything will be worth it.
Boo Woods
Barebone trees. A dark sky. The thunderous Lightning doesn't put Luigi at ease, making him jump. "WA-HO-HO!" He runs through the woods, tripping over branches along the way. This grim place alone puts Luigi into "get the hell out" mode.
"Mario!" Luigi calls, but nobody picks up. "Oh no…" It's really set in. He has to take on this new place alone. His twitchy hands dig into his overalls, pulling out a list. It's titled: "Just Incase."
"Hmm…run away. Already doing that." His eyes lower to the next one. "Panic…already doing that. Oh! Fight for your life." He looks around at the eerie environment, A weird sense of loneliness comes over him.
He's the only one here.
"Oh.." Luigi grumbles, tip toeing around. The cackling ahead almost makes Luigi jump, but he somehow holds himself together. He finds a TOMBSTONE—no, two. Wait, three! Luigi hides behind
a tree, seeing an entire graveyard! His teeth chatter at the sight. "What-a..what is this place?"
"HEHEHEHEHE!"
Luigi feels a chill down his spine. His body doesn't want him to turn around, but his mind forces him too. A ghost with sharp fangs cackles in his face!
"Guh..guh guh guh—"
"BOO!"
Luigi yelps, running through the graveyard. A bony hand jumps from the grave, grabbing him by the boot! Luigi uses his free foot to kick it off. His future nightmares only get worse when the dead start rising from their graves. Dry Bones after Dry Bones, all with their haunting yellow eyes on a slim piece of meat.
"CLAAAACK!"
Luigi books it, with the undead following. He can't even look at the sides, as those spooky ghosts laugh at his misery.
"Leave me aloooone!"
"CLACKITY CLACK!"
Luigi tries jumping over a Dry Bones ahead, but his boot collides with its head, popping it off! Luigi looks in horror at what he did. The undead scowl at him for it. "It was an accident! I promise!"
"RAAAAA!"
Luigi books it again, even dodging a lightning strike! There's a lake ahead, but the pieces of the boardwalk are broken. He makes the jump, leaving those Dry Bones stranded. He wipes the sweat off his forehead.
"Phew…"
Floating Shy Guys with HOOKS for hands rise from the water. Luigi shudders at the raw sharpness on display. He just has to keep running! The clacks of new Dry Bones only scares him more. "Wah! Stop this!" The poor guy almost trips over himself, when he sees a tall mansion in the distance. He doesn't even know who lives there, but having shelter is better than none in these perilous parts.
The plumber has to heave those oak doors open, and force the slow things shut. The army of the un dead's fast approaching, but those doors barely shut them out. A boney arm slips through, but falls off it's owner! Luigi puts all his force on the door.
"Go away!"
"CLACK!"
"What if I say-a PLEASE?"
The loud bang on the other end almost throws him ahead!
"OK! Ok…"
He sees a wooden plank sitting on the floor. He grabs that and slides it between the handles, pinning himself in. He cools himself down with his hat. "Oh..thank-a the god." His flashlight doesn't do much for his sight, barely showing him anything.
"What's-a up there?"
He shines his light higher, seeing stairs that lead to…a faint apparition.
"Hello?"
Luigi hesitates at first, but he starts making his way up the stairs. The color becomes clearer. A floating orange thing with two glowing eyes. A little smile forces it's way on, making Luigi back away. He slips once and goes tumbling down the stairs!
"Oof! Aaf! Eek!"
Once he hits the bottom, his flashlight rolls away. The orange ghost hovers above Luigi, sinister intent in his eyes…
Crows fly off the mansions gate, thunder booms, and one scream can be heard.
"AAAAH-HOI-HOI!"
What happened to Luigi? Where have Mario and Captain Toad gone to? What will the likes of Peach and Bowser do next? Find out when the next chapter drops. Adios :)