Chapter Twenty-One: Super Mario, Personal Escort
Whispers of dread flew upon the breeze, going along for the ride. There was a blue, icy cold glow that held the unmoving water in its clutches. This light came from the full moon. The swamp water was green and murky as several slight ripples went through it and tiny insects jetted along on the top of the water. The night air was silent all but with the sound of silence. Owls hooted off in the distance, unseen by the dreary blanket of fog. It covered the two travelers on all sides, blocking their view. It was as dark and mysterious as anything, filling the two with a horrible, compelling dread, oine that would pull them and lure them, only to abandon them in the end, oOne that filled their hearts with fear and belated them with eager anticipation as the boat slowly drifted along.
The man was a bit short for his age, with a black, bushy mustache and long, brown hair. Upon his head he wore a small, red hat with an "M" imprinted on the top. Unlike most people, the man wore blue overalls and a red shirt. His boots were brown and heavy. There was also a woman aboard the boat. She was a female Koopa. A princess, even. Her long, black hair fell upon her shoulders, and she was wearing a pink T-shirt. Around her waist she wore long, blue jean pants. Her emerald eyes twitched nervously as she looked around the dreary darkness, watching for anything sinister.
The man's heart was filled with woe and sadness. His wife had been killed not to long ago and he was counting on his brother to take care of his children while he was gone. Meanwhile, from the depths of the murky water, two glowing green eyes waited maliciously...
~
MARIO
My breath sprawled out in front of me, as I could see it quite well. My vision was glassy and every part of my body shook as I dipped the long oar into the water and pushed it backwards. The medium-sized wooden boat was propelled forward into the distance. Out of the fog I could almost make out something. Attached to a large tree I saw, was a small wooden sign. It said "turn back". I gulped, trying to wipe away the fact that I was afraid, not of losing my own life, but everyone else's. Following it were more signs that read "beware", "retreat", and other similar messages.
Regardless of the circumstances, I clenched my teeth and stood firm. I vowed at that second, that I would not let any of my other loved ones die. And I would not let Lucy die. She was the only person who truly understood when Peach died. And I understood her. My thoughts were interrupted as there was a small rippling of water. I thought it nothing, but then heard it again, louder. I looked at the water and noticed that it was bubbling. A small, green chopper blade rose from the water and a small creature was seen.
I gasped at the strange being. It looked like a Piranha Plant only different. Its body was black and covered in red star markings. It's "chopper blades" were actually several long vines that had spikes on the ends and middle of them. The creature's drooling mouth opened, a wave of hot breath washing over us. It had rows of jagged, pointed teeth. The grotesque tongue lolled out and hung there. To top it off it had a long, black, shadowy tail that seemed to glow in the dark and billow behind it like a pillar of wind.
The princess screamed, shocked at the creature before them. "What in the name of-" I started, but was cut off when the creature zoomed towards the boat. We ducked and it passed over our heads harmlessly. It flew back only to be denied again as we ducked. The creature growled in rage and frustration, and started choking. Lucy cheered. "Yay! It's dying!" she said.
I motioned with my hand to get down. "Don't be too cocky..." I warned. Suddenly, with a violent hack the creature spit forward a glob of acidic goo. This was unexpected and dissolved a small part of the boat. I retaliated by shooting a fireball at it, which incinerated the creature. Its ashes blew away. I sighed, relived that the irksome creature was dead.
But our troubles were not over. I heard bubbling all around us and we looked to view several more of the piranha creatures rising from the muck. I cursed under my breath and took my Star Hammer. I released some of its powers into both oars and they spun around, insanely propelling us forwards, the creatures on our trail. The boat sped along, although not gaining enough altitude. The vile things spit the acid at us, me swerving the boat. I pointed my hand into the air and a pyro shot into the air. Unfortunately these creatures were not as ignorant as their sibling. They dodged it and continued there assault.
I shot a stream of fire there way, but the creatures just ducked under it. The boat shot around a corner and the creatures just kept following. Then, to my horror, one of the creatures swooped down, somehow sprouted legs, and grabbed Lucy, flying off with her. As the boat sped along, I pulled out the Star Hammer and jumped onto a grounded tree where the creature was flying. He dropped the princess and she fell in my arms. I grinned at her before putting her down on the log. I faced the creature and it landed next to me. I snickered at it. Two arms sprouted from its side and I stood awestruck. "Okay, maybe this won't be as easy," I said bluntly.
FWOOSH!!! A furious talon whipped past my face, nearly missing me. I jumped as it tried to sweep my feet out from under me and shot my hammer down. It jumped backwards and dodged it. The hammer cracked the log in half and we both slipped foward, falling into the icy murky water. We tumbled, clawing and biting and kicking. More of the creatures plunged down into the depths, following me. My hammer glowed as I held it above me as it started glowing, and a whip of light struck the creatures. They growled. I prepared another attack, but the hammer stopped glowing and flickered out. I looked in confusion, but was brought back to reality when a creature slashed at me.
Out on the log, Lucy was clinging for dear life, trying to avoid the creatures. One stalked her from the sky, and she shrieked. An enormous splash of water occurred and I came out of it, kicking away any creatures. I landed on the log and the creatures started to growl at me. I stood ready to fight. There was a long, low growl that made ripples in the water. The piranha creatures looked nervous and flew off. I scratched my head. "What could've scared them?" I asked her.
"Don't know. But I don't want to find out."
She swam over and collapsed on the boat, breathing deeply. I followed her and said, "Back there, my Star Hammer stopped working. Strange..." But I heard a shriek from Lucy and saw a giant reptilian head from beneath the water.
Chapter Twenty Two: Unfriendly Neighborhood
LUDWIG
I awoke to the potent smell of smoke filling my nostrils. I tried to lift my head but I was brought back down to earth. Wait... that wasn't earth... It was wood! I tried to move my arms and legs but found that I could not. I looked over and saw thick ropes binding my arms. I tugged at them but could not pull free. What was going on here? I looked at the sky. It was filled with crimson flame and darkness. I felt a bump under me, and I tried to strain my head to see. I could barely make out several of the villagers carrying the board I was tied to. "Hey, let me go!!!" The villagers just kept walking as if they had not heard me. A chill ran down my spine.
"CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" I bellowed, trying to get someone's attention, but nobody answered. I was lost in a pool of solitude. Out in the near distance, I saw something that made me gasp. A large wheel of fire was visible from out of the corner of my left eye. As it spun and rotated I could see small coals flying off in several directions. The villagers below me stopped and flipped me sideways. They pushed the board I was tied to roughly to a pole. They chained it and I could see several of the people. There were Koopas, Mushroomers, and other such creatures.
I looked to my side and gasped when I saw her chained to a pole as well. "LET HER GO, YOU ##%^$#%!!!" I screamed in fury, biting and gnawing at my bonds. The people just ignored us and started bowing. Connected to the metal pole I was chained to was a long metal bridge, and at each pole a person was tied there. Karma's eyes were closed and I guessed she had been knocked unconscious. I let out a long string of curses under my breath and looked back at the bowing villagers.
The bowing continued for a while, until the people stopped and began to speak. "My fellow people. We have come to offer sacrifice to him..." one man spoke.
After a short time, a voice rung out. I could not see him because I was facing the other way, but I knew who it was. The mayor. "Hyuk, hyuk. Those fools. They never knew what hit them." As he finished talking there was a large, green light, and the heat rose. From what I could tell, the fire wheel was rotating faster. In horror, I looked to my side, as a man a couple feet away from me started to twitch. His body shook violently until blood dripped from his mouth and his body lay still. Next a large, green entity ripped from the mans chest and went towards the fire wheel. This was happening all around me. People being slaughtered... "STOP!!!" I bellowed.
The green glow stopped and I heard footsteps approaching me. The mayor walked up to me and snickered. "So. You're conscious. That's too bad. Then your death will be even more painful. You foolish people, just walk in here and then get killed. You're helpless...." He spit in my face. I burned with anger.
"HELPLESS THIS, YA JERK!!!" I shot my two arms into my shell, followed by my legs. Then my head entered my shell and I shot forward, knocking him over.
"STOP HIM!!!" the Koopa bellowed. The Koopas tried to stand in my way but I knocked them down like bowling pins. I came over to Karma and untied her. I had to carry her in front of me to make sure she wasn't stabbed by my shell's spikes. Her black hair flowed in the wind and her eyes were shut tightly. Her body shivered from cold, fear, or both.
I looked to find a place where we could hide, and found one. There was a tall building that looked to be decaying. I flung open the door and ran up the stairs to the top floor, where I deposited Karma to the ground. I lowered my mouth to hers, and breathed into it. Again. I took off her shell, blushing, and pushed on her soft, furry stomach, repeatedly. She was so beautiful... I couldn't look away. Then I took her mouth again and breathed. She started coughing and opened her eyes. "Ludwig?" she asked.
I smiled. "Um, here you go," I said, handing her her article of clothing.
I looked away, and then she was dressed. Next thing I knew she had her arms around me and was kissing my face. "Thank you..." she muttered.
I grinned. "Hey, now we're even." She smiled at me and I kissed her, both of us crying.
We were interrupted by a low buzzing sound. I opened my eyes. "What's that?" Karma asked me.
Horror engulfed me as it grew louder. "Oh no..." I whispered.
"What's wrong?" she asked frantically.
The glass of the window shattered into a million tiny pieces. I leapt upon Karma, shielding her body with mine. Out from the window, a rather large Koopa with a chainsaw crashed through. A large burlap bag distorted his features. I grabbed Karma by the hand and ran. "If I get out of here alive, I'm never playing Resident Evil 4 again!!!" I shouted.
We ran to the front door, but a buzzing was heard and a chainsaw ripped through the fragile wooden door and split it in half. Karma shrieked as two more bagged Koopas came through the door, chainsaws held high. We looked on in terror. What we needed now, was a miracle. I slammed my fist into the Koopa's hard shell. I was surprised when it cracked, and the scaly flesh underneath was exposed. I impaled him with my claws and watched as he dropped to the floor in a pool of blood. I grabbed his chainsaw that was on the ground and swung it forward towards the other Koopa's neck. He retracted it into his shell along with the rest of him and zipped over to the wall, bouncing back and nailing me in the stomach.
As quick as a flash, the Koopa came out of his shell, grabbed the chainsaw I had, and was pressing it towards my neck. I pulled the same stunt he did, only different. I retracted my head into my shell, leaving my arms and legs free. I swung around, and with my legs, kicked him in the hindquarters. The panicking Koopa was sent flying out the window. The other looked at us with a great hatred. We didn't look to see what he would do next, and we ran out the door. As we ran we saw the house fall apart in a mess of burning rubble. The Koopa rushed forward as several more chainsaw-wielding Koopas cornered us. The one from the building stepped out, chainsaw in hand, cracking his neck.
The closest one to us ran forward, only to be stopped by my foot which knocked him backwards a bit. Another made several quick swipes with his saw, only to be denied by a slash to his face. Blood ran from the gash and he growled. I jumped over his blade and let out a large breath of fire from my mouth. His eyes widened as his head was burnt to ashes, and he fell over dead. I felt an immense amount of heat come from behind me, making me cringe. I nearly dodged the assail to see that these Koopas were not Koopas at all, but Boom Booms. They had large spiked shells and could breathe fire. That was good enough for me.
I told Karma to stay back, but she wanted in on the action. She whipped her long tongue out, snagging a Koopa. She swung it in a wide arc, hitting the others too. When she retracted her tongue she clawed at the Koopa. "YUCK!!! When was the last time you fellas washed your shells?" The black-haired hybrid of my dreams rushed forward and hacked up something from inside her. A long spray of stomach acid burned away at them. Then she shot a large ball of fire which knocked several Koopas backwards.
I jumped into the air and smacked one Koopa hard with my tail. He stumbled over backwards and blocked my next attack. In a vicious motion one of the other Koopas threw a chainsaw at me. I jumped out of the way and the Koopa was impaled with it. I grabbed it, wiped the blood off, and brandished it threateningly. A Koopa approached me and lashed out with his blade. We fought, Captain Hook, Peter Pan style until he backed me into a corner. Karma punched two in the face with her fists before smiling triumphantly. As the Koopa thrust the blade forward to gut me, I jumped over it and stabbed him.
It seemed that their shells were really weak. Remember, kids, drinking milk builds strong bones! *ahem* Sorry. Anyway, I realized that their shells were probably their weak point. "Go for the shells, Kar!" I said. I guess I should've realized this sooner, but I was caught up in the moment, I guess.
Working together, we finished off the last of the Koopas. We then hurried to leave, but a chillingly recognizable voice stopped us. "And do you really think you would escape?" it asked.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Dark and Dreary Night...
Thunder roared and boomed in the background of the Boo Mansion. It was just about after midnight and everyone was tucked away in their beds. Slimer and Mewtwo90 slept peacefully while Bow slept in torement. Down, deep down in the dark basement of the mansion, was a small Boo in a room full of beakers and test tubes. The small Boo had frizzled, brown hair and circle-rimmed glasses. He wore a black robe and was grinning mischievously. There was a large, black computer next to him that had a strange, red emblem on it. He pushed his glasses back in an upright position and typed furiously at his keyboard. There was a small, red apple in his hands that he crunched intentively.
He turned away from his keyboard and picked up his beakers. In one, a steaming, red liquid lay inside. In another was a cold, blue substance. In a third, a green, murky liquid rested inside. And in the final one, there was a black, deadly-looking liquid. He poured the first two containers together, and then poured the mixed substance into a large funnel. It twisted and swirled around inside a large series of tubes that led to a large opening. It fell inside, and then the wires attached to the side started to glow with a radiant electricity. He took the green and black, and mixed them together.
They bubbled and steamed before a small puff of smoke rose out, causing miniature thunderbolts to come out of it. When it dissipated he poured the liquid into the same funnel and watched it go into the opening. The electricity turned from yellow to blue and cracked and sparkled. He laughed silently to himself as his experiment was almost complete. He just needed one more ingredient...
~
Bow gasped as she saw the sparkling mirror walls all around her. Why was she here? Where was here? She did not understand. From behind her she heard a small cracking sound that was like the breaking of glass. She whipped around and there were two icy blue eyes waiting to meet her there. Purple hair flowed around the evil queen's head. Her fangs glinted. She was surrounding her. No. It was only reflections. The Boo princess kicked herself. But how do I know which one is real? she asked herself. The queen rushed her with a large sword. Bow was surprised when she heard the strike of metal upon metal and saw that she, too, had a sword in her hand.
It had a wooden hilt and was made of steel. She looked upon the thing as if it were a long lost friend and touched it. The purple-haired demon leapt forward, unleashing a flurry of rapid blows from her sword. She blocked them before retaliating with an attack of her own. She parried, and Bow jumped over her, trying to strike her with a downward slash. She blocked it, and she pressed it against her sword. They were locked in a struggle of blades for a couple of moments, but then the queen whipped around and caught the Boo Princess off guard.
Bow rolled quickly out of the way on the floor to avoid being skewered. She stopped another blow with her sword but the queen stepped back and blew a kiss at her. She ducked because she knew that kiss wasn't because the queen thought she was attractive. She was right. When it reached the far wall, the kiss exploded into a wall of icicles. Bow rushed forward, blond hair flying in the wind. Metal connected and sparks flew everywhere. The queen growled, making sharp slashes that merely whisked the air. Bow laughed and flaunted her strength as she made a quick upward slash.
The queen blocked it as she soared into the sky, spinning at great speeds. She hit the ground and sent a shockwave towards Bow. She grimaced and shot her sword into the ground, making her own shockwave and propelling the queen's back at her. Bow cried with a fierce intensity that startled the queen a bit. She locked swords once again with Bow and struggled against her. Bow struggled against the queen. They stood there pushing and shoving with all their mortal might. Sweat dripped down the princess' forehead as she realized she would accomplish nothing this way.
~
Slimer awakened slowly and got out of bed, as if drawn to do so. He kicked aside the covers and walked out of the room. Quietly he walked down the creaking, wooden stairs. His eyes were pupiless and he did not make a sound as he walked out of the door and continued on into the forest. An aroused Mewtwo90 looked to see that Slimer was gone. Looking out the window, he saw his friend walking into the forest. Curious, he followed him. Slimer49'r walked forward, hands always out. He looked like a stupefied zombie in the glowing moonlight. The furry, green alien stepped out of the mansion behind him.
As Slimer walked farther and farther into the forest, he started to wonder why he was there. There was a release on his mind, and he wondered why he had left the house in the first place. There was a rustling in the bushes behind him. Slimer turned, ready to face whatever was there. The alien stepped out of the bushes. "Slimer? Why did you leave?" he asked.
"Oh, It's only you. I don't know," Slimer said uncertainly to his freind.
They stood there for a couple of seconds before Slimer spoke. "We should probably be getting back, although I forget the way I came. Do you remember?" He shook his head. Slimer sighed. "Let's look for away out." He said. Mewtwo90 nodded.
Soon, amongst the deathly quiet forest they found a wooden shack. "Strange..." Slimer muttered. The two walked over to it and opened the door. As they walked down the stairs they could not see two feet in front of their face.
"HEY!"
"WATCH IT!!!"
"THAT HURTS!!!"
"YOU'RE STANDING ON MY TAIL!!!"
"STOP GRABBING MY JOURBLES!!!"
"... I don't even want to know..." Slimer was surprised when his boot touched metal instead of sensitive wood. "What the-" he started. Then their vision came back and they found they were in a large, underground factory. There were humongous gears everywhere that spun around and pipes that sprayed steam.
On the ceiling was a large, black symbol of a purple Mushroom. But it did not look like one from Plit. It had large, sharp fangs... Despite this confusing place, the two continued on. Green acid bubbled from down below and large, steel statues of a purple woman who resembled Princess Peach were visible and were shooting acidic green goop from there mouths.
At the end of the room there was a large door. "How do we open this thing?" Slimer asked. The alien was clueless and just shrugged his shoulders. Slimer took a PBB and blew the door down. "Hah! Well that's one way," he said. In the next room they were surprised to see small, purple Mushroom creatures glaring at them, just like the one on the ceiling, only with a body. "Sorry fellas, didn't mean to interrupt," Slimer said, gulping.
~
The X-Naut ship cruised on through the night sky, swiftly and effortlessly. The rain hit the windshield, then dripped down. Lightning flashed in the background. Grodus sat on his seat at the front of the vehicle. Lord Crump sat besides him reading "Nerds Who Live With Their Evil Dictator Monthly", and smiling. He whistled. "Oh man, look at those babies!"
One of his fellow X-Nauts ran over looking. "Where?" Lord Crump pointed out in the magazine two human babies. The X-Naut groaned. "Dude, you'rr such a loser."
He went back to his station before Lord Crump yelled. "And look, hot chicks!!!"
The foolish X-Naut came over again, only to be shown a picture of baby chickens on a frying pan. "... Weirdo," was Crumps' response before the X-Naut once again returned to his station.
Grodus turned around. "CRUMP, PUT THAT AWAY, YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!!!" he bellowed.
Crump shrunk back meekly, putting away his magazine only to start playing "Nintendogs" on his Nintendo DS. "Those are cute little puppies..." Crump whispered. A bolt of lightning came down and struck Crump, frying his Nintendo DD to a crisp, courtesy of Grodus. "NOOOO!!!! MY PUPPIES!!!"
Grodus turned back, muttering something about good help these days when they noticed something in the sky in front of them. It was another large ship, with an angry face painted on it and a purple top. Grodus looked at it intentively. A laser blast shot at the X-Nauts' ship. The ship rumbled and Grodus roared with anger. "RETURN FIRE!!!"
The X-Nauts typed in a couple of keys and the two barrels of the X-Naut ship let out a large, blue beam that rocked the other ship. "Transmission, Captain," one X-Naut said.
"On screen. I want to find out who is in that ship."
The screen came down and a face popped up. It was a strange creature, one that Grodus had never seen before. It was an alien woman, he could tell that even though she didn't have long hair. Her face was purple, and her head kind of looked like a Mushroom. It had white spots on it and her eyes were red. Also she wore a dress that greatly resembled Peach's.
"My name is Princess Shroob. If you get out of the sky, we will not have to kill you."
Grodus raged and seethed. "JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU HAG?!"
Her eyes narrowed. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A HAG, YOU BUCKET O' BOLTS?! YOU'RE A FREAKIN' ROBOT!!!"
The transmission stopped and a large amount of pink lasers came from the ship, bombarding Grodus's. Grodus retaliated with a large continuing blast of lasers. The two ships ran down, crashing deep within a forest...