Chapter 3: Ape's Country
After the group received the gold Moonlight Flower from Bigger Boo, Lily led the rest of the group to a doorway leading to her home, where she placed the Moonlight Flower into one of the eight slots on the door. Shortly after, the group traveled to obtain the garnet Moonlight Flower.
While this was occurring, Iggy was torturing Lily's father while interrogating him about the source of power in the Lunar Flower Kingdom. After several interrogation attempts, Iggy returned the man to his prison.
Mario and his group were forced to travel the Mushroom River after they found that the train station was destroyed. When the engine of the boat broke down due to an empty gas tank, Yoshi sent the boat plowing through the forest by activating a secret jet in the engine. The boat was instantly sent to Mushroom City as a result. Mario and the others took the skywalk system of the city to avoid detection by Iggy's troops while traveling to the Moonlight Flower. Early on their journey, Lily suffered sudden pain with the illusion of her mother's death caused by an unknown source, and she was forced to ride on Yoshi's back to rest. After a battle with several Koopas, the majority of the group took a break in an office, but not before Lily wrote in her diary.
As Iggy's air force continued to patrol the city, an unidentified girl interfered and wiped out most of the air force. In response to this, Iggy sent a ground force to physically deal with Mario's group. He continued to plan some changes to his plans thereafter.
The next morning, Mario woke up after a long sleep to build up energy. However, peace and quiet would soon become panic and noise as the Koopas approached the party's position. Mario woke his allies up to escape the Koopas and to hurry to the Mushroom Tower, only to face a destroyed segment of the skywalk. But the group reached the other side and searched the top floor of the tower. After searching all over the top floor, with Yoshi nearly falling to his death, the party regrouped and explained what they’d located. However, none had found the Moonlight Flower. Yoshi, out of his hunger, clobbered Luigi against the wall, exposing a button inside the wall. The button was activated by Mario, exposing a pillar containing the Moonlight Flower. The group collected it but at the cost of being forced out of the tower and into the sewers by the bombers. After a minor situation where Koops was stuck trying to catch the Moonlight Flower, the group ended up on a highway that collapsed due to the bombers and would have taken the group with it had not Lily used her levitation to get the group floating in air. With the Garnet Moonlight Flower in hand, Mario and the group headed back to Peach's castle, explaining what happened in the city.
What is the secret
of the Moonlight Flowers? Who was the mysterious girl aiding Mario and
Co? Will Lily's mother face the same fate as her husband?
At Mario's Pad...
"That's a second Moonlight Flower collected," Mario sighed.
"Just six left," Luigi added.
"Um, Mario?" asked Koops. "All this walking is making me want to use the restroom."
"There's a restroom in the back." Mario directed his finger towards the backside hallway.
"Thanks." Koops strolled into the backside of the house.
"Hey, Lily," Luigi yawned, tired due to the walking, "where is the next Moonlight Flower?"
Lily closed her eyes and glowed. She then answered, "The third Moonlight Flower is in a jungle... A jungle filled with apes..."
"Hm, DK Island," Mario exclaimed softly. "I’d better get Donkey Kong to get a view of what is going on."
In the restroom, Koops was washing his hands, adding soap as he does. Just when he was about to leave, he noticed a coconut in the shower.
"Huh?" squeaked Koops. "What's a coconut doing here in the restroom?" He caught the coconut and, to his surprise, it opened to reveal a note. The note, in red letters, read:
To Mario and who else it may concern:
This is DK, and I need your help. Our jungle is under attack from those annoying, lousy Koopas. They are doing this because they are searching for an object known as a Moonlight Flower. If they get their hands on it, our island is toast. The Koopas have captured some of us Kongs, but you can free them by helping us out.
Donkey Kong
"Mario!" yelled Koops. "I located a note!"
Mario, hearing Koops's voice, strolled over to the restroom to get a view of the note. "You found a note?" he asked.
"Yes," Koops answered, "it's from Donkey Kong."
"I am guessing that Donkey Kong is already aware of the situation, since the Koopas are searching for the Moonlight Flower there. Tell the others that we are heading to DK Island immediately."
"Not a problem."
"Wait," Lily interrupted. "We need to head to the doorway first."
"Ok."
Lily created a portal from her hands, and the group lunged inside. After popping out from the other side, the group was now at the doorway to Lily's homeplace. Lily gently tugged the Garnet Moonlight Flower from Mario's pocket and inserted it into the garnet-colored slot adorned on the door. Like the previous Flower, the Garnet Moonlight Flower transformed into a snow-colored version of itself.
"Where's next Flower?" Yoshi asked.
"The next Moonlight Flower we should be heading to is the Aquamarine Moonlight Flower," answered Lily. "We should leave so we can liberate my parents and siblings."
"Wait. Back up," Mario mumbled. "You have-a siblings?"
"Yes, I have two younger sisters. Their names are Luna and Estrella. I also have an older brother whose name is Sol."
"Interesting. Let's leave."
The party soon exited the doorway via Lily's portal and started their travel towards DK Island. "All right," Mario announced, "we can travel to DK Island by a boat."
"Is that boat free?" Luigi asked.
"Yes."
"Ok."
"Let's-a leave."
The group strolled towards Toad Town Harbor. As they approached the harbor...
"*cough, cough*" Koops coughed. "What is that smoke?"
Mario pulled out a pair of binoculars to gain a sight of a boat on fire. The boat had the letters "DK" adorned on the side, but the party couldn't find a decent view due to the smoke.
"Looks like we won't be leaving for some time," gasped Mario.
Mario sped off to the docks and the others followed suit, approaching a terrified Toad.
"What seems-a to be the problem, sir?" Mario asked.
"The b-b-boat... We were working on the boat... Then, just as we were starting up the engine, it caught on f-f-fire due to the oil shortage... We forgot that there was no oil in the boat's engine..." the Toad stammered.
"Are there people still inside?"
"There are two Toads stuck in the fire... Can you help?"
"Not a problem. I'll see what I can do."
"I'm going with you. *cough* Geez..." Koops coughed.
"Ok."
Mario and Koops climbed over the edge of the boat, then bolted through the doorway leading to the engine.
"Hello?" Mario called out. "Are you still there?"
"We are over here!" a voice yelled. Mario staggered his way slowly to the Toads stuck in a corner of the room.
"Hold on tight," Mario coughed. "This is going to be a rough ride." Mario grabbed the Toads and sped his way to the doorway while avoiding the fires. He barely reached the doorway just as the fire was spreading. He then dropped the Toads.
"Thanks, Mario," the first Toad sighed.
"But, the engine is still on fire!" the second panicked.
"I'll find a way to put the fire out," Mario grunted.
"Mario, we should use water to put out the fire," Koops suggested.
"No," Mario argued, "water will only make the fire spread even farther. I need to find a fire extinguisher."
Mario bolted back into the engine room and slowly traveled around for a fire extinguisher. As he looked around, he noticed a fire extinguisher in a corner, but it was blocked off by the flames. Taking the risk, Mario jumped into the gap in the fire. Barely passing the flames, Mario grabbed the fire extinguisher and proceeded to spray the flames. Within seconds, the flames were gone... but, the engine was completely damaged and in ruins...
"#$^&!" Mario swore at the top of his voice.
"I'm sorry, Mario," the first Toad sighed. "We need to repair the engine. It will take us awhile, so come back later.
"Ok." Mario stomped out of the boat in frustration.
"What's wrong?" asked Koops, who flinched at Mario's rage.
"The engine has been damaged," Mario sighed, slightly annoyed. "We need to come back here later."
At the forests of the Lunar Flower Kingdom, where the Koopa Troop was absent, there were three children hidden in the trees, silently watching the invasion of their homeplace. The first figure was a female child around seven years old who wore a short dress and had green eyes and pale blond hair. Her hair was almost white, but not as bright as Lily's and the length was shorter. The second was another female, around ten years old, with darker blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a grass-colored dress that was longer than the first girl's but shorter than Lily's. The third figure was a male adolescent, seventeen years old, who had the same hair color as Lily. His clothing was made up of white pants and a pale-colored shirt. His eyes were brown.
"Um," the younger of the girls mumbled, "we need to get our parents out of the castle..."
"We can't," the boy replied. "The Koopas will kill us if they catch anyone trying to rescue them."
"What about our sister?" the older of the girls whispered.
"Lily is with the plumber known as Mario," the boy, named Sol, answered.
"Where are they?" the older girl, Estrella, asked.
"They are at... They are..." Sol's voice trailed off, for he was focusing on locating Lily and Mario.
"Where are they?"
"They are at the docks of Toad Town, waiting for the transport to DK Island, where the third Moonlight Flower will be located."
"Are they?" the younger girl, Luna, asked.
"Correct."
"We must get to the castle..."
"No, we must wait until either Lily arrives or the Koopas pull out of the castle. I can only hope that our parents are okay... Alive and breathing..."
Back at the docks, Mario and Co. were waiting for the boat to be repaired. It had been ten minutes since the fire was put out and only eight minutes since the Toads started repairing the boat.
"Hey, Mario?" asked Luigi. "Is there anything we can do while the Toads repair the boat?"
"Nothing," Mario groaned, "except-a sleep, maybe."
"Okay."
Lily and Koops slept while Yoshi played around, leaving Luigi and Mario to sit by the burnt boat. While Luigi was drinking a Shroom Shake, Mario was simply sitting by the boat, but there was one problem raging inside his head.
"What is-a the story behind the Lunar Flower people? Why does Iggy need their power? Are there other Koopalings involved as well? Whatever he is after, this adventure is about more than just liberating the Lunar Flower Kingdom. It's about the rivalry between-a the Koopa Troop and me. I will bring Iggy down, no matter-a the cost."
"Hey, Mario," yawned Luigi, "are you getting tired yet..?"
"Almost," Mario sighed.
One hour later...
"Luigi, could you go check on Lily and Koops?" Mario asked.
"Yes, Bro..." Luigi yawned.
Mario stayed in his place. As he did, he was still wondering about the reason Iggy was trying to steal the Lunar Flower Kingdom's power. Even so, he already understood that he had to stop Iggy. "But, if Iggy gets the power source..." he whispered inside his mind, "it will be too late. I must find a way to prevent him from achieving such power. But, how?"
Mario continued to stay inside his mind for the next few minutes. However, he did not have time to fully plan out on how to stop Iggy, because all of a sudden...
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"What the?" Mario forced himself back to reality. He slowly strolled his way to the docks, only to encounter Luigi and Koops restraining Lily, who was screaming and shaking heavily. "Lily, wake up," Mario sighed.
The snow-haired maiden did not respond.
"Lily, wake up now." Mario pulled one of Lily's eyelids open, exposing her to sunlight and waking her up.
"Mario..." Lily moaned, "I had another nightmare... This time, it was about Iggy stealing the source of our power and using it to destroy me..."
"He won't-a steal the source and he won't kill you. I-a won't let him."
"But, Bro," Luigi squeaked, "what if he does?"
"He won't!" Mario replied. "Now, is the boat ready?"
"Yes. It's finished. The boat's ready to go."
"Let's-a move."
Mario sleepily limped his way to the boat, exhausted. The others, wide awake, followed him.
"Start the engine," the Toad on the deck ordered the driver. The engine slowly cranked up until reaching full activity. Afterwards, the boat flowed out of the harbor and into the ocean. Mario paced around the boat to regain his focus. On the other side, Lily was singing a song. Inside, Luigi, Yoshi, and Koops were sitting in some of the seats.
"Yoshi bored," Yoshi whined.
"Just wait until the boat reaches the island," Koops mumbled.
"But-"
"Wait," Luigi interrupted, "what's that sound? It sounds like musical notes."
"Yoshi think Lily is singing," Yoshi answered.
"Really?"
"Why does she sing a lot?" Koops asked.
"Beats me."
Outside, Mario strolled his way towards Lily, who was still singing. "Er, Lily?"
Lily stopped singing and whispered, "Hm?"
"Why does-a Iggy need your parents?"
"Well, they are the assigned guardians of the energy source that has been powering our kingdom for many centuries. If the power is stolen, darkness will cause the Lunar Flowers to decay, and our people will perish. Iggy captured my parents as a means to finding the power source. So far, my father is still trying to resist his torture, but he can't hold out much longer. And I can't locate my mother, even with the best of my abilities."
"What about your sisters and brother?"
"I can't locate them either. I'm not sure if they are captured or lost."
"Explain to me something: Why did the kingdom send you?"
"Well, there are other flower maidens across my home, but I am the most important because I am the eldest daughter of the guardians. My position as daughter of the guardians gives me more abilities than other flower maidens. I am also the only resident in my homeplace that can be infused with the Moonlight Flowers. I was granted this ability the day I was born."
"I get it now. I'll be at the back of the boat. You can keep singing."
"Okay." As Mario proceeded to the other side of the boat, Lily continued to sing. As the sun began to set, Lily pulled out her diary and started on a new entry.
Day 3
I am on the boat to DK Island. As I watch the sun rise, I can imagine my faith rising to new heights, and I may be able to find my parents in time. But, when I watch the sun fall, I can feel my hopes spiral down to an all-time low. However, I must not surrender to the evils that oppress my home, especially the threat of Iggy Koopa, the new leader of the Koopas. If he is looking for the destruction of our people, I must find help to unite against his diabolical plans that threaten to bring death and darkness among the kingdom. I will be at DK Island to collect the Aquamarine Moonlight Flower. Mario, Luigi, and their allies can help me in their bold attempt to free my homeplace.
Lily untied her hair, extending the length of her hair to her feet. She continued to write in her diary.
The blackness of the Koopa Troop's crimes has reached fever pitch, ever since Bowser attempted to plague the Mushroom Kingdom with nightmares. Although he failed in the plot, Iggy is continuing the Koopa Troop's reign of darkness... I must stay strong...
Lily
Mario was standing still at the other side of the boat. As he waited, he spotted an island far off. Like Yoshi's Island, it contained plants and animal life, but unlike Yoshi's Island, this island had a more tropical scene to it.
"Guys," Mario called out, "we're approaching DK Island."
"Are we?" Koops groaned, slightly tired.
"Yep."
As the boat approached the coast, the driver announced, "Passengers, please take your belongings as you depart from the boat. Thank you and have a pleasant trip on DK Island." The driver did not realize that the trip Mario and his group were making was nowhere near safe.
"All right," Mario sighed, "we need to search for Donkey Kong so he can help us."
"Yes," Luigi added, "we need him so he can help us."
Mario's group started their path through the rainforest to search for DK.
"So," Luigi commented, "this area of the rainforest is safe, right?"
"Not exactly," Mario warned. "The Koopas could-a be spread out all over the island, so be careful."
The group continued to travel on a straight path, that is, until reaching a house. This house had its door ripped from its hinges, its roof partly collapsed, and a major hole in one of the walls.
"Someone raided that house," Yoshi squeaked.
"Let's-a check it out," Mario ordered.
The group entered the house through its doorway. Inside, several portraits were destroyed, a chair was smashed, and everything else was in ruins, except for a single object...
"What's this?" Koops asked the others.
"No clue," Luigi stammered.
"What is it?" Mario moved closer to peek at the object. The object was a container, about the size of a shoe. When Mario opened it up, inside was a note. In green letters, the note was written like this:
I need some help. Can't explain the reason why. The Koopas are about to invade my house, and I need Diddy to help me from the Koopas. I must ge-
The rest of the note was missing.
"The person who wrote this letter got kidnapped," Lily whispered.
"And why did the person mention Diddy Kong?" Mario asked to himself. But, it didn't took him long to find out who wrote the letter. "Wait, that's Dixie Kong's letter! She's Diddy's girlfriend and she asked Diddy for help. But, she was taken by the Koopas..."
"Really?" Luigi mumbled.
"Yes. We'll help her later, but first, we need to find DK."
Before Mario could leave, however, a low explosion occurred from afar. "There must a battle going on somewhere in the forest. Hurry!"
Mario and Co. continued to search for DK. On the way, Mario noticed something unusual about the plants in the forest. He noticed that the plants were seeping a carbon-colored, semi-liquid substance from their roots, vines, and leaves. "There's something-a dripping from the plants..." he mumbled to himself.
"It's not mud..." Luigi sighed.
"It smell awful!" Yoshi gasped.
"What's doing this?" Koops asked.
Mario did not reply. Instead, he continued on into the forest. But then he heard a Koopa get pounded into a tree from a distance. Realizing this, Mario turned his head around to see an open area. On one side was an army of Koopas. On the other were two Kongs attempting to drive them off the island. The first Kong had a tie around his neck and was very muscular. The other was smaller in size and not as strong, but wore a shirt and even adorned a cap. Mario bolted to the battle area, but soon slowed down and crouched to avoid detection by the Koopas. Once he was close enough, he grabbed a Koopa from behind and snapped his neck with a sharp twist of the neck, paralyzing him.
"Hey, Mario!" DK called out. "It's great that you can help us drive the Koopas off this island."
"Yeah!" Mario called back.
Luigi and Koops attacked the Koopas from behind, with Luigi stomping on the Koopas' heads and Koops sliding his shell at some of the higher-ranking Koopas. A larger Koopa snatched Luigi and the latter started to suffocate. But...
"El Rio de la Luna!" Lily yelled, and she summoned a water flow that tripped the Koopa and stunned him. (Fact: "El Rio de la Luna", in Spanish, means "the River of the Moon".) Afterwards, Luigi dealt an uppercut to the Koopa, followed by a kick from behind by Mario. Several Koopas circled around Luigi and Yoshi, trapping them from the others. One Koopa slammed into Yoshi's head, almost knocking him out. The second also aimed for Yoshi, but Luigi kicked the Koopa shell away. Yoshi tried to swallow a Koopa, but his accuracy was sharply reduced due to the blow in the head, resulting in a miss. Mario grabbed a Koopa and slammed his head into the ground. Shortly after, Mario dealt a skull-crunching stomp to the head. Two Koopas tried to charge into DK, but the ape punched them backwards.
"There's no end to them..." Luigi gasped.
Mario tossed a Koopa shell at DK, who then kicked the shell into the distance. The commanding officer shouted, "UNLEASH THE SUPER KOOPA!" But, before he could get back to commanding his troops, Luigi electrocuted the CO. The troops scrambled.
"Well," DK sighed, "that takes care of-"
He did not have time to finish, for in the skies, a giant Koopa was plummeting down towards the party. When it landed, it roared with horrible fury that almost matched that of Iggy or even Bowser. It also pounded towards the ground. Luigi zapped the Koopa, but to no avail. The Koopa turned to Luigi and slammed its fist into him, and Luigi passed out. DK grabbed the Koopa by the head and held on, but only briefly before being thrown off. Mario aimed at the eyes, and the Koopa was blinded. Lily jumped up and slammed the Koopa down with her foot. But the Koopa snatched her and punched her away. Then it grabbed a massive chunk of earth and tossed it at her and Koops, injuring them both.
"This Koopa has to be stopped," Koops whispered to himself before charging up and slamming the Koopa in the mouth. But the Koopa squeezed Koops and stomped the young Koopa into the earth. It charged into Lily before she even attempted to attack. Mario and DK tripped the Koopa by attacking at the legs. The Koopa toppled over, but not before dealing major damage to Lily. Koops grabbed himself out of the hole and tossed his shell at the toppled Koopa. The Koopa tried to stand up, but it was overwhelmed by Mario, Koops, and DK. Yoshi tried to throw an egg, but when he did, his throw was off-course because the blow to the head was still affecting his accuracy. DK grabbed the Koopa and tossed it into the other side of the open area. The Koopa recovered and tossed Luigi at the rest of the party. While Koops and DK sidestepped in time, Mario and Lily were knocked down. Lily tried to stand up, but she was heavily injured to the point of making her unable to stand. Mario had taken less damage and managed to stand up. Mario jumped on the Koopa's head, stunning the Koopa.
Meanwhile, Lily was paralyzed and was losing consciousness. "Help... me..." she croaked. "I need... help..." A small amount of grass-colored blood was trickling from her mouth.
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!" Mario screamed as the Koopa punched him away.
"I need to find a way to defeat it..." DK pondered.
DK punched the Koopa, but not before being strangled until freed by Mario. The Koopa tried to kick Mario, but Mario stopped the foot and the two soon entered a stalemate. Koops bolted away from the battle to revive Lily, and Yoshi took his place in trying to defeat the gargantuan Koopa.
"C'mon, Lily," Koops whispered to himself as he pulled Lily up. "Get up... Get up..."
"Thanks, Koops~" Lily sang.
DK and Yoshi tossed eggs and barrels at the Koopa, which was still in a stalemate with Mario. Mario pulled on the Koopa's foot, toppling it over. But the Koopa retracted into its shell and charged at the party. Lily levitated into the air, while Mario dodged the incoming shell. However, the shell was performing another pass. Again, Mario dodged it. DK tried to stop the shell, but he was crushed while doing so. Yoshi tossed eggs at the Koopa's head, and the Koopa lost control of its path. It spiraled all the way to its backside and was unable to stand. Mario ground pounded the Koopa and delivered major damage to the Koopa. DK finally defeated the Koopa by dealing a devastating blow the head.
"It's over," Mario sighed. "DK, are you going to help me find the Moonlight Flower?"
"Sure," DK accepted.
~Donkey Kong has now joined the group~
"I'm going to be leaving now." Diddy Kong strolled away from the rest of the group.
"Do you-a know where the Moonlight Flower is?" Mario asked DK.
"According to legend," DK explained, "the Moonlight Flower is hidden in an underground temple. The temple is somewhere on the western half of the island. Anyway, let's-"
"Wait," Mario interrupted, "I need to carry Luigi. He's still out cold."
Mario carried Luigi's unconscious form and the group started their travel to the western part of the island. But, they were unaware that they were being watched by a mysterious figure. It was the same girl that silently watched over Mario's group back in Mushroom City. She was floating in the air using her jets.
"I must send them a message about the temple and the Koopas that are there," she whispered.
She slowly soared over the jungle to keep watch on Mario's group.
Meanwhile...
"Is there anyone in the temple?" Luigi murmured.
"Well," DK answered, "there are Kong spirits that lie within the temple and are the guardians of the Aquamarine Moonlight Flower. They grant whoever visits the temple several puzzles and challenges. If the person completes them all, they receive the Moonlight Flower."
"Hmm."
The group continued to travel west until reaching a large hole in the jungle. At first the hole was completely dark, but soon, several flames illuminated the path.
"We should go down here," Koops suggested.
"Urmmmm..." Luigi moaned, regaining consciousness.
"Luigi's waking up," Mario mumbled. He placed Luigi onto the ground.
"Where am I?" Luigi moaned again.
"The Koopa knocked you out, and we are about to enter the temple where the Moonlight Flower is."
"Okay."
As Luigi tried to stand up, the party entered the dirt pathway.
"DK, has anyone tried to enter the temple? And if anyone has, did they try the challenges?" Koops asked.
"There were many people that entered the temple," DK answered. "But many were afraid to take the challenges, and for those that did try them, they did not survive. According to the lore scrawled inside the temple, in order for the person to pass, the person must have the four qualities: courage, strength, wisdom, and the ‘ability to see beyond’. If the person has all four qualities, he will succeed in the challenges."
"Who-a explained all this to you?" Mario added to Koops's commented.
"Cranky Kong, my father."
"That's-a why nobody's received the Moonlight Flower yet, but we need to pass the challenges to-a receive the Moonlight Flower."
As the group continued on inside the pathway, Mario noticed the light that marked the entrance was fading away and the hallway's structure was changing from dirt to stone. The flames were also brightening. "We must be approaching the temple," Mario mumbled.
Meanwhile, in the Lunar Flower Kingdom...
"How is the torture going?" an elite Koopa asked.
"Well," the rookie Koopa explained, "the man is refusing to talk. He still isn't speaking, even with the best of our torture methods. We were even planning to murder his wife if he refuses to guide us to the power source."
"You already understand that Iggy doesn't tolerate refusal of info. He does not take No for an answer. Get him to talk."
"Yes, sir."
"How's the woman?"
"She is in a normal state."
"Remember what Iggy ordered: Do NOT harm the woman unless instructed. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Try to get the get the answers out of the man."
Back with Mario's group, the light marking the entrance had faded away completely by the time the group stopped at a doorway. The doorway was sealed and did not open when Mario tried it.
"Mario, stand back," DK ordered. When he stood in front of the door, the seal on the door glowed, then vanished. The door slowly sank into the ground, opening a new pathway.
"This pathway must lead to the temple," Lily whispered. "Let's head inside."
As the group headed inside, they noticed they were no longer on a long pathway, but in a large room filled with columns and glass-stained pictures of the ancestors of the present-day Kongs. The temple must have stood for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, for some of the structures had partly collapsed to the temple grounds. On top of the ceiling was the Moonlight Flower inside a container. Mario caught view of a note. He picked it up and read it:
There are Koopas in the temple. Watch out for them inside the challenge rooms! I hope you gain the Aquamarine Moonlight Flower.
"What Koopas?" Yoshi squeaked.
"We have to watch out," Mario sighed.
"Wait, what's that?" Koops pointed at the lights forming above the group. The group of lights grew brighter until reaching the altitude of the party.
"Donkey Kong..." a voice called.
"Who's that?" Luigi asked, slightly frightened.
"That voice..." DK pondered. "Who are you?"
"I am your great grandfather. I'm here to guide you and your allies on your request for the Moonlight Flower, the sacred object we have been guarding for so long..."
"What's the challenges?"
"We have six challenges," an elderly female Kong's voice rang. "Each challenge will be assigned to a member of the group."
"Are you..."
"I am your great grandmother. As I was explaining, all six of you must have courage, strength, wisdom, and the ability to see beyond. If you are capable of all four qualities, you will be rewarded."
"But, you must be careful," an elderly, masculine voice rang. "My great-great grandson, the Koopas have raided this sacred place and are trying to steal the Moonlight Flower from this place."
"I will."
"Each one of you will go through the six doors on the other side of the room," DK's great grandfather explained. "Once there, you must take your challenges. Do you get my word?"
"Yes, I understand."
Mario and the others traveled to the six doors. By some magical force, the six doors opened at the presence of Mario's party. When the party strolled past the doors, they closed.
"Good luck," DK's great grandmother cheered softly.
Mario's Challenge...
Mario entered a room where several platforms branched off one another. There were different paths on the other side. On Mario's side of the room, a message was written. The message was:
There are many paths to take, but only one will lead to life. Look beyond what you see...
"I can't tell which path I should take..." Mario pondered inside his head. "I must pick a path."
Mario jumped on the first platform, which did not follow any path. He jumped on the second platform, which collapsed suddenly behind him. But by the time he reached the fifth platform, he had to decide where to go, for if he picked the wrong path, it could mean death for him...
"I'll pick the path in the center," Mario decided. Mario jumped towards the next couple of platforms, but as he got closer to the hole, he started to become unsure... "Something isn't right," Mario mumbled. As he approached the hole, he started to see the hole fade away. Mario instantly jumped to the right. Again, the hole faded away. He jumped again to the right, and this time, the hole didn't disappear. He jumped inside to find himself in a room full of Koopas. Mario wanted to avoid an all-out battle with the Koopas, so he hid himself behind the columns. He tossed several fireballs before moving on to the next column. Several Koopas caught fire and others tried to escort them out of the temple to receive treatment. Once the Koopas had filtered out of the room, Mario jumped out and sealed most of the temple doors. In the front side of the room were three unlocked doors. Mario already understood that only one path would lead him to safety, while the other two would lead to his doom...
"I have to pick which door to select..." he pondered.
Which door should
Mario choose?
Left
Center
Right
Left Door (Live)
Mario opened
the left door to find a pathway. He slowly strolled across the hallway,
checking to find any traps. He then noticed a door on the other side. When
he reached the other side, he opened the door to find another open area
in the temple grounds.
Center Door (Death)
Mario opened
the center door to find a pathway. As he checked the hallway for traps,
the ground below him suddenly collapsed. Mario tried to grab on to the
wall to climb back up, but to no avail. From the hallway, a loud slash
was heard, then nothing...
You made the wrong choice.
Right Door (Trap)
Mario opened
the right door to find a hallway. When he noticed the door on the other
side, he bolted for the door, but it quickly disappeared. He tried to reach
the door he entered the hallway from, but it abruptly locked.
"Dang," Mario groaned, "I'm stuck here. Now, I will never stop Iggy..."
You made the wrong
choice.
When Mario got out of the hallway, he reached a boulder that was blocking the path. There was also a message by the boulder:
You must unlock the true potential of your might... Release the beast in you...
"I'll have to bust down the boulder." Mario jumped towards the boulder, then proceeded to unblock the path. Mario pushed as hard as he could, then jabbed and kicked it to loosen it up, and threw fireballs to further weaken its structure. Finally, he rammed the boulder out of the pathway, which also caused the collapse of the boulder shortly after. Soon, he entered another open area in the temple.
"I have to wait for the others," he sighed.
Koops's challenge...
Koops entered a temple room filled with unstable pillars. The exit was on the top. Next to him was a message:
With every great prize comes the ultimate sacrifice... Know the limits of your wisdom...
"I must destroy the pillars," Koops mumbled. "But that means that I won't reach the exit." Koops punched one of the unstable pillars and within seconds, the pillars collapsed one by one. Ultimately, however, the pillars holding up the platform to the exit shattered.
"I need to search for a way to reach the exit." Koops searched the room for a way to reach the exit. He tried to launch his shell all the way to the top, but the exit was too high. He then attempted to push a pillar to reach the exit, but the pillar was extremely heavy. He then noticed several indentions on the wall leading up to the exit. As a last resort, he grabbed onto the indentions to climb up to the exit. At one point, part of the wall crumbled away to the ground, but that didn't slow down Koops. He finally reached the top after a struggle to grab the edge.
As he entered the next room, he noticed several Koopas blocking the door. Like Mario, Koops wanted to avoid an all-out battle with them. He bolted to the cave-in on the side of the wall, and tossed his shell. The shell bounced off the wall, striking the Koopas in the process. When the last Koopa was defeated, Koops grabbed his shell and proceeded to the next room. In the room was a mirror. Next to the mirror was a message:
Even when your darkest demons try to haunt you, never give up your courage and your strength...
Koops stared at the mirror, but without warning, several images appeared. These images were Koops’s personal fears. First, an image of Hooktail chowing down on Koops's father flashed. Koops fell down to his knees. The second image was Koops himself sobbing next to Koopie Koo's dead body. Koops was brought even lower by the image. More images of Koops's fears flashed constantly.
"I can't... get up..." Koops croaked. He tried to stand, but to no avail.
What do you think
Koops should do?
Stand up
Do nothing
Stand up (Live)
Koops stood up
to the mirror and whispered, "I am not afraid to stand up to these fears..."
His voice slowly rose to a louder sound. "I am not afraid of these fears...
I am not afraid... I am not afraid. I am not afraid!"
The images stopped and the mirror shattered. Koops strolled to the next room.
Do Nothing (Death)
Koops did not
attempt to stand. As he stood still, the fears began to corrode his mind
and physical strength. "Can't... take... the pain..." he croaked again.
Finally, his fears completely drained him of strength. Koops screamed his
final scream and collapsed to the floor, no longer breathing...
You made the wrong
choice.
When Koops entered the next room, a large sphere was in a corner of the room. In the center of the room was a slot with a message inside:
Release the spirits of the sphere into the portal to eternal peace...
"I have to move the ball into the slot," Koops translated. Koops tried to push the sphere, but it didn't budge. He rammed into the sphere, but the attempt failed. Koops knocked his shell into the ball, but still no effect. He circled around the ball and a whirlwind was created. The whirlwind lifted the sphere from the ground and Koops guided the sphere to the slot. Once the sphere was above the slot, Koops stopped spinning and watched the sphere drop into the slot. A sudden rumble filled the room and the temple door opened. He bolted to the door and discovered Mario.
"Hey, Koops," Mario sighed. "How was your challenge?"
"Hard," Koops answered. "We just need to wait for the others."
Lily's challenge...
Lily entered a large temple room with nothing noticeable aside from the pillars. On the floor was a message:
Your path is not always visible, but your senses will guide you to your path...
"I must find something with my senses..." Lily traveled around the room to find a way to exit the room. She tried to look for something of any interest. However, her search did not bring her anything. As she approached the center of the room, she noticed a change in sound echoing. She tapped her foot several times and the echo change was apparent. She jumped up to ram into an invisible ! Block. A rumble filled the room, but the door didn't budge.
"There must be a second ! Block in this room," the white-haired maiden whispered. She stepped across the room to find the second ! Block. Next to the door, Lily noticed another sound difference. She jumped above to bash her head into a second ! Block. Another rumble started and this time, the door lifted off the floor and into the ceiling. Lily proceeded to the next room.
"This temple is massive," she sighed to herself. When she entered the next room, Lily noticed a statue in the center of the room. On the base of the statue, a message was imprinted on base of the plaque:
A person with the brightest light will always succeed at wisdom...
"Wait a second," Lily pondered, "what's that suppose to-" Before she could finish, the statue started to illuminate with a light blue glow. The statue soon fired a beam at Lily. The flower maiden fired back a beam at the statue's beam only to enter a stalemate. In the point where the two beams meet, a light was glowing.
"I must equal the brightness of my beam to the statue's." Lily groaned while keeping her beam up.
How much energy
should Lily put into the beam?
25%
50%
75%
50% (Live)
Lily placed moderate
amounts of energy into the beam. With this, her beam was as bright as the
statue's. Suddenly, a beam of light fired at the gem on the door, forcing
the door to lift off the floor. "I must head inside," Lily gasped after
using part of her energy. She soon headed inside the door.
25% (Trap)
Lily only placed
small amounts of energy into the beam. Unfortunately, the beam was not
as bright as the statue's. Soon, the light faded away, and the statue collapsed.
"I'll never leave this place now," Lily squeaked in depression.
You made the wrong choice.
75% (Death)
Lily placed extreme
amounts of energy into her beam. Shortly after, her strength started to
fade away. Without warning, an ear-piercing snap was heard and Lily collapsed
to the floor, with no life signs remaining...
You made the wrong
choice.
As Lily approached the next room, she overheard several Koopas in the next room. When she approached the door, it didn't budge. However, she noticed a conversation regarding the door on the other side.
"Is the door sealed shut?" a voice asked.
"The door is sealed," another voice answered.
"How are the locks holding the door down?"
"They are in fine shape."
"Well, keep them in fine shape."
"Roger."
"How am I supposed to enter the room now?" Lily pondered. As she examined the room, she noticed a gap in the wall. As she crouched down, she noticed that the gap had a long pathway leading to an unknown place. She crawled inside. After a long path, she was inside the temple room. Lily wanted to avoid a battle with the Koopas, so she sent a lunar flower containing a fragrance into the room. When the lunar flower touched the floor, the fragrance was released into the entire room. This forced all the Koopas to pass out. When she dropped from the hole in the wall, she noticed a wall in place of the door. On the wall, a message was written on it:
Travel through your obstacles and you will find your reward...
"There must be a path hidden in the walls," Lily whispered. She touched the walls to find a hidden pathway. Most of the walls were solid, but when she touched the wall in place of the door, her hand traveled right through it. She entered the wall to find a temple door. Traveling past the temple door, she noticed Mario and Koops in the room.
"Hi, Lily," Mario called.
"How was your challenge?" Koops asked.
"It was challenging," Lily answered. "We must wait for the others..."
Luigi's challenge...
Luigi entered a temple room where there were switches on the floor. Each of the switches was a different color. In front of the switches was a message:
Your true color will determine your path...
"I must-a pick which switch I should hit," Luigi mumbled.
Which color switch
should Luigi pick?
Red
Green
Blue
Blue (Live)
Luigi ground
pounded the blue switch and the temple door in front of him opened up.
"Well, that was easy," Luigi sighed. He then entered the door.
Red (Trap)
Luigi ground
pounded the red switch and expected the door to open up. Instead, the door
behind him closed. When both doors locked themselves down, Luigi was trapped.
"Mamamia..." Luigi sobbed.
You made the wrong choice.
Green (Death)
Luigi slammed
down on the green switch. The door behind him closed and the ceiling of
the room slowly lowered to the floor. Luigi tried to flee the room, but
the temple doors were locked. He screamed frantically as he tried to pry
the doors open. "This is it, I'm-a gone!" Luigi yelled. The last noise
that rang throughout the room was Luigi's scream. Then, nothing...
You made the wrong
choice.
When Luigi entered the next room, he noticed that the room was extremely dark. On the floor, a message was scrawled:
Defeat the dreaded ghoul to advance to the next room...
Before Luigi could mumble anything, a giant Boo dropped from the ceiling. Luigi turned around and shrieked at the sight of it. Luigi tried to electrocute the Boo, but the Boo turned intangible. The Boo bounced towards Luigi to pummel him. Luigi dodged the first attack, but the Boo made a second pass and crushed him. Luigi stood up and dived at the Boo, but once again, the Boo became intangible.
"How am I s-s-supposed to d-d-d-d-defeat it?" Luigi stammered in fear. Luigi tried to dodge the Boo's fire breath, but he reacted slowly and was roasted. Luigi tossed a fireball, but for the third time, the Boo vanished. The fireball shattered one of the gems on the ceiling, releasing a light in the process. The light damaged the Boo.
"I should destroy the gems to defeat the Boo," Luigi mumbled to himself. Luigi tried to throw another fireball, but the giant Boo rammed him down. Luigi jumped back up and threw another fireball at another gem on the ceiling. As the light flashed, the Boo cringed in pain. The Boo attempted to breathe fire, but Luigi had already slammed a gem with a fireball. The Boo tried to flee from the light, but the light was spread out across the room. Finally, the Boo vanished.
"That was a close one," Luigi sighed in relief. But his relief was short-lived, for he heard footsteps approaching from the front door. Luigi dived next to a fallen pillar. Shortly after, a squad of Koopas barged into the temple room, trying to investigate the noise occurring in the room. Luigi worried that a Koopa might spot him and he would have to enter an all-out battle with the Koopas. So he waited fearfully, yet patiently for the Koopas to leave the room. After a few minutes of searching, the Koopas finally exited the room by a door in the rear. Luigi jumped from his hiding spot and entered the next room.
"Man, this place is massive," Luigi mumbled regarding the temple's size. The next room he entered held four pillars in its center. In front of the pillars was a message:
Release the spirits inside the pillars to advance...
"I need to push the pillars, but where?" Luigi asked himself. Luigi pushed the bronze pillar to the edge of the room. As he pushed the pillar around, the pillar suddenly stopped. He noticed that there were four circles the same colors as the pillars, and also realized that he’d pushed the bronze pillar into its spot. Luigi grabbed the silver pillar, the second of the four, and pushed it. As he brought the pillar closer to its spot, he started to notice resistance. Even so, he shoved the pillar to its spot.
"What's with the resistance?" Luigi squeaked. He grabbed the golden pillar, the third of the four, and pushed it towards its spot. Again, he noticed resistance, this time stronger than for the silver pillar. Eventually the resistance reached to the point where Luigi couldn't push it anymore. Luigi pulled his hammer out and slammed the pillar to its spot. He skipped over to the platinum pillar, the last of the four. He began to push the pillar, but already he started to feel resistance, stronger than the resistance of the gold and silver pillars combined. Again, Luigi could not push the pillar all the way. He grabbed his hammer and whacked it, but this time, the hammer had no effect. He rammed into the pillar several times, but no effect.
"I can't... get this pillar... into its spot..." Luigi gasped, running low of air. As a last resort, Luigi used his Thunderhand to lift the pillar up. When he dropped the pillar, the pillar slammed into its spot and the temple door opened. On the other side of the door, a temple lobby containing Mario, Koops, and Lily was present.
"Hey, Bro," Luigi gasped, still exhausted. "How's everything going?"
"Fine," Mario replied.
"The only two remaining are Yoshi and DK."
Yoshi's challenge...
Yoshi entered his first temple room. The temple was very bare, save for the fallen pillars and for a message. The message read:
Destroy what obstacles stand in your way to receive your reward...
"There nothing to destroy in this room," Yoshi uttered. Yoshi tried to look for something to destroy, but nothing was present. "Is there anything to destroy?" Yoshi whined.
Crumble...crumble...
"What was that?" Yoshi squeaked. He noticed the sound of something crumbling to dust. He used his hearing to locate part of a wall, beginning to collapse.
"Is that what Yoshi suppose to shatter?" Yoshi pulled out an egg and tossed the egg at the wall. The wall partially collapsed to reveal a hidden hallway. Yoshi, realizing that he must destroy the wall, tossed another egg. Another portion of the wall crumbled to dust. Yoshi tossed three more eggs. The first two eggs caused more portions of the wall to collapse. The last egg shattered the wall completely.
"Yay!" Yoshi cheered. He jumped above the rubble and proceeded to the next room. On his way to the next room, he caught a glimpse of a veteran Koopa patrolling the hallway. Yoshi swallowed the Koopa before he even noticed the grass-colored dino sneaking up from behind. Yoshi forced the Koopa down his stomach and popped an egg out of his body. "Better keep egg," Yoshi mumbled, "just in case."
As he entered the next room, he noticed five slots with faces inside. Below them was a message:
To the left
is the divine lady...
To the right
is the elderly one...
To the center
is the other...
Never fear,
this path is determined for you...
"Which one should Yoshi strike?" Yoshi pondered.
Which slot should
Yoshi aim for?
Woman
Eagle
Prisoner
Koopa
Elder
Prisoner (Live)
Yoshi tossed
the egg into the prisoner's slot. The door opened to reveal a pathway.
"What will last challenge be?" Yoshi uttered to himself as he entered the
hallway.
Elder (Live, skip
third challenge)
Yoshi tossed
his egg into the elder's slot. A portal into the center of the room appeared.
Yoshi jumped inside the portal. When he did, he felt nothing, but when
he woke up, he was in the same temple room that Mario, Koops, Lily, and
Luigi previously entered.
"Wow, Yoshi," Mario sighed. "You did your challenges very quick."
"Was it easy?" Luigi asked.
"No," Yoshi yawned.
"We need to wait for DK to arrive."
Eagle (Trap)
Yoshi tossed
his egg at the eagle's slot. At first, nothing happened. But, without warning,
a cage slammed down on Yoshi. "Aww, no," Yoshi whined. "Yoshi will never
get out."
You made the wrong choice.
Woman (Nothing)
Yoshi tossed
his egg at the woman's slot. When he did, the slot started to glow. Then,
it faded away. Nothing else happened. "Well," Yoshi sighed, "Yoshi stuck."
You made the wrong choice.
Koopa (Death)
Yoshi tossed
his egg at the Koopa's slot. Suddenly, the floor started to collapse. Yoshi
tried to flutterjump, but that wasn't enough for him to escape from his
doom. Not long after, his strength disappeared and he spiraled down to
his death.
You made the wrong
choice.
As Yoshi made his way to the other end of the hallway, he noticed the changes in color of the flames. They were now a purplish-blue hue instead of the usual orange-red tone presented earlier in the temple. Inside the third room, a white pillar containing a key for the door was present. On the pillar was a message:
Release the wings of your spirit... Take your adventure to new heights...
Yoshi, understanding that he had to reach the key with his jumping, tried to jump to the key. However, the key was too high. He tried to jump again, but this also was too short of a jump. Yoshi sprouted wings to reach the key, but as if by some mystical force, Yoshi was forced down to the floor.
"Yoshi can't use his wings." Yoshi groaned from the pain of being struck down. Yoshi jumped up higher, but it was still not enough to reach the key. "Why can't Yoshi reach key?" Yoshi complained.
Yoshi made one last attempt to reach the key, and this time, his jump was enough to reach the top. He placed the key into the slot on the door, and the door lifted off the floor. On the other side, he caught a glimpse of the Mario Bros, Koops, and Lily.
"Hi, Yoshi," Mario called.
"Yoshi's challenge was hard," Yoshi chirped.
"DK's the only one who hasn't completed his challenge yet. We need to wait for him."
DK's challenge...
DK entered his first challenge room. In the room, three barrels were set in the center. Across the floor was a message:
Find your true reason as to keep an object precious...
"I must break one of the barrels to advance," DK muttered.
Which barrel should
DK destroy?
Left
Center
Right
Center (Trap)
DK slammed his
fist onto the center barrel. Abruptly, the other two barrels vanished.
Nothing else happened. "Ah, great," DK moaned, "I'm stuck here."
You made the wrong choice.
Left (Death)
DK tossed a banana
at the left barrel. The other two barrels vanished, followed quickly by
a trapdoor activating beneath DK. DK tried to grab the edges, but it was
too late. He soon spiraled into darkness, never to be seen again...
You made the wrong choice.
Right (Live)
DK whacked the
right barrel and out popped a key. "I should be needing this." DK grabbed
the key and used it on the temple door. Once unlocked, the temple door
opened to expose a passageway. "Here I come," DK grunted as he traveled
to the other side of the hall.
Meanwhile, in Iggy's castle...
"Are you serious?" Iggy sneered at an elite Koopa, "Did they just eliminate one of the most powerful Koopas in the army?"
"Uh, yes, Prince," the Koopa gulped.
Iggy emitted a very low growl. "I want not only some stronger Koopas, but also for the location and capture of a single Moonlight Flower, understand?"
"Roger that."
"I also want the elimination of Lily, the flower maiden, Mario, my rival, and anyone else who is supporting them."
"Yes, Prince."
Back with DK, he eliminated two Koopa patrols inside the hallway. Not long after, he entered the second challenge room. This room contained a carbon-colored box in the center of the room. Scrawled on it was a message:
The sacred treasure will release the bond of the hidden spirit...
DK examined the closed box to find a diamond-shaped slot. "I must search for something that can fit into the slot," he uttered.
DK searched for the gem across the room. Here, he searched up on the ceiling, on the walls, and even on the floor.
"I hope I can find the gem soon," DK sighed.
Fifteen minutes later...
"This is getting annoying," DK spat. "Where is the gem?"
DK slowly sat on a pillar, only for the pillar to collapse. Inside the pillar was lodged a green gem. When DK yanked the gem out of the pillar, he noticed that the gem was in a diamond shape. He limped in exhaustion towards the box and plugged the gem into the slot. When the box opened, a young female Kong was revealed. She had blond hair and a cap similar to Diddy's, only pink. She also wore a pink shirt. Immediately, DK realized who it was.
"Dixie Kong?" DK gasped.
"Donkey Kong?" Dixie gasped back.
"Why did they place you in this box?"
"The Koopas kidnapped me and held me into this box to keep me hostage. There are two Koopas outside, and if they find me escaping-"
"I already beat them."
"Really? Let's leave this place."
DK and Dixie advanced to the third and final challenge room. There was a treasure chest at the top. The message on the wall read:
You do not have to face this alone... A partner will be with you as your guide...
"Dixie," DK ordered, "try to reach the treasure chest high up there. I'll help you up."
"Okay." Dixie charged towards DK, then DK used his fists to thrust Dixie all the way to the top of the room. Dixie opened up the treasure chest to locate a key inside. She jumped back down and used the key to open the temple door. Exiting the room, the two met up with the rest of Mario's group.
"Well," Koops squeaked, "looks like everyone's completed their challenges."
"Correct," the voice of DK's great grandfather added. "And for that, your reward will be the Aquamarine Moonlight Flower."
A sphere containing the Moonlight Flower came into view. As the glow started to fade, the Moonlight Flower started to fall. When the glow faded completely, the Moonlight Flower spiraled into Mario's hand. He placed it in his pocket.
"Well," Mario sighed, "we're-a finished with the challenges. Thank you for helping us out."
"My pleasure, Mario," DK's great grandfather replied. "I hope you stop Iggy from conquering the Lunar Flower Kingdom."
"Thanks for the-a support."
Mario and the others exited the temple. The mysterious girl was still in the air, watching silently over Mario's party. "They have the third Moonlight Flower," she whispered. "I must continue to help them when they are in trouble."
When Mario and Co. headed back to the Mushroom Kingdom via boat, they explained to Peach the situation on DK Island.
"A temple full of challenges?" Peach mumbled.
"Yep," DK answered.
"We also-a faced some of Bowser's, er, I mean, Iggy's troops," Mario added.
"Be careful out there, especially you, Mario."
"We will."
At Mario's Pad...
"That's three Moonlight Flowers. Only five left," Mario muttered.
"We’ve still to find out about the whereabouts of Lily's family," Koops added, "and what is with the goo stuff in the forest."
At the Lunar Flower Kingdom...
"We must find some way to rescue our parents without being detected," Sol explained to his younger sisters.
"What if we are detected?" Luna asked. "What if there is no way to rescue our parents?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe we get captured as well. If there is no way to rescue our mother and father ourselves, we need to wait for Lily and her allies to arrive. But for now, we must pray that our parents are still among the living..."
End of Chapter 3. What was the black goo leaking from the plants in the forest? What will Lily's siblings do to rescue their parents? What will happen if both of Lily's parents are executed by the Koopas? Find out in Chapter 4.