PRELUDE
A figure walks across a beach. He heads into the jungle and keeps walking until he reaches a hut. His hut. He is an ape very similar-looking to Donkey Kong. He is a descendant of his, Dimworth Kong. It is many, many years into the future on DK Island. He sits in a chair.
Dimworth: The world as my forefathers knew it is now in ashes. A new world has risen from the old. For not even halfway through this 2000-year conflict, DK Island was presumed destroyed after a cyclone. It still exists. Yet no one can leave, and no one can enter. Whatever the planet is now called is unknown. However, Plit itself had a former name.
He pulls out a thick book from a drawer.
Dimworth: This is the chronicle in which the 2000 years are inscribed.
He opens it.
Dimworth: My ancestor played a decisive role during the conflict. Here it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No one knows what happened, or who started it, but the Koopas ambushed. Under a new regime that no one knew, they mercilessly slaughtered many kingdoms. Sarasaland, Beanbean Kingdom, Mario Land, all were mercilessly destroyed. The Mushroomers formed an army of different species to counter it, and people often say that this is where it began.
The war lasted 3 years but the casualities were many. Mario and Luigi and a handpicked strike team went on a scouting mission to Desert Land and never returned. A resistance of Koopas was formed but alas, this didn’t really help the Mushroomers’ dwindling forces. Then, something happened; the Mushroomers were winning one minute, the next a warlord known as Zork and his 2nd in chief, Varax, were controlling Plit with an iron claw. They were the masters of the Koopa Empire, beings similar to Bowser, whose corpse was found in the ocean along with many other leading members of the former Koopa Troop.
The Mushroom Leadership was reduced
to a resistance, a not very well put together one. Their main soldiers,
Yoshi among them, went missing in action and Peach was forced to the front
lines. Kooper, the former leader of the once Koopa Resistance and his partner
in battle, Koops, became the best warriors they had. The Koopa Empire was
in its first year of power after 3 years of fighting.
CHAPTER 1. Act 1.
Dimworth: The following event is when the Mushroom Resistance gained the upper hand. The reappearance of the chosen one: Mario.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The skies were blackened as the airship of the late Professor Gadd flew from a Doomship. The ship was occupied by many high members of the Resistance. It held battle readouts for the airship fortress that was the main dreadnought of the Koopa Fleet, the Orgoth. The Doomship fired Bullet Bills at the main hull of the ship, effectively putting it out of action.
The crew, which included Peach and the Koopa duo, were panicking.
Toad 1: Where did that thing come from?
Toad 2: Sir, it appears to have had a cloaking device.
Toad 1: New model, huh?
Toad 2: We believe that, sir.
A noise is heard.
Toad 1: What in the Inferno-
Another soldier comes in. It is one of the last Shy Guys in existence.
Shy Guy: Sir, they’ve caught us in a tractor beam. They’re preparing to board.
His commanding officer pulls out a large bowie knife.
Toad 1: Then let’s bring this fight to an end.
Peach is running around. She now wears a pink leather battle outfit.
Peach: Koops, Kooper.
They run up.
Kooper: We’re about to join the fight, they’ve boar-
Peach: No.
Kooper: Excuse me?
Peach: Take these plans and use our only escape pod.
She gives them the plans.
Koops: But the battle-
Peach: I’m afraid there’s no hope. Varax is on that ship.
Kooper: Then let us try.
Peach: You’re our only hope.
After a few seconds of thinking, seemingly unaware of the soldiers preparing for battle, they come to a conclusion.
Koops: We’ll do it.
Peach: Go. Now!
Koops: But you-
Peach: I’ll be fine.
She runs off to the fight as Koops looks worried.
Kooper: She’ll be all right.
They run to the escape pod.
Kooper: How does this thing work?
It opens for them.
Koops: Does that help?
They walk in and sit down as the door closes. The pod shoots out.
Koops: Where do we go, Kooper?
Kooper: We must find the Resistance and mount a strike.
They both watch as Koopas prepare to board the airship.
Kooper: It actually came down to this.
Koops: I used to spend days trying to wake up from a nightmare. But it’s reality. Will this war ever end?
Kooper: I cannot say; only that I believe that Plit will pull through no mater what.
Koops: I hope you’re right.
As they speak, soldiers prepare for a failed battle.
Toad 1: Prepare yourselves
They cringe as the support does nothing. Their trepidation increases as the door is repeatedly rammed.
Toad 1: On my command, UNLEASH INFERNO!
The soldiers, still gripped with fear, are caught off-guard by an onslaught of enemy troops. The commander Toad is, ironically, the first to go down. The soldiers go down very quickly against the Koopa Empire’s might.
Koopa 1: That was almost too easy. Are the plans among them?
Koopa 2: No sir.
Koopa 1: Hmm. Find the former princess.
Peach has overheard this conversation while hiding behind a box at the corridor’s end. She runs through a door right next to her.
Koopa 2: How do you know the woman is onboard?
Koopa 1: Varax has foreseen it.
Koopa 3: You believe him? He’s just a new 2nd in command. Nothing sp-
Blood spills from his mouth as he is impaled by Varax. He is a head taller than the other Koopas and wears black armor all over his body. The armor is decorated with elbow spikes and spiked boots. The head part is jagged with tiny spikes.
Varax: Oh, how wrong you are.
The stricken Koopa falls off his long, curved sword.
Koopa 1: Excuse me, sir.
Varax: Ah yes, a loyal troop.
Koopa 1: Appreciated, sir; the former princess is being hunted now.
Varax: The word princess should not be used when speaking about her. For anyone who that oaf Bowser loved is nothing.
Koopa 1: Forgive me for asking, but aren’t you his elde-
Varax: Do you fear death?
Koopa 1: No sir.
Varax: I once did. When I was acquainted with him I knew he was never going to win. I knew it. However, during the war I found my master. The true overlord.
Koopa 2: I bet you were glad when Bowser died at the hands of Zork.
Varax: Get your history right. I killed him before the war started. Two days before Zork supposedly massacred us, he found me. Anyway, has that infernal-
Koopa 1: Not yet, sir. Wait.
He looks at a handheld monitor.
Koopa 1: Squad 2 has her in sight.
At that moment 4 Koopas are searching through crates looking for Peach. She watches from another doorway.
Peach: How did these guys conquer the worl- Oh dear.
A Koopa is behind her.
Koopa: Because we have a new leader.
She is being talked to by Varax.
Varax: If you don’t tell me where the plans are, I won’t kill you. I’ll watch you squirm for Mario and make you realize the truth. He is dead, and so is everyone he knows.
Peach doesn’t answer but spits in his face. Varax laughs.
Varax: You have given up all hope. You’re right there. I won’t let you join us.
The Koopas take their only prisoner away.
Koopa 1: This war is going to end very soon.
Varax: Hah! You call this a war? It’s too easy to be a war.
He walks away but turns back.
Varax: The sooner we find those plans, the better. Check the area below for any escape pods that might have the plans. We seem to be above Desert Land. This may be harder than I thought.
Meanwhile, the pod has landed. Koops and Kooper hop out.
Kooper: Desert Land, the one world the Empire wouldn’t conquer.
Koops: I can see why.
They continue on, walking through a dangerous sandstorm.
Kooper: Hey Koops, you all… Koops?
He has disappeared.
Kooper: Oh no. Koops! Can you hear me? Please! Who am I kidding? I’ve failed.
He keeps walking on.
Kooper: No. There’s supposed to be a lost tribe of Shy Guys around here. They’ll help when they find out I’m the leading Resistance soldier.
He suddenly realizes he is talking to himself.
Kooper: Oh, that’s right.
He continues on. But meanwhile elsewhere, Koops has found himself lost in a canyon.
Koops: I just left Kooper. I shouldn’t have. There should be a tunnel that leads to Dry, Dry Desert. There’s resistance there and in the surrounding areas. Right Ko- Oh.
He just remembers, and the guilt bites back. A figure walks up, a Shy Guy to be exact.
Shy Guy 1: Hey guys, I found him!
Three others run up.
Shy Guy 2: He matches the description. Hey fella, come with us.
Koops: Who are you?
Shy Guy 1: We are the Brotherhood of the Cap. We exist to find our savior, the great Mario! Well, Luigi or Yoshi will also do. He was last sighted here. We’re still looking for him.
Koops: I once traveled with him in Rogueport.
Shy Guy 3: We know. You’re Koops.
Shy Guy 4: Your friend Kooper made a request. Fellow Mario companion and Resistance warrior. The best ones, apparently.
Koops: Oh, thank you!
The Brotherhood leads Koops to a cave, where Kooper is waiting.
Koops: Kooper, I’m so, so-
Kooper: It’s ok. I would have done the same.
Koops: Oh, heh.
The next day the Brotherhood takes the Koopa duo to the Dry, Dry Desert tunnel.
Shy Guy 1: Good luck on your great quest for peace.
They walk off.
Koops: This is it.
They walk through the exotic caverns, however the floor starts getting weird.
Kooper: Koops, quiet.
They both hear a humming sound. They approach where the metal floor comes from, finding another tunnel very well hidden by darkness.
Kooper: Stay behind me.
They silently walk in. What they see shocks them greatly.
Koops: It’s him!
Mario is floating in a liquid tube with wires connecting to his body. His clothes are ripped.
Kooper: It’s-It’s-It’s really him. How did this happen?
They observe that Mario seems to be a lot more powerful and muscular.
Kooper: How did those Shy Guys never find him? Forget that, we should get him out. Koops, can yo- Oh no.
He is ripping out the plugs connected to the tube.
Koops: I’m gonna save him.
Suddenly the wires rip out of Mario’s body. The liquid drains as the hero’s eyes open. He glows a golden aura. There is an explosion of light. The tube is in pieces and what stands before the Koopa duo is a perfect version of Mario.
Mario: Luigi, watch- Where am I? Kooper? Koops! What happened?
They look at each other and begin to explain. It shall not be written for obvious reasons.
Mario: I don’t believe it. I can’t.
Kooper: Mario, you are the one. You will save us from this Empire of evil. But first, what happened to you?
Mario: Well…
Mario, Luigi, and a strike team are traveling through the desert.
Mario: This must be the place.
He hears something.
Luigi: Bro, I got a bad feeling.
Before Mario can respond, he and the squad are attacked by a horde of Koopas led by a devilish-looking demon, the former Zork.
Mario later awakens in a dark cavern on a table. The place is metal, as opposed to the rocky terrain of the rest of the cave. He awakens to a voice.
Zork: He must be put in.
Scientist: But the tube is not yet ready. It could easily power him up.
Zork: I’m willing to take that risk.
Mario tries to move but has been chained down.
Zork: It has been designed for him to die a slow, painful death, and so it will be.
Mario: Who are you?
Zork: Oh, he’s awake. Back into unconsciousness with you.
He charges up a ball of energy in one hand.
???: NNNOOOO.
Luigi barges in and attacks Zork. Before Mario can warn Luigi of the energy in his hand, the scientist, who is yet another Koopa, knocks him out with a metal rod.
Mario looks sad while the other two listen.
Mario: I’ve failed.
Kooper: That was then. You can redeem yourself now by joining the Resistance. With your new powers we night win in a few years.
Mario thinks, then answers.
Mario: All right then. Where are we heading?
They walk through the caverns.
Mario: This Zork guy….Have you seen him?
Kooper: Not many people have lived to see him, but traitors from the Empire have told stories that I believe could be true. I have seen Varax once, though, and I hope I never do again.
Mario stops.
Koops: Mario, what-
He stops. Mario is staring at a human skeleton with green clothing still attached to it. This is Luigi’s skeleton. A minute of silence is held for Plit’s fallen hero.
Mario: Come on.
They keep walking until they reach the Dry, Dry Desert.
Kooper: Just like before, huh, Mario?
Mario: Yes.
He looks around.
Mario: Are you sure there’s resistance here?
It is more ruined than before.
Kooper: There’s definitely some in Toad Town.
They walk until they see some Goomba footprints.
Mario: These prints aren’t right. Goombas don’t have talons, last time I checked.
???: ROAR!
Koops: Oh dear.
A bunch of Goombas run from across a hill, but they have fangs.
Mario: I have been gone for a while.
They get into fighting stances. The Goombas run at them. One charges Mario, who simply kicks it, which paves the way for three more to jump at him. Mario jumps in the air and punches the first two away, while the third is kicked in the blink of an eye. The Koopa duo watch.
Koops: He has changed.
Four run up while one drools from afar. The four run up only to all get shell-shocked. The 5th runs up at that moment, and before it sinks his fangs into the unsuspecting Koops, Mario arrives in a second and grabs the Goomba.
Mario: My turn.
The Goomba glows golden. It wonders what is happening until it is blasted away into the air.
Kooper: Wow, Mario. Mario, look out!
Mario: Don’t worry.
6 goombas are running down the hill. Suddenly a long tongue comes and knocks down 3 of the Goombas while the others are blasted with eggs.
Koops: Did you do that?
Mario: No. It was an old friend.
Yoshi walks down.
Yoshi: I must be dreaming.
Mario: It only happened today.
Yoshi: MARIO! Come on, we’ll talk in my hut.
Once in Yoshi’s hut, they explain.
Mario: And that’s what happened.
Yoshi: I should explain myself, too. I was sent on a mission to find the Brotherhood of the Cap. My pod crashed and I’ve since been stuck here for almost a year. Mario, now that you’re here we can strike the Empire. We must head to Dry, Dry Outpost. We must find transport to Toad Town, where the Resistance is. There is not much in the Outpost. The Empire has a firm watch on it.
Mario: I actually have a feeling I’m needed in the Outpost. It is much bigger now.
Kooper: We must go quickly, as the Koopas are looking for us.
Meanwhile, Shy Guys lie dead on the ground.
Koopa 1: These guys have been bugging us for ages.
The others are setting up for their journey.
Mario: I have this feeling that the war has just been turned around.
Yoshi: Mario, I have to say, I’m sorry about Luigi.
Mario: He won’t have died in vain.
Kooper: Mario this may be a bad time, but we believe Peach is a captive of the Empire.
Mario: I know.
Koops: How?
Mario: When I was in that tube I always made sure Peach was alive. It was the only thing I could do, other than slowly power up.
Yoshi: Let’s set off.
The team of four depart for Dry, Dry Outpost, uncertain of their future as well as the future of everyone.