Super Mario Bros.

Chapter 5

Bowser's castle stood inside an active volcano, floating right above a gigantic lake of boiling hot lava. In contrast to Peach's vibrant, lively, and beautiful castle, Bowser's was dark and gloomy. Its towers were shattered, the whole frame of the castle was cracked and broken. Lava seeped out from some crannies and smoke found its way from a few broken windows. A stone Bowser head stood above the front gates, constantly staring at the horizon. It was a sad sight to see, but Bowser welcomed it. He loved every part of his lair. Bowser departed his warship and carried Peach inside through the front gates, cackling evilly. Peach continued to struggle, but it was no use. She was hog-tied in tough chains and could barely move. Bowser entered his master bedroom, setting Peach on a chair.

"You'll never rule the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser!" Peach spat. Bowser kneeled down to her level while grinning smugly.

"That's where you're wrong, my future queen! You were the only one who could stop me, and now that you're tied up here, there's nothing you can do!" Bowser replied, laughing.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open. Bowser Jr. stormed inside the room, the little mini-Bowser carrying a sort ot angry/fearful expression on his face.

"PAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Bowser Jr. yelled. Bowser groaned in frustration as he turned towards his son.

"Junior, Daddy's a bit busy right now." Bowser muttered. Bowser Jr. crossed his arms, tapping the ground with his foot.

"Too bad! I had a bad dream! Read me a bedtime story!!" Bowser Jr. commanded. Bowser groaned louder and facepalmed himself. Peach couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"Fine. BUT ONLY ONE STORY!" Bowser said. Bowser Jr. jumped with glee and rushed to his bedroom as Bowser followed. Bowser grudgingly tucked Bowser Jr. in bed, and sat besides him.

"Ugh, okay... Once upon a time, there was a little ugly boy. He was so ugly, everybody died. THE END, NOW GO TO SLEEP!" Bowser boomed. And just like that, Bowser Jr. began snoring away. Bowser tiptoed out of the room and quietly closed the door.

"Now, where were we?" Bowser said, walking into the bedroom. Peach frowned as Bowder rubbed a claw on her chin.

"Nobody's coming to save you, Princess. Nobody." Bowser growled.

***

Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi had treked far into a massive forest, pushing past ferns and bushes and low-lying trees that stood in their way. Yoshi nabbed a tasty-looking fruit from every single tree and bush he could find, licking his snout in glee. Yoshi grabbed a ominous looking purple mushroom and ate it, missing the giant skull plastered to its roof.

"Be careful with purple mushrooms. Toadsworth warned us that they're poisonous." Luigi said. Yoshi's eyes widened as the dinosaur flopped face-first into the ground, going unconscious. Mario fiddled with a map he bought from a travelling merchant, twisting and turning the map in hundreds of directions.

"This-a map is confusing.... It says we go right, but it turns out to be left. It says go back, but we gotta go front. It says frontward, but we went backward!" Mario complained.

"Maybe if you listened to me and buy a GPS instead of buying stuff from voodoo merchants, we wouldn't be lost." Luigi muttered in reply. Mario kept his nose on the map, failing to check where he was going. Before long, Mario bumped into a round, black object. Falling to the ground with a thud, Mario rubbed his rear.

"Ow! Who put this giant black boulder in the middle of the forest?!" Mario questioned. He kicked the boulder as hard as possible, but it didn't move. And then it did. The "boulder" opened its two, beady eyes, staring down at the trio. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi (who had somehow survived mushroom poisoning) widened their eyes in fear. Angered, the Chain Chomp opened its jaws, revealing enormous razor-sharp teeth. Mario and Luigi stepped back, fearful expressions on their faces. Yoshi, in sheer terror, violently farted out hundreds of eggs.

"....... RUUUUNNNN!!!!!" Mario screamed. The trio made a run for it as the Chain Chomp barked and raced after them. The three heroes screamed in terror as the Chain Chomp snapped its terrible jaws at them, narrowly missing Luigi's pants. Yoshi whipped out his tongue, grabbing Mario and Luigi and setting them on the round, red saddle-like shell on his back. Immediately, Yoshi quickened his pace, going from galloping to sprinting. The Chain Chomp was quickly gaining on Yoshi's tail, chasing the heroes over hills and plateaus. Luigi held on to dear life as the Chain Chomp came close to biting his leg off.

"CAN'T YOU GO ANY FASTER?!" Luigi screamed at Yoshi. Yoshi grunted, running even faster. Mario noticed they were all heading towards a enormous cliff.

"WE GOTTA JUMP!" Mario hollered.

"WHAT?" Luigi replied. Mario patted Yoshi's head.

"On my mark, we jump! Okay?" Mario said. Yoshi simply nodded.

"MARIO, NO! DON'T DO IT!" Luigi yelled.

"3....2....1.... JUMP!!" Mario yelled.

Yoshi leaped high into the air, with the Chain Chomp close behind. Luigi screamed like a little girl while Mario whooped excitedly. Yoshi landed safely on the other side of the cliff, skidding to a stop. The Chain Chomp, however, wasn't so lucky. The Chain Chomp stood in the air for a moment, looking down at the ravine below. Its pupils shrunk as it fell straight down into the ravine, never to be seen again. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi peered down, watching the Chain Chomp fall.

"Huh, whaddya know? My plan actually worked." Mario said. Luigi frowned at Mario.

"Never do that again, Mario." Luigi scolded. Mario laughed as he and his two companions continued onward.