Super Mario Bros: The Fan-Adapted Novelization

Chapter 2-4: Just Keep Swimming

It took far less time to go down the hill leading away from the forest than it did taking the trek up to find it. For this, Mario and Luigi were especially grateful, considering how much time it ate away before. It also granted them a temporary reprieve from getting shot at by the giant bullets they had encountered previously.

"Where to next?" Luigi asked.

"The goomba mentioned a giant moat," his brother said. "I wonder how big it is. Or how long it took to dig..."

"Or why Bowser would build a fortress at the bottom of a hill and not the top. Higher ground is better for spotting invaders."

"Maybe he thought a giant forest was all he needed to keep them away?"

"If he thinks that's all he needs, he's clearly not that smart."

His twin snorted.

***

At the bottom of the hill, the brothers finally saw what looked like a large, brick tower with a flag on top some distance away. "Could that be..." Mario inquired hesitantly.

"I hope so."

"Then that means..."

They looked at each other for a split second before sprinting toward the edifice in question. Within seconds, they reached it, blocked off only by the watery barricade that was the giant moat. On the other side was the main entrance. In place of a gate or drawbridge, a simple green pipe stood in the entryway.

"That Bowser...he knows we can't go over the moat," Mario grumbled, a burst of flames flickering around his clenched fists. "He's just teasing us..."

"Maybe he wants us to swim through it," Luigi suggested. "The pipe has another end, right? It could be underwater."

"But what about the fire flowers? What will the water do about those?"

Luigi nearly slapped a hand to his forehead. He forgot about the fire flowers! "Do you still have yours with you?"

Mario shoved a hand into his pocket. Sure enough, he was greeted with the familiar feeling of firm stems and leaves underneath his fingers. "I do."

"So we still have extra seed pods if we need them again."

"But fire can't work down there. We'll be defenseless if something tries to attack."

He shrugged. "We could always...swim away?"

The man in red sulked. "That's no fun."

"All we need to do is find the pipe that leads to the front entry of the fortress. We can use the extra pods when we're back on dry land."

"Fair enough." He sauntered up to the edge of the moat, holding out a hand to his twin. "Ready when you are."

Luigi grabbed Mario's hand. "Let's do this."

They drew in a sharp breath and jumped in.

***

Upon breaking through the surface, they discovered that the water was pleasantly cool. It was also surprisingly clear, if one overlooked the occasional black blotch that appeared periodically. The environment of the moat itself looked quite clean, and judging by the plant life that lazily swayed back and forth in the current, it seemed like a suitable place to live for water-dwelling creatures anywhere.

Mario's eyes darted around as he swam. What kind of creatures could he picture living here? Some cheep cheep fish, maybe? Or possibly a school of blooper squid? He imagined a little black and white cephalopod floating back and forth, like the two coming his way right now.