Chapter 22
The mountains lay flat against the dim, blue sky. They
were jagged pieces of brown construction paper against a periwinkle canvass.
These cool rocks of massive proportions remained as such a scenery for a while
longer until the sun came up. It crept up from behind them, first as a sliver
of orange, then as a slab of yellow, then finally a ball of white. Morning had
come, and it was time for two certain travelers to take down their tents and
move on.
Xoshi stood in the middle of the rocky path cutting
through the stone-filled vicinity of the giant work of nature. He was thinking
about the road they had ahead of them. White Rose walked up beside him.
"Are you ready, Sir Xoshi?"
"Yes I am," Xoshi said.
"Alright, then," White Rose said. "Let's
get moving..." Once again, the journey of the Yoshi in brown and the man
in white could continue. Together, they began descending the rocky place called
Mt. Rugged...
♠♣♥♦
"What do you mean our flight has been
cancelled?!" All was not well in an airport of the Mushroom Kingdom. The
parents of Mario and Luigi had their bags all packed up and their children with
them all set and ready to go, but the female Toad in uniform behind the counter
was giving the father a hard time.
She scratched the back of her head. "I'm sorry,
Sir, but we've just been experiencing some major technical difficulties lately,
so please bear with us," she said.
The father scowled at the small woman. He reached into
the folds of his shirt and pulled out a fancy-looking amulet. It was a medallion
attached to a chain around his neck which his collar roots concealed. The
medallion consisted of a gold M in the middle of a gold circle. "Listen
here," he stated, "I am the king of Mario Land, and I DESERVE to have
a plane take me and my family back to our nation, so give us one right now, or
else!" the king demanded.
The Toad scratched the back of her head again. "I'm
sorry, Sir. We can't do that, even for a king."
"WHAT?! Rrgg..." the king fumed. He clenched
his teeth and let his fists tremble by his waist. His wife, standing right next
to him with her right hand on the handlebar of the double stroller with their
two children in it, placed her left on her husband's right shoulder.
"Dear," she said condescendingly, "don't
let it get to you. Let's just go."
The father looked down disappointedly at his feet. He
sighed and shook his head. "Alright," he moped. He knelt down,
grabbed one briefcase for each hand and did as his wife told him. They turned
around and started walking around the airport once again. Upon walking around
and strolling around, they found themselves exchanging words with one another.
"It's just irritating," the man said. "We were supposed to leave
the day after the day Mario and Luigi got back, but ever since, it's been
nothing but foul-ups."
With both hands pushing the stroller along, the queen
said, "I know, dear, but things just don't always turn out the way you
want them to."
"I know, but-" They were walking down some of
the halls of the place a little more when suddenly something caught the
attention of the king. He stopped in his tracks and looked up. His wife
stopped, too.
"Dear, what is it?" she asked.
"Look," he said, pointing with a briefcase to
one of the monitors hanging from the ceiling for the viewing pleasure of the
travelers that were in this vicinity, waiting for their respective flights.
"It's the aliens again."
"Oh, my goodness!" the queen elicited. The two
of them, with their children, strolled up closer to it and were in the premises
of an area with many seats arranged for all the waiting people. The father set
the bags down beside himself so he could stand and watch two anchors go at it
with each other. Mike T. and Nosey T. were back with a vengeance.
"-And that's just the beginning of it! Let's go
over to Nosey T. who is with one of the resident Ravens of Lava Lava Island
right now, inquiring about the aliens. Nosey?" Mike said, sitting in front
of his trademark counter with those papers in hand. The image in the upper,
right-hand corner took up the whole screen again.
"Thanks, Melony," Nosey said. He was on top of
a big mass of leaves growing out of the top of a rather large tree. He was
standing right next to one of those little Ravens that witnessed the big fight
earlier. "So, Rodney, what have you got to say about the U.F.O. that left
your island just a little while ago?" He shoved the microphone into the
Raven's face.
"Caw cawww," the Raven said, with an annoyed
look on its face. Then it lightened up and continued with its story. "Caw
caw caw caw caw caw cawwww."
Nosey took the microphone back so he could speak into
it. "Roberto, everybody! Back to you, Megan."
"It's Mike. Also, our little Raven friends don't
seem to be the only people with alien troubles. Now we're going over to those
koopas to see how they're doing. Nosey?"
"Thanks, Muck," the other Toad said. He was
standing next to Kammeron, the Magikoopa, again. Their castle was looking
significantly better. "So, Karmie, what comments have you got to say
regarding the aliens?"
"It's Kammeron," he grumbled. "We were in
the middle of reconstructing our base when suddenly we saw this U.F.O. flying
over our heads. It was giving off all these strange lights and sounds. It
looked like it was headed for the north. Also, when it came, this strange flower
popped up out of nowhere." Kammeron pulled up a plant that consisted of a
big, pink ball surrounded by petals of bug wings. "We think it may have
been because of the ali-"
"-Another fascinating story! Back to you,
Mucus."
"It's MIKE!!" said the flustered news
broadcaster. He arranged the papers in his hands some more and went on.
"But that's not the end of it, folks! Let's go over to a local resident of
Dry Dry Desert and see what HE has to say about Unidentified Flying Objects and
other oddities. Nosey?"
"Thanks, Macabre." This time, Nosey was in the
middle of the baron, hot Dry Dry Desert, standing and sweating before a little
mouse man clad only in some traditional white headgear specifically designed
for warding off the sun in such a place. He was beginning to strike up the
conversation with one hand on the microphone and the other one wiping
perspiration off his face. "PHEW!!" he said. "Well, it most
certainly is hot here, isn't it, Mr. Mouse?"
"I think the weather's just fine," the mouse
said.
"Okay, well enough about that," Nosey said,
panting and feeling drenched in his own sweat. "What have you got to say
about the U.F.O.'s? Seen anything strange flying in the sky lately?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. A little while ago, I
was in this desert, when suddenly I saw this snake of green ooze flying through
the air. If my navigation skills are correct, then it was headed for the
north."
"That's, uh, fascinating. Anything else you'd like
to say? Anything about that big spiky thing behind you?" Nosey said,
feeling unbearably cooked while pointing to a colossal figure in the background
that was pink and covered in gigantic needles.
"Oh, that's the Pokey Mommy," said the mouse.
"Or rather it WAS the Pokey Mommy. I'm not sure what happened to it, but
it's dead now. Maybe the aliens got to it?"
"FASCINATING!!" Nosey blurted, beginning to
fry. "Back... to you... M-" He couldn't finish his sentence. He
passed out and his microphone picked up a heavy THUMP sound.
The camera showed the mouse looking down at him.
"Um, are you okay?" he said.
The T.V. returned to the image of a bewildered Mike T.
He looked away from the upper, right-hand corner of the screen with his jaw
open and his eyes blinking. He cleared his throat and got the show going again.
"Well, uh, it looks as though the aliens have a lot to do with a lot of
things at the moment. This may be a pretty gruesome time for us, folks. Just
remember to lock your doors at night and keep your children away from
strangers."
"Amen," the king and the queen said
simultaneously.
"Anyway, we'll return to you with more news bits
after a short break. I'm Mike T.," he wrapped up. The camera moved away
from him, and then started showing various other images with a female voice
narrating.
"Coming up next, after a short encounter with some
evil clowns, is Gana Village really free?" The screen showed some of the
civilians of that place walking around as though nothing special was really
happening. "What strange occurrence could have caused the moon to change
its shape?" They showed a round moon against a starlit sky. "And
could the aliens have even victimized the underwater city of
Marinotropolis?" The image was of a bunch of mermen floating around in
that strange place. "All this and more when we get back." At last,
the program cut to a commercial break. The royal parents were stuck thinking it
over.
"Well," said the king, "it sounds like
the aliens are causing all kinds of problems, huh?"
"I know," said his wife. "It's kind of
troubling, isn't it?"
"I suppose," the king said.
"They've definitely been in the news a lot
lately," the queen said.
"Indeed."
In the stroller, Luigi turned his head to his left and
gave his twin brother a questioning look. Mario simply shrugged his little
shoulders. The queen remained looking pensive. "Dear?" she asked.
"Yes?" the king responded.
"You don't think those aliens are planning
something... bigger than this, do you?"
"I wouldn't worry," he said. "We've got
other things to concern ourselves with..."
"Actually, dear, I wanted to talk to you about
that, too," the woman said, lowering her voice.
"About returning to Mario Land?" the man
asked.
His spouse nodded. "I know a way we can get
back..." The king looked at her with his face saying that he was puzzled
by her words. Then he looked at the base of her ponytail and saw something
glimmer. He looked back at her, baring a serious expression.
"No," he whispered.
"Yes," she insisted. The king kept looking
serious. He started pointing his eyes in the direction of his feet while digging
his fingers into his palms and wincing. Finally he looked up.
"Alright," he conceded. "But we have to
be careful about this." Behind them, walking through the halls they were
in earlier was a fair amount of Toads, Koopa Troopas, and Goombas, all of them
with various forms of luggage to haul around. There were also security guards
here and there keeping their eyes watchful.
"I know," she said. The two of them left the
area with the luggage and the babies and continued walking amidst the crowd,
doing their best to act as though they weren't plotting something dubious...
♠♣♥♦
♠♣♥♦
The king and the
queen along with their stroller of children were creeping slowly along with
their eyes darting here and there. There were people walking in various
directions and among places all around them, but they were hardly things to
worry about. The person they worried about most was that gigantic Koopa Troopa
over there with a black shell, sunglasses, and his arms folded. They had to be
careful about this if they wanted to get back home without incident. At some
point, the large guard's attention was stolen, causing him to look to his
right. Their window of opportunity was open. So the king hissed,
"Now!!" and the family of four slammed themselves shut behind the
door of opportunity. For a second or two, all was pitch black. Fumbling around,
the grown man was able to find a switch and flip it on. They found themselves
surrounded by mops, brooms, buckets, spray bottles, cans, and the like. They
were in the janitor's closet. "Alright. Time for some action." The
king said this and his wife nodded. She turned around, held two fists out,
closed her eyes, and started letting something strange escape her lips.
"Yu dohm setu pidma ney poh pihed;
Ewush yuda gew way."
The magic words had been spoken. The queen opened her
eyes, put her hands down, and her hair-tie began to sparkle and shimmer even
more. In front of her, a disc swirled into existence. Floating in mid-air was a
big circle with stripes of red and blue swirling around a black hole that
centered the hole thing. They could feel their hairs and their clothes getting
caught in the void's vortex. The king was looking a bit nervous. His two sons
were looking puzzled. Their mother turned around, bent down, curled one arm
around Luigi and held him close, and did the same thing with her right arm and
Mario. She held them tightly, turned around, and gave some instructions to her
significant other. "Alright. Don't let go of those briefcases. On three,
we jump in. No matter what, don't think about anything but Mario Land,
otherwise it'll toss you elsewhere. Ready?" The male one nodded.
"One... two... three!!" The command was let loose. The parents jumped
up and into the strange hole. It swallowed them up, and immediately after doing
so, began to close in on itself. Then it dissipated and the janitor's closet
was vacant once more. A knock arrived at the door.
"Anyone in there?" a voice sounded. The knock
came again. "Hello?" said the voice again. Then the knob turned and a
Koopa Troopa with a blue shell and a mop walked in. He saw that the light was
on and that a double-stroller was in there for some reason. The Terra Pin
scratched his noodle, still looking around. "Stee-range," he mumbled.
"I thought I heard voices in here..."
♠♣♥♦
...When someone
says, "I'm sorry," you say...
"...Don't worry about it,"
Xoshi responded. All that walking paid off. The two of the Yoshi and the knight
had arrived at the base of the mountain. Before their eyes awaited a train
station. Its trademark transportation device and its Toad in uniform were both
in their respective places.
"There it is, Sir Xoshi," White Rose said,
pointing to the wheeled machine. "Once we get on that train, we'll be in
Toad Town in no time."
"Then what we waiting for?!" Xoshi replied, excitedly.
His companion nodded. The two of them wasted not another moment. They walked
through the gate, over the train tracks, around the corner, and onto the
platform. Soon, they were before the Toad and ready for requesting.
"Going to Toad Town, folks?" he asked.
"Yes, please," White Rose answered.
"Alright, then. Hop in!" the Toad said. A door
opened on the side of the little, red train, and the pair of travelers walked
right on. Xoshi stood in a spot nearby the engineer and White Rose went to the
back of the train so he could be surrounded by metal railings. The door closed
up and the engineer started talking.
"Just sit back and relax, folks. This train's
headed for Toad Town!" he said. After that, the machine's gears started
going, its wheels started turning, and another component was spouting out
star-shaped clouds into the air. It began to glide along the tracks, and get a
few more steps of the journey out of the way.
While on that mechanism, watching various rocks fly by,
Beel had to bring up something important. Xoshi, the spirit said.
Yes? he said back.
I have to tell you how to use my powers, he got
as a response.
Oh, yeah, Xoshi said. Hey, wait a minute!
Where were these instructions like a few hours ago, huh?!
I couldn't have given them to you then. Remember what
happened on the boat?
A lightbulb brightened. Oh, yeah... Xoshi felt a
little sheepish. He got over it. Well, Beely, lay it on me.
Alright... The lecture began. All you have to
do is close your eyes, relax, make a cross out of your arms with your first two
fingers pointing, and think about stars and everything that has anything to do
with them. Galaxies, nebulas, asteroids... Think about them. You will become
infused with a powerful form of energy. You'll know once this happens. Trust
me.
Xoshi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made the
gesture that Beel described. Like this? he thought.
Exactly, only don't try to cast any spells right now.
It wouldn't be called for. Xoshi opened his eyes. White Rose was behind him
on that other part of the train enjoying some solitude with his arms folded,
but the engineer beside him was giving him a look with one eyebrow raised.
Xoshi put his arms down.
"What was that?" he asked.
Xoshi had to improvise. "Nothing," he said.
The engineer looked at Xoshi a little longer and got back to work.
So, Beel, the Yoshi thought, what happens
after I get that energy?
I'll tell you... It's rather complicated, though, so
you'll have to pay close attention.
Okay.
Alright... The lecture
continued. It goes a little something like this...
The Star Warrior resumed the explanation as the train
barreled even further down the road. Toad Town was just a few hours within
reach...
♠♣♥♦
The Mario royal
family was flying at an incredible speed all the way through a tunnel of red
and blue, getting closer and closer to a light coming from a hole at the end of
it. The king thought of trees, hippos, and mansions, while the queen thought of
pumpkins, amusement parks, and turtles. Mario and Luigi could only think of how
freaky this whole experience was. They remained against their mother's chest
who was still clinging to them for dear life. The father had a similar grip on
the briefcases. They were by his side the whole time. The white light got more
and more within proximity, appearing to grow larger all the while. Finally, it
engulfed them and the next odd occurrence could happen...
A grassy field with trees consisting of bunches of
leaves shaped very strangely was at peace. A light blue Yo'ster with sunshades
and bare feet was passing through. Then he saw something crawling out of
nothing. In mid-air, a portal opened up, and a man and a woman carrying
briefcases and babies were spat out. The portal closed up, and the family
started looking around. The Yoshi was extremely confused.
"Ahhh," the king said, inhaling deeply,
letting even his nostrils enjoy the glory of their homeland. "It's good to
be back."
His wife looked equally relieved. Mario and Luigi were
just muddled. "Well, dear," she said, "let's head on back."
"Alright," he said. After those statements,
they got the show on the road again. They walked away from where they landed
and never even noticed that this highly questionable activity had just been
witnessed.
"Why, oh, why," the witness moped, shaking his
head. "Why doesn't anything ever make any freaking sense anymore?!" A
kick to the ground and a few more grumblings later, the ticked off Boshi
returned to wandering aimlessly. Unlike a few other people he might have known,
he had no idea what to do or where to go next. The journeys of him and the
family went on...