Mario Bros: The Koopa's Ax
Fan fiction by Garo Master

Author's note:
This is the first of a series of stories. All stories to follow revolve around the events in this story, and I suggest you read them in order.
Garo Master

CHAPTER ONE: Truce?

Mario and his friends were sitting outside his house. Luigi was attempting to carve a Cheep-Cheep out of wood, but kept messing up.
"GAHHHH! I WANNA GOOD PAPERWEIGHT!!! NOT JUNK!" he roared, making Toad turn around. Yoshi took this as a chance to cheat so he could win the game they were playing, but Toad knew Yoshi too well.
"Don't touch them checkers!" he said, turning to look back at the board. All of a sudden, a series of loud, cackling laughs filled the valley. Bowser was in his Clown Car, Kamek and Kammy bickering for the title of Second-In-Command, as usual, and Bowser's kids in the Clown Car with their dad.
"Gwa, ha, ha!" Bowser roared, "Come on, laugh WITH me. LAUGH I SAY, OR I KEEL-HAUL THE LOT OF YA ON ME AIRSHIP!!!" He seemed pleased with himself.
"Ooooooooh! Master, you need to put that one in your journal of insults!" Kammy said, sounding like the best reward for this would be for her to be Second-In-Command. Kamek shot her a look of pure venom, then said: "We must act quickly, My Lord, if we want to reach the-"
"QUIET!" Kammy roared. "YOU'LL RUIN EVERYTHING!"
"SILENCE!!!!" Bowser roared, and they stopped gibbering. "Now, I want you Neanderthals to be at my castle tomorrow. If not, I suck the life out of you."
"Ooooooooh! Now that's a keeper!" Kamek said, grinning at Kammy. Larry Koopa smiled and winked at Kamek. "You've been Dad's Grand Advisor for…a really long time. I think it will stay that way, too."
"You're grounded, Larry!" Kammy shouted.
"I don't think she is allowed to do that…" Iggy said, pulling out a text book on politics.
"You too, Iggy!" Kammy said.
Wendy pumped her arm and whispered "Yes!" to herself, but Kamek heard. She was grounded, too. Eventually the kids got bored and started to whine.
"Remember, Mario. My castle, 6:00. GWA HA HA HA HA!" and they flew off into the sky. Mario started to think of a plan to stop whatever Bowser was trying to do. He had to be somewhere today.
"Hmmmm…." Mario said to himself.

CHAPTER 2: The Ax

Kamek nearly lost control of his broom as he tried to unseat Kammy. The kids watched the fight eagerly.
"The odds of two equally trained magic-users, or wizards in simple terms, defeating each other in combat is…" Iggy was doing some hard math. He was known for brains rather than brawn, which was the exact opposite of Roy, who had the IQ of a chimpanzee. Lemmy was the slowest, though still bright, compared to a termite. But Iggy was the Einstein of the siblings. He was in second grade and already doing Trigonometry. The odds of Kamek and Kammy's battle weren't found out, because Roy cut him off.
"We just want ta see da fight, ya geeky-boy!" Roy said. Morton, the shortest, butted in the conversation.
"I agree with Roy, bro. I mean we could find out for ourselves like you did but that would ruin the fun. Speaking of fun remember the time we went to the fair and we went on the roller coaster and we all lost our lunch because there were 180 loops and then after we had some medicine we went on the merry-go-round and I was on the ferret and then I won a pony at the ring toss and hey what's a ferret? And then…" Bowser closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead while Morton droned on and on like a tape sped up so you could barely understand it. Finally Lemmy smacked Morton in the head to make him stop.
"How can we see who wins the fighting thingie if you keep…uhh…doing the talking about the fair…what IS a ferret?" Lemmy said. Ludwig came into the conversation now. Not to chat, but to point something out.
"Ve're here, Father." He said. The Magikoopas stopped fighting. They were at the top of a large mountain. Bowser lead them inside a cave. Now it was his turn to speak.
"There is a legend that in this cavern lies an ax that can cut anything. I'm here to get it."
"But sir, the last time you used an ax, Mario stole it to cut down the bridge you were standing on." Kamek warned. Kammy smiled. She knew Bowser hated memories of old, failed ideas. This will get me my promotion in no time. Kammy thought to herself. But Bowser agreed with Kamek.
"I remember. That's why I'm using this one. It will only work for the person who inserted this pendant into the ax's blade." Bowser held up a bluish-green stone." Now, I will get revenge." He hopped out of his Clown Car and walked forward. A statue holding this silver ax came out of the earth. Bowser said something in a foreign tongue, then placed the stone on the point above the blade. The ax turned gold and flew into Bowser's hand. He looked up and spoke.
"Kamek, I feel a strange power, as if liquid strength were running through my veins. I could cut the moon with this ax!"
"Now for phase 2 of our plan." Kamek said. "We pretend to forge a truce. Then we poison Mario's dinner with my sleeping draught. Then, you ax them to death!" They all started laughing again.

CHAPTER 3: The Plan

Mario had constructed a plan to stop Bowser. From what, he didn't know, but he did know that Bowser would never just invite Mario over. So, he got ready.
"OK, this is what we'll do: Luigi, Chef Torte will probably poison our food, so switch plates with the enemy. Yoshi, before dinner, do some poking around. See if you can find out what he's up too. Toad, when the enemy gets poisoned, call in some guards to throw them in prison, got it?" Everyone nodded. "If all else fails, then get Peach out of there and leave Bowser to me. He should still be weak from the last battle we fought. Just in case, I got this sack o' supplies."Yoshi looked at Mario as though he had turned into a frog.
"You have milk in your mustache. Can I have it?" He didn't wait for an answer. Yoshi had smeared Mario's face with his tongue. "Yummy milk! I want more!" Luigi grabbed Yoshi by the arm to stop him going for the refrigerator. They all put their plan into action. It was easy to tell when one entered the Koopa Kingdom. The countryside reeked with dark magic. Not even weeds would grow in the cold, black rock that was ground, and the red sky was always covered with thick, brownish-black clouds. Bowser's Castle was perched on top of an rock-like island floating above the Lava Sea - a pit, miles deep, filled to the brim with raging flame.
"OK, we know what to do. So, start poking around, guys!" Mario said. Yoshi fluttered up to a window, or at least he tried. Instead of flying to the window, he fell 20 feet and landed by the ventilation tunnel. He climbed in. In the Throne Hall, the first room you enter when you come in, Yoshi could see Kamek, Kammy, and Bowser. Bowser was sitting in the huge throne at the end of the hall on a raised platform. Kamek and Kammy were arguing with him.
"My Lord, Mario must suspect something! I know it!" Kamek said.
"Well, he ain't showing it now, is he?" Kammy said. They looked at Bowser, who was wearing a grin just like the one his huge portrait was wearing behind him. Yoshi had seen this giant painting before. It was bewitched to speak and attack. He was sure that if you gave a proper code, you would go to the hidden treasure room.
"Mario is no match for me. I will chop him with my new ax. Like I said, it only works for me. plus, there won't be anything to hide behind. This ax can cut through anything!" Bowser said. Yoshi watched in horror as Bowser chopped the head of a titanium statue. Kamek and Kammy and, unknowingly, Yoshi stared as Bowser went down the long hall, slicing the arched pillars on either side of him. Bowser stopped and repaired the two arcades, laughing like a lunatic.
"Mario needs to hear about this!" Yoshi said to himself.

CHAPTER 4: Dinner

While Yoshi reported to Mario, Luigi had gone into the kitchen. Chef Torte was a Terrapin, one of Bowser's advanced Koopa Troopas. His apprentice was also a Terrapin. Torte kept running around, ordering the other Koopas around and acting insane, as usual.
"Vat is zis? I said stir COUNTER-clockwise, you dummy! You call zis roast beef? You must be out of your mind!" He was so angry, his monocle was fogging up and his French-style mustache was getting messy.
"It doesn't matter! That's Luigi's. It'll get covered with sleeping powder." Apprentice said.
"Zat is true, but I STILL WANT HIM TO HAVE ZE DINNER OF HIZ LIFE BEFORE 'E KEELS OVER!" Tort'e spat. A Koopa trying to fix the tomato juicer accidentally got some ketchup on Chef Torte's brand new " Kiss the Koopa" apron.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…YOUR FIRED!" Torte yelled. Luigi noticed that each plate had a name next to it. "Mario," "Luigi," "Peach," "Yoshi," and "Toad" were all getting sleeping powder sprinkled onto their plates. Luigi kicked a pot lying on the ground. The Koopa sprinkling the powder went to get it. Luigi then switched the name tags in front of the plates. He had almost gotten to Peach and Toad when the Koopa came back to take the plates. Luigi jumped out of the window and went to tell Mario.
"I could only switch your plate, Yoshi's plate, and my plate, but everyone else ends up falling asleep at dinner. Three of Bowser's thugs will get knocked out."
"We should get going. Toad called the guards and told them to be ready." They stepped towards the bridge and gatehouse. A Koopatrol guard came out.
"Who's there? Ahh, Mario, go on through," He said. Mario knocked and the door opened. The Throne Hall was lined with more Koopatrol guards. Bowser was sitting in his throne on the raised platform at the end of the hall.
"Welcome, my guests. You're just in time." Bowser said, leading Mario and his group towards the Dining Area. The long table was a bit empty. Wart, the King of Frogs, was sitting there as if he wanted to criticize his rival. Naval Piranha had coiled around his goblet so he could stare at the silver inside. Kamek and Kammy were fighting silently at the end were Bowser sat. The Koopa Kids were all next to Kamek in a little row.
"Now then, I have this paper stating that the Mushroom People and the Koopa Empire will cease fighting of all kinds. In short, a truce. Princess, you need to sign here. I've already signed," Bowser said, holding a quill up to Peach. Mario looked at Peach and nodded. Peach wrote her name under Bowser's messy scribble. Bowser then announced that everyone should start eating.
Everyone was very tense. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi kept eating, looking at Bowser to see when he'd knock out. Peach and Toad pretended to eat, knowing their food had sleep powder in it. Finally, Bowser, Wart, and Naval all keeled over backwards. Kamek and Kammy tried to wake their master up because Toad had just called the guards in.
"This should do it! Awaken!" Kamek brought his wand swishing down on the table. Bowser, Naval, and Wart woke up.
"Get them!!" Naval yelled, constricting the Mushrooms with one of his long, thorny vines. Then Wart rammed the guards out the window and back to Toad Town. Luigi threatened Wart with a carrot.
"No! NOT VEGETABLES!! AHHH!" And he jumped out the window. Naval went after him. Then, the Koopa Kids jumped up to attack Mario
. "This should be a one-hit-KO!" Roy roared. He jumped to the high chandelier. With a savage shout, Roy plummeted shell first toward Mario's head. Mario took one step to the left and Roy missed him. He got stuck in the floor and he started crying. Lemmy came up to Luigi.
"PREPARE TO…what was it? …do the thing, where you, uhh, die and get a big boo-boo thingie…" Lemmy threw a large beach ball at Luigi's head.
"Did I mention I've been taking volleyball lessons lately?" Luigi said, giving the ball a well-aimed smack. The ball knocked Lemmy unconscious. Ludwig clapped once and out of nowhere came a huge pipe organ. He clapped again and a stool appeared.
"Now, you vill taste my power! Prepare to be my slaves! Laugh vith me. HA HA HA HA HA!" Ludwig started playing a strange song on the organ. It made Mario feel like an empty shell of his former self. He felt like he had no control over his own brain. "Must…serve…Lord…Bowser…" He said. Yoshi, however, who was too busy eating all of the unpoisoned food in sight, had not heard the song.
"Yummy, yummy, yummy! I love this soda!" Yoshi said. He threw the goblet when he finished. The silver cup hit Ludwig square between the eyes. He was knocked unconscious and his head fell on the keyboard, drooling. Wendy was getting angry. Her left eyebrow was twitching and her teeth were clenched.
"That was my favorite song! THAT WAS MY FAVORITE SONG!!" She jumped on Yoshi, punched him, then withdrew in horror. "My nail! I broke it! WAAAAAAAAH!" Yoshi licked her into his mouth and with a pop a pink-spotted egg came out of his rear. Wendy was still having a fit over her nail. Yoshi could hear her through the egg's shell. Iggy was preparing to fight. He thought for about a minute. After about a minute, he spoke.
"You will serve me!" He jumped on Luigi, kicking him every chance he got. Then he held up a pizza slice. Yoshi saw it and attempted to tongue it. Iggy tied him up with his own tongue. He pulled out a watch in an attempt to hypnotize Peach, but she kicked him in the stomach.
"Ooooooh. I have an ulcer. I'm going to be sick…" He ran towards the restroom, still holding his stomach. Morton came towards Peach.
"You know I don't think you should have done that. I mean Iggy has a very sensitive stomach you should apologize later I know you'll be able to because right now I'm going to lock you up and you will be our slave and Mario will be given the screaming painful torture that we reserve for our arch-enemies only so I'm going to lock you up now so say your last words to Mario and-" Mario hit Morton from behind. He stopped talking and fell to the floor. Larry was left. He looked around, nervous. He slowly took a step back, and then said, "You won't be able to get me. Bye!" and he ran from the Dinning Area back into the Throne Hall. Mario and Luigi were on his tail. Finally, Larry stopped and started throwing large orbs containing fire. Mario pulled out the bag of supplies he brought. A Power Star fell out.
"MINE! YAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Larry jumped for it, but Luigi and Mario got it. In a flash of golden, multicolored light, Mario became a silhouette of swirling color floating a few inches above the ground, his legs ending in a wisp of smoke. Luigi had hit the star at the same time as Mario, so he was invincible to. They both ran at high speed and rammed Larry. Larry had tried to throw another orb at them at the exact same time. The result: Larry was trapped inside the orb.
"You'll Pay for this! I promise you!" He shouted.

CHAPTER 5: The Magikoopas

Kamek and Kammy came into the room. They were both holding their brooms. The brooms looked new.
"I just got this! Kammy's is new, too! Both of these products are fast and easy to control! Prepare to meet your doom! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Kamek said. In a flash, Kamek and Kammy were flying in great circles around them, powder coming out of their broom tails. The powder hit a nearby Bowser statue. The statue started breathing fire at Mario and Luigi. The brothers were still invincible, however, so the statue was destroyed when Mario flew into it.
"Foolish plumbers! I will take you on single-handed!" Kammy pulled out her wand and jumped off her broom. In a flash of dim gold light, Mario and Luigi's power-ups faded. Kammy was charging them.
"Airos!" In a flash of purple light, Kammy's spell had Mario and Luigi 20 feet in the air. Kammy brought them down with a crash, and then said, "Peddon!" Mario and Luigi started dancing around uncontrollably. Then their legs started to melt into jelly slop. In a flash of blue light, they were restored. Kammy was just having fun with them.
"Torture!" Kammy roared. Another flash, green this time, and something huge erupted from her wand. It was an old-fashioned torture device. Mario instinctively grabbed a small Goomba that had just come out of the Dinning Area and lobbed it into the air. The Goomba landed in the gears of the machine and the whole thing fell apart, right on Kammy's head.
"I'm outta here!" the Goomba said, running away. Now Kamek landed. He spoke.
"In 179-" (Kammy coughed loudly) "In 180 years, I have never seen such a dumb but effective attack. You shall face ME now." Without another word, Kamek shot a powerful blast from his wand. A yellow circle, a blue square, and a red triangle came from it. The shapes flew at Mario, turning whatever they touched into a bat, or a frog, or a Goomba. Mario got out the sack of items again. This time he got a Fire Flower. In a flash, Mario was engulfed in flame. After a few seconds, the flames disappeared. Mario's hands were surrounded in fire. The ground he was standing on was smoking. He seemed to give off heat. Mario tossed a Feather to Luigi. As soon as he touched it, Luigi was given a glittering cape that seemed to be made of golden light. He flew towards Kamek.
"ARGH! KEEP AWAY FROM ME, YOU LITTLE-" Kamek ran. But Luigi was faster. He was a yard away. A foot away. An inch. Luigi grabbed Kamek's bag. This bag was a very…WEIRD bag. Whatever Kamek put inside it shrank, so he could fit more stuff in it. Kamek used it for his potions. As soon as Luigi grabbed the hand-crafted leather, Kamek fell. The spell Kamek cast was still heading towards Mario. He raised his flaming hands, and a wave of fire erupted from the ground. Mario made a punching gesture in the air, and the fire shot at Kamek, the wrecked machine, and Kammy. They screamed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. They heard a door slam in the north tower. Apparently, Kamek and Kammy had teleported. Mario and Luigi stood there, watching the door to the Dining Area. It creaked open.

CHAPTER 6: The Koopa Emperor's Wrath

Bowser started towards them, his glittering ax raised above his head. Mario and Luigi backed away from Bowser; he was looking murderous.
"You shall meet your death at my hands, foolish plumber. I have waited a very long time for this, and now, my conquest shall become real. I will try to end it quickly. For all I know, it may not be as painful as you think. I've never been killed, so I wouldn't know. Let's find out, shall we?"
Bowser lunged, swinging his ax wildly. Mario created a fire shield, but it was no use. The ax cut through the fire! How the heck did he do that!?! Mario thought to himself. Luigi soared upward, then, slowly, started to fall. Bowser was too busy attacking Mario to see him, it was the perfect opportunity. Luigi dropped, using the Special Cape Dive-Bomb Attack. He hit Bowser with all his strength, but he might as well have thrown a spitball at him; Bowser didn't even feel the attack.
"Foolish mortal! Nothing can penetrate the hide of Grand Lord Bowser Koopa I! However, Luigi Mario I (Mario is your surname? Thanks.) has no defense, and should, nevertheless, become seared in two by this ax."
Bowser swung, and the blade made contact. Luigi's arm was ripped apart. The cut was around two inches deep, and Luigi was in so much pain he could hardly breathe. Mario ran to his brother's side and gave him a Life Shroom. At once, Luigi was healed completely.
"Thanks… Brother." Luigi said weakly. Mario ran at Bowser, punching and kicking as hard as he could. Bowser met him, blow for blow with his ax. Eventually, Mario started throwing fire at him. Bowser, however, ignored the flames and opened his mouth wide. He took a deep breath, and Mario could see the oxygen heating up. Bowser roared, and his trademark attack, the Fire Spurt, rushed towards Mario. Mario pushed the flame back with a flame beam of his own, but to no avail. Mario was blown backward, burns on his hands. He got up and sneaked a Vanish Cap out of his bag. He instantly became a bunch of pixels, almost impossible to see. Bowser, who was still panting from the effort of his fire breath, didn't see Mario walk up to him. Mario then kicked Bowser in the stomach and, with great effort, wrenched the ax out of Bowser's clawed grip. The golden blade turned to stony silver, and the ax became heavy. Mario tried to decapitate Bowser, but the ax refused to swing.
"What the heck is wrong with this stupid ax!?!" Mario shouted. Bowser pulled the ax out of Mario's hands, and the blade turned gold once more.
"It's all very simple. This 'stupid ax' will only work for the one who placed this pendant into the blade. And only one who could speak the language of the ancient Koopa could even get the pendant." Bowser explained, pointing out the now gold stone in the ax's blade. Bowser lunged, and the battle commenced. Luigi, who had regained his strength, tried to pull Bowser to the ground in a headlock. It almost worked, but Bowser ended up pinning Luigi. Bowser got up, and started speaking in what Mario guessed was ancient Koopa.
"Talonok du amorlidas. Kenoda bo sherniach. Koopa Notar ca tisnormat ny dorundias! (I shall triumph. You will perish. The Koopa Empire belongs to me!)" And with that, Bowser changed. He became larger, his skin darker. The spikes on his head lenghtened. His hair grew longer, wilder, and turned a vivid orange. He became more of a dragon. After this horrific spell transformed him, he brought his pure yellow eyes to rest on the plumbers. Then, he attacked.

CHAPTER 7: The Final Battle

Mario only just managed to dodge Bowser's leap. He and Luigi both rammed Bowser in the chest, but he was unhurt. Bowser spat a wave of fire at the plumbers, and the two brothers got their rears lit. Mario found a Metal Cap in his sack, Luigi got a Super Mushroom. The new-and-improved Metal Mario walked slowly towards the evil dragon. Bowser tried to stop him, but nothing worked. He swung his ax, but Mario grabbed the handle just below the blade.
"It can't be!" Bowser said in amazement.
"All right, you want a piece of me? Well, I metal, I'm mad, and I'm gonna- " A flash of lightning streaked across the crimson sky, distracting Both figures. Luigi, twice his original size and extremely beefed-up, ran towards his brother.
"Hey! We got to get outta here! The castle! It's…it's-"
"Changing." Bowser said, this time in English. "It is changing. My Empire is expanding across this pathetic Mushroom Land. My castle is simply growing. Your fields of flowers and grass are becoming cold, black stone deserts, as is the land around my castle. Take a look." Mario stared out of the window at Peach's Kingdom. The hills had become jagged mountains. The rivers turned to streams of lava. The changing environment was spreading very fast.
"Once Peach's Palace is corrupted, my castle shall be as big as this Empire was when you came. It is growing now," Bowser continued. Mario, still holding Bowser's ax, pinned him to the window. Upon touching those razor spikes, the glass broke and Bowser was hanging over raging flames.
"Stop this spell, or I'll throw you out this window." Mario said. Bowser thought for a moment, then said, in English, "I would rather DIE than make peace with YOU!" Mario threw Bowser out of the open window and into the Lava Sea. They heard his last words in Koopa: " Talonok du isnortah!", before he fell into the fire. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Toad left the castle. It seemed that when Bowser died, the curse lifted; the land had returned to normal. At Peach's Palace, a huge feast was held in honor of the occasion. A party had started in celebration. The war had ended…

Kamek and Kammy, for once in their lives, stopped bickering. The seven children could not joke or argue with one another. They stood there, in front of the castle, as two Hammer Brothers made a stone monument to their late king. While crying, they did not notice a large mass moving around the edge of the Lava Sea. They did not see the glint of a golden ax, broken at the blade. They did not hear their king mutter, from the edge of the Lava Sea: "Talonok du isnortah: I shall live…"

THE END
Or…Is it?