Lakitu's voice rang out across the multitudes of cheering Kart fans, setting them into an excited frenzy...
"This is it, folks! The final race, the one you all
really came to see! The grande finale! The one all you Goombas, Koopas, Toads, and other such Mushroom Kingdom lifeforms will be glued in your very seats for!--that is, if you don't decide to stand and cheer for your favorite team."
Peach clasped her hands in front of herself, looking down to the racetrack from her Royal Balcony seat, "Oh, I hope Mario wins. He has a lot of trophies already, but I told him I'd bake him a cake if he did--that's why he's really racing."
Daisy giggled, "You bake enough cakes for Mario to feed the Goomba family that lives near me. How do you find the time for it? What with all the parties, golfing, tennis..."
Princess Toadstool shrugged, "The Castle kitchen staff helps out sometimes."
Toadsworth piped in from nearby, stepping to the front of the booth, speaking from behind his mustache, "Ah, Master Mario is racing for the challenge of it, the excitement, as is Master Luigi... and don't be so modest, Your Highness. You achieve a lot for one who's close-to-most often pasttime is getting captured."
Peach frowned, "I just get captured so Mario can come save me..."
The three of them, along with other Castle-dwelling Toads, all laughed at this; it was a beautiful, sunny day in the Mushroom Kingdom, as if the Shine Sprites had decided to give the sun to all of the Kingdom, not just Isle Delfino. The only clouds were sparse, large and fluffy-white, probably because of the random Nimbus people peppered throughout the stadium audience.
Out on the track, though, tensions were high...
Mario looked over his shoulder to Luigi, his younger brother, "This is it, bro, the final race."
Luigi nodded lightly, tightening his hold on the back of the Kart a bit, "You think we can-a do it?"
Mario turned his head to look to the other two teams; Bowser and his belligerent offspring, and the Bros.' archtypes, Wario and Waluigi... it would be a tricky, dangerous race. Mario turned back to Luigi,
"I think we can do it, we've-a bested them before. After all, we are the...
...
Super Mario Brothers!" They concluded together.
Lakitu's voice rang out again, "Allllllllllllllllllllright, folks! The race is starting! Each team must make their way
fairly around the track 3 times, and be the first to cross the Finish line, to win that
Golden Trophy!"
Bowser snarled, looking over to Mario, "You're both going down, chumps! I'll squash you
and those purple-prancin' wannabes!"
Wario snarled, and Waluigi chimed in, "Hey, spikey! Who're you-a callin' wannabes?! You're about to find a Bob-omb shoved right--" ...Waluigi trailed off, muttering the rest of his boastful obscenity. Bowser simply sneered, looking ahead again, growling under his fiery breath, "Morons..."
Three... Two... One...
GO!!!!The feet hit the pedals, and all three teams started off, the Mario Bros. medium-weight Kart pulling ahead of the heavier Karts of their opponents. Dirt shot up from the tires, giving way to a rising cloud of dust that settled over the Karts.
The Mario Brothers quite quickly pulled ahead, being the lightest of the three teams, Wario and Waluigi behind them, followed by Bowser and Bowser Junior. As Mario and Luigi surely had the most fans in the audience, a cheer filled the air from the stadiums, many Koopas and Toads standing to cheer for their favorite Kingdom-saving plumbers.
Bowser rammed the Wa- Bros. hard, his big spiked Kart knocking theirs towards a wall, but they drifted back in towards the center of the track, hitting an Item block and obtaining a Red Shell.
"This'll show that big turtle to throw his weight around!" Waluigi sneered, whipping the Red Shell forward... it spun, and collided with Bowser's Kart, sending him and Bowser Junior spinning around and into the sand at the side of the track.
Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi had gained a substantial lead; Luigi checked over his shoulder one more time, and then switched with Mario, continuing to barrel ahead, now onto the second lap.
The Koopa King snarled, "Those tricksters are low. Let's see them avoid this..."
Switching places with Bowser Junior, and letting his son drive, Bowser took up the Item Wielder's position, waiting for a moment before unleashing his massive spiked shell onto the track.
The ginormous shell of spiked'ness went careening down the track, skimming into Wario and Waluigi's purple kart and knocking it into the Start/Finish line post, and continued on towards the Mario Brothers.
Mario looked over his shoulder, "Oh no! Luigi, step on it! That shell's-a comin' fast!" Luigi sped up as well as he could, bumping a curb... the shell missed them, but rammed furlong into the stadium wall, quaking it and snapping part of the foundation.
As Mario and Luigi came skidding to an alarmed stopped, they watched the stadium begin to tremor and shake, and the area supporting a formidable group of Bob-Ombs fell forward, releasing the explosive patrons onto the track.
Bowser raises his clawed fist in triumph, taking over for his son again, speeding forward with no heed to the bomb field ahead. As Mario pulled out, Bowser blindsided him, and the two of them went spinning into the bombs...
You can imagine the EXPLOSION. I mean... that's one big
BOOM! Princess Peach and Princess Daisy started down from their Royal seats, moving towards the track, horrified; were Mario and Luigi okay? Who would finish the race? What about all the hurt Bob-ombs?
But as the smoke settled... all that was left were the randomly felled Bob-ombs. No burning tires, twisted metal, torn green or red fabric. It was as if Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Bowser Junior had simply disappeared in the explosion.
Peach raised her gloved hands to her face, "Oh no... what happened?"
Toadsworth frowned, flustered, "That... that makes no sense! There would be body part--I mean..."
Peach turned around and began to fight back her tears, but just then Daisy pointed, "Look!"
They all looked, and look they did; within the center of the Bob-omb carnage, a swirling portal was closing, as if it were a tear in Time or Universal balance; Mario, Luigi, and the Koopas must have been sucked into it! But where did it lead...?
~~~
Luigi wearily opened his eyes, looking up at a black ceiling through blurred vision, his hat lying partially over his face... he heard the groan of Mario, and sat up, his head pounding with pain, "Wh... where are we?"
.. .. .. To be continued, of course .. .. ..
***
What does everyone think so far? I'd enjoy feedback.
See how the mustache hides the slightly sad smile... and the sideburns, portraying his simple, blue-collar roots... and his legs, thick, wide, the legs of the masses!
Edited by - Super Mario on 12/29/2003 2:49:11 PM