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Darkdata Ruins!? ♥ Level: 103 ![]() Posts: 1608/2892 EXP: 11447677 For next: 23729 Since: 07-04-07 Since last post: 204 days Last activity: 12 days |
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Sorry, I thought I updated last night. Turns out I am an idiot! Also, huge textdump ahoy! Character Sheet: Coins: 0 Items: HAMMER Mario decides he'd better talk to the princess before doing anything else. So he scampers up the path that leads to the palace. Along the way, and on into the distance in every direction, the landscape is dotted with strange yet familiar structures. Stone staircases climb ten feet into the air and stop. Brick ledges hang in the sky, though nothing seems to be holding them up. Metal boxes are scattered all over the blue-green hills. Mario hops onto a stack of red and blue cubes and snatches two shiny coins that are hanging above them. "These might come in handy later," he says. "I hear the princess just installed a new gumball machine at the palace." Then he continues on his way. *** Mario collects two coins. *** Character Sheet: Coins: 2 Items: HAMMER It usually takes Mario about thirty seconds to dash up the road to the palace. Today, though, it takes him almost ten minutes. Too many creatures get in his way. He bounds up the grand marble staircase to the palace's front gate. One of the two royal doormen is standing guard. "Hello, Brock," Mario calls as he passes. The muscular mushroom salutes, touching his furry white helmet. Mario goes inside. As he walks down the main hall, he senses that all is not as it should be. Paintings are missing from the walls, and there are muddy footprints all over the royal carpets. Wooster, the king's finicky assistant, would never allow the palace to become such a mess—something must really be wrong! Mario stops to inspect a pile of broken flower pots. Just then the other royal doorman walks by. "Hi, (jerkins," says Mario. "I'm Brock," the doorman answers. "Hmph," mutters Mario. "I thought I just saw Brock. Well, maybe I was wrong." Mario hurries to the throne room. Along the way, he thinks he sees the same doorman a third time. Now he's confused. Maybe Princess Toadstool can clear up this mystery! Turn to page 114. "Thank goodness you're here," cries Princess Toadstool the moment Mario opens the royal double doors. She's dressed in a long pink evening gown and matching earrings. She's as beautiful as ever, Mario thinks. But her fingernails are bitten all the way to the quick. She looks really stressed out! "I was afraid you didn't get my message," she says, fingering her gold and emerald necklace. Mario gazes around the throne room. The place is a madhouse. There are two of almost everyone in the hall! Everyone is yelling at his or her double. Even one of the royal pool cleaners is looking in a mirror and yelling at her reflection. "I guess she got confused," Princess Toadstool says. "Looks like you've got a major disaster on your hands, Princess," says Mario. "But what happened?" "It all started two days ago, when the mailman showed up with bunches of flowers for everyone," explains Princess Toadstool. "Everyone took the flowers to then- room. But Wooster dropped his, Toad's, and mine when I asked him to put them on the windowsill. Then the next morning when Wooster watered the king's flowers, they started crackling and shooting sparks. All the bouquets had strange-looking tiny video cameras hidden in them!" The princess's heels click on the throne room's marble floor as she paces anxiously. "As soon as we figured that out, we threw all the flowers away. But it was too late. Doubles of almost everyone began to appear. Since then, things have been getting more and more confusing. No one can remember whom they've spoken to, the royal refrigerator is empty from feeding all the extras, and swarms of monsters are overrunning the kingdom!" Mario arches one bushy black eyebrow. "I smell a big, fat Koopa rat," he says. "That's not the worst part," warns the princess, adjusting her tiny crown "Now we have two contenders for the throne!" Princess Toadstool leads Mario up to the front of the room, where two identical kings are taking turns pushing each other off the big gold throne. Each is wearing a purple robe and an onion-shaped crown. Wooster, the royal mushroom assistant, is there too, wringing his hands. His usually spotless apron is covered with dirt. He looks as if he hasn't slept for days. "You've got to help us, Mario!" wails the tall mushroom. "I've been so busy trying to clean up after two kings, I haven't even had time to wind the royal cuckoo clocks!" "Frankly, your Highness," Mario whispers to the princess, "it could be worse. I've never seen the king actually do anything anyway," "It's the principle of the thing!" snaps the princess. "Every kingdom needs a king, and there can only be one king in every castle, and we've got two—so ... help!" "Ill do what I can," Mario promises. Just then he notices that Toad, the royal mushroom retainer, is not around. Where's Toad?" he asks. "He went out to find a magnifying glass," answers Wooster. "He thought it might help us discover who the real king is." "Great idea," says one of the two kings. "I was just about to say that!" cries the other one. "I wonder whether I have a magnifying glass with me," says Mario. He starts to check his pockets. *** Check your notes to see what equipment Mario is carrying to decide what happens next. *** Character Sheet: Coins:2 Items: HAMMER If Mario does not have a magnifying glass, tun to page 116. Mario's plumber's pockets are chockful of useful stuff, but no magnifying glass. "Time to look for Toad!" Mario declares. Promising the princess hell be back as soon as possible, he rushes out of the palace and heads off into the Mushroom Kingdom. "Toad could be just about anywhere," Mario sighs, as he looks out across the Mushroom Kingdom countryside. But the plumber doesn't get much time to think about the places he could go to look for Toad. Less than five minutes from the palace, he hears Toad's squeaky voice. And its coming from the very center of an enormous Piranha Patch! "Oh no," says Mario. He gazes into the field of swirling, snarling green plants. "These overgrown flytraps are bad news." "Save me!" cries Toad. Mario can see a white dot in the middle of the moving green field. "I'm on my way!" he calls, and begins to make his way through the vicious plants. Turn to page 90. "Unhand my pal, you dirty weeds!" Mario shouts. He pushes his way through the growling green monsters. One huge Piranha plant turns to face him. It runs a fleshy pink tongue across its lips and twists its green mouth into a horrible grin. Mario picks up a baseball-sized rock and hurls it at the plant. "Batter up!" he calls. Quickly, the creature picks up a large stick with its mouth and uses it to bat the stone away. Mario looks around. Oh no! Nearly all the Piranha plants have picked up sticks—and they're swinging them at him! "Uh-oh," he mutters. "I shouldn't have given them any ideas." The mean green sluggers block his path in every direction. Mario needs an exit, and fast! IF YOU THINK MARIO SHOULD RUN AWAY AND LEAVE TOAD THERE PAGE 78 IF YOU THINK MARIO SHOULD DISTRACT THE PLANTS AND TRY TO RUN AWAY WITH TOAD, TURN TO PAGE 119 ____________________ |

























