Part 1: The Adventure Begins

Booster isn't in the best of moods. His attempts at trying to catch the magical white Sky Fish haven’t been going as he hoped, and each time he manages to hook one, he is rewarded with... rain. The clear wet substance fal sfrom the white sky fish each time he manages to fire one of his harpoons through one, and by the end of the day, he is soaked, along with his entire tower. He spends the rest of the evening in his dining hall, thinking over what he has been doing wrong...

As he thinks over the day's events, a familiar chugging sound comes from behind him, the Loco Express! Riding along its many cars are trays and trays of food, all tailored to Booster's... peculiar tastes. Pasta with sauerkraut, toothpaste-and-bacon sandwiches, seaweed and mayonnaise crepes, to name some of the less bizarre things on the menu... Booster looks over his shoulder, and with a grunt, he gets up from his dining chair and stops the train in its tracks.

Booster: No! I will not be eating these! I crave the flesh of the great white sky fish!

He kicks over the various dishes, leaving a scattered mess. The Snifit conducting the train, Stan, sighs. It'd been like this all week, ever since he decided to wait for ANOTHER woman to fall from the sky and noticed the 'fish'...

Stan: Uh... Erm, Lord Booster? I really don't think those are fish though... I think they're just regular old clouds...

Booster: NONSENSE! I know what clouds are! They're gray and menacing and shoot pain and tingling from their bellies! But THESE... *gestures upwards, at the ceiling* These are FISH! Why else would they all be migrating to the ocean?!

He looks at Stan with his trademarked 'crazed viking with a pebble in his boot' grin, which, as of late, is actually clean for a change, likely because he hasn't eaten any food to get stuck in his beard.

Stan: But, Lord Booster, why would the erm... fish... be filled with water then? Aren't clouds filled with water too...?

Stan struggles to think of a way to get Booster to understand, but is soon cut off.

Booster: YES! EXACTLY! They're filled with the wet stuff! Why didn't I realize it? They eat water! Quickly! We must run to the nearest party store!

Booster grasps Stan's arm in a crushing grip, dragging him off. Booster and Stan climb down flights of steps, with Stan being pummeled and mauled by the various Chain Chomps guarding the tower. Stan sighs the whole way down, wondering how he ended up with the most powerful yet most undesired job in the entirety of Booster's Tower: Conductor of the Loco Express. As Booster drags Stan along, he belts out a merry tune, making up the words as he goes along, and it goes a little something like this...

"~OH WE'RE GONNA BE HUNTING SKY FISH! WE'RE GONNA EAT GOOD TONIGHT! RUN ALONG THE PARAPETS! FIRE AT EACH IN SIGHT! OH WE'RE GONNA BE HUNTING SKY FISH! WITH WATER BALLOONS OF MIGHT~"

At this point, Stan interrupts.

Stan: Water balloons, Lord Booster? You still haven't realized tha-

Booster: QUIET, STAN, AND LET ME FINISH!

"-THE TOWER'S GUNS AND CRENELLATIONS WILL GIVE THEM QUITE A FRIGHT~!"

At this point, Booster begins softly singing, his voice suddenly quiet and actually pleasing to hear, for a change.

"The fish fly west, to the ocean, time is running low. The tender meat that they'll bestow, would go good with...”

He hesitates for five or so seconds, and screams the next line in his usual rowdy, gruff voice.

“PORK RINDS!!! WAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-Haaaa...”

Stan groans at this.

"WE'RE GONNA BE SKYing... fish... Hunt... what?"

Booster loses track of where he was, and shrugs at this point. He got bored of the song anyway. Eventually they reach the Grand Hall, Snifits and Bob-ombs all around the place, playing pool or poker or blackjack or whatever they feel like doing. None of them notice Booster as he walks past the Wall of Boosters... He quickly corrects this though and, at the top of his lungs, yells out an ear-shattering and mind-boggling "WHO OWNS THE FORD PINTO ON THE ROOF?! YOU LEFT YOUR LIGHTS ON!!!" Needless to say, all the Snifits either duck for cover, check their car keys (then wonder how anyone could park on the roof), or for the few Bob-ombs in the room, explode. The Snifits realize quickly who shouted this, and hop to attention, forming neat, orderly lines.

Booster: SNIFIT 1! WHERE ARE YOU?!

Stan: Lord Booster, I keep telling you, I'm Snifit 1... Just because I told you my actual name doesn't mean that we're two differ-

Booster: Quiet, Stan! Ok! Looks like I'll have to send Stan in your place, Snifit 1!

Booster's face goes a bit red, and he looks about ready to burst.

Booster: WHEN I FIND YOU I'M GOING TO ASSIGN YOU CHAIN CHOMP DUTY, YOU HEAR ME!

Stan sighs... If only he could be Snifit 1 again... Anything to avoid dealing with this every day...

Booster: Anyway, Stan, I need you to take these guys to the nearest party store and get me some fireworks!

Stan: Uhh, sir... What about-

Booster: Big loud ones, too, not those wimpy firecrackers that just sort of sit there and puff out!

Stan: Sir, I don't think tha-

Booster: And see if you can find any more of those plastic army soldiers, too! I'm running low, since most of the last batch were eaten in the horrible attack on Soldier City by Booster-zilla...

He keeps making a list of things he wants, until Stan has to actually shake him. Booster shakes him back, thinking it's a new game.

Stan: Si-si-sir, wa-wa-what ab-b-bout th-the ba-ba-balloons?

Booster stops shaking him and looks him in the eye, glaring. His left eye's gaze slowly begins wandering away from the center of his face little by little. Stan can almost hear a sort of horrible, high-pitched buzzing noise... The eye... the eye... it's making him crazy... It's impossible to look away... He can almost hear a voice telling him "Run away... before it's too late... Run... RUN!!!" Booster blinks, destroying this hallucination, and brings Stan back to reality.

Booster: Yes! Get those as well! We'll need them to catch us some of those Sky Fish!

Stan: Y-yes sir!

Booster gives Stan a list of things to get, and along with Snifit 2 (Bob) and Snifit 3 (Rick), he boots them out. Literally. They land on their backs outside the tower, dense jungle wilderness around them...

Stan: Well... Closest place is Marrymore, and all they have are weddings, questionable hotel rates, and wedding cake.

In the distance, a crazed scream breaks through the sounds of the jungle as Stan finishes saying 'Wedding Cake'.

Bob: Uhh... What was that?

Rick: I don't know, and I don't wanna know. Let's get out of here.

Stan: Yeah. Come on, let's get going.

Stan and the others trek through the foliage, traversing several marshes and swamps, before managing to make their way to a clearing, where they settle down for the night...

Stan: I really think Booster's life depends on us, guys. You've seen how he's been, not eating since he got the sky fish idea...

Bob: I actually think he'll be well fed and not remember this idea at all when we get back. I mean, really, it's Booster we're talking about. He likes an idea and runs with it until he gets impatient or bored, then does something else...

Rick: But he hasn't eaten in a week, and usually his hair-brained schemes last, what, two weeks, tops? You ever seen anybody last 2 weeks without food, cause I sure haven't!

Bob: What about that one fat Yoshi kid? He lasted 2 weeks without food while trying to lose weight. Then Mario had to come and visit him to see how he was doing. He brought a sack full of cookies with him. We all know what happened afterwards...

Stan and the others look down, somewhat sad.

Stan: Yeah. Broke the world record for most cookies eaten in one sitting.

Rick: I hated the week after that. So much baking... so much...

Rick starts to freak out, slamming two rocks together until they shatter. Bob has to restrain him before he can get at another set of rocks.

Bob: Stan! You know how Rick's sensitive about that incident! Really!

Stan: Hey, it's not my fault he volunteered to be Booster's cookie chef. He should have known that Booster was planning on trying to break the record that Yoshi set!

Rick appears to have calmed down quite a bit now.

Rick: But he... he promised the eight billion coin prize money to the chef. It was so much money... so much... money... I could be living like that Yoshi right now, a mansion, away from that tower, able to... to... I dunno, just be rich!

At this point Bob's stomach growls... all the talk about cookies and world records is making him hungry. He digs around in his backpack...

Bob: Anybody want some wedding cake? I picked it up at Marrymore the other day, it's still good.

At this moment, the same cry from earlier rings out through the jungle.

Rick: It was that noise again! What is that?!

Bob isn’t paying much attention, instead assuming nobody wants any cake, and is already stuffing his face. When he hears Rick say "What is that?!", he looks up.

Bob: It's wedding cake.

The scream rings out again, this time much closer. It sounds as if someone or something s screaming "WEDDING CAKE!!! WEDDING CAAAAKKKEE!!!!!...”

Bob: You want... some... What the...

Suddenly a figure emerges from the jungle and pounces on Bob from behind, causing him to land on and destroy the cake. The figure howls horribly and grabs Bob by the ankle, trying to drag him off into the jungle. Rick and Stan spring into action, trying to pull Bob away from the creature, Bob kicking at it with his left foot frantically while screaming. He manages to hit the creature in the face and it takes his left shoe with it, it's shrieks of 'WEDDING CAKE' muffled by the leather-and-rubber piece of clothing, reducing it to sputtering "MPPH MMMPH!!!". Rick, Stan, and Bob grab their bags and run.

Bob: What in the world was that thing?! It was trying to eat me! Why was it trying to eat me? I don't want to be eaten, guys, I don't want to be-

Stan slaps Bob, but it does nothing for his state of mind. Bob keeps panicking and screaming until Stan has to take out his flashlight and knock him out with it.

Rick: What'd you do that for?! Now we have to carry him!

Stan: Shut up! If he kept talking it'd lead that... thing... to us! Shut up and run! I'll carry Bob!

Stan shoves Bob into his backpack as quickly as he can, and chases after Rick. Close behind them, they can hear the thing shrieking every so often... It's as if it's telling them they don't have much longer. The worst part of this is that they've run into a swamp, vines and trees being the only way across without risking being eaten by a Cheep Cheep...

Rick: What do we do now?! I don't want to end up food for anything in this jungle, and I don't think we can cross fast enough to escape that thing!

"WEDDDDINNNNG CAAAAAKKKKKE!!!"

Stan: Shut up and climb! We don't have much choice, do we?!

As Stan and Rick climb up along the tree branches above the swamp, the one hunting them makes its appearance and shrieks at them, climbing up the vine-covered trees much faster than they can manage. Stan pulls off his backpack and hands it off to Rick.

Rick: What are you doing?!

Stan: Listen, Booster may be insane, and he may be the cause of most of our problems right now, but I really don't want the guy to die on us. He doesn't deserve that.

Rick: That doesn't answer my question!

"WEDDDING CAAAAKKKE!!!"

Stan: Just do what you can to escape with Bob, I'll try to distract this thing. I think I have an idea.

He holds up his flashlight, the switch set to off. Rick just looks at him, and continues climbing. Stan makes a big show of screaming and yelling at the thing, taunting it to chase after him, to no effect. Only after it shouts "WEDDINNG CAAAAAKKKE!!!" a few times does he realize what it's after, and he begins yelling at it, screaming that he has the wedding cake. The monster swings from branch to branch, shrieking its head off, while Stan just sits there and waits patiently. As it swings towards him, a single tree away, it lets out a hideous shriek of "WEDDDDIIINNNNGG CAAAAAKKKE!!!". Stan surprises even himself, letting his reflexes take hold, and he turns on the flashlight, shining it right in the creature’s face as it flies through the air mid-swing, letting go to shield its eyes... The loudmouthed monster plunges into the swamp, a giant Cheep Cheep surfacing just in time to swallow him as he splashes into the water...

The Sun rises a few hours later. Rick waits with Bob at the base of Booster Hill...

Rick: Bob... You think we should leave him behind?

Bob: I... I dunno, Rick...

Rick: He couldn't have survived an encounter with that thing... could he? I mean, you saw how it probably would have ripped you apart, and even if it didn't get him, I don't know if he made it through that swamp anyway...

Bob: He could have had a one-on-one fight with that thing, and got hit in the face wrong, fell off the branch they were on, and drowned... or got eaten...

Rick: Nah, he had to have beaten it, or it'd have gotten to us already, and... I hope he beat it...

Bob: ... Let's say he did and get out of here. I don't wanna find out he lost.

Rick: Agreed.

Rick and Bob begin making the trek up Booster Hill, when a rustling catches their attention. They jump at the noise and begin dashing up the hill, but are impeded by the barrels... barrelling... down the hill, and find themselves tumbling back down in a heap. The rustling from the jungle gets louder, and the barrels on top of Bob and Rick keep them from moving from their spot. They watch in horror as the one responsible for the noise emerges, revealing itself to be...

Stan. They immediately sigh in relief, then notice the barrels. And the pain of their ribs being crushed by them.

Rick: Stan... It's... good to see you... But... could you... give us a hand... here..?

Bob: What's IN these things... anyway?!

Stan grabs at Rick's barrel, groaning and struggling, before managing to roll it off of him. Rick just sits there, recovering from severe barrel-crushing, as Stan rolls the other barrel off of Bob.

Stan: ... Rocks. They're filled with rocks.

Bob: ... Wha... Why?! Why fill them full of rocks?!

Stan: No, wrong question. Why set up a machine to toss barrels down a hill?

Rick: Yeah. I actually wondered that myself for a long time. It wasn't until now that I actually cared to find out... It's annoying...

Stan: (grinning) Because Booster felt like it. Anyway, either of you have suggestions on where to go next?

Bob: I hear the Moleville Mines recently got added to the Mushroom Kingdom Subway Network.

Rick: At least after we get past the barrels, we won't have to do much more walking...

Stan: Well, let's get going, then!