Mario had always been somewhat popular at school.

   It wasn't that there had been a shortage of talented or outgoing kids at New Donk City High. But very few were a combination of everything: Mario had the most contagious laugh; the easiest time making friends; the kind of grades one could at least settle for; the wildest ideas of fun; the best jump in basketball (despite his lack of a growth spurt) — and more recently, the kind of roguish air about him that caused the girls to secretly shake their eyebrows. And he never got in trouble because of schoolwork — only sometimes when his aggressive side came out.

   One could easily hear from the average person: "Ah yes, Mario. How could you not like him?"

   Ever since elementary school even he'd been the guy to hang with: the boys had loved to play cowboys or knights or video games with him, and the girls would sit and watch, giggling to themselves. Although it had changed in nature a bit over the more recent years, it wasn't entirely different still, even now, as his generation became juniors in high school.

   Even most of the teachers there liked Mario especially. It was he after all who had stopped a younger boy from being bullied once. It was he, after all, who had somehow managed to jump up and catch a surefire home run in last year's championship game. And it was he, albeit a bit anxiously, who seemed to have a great interest in graduation and beyond.

   So it came as no real surprise that he was called out by his teacher, just Mario alone, on that fine Friday afternoon at the conclusion of yet another ordinary school day. Or at least, it began as a fine, ordinary day; though to say it remained that way would have been an immense understatement.

   But however many things were set in motion that day, it all started when an eager young Mario was asked to stay behind a moment at the end of biology class.

   "We'll finish our section with squids and mollusks on Monday," Mr. Yokoi announced from the blackboard to his half-listening students. "And Mario, if I could just talk to you about something for a second?"

   As the rest of the juniors filed out of the classroom, eager to get home to their television sets, the lone young man obediently hung back, watching with some jealousy his classmates who were getting out ahead of him. They were a relatively typical-looking group, shouldering backpacks and gabbing away concerning their weekend plans, with an occasional oddball here and there. Some snapped their fingers and raised their eyebrows at him as they went, while others merely smiled. Most of them knew Mario couldn't be in actual trouble. Not seriously. Everyone at least knew Mario well enough to know he was liked not only among their own ranks, but among the teachers as well; and that included Mr. Yokoi in particular.

Among the departing throng, towards the back of the pack, went one slightly skinny, slightly awkward pale young man in green, who gave him a questioning glance as he shuffled past. Mario, catching his quizzical blue eyes, just shrugged and waved him out.

   Stepping forward at the end of the horde, the short sixteen-year-old approached his teacher's desk and waited expectantly. This couldn't be about anything bad, surely. No one would have told on him for elbowing Wario just a bit too hard yesterday in the hallway. The jerk was insulting his mustache; how could he not react?

   But another moment and all his fears were lost. "Ah, Mario," the aging man in a bow tie sighed. "Just the man I wanted to see."

   Mr. Yokoi had been at his trade for longer than any of them had been alive, and he was well-respected. Whatever he had to say, it was surely important.

Mario tilted his head and regarded his teacher for a moment. "Yes, sir...?"

   "Don't look so concerned — it's nothing bad, I promise!" his teacher chuckled. "No, but it is important. Now I don't mean to rush you, and feel free not to give me an answer — but I just wanted to ask about your future plans," he began. "Well, I mean — I can't help but notice you've been a good student all year long — and I was wondering if you're still interested in med school. That's what you told me you were thinking of pursuing, right?"

   Somewhat taken aback, Mario raised his dark eyebrows. "Oh... yeah, that's right," he replied carefully. "I mean I haven't thought about it extremely —

   "Oh, you don't have to worry about it just now," Mr. Yokoi was quick to explain. "Please don't feel rushed — but I just wanted to let you know that a wonderful new scholarship opportunity is available at New Donk University School of Medicine. Might be something to look into?"

   "Sure," the boy replied, his pleasant attitude making it hard to tell if he was truly interested. "That sounds great."

   "Excellent! Well I can get you their information next week. Just come see me again after class if you're still up for a look." He turned to pack his own things. "I know it's a little early, but I see how eager you are — and I just wanted to give you a chance if the opportunity came up."

   Mario shifted for just a second as if he was ready to walk out the door. "Well I appreciate it; thanks, professor!"

   Finally his teacher chuckled. "And remember, nothing's set in stone. You just do so nicely here in class that I thought perhaps I'd give you something to chew on. And I mean it when I say I think you have potential, Mario — real potential — and I'd love to see something made out of it. This troubled world can always use more healing hands, so you think about it, alright?"

~

Craack!

The biting leather of the trainer's whip sang through the air, finding a home in the chestnut hairs of an agitated animal.

"GRAAAAGGHH!!" The terrifying howl of anger reverberated off the high concrete walls, filling the primate enclosure with the sounds of an ape in distress.

"WAAAaaugh!!" It was immediately followed by another yell; a cry of fright that could only have come from a man under attack.

The ape pen in the Central Park Zoo had had quite its fill of similar sounds in recent weeks. Everyday it's inhabitant seemed to grow more wild, more restless; everyday the trainers and employees had to take more drastic measures. Now, the struggle to make their newest attraction worth the effort was becoming a routine circus act in itself.

Watching the show within from behind the thick metal perimeter surrounding the pen, a tall, burly-armed man screwed his face up with a sneer. As chief caretaker of the simian exhibits at the zoo, he had always striven to give the crowds something worth seeing — and now he wasn't seeing nearly as much pizzaz and action as he'd envisioned a month earlier.

The lousy help he had didn't make his task any easier. What a load of pansies, he snorted to himself, eyeing the two uniformed men who danced about like chickens within the enclosure. Can't even control a stupid animal.

Almost as if to prove his point, at that moment a young man came rushing up to his side. Chest heaving, visibly shaken and clutching an odd-looking canister or gun of some sort, he shook his head viciously.

"I can't do it, sir," he pleaded. "Forget the insects. They're not what's driving that thing crazy; I'd argue for the other way around!"

Disgusted, the man to whom he had spoken only turned his head slightly. "Indeed. I told you there was no point wasting your time in here. We're doing the best we can and no more, can't you see that??"

Gulping, the boy nodded. "Well yes, sir, but what do you want me to do about —

"Forget this enclosure, just move on to the rest of the zoo!" the man hissed, scarcely restraining from hitting the boy. "Stick to exterminating pests that are smaller than you, if that's what you do best."

Biting his lip in something like shame, the young man grabbed his backpack from the wall and hustled himself out.

Shaking his head in disdain, the chief turned back to the pen. His workers had ceased their attempts now, and were coming back in from the day's 'training' session. He could only hope it would prove somewhat successful.

Tightening his shoulders, he stood and waited as they emerged from the metal gate and let themselves over to the railing where he watched the action.

"Seems a bit jumpy today, sir," the first employee remarked, pulling off thick work gloves. "I don't know how the show's gonna go."

"Do we ever?" asked the second, tossing down the leather whip he'd been wielding. Rubbing his sore hands, he jerked at the door and asked, "Who was that guy?"

"Stanley. The exterminator," his coworker replied. "Just routine for the enclosures."

Now the first man paused. "He isn't going to talk of this to anyone, is he?" he asked now in concern.

"Stanley's harmless," the chief growled. "He doesn't suspect nothin'. Don't you worry about him, worry about this mule of an asset!" Consumed by a sudden rage, he slammed a hand against the metal gate.

The two men could only stare on as their boss shook his head, going on now to himself. "We invested a lot of money into smuggling that ape off the island," he muttered. "A real stud, that's what I promised. And now — look at this pathetic excuse of a show monkey! I wasted all my energy on this animal??" Sighing in frustration, he turned away from the fence. "Boy, I'll tell you one thing: his name couldn't be more accurate."

The two men frowned. "Donkey Kong?" the second asked. "How?"

"Because what's more stubborn than an ever-loving donkey??" the chief snorted, whirling around again to stare into the pen beyond. "It's always a matter of ropes and roughhousing if you want to speak the same language as that guy."

The first employee tilted his head, observing the creature beyond as well. "At least he wears the tie," he said.

The chief nodded, eyes looking ready to burst from the sockets. "Yeah, an it's a good thing too, or else I'd probably come to the end of my stick!"

Turning away again, he glanced at his watch and nodded towards the door. "Come on, suit up. It's almost four and we've gotta be ready for the show."

Following his lead, the threesome slipped from the building, leaving the fearsome captive alone in his arena of humiliation.

The foreman and his workers would never suspect the creature to be capable of feeling humiliated; but it could not be ignored where it was present.

Quiet in his solitude, the fearsome creature walked on all fours to the center of the enclosure, situating himself on the dirt floor that would soon rise up to be visible to the stands above. He had been there long enough now to know the drill; and he had no desire to balance on one more giant rubber ball.

Snorting dust away, the magnificent ape lowered his head to the ground, searching for any possible banana scent from leftover snacks; but as usual there was none. Ignoring the fresh welts that stung on his back and arms, he gazed down and caught sight of the red scrap of fabric — the oversized necktie around him that had been his since the day he'd arrived in this prison. It was uncertain exactly how long ago that had been; but the necktie had not left his neck since that day.

It was the most curious thing of all about being held captive here. They had given him a name, he knew, though he didn't quite understand what it meant. He wasn't sure how an ape could be mistaken for a donkey.

Nevertheless, it was the one aspect of the humans' shows that he'd never once fought against. And it was a mystery he didn't care to solve: all he knew, as he gazed down at the vibrant yellow 'DK' that was stitched onto the end of his special tie, was that it would be his no matter what the people tried to do to him.

~

   When Mario left the biology classroom that afternoon he found a beautiful brunette by the lockers waiting for him.

   "Well that didn't take terribly long," she remarked, coming forward. "What was that about?"

"I'll tell you tonight," the young man promised, waving it off. He fell into step beside her and the two proceeded to head at last for the school's exit.

The young lady cocked an elegant eyebrow and silently huffed to herself; then she asked, "So we're still on for tonight?"

"Yep," Mario replied, keeping his eyes on the hallway. "I'll meet you maybe around eight?"

She tossed her hair and laughed. "Sounds like a date!"

At this she nearly expected the slight stutter in the boy's steps. "Stop it, Pauline," he muttered under his breath. "Everyone goes out on Friday nights!"

The girl just smiled and rolled her eyes to herself.

The banter among them, of course, was rather typical nowadays. Mario and Pauline had been friends for a couple of years now, ever since he had moved with his family to New Donk City. She had grown up in the big city all her life, but Mario had come from a rural town in faraway Italy, where he had picked up that thick, charming accent of his.

Pauline wasn't coming from nowhere either, however. Her father was the mayor of the town — and since an early age he had been grooming his daughter to someday hopefully take his position. She didn't seem entirely opposed to it — in fact it seemed a perfect job for the strong-willed young woman — but now she was more focused on having fun, finishing school, and practicing with her jazz group.

Mario hadn't been friends with her since day one, but their relationship was a steady improvement. He hadn't given her a second thought when she'd first asked if she could sit by him at lunch that one day in freshman year; but now, he hardly went a day without at least talking to her.

And it wasn't without reason. Pauline was gorgeous — or at least, so some of the others would say. She was tall (though all the girls were taller than Mario at this point) and exquisitely slender, with long waves of chocolate tresses that nearly reached her waist. Her near-white skin was always perfect, and her big, sad eyes always adorned with the purple eyeshadow made her look something like a supermodel. She was nothing to shake a head at — and recently the other kids had begun to look at her and Mario and sigh.

That wasn't to say she was all looks. Pauline was friendly and polite — most of the time — and always ready to laugh. She loved singing and fashion — something most people didn't take as seriously. She was also perhaps just a bit flighty. In some ways she even came across as more energetic than Mario, which seemed an impossibility; but nevertheless, they got along just fine. She did seem to enjoy his company, at any rate.

"I saw your brother leave a minute ago," Pauline remarked now, touching up her bold lipstick.

Mario shrugged and didn't give her a glance. "Well, that's fine — he told me he wanted to get home early."

A lesser-known fact about Mario was that he wasn't, in truth, an only child. He actually had a little twin brother: albeit quieter, calmer, and much less sociable. He attended school with Mario, but usually there wasn't much interaction between the two with all of Mario's adoring crowd everywhere.

Pauline didn't reply at his indifference. Well, what did it matter — she and he had been planning all week to hit the town tonight, at their favorite restaurant on Cranky Avenue. And it couldn't be the same if anyone else was there.

A sudden snicker behind her snapped Pauline out of her thoughts. Out of nowhere a big hand came down on Mario's shoulder.

"Well look who it is," a deep voice growled.

Mario gasped and turned. "What do you want, Wario?" he demanded, unfazed.

"Aw, just wanted to talk to my best frenemy," the fatter boy feigned innocence. "And his lovely girlfriend." He raised his eyebrows at Pauline. She scowled in disgust.

"Hey, shut your big mouth," Mario warned under his breath. He hated that word.

Wario rolled his ugly eyes. "Aw, is someone feeling insecure this year? How cute. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for that inconsiderate comment I made yesterday. You know, about your lip hair?"

"Get lost, creep," Mario retorted, for a half second feigning with his fist. Wario, with a deep-bellied cackle of amusement, turned tail and obliged without further persuasion.

"He might be a jerk, but at least he knows where to stop," Pauline observed as the fat boy waddled away on his stubby legs.

Mario snorted. "Most of the time," he amended, stroking his dark mustache.

Pauline glanced away and smiled. Mario had already had some semblance of facial hair when they'd first met — and if what he claimed was true, he'd been working on a full display since he was about twelve years old. She could hardly imagine such a thing being possible — twelve? But in any case, he was nearly there now. His silky handlebars were practically full-grown, a testament to his Italian bloodlines and scrupulous grooming.

"Hey, Mario," Pauline said, nudging his tense shoulder. "Let's get out of here?"

The young man blinked, shook his head, nodded. "Yeah... right." With one last lingering glance down the hallway where Wario had disappeared, Mario frowned, knowing that the conversation with the bully was far from over.

~

DK had had enough.

If he had been in a hundred shows before, there was something new he realized now, in show one hundred and one.

It was enough.

   For weeks on end now the ape had put up with humans and their pony show; for what felt like years he'd endured their manhandling in this super-powered labyrinth.

   He'd been patient, he'd put up. But it hadn't gotten better.

Everyday it was the same: bright lights, stinging whips, never enough bananas! — and on top of it all was the laughing, unforgiving crowd who didn't seem to recognize an ape in distress when they watched one perform for half an hour.

   It was enough to make a man — or an ape — go insane. Eventually.

The only thing DK had to his name — Donkey Kong — was just that: his name. Of course, with that also came his accessory, the other part of his appeal; his specially-made necktie with his own initials embroidered in. He was still proud of that.

But everything else was unacceptable.

   It wasn't that DK had been a bad boy. He just didn't want to be here at all — he had another life to live! He had a house he had shared with others of his kind; he had an island to rule and a family to feed. Being here, he felt in danger of forgetting it all.

His son. He had a son too.

He'd put up a fight plenty of times before. He'd caused trouble, tried to get his point across. But so far, it seemed, he'd been too gentle for them to get the message.

It was enough.

It was enough; and it was time for something to change.

Business at the zoo was running smoothly as it did on any nice-weathered Friday. The crowds were good, the snacks smelled delicious, and the show was entertaining. Even the animals were energetic.

   But Donkey Kong knew how to make it a better show.

   Crack! A sudden snake of leather from nowhere slashed across his chestnut hide, jerking the ape to attention. A sudden squeal of children reached his ears, spiking his excitement. A dreamy waft of fresh bananas hit his nose, stirring his deepest passion.

   Why had he not done this before?

   In one instant it all broke loose.

   An iron gate crashed against the barrier. Leather ropes snapped like toothpicks. The multitude of onlookers let out a universal shriek of terror.

   DK was leaving the building!

~

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

   The purple glow of the twilit sky cast an enchanting hue over Cranky Avenue, illuminated throughout with festive streetlights. Bundles of carefree shoppers paraded along sidewalks, and yellow taxis busily sped back and forth along the road amid pedestrians with briefcases. All was as usual for a Friday night in New Donk City.

   Such was the view for the diners in the window seats inside Brooklyn Bagel that evening. Taking her eyes away from the flashing traffic light overhead, Pauline returned her elbows to the table and leaned towards the young man opposite her.

   "And that was really all he did?" she inquired skeptically.

   Mario nodded. "'All' isn't the right word. He was directly attacking my dignity!"

   Pauline rolled her eyes in amusement. "Your dignity as?"

   The guy shrugged. "As leader of the sports team!"

   She shook her head. "Ever since I've known you you've been at Wario's neck."

   "It's him who's at mine," Mario replied. "Ever since... I don't know when or how it started. All the sudden he just hated me. It didn't really make sense, because I thought we were friends, at first."

Pauline stared incredulously. "You and Wario?"

"We did hang out a few times," Mario insisted. "We played... I don't know, some weird games together. Freshman year." Now he shook his head. "Though I have to admit... I never really liked him either. It's almost like he's something from a bad dream or weird memory that you'd rather forget."

Pauline raised her eyebrows. "So you're saying something made it inevitable. 'Mario and Wario, destined rivals since birth'!" She laughed at herself.

Mario didn't find it funny. "I'm telling you, lady. I think he's jealous. Why else would he constantly try to get me to look bad?"

"No... jealous of you?" Pauline asked jokingly.

"Just a theory," Mario said defensively.

   His words were truer than Pauline could know. For every great success in life there was always bound to be a failure somewhere; and for Mario, it was the inevitable prospect of making enemies. He was by far the most adored kid in school, but that didn't mean it was entirely exclusive.

Ever since junior year had started Mario had seemingly gotten everything Wario wanted: the sports trophies, the admiration — the girls' attention! — and he hadn't been able to make a peace between them. It didn't exactly help that Mario was much slimmer, charming, and overall more appealing than Wario was. Heck, even Wario had a mustache himself, probably simply to imitate Mario; although even Pauline was of the mind that it was much less nice than Mario's.

   Tilting her head in her hands, the girl now turned to observe the boy in front of her with more attention. He gazed out the window with vibrant blue eyes that caught every move, every detail; and as he did that dark mustache twitched in excitement from time to time. Perhaps his most defining feature otherwise was his 'big little nose', as Pauline thought of it; for it was certainly the only part of him that seemed to have reached full size. It was difficult to tell when they were sitting down, but Mario was by far the shortest kid in high school, and Pauline was at least a solid foot above his head. It had never come up in conversation, but he had never expressed dissatisfaction with his height, which was impressive in her opinion. He was like a role model for short people everywhere.

Despite being immensely active in sports like baseball and tennis, Mario actually wasn't the fittest either, with a bit of weight around the midsection; but she imagined there was a good bit of power behind those beefy arms. At the very least, she didn't let what might be considered his 'uncool' appearance keep her from hanging out with him.

   Aside from all that, there was the other surefire sign of greatness, the red hat that he always wore. She had never seen him without it; possibly because it was a 'special gift' that he claimed to have been wearing since infancy. The embroidered M over the visor never failed to stand out in a crowd — if you looked low enough.

   Pausing now at a sudden realization, Pauline abruptly sat up in her booth. "Mario, are you working on a mullet there?" she asked incredulously, peeking over his shoulders for his chocolate hair.

   Taken aback, the young man turned to her. "What? ...No! ...Why?"

   She grinned knowingly. "I can tell when you're getting a bit shaggy in the back, and that's beyond shaggy," Pauline informed him.

   The Italian looked again out the window into the street, pretending to be much more interested in foot traffic. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied innocently.

   The young woman let out a laugh before settling her gaze on the TV set that was mounted in a corner. "Well, you get back to me when you know," she said.

   "I can't be the one making all the fashion statements," Mario defended. "That's your job, remember?"

   It was certainly true: Pauline was always looking fabulous. Tonight especially; she was wearing a lovely red party dress with straps that tied behind the neck, along with a showy, wide-brimmed purple hat with a feather, giving her a sleek, trendy look for a night on the town. She always was a fan of fancy hats — fancier than Mario's usually came off as — and her favorite color was red, which looked absolutely great on her. Red was also his favorite color, but he didn't do anything particularly fancy with it. Looking at her now, Mario almost felt underdressed.

   She wasn't looking at him anymore, anyway. Suddenly her attention seemed quite riveted by a newscast; curious, Mario raised an eyebrow at her.

   "Good show?"

   "Look at that," Pauline said, nodding towards the screen. "An ape escaped from the zoo."

Suddenly interested, he turned to listen in.

Plastered across the news reel was the headline: PANIC IN THE PARK — SHOW MONKEY BREAKS OUT OF CENTRAL PARK ZOO DURING ROUTINE PERFORMANCE. Flashing across the small screen were various blurry images and video clips of a large brown animal thrashing about and people screaming.

"While no one was hurt during the incident there were several damaged walls and destroyed fences, as well as an immediate evacuation of the premises," the young news anchor was saying. "It happened around four o'clock today and while the zoo went into lockdown, they were unable to keep the monkey from escaping. He was last seen heading towards the park around five o'clock. Since then there have also been several reports of minor damage on some streets, structures and buildings in the outskirts of downtown. While no persons have been injured thus far, officials say the primate is more than capable of doing serious bodily and property damage."

"Oh gosh... looks bad," Pauline gaped.

"As of now this thing is still on the loose. If you see the big guy all citizens are instructed to get indoors and call police right away. The escapee is ten feet tall on his hind legs, wears a red necktie with his initials 'DK' on it, and previously answered to the name Donkey Kong. Zoo employees say that DK was brought to the zoo several weeks ago and his name is inspired both by the movie King Kong and the city of New Donk itself. Barbara, back to you..."

Mario jolted back to his friend. "Did you hear that? This thing totally smashed up buildings!"

"And that's a good thing?" Pauline asked questioningly.

"Well it's exciting! That's practically the same thing."

By now Pauline was used to hearing Mario gush about the next 'exciting' thing. Everyone in school also knew him as the boy with an insatiable appetite for action — he was full of enthusiasm and improbable dreams, ready to drop everything at a moment's notice if an alien invasion happened to strike earth during the school day or Godzilla showed up looking for a sidekick.

The young woman frowned. "Sometimes I worry about you, Mario."

He ignored her. "Well, it's not like I'm the one terrorizing the city."

There then followed a moment of slightly strange silence, until Pauline remembered something. "Mario! You never told me what Mr. Yokoi wanted today," she reminded.

Surprised, Mario sighed. "Yeah... he was just telling me about some new education opportunities. You know, looking into careers and stuff."

Pauline swirled around her drink. "Such as?"

Mario fidgeted a bit. "Well, haven't I told you before I was thinking of being a doctor?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Really? That doesn't seem exciting enough for you."

He gave her a look. "What does that mean? Yeah it is! And at any rate, it's helping people."

"Okay, okay," she said defensively. "Whatever you want to do. I just assumed you'd want something more hands on and... violent."

Now it was Mario's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Such as?"

For a second Pauline stopped, blinked, then burst into laughter. "I don't know...! You know, I always kind of thought you looked like a plumber in that getup of yours."

Mario glanced down at his own denim overalls over a red long-sleeved shirt. "What's wrong with it?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong with it," she quickly assured. "That's just the impression I get."

Mario let his eyes wander around the restaurant, considering. A plumber?

   In all honesty... It actually wasn't a bad idea. Maybe he could talk to —

CRASH!!

A sudden sound of destruction, like a bomb hitting just outside in the street, derailed his train of thought. The drinks in customers' glasses jumped at the huge thump that momentarily shook the floor; and several resounding screams echoed from outside the doors.

In one moment Mario and Pauline jumped from their seats. "What was that??" the girl asked, eyes wide.

As other customers began to run and stir about uselessly in a swirl of fear and confusion, Mario shook his head. "Stay here!" he instructed. Then, without another word, he darted for the door.

Pauline already recognized that determined fire in his eyes. "Oh no you don't," she muttered, yanking off her hat and running after him.

~

   If it had been the set of a movie, it might have accounted for the crumpled lampposts.

   If it had been a crime scene, it might have accounted for the odd stillness.

   But for the chilling emptiness that now swallowed the street, it must have been something like the post apocalypse.

The atmosphere on the sidewalk, when the young woman first emerged from the storefront, was eerily quiet. Lights still glowed, distant city sounds still echoed from blocks away; but the street was transformed in an instant as if like a lifeless void. The pedestrians had all disappeared in a moment; but aside from the fact that there was not a soul to be seen, there was nothing, that she could first see, that would be a cause for alarm.

   Except for those lampposts.

Where is everybody?

All her life she'd lived in New Donk City, and not once had she ever seen Cranky Avenue devoid of humans.

   Venturing a little forward, Pauline squinted in disbelief at the damaged metal that had once stood tall, now twisted aside as if by a large force. Looking closer now, the previously perfect sidewalk was somewhat destroyed itself, smashed concrete and all as if something heavy had been dropped on it.

   And further on... was that crunched siding, and broken glass all along the opposite storefronts? And the stillness...

What had happened here??

Heart beginning to pick up, Pauline shook her head and backed off the road. Was this the apocalypse? What was —

All at once she bumped into something — or rather, someone — and the suddenness of it elicited a gasp.

"Shhh," Mario hissed warningly, standing rigid like a stone in the middle of the vacant sidewalk. Mama, girl, can't you follow directions? he wondered. Inching backwards, he began to push the brunette towards the bagel shop. "Get inside," he muttered.

"Why? What is —

BAM!!

And all in one instant an enormous ape crashed to the sidewalk only a few yards away from them.

At the first moment Pauline screamed, as any person might in such a situation; then she froze, fell silent, stared. Abruptly she put a hand on Mario's shoulder, as if to keep him from trying anything funny.

Big, wild eyes flashed about in confusion. Enormous nostrils took in smell after unfamiliar smell; chestnut fur stood on end. And then — people! All at once he turned; and there they were. In a moment every ounce of attention was directed towards the two staring humans only yards away.

For a few seconds a thick silence consumed the avenue.

The runaway primate was huge without an exaggeration, towering several feet above their heads even crouched down; and his thick brown fur looked mangled as if he'd jumped right out of a madhouse. His staring black eyes were well-set into his face, though the expression there, if any, was difficult to interpret. Around his neck, dangling over a broad, bare chest, was a whimsical red necktie as promised.

Pauline had stopped breathing long ago, and now watched, transfixed, from where she stood behind her friend. Not a creature stirred, not a soul moved; and besides she and Mario, the gorilla might have been the only one left in the world.

The big eyes remained on them as a pair of crosshairs, now frozen; threatening at any moment to fire.

"Mario," the girl whispered at last.

The man didn't respond. At first he just gazed on the crazed creature, tilted his head and regarded it as one might a math problem or a crossword puzzle. For a second it seemed that the ape caught his eye.

That boy with the red hat...

It was odd. That red hat the boy was wearing seemed to stand out suddenly, hammering something vague in the back of his memory. It's me, it seemed to be crying. I'm the little human with the red hat! Where had he seen it before?

Mario, meanwhile, was suddenly caught up in his own wonderings. He had never seen this ape at the zoo before, he knew; and he had no earthly idea wherever he could have seen it elsewhere. And yet...

Something tugged at him now, something distant and faint from the back of his mind. He knew it was ridiculous and only a figment of his wild imagination. But was it possible that this ape could feel somehow familiar?

That boy with the mustache...

That ape with the necktie...

But whatever it was that had occurred between them, the transfixion didn't last. Now the animal's eyes shifted up to the person behind him; and as soon as they made eye contact Pauline tightened her grip on Mario's shoulder. It was staring... it was looking right at her!

Now the oversized monkey seemed to remember his other senses, and abruptly he began to sniff the air, as if testing the human scent. Or her scent, anyway... maybe he liked her perfume? For a slightly odd moment it seemed as if he'd calmed down; all might be okay after all.

Or not.

Like a metal detector reacting to a sudden signal, the enormous animal suddenly jumped, howled; the sound of his deep bellow could be felt vibrating the shop windows. Inching slightly backwards, Pauline tried to pull her friend with her before it went completely berserk. That sound...

   "Dannazione, quel figlio di —

   "Mario, English please," Pauline reminded breathlessly.

   He shook his head. "You don't want me to repeat that!"

Donkey Kong bucked a little like an excited pony, hind feet hitting the pavement with such force that the entire street seemed to tremble beneath his tremors. Now this was exciting; this was new!

   This was something he'd never seen before!

Drawn by a flowery smell, the creature began to creep forward. Attracted by a silky voice, he began to stare attentively. Enchanted by this human goddess, he made to throw himself at her feet.

But then Donkey Kong had a better idea.

She was a lone beauty in this ugly world of cruelty and indignity; so why ever should he not free her from it all??

Mario's eyes flitted back and forth for just a moment between Pauline's and the ape's faces. The fiery teenager recognized in an instant what any person of his age might: A challenger!!

But for once in his life, Mario reacted too late.

It wasn't that he didn't try. He nearly did succeed; at the very least, he made an attempt. But when Donkey Kong suddenly reached for the lady's slender wrist with an enormous, eerily human-like hand, all Mario could catch was Pauline's dress.

Pauline felt Mario grab the fringe of her skirt, and for a fraction of a second was hopeful. But at the touch of the giant hand seizing her with an iron grip, she forgot all ideas of saving face.

"AAAAHHHHH!! Mario!!!"

The girl's cry sliced through the air like a sharp whistle. In an instant DK jerked up, startled; the young man, by extension, was sent hurling forward to the pavement. As he fell, the thick air was filled for a long moment with a distinct riiiiip as the lady's dress tore.

And then DK bolted.

With a lingering wail that Mario would never again forget, the lovely girl that had been beside him only instants before was picked up like a package, trapped in the steel grasp of a huge beast.

Donkey Kong reared up, keeping a firm hold on his desperately squirming prize; and then, as if satisfied with his catch, he wheeled around and bounded down the avenue.

It was high time to get out of this crazy maze of concrete and noise!

   "Nooooo! Mario-!"

In a flash, the ape rounded a nearby corner and was gone.

Startled speechless for only an instant, Mario snapped his gaze to the object in his fist: a long, jagged scrap of red fabric, torn from the end of his friend's dress. Staring in consternation for just a second longer, the teenager slammed a fist against the concrete, tossed it aside and scrambled to his feet.

   Well what on earth was he waiting for??

Straining his ears, listening around the eerily silent block for a moment, Mario abruptly burst into a run. ...Pauline! Pauline got grabbed by the ape, and no one else knew!

   He couldn't just go make a phone call. He couldn't just stand there like a pile of bricks. And he certainly couldn't just run for his own life.

   He had to take matters into his own hands!

With a sudden renewed dedication to his mission, he increased his speed, hurtling down the empty sidewalk and around the corner where the ape had fled. There he screeched to a stop, paused, breathed for half a moment, listening...

"Aaahhhhhh...!!"

There! A trailing echo, a familiar scream... How can she already be so distant??

But then another thought struck him, an alarming possibility; and when Mario looked up he felt his breath leave him — for just half a moment.

He knew this place — as just about everyone worth their salt did. Just around the corner of the New Donk City Town Hall — the tallest, most advertised building in the Metro Kingdom — was the big construction site, where workmen were almost always busy with one repair or another on the Empire State. One hundred and two floors away, the flashing red lights glowed on the spire above him, poking the twilit clouds as if stirring them to rain. And indeed, the sky was beginning to open: darker waves were already rolling out, covering the metal labyrinth of catwalks and girders below.

The construction site was not nearly as high, thank goodness; but in a storm all that slick steel was more than a little precarious.

   So he would just have to hurry.

Still there was not a soul stirring on the darkening block as night descended fast upon New Donk City. Somewhere nearby there were sure to be people, others who would see the ape and come to do something eventually; but now there was only one.

One choice, one option. One leap that a man could take.

   Lightning flashed on the distant skyline as a young Mario stood firm, staring up at the maze of girders between himself and the prize.

~

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

   Pauline didn't think she'd ever screamed so hard in her life.

   It wasn't that she screamed very often in the first place. Not like this, anyway. But then, how often did women get snatched and carried off by giant lovestruck apes?

   "AAHHHhhhhh... MARIO!!" she hollered down the street.

   At first she didn't even recognize her own voice ringing shrilly on the night air. But she knew that she had to call attention to herself — how else could she get any sort of assistance?

   In the first moments she had attempted to help herself by trying to slither out of his grasp. Those tries were instantly proved to be futile; his broad hand was almost as wide as she was tall, and it was all she could hope that he wouldn't squeeze her too hard.

   In only a couple of seconds the animal had lumbered all the way to the end of the street and out of Mario's sight. Taking whatever solace she could in that she knew her way well around the city, Pauline tried to focus on watching her surroundings and paying attention to where they were going.

Which was why she nearly lost her breath all over again when she saw what the ape was planning next.

The construction site by the Empire State Building. He was climbing the construction site.

Oh, nonononono...

Pauline wasn't sure what it was about apes that made them like heights so much; all she knew was that it was going to be a real, long, dangerous ride. When Donkey Kong first launched himself from the ground to the nearest metallic girder, she felt the entire world sway, and suddenly she doubted if she could keep that dinner down.

Oh my gosh... he's going to climb it. He's actually going to climb it.

Suddenly feeling too sick to make any noise, the girl now held onto DK's hand tightly. Leap after leap... Closing her eyes, Pauline knew it was pointless to struggle now. Even without looking she felt as if she was on an ever-steadily heightening thrill ride; and if she wasn't careful, the ape just might lose his grip on her.

All of the sudden that was her biggest concern.

For what felt like several minutes after, the silent animal moved steadily along, surely making progress as he moved further and further from the ground. It lasted much longer than she could have thought possible. How high did this thing reach, anyway? It couldn't have been more than a hundred meters or so.

At first she was only trying to keep calm until they came to a standstill, but once Pauline had gathered enough of her wits again she remembered: the catwalks eventually ended on the flat top of a neighboring building several stories high. That was probably the safest place to make any moves.

Then how far were they from reaching the top? Deciding to risk a peek, Pauline opened her eyes...

And screamed.

"AHHHHHHH!! MARIO, HELP ME!!"

She couldn't see her brash friend, or anything, for that matter: the world before and below her span at first like she'd fallen into a blender. And indeed, she felt like nothing more than the smoothie... so she screamed again. And again: suddenly she couldn't stop.

The windy night air and the faint sounds of the city below began to swirl around her, and the only thing she had for reassurance was DK's warm hand still clutching her tightly. In a brief moment of panic, Pauline squirmed and tried to free her torso, beating on his arm with gold bracelets jingling. She was almost relieved to find that it had no effect.

Donkey Kong still had her... and they were still heading for the rooftop faraway, out of reach of anyone who might help.

What was a girl to do now?

~

    DK frowned as he shifted his feet, focusing on the metal bar above him.

   He could make this jump. Just like he'd made the previous one, and the one before that; there was really nothing to it for a seasoned climber such as himself. It was like climbing a tree — albeit a very odd, sharp one.

   DK was so confident in his skills that he hadn't hesitated to attempt it even one-handed. He'd done things of the sort before, after all; though truthfully, he hadn't ever tried climbing a manmade structure with a pretty girl in one hand.

   Today was a day for daring firsts, anyway. The pandemonium that he had created at the zoo was only a little side effect of his own master plan: escape and get back home.

   It had gone about as well as he'd envisioned, although there were an awful lot of running, screaming people around the park when he'd passed through. What had gotten into the humans all of the sudden? Were they that frightened without their whips?

   Broken free from his bonds for the first time in weeks, Donkey Kong had been a little unsure what he should do first — where to go. Soon enough he had escaped the zoo's confines — the people were little more than a roadside nuisance at that point — and come out into another world entirely.

   The humans' jungle was the strangest place he had ever laid eyes on. It was miles upon miles of towering, silver structures in every direction, lining the concrete roads and blocking out most of the glorious sunlight. The environment was abuzz with an overwhelming wash of strange noises that he couldn't identify. Where was the ocean?

   Donkey Kong had tried looking around for the beach somewhere — he thought he could smell a water source, not too far away — but so far he hadn't been able to find it. Logically, then, his next course of action was to do what he always did when he was lost: climb the tallest tree and get a look around.

   This rickety building would do for now, he supposed. It was all going according to plan, mostly. Except for the girl he'd picked up.

   The two humans he'd found on the pathway weren't the first he'd seen, of course; he'd sent many a dozen screaming in terror that day already. But there was something odd about those two that had made him stop, something he couldn't quite understand right away; something about both of them.

   There was the strangely familiar boy with his hat, which he'd already thought about, but then there was this girl. He'd never seen her before, he was sure, but there was still something very attractive about her.

   So it hadn't been a difficult decision to bring her along for the ride.

   It was curious, looking at it now. Humans had been nothing but a burden and a bitterness for him ever since he'd come to their land.

   But not this one. This one was lovely and gentle and she didn't appear very harmful at all.

   She'd be a nice take-home prize.

~

   Mario hardened his brow with a grunt as his chest slammed into the corner of a steel rod, leaving him half-lying, half-hanging on the edge of the catwalk. Squirming for a moment to get a grip, he soon succeeded in pulling himself onto the lowest platform.

   "Uggh... underestimated the height," he muttered to himself as he glanced to the ground.

   Getting into the bulk of the construction site wasn't a challenge — it wasn't like there were guards around. Any average joe could run up and start playing on the equipment if they wanted: there was a rusty crane, stacked pipes and covered piles of raw materials, and then of course the uneven staircase of red girders leading all the way up the side of the building. It almost looked like a kid's dream playground, just sitting there for the taking.

   The problem was, it wasn't very easily taken. Mario had only made it to the first step from the ground, and already he could see what a task was before him. Well, no one ever said scaling buildings was easy.

   Turning upwards, Mario slammed a fist into his chest and eyed the next closest platform. Several feet... I bet I can make that. Just have to give it a little more knee. Completely resolved in his decision to give chase, he gathered his energy and leapt for the edge.

Craack! Lightning forked across the horizon, illuminating the side of the building with blinding white light. The girders shone crimson in the darkness, outlining the winded path the young human still had to take.

And then it started to rain.

As if awakened by the lightning's harsh call, the overhanging storm clouds in one moment gave way to a sudden, steady downpour. If anyone was taking sides in this new game, the weather over the city seemed to have chosen a third party.

   Perfect timing. Mario grunted and held on tightly to the metal bar above him, hoping his white gloves wouldn't slip in the abrupt shower. The cold water droplets felt like little more than a nuisance as they quickly began to devour his clothes, ensuring that he'd be soaking in a matter of moments; the problem lay in that his was a skyward ascent up the facade, meaning that he was looking directly up into the rain. So now not only his grasp could fail him, his eyes could too?

   For perhaps just a second his determination faltered. How was he supposed to make the climb if -?

   "Aaaaghhhhh! Someone, help!!"

   The windblown cry of a woman in distress carried down to him on the rain, giving Mario just the boost he needed. Right... Pauline!

   Pauline was still up there!

   Well, if that ape could stand the climb, then surely he could too. Maybe it was foolish to some to try. Surely it was a huge risk. But if there was a screaming damsel caught high up in the unforgiving storm, someone had to be bold enough to make the slippery ascent.

   "Get back here, you big monkey!!" Mario shouted to the wind, clinging tightly onto the next platform. Knowing full well it would have no effect, the small human shivered against a sudden gust and resumed moving upward.

   As he did, he couldn't help the tiniest snicker of amusement. Well, at least there's no one around to tell me no.

   But although the boy's smug observation was technically true, it wasn't in its entirety. Unbeknownst to the daring Mario, there were indeed now people watching him: a small crowd of townspeople had recently begun to gather in the park below, murmuring and gazing up at the storm. In the silence that soon followed the gorilla's absence, the frightened citizens began to creep out again; and it didn't take long for the spectacle to become publicly known.

"Look! Up there on the construction site!!" someone hollered.

Heads followed the man's upraised arm. Sure enough, through the night and the rain that slashed down, movement was visible on the side of the building: a large, lumbering shape, followed by a much smaller one — undoubtedly a person. On slightly closer inspection...

   "It's the ape! He's got a person in his hand!!"

   Staring in helpless horror, the growing crowd, now oblivious to the storm, watched as the small red figure — a lady, that much was obvious — flailed and shrieked, dangling in the creature's grasp several stories above their heads.

   This was terrible; it was a nightmare; it was —

   "Impossible," a man scowled to no one in particular, pushing up his sopping fedora. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

   Spinning around, he suddenly shouted, "You there! Call the police! Animal control, everything! There's a lady in that thing's hand! ...No, I don't know! It looks like someone's climbing the building after it!"

   Turning back to watch the circus show unfold, he shook his head. "Just another night in New Donk City..."

~

   Breathing heavily to make sure she didn't fall unconscious, Pauline fought to keep her eyes open as the world around her swayed like a rowboat.

   Buildings. Windows; sky; sharp raindrops that pelted down like needles.

   Closing her eyes, Pauline gulped. Okay, maybe better not to watch.

   She didn't know how long this had been going on now. It felt like forever since she and Mario had been sitting leisurely in the bagel shop; and since then, she had begun to sincerely regret some of her life choices.

   Where was Mario? Where was anyone? Where was the ground?

   Holding her breath for a moment, the girl tried to remain as still as possible and pretend she was dreaming. Maybe, just maybe, this was a nightmare... she'd surely wake up soon. She just had to wait until everything grew quiet, and then...

   All at once, there was a rush of wind, followed by a loud grunt. Suddenly the swaying all stopped.

   Hopeful beyond belief, Pauline's heart leaped. Was it really-?

   And then the great hand that clasped around her let go.

   With a small yelp of alarm, she crumpled to the ground; jolting up, the girl scrambled to her feet and stared in terror at the ape that had just dropped her. What did-? Why —

   Catching her breath, Pauline whirled around. Oh gosh. This was it; they'd made it to the top!

   The roof wasn't extremely big after all; it was only a concrete platform about the size of a small yard. Some building materials sat around, unused: barrels, steel rods, piles covered with tarps. There was no rooftop door or hatch that she could see.

   Refusing to let herself despair yet, Pauline ventured a few steps away. Then surely there was a ladder or something off the side; there had to be a way down!

   Donkey Kong, thankfully, didn't seem to even notice her straying off. Since putting her down he had become interested in something down below, in the direction they'd come from.

   All the better. Trying to be as quiet as possible, which wasn't a hard task in the rattling rain, Pauline slunk around the edges of the rooftop, looking for a way down. Before she'd made it very far, she was already soaked, her chocolate tresses billowing over the edge of the building. It all looked the same —

Wait. She'd already looked in this corner, hadn't she? There was DK, and...

Backing up, Pauline felt her heart drop all over again. No... please no!

Suddenly her feet almost gave way beneath her, and she turned around with a gasp. Teetering on the corner of the roof, her black heels were centimeters away from tumbling over the edge with the shower of rocks that now plummeted to earth.

   With a small yelp of alarm, the girl covered her mouth and stumbled backwards. The city streets and sights in the park below looked almost too tiny and picturesque from here to be real: little dark figures moved faintly below the torrent of water falling towards the ground, and now she could finally see the dim glow of moving headlights on cars.

   Other than that, it was several hundred feet to certain death.

   So she was trapped then; there really was no way off the platform. She realized, briefly, that workers probably reached the rooftop by means of a crane or other lift. Still backing to the center, Pauline bit her lip before she could utter a profanity.

   That wasn't to say there was no view, though; she could see plenty of things from her vantage point. Perhaps the most impressive of all was the skyline: there before her in all directions was laid out the cityscape of New Donk, aglow with thousands of delicate lights in skyscrapers far away. They appeared so clearly even through the darkness and the rain that it almost gave the illusion, even now, that the city was magical.

   Pauline loved the city. She truly did. But it couldn't long distract her from the gorilla in the room.

Holding herself close, she crept over to a bunch of stacked barrels in the middle and stayed there, praying that somehow, someone would see her predicament. Surely someone would eventually; it was a busy city, after all. But now, shivering in the rain, Pauline had a dreadful feeling it could be a very long night.

   "Please!... Someone... Anyone, HELP!!"

~

A faint, windblown cry raised on the air, hitting Mario's ears for just a nanosecond. A siren? A scream? He couldn't tell what it was.

   At any rate, he didn't have time to stop and wonder what was going on elsewhere. He was in enough of a predicament as it was: trying to keep his balance as he moved along a drenched steel girder that was only about a foot wide. He was up the building about halfway or higher now, he knew: at least, it was as well as he could guess given that he couldn't make out the ground below anymore. Perhaps it was merely the elements playing with his eyes.

Pulling the visor further down over his head as a small shield from the rain, the young man ran — as best he could — down the catwalk, brown boots scattering puddles that formed on every slick surface. At first it seemed a daunting challenge; now, after he'd been at it a little while, it actually wasn't so bad. Still dangerous, yes — increasingly — but now it felt like little more than a game. And he'd been pretty good at it so far.

A sudden sound from above caused him to halt at the end of the track, holding on to a vertical rod for support. That sound — what was that?

Rubbing an arm across his eyes, Mario squinted upward, hoping for just a glimpse — and there it was.

Donkey Kong.

The king of the jungle towered over the city just up ahead, perched triumphantly on the edge of the building. There was no immediate sign of a girl, though: the monster now had both of his hands free to pound his enormous chest, creating a rumbling that sounded of thunder.

   Mario couldn't help a small gasp in spite of himself at the majestic sight. Woah... Determined all over again, he started forward.

   The ape above was by no means a foe to take lightly, that much was obvious. Throwing back his head, he suddenly let forth an enormous howl that echoed through the air, carrying over the city streets like a low roar.

   This was his terrain now. This was his conquest!

   Making his way up a short, uncomfortably rickety ladder, Mario paused in his tracks at the unreal sound overhead. Mama mia... That thing has Pauline! Despite his lack of visibility, he quickened his pace.

   And then he heard something else; something much bigger, and much more definite.

   THUNK.

   He felt it, too: an enormous bump that shook the very foundation of the structure he was standing on. Something was on the track with him —

   At first he feared the absolute worst: was it coming back down the building? He didn't hear Pauline...

   And then he heard it clearly — and there it was.

   A barrel — a wooden barrel, more than likely filled with some heavy substance, was hurtling toward him down the slightly slanted incline.

   Startled for only an instant, Mario glanced around, realized there was nothing he could do, and thought fast. Jump!

   And Mario took to the sky.

   The next moment the cylindrical object rattled to a stop at the edge of the catwalk, crashed into the flimsy railing, and plummeted to the unseen earth below.

   Catching his breath for only an instant, the fast-moving man stared after it, wide-eyed; then he turned ahead.

   THUNK. THUNK.

   Oh no.

   There were more.

   If ever Mario had been of the opinion that animals weren't very smart, he certainly didn't share that view anymore. That monkey was doing this on purpose then; he was trying to keep Mario down!

   Frowning, the teenager faced the path ahead, prepared for whatever might come next. Oh no you don't!

   He could do this — his legs weren't going to get tired that easily. And surely, surely Donkey Kong would run out of things to throw at some point: if Mario didn't make it to the rooftop first. All he had to do was keep moving.

   Keep moving — and avoid getting mowed over by the giant barrels. He didn't know how heavy they really were, but he didn't want to take a chance at being steamrolled. Just keep jumping...

   Suddenly it reminded Mario a bit of track and field. He'd always been good at that. He liked jumping. He liked running, too; especially when they were in succession.

   But organized sports had never quite given him the freedom or satisfaction he suddenly felt now. Now he could go higher than that; dodging the hurling projectiles, he could almost touch the sky.

   This was important; this really mattered; this was life or death!

   Picking up speed, Mario sprang upwards and chuckled out loud.

~

   Pauline had long since tired of watching DK do his routine. Shortly after she had resigned to sit and wait for someone to rescue her, the animal had begun picking up the stacked barrels nearby and throwing them over the edge, sending them tumbling down to the city below. She had no idea what was happening, and at this point she didn't want to imagine it.

   Now he was howling like the deranged monkey he appeared to be. Now he was glaring down over the edge at something unseen which he clearly didn't like. Now he was jumping up and down, nearly shaking the entire building in the process —

   Pauline had just about had enough. "Hey! What is your —

   The snark died on her lips. In that moment her eyes caught movement on the edge at the gorilla's feet, and the girl blinked. Donkey Kong wasn't just hooting for no reason — there really was something there!

   Getting to her feet, Pauline took a couple of steps forward. For a minute her heart raced, a new possibility occurring to her: Dad! What if her father had heard of it; surely he was doing something about this!

   "What is it, big guy?" she asked, coming a little closer to the ape. "What's —

   And all at once a gloved hand slammed down on the edge of the roof.

   Startled beyond her wit's end, Pauline screamed and jumped back. Shuddering against the stirring wind that had begun to replace the brunt of the showers, she stood and stared, heart in her throat, as the mystery figure soon pulled himself up over the edge and into view.

   In one moment Pauline felt nearly all of her fear melt to intense anxiety. Losing her breath for a second, she brushed back her dripping hair and stared.

   "Mario!?"

   Oh my gosh, he did not actually climb that building —

   But her macho man was too busy attempting to be just that to answer her. Appearing from down below in one bound, the guy sprang onto the roof, dodged DK's incoming hand, and dove through the big guy's legs like some wannabe martial artist.

Donkey Kong roared, the force of his deep voice once again causing the building to tremble beneath its force. A trespasser!

   Pauline blinked in disbelief as her daring friend rolled to his feet and spun around, looking around the rooftop for something. Then, before she could even think about getting a word in, he grabbed a large mallet left lying there nearby, turned to the incoming ape, and swung at his mighty shoulder with all the force he could muster.

THUD.

   It all happened so fast that the atmosphere change following the enormous blow was nearly deafening.

The seconds that followed were as a daze as the ape stumbled back at the blow, stunned; the odd silence put a surreal halt to the world around them. Even the rain had stopped falling.

   Pauline's hand flew to her mouth.

   Too startled to even get angry, Donkey Kong retreated a few paces from the creature that had suddenly inflicted this pain; rocking back on his legs, he collapsed near the edge of the roof and almost appeared to try hiding behind his hand, making odd little grunting noises. All at once he was transformed; the threatening tyrant who had held her captive vanished in one moment.

Now he was suddenly just a lost primate, once again at the mercy of humanity.

   Pauline let her arms fall to her sides in disbelief. He did not seriously just whack the ape with a hammer.

   "Mario," she suddenly hissed, as if the creature couldn't hear her.

   Her bold friend, still standing rigid with weapon in hand, blinked; and all at once he seemed to break from his trance and come to the present moment again. The tense feel was dispelled; but it was only to be replaced with an immensely awkward predicament. As if then he suddenly realized what he had done... and he certainly had done something!

   Maybe he hadn't meant to hit him that hard.

   There was a sudden clatter as the hammer hit the ground at his feet. Not meeting his friend's eyes, Mario raised his head to DK.

It was over.

   The former antagonist stared across at him with wide, curious eyes. There wasn't much fear there, if any; neither was there pain. At the very least, not a physical one...

   For a moment the strange silence returned to the rooftop.

   Then, after a moment of the two parties simply gazing at each other as if in wonder, Donkey Kong lowered his head and began to sniff. He was calm now, for certain; but there was something else, too...

Was the mighty king of the jungle crying?

Pauline, standing witness to all this, was motionless in her confusion. Staring at her former captor, a big bundle of pitiful fur, she began to frown in consternation. Suddenly she felt utterly strange, as if the roles had reversed in an instant. Why did she now feel bad; like it was her fault?

   Like she had caused suffering?

   And what could have come over DK so suddenly that he should sit down and pout? Was it even possible for an ape to have feelings, to cry? What was going on?

Mario, standing there before the brooding animal in silent indecision, finally broke the atmosphere. Shaking his head warily, he asked aloud, "Hey, what's the matter with you?"

It was obvious he was talking to the monkey, not her. Donkey Kong raised his sad eyes back to them at hearing his voice; at the startling amount of distress he saw there, Mario felt instantly conflicted.

He hadn't meant for this!

Quickly stepping forward, he tried to offer a smile. "Hey, it's okay... don't cry!" he said gently, as if rocking a baby to sleep.

Pauline just stared at the display at first in amazement, man and beast who were previously at odds; now they seemed to have forgotten their fight entirely. The running and howling; the crashing barrels. The exciting stuff.

But now it was quiet. Now DK merely looked in curious wait at the man standing before him, as if they'd each come to an understanding of the other; and all was quite peaceful as Mario began to attempt lifting up an opened hand.

"Mario. Are you sure that's a good idea?" Pauline asked hesitantly, keeping a good distance behind him.

"Aw, look, he's just a frightened monkey," her friend said in response, not looking back. "He's just confused..."

"Says the guy who wasn't carried up a skyscraper by him."

"It's okay, big guy," Mario murmured. "No need to throw a fit, Cranky Kong."

"Mario, it's Donkey Kong," Pauline whispered.

"Well, he seems more like a Cranky to me," he replied, never taking his eyes from the monkey.

"Oh, for Cranky Avenue. Brilliant," the girl snickered, crossing her arms, but she fell silent after that. For a second she tilted her head, wondering if DK could understand them at all; and that was when she understood.

Her eyes met the ape's, and all at once she understood.

Suddenly all the fury and fear gave way to an astounding guilt. Now, in the absence of the thunderstorm, she could see the primate better; and what she saw startled her. It wasn't the terrifying monster she'd thought she'd see. Not at all. Now she could see what she'd missed the first time.

Now she could suddenly see the scars, the hairless lashes peppering his rich brown coat. Now she could see the longing desperation in his gentle eyes, the confusion of a wayward creature at all of these unfamiliar surroundings; and now, most unexpected of all, her heart abruptly swelled with pity.

Why, that wasn't normal at all; this startled animal had been abused!

...Poor creature! Abused, confused and now this. Suddenly it all made sense.

   Mario and Donkey Kong... and herself. She was the cause of this; she was the reason for it!

   Donkey Kong wanted her, and Mario had gotten in the way!

"Mario, look," she murmured, unmoving. "He's been beaten."

The boy grimly nodded his head. "It seems that way."

"...That's illegal."

   DK tossed his head, still watching Mario's approaching hand warily. "Easy," Mario repeated, still intent on working some sort of whispering magic. "Easy..."

The girl hardened her brow. She knew where things stood now.

She could see the truth in it all; and it was high time to fix it.

   Suddenly Pauline appeared at his elbow. "Let it be, Mario." Stepping past him, she abruptly leaned over and, to the complete astonishment of the boy beside her, laid a big fat kiss on Donkey Kong's nose.

And that was all.

The sudden mood shift in the air was almost perceivable. As if filled with energy all in one moment, the sad vibe vanished. Jumping up in sheer excitement at this gesture, the ape reared up and surprised them by clapping his big hands together in pleasure. Stepping back in surprise, Pauline looked up at her former captor and laughed.

"There, that's all you really wanted, wasn't it, boy?" she asked.

DK gave an enthusiastic grunt in response, if ever she'd heard one; and then he flashed them what could only have been a cheeky smile.

Pauline laughed out loud. "Well would you look at that... turns out you were right, Mario!"

The stupefied Mario, caught utterly unawares by it all, stood in a kind of petrified daze between them. "What??"

"He's not so dangerous after all... he's just a confused sweetheart," the girl said in awe.

But before anyone could make another move, the distant sound of a siren arose on the night air. Typical enough in New Donk City... Snapping his head up, DK sniffed as if to find the source of the sound.

Pauline noticed it too. "...You've got to get out of here!" she exclaimed, a sudden realization hitting her. "They'll find you if you stay here!"

Mario wasn't as quick for once. "What do you mean?"

Pauline stopped and looked at him. "This animal's been abused Mario, we can't let the zoo people get him back!" she said. "It's... we've gotta do something about it!"

"Like what??"

Pauline hardened her gaze. "We start by helping the big guy escape." Turning in a quick circle, her mind scrambled to a solution. Rushing over to the edge, she soon spotted a lower rooftop not too far away.

"That way," she thought quickly. "If you can jump to that building, you can probably make it down from there and get out of here." Turning back to Donkey Kong, she watched him with big hopeful eyes. "Go, Donkey Kong," she urged. "Get out of the city. ...Go home."

Tilting his head, the ape almost seemed to ponder her words for a minute; then, cracking another one of those toothy ape smiles, he turned to the edge. Looking back at them — Pauline would have sworn — he nodded his head at her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Mario stammered, still not quite up to speed on the situation. "You're just going to set him loose again?"

"Like you said Mario, he's just a poor monkey," the girl replied, stepping back. "We should let him free. We can't let him go back to that zoo."

"Yeah, but... will he actually find his way?"

Pauline was silent for a moment as she studied the ape. He was big, powerful; clever enough to throw barrels at an oncoming foe. He was agile; he was fearsome and determined and gentle when he wanted to be. She might even say he was beautiful; and he belonged in the wild.

A tiny grin flickered across her lips. "I have a feeling he'll be alright this time." Standing back, she clasped her hands and watched expectantly.

Gathering his hind legs, DK suddenly broke into a bounding canter, picking up speed; then, reaching the far edge of the building, he pushed off, leaping effortlessly to the neighboring rooftop below.

Pauline let out a breath of relief. He'd made it! Upon landing, the ape shook his hide of rainwater, sniffed the air; and then, without even looking back, he lumbered out of sight.

   Donkey Kong was free — and so was she.

Slowly, and oddly exhilarated, Pauline felt a smile creep onto her face. How odd — the monkey had really seemed to understand her after all.

Then it was over...

It was over!

   For a moment worry flashed across her brain — would he be able to safely make it out of the city? Where would he go? Where was he from?He just couldn't fall back into the hands of humans — he was far too traumatized for anything like that.

But this was Donkey Kong she was thinking about; he would be careful. He surely wouldn't let all that happen again. Better to let it be; better to just let him go.

No one would ever know, right?

At that moment she turned to glance at the boy still nearby, watching the whole thing in startled silence. For a second she had nearly forgotten about him.

   Staring after the direction the ape had gone, he finally said, "What... just happened?"

The girl couldn't help another chuckle at seeing his clueless face. Pausing, she observed him a moment longer: soggy, worn, and rippling with unexpected power. Why, he had really climbed the entire building just now? And that hammer...! He was clearly sweating despite the cool air and his dark hair was a scruffy mess, but he was still quite a rugged picture to behold. She didn't like it when he was attractive; but it was something she couldn't help noticing sometimes.

   And now, he was suddenly awfully cute.

   That didn't mean he was trying, either. He still stared at the faraway rooftop in almost aggravating cluelessness, that dorky look coming to him.

That ape with the necktie...

   "Hey hotshot, I'm over here," Pauline spoke up.

   Still he barely batted an eye. Mario sure could be strange sometimes; she didn't understand it. Sometimes he was such a flirt, and at others he seemed completely immune to her charms — not that she experimented with them.

   "That monkey..." he said at length, unable to drop it.

   Pauline snorted in amusement. "Yes Mario, the monkey went back to where he belongs." She turned to him. "And maybe we should do the same?"

   Upon still having trouble getting the guy's attention, she sighed; and then, grinning to herself, she bent and left a big smooch on his cheek.

   Now he finally began to come around. Blinking out of his reverie, he turned; and after briefly eyeing the girl in surprise, he suddenly turned and gazed over the city. "Y-yeah, yeah, of course," he said.

   Stifling a giggle, Pauline suddenly joined him at his side, glancing down at the precarious catwalks from which they'd come. "Well... I'm not sure I want to go that way." Turning to him, she nudged his shoulder, causing him to turn; and the next moment, her hands were in his.

   "Oh, Mario —

   And then a blinding white spotlight from above struck the teenagers like a lightning bolt, shining down on the pair perched on the edge of the rooftop.

"YOU TWO DOWN THERE! ARE YOU KIDS ALRIGHT?"

A near-deafening wind appeared as from nowhere, like a giant blow dryer trying to air them out. It was accompanied as well by the steady chop chop chop of machinery come to life.

   On hearing the crackling voice blasting from a megaphone, Mario and Pauline quickly split, startled; the girl let out a scream of surprise.

"Oh-!"

"SORRY FOR THE SCARE MA'AM. WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU. HAVE YOU SEEN THE APE?" Now the beam of light began to move, making it easier for them to see; and soon it revealed itself to be none other than a helicopter, whirring blades slowly descending to hover by the edge of the roof.

They were saved!

"No sir, it vanished after dropping her!" Mario instantly found his diplomatic cool as he struggled to make his voice heard. "We're both alright, thank you...!"

"WELL, YOU YOUNGSTERS NEED A LIFT?"

Mario turned to Pauline and held out a hand, happy to oblige; but the girl suddenly seemed quite distraught as she looked about the whirling wind in confusion.

   "What's the matter??" he yelled.

"Mario... where's my purse??"

He stared at her in utter confusion, swirling air playing madly with his hair and mustache. "Uhh... back in the restaurant?" he suggested.

"Mario-! And my hat and my umbrella!! You didn't grab them!!"

I was a little busy!! "Hey, we'll go get it!" he replied appeasingly. "Calm down, just get in the helicopter..."

She might have done so, but that was when she finally looked down and seemed to catch sight of her drenched clothes for the first time. "M-Mario... this dress was over a hundred coins!" she cried in horror.

Wishing he could just get on the waiting ride and on the next train to Far Away, the boy sighed in uneasiness. "I think it looks better that way," he replied earnestly, eyeing its torn edges.

Pauline stared back at him in dreadful seriousness. "Mario!!"

Turning away, he headed for the waiting rescuers and pretended not to hear over the loud blades of the helicopter. Girls!

He liked Pauline — he really did; but sometimes he just didn't understand that girl.

~

Leaves.

Grass. Trees. Insects and birds and a clear, open sky.

These were the things DK had missed experiencing in his time at the zoo. Now, galloping beneath the familiar jungle canopy, he was filled with excitement.

Home.

And that was not all. He had a family too. A waiting family, back at home — a son. A grandson as well. He must have grown immensely in the time he'd been away.

   Now DK would get to see them all again.

   It hadn't taken him terribly long to find a safe route through the city's outskirts. Avoiding human detection wasn't so hard after his departure from the two humans on the rooftop. The harder part had been in finding a way across the water. There was a boat, and a million little detours and problems he'd had to face; but he hardly remembered it all now. He had been traveling for what was probably the greater part of a week — but he was almost there. He knew his way home.

   He knew without a doubt that he would never forget the woman who had so freed him — after giving him a kiss! It had been a funny night, for sure; but it had all turned out right in the end.

   And that boy. The one with the mustache and the hat... there was something about him too. Something powerful, something strange, something he couldn't quite place right away. Something familiar? But the ape knew without a doubt there was something special about him.

   Now he began to slow, coming to a small clearing in the forest. This place... that scent was familiar. Letting out a low howl, he resumed forward.

   He knew he was almost home.

   Still, even as he approached closer and closer to that wonderful little hut that he'd been proud to share once, he couldn't keep from thinking back to that boy again. That boy who would soon be a man.

   Something he had said stood out... His words replayed in the ape's mind. Seems more like a Cranky to me.

   Tossing his head, the ape chuckled to himself. Well, the human had gotten something right enough. Perhaps it did suit him better.

   But even so, he still liked the name Donkey Kong. The humans had given it to him; it went with his special tie. He couldn't understand why, but he still very much liked it.

   Who would it belong to, if he was no longer Donkey Kong?

   A peaceful hush fell over the jungle as Cranky lumbered at last to a stop. The lightning bugs flickered among the foliage; the air was sweet and the stars had come out. On the horizon, a small dark building arose.

   The ape slowly broke into a smile as a distant, familiar howl echoed forth to meet him.

~

   "Mama mia... you're a feisty one, aren't you?" Mario muttered to himself as he jumped upright, almost falling off the couch in the process. Skillfully pounding on the buttons in harmony with the movements of a joystick, the young man kept his controller close enough that he almost yanked it from the wall.

   "Come on — Hey, that's not allowed, compagno! Play nice..."

   A gentle voice, wavering from beyond the doorway, called out to him suddenly, breaking off his ambitious spiel. "Mario! The phone is for you! Pick it up over there, tutto apposto?"

   Begrudgingly pausing his game of Punch Out!!, Mario scrambled up to grab the phone which he hadn't even noticed ringing. "Si, Mamma!"

   When he answered, though, he wasn't quite expecting what followed.

   "Hello, it's me, Mario —

   "Mario! Guess what??"

   The boy blinked, recognizing Pauline's upbeat voice in an instant. "Pauline? What is it?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

   "Okay, so I'm sure you saw the article by now, right?" she asked.

   "You could say that," he replied, glancing at the newspaper on the coffee table. There, plastered across the front page of this week's stories, was a riveting headline: 'A Young 'Jumpman' Saves the Day!'

   It had been nearly a week since their monkey escapade on Cranky Avenue. Ever since the rescuers in the helicopter had picked them up, life had been a crazy whirlwind of events for Mario: first talking to police, then the animal control (all the while trying to convince them that Donkey Kong truly was gone), then a mandatory visit to the emergency room, then the mayor — otherwise known as Pauline's dad — who had heaped praises upon him for saving his daughter and arranged an interview with a reporter for the local newspaper.

   And now here he was, practically a celebrity in the city for jumping over barrels while climbing a building. After an ape. In a thunderstorm...

   Pauline had been through most of it too, and he knew she had to be tired; but then, she seemed to enjoy all the attention from people. She'd even gotten on the warpath concerning the treatment of animals at the Central Park Zoo, and now there was an investigation underway. Mario had no doubt she'd make a fine mayor like her father.

   Still, after all that had transpired following his daring climb up the building — which was currently under repairs now — Mario would never forget the most impactful moment of that night, which occurred when he and Pauline were sitting in the helicopter on their way down. He would never forget the way he'd felt when she looked at him and said, "What will your parents think of all of this?"

Mario was always getting involved with things around the school and town; people were used to hearing of his antics. But he had a feeling that nothing so far had ever topped this one.

   Fortunately, the mayor himself had put in a good word for him, and any initial punishment Mario might have merited was negated by the fact that Pauline truly was in desperate need of help. Nevertheless, he had a feeling his family was going to keep a sharp eye on him for a while — well, sharper than usual.

   But now, he was finally back where he could seemingly cause little harm: at home, playing video games.

   "I've been talking to my dad," Pauline went on. "He wants to get them to do another article about you!"

"Another one? Why?"

He could almost see the grin of cleverness on her face. "Well, not so much about you, per say..."

"Doesn't 'Jumpman' also go by the alias of 'Mario'?" he asked knowingly. Ever since the paper had been published, the town knew him first and foremost as the punchy name someone had invented: Jumpman.

Not that it wasn't an accurate title. Mario had always been revered for his jump on the sports teams.

"No, that's not what I mean," Pauline waved him off. "You know the Mini Toy company here in town that makes wind-ups and such?"

The boy could now see that he had no idea where she was going. "Yeah..."

   Mario had always liked the little toys that walked on their own. He still did; he had some in his room that he'd liked to experiment with on occasion. It made him feel like the conductor of a wonderfully clever operation.

"Well my dad has been talking with the president, who says he wants to manufacture a line of our very own Jumpman toys! They're going to model them after you! Mini-Marios!"

Mario blinked. "Excuse me??"

Her voice glowed with pride. "I'm still trying to see if they'll do one of me — I mean, if you're going to have a toy hero, you might as well do the whole playset."

Here he raised his eyebrows. "Hero?"

Pauline snickered. "Yes, I knew you would like that. Well my dad is just so beside himself with trying to thank you — and you know, you are kind of a hero, after all... the hero who saved me. So thank you for that, by the way... Though I have to wonder, why on earth did it never occur to you to go get help?"

The boy snorted. "I was help!"

Pauline sighed. "Well, you wanted to save the day, you sure did do your job."

Mario merely chuckled, reveling in hearing it. "So what do I have to do regarding this toy company?"

"Oh, right. If you agree, they're going to unveil the line at their store soon — at a date next month to be determined — at which you'll appear for the ceremony!"

"Me? Oh no," Mario interrupted. "If they want to do that, they'll have to also accept my guest of honor!"

Pauline frowned. "Guest of honor?"

"You," Mario replied. "I couldn't really be a superhero if it wasn't for you. Heheh... It's you, it all you, baby!"

The girl on the other end didn't sound terribly flattered. "That's nice, Mario, but don't praise yourself too much yet. It takes more than climbing a building to be called a SUPERhero."

Mario shrugged to himself. "Eh, it's a good start."

Both of them knew of Mario's fantasies; how he'd always wanted to make a difference, stand out, do something extraordinary — be a hero! It was what any showy little boy dreamed of, Pauline supposed... but for Mario, those improbable dreams had never faded into the realm of impossibility. Now his ego was likely to be as big as ever.

"Maybe you can convince some of the kids at school to call you that," she suggested, not knowing why she was feeding his fire. "Some of the younger kids already were practically worshipping you. They'll look up to you, you know. You're an inspiration." Mentally, she added: Just don't get used to it — it's not like this'll ever happen again!

Pondering her words a moment, Mario said, "Mama mia... you see what happens when you take chances? Who knows what opportunities are lying around the corner?" Gazing out the window at the light, luxurious sky, he murmured, "A hero..."

Suddenly breaking into a grin, he tossed his head and chuckled out loud. "I guess I can get used to it!"

The End