INTRO: This was something I came up with a long while ago, and after editing through a lot of it, I decided to post it here for others to see. Any of you who have read my other Sonic fanfiction stories like 'Shadow and Sarah' should know that this is a PREQUEL series to those stories. Continuity in the Sonic franchise is a mess, so I decided it would be fun to create a series that bridges the gap between the 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog (SATAM) cartoon and Sonic X. What came out of it is a lot of fun, and of course, I had to create new characters to give it a little more suspense. Also, some of the pre-existing characters had their personalities tweaked a bit. Mario and Luigi are more based on their presentations from the live-action film of them, and Wario and Waluigi are changed (for now), here they are known as simply W and W.L, and their personalities are a pretty different (again, that's just for now, you'll like it). That all being said, I wrote this series in the form of short stories, so here, I will take two short stories and put them together to form chapters and turn it into a novel. The formula is kind of like the approach done with the web series RWBY. I will post two or three chapters each week. Enjoy!
NOTE: The (*) symbol done once means the start of a new scene, and the (*) symbol done twice is the end of a scene.
Chapter One
The rain whipped the young boy's face, his thick hair blowing in the high gusts that lashed at his face and stung his eyes. Lighting flashed above him and thunder angrily roared overhead. Holding his hand tightly was his dear friend, and his only one. Her pink-dyed hair was uneven and choppy, and her face was soaked from the rain. He hung over the thrashing waters that raged below him, waiting eagerly to absorb him. A spinning funnel was pulling him away, and his friend grasped his hand tighter, struggling to pull him back up.
The boy tried reaching his other hand up for his friend to take, but the winds rebelled against that, the funnel in the water pulling him closer and closer, his friend's grip was weakening. Finally, the wind pushed its last effort, and the boy's friend lost his hand and the boy fell toward the water, one hand was furiously clutching what he would've given her.
Twenty Years Later…
"Mario and Luigi have already infiltrated the G.U.N. base, and Mario is working on a code-lock to get inside," the computer SEGA-64 reported to his master Chairman Neeko.
"Show me a map of the base," Neeko requested, his rough hand moving across his dark hair, his mind deep in thought. SEGA-64 brought up a map of the base on his blue screen, showing a base with four different small buildings each connected by a bridge in a square shape above an irritated ocean.
"Mario is now attempting to break into the east base now," the computer reported. A small smile spread across Neeko's middle-aged face.
"Excellent," he said.
Mario tapped the last few combination keys for the lock on the door, and the door easily slid open.
"Okay Luigi, we're in, I'll see what I could find inside," Mario said through his com.
"Roger that, you're doing good, but there is a very high level of security inside the next room," Luigi said over his com. Mario stealthily walked through the first room, which was nothing but empty, but had a growling furnace in the center of the room. The air was breezy and smoke leaked out of the furnace. Mario wondered if it needed to be fixed, and he and Luigi had a specialty at fixing pipes. The way into the next room was just a doorway, and he could see G.U.N. soldiers pacing back and forth inside.
"Luigi?" Mario asked.
"Already on it," Luigi replied. Through the window in the room, small balls of fire flew past Mario's face and smacked into the guards. They all fell over without making a sound. Carefully, Mario lifted the bodies and tossed them out the window and watched them tumble into the waters below. The whole base was built in the middle of the ocean, almost in the middle of nowhere. Mario gave a thumbs-up to Luigi, who was crouched on top a tall spire that was level with the window. The top was so deep; no one would even notice he was there.
"The plans should be in the computer in the room behind you," Luigi pointed out. Mario turned around and walked towards the computer, setting his laser pistol on the desk and taking out a memory chip.
"Watch my back Luigi, I'm going to download the information now," Mario said. He injected the chip into the side of the computer and brought up a large file, ready to download.
"Okay, I'm…wait a minute…" Mario's eyes widened and his face moved closer to the screen reading the data on it. What was on it was surely not good.
"Mario, what's wrong?" Luigi asked.
"Luigi, you'll want to hear this," Mario said slowly, still reading. Suddenly, the screen changed to black. The enemy knew he was here and they had shut down the computer to halt the download.
Shocked, Mario pulled his memory chip out of the computer. He quickly turned around with his plasma pistol in hand as he saw four men run in.
"Freeze!" The lead man shouted.
The four men moved toward him, but four fire balls from Luigi through the window took care of them.
"I'm on my way!" Luigi shouted. But it was too late. The doorways on both sides of him slid shut and locked themselves.
"Nice of you to visit Mario," a voice said through an intercom at the top corner of the wall. Mario had only heard this voice once before, but he already knew that it was the voice of Ivo Robotnik.
"Did I tell you the last time we talked, that you're such an egghead?" Mario taunted.
"My men will be with you shortly to secure you. You're going to be my guest for a long time," Ivo taunted back. Mario tapped his com in his left ear.
"Luigi, get out of here! Call Miles! I'm not going to make it, the mission is a failure. Tell them…"
"What? No, I'm coming!" Luigi argued.
"Tell them that…" But it was too late. Ivo had jammed their transmissions.**
*Luigi jumped off one of the many spires in the center of the base, wrestling G.U.N. soldiers off the bridge, or making quick work of them with his plasma rifle. Then, he jumped over the side of the bridge, and his feet landed on the back of the Tour, Miles Prower's ship. The ship lurched a little from his landing.
"Hey! Careful up there!" Miles shouted from the front. Luigi smiled beneath his helmet. That was Miles most of the time. Ships were meat and drink to him, and he was hated it when his ship was in possible danger whether he was in or out. Luigi jumped into the emergency hatch and staggered over to one of the passenger seats.
"Where's Mario?" Miles asked in his childish voice.
"I lost him, he's under custody and he told me to leave. Then, our transmissions were jammed," Luigi said.
"You're not going to save him?" Miles asked, sounding shocked.
"He ordered me to leave. The Chairman will set a rescue mission," Luigi explained, hoping he was right about 'rescue mission'. Miles quickly nodded when bullets began smacking against the back of the ship. Speeding faster, he sent the Tour spiraling away so that it would be more difficult for the enemy to send a direct hit, and he kept flying until the base was out of sight.**
*Back at the mother ship the Trident, Luigi stood nervously in front of Chairman Neeko, not quite happy to have to deliver the news that the mission was a failure, and that one of their best men was being held hostage. Behind Neeko, where the computer SEGA-64 was normally on, was powered down. Reluctantly, Luigi told Neeko what happened.
"I'll see to it that we send a rescue team, but we need to be patient. There are more important things to attend to before we go rescue your brother." Neeko explained. Luigi stood back, not quite enthusiastic about Neeko's words. Neeko wasn't a bad man, but sometimes he was overly cautious. He always said that duty comes first, and he believed it was better to let one person go then to let millions go.
"Perhaps W and W.L will be willing to save your brother, but I need you here. The Heroes of Today need you. There is a new rookie that is receiving training right now as I speak, so why don't you try to make an acquaintance with her…" Neeko suggested, a smile spreading across his face.**
*Luigi walked out to the main hangar of the Trident where he found the new rookie that Neeko mentioned, standing by Miles who was underneath his ship tampering with it. Every now and then, the new rookie would pass a tool to Miles for him to use.
"Luigi, that last tour put some nasty dents in this thing," Miles said playfully under the ship as he worked. His suit was covered in soot and grime, just the way he normally looked when he wasn't on duty. He put a wrench down and moved from underneath the ship and stood up, his legs shaky at first. A greasy hand slapped his forehead.
"Where are my manners? Luigi, this is Amy, a new recruit," Miles introduced, gesturing to the person beside him. Luigi frowned when he finally got a good look at the new recruit. She was a walking, talking hedgehog. Luigi had seen so few of them, but he remembered that Neeko was always reluctant to allow hedgehogs to join them because of the hyperactivity in their blood. This one seemed quiet though, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking because of the dark pink helmet shielding her face. The T-visor was shaded so he couldn't get a clear look at her eyes. However, around her neck was a necklace with what looked like a colored piece of rock that was chipped off a larger one.
"So, Amy, are you from around here?" Luigi asked. Amy shook her head.
"Not really. It's a long story," Amy replied.
"How did the Chairman accept you?" Luigi asked.
"While we were gone, she faced up against some of our best men; she exceeded expectations for the Chairman," Miles answered for Amy.
"Where did you learn combat?" Luigi asked.
"It kind of just came naturally to me I guess," Amy replied, but for some strange reason, she sounded unsure of herself.
"Well, perhaps I could give you the grand tour?" Luigi asked with a humorous smile.
"That would be nice," Amy replied, and Luigi took Amy out of the hangar and down a hallway. On a board to the side of the wall, it said: PROJECT 60 IN PROGRESS.
"Project 60?" Amy asked.
"The Chairman creates things sometimes. The projects are normally new engines for our ships, or updated equipment for when we go on missions," Luigi said.
"So we fight the G.U.N. forces right?" Amy asked.
"We're sort of a rebellion, the G.U.N. forces desire to create their own government on this planet. They've already decided to allow Ivo Robotnik to be the planet's ruler. The animals demand their freedom, but the G.U.N. forces have other plans. They're a tyrannical group," Luigi explained.
"Oh," Amy replied, looking like she was putting something together in her head.
"Did Ivo have something to do with your family?" Luigi asked. Amy shook her head.
"No," Amy replied. Luigi wasn't quite sure, but he decided to excuse the subject for the time being. They continued walking, and Luigi went into the armory to show her around.**
*Ivo Robotnik admired the valley of Quinn very much. Being a tyrant to those who stood in his way didn't mean he didn't admire nature. Here in this valley, the grass was a clean green. Ivo chose the spot he was standing now to be the spot he would be standing when his city was built and completed to see the addition he had made to the valley. He heard Commander Towers speak behind him.
"It will take a lot of people to build this city Ivo, not to mention the Heroes…" the Commander said, but Ivo cut him off.
"Don't warn me about that rebellion, they will not stand in my way; they have some wounds to lick after losing one of their men to me. Have our men been assembled for their trip to Apotos?" Ivo asked.
"Yes, sir," Towers said. Ivo smiled.
"Good, proceed as planned," Ivo ordered.
"Yes, sir," the Commander said again, and he walked away to follow Ivo's orders. Ivo turned his gaze back to the valley, hands clenched behind his back. He chuckled again.
"Egghead, what a ridiculous nickname," he muttered to himself.**
*Luigi walked out of the armory with Amy, and was about to continue on, when another super soldier of theirs ran up to them. It was Knuckles, whom Luigi believed was the hardest to read out of the rest of the bunch.
"Luigi, Amy, come quick! There's another new recruit, and he's going up against W.L. and W., come on!" Knuckles said, out of breath by the time he was done talking. The next thing he knew, Luigi was witnessing something he had never seen before in his whole life. He wasn't here when Amy was having a test run with some of their best men, so he didn't get to see her combat skills, but never in his life did he think he would see a male, blue hedgehog with incredible speed on the training room floor facing off against W.L. and W.**
NOTES: One of the things I was desperate to put in was to have Miles (not yet called Tails here, but he will be eventually) working on his plane because of the tech savvy we know him to be. Working on his plane and just doing engineering in general was a big deal to this character, and I wanted to emphasize on that.
The chipped piece of rock was an element taken from the Super Mario Bros. Movie, except, in the film, it's being worn by Daisy. I enjoyed using as many elements from the different Mario and Sonic material as I found possible or engaging to use.
Everyone who has played at least two or three Sonic games would know where the name Ivo Robotnik came from. The character called Ivo here is my own version of him, to introduce a tougher, more effective villain with a history, and his own personal struggles. Those are things the real Eggman didn't have, but I thought it would be humorous to have the other characters call him an egghead throughout the series. Eggman WILL show up eventually, but it will be a while.