AUTHOR'S NOTE
"I'm-a back!"
I can't believe this title corresponds to a Mario story.
The idea for this story seems to slightly coincide with a theme in Super Mario Odyssey, but was in fact conceived before the game was officially released. I'm more than happy to treat it as a tribute to such a wonderful game. The very beginning, however, is based off the various worlds in the New Super Mario Bros. series.
I really wished I completed this earlier (ideally right after Odyssey was released), but was busy resisting the harsh gales of reality. I'm now happily enjoying my Winter Holidays, and this was quite high up on my priorities list of hobbies, so here it is...
Have fun reading this! Meanwhile, in another world, I'm playing more and more of Super Mario Odyssey...
Rated T just in case - this story shouldn't contain any adult themes (unless you consider Mario-style alcoholism to be an adult theme...), and Mario-style fighting is probably not very violent at all.
And MERRY/HAPPY (delete as appropriate) CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope 2017 was a great and successful year for all; I'm positive 2018 will be even better!
All characters and locations wholly belong to Nintendo.
DRUNKEN MEMORIES
A Super Mario Fanfiction
He chased him through the distant plains; the scorching deserts; the land of snow, through the crippling cold. He watched in despair under the palm tree as the tyrant flew away in his airship, clutching the screaming princess. He made his way through the forest with urgency, cursing the ghosts that stalked him: there was no time to spare, yet he was wasting all his precious seconds staring into the spherical, translucent body of shy Boos. And he climbed the tallest of mountains, towards the peak, where the very aerostat was parked. And he made it on, just as it took off.
The airship could not be more labyrinthine. Everywhere he walked, he met a dead end; everywhere he scavenged for the scent of his Princess, he found only rusting Mechakoopas, rattling noisily behind him, stomped down beneath his feet, methodically reactivating seconds later, stalking him again; everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but separating wooden walls, merely a part of the entire maze. Sometimes he made it to the surface, and gazed longingly beyond the pale sky. He saw clouds in the shape of Mushrooms, the form of Power Stars…One of the clouds look-a so-a like Peach…he thought absentmindedly. He proceeded to shake himself out of his dreamy trance, and scolding himself internally for wasting precious seconds.
His palms grew sweaty, and adrenaline coursed through his body relentlessly, his heart thumping in his chest with increasing force as he seemed to near the deepest chamber of the airship…
And surely enough, there stood his enemy, with his solid stance and condescending, reptilian gaze.
But the Princess was nowhere to be seen.
Confronting Bowser, Mario demanded, "Where is-a Peach?!"
But he just laughed. And roared.
The moustachioed man whipped out a Fire Flower, and ingested it furiously. Instantly, his body began to heat up in fury, his blood boiling in vengeance. Ire coursed through his veins, towards his graceful fingertips, and he launched a rapid chain of fireballs towards his nemesis, who responded likewise, spitting out tyrannical flames.
"Give up, Mario," he cooed, if his rough, serrated voice could be smooth at all, "She's in my Castle. She belongs to nobody but me; she is mine now!"
"Horrendous Koopa…I will destroy you!" More fireballs flew out of his hands, ferocious as ever.
"Empty words, Mario…just as empty as your Kingdom without the Princess, 'eh? Just as empty as your own self without your beloved?" Retaliating spheres of fire headed straight for the plumber, who leaped to the side with a graceful flip.
But was struck in the back by a pillar of spikes. Mario cursed himself for being ignorant of the contraptions that so prominently habited Bowser's airships. Irritably, Mario - now deprived of his fireball-throwing ability - rubbed his backside and gave Bowser the steeliest stare he could ever give.
It was not very effective. Bowser made an odd gurgling sound that was in fact him trying to contain his laughter.
"What a pity, Mario," he mocked, "Now you can't use fire anymore. But I still can!"
As if to prove his point, the reptilian creature spewed out a torrent of flames. Mario dashed up to the nearest wall and performed a slick Wall Jump, avoiding the attack with ease, but his mind soon filled up with new troubles: how could he deal damage to Bowser?
"Troubled? Don't worry, let me end your troubles, Mario. I think it's time to kill you now." Seeing the red-capped man lost in thought, Bowser took the opportunity and snorted out a barrage of fireballs.
"No, Bowser," said Mario, his words slightly slurred, lost in his thoughts, "What doesn't kill me makes me -"
"Smaller." Bowser grinned.
One by one, they rammed into the distracted protagonist, who unleashed a growl of vexation, of fury. And of despair.
"Losing it, Mario? Annoyed that you can't dodge my attacks? Angry that you can't hurt me? Anguished that you're about to lose your Princess forever?!" boomed King Koopa, as he shrunk into his menacing shell of spikes, and spun forcefully towards the tiny man.
After hastily recollecting some broken remnants of confidence, Mario decided that the best option for now was to run. He tried not to let the taunts of his nemesis get to his heart.
You can't dodge my attacks.
Keep-a running, thought Mario. He made a turn just as Bowser's shell zoomed behind him, bouncing off a wall.
You can't hurt me.
I will find a way. He realised, for the first time, that he was sweating heavily. Beads of perspiration - of exhaustion, of hopelessness - slowly slipped down his forehead.
You're about to lose your Princess forever.
No, Peach, I'm-a coming for you…His legs were aching. For a moment, he thought the fiery sensation in his limbs were caused by a Fire Flower. He tried moving his right hand back and forth, the motion of chucking a few fireballs as he had done earlier, while incidentally shaking off a few drops of salty sweat from his face. But nothing came out.
And though he tried to stay hopeful, it reminded him how helpless he truly was. Hope - and time - was leaking away, through his empty fingertips.
"Running like a coward, huh, Mario? C'mon, let me hit you a few more times, to see how small you can get!"
But running towards the corner was a fatal mistake for the plumber, especially after an accidental misstep, which caused a cramp in his right leg. Awkwardly and subconsciously, he half-limped, half-ran to the corner, dragging his paralysed leg, where he thought he could crouch up and take a break from the battle, from everything.
The red-capped hero inhaled sharply as he saw a blur of a large projectile shoot towards him.
The spiny shell knocked him into the air; Bowser rebounded from the walls and, just as Mario was about to fall to the airship floor, he hit him square in the stomach, sending him flying into the vertical wooden surface opposite.
A painful first collision, followed by a mere dull thud in the frontside. He was unconscious before he even properly landed - or fell - to the ground.
"Oh, oops, my bad," laughed Bowser, "I forgot that this was the smallest you could be." And he carelessly kicked the fainted man off the decks.
Mario plunged down, down, into a cloudy sea, as the airship unsympathetically drove away.
Mario opened his eyes, feeling slightly dizzy. And fatigued. Lying on the softest of clouds, his hands began to unconsciously fidget with the cushiony terrain. It was the most comfortable of beds, almost cuddling him to sleep, until a very familiar scream slowly crescendoed behind him.
He lethargically turned his head to see a certain man dressed in green attire diving into the cloudy ground a few metres back. Mario leapt up just as Luigi pulled his head out of the floor, and sprawled onto his back.
"L-Luigi! Are you-a okay?" His voice sounded slightly higher-pitched due to his size.
"Ow…Mario? Oh no, you're small! Have a Power Shroom!"
The red-capped man ate the Mushroom with delight. He enjoyed the feeling as his body and limbs stretched vertically. It was like a much-needed massage for his aching muscles. Soon, he was of normal height again.
"How did you get here?"
"I accidentally fell into a Pipe, and it shot me through the air. And here I am."
"Oh, Luigi…"
"Have you found Peach…?" Luigi's voice died away as he saw the disappointment in Mario's eyes. "Oh. I'm sorry - how about we team up? I really want to help, all the better now that I'm here with-a you."
"Yes! Together, with the power of brotherhood, we will surely be able to find-a Peach!" his brother responded enthusiastically, much to his surprise.
"Really? Wow, thank you, Mario!" Luigi stepped forward to give him a hug.
"Oh, stop it, Luigi. You know I would never turn you-a down on an adventure!"
And so the two brothers set off.
Nothing could stop the duo, nothing less than invincible now that they are together. Luigi was no longer scared in a haunted house, as he thought he would have been without his brother; he faced the Boos with newly-found courage and even had a fun time watching them blush and cover their eyes with their hands in their shyness. Mario, meanwhile, led the way in his heroic demeanour, making sure Luigi was behind him at all times: on a Para-Beetle in the heights of the sky; in floating Water Balls, swimming close together; cautiously treading on bouncy Mushroom platforms, wary of slipping.
Soon, there were no more Para-Beetles to sit on and enjoy the view from the blue skies; no more Water Balls for a refreshing swim; and no more Mushroom platforms. In fact, the sky was no longer blue and clear.
Amidst the darkened environment, Bowser's Castle was in sight. A world full of smog and fire beckoned for the Mario brothers, who charged ahead. Mario thought he could hear Peach's cry, crying for his name.
"Mario!"
He really could. Peach was right there, in the high towers, so distant yet so close. The protruding shapes of stone in the far end of the wooden bridge reminded him of everything he's been through, everything he's experienced, since the Princess's kidnapping.
It's all Bowser's doing. Mario stomped on the flinty earth, preparing to storm forwards, when a pair of hands grabbed his arms.
"Mario, don't!" begged Luigi, "The axe…the axe will kill you!"
"Get off me, Luigi!" he countered, wildly shaking free of his brother's grasp "Peach is-a right there! Peach!" The red man bolted onto the wooden bridge, shaking and moving in a tidal motion under the wrath of his furious footsteps.
"No, the axe…!" warned his brother. But Mario could not hear. All he saw was Peach, his Peach, the Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, standing right there as a hostage she never should've been, a Princess Bowser never deserved to have.
"M-Mario, help -" The distressed royal reached out her hand, as if it would bring her hero closer, but was dimly silenced by a reptilian claw. She leaned back to resist.
Mario's face grew even redder and hotter as unwanted hands touched his Princess. "Bowser! You put your dirty hands off-a Peach!" He was rapidly approaching the other side, where his grinning nemesis stood, pillar-like arms tightly clamping the fragile body of the Princess.
"So, you're back!" he boomed, "Angry I'm touching your Princess? No worries. She shall be mine soon."
"Just you wait, Bowser! In no time, I will have crossed this-a bridge, and you will meet your end!" cried Mario, making his legs run even faster, almost gyrating on the wooden surface.
"Ha! Do you see this weapon here?" Bowser pointed to the axe below. "I shall never forget the day when you first unleashed the axe, destroying the bridge, condemning me to the fires of hell! Now, I am dying to repay the favour!" And in his fit of passion, he gave the looming axe a forceful kick. The guillotine fell, sending splinters of wood flying round as the bridge broke off from the isle where the Castle was situated.
"Mario, no!" yelled Luigi, hands squeezing his head, praying for his brother.
Mario threw himself back and ran for his life.
But Bowser was right on the airship: what was his life without his beloved Peach? As the plumber ran back, consciousness caused him to realise how inflamed and protesting his legs were, but this was nothing compared to the tears that burned at his eyes as he thought he heard his Princess crying…she was becoming more and more distant as Bowser triumphantly ushered her into the Castle. Mario snatched a look back; he scarcely saw the pink dress disappear into the stronghold before realising the collapsing bridge catching up to him. The vicious fires sprayed everywhere, next to his feet, threatening to trip him over into its all-consuming inferno -
He jumped, shutting his eyes in a leap of faith. Everything seemed to go slow-motion: Luigi's desperate howl for his destiny in this critical moment, incongruously mingled with Peach's voice, ringing so clearly in his head like tolling bells of finality, calling his name with her broken, tear-ridden voice, getting fainter, and fainter and -
He hit something hard. Not death, he thought, The ground, but not death…
The last remnants of hope were gone just as the last planks of mahogany plummeted to their fate beneath the lava. All was silent, apart from the sizzling flames, as if taunting the distraught plumber. His brother shared his misery; he trudged forward and wrapped him around in a hug.
"Get off-a me, Luigi."
"Mario…"
"I said, get-a off me."
Luigi reluctantly withdrew his arms from his brother, who crouched himself up into darkness. The few power-ups in his pockets fell out as he sat back. But none of it would come into any use now.
In the Castle towers above, the laughter of Bowser diffused through the volcanic regions, devouring the softer, inaudible sobs from Peach…
He's backed against the corner, eyes half-closed. He bitterly drained the last drops of a purple liquid, and lethargically tossed the empty glass bottle to the side. It rattled on the floor with a sharp and prolonged clang, before joining the growing pile.
"Why am I-a doing this…I should-a move on…" he mumbled drunkenly.
Luigi peered in from the dusty window. Seeing his brother so lifeless and dead, he felt broken. He knocked on the door. It wasn't locked, and opened with a creak.
"Mario? Oh, no," he frowned, "Look at all those Poison Shrooms over there…" The green man shuddered at the logo on the alcoholic beverage, a Mushroom with a purple head, and an angry expression.
Mario groaned. He reached to the side for another. Hesitantly, Luigi ran up and slapped his arm. Mario dropped the bottle with a dull clang. Luigi recoiled at having done such a thing.
"S-sorry Mario…I didn't mean to hurt your arm. I just…" he faltered, searching for the right words, "I just don't want you to…waste yourself."
"I a-am…I am worth wasting," muttered Mario, who reached for the bottle again.
This forced tears up Luigi's eyes. "No, stop it, Mario!" He slapped his arm again, this time before his brother could reach the drink. "I know; have some water. Look, it's your favourite brand, 1-Up Water!" Luigi hastily took out a bottle of water, branded with a recognisable, beaming Green Mushroom as its logo. But Mario weakly pushed it away, once again reaching for another bottle of Poison Shrooms.
"No! Drink this, brother!" Luigi agitatedly smacked the outstretched arm with the 1-Up Water. "Mario! Where's the heroic soul I always lived with, always looked up to?! Where's the brother who always let me tag along on his adventures, despite my…incompetence?!"
"G-gone, Mario is…missing; Mario is missing."
"MARIO!" he screamed. "No, this isn't going to work." Luigi got up, and with a sense of vexed despair kicked all the bottles of Poison Shrooms as hard as he could. The glass bottles shattered, spraying dark liquid everywhere.
"Oh…" moaned Mario, "My Poison Shrooms…my life…"
"Mario," declared Luigi, after picking up the remaining unbroken bottles that rolled towards the other side of the room, "I hate to see you like-a this. I am finding your Princess. I am going to find Peach. And she's coming back with me, no-a matter what."
Luigi took one last glance at his brother, and left the house.
"Oh, where to start…?" Feelings of doubt swelled inside Luigi as soon as he left the house. How foolish of me to think that I can defeat Bowser and save Peach…
No. I can do it. I must do it. For the Mushroom Kingdom. For Mario, he thought bravely, But where to start?
"I'll go find Yoshi."
"Yoshi! Yoshi, where are you?"
Yoshi was napping peacefully on a tree stump, dreaming of eggs and fruits, when rapid footsteps stirred the glass in his surroundings and a panicking voice called for his name. He sat up abruptly, shaking off his sleepiness.
"Yoshi! Oh, there you are." Luigi appeared through the bush. Yoshi waved, but cocked his head in confusion as a worried Luigi came charging up to him.
"Peach…kidnapped by Bowser…" he was out of breath, and ventilated in a nervous rhythm, "Mario…he's in trouble! He's…depressed."
The green dinosaur's eyes widened and he yelped.
"Please, Yoshi, we need to find Peach, to save the Mushroom Kingdom, to save Mario!"
Determinedly and energetically, Yoshi nodded. Saddle up, Luigi! he seemed to say, We're going on an adventure!
The green man climbed onto his back. "Thank you for being so…useful, Yoshi," he said. He then mind-slapped himself for using such a degenerating word, as if Yoshi was his slave. "I mean, er, yeah, thanks for being-a here -"
Yoshi giggled adorably. I know what you mean.
"Shall we first visit Mario? I told him I'd be going…alone. I think he might be worried, but I hope we can reassure him together that everything will be-a fine!"
Yoshi nodded.
"Now, for the power of GREEN, let's-a-go!"
For the power of GREEN! grinned Yoshi.
And they dashed off.
"Mario!" Luigi and Yoshi kicked open the door and hastily entered. "Mario, look…I've got…Yoshi! We'll rescue Peach in no time!"
The plumber did not respond. He stared at the green dinosaur in a perplexed manner, as if trying to figure out who he was…
Mario? It's me, Yoshi! Remember? The little dinosaur you rescued from an egg!
No reaction.
Uh…the guy who accompanied you on your adventures in the galaxy - the second time.
Still no reaction.
The guy who you keep…betraying, and jumping off his back too early to get to the other side but letting him fall to his demise? he chuckled feebly himself. Realising that Mario still hasn't moved, his face fell in a genuine sadness.
"Yoshi…? Yoshi? Dinosaur…" mumbled Mario, "Dinosaur. Dinosaur…Bowser?"
Oh no, thought Luigi. "Mario! No, he's not…Bowser. He's Yoshi."
And Bowser isn't exactly a dinosaur, either, frowned Yoshi, shaking his head wildly. I'm not sure what he is - maybe an ox or a lizard - but certainly not a dinosaur, no. That'd be hugely insulting.
"Bowser…Bowser!" Suddenly, the red-capped man leapt up into a pugnacious - albeit drunken - stance, his face contorted in anger, fists balled. "I will end you, and you will-a return Peach to me and my Kingdom!" He swiftly picked up the nearest empty bottle of Poison Shrooms. In its lightness, he flung it across the room. It shattered loudly.
"Mario, you're not even aiming for us - I mean, no, don't do this!" cried Luigi, holding Mario tightly. Then he caught Yoshi stumbling out of the house in fright. "Yoshi! No, come back! Don't go! He won't-a hurt you!"
"I will-a hurt you, Bowser!" raged Mario, trembling in his brother's grip, throwing more and more bottles, creating more and more glass splinters on the unpolished floor.
Hearing this, Yoshi cried and broke into a sprint. He soon disappeared into the distance.
Oh, Yoshi…I spent so long looking for you, and now you just run off, like a…coward?! growled Luigi internally. He loosened his hands from his brother and ran after the escaping dinosaur.
It took Luigi ages to find Yoshi and calm him down.
"Look, Yoshi, this is why we need to save Peach."
The dinosaur affirmed nervously.
"Are you-a feeling better?" asked Luigi, softly placing a hand on his neck.
Yeah…Yoshi uttered a sigh, Sorry for running off. It's in my instincts. And then his stomach grumbled. I'm hungry. Do you have any fruits?
"I…have 1-Up Water, but no fruits -"
Ooh! I love 1-Up Water! Yoshi hopped in joy. But Luigi's jaw dropped as he ingested the entire bottle with his tongue and swallowed it in a single, effortless gulp.
Okay, I'm slightly more energised. Let's go!
Luigi tried not to feel traumatised as he climbed onto Yoshi's back. "P-please don't-a run off like you did ever again. I hate to be left alone…"
The first beads of sweat which had formed on the green duo's foreheads signalled to them that they were nearing their destination. The surrounding environment had darkened. Luigi looked up as he held onto Yoshi's back: the sky was getting more and more grey, and a thin layer of ash was scarcely visible in the air. Every plant and tree they passed was a little weaker, withering under the suffocating heat of the atmosphere.
A few more moments in this environment, and Luigi was going to pass out. He collapsed onto Yoshi's back amidst the increasing hotness, groaning in complaint. "Oh, Yoshi," he moaned, "Are we almost there?"
But Yoshi kept going.
"What would I do without you, Yoshi," he muttered in appreciation.
Still, the green dinosaur continued running, focused on the ash-ridden sky ahead.
But a response would be nice, grumbled Luigi in his head.
Soon, no traces of vegetation could be seen. The mass of volcanic rock the duo trod on rumbled as pillars of magma erupted from their surroundings. Every now and then, the road would become uncannily narrow; Luigi tightened his grip on Yoshi, fearing that he would fall into the pit of fire if he slid off his back. He tried not to look to the sides.
They kept going, through the seemingly unchanging landscape of darkness and lava fountains. The Castle was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn't until later did Luigi realise something was wrong.
Yoshi was headed straight for an ash-cloud. The languid swirling mass of fumes beckoned to consume.
"No, Yoshi!" Luigi threw his hands round his neck and jerked back and forth, "Stop! Stop now! I command you!"
Yoshi wasn't even comprehending; he broke into a sprint. A head-on collision with suffocation. The invading and dispossessing heat, along with his passion and determination, had depleted his consciousness as he dashed ahead.
The green-capped man instinctively leapt off the dinosaur and rolled to the side. He watched helplessly as the bright-green-coloured body dissolved into the concentrated smoke of poison.
As he expected, Yoshi never came back.
He thought he heard a muffled scream, and a faint fizzing sound. The toxicity tore at the presence of living flesh. The ash transgressed the eyeballs, eating away with all its malicious power, and soon nothing was left but an assortment of dinosaur bones on the ground. Soon, there would be no trace of his existence; they were due to rot soon, too - there wasn't even blood - it was simply evaporated by the poisonous heat.
Eyes widened in horror, Luigi unconsciously inched back as the heavy fumes now seemed to come for him.
In a flash, the cheerful, adorable companion, gone. The benevolent smile would never be seen again. The innocent giggle would never be heard again.
And it was all my fault. Luigi buried his face in his hands. I should've taken better care of him, not to let him suffer from heatstroke. I have so many bottles of 1-Up Water…
When he had cried enough, he got up lethargically, and walked. He did not know where he was walking; he just felt he needed to walk.
Drained and weary, physically and emotionally, Luigi spent a great deal of time blaming himself for Yoshi's death.
But, miraculously, he made it to the bridge, where, at the end, stood Bowser's Castle.
Now I'm all alone…I'm alone. I'll have to do this alone, he thought, Yoshi's gone, but we'll mourn for you later, Yoshi. We will.
Luigi mindlessly treaded onto the wooden bridge. Instantly, as if triggered by some evil mechanism, Bowser's laughter rang out, causing him to shrink and recoil in terror. Finally, he composed himself, remembering his initial goal, and made his way forwards, slowly, delicately, cowardly, worrying that the bridge would suddenly snap and break, and cause him to fall into the lava and prematurely meet his death.
No, it's not going to-a break, it won't break.
Grabbing the ropes on the side as tightly as he could to support his trembling legs, he began to trudge, instead of taking proper steps. Then he decided it wasn't a particularly good idea, and instead began to tiptoe in a very exaggerated manner, as if he was dancing on fire.
Luigi, you will be dancing on fire soon if you don't get a move on.
He came to a resolution.
Stop being such a coward and face your fears like Mario, thought Luigi. Trying not to feel too heartbroken when the image of his brother, deprived and drunken, passed through his mind, he broke into a run. The bridge jerked violently as every step launched a double-sided wave both forwards and behind. But Luigi kept his balance.
Yes, Luigi, he told himself, That's it. Look how much distance you've crossed within a matter of seconds. Now all you have to do is continue all the way to the end…
And the more pessimistic half of his character kicked in: But what am I going to do when I get there? The castle will be locked. Even worse, how will I face Bowser? Maybe I'll be sent somewhere else - after all, the Princess might be in another castle -
"Luigi!" cried a female voice, "Help! Quick!"
It's the Princess; it's PEACH! "Peach! I'm-a coming for you!" he broke into a sprint.
"Hurry! The bridge is -"
The Princess didn't finish her sentence before a nefarious laugh broke through the air.
"Peach, stay inside," commanded Bowser.
The Princess hesitated. She eyed her kidnapper pleadingly.
"I said, stay inside. There's no need to be impatient - I'll be with you in a sec, and we'll be married in no time!"
Then she retreated, and rushed into her chambers, crying in despair that her hopes were crushed.
Peach…I'm coming -
Luigi didn't even finish his thoughts when he glimpsed the King of Koopas, triumphantly clenching a lever, in one of the castle towers.
Oh, no, he thought despondently. Initially confident and certain that he would be able to make it to the other side, he was suddenly overcome with disbelief and disappointment, which soon escalated into a state more emotional and helpless.
"Luigi! I totally did not expect you to come here, to avenge the shattered soul of your poor brother!"
"B-Bowser!" he feebly retorted. He realised he was trembling uncontrollably. "Peach…I'm sorry. I…I tried."
"Scared, Luigi?" laughed King Koopa, "Your very life is entirely in my hands!"
And suddenly all the hope and courage he summoned up previously were shattered into splinters. They were like the few pieces of wood that dropped into the magma, sizzling and dissipating into nothing.
Then Luigi found himself sinking to his knees, tears in his eyes, tears of fear and terror. He was begging. Incoherent words croaked out of his throat; most of it was devoured by the crackling landscape. "Oh, no. P-please, Bowser. I'll go back. I'll go home. I'll never come again! Spare my weak and cowardly life, please, Bowser. I'll never disturb you again -"
"Of course you won't," he smirked.
Bowser pulled with vigour, roaring, relishing the force of his pull.
The bridge collapsed.
Luigi didn't even have the courage to scream. He had irreversible moments before he plunged into an all-consuming hell. Just before his fragile body landed in the sea of fire, he thought he heard the all-too-familiar laugh once again, ringing out from above. Or perhaps it was just the sound of him hitting the lava, the dissonance of his existence burning away into death.
He would never find out.
Mario, ever so slightly clear-headed than he has been in the past few days - partly due to the fact that he had run out of Poison Shrooms - began to realise that neither Luigi nor Yoshi had returned.
No Peach.
He decided to take a walk.
He tried deliberately avoiding Peach's Castle - for it will trigger some terrible memories - but he found himself trudging towards it, now seemingly lifeless and depleted of its regality without the Princess. The emptiness of the Castle somehow enticed Mario, who felt just as empty and void himself.
He gently - weakly - gave the front doors a push. It creaked open; the sharp sound echoed uncannily throughout the bare halls. Indeed, all the faithful Toads were gone; though Bowser's aim was to solely capture the Princess, he could not help injure a few of her loyal servants while the rest fled in horror at his assault.
There's no point exploring the Castle, he thought drearily. It would just make-a matters worse. Each room was just as empty as the rest, the sound of silence echoing and rebounding off the walls in its enclosed space.
A flight of stairs ahead led to a higher platform in the main area of the Castle, and looming above was a most exquisite portrait of the royal majesty, the missing Princess herself. Her smile was as serene and calming as always, but the desolate state of the Kingdom gave it a quality of perennial sadness. Her deep blue eyes, as clear as the waters of the ocean, looked dull and tainted. And her pink dress, which once seemed to flow in the stillness of the painting, no longer did; she was as unmoving as a statue without the essence of life.
Mario lowered his head. His heroic self called out: Mario! Be brave, as you always were! Be brave for the Kingdom, in its most difficult times; be brave for your missing brother, for Yoshi. Be brave for Princess Peach! But tears could not contain itself under his sore and fatigued eyelids, and they relentlessly leaked out. He did not hear footsteps behind him as two figures cautiously entered the spacious halls of Peach's Castle.
"M-Mario?" whispered a female voice.
Mario jerked his head backwards. He couldn't believe his eyes. Or, he thought he couldn't.
It was Princess Daisy. For the first time, the Princess of Sarasaland did not have her energetic and blossoming personality with her; she looked withered, undermined by the broken state of the Kingdom. But she still tried to be strong, for it was decided that she take over from Peach in the time of her absence.
"Mario? A-are you alright?" she asked carefully, fearing for the answer that was already in her head.
But the plumber just stood there in a stupor. His eyes purely fixated on the royal figure that stood in front of him.
She looks so much like Peach, he thought, half-alarmingly, half-dreamingly.
No, she is Peach.
Princess Daisy turned around. "No, I've got to help him, before I restore this Kingdom to what it was before."
The figure behind her nodded. Mario until now did not notice that Captain Toad was with her.
"P-Peach?" croaked Mario.
"P-Peach? Where…?" muttered Daisy in confusion. She then put on her stoniest face, "No, Mario, Peach isn't here. I'm sorry to -"
The plumber's raised finger halted her words. He was pointing right at her.
"It's-a Peach…"
Daisy was at a loss, "N-no, Mario. I'm not Peach…Don't worry. We'll go get help."
She turned and hastily paced away. But in actuality, she did not know where to get help, nor what help to get. The moment she exited the Castle doors, she sunk to the ground, and buried her face in her hands. This was truly a Kingdom that needs salvaging.
Oh, Daisy, what in the world are you doing…? she scolded herself silently.
"Princess?" asked Captain Toad modestly.
"No, Captain, please don't call me that. I'm not a Princess. I'm not fit to rebuild, to rule this Kingdom on behalf of Peach. There's nothing I can do…"
"No, Princess, we'll definitely find a way!" peeped Captain Toad. "How about some 1-Up Water to clear his head as a first step?"
Daisy suddenly got up. "Yes. 1-Up Water. You're right; thank you, Captain, let's get to it now."
"Mario," said Daisy, bravely stepping up to the blank-eyed man, "Drink this; it'll make you feel better."
"P-Peach? But that's not a Poison Shrooms…that's not what you promised to get me."
I didn't promise to get you anything! The Princess began to panic at his response. "No, it's not…You must drink this, I-I promise it'll make you feel much better than if you drank Poison Shrooms."
"Poison Shrooms. Give me…my Poison Shrooms," growled Mario suddenly, infuriated.
Daisy recoiled, knocking down Captain Toad, who was standing right behind her. He yelped, drawing Mario's attention.
"What are you-a doing here?" he pointed a stubby finger at the figure on the ground.
"I-I, Mario, I am here t-to -" Captain Toad stuttered fearfully.
"You're here to kidnap my beloved Peach again, am I-a right?!" roared the red-capped man. "I will end you here!"
"Run!" screamed Daisy, scooping up the trembling Toad, heading for escape. Behind them, a frenzied Mario whipped out from his pocket the last of his power-ups.
"This was the present Peach gave me. I will use it to make sure it fulfils its purpose. Peach will be safe from harm forever!"
It was a Power Star.
His body began to glow in an ecstatic rainbow-coloured hue, and the entire Castle seemed to shudder to its tremendous presence. Mario leapt everywhere in a crazed manner, a comet of rainbow; his howls of rage, of madness, were only amplified by his invincible state - they were sound waves that penetrated every fissure of the Castle walls, eroding its most regal frame. Whenever he landed, he would stomp deep into the Castle floors, or launch himself into a ground-pound, causing cracks to form - his jumps were so rapid; in no time, the ground was terraced and uneven, ridden with haphazard zigzags.
Daisy was struggling to advance to the large doors that were shaken open by the thunderous stomping. In her arms, Captain Toad was paralysed with utmost petrification.
The ceiling began to budge. The first few pieces of stony debris fell from above, mere raindrops that foretold a forthcoming storm. More movement from above, this time accompanied with an angry rumbling of granite, clay bricks, and wooden beams.
"We're n-not going to make it -" croaked Captain Toad.
Princess Daisy halted in hesitation and looked up. It was the mistake that would cost her her life.
A sharp strip of wood, like an arrow, dropped straight down vertically. It impaled her in the face. She fell backwards, launching the terrified figure from her arms into the air.
Right into the trajectory of an uncontrolled, leaping Mario.
The Star-powered man cannonballed into the helpless creature, who smashed into the wall, then buried, crushed, by a barrage of rocks.
Both Princess Daisy and Captain Toad were dead before they even hit the ground.
The Power Star effect wore out when Mario was in the air, halfway through a leap. He barely had time to witness the catastrophe he had caused, the damage he had done, before he was screaming as forcefully as his lungs would permit, diving down into the jagged ground. For a brief moment, he finally regained his senses; but, plunging down, all the red-capped man saw was a blur of chaos.
Mario's body drove into the Castle floor, through a confluence of cracks.
A dull thud rang out from the underground seconds later.
And it was then that Peach's Castle collapsed, imploding into itself, a torrent of debris smothering all within its frame. Large boulders of stone and wood filled the gaping hole where he had fallen through.
Soon, there was nothing but a pile of ruinous rubble.
A giant Koopa passed by a barren building, once the house of the hero Mario. Walking by him, delicately and nervously, was a princess, dressed in pink with flowing golden hair, Princess Koopa, formerly known as Princess Peach or Princess Toadstool. She glanced at the desolate infrastructure, and, unbeknownst to Bowser, quiet streams of tears fell from her face.
Her hero was gone, as with all her hope of reuniting with him. The distraught Princess wondered how her beloved had gone.
If only I had shouted a few words of encouragement, to cheer him on, to pull through all this adversity in an empty Kingdom…
She continued to cry silently, while all tranquility was drowned out by the roaring laughter of the tyrannical turtle king.
In the distance, a lifeless ruin, was the once-renowned Peach's Castle.
It would lay rotting day by day in its silence and neglect under the mild weather, while Bowser commenced his plans to build a new empire atop this ravaged Kingdom. A Kingdom for him and his newly-wed, albeit unhappy, bride.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
A few points, now that the story is finished:
1. No happy ending! That's new for Mario. }:) BWAHAHAHAHA. (:{ (Okay, I admit this was apparent the moment Luigi died.)
2. I would like to apologise for killing so many of the characters (this was actually the primary reason why this story is rated T - I did not mention this in the introduction because I didn't want to to spoil the highlights of the story!). This shouldn't happen in a Mario story. But I guess it's a slightly different and unique approach to character sketching. I hope my attempts at describing characters were tolerable - any constructive feedback is highly appreciated and will most certainly help improve my writing.
3. Yes. So many ways to die. And the deaths just got more and more gruesome towards the end. I suppose I spared some of the details of the characters' deaths, but I really can't imagine this happening in a Mario world! Also, I got quite lost writing the ending of the story - it certainly became very chaotic, the way Mario just went completely insane and wrecked the life out of poor Daisy and Captain Toad. But I wanted to keep the story quite short. Nonetheless I hope it does the story justice.
4. I hope Mario and Luigi's '-a' accents weren't too difficult to read. It felt humorous thinking that Mario, in all his anger, still manages to spit out incongruous '-a' sounds.
5. Please take the time to appreciate some references I made in passing to the broader franchise in this story. :D
6. [Spoiler! If you don't want to find out about SMO, stop here. There are no more points below.]
...3
...2
...1
(Okay, here it is.)
Just to point it out, the idea that coincides with Super Mario Odyssey is in fact Bowser and Peach's supposed love/wedding, only that it comes true in this story but not the game (thankfully!).