(Disclaimer: I do not own Mario, his games, or any of the Mario characters. They all belong to Nintendo. The OCs belongs with me.) Enjoy!

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Many years ago, an unknown, evil entity attempted to conquer the Mushroom World and obtain the power of the stars that protected them. The metallic lord, with his legions of machines and weaponry, invaded this dimension, terrorized the citizens, and seized their homes. Their plans would have been successful if not for the heroics of the famed hero of the Mushroom World, and his group of companions. With their combined powers and determination, they destroyed the metallic lord and his factory, and restored the land where wishes come true. With their final farewells, the stars returned to the world in the heavens, and continued to protect their world and their dreams.

Several years later, a new story shall begin…

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Essence of the Soul

Chapter 1: The Shattering Sky

Far in the east lay the country of the Toadstools, the Mushroom Kingdom. In the capitol city, Toad Town, the small mushroom people enjoyed the warm, fragrant afternoon while carrying along with their peaceful lives.

Sitting on the edge of the fountain in the central hub of the town, the Mario brother clad with a green shirt and cap, Luigi, was waiting patiently for someone to meet him. He started to hum a soft tune to himself as he decided to take a coin from his pocket. For a moment, he closed his eyes and when he was ready, he tossed it into the fountain's water to make a wish.

"Luigi!" a voiced called out. He quickly turned around and put a smile on his face. Walking towards him was his older, yet shorter brother in a red shirt and cap, Mario.

"Thanks for waiting for me, bro," said Mario.

"No problem. I was just making a wish in the fountain."

"Oh, really?" Mario chuckled, "What did you wish for?"

"I can't tell. You know the whole saying." Mario simply smiled and lightly shook his head in laughter.

"Anyway, you said we had to do a job here today, right?" Luigi asked while scratching his black mustache.

"Right."

Mario brought out a red toolbox with many of their wrenches, ratchets, as well as his wooden hammer. "Many neighborhoods are having trouble getting water to run through their faucets. There's most likely a problem in the pipes in the sewers around the hub."

"Well then," said Luigi as he fixed his cap and cracking his knuckles, "we should get to work."

As Mario and Luigi were about to head out, they heard a voice shouting, "Master Mario and Master Luigi!"

Behind them, two Toad soldiers marched up to them and gave a formal salute in their presence. "Greetings. I bring you a message from Toadsworth in Toadstool Castle. He requests an urgent audience with you at once. Will you accept?"

The brothers were very surprised for this was so sudden and they were right in the middle of going to work. Mario looked at Luigi, who was waiting for him to make the decision. He turned his head back and after a few seconds, he opened his mouth and said, "I suppose we can put our job on hold for a couple of minutes."

"If that is your decision, we shall lead you to the castle."

The two guards held up their spears and began marching north of the town with the Mario Brothers following closely behind.

___

After a few of minutes, the Mushroom Castle came into view behind the buildings in the background. The splendid white brick walls gave the castle a unique luster as the sun's rays were reflected. The red pinnacles towered over the common houses of the town and they seemed to touch the sky. As they walked through the gates pass two other guards into the castle grounds, the green gardens and majestic waterfall brought an enchanting beauty that could only match the castle itself.

Mario and company finally entered and up on the steps in the grand foyer, Peach's attendant, Toadsworth, was there to welcome them.

"We have returned with the Mario Brothers, sir," said one guard as both kneeled down.

"Thank you," Toadsworth replied. "You are dismissed."

With that, the two guards left for the other the room and Toadsworth slowly walked down the steps before Mario and Luigi.

"Welcome, young Masters," Toadsworth began as he reached the bottom step. "I am so sorry to bring you here on such short notice, but I need speak with you on a most desperate matter."

Both Mario and Luigi stared at each other and just smiled at the elderly steward. "It's alright, Toadsworth, but just what is this urgent meeting about?" Mario wondered as he put down their toolbox.

There was so much anxiety running through Toadsworth's thoughts which made the two plumbers uneasy as he slowly lowered his brown spotted cap with his hand behind his back and cane firmly on the ground. "Young Masters," the steward began, "Recently, her highness received a letter from Princess Daisy of Sarasaland."

"Princess Peach and Daisy?" asked Luigi who became excited at the mention of his desert princess's name.

"Yes, but in her letter, Daisy was pleading for help. It had left the princess fraught with worry and may have snared her into great danger…"

___

Toadsworth recalled the day Princess Peach received the letter. In her hands, with every word she read, her eyes became more frightened and filled with despair.

"This is just terrible," Peach whispered under her breath.

"What is the matter, princess? What is written on the letter?" Toadsworth inquired.

"Daisy… she... her kingdom… is falling into ruins!"

"What?! That is preposterous! Say it isn't so, princess!"

But Peach simply shook her head and widened her eyes as she continued reading.

Dear Peach,

A catastrophe has struck my kingdom. An omen had befallen us as the sky shifted into a miserable darkness. And then… It's so hard to explain. Before we could realize what was happening, a full scale attack rendered us helpless. All we know is that something enormous appeared out of nowhere when this madness started. Now, only my city and the castle are our last lines of defense. Our army is losing strength and our numbers are diminishing.

Please, Princess Peach. Aid us in this battle and help me rescue my people and Sarasaland!

Your best friend,

Daisy

Once Peach was finished, she handed the letter to Toadsworth so he could read it for himself. She walked over to her throne and sat down while she rubbed her forehead to ease her headache and frustration. Toadsworth evaluated Daisy's letter and saw that her highness spoke the truth.

Both Peach and Toadsworth hung their heads for a brief minute. "What do you plan to do, my princess?" said Toadsworth as he broke the silence.

Peach continued to sit with her hand on her head. So many thoughts were going through her mind. She wanted to help Daisy in any way that she could, but she didn't want to send her soldiers into a battle that they could not possibly win and lose their lives, and neither side knew the identity of these terrorists. Toadsworth repeated his question, so Peach had to give her answer. She rose up from her throne and looked at Toadsworth with stern eyes. "We will gather our forces and join Princess Daisy in her battle."

It was no surprise that the elderly Toad would have a dismay with Peach's decision. "Princess, do you understand the actions you are willing to take? I do not wish to undermine your decision, but this is ludicrous! How can we send our men to combat against an unknown threat?"

"You don't have to worry about that because I will lead them into the battlefield."

"PRINCESS PEACH!! You cannot simply put your life on the line so recklessly! If you truly wish to lead an army to Sarasaland, have a more suited leader take charge." Despite Toadsworth's rage as he argued against the princess, a sudden thought came to him. "Princess, if you wish to bring reinforcements to Princess Daisy, why not let it be Mario and Luigi?" Upon hearing that suggestion, Peach once again turned to Toadsworth with saddening eyes and lightly sighed.

"That won't be possible. Mario and Luigi have left the kingdom on vacation and won't return for a few days. And besides…" Peach paused as she moved her eyes down. "I do not wish to put Mario and Luigi into any kind of danger once again for my selfish wishes."

He didn't expect Peach to say such a thing. It made feel uncomfortable and guilty to have considered the idea. He stared up at her face which was looking at the side. "Princess, forgive me," he spoke silently. "You are right. We must settle this affair now with our own hands. The choice is up to you and I will follow it graciously."

Princess Peach slowly faced him with a look full of gratitude yet straight with discipline. "So it is decided. Sound the alarm and rally the soldiers! We will make preparations and leave for Sarasaland at dawn!"

___

The grand foyer had nothing but silence as the Mario Brothers reflected on Toadsworth's tale. Mario clutched his hand in anger while Luigi held his stomach as he felt uneasy.

"I can't believe this happened and we weren't there for her. We would have gladly fought if we had known earlier," said Mario as he squeezed his hand tighter.

"Peach is very brave though. But, I'm also worried about Daisy." Luigi went over to Toadsworth. "Do you know what happened to them afterwards?"

Toadsworth shuttered at the thought and quietly went up the steps to the second floor leaving the two plumbers in their own confusion. Before going into the next room, without turning around, he whispered, "That is exactly the problem." Still not understanding the old mushroom's words, Mario took their toolbox and both quickly followed behind into the next grand room. "Wait!" Mario tried to stop the steward. "What do you mean? Just what's going on?" Toadsworth paused in the middle of the room. His eyes became troubled and the brothers instantly knew that something was terribly wrong.

"The princess had left the kingdom for approximately 5 days now. But…" his lips began to tremble, "we've yet to receive any kind of notice from neither her majesty nor Princess Daisy ever since." Mario and Luigi jumped at the shock of his explanation. Mario's eyes wavered across the room while Luigi's jaw dropped very slightly. Toadsworth put his weight on his cane and covered his face with his other hand, whimpering under his breath. "Young Masters… I fear the worst. And it would have been by my hands because I neglected to properly advise her highness."

While still sobbing over his hand, Mario slowly strolled towards him and put his hands on Toadsworth's shoulders, staring into his small black eyes. "Peach and Daisy are both strong women. I'm sure they are both alright. We'll look for them, and help stop whatever force is threatening Sarasaland." The distraught mushroom pulled his hand away and saw Mario's confident smile which overwhelmed him. Toward Luigi who had crossed his arms, he also gave a small smile and nodded. The old attendant felt more assured and stood up his more proper position.

BOOM!!

Suddenly, the castle started to shake and rubble fell from the ceiling. Mario and company fell from shock, but slowly got back up on their feet.

"What the heck was that?!" Mario shouted against the sounds of explosions.

"Is there an earthquake or something?!" Luigi guessed as he held his head to protect his skull.

They lights gave out in an instant. Then a mushroom guard burst through the doors with his uniform burnt and scrapes on his arms and face. "Sir! The castle is under attack! It's the Koopas!"

"What?! Bowser and his army?!" Toadsworth replied.

"Yes! They've surrounded the four walls and they are also attacking from above!"

"Man! Bowser has picked the perfect time to cause trouble!" Mario scoffed as he gritted his teeth.

Outside the castle, a battle was indeed taking place. In the garden, multiple Goombas and Koopa Troopas fought against the castle guards who wielded long spears and swords. In the sky, Paratroopas and Fly Guys bombarded the roof and castle grounds with Bob-ombs and shot with Bullet Bill cannons. Toad Town wasn't spared from the destruction as many Koopatrols stormed the streets and held shops, homes and the general public under arrest, threatening to attack anyone who resisted. Buildings were being set on fire and the streets were getting blow up and broke into rubble.

Mario couldn't stand around doing nothing while the Koopa Army was demolishing everything. He took the red toolbox from earlier and pulled out his treasured hammer. He took two large wrenches and threw them to Luigi. "C'mon bro! Let's stop these guys in their tracks!" Being just a little hesitant, Luigi took both wrenches into each hand, and nodded to his brother.

They were both ready charge out of the castle when there was another crash. Up at the ceiling, a piece of the roof was blown off, leaving a large gaping hole that let a beam of sunlight shine in the room on the sun carpet. A mysterious silhouette appeared inside the hole, flying in a helicopter vehicle. A gruff laughter echoed in the party's ears as the shadow flew closer. "I bet you weren't expecting this, were you, Mario?" it taunted. Mario narrowed his eyes for he knew exactly who it was. The silhouette cleared in the darkness of the room and jumped out of the clown car.

With his large fangs, Bowser smiled.

There was a great intensity in the room as Bowser looked at the two tiny plumbers and steward who gave him malicious stares. Mario put his hammer on his shoulder and grinned. "Actually, I am quite surprised, Bowser. It's nearly the end of the month and this is will be your first attempt. I think you're getting a little lazy."

Bowser couldn't help but laugh again. "Gwa ha ha ha ha!! Well, well. I do have a life that doesn't involve trying to take over the world you know. I was expecting you two would be here like always, but it doesn't even matter now. I have already seized the city. The castle will be in ruins. All that is left is for me to kill you two, and take Princess Peach as my prisoner!" His irises glow a murderous red as he raised his hand and cracked his knuckles, threatening to kill them with his sharp claws.

Luigi stepped up waved his finger. "You know, you're actually a little late for that last part." Bowser turned to him as he raised his eyebrow. "You see…Peach isn't here right now."

Bowser's pride was suddenly shot by Luigi's words and the expected anger erupted from him. "What did you say, you spineless nobody?!!" Smoke began to steam out of Bowser's nostrils as he drew closer to the brothers.

"It's exactly actually what he said, King Bowser," Toadsworth bravely interjected. "Her highness… is gone."

Bowser grunted and then grinded his fangs. He looked up at the hole of the roof and shouted, "Kammy!"

In a few seconds, the wicked old Magikoopa draped in purple robes flew inside with her broomstick. "You called for me, you Nastiness?"

"Yes. Didn't our reconnaissance state that Princess Peach was here a few a days ago?"

"They did. But before the invasion, there was another recon and they discovered Peach was not present. Your son was supposed to deliver this to you. Did he not do so, your Massiveness? The room became silent. It was obvious that Bowser messed up when he began to sweat behind his head.

He spun around quickly and coughed with his hand over his mouth. "Well, uh, whether or not Peach is here is beside the point," said Bowser trying to make excuses. "We can always find her later. Right now, you plumber freaks are the main objective of this attack. When I get rid of you two, there will be no one left to stop me during my take over!"

Mario quickly took his hammer and Luigi gripped his wrenches. "Not goin' to happen, Bowser!"

All four fighters readied his or herself in battle stance. Toadsworth backed away to not interfere. Neither side took their eyes off one another. The room was quiet with nothing but the sounds of the battle outside coming through the walls.

After another rapid shake on the castle, Bowser used the distraction and breathed a blast of fire in Mario's direction, but Mario was too fast and jumped out of the way, ready to use the jump to stomp on Bowser's head. However, the Koopa King puts up his arms hoping to impale Mario's foot with his spiked bracelets. Luigi reacted by throwing one wrench like a boomerang at Bowser's face, but then Kammy Koopa raised her wand and threw a spell to knock the spiraling wrench out of the way, leaving Mario still aiming for Bowser's spikes. He acted quickly and swung his hammer against Bowser's arms, avoiding serious damage and jumped off back in front of him.

Mario smiled and said, "Not bad for the first round." Bowser returned the mutual thought as he smiled.

Kammy started this time and waved more magic blasts at the brothers. Luigi summoned his Thunderhand and threw lightning orbs to cancel the attack. In the smoke from the two energies colliding, Mario rushed in and punched Kammy in the stomach and used his foot to spin and slammed her with the hammer, sending her crashing into the wall. Bowser retaliated by slashing his claws at Mario, making him awkwardly dodge backwards. He managed to give Mario a wound on his left arm and he grazed his face on the carpet upon falling.

"Mario!" Luigi yelled.

He tried to help his brother up, but Bowser swiped his tail and spitted up a few fireballs, keeping Luigi back, and then he blew another blast of fire at the plucky red plumber. He rolled to the side, leaving his wooden hammer to get charred into ashes. With his left arm injured, Mario had to make use of his right one. He gathered energy from within himself and his glove began to combust into flames. The Koopa King launched more fireballs at him. Mario jumped and dodged the flames in midair. With one quick move, he unleashed his new Firebrand technique, "Flame Punch!" and attacked Bowser right in the chest, twisting his arm on impact. Bowser tumbled on the ground while Mario landed softly on his feet. Luigi hurried over to his twin to check his arm where the wound had some blood staining the left sleeve.

Before they could relax, Bowser and Kammy staggered to their feet, grunting and panting on their way up. Bowser rubbed his chest where he received a great deal of damage. In his frustration, he let out an ear piercing roar. "GRRRAAAARR!! Damn you! I will not be humiliated liked this! I'll be sure your deaths are miserable and nothing but pain!" The Mario Brothers held their ground, waiting for the next attack.

Before the battle could continue, the castle began to shake more erratically than ever before.

"What is wrong with those soldiers? I can't fight with this much racket going on!" said Bowser trying to keep himself from falling.

"This vibration can't possibly be coming from our minions!" Kammy inquired.

"I've had enough of this!" yelled Mario, "Just what are you planning?"

"I'm not doing anything, fool!" Bowser defended himself.

Kammy called for her broomstick and flew to the hole created earlier. When she looked up at the sky, she had almost lost her balance from the site of it. "What's going on out there?" Bowser demanded. Mario, Luigi, and Toadsworth looked up at the decrepit Koopa, waiting for her answer. The vibrations were becoming even worse. "Kammy!" Bowser repeated himself.

"S, something… is ripping… through the sky…" Kammy trembled as she finally spoke.

Everyone was completely confused at what Kammy was trying to say until the same mushroom guard sluggishly walked into the room. "T, Toadsworth," the guard rasped in his throat, "a giant… f, flying… is attacking… city." Then the guard collapsed on the ground. Toadsworth quickly walked over to help him, but suddenly, his body began to give a faint glow. Suddenly, a light seeped out of the guard's body. The startled Toadsworth threw himself back and everyone gasped when the light reshaped itself into a glowing orb with a crystal inside.

"What the heck is that?" Luigi pointed at the strange object. Before they could figure it out, the orb floated away through the wall. Toadsworth tried waking up the guard but no matter how hard he shook him, the guard wouldn't open his eyes and his pink, tan skin discolored into a pale green.

Bowser was about to take all that he could from these events. He whistled for his clown car and hopped inside. "Mario," he called out and got everyone's attention, "Count yourself lucky. We will resume this battle after I determine what has happened." Bowser made his way to the hole in the ceiling with Kammy Koopa following right behind him.

Mario was also determined to find out what was taking place. "Guys, let's-a go to the balcony. We have to see what's going on." He ran up the curved stairs to the third floor with Luigi carrying the fallen guard and Toadsworth hastily walking behind them. Down the corridor, Mario and company looked for the door that led to the balcony. In a few moments, the door was right before them. Mario opened it, and the party ran up to the railing, and in front of them they saw the situation was worse than they could have ever imagined.

It was just as Bowser said. The invaded town was put ablaze, rooftops smoking from the fires and in the distance, they could hear the citizens screaming in a panic. "This is just terrible," Luigi whispered while traumatized. Down in the gardens of the castle, the grass was torn apart and potholes from explosions were everywhere. The trees had fallen over and the pavement was cracked. Many of the Toad guards and the Koopa Army were exhausted, defeated, or killed, but almost all of them were doing nothing but staring at the sky. The old steward was the first to move his head upwards and chills were sent down his spine as he gasped in fear. The two brothers noticed his reaction. At last, Mario and Luigi could finally witness the phenomenon which had terrorized their home.

___

The clouds had darkened and the wind became violently strong. Up in the sky, a vortex was swirling and an enormous metal object was forcing its way through.

"Wha…what is that, Mario?" Luigi asked, hoping his older brother would know.

"I… don't…" he said, never taking his eyes off of it.

All of a sudden, the sound of helicopter blades caught them off guard. Bowser and Kammy had returned with a group of Paratroopas and Fly Guys flocking around him. Mario was ready to fight him again, but Bowser paid no attention to the red plumber, but rather, the metal object ripping the sky turning to the party of three, he murmured, "I have no idea what this thing is but its ruining my takeover on the castle. So…" The Paratroopas and Fly Guys pull out their Bullet Bill cannons and Bob-ombs. "We're going to blow that thing out of the sky, and then we'll get back to business!" he smirked.

"King Bowser, stop! You have no idea what you're getting in to!" Toadsworth tried to warn him.

Kammy lifted her wand and pointed it at him. "Be quiet, fool! Do not question his Awfulness!"

His troops waited for his command and with one yell, "CHAAAARRGE!!" the Paratroopas and Fly Guys flew to uncertain danger.

As fast as they could, the troops locked and loaded their weaponry and one from the squad order them to fire. A bombardment of homing Bullet Bills and lit-fused Bob-ombs directly soared to the foreign object and hit right on target. It seemed everyone in the castle grounds and in the city held their breaths as they waited for the smoke to clear. But, when it did, every person's heart dropped from their chest. The metallic entity was still there, undamaged. The squad was paralyzed and they had almost used all of their ammo.

"What? Not any a scratch! What's that thing made of?" Bowser growled in failure.

"My King, look!" Kammy pointed to the vortex.

The foreign object pushed even further, revealing it to be the helm of a flying spaceship. The vortex was being strained so much that in a flash, the sky around literally began to crack. Lightning voltages spurred from the vortex and struck the ground and once at one of the castle pinnacles. Mario and company ducked for cover as the pinnacle was nearly destroyed.

"Your Rancidness! This is becoming too dangerous! We must retreat!" Kammy implored her king. Bowser clutched the rim of his clown car, giving a low growl in his throat, but he saw that he didn't have a choice.

"Fine! Koopa Army! Pull back! Pull back!"

Mario turned to Toadsworth. "You gotta bring our soldiers back, too."

Before they could, though, the cracks of the vortex became even louder and bigger until finally, pieces of the sky itself were falling off and shattered into bits like glass and vaporizing into dust. The dark holes in the vortex looked like they were in outer space with many stars sparkling in the void. The ship easily pushed itself out of the phenomenon and a great shadow loomed over Toad Town.

Everyone's mouth gapped open and their eyes widened. The hatches of the flying fortress suddenly opened and a machine stuck out from the helm and began to charge with white sparks circuiting the weapon and a ball of energy grew at the tip of the machine. Morbid screams echoed through the city as all the people and soldiers ran for their lives. When the machine blasted the laser and swept through the buildings and streets toward the people, a death silence brought the whole moment to feel like slow-motion and the only thing that could be heard was Mario screaming. "NOOOOOOOOO!!"

In an instant, the laser was gone. Every person struck by it, Toad, Toadette, child, and soldier all had fallen on the ground in his or her place, whether it'd be on the streets or in their own homes.

Mario's legs failed him and he dropped to his knees with his whole body shivering in disbelief. Luigi abruptly turned his head away refusing to witness anymore. Toadsworth dropped his cane and fell over backwards. Even Bowser and Kammy could barely stand the sight of it all, though Bowser tried not to show any fear.

Mario gazed up and something took him by surprise in the distance. "Hey! Look there!" The group jumped up, following the direction Mario's finger.

Back in the perished Toad Town, hundreds of shining lights escaped from the bodies of those hit by the laser and formed into glowing orbs that rose into the sky toward the flying fortress.

"They look like stars…" Kammy remarked.

"Wait. Aren't those the same things that came out the guard's body?" Luigi wondered as he stared at the pale, slumped mushroom guard.

"I think you're right, Weegie," Mario agreed. "The citizens may not be dead, but what are those things? Just what all of this about?"

"Well, we gotta do somethin' bro or else those people may never get up again!" Mario bit his bottom lip trying to figure out what to do.

A couple of seconds after the last orb left for the sky, hundreds of black shadows flew from the ship and started harvesting the lights. To the group's surprise, the creatures were some sort of monsters and almost every orb was consumed by them. When their task was completed, the monsters headed straight for Toad Town, raiding the buildings and homes, and carried as many hostages as they could back up to their behemoth in the sky.

Even the castle didn't protect them forever. A swarm of machine monsters targeted the castle grounds. The Toad guards and Bowser's minions tried running away but it was no use. Mario and Luigi knew they had to defend the castle, so the red plumber charged his Firebrand and his green brother focused his Thunderhand and both threw dozens of fireballs and lightning orbs at the incoming swarm. Despite all the attacks that made contact, there were too many to go against. The monsters landed on the castle roof, barged inside through the windows and stormed the gardens.

"We must flee, my King! Save the men you have not already lost! This is a hopeless battle!" Kammy begged the Koopa King. Bowser didn't hesitate.

"Listen well, troops! We must abort this mission! All forces retreat!!" With that command, Bowser and Kammy withdrew from the scene and escaped with their Paratroopas and Fly Guys carrying as many of their ground forces and injured soldiers as they could and soared away from the peril in to the distance. Before Mario's group lost sight of them in the horizon, they could see that some of the monsters were following right behind the fleeing army. It was clear that these they were not going to let anyone escape so easily.

"We have to get out of here, too! There's nothing we can do!" Luigi yelled still throwing lightning.

Before they could react, the creatures fell from the roof and surrounded them. The group got a better look at these monsters and realized they were actually robots who appeared to look like Shy Guys on sword-tipped springs, jumping maniacally around. "Wait."Mario thought to himself. "I've seen these things somewhere before." The Shy Guy robots suddenly stopped, made a two line formation near the opposite ends of the railing and bowed. Right above the balcony, a person was hovering towards them on light panels. Mario fixed his eyes on the shadow. As it got closer, he noticed that it was a woman in a dark blue velvet suit with metal plating on the left thigh and both shoulders. She had pale tan skin and light green hair that went down to her chest. She gracefully landed her feet on the railing, lifted her head up, and showed her beautiful yet cold smile, and malignant yellow eyes.

"Well," the woman sighed, "we didn't expect any stragglers to escape the extraction procedure. You three must either be powerful, stubborn, or just plain lucky."

Mario narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "Who are you people? What do you want from us?"

The woman stared at the little plumber, scrolling up and down his figure. A red cap. Black mustache. A creature who is practically one of a kind." The woman flipped her hair and put her hand on her hip. "You may call me Envy. I suppose I can tell you. Like it's going to matter afterwards" She casually moved her foot and walked slowly on the tiny railing. "We come from another dimension as you can see from the void in your sky. We only have one ambition: To obtain power and rule this universe." She spun around on her heels and her yellow eyes gazed viciously. "And this world is going to help us do just that." Luigi and Toadsworth gasped and took a step back in fear of the woman. Mario stood his ground, but the dark aura around the woman made him sweat down to his neck.

She jumped down onto the floor of the balcony and stood tall in front of the captured party and smirked once again. "You may also call this revenge for what your world did to us last time."

"Last time?" Mario questioned.

"Come now. Doesn't all of this seem familiar to you?"

Mario paused for a moment, trying to look back in his memories. Yes, something like this did happen a long time ago, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"No matter," Envy interrupted him. "Once I take your all of your essences, none of that will mean anything. Shypers, restrain them for me." She snapped her fingers and the Shy Guy machines started to close in on the cornered group. Mario, Luigi and Toadsworth huddled their backs against each other while Envy laughed under her breath as she was about to take her next victims.

Luigi whispered into Mario's ear, "Bro, we got to get out of here. You got any ideas?"

"Just one," he replied.

Mario charged is Firebrand once again. He hid his glove behind his back to hide the flames. Right when the robots bounced, ready to assault them, Mario took his Fire Punch technique and aimed at the ground, creating an explosion where the flames spiraled and expanded outward, damaging the robots caught in it. Envy hovered back, avoiding from getting burned, giving the group a chance to escape out the door.

"Do not let those fools leave our hands!!" she commanded.

Down the hallways and through the rooms, the three companions tried to make their getaway, but many Shypers who broke inside the castle barricaded the way. With Mario in front, he threw fireballs and used his jump attacks to knock them out, giving Luigi and Toadsworth the chance to get through without slowing down. Luigi observed the situation and said, "There are too many of these guys! We'll never get out of here!"

Toadsworth thought for a moment and remembered something. "Not necessarily." Both plumbers turned to him. "There's an old secret passage underneath the throne that will lead us through an underground tunnel and out into Mushroom Way beyond the city."

"That's great!" Mario cheered. "Let's-a go!"

Heeding the old attendant's words, they snuck their way past the enemy and after a few minutes, they returned to the second floor and into Peach's dark throne room. There were no robots present which was good for them. Toadsworth walked to the throne and tried to push, but it was too heavy. "I say, could one of you boys give me a hand?" Mario volunteered as Luigi guarded the door. By working together, the throne started to slide, revealing a trapdoor. "Excellent, this is our way out."

"We found it, Weegie!"

"That's great!"

Luigi hurried over to them, but then the door was busted down into pieces. Before Luigi could turn around, a flash of light filled the room, and a beam of energy pierced through his back. The same orb of energy appeared from his chest and Luigi fell on the ground.

"LUIGI!!" Mario ran to his little brother whose skin was turning pale white and very cold.

The one who had taken the shot was none other than the notorious Envy who caught the sphere that floated into her hands. "Hmm, this essence is a little different from the ones we've gathered, but I'm not quite sure what that difference is. Interesting…" Mario held onto his brother and kept shaking him, but Luigi refused to open his eyes. "Don't waste your time, Mario. Without this mass of energy from his soul, that man will never awaken. The same goes for all of our victims." Envy threw the sphere to a Shyper. "And now for you…" she grinned as she held up her gun.

Mario was frozen as he tightened his hold on Luigi. A beam of light was about to shoot and it would all be over.

Just then, the ceiling was crumbling once more and the debris was piling up in the middle of the room. Mario took the opportunity and carried Luigi to Toadsworth and the trapdoor. The brothers went first, but Envy glimpsed the runaways between the rubble and took her shot with her laser. She managed to hit Toadsworth and obtain another sphere.

Toadsworth dropped to his knees, but he looked down at Mario who had just stepped down on the ladder in the hole. "M, Master… Mario, you have to… go on without me," he whispered. "Climb down the ladder… and y, you'll be in a… underground tunnel. Be careful not… to fall…in... With his last bit of strength, he closed the trapdoor and fell on top of it.

The enemy wasn't distracted long by the falling debris. Envy crushed the remains with a strange power and walked ran over to the motionless mushroom. She stood there for a second and then kicked him across the room with her boot to reveal the trapdoor. "You will not slip past me, Mario."

___

The underground passage was dank, cold and wet. There were stars floating on torches hanging on the walls to light the way. He ran as fast as he could with Luigi on his back. His shoes were dampened by the water on the floor and his footsteps echoed down the tunnel. He then noticed the sound of footsteps becoming louder and more rapid. Behind him were dozens of shadows. He knew it was Envy and her gang of Shy Guy robots following him. He didn't look back and picked up the pace.

Envy took her gun and pulled the trigger, missing Mario around the corner. Up ahead, a river flowed to his left. The floor was so slippery that he almost lost his footing. That slowed him down and the unconscious Luigi almost fell from his back. When Mario tried to straighten his brother up, an eerie sensation blew on his neck. Envy was in perfect range to fire once more. Her face gleamed with victory.

The red plumber had to take one more shot, so he threw a fireball, making Envy lose her balance while dodging and swung his arm to knock her weapon out of her hand. In sheer anger, Envy invoked her strange power and hurled a shard of crystal into Mario's already damaged shoulder. The shock on the attack forced him backwards and both brothers went into the rushing river. Mario could hardly swim with his impaled arm and he desperately tried to keep his head above the water while his brother was quickly sinking on his own. There was a fork in the river, and without warning, Luigi went down the split toward the right, and Mario flowed with the current on the left. Soon, both Mario Brothers disappeared from Envy's sight.

Rage and fury enveloped the egotistic woman. Even her minions were shaking in fear and slowly bounced away from her. A deep black aura surrounded her and sharp green crystals formed on her body and metal plating. Her irises glowed bright yellow and her pupil changed into that of a beast. "Damn you," she growled. "You will not stand in the way of my lord. His ambition will become reality. But in the end of this struggle, you are the one who truly lost."

___

And so the first chapter is DONE!! Yes, in this story there will be some cursing and blood, but in a bare minimum. I'm not sure if too much happens in this first chapter but it all becomes important information for the early chapters. So, oh well. If you have been paying attention to the clues given out, you might have figured out who is the enemy in the story. I realize that the secret passage thing is from A Link to the Past without noticing, but its still a cool idea. I hope to go all out with this story because of what I have planned; it will be the first part of the first story in a bigger series. I will just have to see how it plays out.

Mario has gotten into some major trouble. A new villain named Envy is sparing no mercy to capture the castle and the city, but she is just a subordinate under her true master. How will the Mario Bros. handle this situation?

Next time…

Mario: I can't believe this is happening. First, the princess is missing, Bowser decides to drop in with his army, and now a new enemy from another dimension has siege of the city. I know I've seen these guys somewhere before; it's on the tip of my tongue. Just what is it they are after? I bet it has to do with those lights that look like stars that they took from everyone…even Luigi. Oh, bro, where are you? I'm going to need to find out where these guys are hiding out. Whoever your boss is, I'll be sure to stop him.

Episode 2: Regroup and Conquer