Author's Note: Hi all. This is my first fanfic. :) Please rate and review. Constructive criticism much appreciated!
"Well, here it is," said Mario. "Boo Manor."
Luigi looked around. The ground was dusty and gray, dotted with black lifeless trees. In the center stood what used to be a proud, regal mansion. That dignity had long since given way to boarded windows, cracks along the walls, and a tired, rusted gate. Luigi shuddered, but not because of the icy breeze; this place was giving him the creeps.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked, almost hopefully.
Mario checked his Star Meter. "Yup," he nodded, "I'm picking up energy spikes. There's definitely a Star here."
Luigi's morale faded. "And we have to go in...?" He pointed to the mansion.
Mario nodded a second time. The green-clad plumber tried to swallow his nerves as he followed his brother to the Moat.
The Moat was a deep chasm surrounding the manor. Where there should have been water, there was just darkness. A single bridge connected the two sides. A long, rickety bridge. Luigi began to whimper, and Mario felt bad for him. If there were two things Luigi didn't like, they were bridges and rickety things- especially bridges.
"Whatever you do, don't look down," advised the older brother as he started across the bridge. Luigi tiptoed after him, feeling the urge to do the exact opposite as told. He glanced toward the abyss beneath them; he couldn't see the bottom. If someone fell from up here... Luigi was sick to his stomach now. His grip on the rail tightened as he inched his way along, trying to avoid the rotted planks, which was a difficult feat since it was almost too dark to see.
After what felt like eighteen years (and was actually several minutes), Luigi set foot on stable ground. He uttered a weak cry of joy and kissed the earth fervently. Mario, who had waited patiently for most of this grueling effort, decided not to spoil his brother's newfound triumph by telling him that that was the easy part, and they had an entire haunted mansion to investigate; plus, they would have to go back again the same way.
"One, two, three!" With a loud grunt, the brothers forced the iron door open just enough to let them inside. The room they found was large, with a chandelier, tall pillars, walls, and a ceiling, all of which were covered in dust and looked like they were about to crumble. Mario's pocket beeped.
"Hm..." He removed the Star Meter from his back pocket. "We're getting closer."
Good. Let's grab it and go.
"Mario. It's been a long time." Bowser emerged from the shadows. "And the green pipsqueak, too! This should be fun!"
Luigi trembled at the rumbling voice. I knew we shouldn't have some here, he thought miserably, but Mario glared right back at the monster. "You want another rematch? Trust me, it won't be much of a match."
"Oh hoh. We'll see about that!" Bowser inhaled sharply, then spewed forth a fireball. Mario expertly rolled to the side, while Luigi screamed and ducked with his hands over his head. He stayed in that position, hoping he wouldn't be noticed, while the others continued their fight.
"Luigi, come on!" He looked up to see Mario racing toward him at full speed. Mario grabbed him by the arm and darted behind a pillar. A steady stream of fire whizzed right by the spot where Luigi had been a moment before. More spurts of fire made their way across the room in different directions.
"He doesn't know where we are," whispered Mario. "As long as we don't make a sound, we should be fine." A new rush of fire glanced off the pillar, barely missing Luigi. Then another, several yards away. With a sigh of relief, Luigi sank down a little.
Hey, thought Luigi, I smell smoke. Then he noticed that his arm felt warmer than usual. He looked at it and saw that his sleeve had caught on fire! He let out a yelp, batting away the flame with his gloved hand. Mario clamped his hand over Luigi's mouth. "Quiet!" he half-whispered, half-yelled. "He'll hear us!"
"Ahem." Both brothers froze. They slowly turned their heads to see where the deep guttural sound came from. Bowser smiled back at them devilishly.
"RUN!" The two barely scrambled away from his powerful swipe. Bowser gave chase, but he was way too slow to catch the elusive Mario Brothers. He let out a furious scream and withdrew into his shell. With a powerful kick to the wall, Bowser was flying at the plumbers.
Mario and Luigi glanced over their shoulders to see the huge, spiny shell barreling toward them. Luigi dodged to the left; Mario darted to the right. Luigi heard a loud thud, and turned around. Mario had been hurled through the air, headfirst into the wall with a tremendous CRASH! Large cracks formed along the wall where it had been hit as Mario fell to the floor in a heap.
"Mario!" Luigi hurried to help his brother, but Bowser stepped in the way. His evil, rumbling laugh echoed through the room.
"One down... One pipsqueak to go!" He drew in a sharp breath.
"Yipes!" Luigi turned and bolted for cover. The familiar heat chased him for a half-minute as Bowser shot more flames at him. Dodge to the right, run to the left, duck... He tried going on the offensive, but couldn't get close. Each time he tried to leave, Bowser would spurt flames in his way. Bowser suddenly stopped firing and began laughing. Luigi felt himself sizzle: partly from embarrassment and partly from anger, but mostly from the fire on his butt.
Luigi shrieked and ran faster than a Koopa missing its shell. In a blind frenzy, he tore across the room, crashing into walls and smashing every pillar before charging into the next room. Everything that did or did not move was bowled over by Luigi's crazed speed before he reached the fountain.
Once Luigi caught sight of it, he jumped into the water. Relief washed over him and brought him back to his senses. Good thing Mario thought of bringing fireproof pants, he thought.
He turned around to head back inside when he heard a large crackling sound. He looked up as a chunk of the roof fell near him. More pieces started to fall, and the ground began to shake. The entire mansion was falling apart!
Luigi hurried through the giant building, calling out Mario's name. He had to navigate quickly- the walls and ceiling were crumbling fast. I can't believe I left him behind, he thought. He could… He might… Oh no, please be okay! The tremors grew stronger. Boo Manor might not last another minute.
The room they had first entered came in sight. Luigi dashed right by the fallen chandelier in its center, hardly noticing that Bowser was trapped underneath it and thrashing madly to escape. Mario was still unconscious in the corner, and large chunks of the ceiling and walls surrounded him.
"Mario? Mario!" Luigi tried to shake his brother awake. It's no use, he realized. He's out cold. The plumber stooped down and hoisted his older brother onto his back. Stumbling to keep his balance, he scrambled over the debris and scuffled out of the manor. The earthquake intensified as he stepped outside. There was the bridge. The long, rickety bridge. Luigi stopped dead in his tracks. There was no way he would cross that flimsy thing during an earthquake! Luigi could hear the building collapsing behind him, and knew it was only a matter of time before the bridge fell too. This was his only chance. So, he braced himself, shut his eyes, and ran screaming across the bridge.
The wooden planks under him were no support at all. They shook violently, nearly bucking him off several times. It was nigh impossible to balance, and he had no way to catch himself if he tripped. Somehow, Luigi stumbled away from the bridge just as it snapped, falling harmlessly into the darkness below.
"Whew," Luigi sighed in relief. Carefully, he set his brother down on the ground. He reached into his back pocket, brought out the 1-Up Mushroom he kept for emergencies, and stuffed it into Mario's mouth. The older brother awoke with a start. Luigi promptly fainted.
Mario awoke to see Boo Manor in ruins, Luigi unconscious next to him, and no Bowser anywhere. He looked at Luigi with a mixture of confusion, pride, and amusement. "What on earth did you do?" Just as Mario got up and dusted himself off, a bright light caught his attention. Its source, a shining Star, emerged from the remains of Boo Manor and floated easily toward the plumbers. Mario held onto Luigi and took hold of the Star, and the brothers and their treasure blasted off toward the Mushroom Kingdom.