The future knows no bounds, for the future is not yet written.
For many years, the Mushroom World had relied on the humblest yet bravest of its people to keep it safe from the forces of evil. Their stories- both strange and inspiring- would pass on from one eon to the next, from generation to generation. In time, the world would forget just how humble and unlikely those legendary heroes were.
But everyone knew that one day, whether within ten or a hundred years, they would be needed once again. When, exactly? Only the future could tell.
And the future knows no bounds.
Future Mario Brothers
Chapter 1: "Heroes Reborn"
"INCOMING!"
Wzzzzzzzz… BOOM!!
A hailstorm of Bullet Bills fell from the sky, launched like cannons from a huge and dark airship, as it inched its way ever closer to Cyber City. This great and beautiful metropolis, where green grasslands and dainty flower patches once stood, found itself plunged into chaos. Over and over again, a building was hit. Debris rained down. Alarms went off. Toads, humans, Koopas and Goombas alike were scattered around in a mad panic.
The Mastermind was attacking again.
From deep within the heart of the city, only one special team kept their cool. Even as civilians whizzed by them or even bumped into them, the police squad marched down the street. They were mostly Toads, some humans, and a handful of green-shelled Koopas. All of them were armed with what appeared to be black bazookas.
In front of the line, armed with some kind of rifle, stood their Chief. He was a tall black human, bald-headed, sunglasses pressed against his eyes, ever giving the no-nonsense look. He wore a bullet-proof vest over a light blue blouse and dark tie; his star badge pinned proudly over his heart. He had seen far too many attacks like these; in fact…
"This is the third raid this week," he moaned softly.
The squad formed a square out in the open, where they could get a fair enough view of the on-coming Bullet Bills.
"Alright men," hollered their commander, "same format as yesterday. Ready! Take aim…"
They raised their bazookas in the air, awaiting the next barrage of missiles.
"…Fire!!"
The elite police force then fired a most bizarre form of ammunition from their cannons: silver mushrooms! But these mushrooms were more than what they seemed; they were Spring Mushrooms. As soon as they collided with a Bullet Bill, the enemy missile ricocheted back into the sky and landed just outside of the city gates.
"Reload!"
For one fleeting moment in time, as the officers reloaded their cannons with more mushrooms, they were open to attack. That's when the dark metallic airship launched a new set of weapons: small robotic airplanes that looked almost like toys. As with the Bullet Bills, there were painted faces on these planes with bared sharp teeth and angry slit eyes. In a sharp "V" formation, they swooped through the city's skyline and plunged downward toward the police force. They opened fire with laser-like pellets.
"Shields!" screamed Chief Starburn.
The officers moved as quickly as they could to raise their shields against the fireballs, but for some it was too late. As one officer after another fell, they vanished in a small poof of smoke, thus indicating their death.
But one officer remained unshielded, and that was Chief Starburn. He whipped out his firing rifle at these swooping airplanes and fired fireball-like pellets right back at them. His aim was almost as sharp as his wit, as he took down nearly half of their numbers.
Then all at once, the planes were gone and the Bullet Bills were back.
"Fire at will!"
For the next ten minutes, the cycle repeated: Bomb drops, mushrooms, airplanes, shields, smoke puffs, and bombs again. It was only until at last the airplanes were completely destroyed, when the last rainfall of bombs fell on Cyber City. It was as if the airship had reached the limit of its ammunition, or perhaps it was done toying with its enemies. Either way, the attack came to a sudden stop.
All was quiet in the city for a moment, which scared the hiding civilians all the more. The Chief and his squad stood their ground, their weapons lowered, waiting for the next move.
Then it came, in the form of a loudspeaker: "People of Cyber City, you have fought bravely today. Enjoy your peace while it lasts, for you haven't yet seen the last of us! Ha-hahahaha! Mastermind has spoken!"
The airship then picked up speed and made a frantic U-turn away from the city, which was now smoking and riddled with small craters. When at last it left, the badly shaken civilians slowly crawled out of their hiding places. Some of them had just lost their homes, their businesses, their schools, their playgrounds…
Chief Starburn bared his teeth in frustration. Enough was enough.
Mushroom Kingdom
Since the dawn of Mushroom World's existence, this charming little land full of lush habitat had been the very beating heart of the planet. It was here, nearly a century ago, where the kindest of princesses lived, as did two of the mightiest heroes the world had ever known. Even now, so many decades later, this kingdom would still hold the key to ending the newest threat of evil.
Marching straight up to the while castle and forcing its front doors open were the Chief, along with the Mayor- a Goomba- of Cyber City.
"Chancellor!" called out the Mayor, only to be replied by the echo of his own voice. "Guards! Anyone! We need to speak; it's an emergency!"
"Hold on now," cooed the voice of an elderly gentleman somewhere in the hall.
Out from behind a statue of a long past princess came a small bespectacled Toad. Like so many of his kind, the bulge on his head was white with red spots. He wore a princely black uniform lined in gold, except most of it was covered up by his long grey beard. Apparently, he was watering the flowers surrounding the statue. "I am Master Jeebs. How may I help you gentlemen?"
"We have an emergency over at Cyber City," replied the shaken Mayor. "We need to talk to your Chancellor, or even her Highness if she's available."
"Now, now…" mused the elderly Toad, as he glanced over to the ivory statue. "I'm afraid her Highness, Princess Peach, is no longer with us."
"Not her," corrected the Goomba Mayor impatiently. "The current princess! Her great-granddaughter!"
"Ooooh!" smiled the old Toad. "You mean Princess Cherry!"
"Yes," sighed the Mayor. "Is she here?"
"As a matter of fact," said the old Toad as he fiddles with his armless glasses, "she's setting up a meeting with her counselors right now. They're going to discuss something about a master of minds… err, something of that matter."
"Mastermind," growled the Goomba Mayor; the very sound of that name made his blood run cold.
"Oh, you know him?" smiled Jeebs.
The Mayor was about to blow a gasket, when Chief Starburn stepped in and gently palmed the mayor's head. "I think it's best that we attend this meeting."
"Oh, suit yourself. Follow me." Jeebs gave them a bow and led them on through the great hall, where banners and statues of past Toadstool rulers were all that remained of them.
None of them would even notice the tiny circular orb in the window, with a single eye that flashed red. It was a spy camera…
Dark Island
Far away, on a small island that was once the home of kindly dinosaurs, stood a massive steel palace where the sun never shone. This was the home of the infamous lord of all evil: The Mastermind.
No one seemed to know what he looked like, or what he truly was, because there was more machine to him than flesh and blood. He sat in the shadows every day, on a spiky throne, tapping a finger of one of his dozens of tiny mechanical amputations. It clicked as it moved.
The almost completely black room saw light at last, when the doors to the throne room were cracked open by a small red-violet Shy Guy. Nervously, it crept closer to the creature sitting in complete darkness.
"Mastermind," it softly said, "our Spy Guy has infiltrated the Mushroom Castle, just as you commanded."
The small metallic finger stopped tapping. "…Not bad," mused a deep, harsh voice that vibrated like a car engine. "Not bad at all, Shy Guy. You've done well so far."
The robed little figure hiding behind a pale mask made a humble bow. "Oh, thank you sir, thank you! I'll make sure it doesn't miss a single thing!"
"There's only one thing I don't want to miss," replied the vibrating voice. "Those fools at Mushroom Kingdom will plan something, I just know it. As long as I know what they're planning, I have nothing to fear."
"You've never had anything to fear, Your Lordship! King of all Mushroom World, Master of all living things, Keeper of plans, Duke of-"
"That's enough."
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."
"…Do me a favor will you, Shy Guy?"
"Sir?"
Two red beacons appeared through the darkness as eyes. "Call me Master. Always… call me Master."
Mushroom Castle
Hiding behind the royal throne room was a large office with a great, tan round table, every seat occupied with either a human or a Toad. The one figure that stood out the most was the only woman in the room: Princess Cherry.
Like her foremothers, she had the same dainty, doll-like face with deep blue eyes. She wore a single blue jewel on the collar of her long white dress, which had rosy pink frills and a matching pair of rosy pink gloves. Her long hair was black, with a part in her bangs; it was so thick, one might actually miss the petite crown atop her head. She kept cool and quiet, while her counselors filled the room with outbursts regarding the so-called "Mastermind."
Also present in the room were two honored guests: Chief of Cyber City Police Starburn, and Mayor Goomba of Cyber City, who stood atop the table- he was far too short for a seat of his own. For the first few minutes of the meeting, all the gentlemen could do was file complaints on their enemy.
"Can I just say something on behalf of my city?" snapped the little Goomba dressed in a black suit and yellow badge. "Just this morning, we've been bombarded with missiles and toy airplanes! Our defenses are on their last legs, and to make matters worse, there're no more time machines left to take us back and fix any of this!"
"Sir…" Chief Starburn hushed him.
"Ahem," Mayor Goomba replied with. "Sorry. We're just asking for your advice."
The princess nodded. "I understand your frustration completely, Mr. Mayor. We were just debating on whether we should make a peace treaty with Mastermind, or launch an attack on his island with all the troops we have left."
"Outrageous," huffed a mustached Toad with a green vest. "Mastermind will never settle upon peace! Besides, he'll take it as an offering of surrender."
"We're increasingly losing our soldiers," shook the head of a man. "If Mastermind attacks Cyber City tomorrow, then we'll lose all of Sarasa Land and our closest allies."
"Which is why we should attack NOW!" stomped Mayor Goomba.
"Attack with what?" frowned Princess Cherry. "The Koopas have all abandoned this kingdom, leaving the rest of us vulnerable. I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I'm afraid we have no choice but to negotiate with him."
The men all began to grumble under their breath.
"What have we got to lose by attacking Dark Island?" asked Mayor Goomba. "Sure, they'll be casualties; but it will all be for the best."
Again, the princess frowned. "You don't seem to care about sacrificing lives, sir, but I do. I can't bear to have one more innocent creature harmed by that madman and his minions."
The Mayor argued, "There's not a soul in this kingdom that wouldn't gladly lay down his or her life for the sake of our freedom. Believe me, princess, you go ask the nearest Toad or Man, and he'll go running towards that island without a second's notice."
"Pardon me," Chief Starburn raised his index finger. "I have just one question. Where have all the Koopas gone?"
The princess bowed her head; "No one's sure. Some believe they went off to find their lost king. Others say they've changed sides completely and are now part of Mastermind's army."
"Well that's just like them," Mayor Goomba furrowed his brows. "Sneaky, double-crossing turtles! Only wanna be on the winning side."
"You of all people should talk," snapped a human. "When's the last time we saw a Goomba fighting on the side of good?"
"I'm HERE, aren't I?" shouted the offended Mayor.
"Enough!" shouted Princess Cherry, finally losing her patience. "All of this shouting is getting us nowhere. It's time we put it to a vote: All in favor of a peace treaty, raise your hand."
Only two raised their hands; the princess herself, and a humble Toad.
"…All opposed?"
Twelve hands were raised; Mayor Goomba waved his tiny brown foot to make a thirteenth vote.
Princess Peach closed her eyes in dismay. "It seems unanimous then; we'll have to plan an attack… But who, dare I ask, can we send into battle?"
The group huddled and murmured their answers; each one seemed to be in favor of a particular species, but none could agree on which was the strongest or bravest.
Then suddenly, a Toad in a purple vest spoke up: "We could, um… bring them back."
The room's eyes fell directly on him, and all at once he was uncomfortable with having so much attention.
"What did you say?" asked Chief Starburn with a raised eyebrow.
The Toad gulped nervously. "Well, um… uh, i-it was just a thought! But maybe, just maybe… we could bring them back."
"Bring who back?"
"You know! …Them."
"…You lost me," shook the Chief's head.
Then the princess stood up from her throne with eyes closed and a face as stern as rock. "I know who he's talking about."
"Oh please, do tell us!" smiled the Goomba Mayor excitedly.
"Well," started Cherry, "it's a long story… Many, many years ago, when my great-grandmother was still a princess herself, the Mushroom Kingdom was in a very different kind of war- a war that cut the whole land into two factions. Those that fell under the side of darkness were ruled by a Koopa tyrant named Bowser…"
Her audience could see it now: A giant green Koopa, spiked from head to tail, breathing dragon's fire menacingly. He stood atop a tower overlooking thousands of Koopas; there was a lightning storm in the sky, finalizing the true terror Bowser was.
"Bowser truly was a king in his own right- the King of the Koopas. But over time, he grew mad with power and constantly tried to seize both my great-grandma and the entire kingdom. There was no way of knowing just how far his conquest would have gone, because he soon met his match: not one, but two human men. They were known as… The Mario Brothers."
Already, their imaginations were running wild. Surely these men were huge- huge enough to take on a spiky green Koopa and win! Maybe they used swords- or guns- or perhaps they led a vast army that outnumbered Bowser's! Or maybe they were magicians that could inflict devastating spells…Or maybe they were more than human. Maybe… they were like gods.
While the hearts of her audience ran wild, Cherry continued her fable. "Time and time again, the Mario Brothers outsmarted the Koopa King, until at last he was too old and tired to go on. When Bowser at last retired from his campaign, so to did the brave heroes. They lived out their lives as peacefully as anyone would have hoped… But then…"
"…But then, what?" blinked the Goomba Mayor curiously.
"Then," continued the princess, "the people of this kingdom began to worry. Who would protect them after the Mario Brothers had gone, they wondered? How could we assure our safety? One man had the answer: his name was Professor Elvin Gadd. He was a brilliant scientist; he made many of the 'Gaddgets' we still use today. But perhaps his greatest achievement was his last.
"Professor E. Gadd spent the last months of his life building a cryogenic machine that could hold any individual and keep them frozen in time. But he did more than that. You see, by then the Mario Brothers were too old to carry on in their adventures, and so the Professor had them cloned. Their clones had proven to be exact carbon copies of the originals- looks, personalities, everything down to their uniforms were exact. So I'm told."
"And," guessed Chief Starburn, "those two were the ones put into the freezing chamber?"
The princess nodded, "Yes. They waited until they were at the right age- the same age as the original Mario's began their adventures- and then they agreed to be frozen in time. The people of this kingdom then made a solemn vow to never awaken these promised heroes until the time was right."
"The time is right!" shouted the police chief, punching the table with enthusiasm. "Your majesty," he then softly begged, "if these guys are the real deal, and they are sleeping in some kind of chamber, then we have to wake them up!"
"Sir-"
"We need a miracle, folks! If we can't stop Mastermind, then who else will?"
"Sir, please!" gasped Princess Cherry with a look of fright in her eyes. Everyone seemed shocked by her sudden change of attitude and fell silent. "Please," she softly gulped, "…If we awaken the heroes now, they won't be able to fall back into their frozen sleep. Once it's done, it's done."
Chief Starburn then softened his eyes for once. "…Does that bother you, Princess?"
"I'm just afraid… of what could happen to them, or to us, if anything goes wrong. Besides, they're the last of their kind."
"No they're not," spoke an elderly Toad nearby. Jeebs, who until now kept a low key, approached the troubled princess with warmth in his beady little eyes. "Don't you worry, my princess. They may be special, but so are we. We all have greatness within us. And another thing, I believe the police chief is right; we need a miracle, and that miracle could be dozing away right under our noses! Perhaps it's best to finally out the ol' Professor's scheme to the test, eh?"
Cherry took a deep breath before calming herself down. She smiled with a nod. "You're right, Jeebs. It's probably for the best."
"Then we're all in agreement," smiled Mayor Goomba. "What're we all waiting for? Show us the chamber!"
"Right away," smiled Jeebs.
The little butler walked past the table, over to a wall where a giant painting of the Mushroom Castle was placed. But then Jeebs had proven the painting to be much more than it seemed by jumping up and tapping the castle's highest window.
In an instant, the room made a small quake that made everyone jump to their feet in surprise. The table's top opened up like a tin can, levered by its robotic legs. Underneath it appeared a long staircase that seemed to descend into a forbidden abyss.
"Like I said," smiled the old Toad butler, "right under our noses!"
The group stood in awe at the stairs. Jeebs nonchalantly grabbed the nearest candle, lit it, and marched down the stairs without hesitation. Both curiously and cautiously, Princess Cherry and her council followed him.
Jeebs made quick work of lighting many torches on the age-old stone walls of what appeared to be a basement- or a dungeon. Dust and cobwebs littered the place, making just about everyone uncomfortable.
"What is this place?" coughed Chief Starburn.
Said the small Toad butler with a confident smile, "This is an old cavern, built by my own ancestors. Originally, it was designed as a shelter for the royal family in the wake of an attack on the castle. Now it's the secret resting place… of them." He then pointed forward.
Everyone followed his tiny hand, until their eyes fell on a most bizarre-looking machine. It had two large metal cylinders, one with a big green "L" on its front, the other right beside it with a large red "M." Beside the cylinders was a giant computer system with hundreds of little buttons on it.
The group slowly approached the cylinders; they stopped a few inches away, for all at once the air around them dropped to a bone-chilling cold.
"Brr," shuddered the princess. "It's so cold…"
"Is this it?" muttered the police chief. "Is this… the cryogenic chamber?"
"Oh, this is it alright!" nodded Jeebs. "Now, there's some kind of music code to activate it… Hmm… Uh, well let's see, um… How did it go again?"
"A music code…?" echoed Chief Starburn. He bravely approached the computer buttons, and pressed a red button.
"La"
The sound was loud and frightening; most of the company gasped in surprise.
"Okay," gulped the Chief. "Let's try… this one." He pushed a yellow one.
"Re"
And another. And another.
"Fa" … "Do" … "Mi"
"No, no, no!" shook Jeeb's head, waving his arms in fret. "It's not just one note, sir; it's a combination- a tune that activates it!"
"Come on, man! We don't have all day!" urged a Toad in blue. "What is the code?"
The princess then followed Chief Starburn's lead and looked at the buttons carefully. "Hmmm… My parents used to sing me lots of songs when I was younger. I wonder if…" By figuring out the color matches of the notes, Princess Peach attempted one familiar tune.
"Mi-Mi-Mi, Do Mi So, So (low octave)"
"Eeeeeeee!"
"Whoops," gasped Jeebs, recognizing the alarm. "That's not the right one, princess. Try another one."
"Hmm," hummed the princess, and tried again.
"Mi Mae Mi, So Mi Mae Fi Mi"
"Eeeeeeee!"
"Aww. I like that one too," she frowned.
"I got it!" clapped Chief Starburn's hands. "We're underground, and there's only one tune that fits underground!" With his confidence renewed, the police chief once again approached the buttons. But there was a new problem: he wasn't exactly sure which note fit with which button.
"Uhh, uh… Dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum," he sang softly to himself.
"Of course," smiled the princess. Together, they showed each other just what combination of buttons worked:
"Do-Do, La-la, Ti-ti"
WHOOSH-SH-SH-SH-SH!
The ancient ones had gone through a lot of trouble to keep their secret weapons just that, a secret. Now, the earth below everyone's feet trembled dramatically. Red and green lights flashed through the room. Beeps, alarms, whizzing of high-pressured smoke buzzed through their ears. Then, a full chorus of that old "underground tune" boomed out.
From behind the two metal cylinders, pumps bobbed left and right at a manic speed, which worked as part of the revitalizing system. As air pushed out, electricity poured in. Within seconds, the ice around the two life forms inside melted away. But all of the shaking and pressurizing was too much for the old machine to take…
KABOOM!
A blast of energy pushed everyone across the room and into the farthest wall. Debris fell from the ceiling, and smoke nearly suffocated them all. Some were even knocked unconscious, but all things considered, no real harm was done.
Coughs and gags were abound, as each person one by one picked themselves up off the floor and dusted their shirts (or dress, in the princess's case).
"Is everyone alright?" called out the police chief.
"Oww."
"Ugh."
"Man."
"I think I felt something snap."
"I'm alright," replied Princess Cherry.
"Good," smiled Chief Starburn. "…Wait, where's the Mayor? Mayor!?"
"Mm-fmm-mmph! Mmm-mmmm!"
Starburn nearly lost his balance completely, as he realized he was stepping on Mayor Goomba. He stepped aside quickly. "Sir! Are you okay?"
The flattened little creature's eyes rolled around. "I've… had… better days…"
"Uh, guys?" peeped the Toad dressed in green, as he pointed forward. "Look… The gates…"
Princess Peach and her council stared in awe, as the cylinder cones slowly slid open. From inside, a wall of deep blue smoke emerged, and seemed to be endless. Somewhere inside that wall of smoke and hollowed shells were two individuals, waking up for the first time in ages.
Everyone braced themselves. This was it. In mere moments, they would gaze into the eyes of pure power- the eyes of Herculean strength, of powerful magic, of angels sent straight from Heaven. If the legends were true, then these waking men were truly gods in the flesh! Those were just the kind of expectations running through everyone's minds, as the smoke began to clear.
…They were about to get the shock of their lives.
TO BE CONTINUED