AN: Hey look, Steel didn't keep her promise! Let's throw peanuts at her and call her names!
I know I said I wouldn't start any more multi-chaptered projects until Throughout the Years was finished, but that story only has about five chapters left and I've had an idea for a fic about Mario and Boom!Sonic meeting for ages now. So... that's my reasoning and I'm staying by it. I should mention that updates for this story will most likely be sporadic at best though, as I'm really trying to get Throughout the Years finished.
This is indeed a continuation of the story that took place in From Rivalry to Romance, Forgotten Memories and Over, so knowledge of those fics is vital going into this one. Like with all multi-chaptered projects of mine, reviews will be answered at the end of each chapter. With that out of the way, please enjoy!
~Crossed Dimensions~
/~/
~Chapter One: Familiar Face~
Get up. Get dressed. Comb hair. Eat breakfast. Brush teeth.
It was the pattern Mario had fallen into for the past three months, his morning rituals altered to an almost robotic trance as he listlessly wandered around his and his brothers shared house.
This hadn't gone unnoticed by Luigi. The spark of life in Mario's eyes was gone, the smile wiped clean off his face. He knew why too - it had been ever since they'd received the news of Sonic's death that Mario had fallen into this state of depression. Luigi sighed as he eyed his brother across the table, staring down at the piece of toast in front of him. He hadn't taken a single bite since he'd sat down five minutes ago, and eventually Luigi sighed and slammed his mug onto the table, the resulting bang startling Mario out of his thoughts.
"What was that for?" he asked, noticing the annoyance on Luigi's face.
"Look, I get that you loved him. You made that crystal clear. But it's been nearly three months bro. You need to move past this grieving and move on with your life!"
"That's easy for you to say," Mario muttered darkly. "How would you feel if you lost Daisy?"
"I would be sad for awhile, but I'd move on because that's what she'd want me to do. And if I recall, didn't you say that Sonic said that you should move on and find someone else?"
"It's different," Mario argued. "We broke up, then he died. I never got a chance to reconcile with him. I never even got to fully accept that we'd broken up before he was killed! So of course I'm going to be rattled, and no, I'm not going to be moving on for quite some time." The legs of his chair scraped against the wood floor as he stood. "I'm going for a walk."
"Bro..." Luigi tried, but the front door slammed shut before he could say anything more. Dropping his face in his hands Luigi groaned before shaking his head and gathering up the breakfast dishes, figuring getting started on chores would be a great distraction.
/~/
It was warm and breezy in the Mushroom Kingdom that morning. Birds were chirping and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, the sun glistening off of Peach's Castle and the statue of Rabbid Peach in the courtyard. Mario smiled faintly as he recalled that adventure, before he returned to frowning. That had happened less than six months ago. Back before Sonic had celebrated his nineteenth birthday. Back before Dr. Eggman had revealed that he was Sonic's father. Back before everything had taken a turn for the worse.
Now, Mario wasn't the type of person to hate. He'd never really hated Sonic when they were still rivals, and he'd openly admitted to wishing that Bowser would be an ally to the Mushroom Kingdom than an enemy. But Mario absolutely loathed Dr. Eggman with every fiber of his being for what he'd done, not just to Sonic but to the whole of Sonic's world. He'd always thought that Sonic was exaggerating whenever he went into detail about his adventures since Sonic was prone to adding embellishment, but after seeing what the Doctor was capable of firsthand made him realize just how dangerous a villain he really was.
Mario sighed deeply, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair. He hadn't realized that he'd wandered into the Goomba Woods, but strangely enough he found none of what the Woods were named after wandering around. Shrugging he sat down on a stump in order to collect his thoughts.
Sonic had been the one to break off their relationship after their clash of morals. Sure, they'd both been mad, but if Mario knew that it would lead to them breaking up he wouldn't have been so aggressive with Sonic. Reaching into his pocket he produced a purple and teal guitar pick suspended on a black cord - the present he'd given Sonic for his birthday that had been tossed back at him when they broke up. He sadly gazed at it as he ran his thumb over the smooth surface, Luigi's words ringing in his ears.
'Weeg is right, I should move on. It's not like I can have any sort of future with him now.'
Mario sighed, standing and intending on returning to his home to patch things up with Luigi. That is, until something caught his eye behind a bush. Curiosity got the better of him and he cautiously wandered over, his eyes widening as he took in the very familiar figure lying unconscious in the dirt.
'It can't be... Sonic?!'
Or... was it? Mario frowned as he kneeled next to the figure; while this hedgehog indeed resembled his dead ex-boyfriend, there were a few significant differences. Firstly, this hedgehog had let the fur on his arms grow in, and he wore a brown neckerchief. Not to mention he had an abundance of sports tape wrapped around his hands and feet. But other than that... this hedgehog was the spitting image of Sonic.
Before he could figure out what was going on the hedgehog stirred, opening his eyes that were the exact same green as Sonic's were. He groaned, sitting up and holding his head.
"Ugh, well that was unpleasant," he complained before taking in his surroundings. "Now where did I end up this time?"
Mario recovered from his shock and cleared his throat, the hedgehog whipping his head around to face him. Before Mario could get a word in the hedgehog broke into a wide grin, eyeing Mario from top to bottom. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." he rather bluntly stated, and Mario felt heat creep into his cheeks. What was it with strangers hitting on him recently? First Rabbid Peach, then the Lava Queen...
"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, Hero Extraordinaire," the hedgehog continued proudly, standing and doing an elaborate bow. "And you are...?"
What was actually happening right now? Mario blinked several times, vaguely aware that this Sonic was taller than the one he'd known and his quills were scruffier as he thought about what to say.
"I'm Mario." he finally said lamely, extending his hand for Sonic to shake. Sonic smiled as he clasped his hand in Mario's.
"Well, it's nice to meetcha Mario! Now, can ya tell me where exactly I am so that that I can try an' find my way back home?"
So... this Sonic obviously didn't recognize him. Mario relaxed at that bit of information, it meant that this Sonic wouldn't be hostile thanks to an unresolved rivalry. Finally, a lucky break. "You're in the Mushroom Kingdom. Um... can you remember how you may have got here?"
"Oh, I know how I got here alright," Sonic snorted. "Tails came up with this brand new invention that he said could transport objects between dimensions. And yeah Sticks said she dreamed about forks and bottles last night, but how was I supposed to know she'd be right in that I'd get sent to another dimension?"
Mario blinked. "Well, at least you know how you got here." he pointed out.
"So do you have any way to send me back?" Sonic asked. "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if Tails suddenly appeared out of nowhere like that time I got stuck in another plane of existence, but if I can make it back on my own that would be great."
"I have a friend who may be able to help," Mario replied. "But first, how about we stop by another friend of mine and have something to eat and get your bearings before we set out?"
"Do you think they can whip up some chili dogs?" Sonic questioned hopefully. Mario couldn't help but crack a grin; at least some things stayed the same.
"I'm sure she'd be able to."