Super Mario Bros. Origins
Part 1: Separate Worlds
New York City is one of the most well-known cities in the world. A huge, thriving place where all types of cultures come together. A place where people go to fulfill their dreams of wealth and prosperity. For many, New York City is the big-time. For others, such as the Mario Brothers, things aren't so easy.
Mario and Luigi were two plumbers down on their luck and living in a broken-down apartment in Brooklyn. Their business "Mario Bros. Plumbing" hadn't seen a customer in weeks, and bills were beginning to back up. Their rent had also been due several days ago and they were living off of pizza left over from five days before. For these brothers, the city wasn't a place to make their dreams come true, only to test their ability to survive.
Mario was a short and somewhat stubby Italian man sporting blue overalls and a red cap to match. He also donned a thick mustache and a heavy accent. His brother Luigi was slightly taller than he was, had a deeper tone, and wore the same clothing only colored in green. Each of them also had the first letters of their names imprinted on their hats since many people couldn't remember who was who, and also as a trademark for their failing business. Although they were well-known among the plumbing trade, it just seemed as though toilets and sinks didn't break down as often as they used to.
Luigi sat at the decrepit table reading the local paper while Mario reheated them each the last two slices of pizza. "I really don't know how we're going to last here, Mario," Luigi said with a sigh. "The landlord wants the rent by the end of the week and we've only got a few dollars left. We can't even afford any more food." Mario was silent as his brother worried. He knew Luigi was always the paranoid one, but he also realized that this time he had a good reason to be. Mario walked over to the table with two dishes and sat one in front of Luigi. "Careful," Mario began quietly. Luigi looked up at him and Mario said, "It's hot".
As the brothers finished the remains of their crust, they each let out a heavy sigh. "So let's think about this for a minute," Mario said. Luigi looked up quickly, hoping Mario had his usual plan to get them out of tight situations. "We've got no money, no work, and we're about to be homeless, right?" Luigi nodded. Mario then slumped in his chair, "wow, that sounds a lot worse when you say it out loud". Luigi silently slumped along with his brother as they once again sighed heavily.
Luigi got up and began to walk into the next room. "Mario, I'm going to watch a little TV while we still have electricity. I need to get my mind off of this." He walked off staring at the ground. Mario looked at the table, then around the tiny dilapidated kitchen. He clenched his fists and shut his eyes. "There needs to be some way…" He squeezed his fists tighter and without hesitation slammed them down on the table, cracking one of the legs and forcing in to fall to the ground. Mario was now to the point where he was more angry than worried, but as soon as he was about to get up and start kicking the table the phone rang.
Mario was frozen for a minute as the phone rang several times. He then snapped out of it and ran over and picked it up quicker than he had ever done. "Mario Bros. Plumbing!" He shouted into the phone. There was a young woman on the other end who seemed startled. "I'm sorry, did I call at a bad time?" she asked. Mario jumped, "n-no no! I'm sorry It's just, I-I didn't mean to shout. How can I help you?" The woman began to explain to Mario about a problem she had with her shower drain then gave him the address and his frown immediately turned into a bright smile. "So do you think you can help me?" the woman asked. Mario responded, "we'll be right over!" The woman happily said, "great! See you soon!" then hung up the phone.
Mario quickly hung the receiver up and dashed into the other room to get Luigi (who was still in a state of depression). "Luigi!" Mario shouted. "Get up Luigi! Grab your tools, we have work!"
"Wha-what? Don't play jokes on me, Mario!"
"This isn't a joke! I just got off the phone with a woman who has a clogged shower drain!"
"You get the van started and I'll grab my things!" Luigi jumped out of his chair and the brothers sped off in different directions.
The two hopped in the van, Mario floored the pedal and they were off. After driving a few blocks, Luigi looked at the directions. "Gale Plaza? Pretty ritzy place to be calling us, don't you think, Mario?" Mario looked at Luigi and said, "I couldn't care less if it was a place worse than ours. Work is work." They arrived in the area of the customer's house and were both amazed that they were living in the same city. Gale Plaza was a large community full of exquisite houses. "Maybe you're right, Luigi." Mario said as they pulled up to a beautiful gated mansion.
After ringing to be let in, the gate opened and they parked in front of the house. The woman who called came out to greet them, and was surprisingly young and pretty for the owner of such an amazing home. "Thank you for coming so quickly!" She smiled as she led them upstairs to where the problem was. As they walked through the hall, Mario commented, "this is a beautiful home you have here". Luigi then chimed in, "you'd think you would just buy a new shower every time it clogs up". Mario pushed Luigi silently as they walked behind the woman and gave him a dirty look.
In the bathroom, a tub full of dirty water was the brother's project. "Well, I guess I'll leave you guys to it." The woman said. "Just give me a call if you need anything to drink, okay?" Mario and Luigi smiled as the girl shut the door behind them and left them to begin on the drain.
"Can you believe this, Luigi?" Mario said heavily while he plunged the drain. "All we gotta do is unclog this thing and we'll be paying off our rent in no time!" He continued to use the plunger as he stood knee-high in the water, but it was no use. "Need some help there?" Luigi asked. He jumped into the tub with Mario and they both grabbed onto the plunger, but the water pressure seemed to be getting tighter until they could barely move it. They both began to get sweaty and exhausted.
"Okay, we're gonna have to really pull to get the pressure out, so on the count of three." Mario explained. They both grabbed the plunger again and Mario started to count. "One… two…" They both geared up for one big pull as Mario said, "THREE!" With one final pull the plunger came loose and the drain began to quickly lose the water. They gave each other a high five and began to exit the tub.
It had been a job just like any other, but things took an unexpected turn as the last of the water drained out. Luigi tried to step out of the tub, but was stopped by something. He looked down as his shoe seemed to be getting pulled into the drain. "Uh, Mario?" Luigi said with a shakiness to his voice. Mario saw what was happening and jumped back in to help pull his brother out. "Mario! What's going on?" Luigi yelled as the force pulling him grew stronger. Mario yelled back, "I don't know, just keep pulling!" Mario tried his hardest but couldn't pull his brother back out.
The drain widened as Luigi's body was almost completely inside of it. Mario held his hand as it began to drag both of them in. "M-Mario! Please don't let me go!" Luigi screamed. "Don't worry, Luigi, I got ya!" Mario shouted back to him. With nothing they could do, the drain continued pulling until Mario and Luigi were both sucked down straight into it. As Mario went headfirst into the drain, once his feet were in the drain's pressure began to drop and it reverted back to it's normal size. The bathroom was now quiet, with only the brother's tools left.
The woman came upstairs holding a tray with two glasses on lemonade. She knocked on the door before letting herself in. "I heard a lot of banging up here and figured you were working really hard so I brought you some--" As she opened the door she saw the drain was no longer clogged, but there were no sign of the plumbers. She check around the rest of the house, in every room, and noticed the van still parked in the front of the house.
Now frightened, she did the only thing she could. She picked up the phone and dialed 911. "Hello? I'd like to report two missing people, Could you send someone to Gale Plaza?" As she stood there shaking, she continued answering the operator's questions until the final one. "My name?" she asked. "It's Daisy."
Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction I've ever written for a site (or planned on continuing for that matter). I figured what better way to start than with a legendary franchise like Super Mario Bros.? I would really appreciate any constructive criticism since I'm new here and have little to no idea what I'm doing. Just please be gentle if you happen to review this. I plan on submitting several parts frequently and I plan to stay true to the original story while adding some of my own twists. Hope you enjoy it!