A/N: I want to express my gratitude to The Sensational SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, ViolaHarmony, Q, Oderus, Guest, and most of all, Azurixx for their reviews.
In regard to the last user, I also thank you for the follow and favorite. Not only that, but I want to say that I found your Mario and Sonic story on this website back in late 2016, a couple of months before I made an account. After reading it, I thought it was a masterpiece – one of the best Mario & Sonic crossovers and one of the best stories I've ever read overall. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to try out writing fanfiction on my own. And every once in a while, I like to go back and read it to help me draw out plot points and fighting scenes. Thus, I appreciate you for inspiring me and taking the time to read and review!
And thanks to everyone else for making it this far into New Brotherhood! Let's get back to the adventure!
Disclaimer: Neither Sonic nor Mario belongs to me. I only take credit for this crossover.
Chapter 33: The Saviors
Kamek had whisked the Elite Trio and himself out of Mt. Yuruvius. As they boarded the airship, the volcano had erupted. They saw the lava spew out of the crater and stream down the steep slopes. Several lava rocks soared in the air and landed all around the island. A few fell into the ocean while others landed in the jungle.
"Meh," the Magikoopa muttered.
"Um, Kamek?" Corporal Paraplonk flew to the side of him. "Is everything alright?"
"Those animals are more formidable than I initially thought, especially the blue hedgehog. His speed is remarkable, I must say. I can see why Eggman loathes him."
"It's unfortunate that we couldn't get the Chaos Emerald," Sergeant Guy looked down.
"Yeah. I'm confused why you didn't try to take it back before we escaped," Private Goomp added.
"Those pests managed to vanquish us, but they won't have the last laugh. We may have not recovered the Chaos Emerald, and it won't be a surprise that Lord Bowser will be extremely disappointed, but we didn't leave empty-handed." He waved his wand in the air and made something appear in his other claw.
"A hair?" Paraplonk tilted his head.
"Mario's mustache hair, to be precise. This should help Dr. Eggman create his Metal Mario robot."
"Okay. But are we not going to get the Emerald back?" asked Goomp.
"Leave them be. After all, they were stuck inside the volcano. It's more than likely that they were caught in the eruption. There's hardly a chance that they all survived."
"But what if they did, especially Mario and the blue hedgehog?" questioned Sergeant.
"I'm sure they will think of something. For now, let's retreat to the castle."
No one from the Elite Trio wanted to interject Kamek, so Paraplonk went to the steering wheel while Sergeant and Goomp took over cleaning duty. Kamek placed the hair in a small vial for safekeeping. He knew that neither Bowser nor Eggman will like the fact that they didn't get the Emerald. But if it meant that Mario and Sonic were dead, Kamek was willing to take that risk. Unbeknownst to him or the others, the heroes made it out alive, only with a little help.
The bubble carried the heroes to the small village where Dragonzamasu was resting. He was gazing at the lava pouring down the volcano. Thankfully, the lava never reached the village as it only fell into the moat. The Muda leader waved his fin when they landed safely in front of him as the bubble disappeared.
"Well then! You sure made quite a return from your volcano trip! Glad to see that none of you got hurt from the lava!"
"No, but I did get a face full of poison gas," complained Sonic.
"Oh yeah, those Pakkun Flowers are some annoyances, aren't they? But anyway, did you manage to find what you're looking for?"
"We sure did!" Amy replied happily. "We got the Chaos Emerald!"
"Did you now? Do you mind if I see what it looks like?"
Sonic pulled the gem out of his quills. The yellow light gleamed in front of the heroes while Dragon was in awe.
"Oh my, what a beautiful jewel! Its radiance is magnificent to admire!"
"As much as we all think it's quite nice, we can't stand here forever. We have to take this back to Professor E. Gadd so he can secure it," explained Mario.
"And we got to return the other stuff to the people in Muda, too," said Cream.
"I see. In that case, would you like to spend the night here in our little village?"
"Thanks for the offer, Dragon. But we're going to head back to my cruiser and rest there," Daisy politely declined.
"Yeah. Sorry we can't stay here for much longer," Peach apologized.
"Oh, no need to say sorry! As long as you have everything, that's what matters! And besides, you can say that you were not in any trouble at all!"
"Actually-" Sonic was about to say something before Mario nudged him. He didn't want Dragon to start another boring conversation.
"It was nice to meet you, Your Highness," Cream curtsied.
"Thanks! The same goes for you, too, especially the hedgehogs! Besides the eruption, it's a beautiful night outside! Maybe you can-"
"WE'RE NOT DATING!" Sonic shouted irately.
Mario sighed, but he waved at the Yurarin Boo before he and the others left the village. It was a long walk to the docks, but they managed to get there in less than ten minutes. As he boarded the cruise ship, his mind defaulted back to when he and his friends were mysteriously rescued. He still had no idea what happened.
Not wanting to think about it any longer, he retired to his cabin where he found his normal set of clothes laid out on his bed. As much as he enjoyed the tropical attire, he decided to change back into his plumber's outfit. Once he was finished, he went out onto the deck. He wasn't ready to go to sleep just yet.
It had been over a half-hour since the cruiser had set sail to Muda Beach so that the heroes could return the valuables that Nabbit stole. The girls decided to get some beauty rest. Like Mario, the blue hedgehog was outside on the deck. A cool breeze flew by, brushing against his arms and fur. He shivered, but he didn't mind the cold too much.
He stopped for a minute as he gazed back at Yurarin Isle. Sniffing, he got another scent of that salty sea air. It wasn't a smell he generally liked (for obvious reasons), yet this moment felt... different, to say the least.
Ever since Mario taught him how to swim, he didn't feel that nervous around water compared to other times in the past. It may have been in shallow water, and it wasn't the same as the deep, but Mario was there by his side all the time. And the more he pondered about it, he realized how much he had done for him ever since he crashed into his home world. Just the thought of it made him wish that he could return the favor.
Then, as he wandered near the bow, Sonic saw Mario leaning against the railing and staring at the moon. The breeze made his hat and hairs slightly dance. Sonic chuckled a little, but he soon noticed the frown on his face. He silently joined his friend, taking in the view.
"It sure is nice out, huh?" Sonic saw him nod his head. "I gotta say, it's not just the Mushroom Kingdom, but Sarasaland is pretty as well. Whoa, I actually pronounced the name right this time. I think I deserve a small pat on the back for that."
Mario didn't laugh at his joke, which made Sonic upset.
"Hey, is something wrong?"
The man moved his eyes to the sea for a few seconds before turning to him with a serious face. "Did you forget about the fact that we somehow escaped Mt. Yuruvius by doing nothing?"
"That? Well, no. I'm just as confused as you are right now. I don't understand why we survived."
"What's weird is that we ended up in a bubble like Kamek's."
"Do you think he might have saved us just so we can keep the Chaos Emerald? Because sometimes Eggman would make me do most of the work finding the Emeralds before he devises a plan to take them all from me."
"It's a theory, but it doesn't make sense to me. Kamek really seemed determined to get the Emerald from us before he fled away."
"Yeah. And he kept aiming at you during most of the fight. Which reminds me, if Eggman wanted a piece of hair from you, there's no doubt that he would attack you as his primary target."
"That's why I'm baffled. Who or what exactly saved us from Mt. Yuruvius?"
"I think we have an answer to that."
Mario and Sonic barely jumped when they heard a new voice. However, they couldn't find where the voice was coming from.
"You heard that, right?"
"I did."
"Psst! Over here!"
Sonic patted Mario's shoulder and pointed over to something odd behind one of the walls. A hand was waving at them, prompting the two to come over. Although it seemed really strange (and creepy), they sluggishly strolled over to the voice. They entered inside a dark hallway where they could barely see the figure walking ahead of them.
"This way..." it whispered.
"Should we even trust this guy?"
Sonic shrugged, even though Mario couldn't see. "I don't know. But I can't say that this is normal."
"Hey," Mario called. "Who are you, and where are you taking us?"
"Just follow me."
Both heroes were a little frustrated at the vague response, but they kept on going. Soon after, they saw the person stop walking. He stood at the end of the hall. A dim lamp shined below where only his feet were visible. To Mario's eyes, the shape of the shoes and the round body shape made him believe that a Toad was guiding him. The only thing was that he couldn't perceive his face. The figure opened a door to his right and urged them to head inside. With the light barely going into the room, the plumber saw a couple of mops, buckets, and a shelf of cleaning supplies. Sonic was about to enter until Mario stopped him.
"Hold on a second. Why have you brought us to a janitor's closet?"
"We need to talk to you in private where no one else can find us."
"We? Who's 'we'? There's only one of you," Sonic pointed.
"Please, just go inside. I promise I'm not pulling any pranks."
The hedgehog glanced at the mustached man who mirrored his reluctance. Regardless, he decided to go into the room. Mario sighed before he followed. The figure went after him as he shut the door.
"Ow! Who was that?"
"Sorry, that's me," a new voice spoke.
"Is there any light in here?"
"Yeah, one second," said the first mystery person. He pulled down a metal cord in front of him as the ceiling light turned on.
Sonic and Mario were relieved now that they can see clearly. But once they did, they saw two Toads standing in front of them. One had green dots and a mustache. The other had yellow spots and hair. And both wore green and yellow bracelets, respectively.
Those physical traits slowly registered in their heads as they realized the truth.
"Luigi?!"
"Tails?!"
The Toads looked at each other before pressing the buttons. And there they were again: the angelic spirits of their younger siblings. Although it was nice to see them again, their faces were neutral.
Mario blinked before rubbing his eyes. "But... I thought you were only allowed to be here once!"
"Shh..." Luigi put a finger over his mouth. "Not so loud. We have something else to explain, but no one else can know."
"Yeah. We had to wait for the right opportunity to see you guys," articulated Tails.
"Right opportunity?" Sonic narrowed his eyes.
"Trust us. It's a long story... again."
Sonic saw the guilty look in the fox's eyes, so his expression softened as he waited for him and Luigi to explain. Mario remained baffled, but he stayed silent.
"So, here's what happened after we met in Boo Woods," Luigi started. "Tails and I were happy and grateful that Grambi allowed us access to the real world with our Brotherhood Bracelets. But after we returned to the Overthere, something went wrong with mine. It was emitting a strange signal. I tried turning it off, but instead, it showed me a visual of you getting hit by a Bullet Bill."
Mario's eyes widened at that. Sonic was also shocked.
"I didn't understand how or why it would even do this in the first place, but we figured that something bad happened to you down here when you were trying to find Sonic's friends. Are you alright, Mario?"
The red man shook his head when his name was mentioned. He was trying to take this all in, yet the thought overwhelmed him. "I'm okay, Weege. It took me weeks to recover, but I'm at full health again."
Luigi sighed of relief, placing a hand over his heart. "Grazie a Dio." (1)
"What happened after that?" queried Sonic.
"You see," Tails spoke up, "Luigi and I went to see Grambi to explain this situation. The most he said was that Luigi's bracelet had a Sibling Signal. He said that it only triggers when something dangerous happens to either one of you. It happened to me as well when you fell into a desert oasis, Sonic."
"You saw that?"
Tails nodded. "And Luigi had another signal when Mario landed in the ocean."
Luigi confirmed this. "I was so scared for you, Big Bro."
"Why did it take this long for you to come here and talk to us? Couldn't you have done it earlier?" Mario didn't comprehend.
"The thing is, he didn't tell us everything the first time around," Tails scratched the back of his head.
"Why not?" Sonic wondered.
"Because it was supposed to be a secret to himself."
"Why would Grambi do that?" Mario raised an eyebrow.
"To keep us safe."
"Safe?" Mario and Sonic repeated.
"When he first developed these bracelets, he was considering allow us a chance to be revived." Again, they were surprised. "However, Grambi said that if he were to let us stay in the real world after we perished, there was a possibility where we could get caught and cause confusion. And if something disastrous occurs that could affect the present or the future timeline, we could be punished for it."
"Punished?"
"As in we could live in the Underwhere with Queen Jaydes for all eternity," Luigi mumbled.
Mario's face fell. He vaguely remembered the boundaries of the afterlife, and he finally understood their point.
"So, Grambi said that he wanted you to be revived?"
"Yeah. But it's not like we were given a 1-Up or anything like that."
"Right. Still, he didn't want you to suffer in the dark realm, right?"
Luigi nodded. "Before we were about to go to sleep, we heard him talking to Queen Jaydes about everything. And soon, he told us. That was when he made a compromise to us."
"Compromise?" the hedgehog reiterated.
"He granted us the title of Guardian Angels," clarified Tails. "Consequently, he will let us go to the real world to help you guys if you're in danger. Of course, we aren't given a second life, but we promised to be there if you need assistance."
"When we found out that you were trapped inside the volcano, we had to hurry to find you guys. That's when we tried using our new powers. So far, we can create an invincibility shield and help you fly in the air. We had to stay invisible to remain undetected."
"Wait," Mario breathed. "Did that mean that you saved us from the eruption?"
"Y-Yeah, we did," his brother faltered.
"I don't believe it," Sonic gasped. "I mean, it's amazing you're back here and all. You rescued us from trouble, something that we usually do to you guys."
Tails chuckled lightly, which made his adoptive sibling grin a little. "You've scratched our backs so many times that we probably couldn't count them all. We had to do something for you and the others to survive."
"Wow. If you haven't come to us in time, we would've been all roasted and even worse!"
"I... I really don't know what to say besides... thanks. Thanks for helping us escape."
"You're welcome," the angels responded.
"I have another question. Luigi, when you said you had to stay invisible, what do you mean by that?"
"Oh, yeah. About that..." his face turned glum. "Grambi had some more guidelines to explain. It's obvious that people in the afterlife are not allowed to interact with the living world. Our first reunion was just an exception. Even though we're now Guardian Angels to aid you, we're only limited to see you two only, considering you're the only ones who know about us at this point."
"That makes sense."
"As much as I would like to see Daisy, Peach, and everyone back home-"
"And as much as I would want to meet with Amy, Cream, and our friends..." Tails faintly added.
"-we can't do anything about it. No one can know of our existence. If so, there could be consequences."
"Meaning Queen Jaydes would make you live in the Underwhere," Mario fathomed.
Tails bobbed his head. "And the other rules still apply to us. Just because we've been given this title doesn't mean we're exempt from any ramifications. We'll be here sporadically whenever the time or situation is vital. We can't stay here forever as angels."
"I guess that sounds fair," said Sonic.
"Are you on another time limit?"
"Sadly, yes. Like the reunion, we can only stay for up to one hour per visit, and we're only allowed one visit per day," Luigi frowned when he heard the five-minute warning on his bracelet.
"There is one catch though," Tails raised his index finger. "Rather than have a visual pop up on our bracelets, if you press the button on yours, that should trigger a direct signal to us so that we can react and teleport to your location. If we're lucky, we can act fast." (2)
"Well, I do like fast," Sonic smirked.
"If you get into a fight or any dangerous scenario, you just have to decide wisely and strategically when to contact us."
"For today, we traveled to explain everything. But we had to wait until we could have a private discussion. That's why I led you both in here," Luigi elucidated.
"I'm glad we're all caught up with this now, because I really missed you, Weege."
"And I missed you, Tails. Again, it doesn't seem real, but it's just so cool to see you again."
The vulpine grinned shyly. "We both missed you deeply. You have to give credit to Grambi though. He was the one who built us the bracelets and allowed us to return to the real world."
"Because of that, I'll make sure to thank him every night before I go to sleep." Mario paused to stretch his arms while yawning. "And after another long day, I really want to get some rest. But we have to return some items to the people in Muda. Then we have to head back to the Mushroom Kingdom so we could give E. Gadd the third Chaos Emerald."
"Hey. Since I don't know what a Chaos Emerald looks like, do you mind if I see it?"
"Not at all," Sonic pulled out the yellow gem from his quills. It shined brightly in front of everyone.
Luigi was amazed. "Golly. That looks really cool."
"Yeah. But it's not cool when it's in the wrong hands. That annoying conehead nearly took it from us."
"Do you mean Kamek?"
"Yeah, him. I like to make fun of bad guys with silly nicknames. For example, whenever I see Eggman, I call him 'Baldy McNosehair'. Heh, that name never gets old!"
"I sure remember those days," Tails reminisced. Then, the bracelets beeped once again. "Ah, shoot. This is our last minute for the night."
"Yeah. We need to return to the Overthere soon."
"Okay, guys. Take care up there. And thanks again for rescuing all of us."
"You're welcome, Mario," Luigi opened his arms, enticing his older bro to come forward. Mario gladly accepted as he felt his angelic body embraced him.
"Take care, little buddy. I'll always love you, bro."
"You too, Sonic. I love you so much," the twin-tailed kitsune wrapped his arms around the hedgehog.
Both pairs of brothers let each other go before Luigi and Tails gave one last wave at them. As a light shined over them, Mario and Sonic blocked their eyes until they were gone. They glanced at each other. Blue eyes stared at green, and vice versa. After being idle for another minute, they decided to get some well-deserved rest. Mario opened the closet door, and Sonic turned off the lonely light before they exited. The heroes departed to their cabins, but not before they looked up at the moon, taking solace that their saviors were going to be there for them.
END OF CHAPTER
This is another one of those chapters where there's not a lot of action, but we have some sort of calming moment as the Mario Bros. and the Inseparable Duo reunited for the second time. With the discussion out of the way, how will the Guardian Angels help out our red and blue heroes? Where will their journey lead to next? And how is everyone doing at Bowser's Castle, especially Sonic's captive friends?
As always, thanks for taking the time to read. Leave a favorite and/or follow to catch up on more and write a review to let me know how this chapter went or if I need to edit any mistakes. Until then, I'll see you next time on New Brotherhood! This is TGN, signing off.
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): 'Grazie a Dio' translates to 'Thank goodness.'
(2): I did not quite explain the extra limitations for Luigi and Tails' roles as Guardian Angels as well as the importance of the Brotherhood Bracelets. (I forgot to include this in Ch. 31.) For future reference, Luigi and Tails will teleport to Mario's world from the Overthere rather than staying incognito forever. And as for the bracelets, whenever Mario and Sonic are in peril, they can press the button on their devices to signal their brothers.