Disclaimer: I do not own Mario or any of the characters mentioned in this story.
Super Smash Brothers: United
Chapter 1: The Visitor
The sun began to illuminate the morning sky. Its rays of light and warmth dispersed the lingering chill from the previous night. Dew trickled down from the greenery and onto the earth below. Needless to say, it produced a tranquil scene around the Mario Brothers' home. It seemed like it would be yet another peaceful and rather mundane day. It had been quite some time since Bowser was last heard from. It would only be wishful thinking to believe he would concede defeat just yet, however. None of Mario's enemies were as resilient as he was.
Mario sat at the table in the kitchen, trying to enjoy some freshly prepared pasta. He had to admit, he might have been the older brother, but Luigi was a superlative chef whose cooking prowess far surpassed his own. Luigi also took pleasure in partaking in the preparation of such substantial meals. It always worked out well for both of them; Luigi continued his hobby, and Mario was blessed with a fine feast.
Luigi joined Mario at the table with a plate of his own. He lowered his fork onto the plate of spaghetti and twisted it. The long fibers ensnarled the prongs of the utensil, creating a cocoon-like structure around it. Luigi brought the fork to his mouth and bit down on it. The combination of parmesan cheese and pasta rivaled that of bread and butter. He chewed diligently. He believed food was more than just nourishment for the body; it was art of its own, meant to be enjoyed and not rushed through.
Luigi's eyes wandered onto Mario, who seemed unfocused. His chin rested on one hand while his other grasped the edge of his fork. Something about the look in his eyes seemed distant and questioning, perhaps even a bit apprehensive. Luigi always felt a bit perturbed when Mario appeared unsure of something, whether it was the fate of the Mushroom King or who would win the next tennis match.
"Mario?" Luigi addressed him softly. He felt he had to bring his brother back into reality. The atmosphere was becoming a tad too eerie for him.
"Huh?" Mario snapped out his trance, his mouth slightly gaped.
"Mario…Is something wrong?" His tone made a smooth transition from perplexity to concern.
"I'm just a bit uncertain," Mario confessed, setting his fork next to his plate. "Bowser has never bid his time this long to assail us, and it worries me…"
Luigi actually hadn't given it much thought. Bowser was relentless. Certainly he wouldn't delay a possible assault on the Kingdom. Not for this long at least.
"Whatever he's up to, it'd have to be something remarkable to have such a remission."
Luigi wished he had some easing words for his brother, but he didn't. He didn't even have any for himself. He was actually dumbfounded. Mario never worried about anything.
'Bower's schemes do become more dangerous with every return,' Luigi rationalized.
'It'd only be natural to worry, especially given the circumstances. I really shouldn't be so surprised. After all, Mario is human, and humans have emotions. That includes anxiety.'
Although seeing Luigi appalled or aghast was nothing new to Mario (or anyone for that matter), Luigi hid his astonishment. He felt displaying it would somehow worsen the situation.
A knock on the door relieved the two brothers of their thoughts. Instinctively, they both rose with the intention of opening the door. Luigi allowed Mario the honor, and followed closely behind. Mario lazily grabbed the knob and turned it. He couldn't help but wonder who would visit them so early in the day. Mario pulled the door forward.
The opened door revealed a burst of sunlight and the visitor. On their doorstep was an elderly man of Mario's height, if not a little shorter. His hair was dusty grey, and in a
similar style to Mario's own hair. Thick eyebrows hung above the soft, blue eyes that peered from behind his monumental nose. Directly below was festooned with a shaggy moustache that concealed his entire mouth. His attire was composed of a white lab coat that enveloped a likewise white undershirt, and dark brown pants that seemed a size too large.
"Mr. Mario, Mr. Luigi," He greeted them with a nod. "Perhaps you recognize me. May I come in?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Please do," Luigi apologized as he broke away from his examination of the elderly man.
Mario and Luigi moved from the entrance and allowed the man in. They returned to the kitchen, where Mario and the man took a seat at the table.
'Ermm…seat's still warm…' The grey-haired man thought to himself. Irrelevant as the thought might have been at the time, he just never liked sitting in seats that were still warm after someone else had sat in them.
"Can I get you anything?" Luigi offered as he noticed the man's quick look of displeasure.
"No, thank you." He replied to him. "Please seat with us."
Luigi took a seat next to Mario. He now noticed how exhausted the old man really looked. Dark bags hung under his eyes, probably the result of sleep deprivation. The deep wrinkles that adorned his face could clearly be distinguished. Something urgent must have brought him here.
"I'm going to make this as frank as I can," The old man explained, intertwining his hands and bringing them underneath his chin. "A dire evil now threatens the existence of my world, and soon it will threaten the existence of yours and many others as well. You are in great peril,"
Mario listened intently. He never would have thought he would hear this. An adversary from out of this world… a menace of which he has never conceived was putting not only
the Kingdom in danger, but the entire world itself. This was already worse then Bowser, and he knew nothing about it.
"This living atrocity is manipulating the corrupted beings of many worlds, including that of your own. They are intent to destroy and conquer whatever lies ahead of them. In only a matter of time…weeks, days even, they could annihilate my world and set their sights on yours."
Mario felt his heart sink, but Luigi's may have well stopped. Was that why Bowser had been absent? Indeed, it was something remarkable he was involved in.
"However, we are not without hope. Among those in danger, brave individuals are determined to stand resolute against them, but I fear we are not enough. Mario… Luigi...you two have a decision to make. It is a decision of utmost importance and one that could alter the fate of many people. The dangers are numerous, physically and mentally and there is the possibility that you may not be able to return. Now I ask you both, are you willing to take a stand among us?" His last words were evident of sheer determination.
Mario pondered the situation. The man may have given them to the lowdown, but he was still a bit lax on the details.
'Should that be a concern? Knowing that others could perish and that you could change that should be all that really matters…shouldn't it?'
He closed his eyes and thought to himself.
'Many people might be relying on my decision, including my own. How could I turn a blind eye to those who need me? I have to do it!'
Mario's eyes shot open and he immediately unseated himself, nearly knocking down the chair in the process.
"I'll go!" he declared. He eyes no longer possessed the cold, uncertainty, but instead a newfound confidence. He knew he could defeat whatever was sent his way. He had to.
There is the possibility you may not even be able to return
Those words echoed to a sickening degree in Luigi's mind. He would be leaving everything behind. The life and home he grew so accustomed to, and even Daisy. He didn't want to leave. Not now, not ever.
'Don't be so selfish! There are lives at stake, and now your brother's is one of them. Your brother! Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good,' Luigi's voice of reason scolded him. 'Mario is willing to do it…'
He couldn't let his brother go off to God-knows-where. Not alone. Not without him.
"So will I," Luigi said, also unseating himself. He was careful to slide the chair underneath the table.
"I suggest you take care of any business you have now," The old man advised.
"There is one thing I have to do…" Mario said, and then proceeded to head out the door. Luigi and the elderly man followed him. As they made their way to Peach's castle, Mario couldn't help but realize that it's amazing how 15 minutes could seem like forever.
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"A vacation, huh? Since when do you go on vacations alone?" Princess Peach raised an eyebrow. She knew Mario was acting peculiar, it was plain obvious. A bead of sweat rolled down Mario's face.
"Well…I'm not, Luigi is coming to, and-"
"Mario, I want the truth," She looked right through Mario's lie.
Mario sighed. He didn't want to put her through all the worrying, but he knew it was inevitable. In retrospect, it would probably be better this way; how could he explain never coming back from the vacation anyway?
"We had a visitor today, an old man. He informed us his world might be destroyed by a menace that threatens our world as well. It's even manipulating Bowser and others, supposedly. He asked Luigi and me to join him in the fight against it and we're not the only ones either, Princess. Others are in danger, and others are fighting. We might be able to help them, and that's what we plan to do, no matter what."
"How can you trust him? Did he have any …proof or anything?" she seemed dismayed.
"Well… But there's something about him, I just can't place my finger on it. I know he's telling us the truth."
The princess was astounded. Part of her wish she hadn't bothered prying the truth from Mario. What if she never saw him again? Now she understood why he was lying to her. She turned her back at Mario. She looked at the red carpet of her bedroom floor.
"And you lied to me because…"
"…I didn't want to worry you," Mario finished for her. "But you have the right to know the truth. I should have respected that right from the start."
"Mario…" She said softly. Her voice trembled slightly. She might've been on the verge of tears, or possibly even crying. She was silent for a moment. "Mario…"
"Yes, Princess?" Mario asked, now concerned. He had a feeling what was to come.
"I'm going with you. No matter what you say, you can't change my mind. I won't let you go without me."
"But Princess!" Mario tried to reason. "Th-the dangers are numerous, both physically and mentally!"
"I don't care what the dangers are, Mario." She said coolly.
"There is even the possibility that you may not be able to return!"
"You're willing to risk it all Mario. So am I."
"Are you absolutely sure?" Mario asked doubtfully. He didn't want her to come. He didn't want her in danger, although she already was. He resisted the urge to tell her to stay here, but she was her own person and she could make her own decisions.
"Yes!" Peach said as she turned around and faced Mario. Her eyes were glassy, and a streak remained where a tear had trickled down her face. The corners of her mouth hinted at a smile. Mario now knew she really was determined to go, no matter what. It wouldn't do any good if he got down on his hands and knees and begged with all his heart. That was that. There were no two ways about it.
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"But my Princess, this is too big a job for me!" Toadsworth was jogging briskly to keep up with Mario and Peach, who were now outside the castle.
"I know you'll do fine. I trust you more than anyone else with this duty." She looked to her side and met eyes with Toadsworth. She smiled at him. She really did trust him. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.
"But I implore you Princess, ple-"
"No buts!" She replied, still maintaining her smile.
Toadsworth stopped in his tracks. There was no changing her mind when it was set.
"Very well Princess. I will not let you down. The kingdom is in good hands…" He said with a sigh, and returned inside.
Although Mario thought he should have felt uneasy about Peach coming, she didn't seem to be apprehensive about the whole ordeal. That alone seemed to relieve him of anxiety. For that, he silently admired the princess. It wasn't long before the two joined Luigi and the old man, who were near a series of warp-pipes along with Yoshi. Luigi walked towards Mario and pulled him aside.
"Excuse us," Luigi said to the others as he pulled Mario by arm. "Mario, we have a bit of a problem..."
"You're telling me," he said, rubbing his head.
"Yoshi wanted to know where we were going. I couldn't lie to him. He was giving me that look," Luigi explain sheepishly. "He's…uh…coming with us."
"Peach is too," Mario sighed. "I tried to talk her out of it, but it was no good. Listen Luigi, we have to keep an eye on them. I couldn't let anything happen to either of them"
Luigi nodded and the two plumbers turned towards the group.
"What exactly is our means of transportation?" Luigi asked, looking around for some sort of vehicle.
The old man pointed in the sky, to the east. What appeared to be a glowing purple tornado darkened the eastern sky. Lightning seemed to dance around it and raw energy appeared to be leaking from its 'entrance'. What's more amazing than how it looked it how they all actually missed seeing it.
"That." He simply said.
"That? What is that?" Mario asked, focusing on it.
"That is a wormhole, created by the evil entity, and something technology from my world has yet to accomplish…. I suppose now would be a good time to elaborate on some details. "Not only am I not from this planet, I'm not from this dimension."
Yoshi titled his head while Peach and the plumbers exchanged glances. It made sense now; they may not be able to return because they were traveling from reality to reality. Even with those particulars, everything was still the same… Still the endangered… Still a threat existed. The only difference was that it was now on a much grander scale,
"I hope that detail doesn't completely change everthing…" The old man began. The three shook their heads. The old man smiled through his moustache. "Are you three prepared?"
"I'm coming as well," Peach proclaimed, stepping forward. The old man seemed surprised.
"Are you sure? You realize the dangers you face?"
"I am fully aware of them," Peach replied with a nod. The old man smiled once again.
"Now we should make our way to the wormhole. It may not be there much longer. Time is of the essence. I hope we didn't use too much of it up."
The four began their diminutive journey to the wormhole. The sights along the way weren't anything particularly spectacular; just greens hill with the occasional warp-pipe or block. There was a time when these hills were swarming with piranha plants and dubbed the Piranha Highlands, but now they're just peaceful uprisings.
Peach couldn't help but notice a striking similarity between the old man and Mario. Old man…she thought that sounded disrespectful.
"May I ask how I am to address you?" Peach asked the old man. It occurred to her as odd that the Mario Brother's never actually asked that. Perhaps they already knew.
"To my colleagues I'm known as Dr. Mario. To avoid confusion, perhaps you all should address me as Dr. M." The doctor laughed.
"What?" Mario's mouth was slightly gaped, but he continued pressing forward, as did the others.
"Well I did say I was from an alternative dimension." Dr. Mario started. "I can explain it all to you later if you'd like. Right now, however, we have to enter this wormhole."
Perhaps that's why the Mario Brothers had been so trusting of the man who bore information but no actual evidence.
They all now stood before it. It cast an eerie glow to the surroundings. The white lightning that enclosed it was silent. Mario could now make out orbs that traveled around it in a spiral manner. It actually was a sight to behold. The doctor turned and faced Mario and his companions.
"This is the last opportunity you'll have to change your mind. I hope you're all sure about this."
Mario stepped forward and walked to the entrance of the wormhole. Peach followed him, and in turned, she was trailed by Yoshi. Luigi sighed and ambled after them. He may have decided on going, but he wasn't particularly joyful about it.
Mario jumped into the wormhole, which then sucked him along through. The inside of it was relatively warm and adorned with rippling streaks of bluish energy. Unexpectedly, it was noiseless as well. Definitely in its own way, it was serene.
Peach and Yoshi mimicked Mario's actions. Peach held tightly onto Yoshi as they were carried through the inter-dimensional tunnel. Finally, Luigi was sucked along inside as well. The doctor was all that remained.
"We may just have a chance…" He whispered hopefully to himself before joining the others in the distortion.
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Author's Notes: I hope this wasn't too catastrophic for my first. Suggestions and constructive criticism are always welcomed. Please restrain from flaming. Thank you.