"There isn't much better in life than tea with good company," said the king staring at the sun setting on their kingdom.
"Oh, I don't know your majesty. You seem to be glowing with your queen and son," replied the Vizier.
"I suppose that was the idea, wasn't it? Do you ever think about the old days?"
"Not even a little. Why I should have thought about this sooner. Although, I suppose, in a manner of speaking, I did."
"In a world where you could have anything you wanted, why didn't you pick a wife for yourself?" asked the King.
"Oh in my younger days, I was an irascible lech. I suppose I haven't considered it in some time."
"It's never too late. The maiden Daisy is still available. Perhaps you should avail yourself of her. Who knows, maybe you've always wanted the pitter-patter of little Robotniks running around."
"Hm, perhaps you're right. I mean, who is going to stop us? Not those Merry Menaces, and certainly not Sonic or those pesky plumbers."
The king roiled with laughter, "Indeed. Here's to us, and to our new world."
In another time and place when things were different, two men plotted a collaboration which would see them masters of a new Earth. This world, free of their obstacles had but one trick to finish the operation.
The walls of this castle the Mario Brothers found themselves in were metallic with a shiny finish, not very Koopa like. This flying fortress had the classic avant-garde exterior they'd come to expect from Bowser, but the inside was strange and different. It reminded them of factories they'd worked in for a while as young men in New Donk City but more strange was the eerie silence. No roiling lava or clattering dry bones, just a low humming noise of machinery in the distance.
"I think you're right. Something is off here." Luigi was the younger, but taller of the two brothers, and despite Mario having always been more outgoing, Luigi would fill the air with nervous conversation to avoid giving into fear. "It's sterile, and clean. Well not for long. Now that you're here this place will be a real mess."
Mario looked at his brother and rolled his eyes. Luigi had his own house, a nice one at that, but always stayed at Mario's pad. "I can't leave you by yourself, you're such a slob. Honestly, what would the princess think?" Luigi was right, of course, but Mario wasn't going to be the one to let him know. Mario had horrible timing when it came to proposing. The moments when he felt the energy, Princess Peach rebuffed him. It made a certain amount of sense that she wouldn't be happy to be proposed to right after Bowser's failed wedding attempt. She'd taken a vacation after that without him, which was rather unusual. They'd been on every vacation with each other since they'd met.
"I keep telling him to clean up after himself, but alas, he's such a mess," came a voice from round about Mario's head.
"Wowie zowie Cappy, put a bell on you." Luigi had to admit it was nice having the little ghost around. He wasn't overly fond of ghosts, but between his Polterpup and the Bonneter, he was warming up a bit. E. Gadd had identified him as a kind of tsukumogami; a spirit bound to an object. The object Cappy bound himself to had happened to be Mario's hat. Mario didn't talk much to most people, so Cappy came in handy for conversing, even with Luigi sometimes. Although he also had a habit of dozing off whenever, just like Mario. They were a pair.
Down the hall a ways, the three could hear a buzzing sound, something more high pitched than the whining machinery in the walls. An explosion made Luigi jump and, before he could get his footing, he was being pulled along by Mario's hand, running toward the noise for some insane reason. At the end of the corridor, on the other side of the sound was a large metallic door. On recognizing Mario and Luigi, the door opened.
It's important to remember that in his experience, Mario had met many strange and unusual creatures of all sorts. These individuals came in a rainbow of colors from every domain of life, practically. Behind the door stood a full foot shorter than himself, a blue man covered in quills, and an even smaller kitsune. On the ground, still smoking, was a humanoid robot, unlike anything the brothers had seen before.
"I take it this is your handywork?" he asked.
"Don't look at us," said Luigi, "You're the first people we've seen in this castle."
"Don't try to deny it, with 'staches like that, you two are definitely Eggman's brothers or something!"
"Eggman?" Luigi put his hands up to show he didn't want to engage with him, "No, the only brother I have his Mario here." Mario however, took a more proactive tactic, and readied himself to tussle.
"What if he's telling the truth, Sonic?" asked the kitsune.
"Then we'll know soon enough!" Sonic dashed at the brothers and before he could react, felt himself melting away, into a sea of serenity as he began to drift away into a deep slumber.
Outside of Sonic, the kitsune and Luigi gaped open jawed at the blue shrew, now sporting a red hat and moustache. This didn't last long, as soon Sonic found himself dazed and tired on the ground, wondering what had happened, and somewhat unaware of how much time had passed.
"Really sorry about that!" Mario said. "Let's try this again, I'm Mario, this is my brother, Luigi, and this fella is Cappy. We're looking for our princess, she's fair skinned, about yea high, wears a billowing pink dress."
"Sorry, we haven't seen anyone like that. I'm Tails, this is Sonic the Hedgehog. We were following an evil scientist here."
"Sorry," said Luigi, "You're the first thing we've seen since we got here, well you and… that." The machine lay dormant, completely totaled and unresponsive. It did have quite a superficial resemblance to Mario, in a way E. Gadd's Robo-Mario didn't. It was sleeker, with a better form factor, and definitely not Koopa. "Your Eggman's doing, I take it? Bowser's machines are all gears and cogs, nothing quite so electric."
It was then the doors slammed shut and stadium lighting poured on the group, "Indeed it is, my mustachioed man. Stopping Sonic in his tracks; no wonder you had such trouble with these two."
"It's of little consequence now. Soon there will be no Mario and no Sonic to trouble us."
"What's your game, Eggman?" Sonic asked.
"Behold, my greatest creation, the Kame Gear!" he replied.
"Uh…"
"It's a pun. He's a turtle or Kame in Japanese, Game Gear, Kame Gear."
"Well when you explain the joke like that, it's really pretty stupid."
"Pearls before porcuswine," Bowser bellowed.
"That one was pretty good."
"Throw the switch, dear Doctor!"
"Of course!"
The room began to whirl, as the machinery hidden below their feet began to spin. Sonic attacked the doors, to no avail, but the brothers stood resolute. Whatever came next, they could face it together. The world around them began to warp and disintegrate, replaced with nothing and soon, in the eye of the storm, there would be no more of them, either.
"Did you hear something?" asked one man.
"No. My ears are big, but yours are better," replied the other.
"The king's men aren't quite so quiet. Those clockwork knights are none are too smart."
The two skulked around the forest floor, paying attention to not create any more noise. Again, four more sounds, this time louder, followed by moaning and chatter.
"Mamma-mia."
"Wowie zowie."
"Where in the world are we?"
"No idea. My tablet isn't working. I swear it had plenty of charge, but it won't even turn on."
The shorter of the two men snuck behind the quartet and drew his sword, "Who are you lot?"
Taking a small moment to see what was going on, Sonic replied, "Shadow? What are you doing here?"
"I'm certain I don't know you. You four must be bounty hunters sent by the king! Waluigi!"
"Waluigi?" Luigi asked. His very favorite person in the whole world, that annoying purple doppelgänger.
"These men were surely set upon us by the king. What should we do with them?"
"What are you talking about?" Tails asked, "What king?"
"Don't play dumb, King Bowser I! Tyrant of Mushroom Island!"