-Chapter 16-
Once Upon a Dream
Brooklyn
Night had fallen over the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing workshop. All of the lights were out, save for a single lamp over a messy desk. There were homework sheets, bills, invoices, missing posters, and newspapers littering every inch of it. Sticky notes were attached to some of them, along with the wall in front of it. And sitting at this desk, red-faced from crying and with dark circles under her eyes, was Mary Pat Mario. In the months following Mario and Luigi's mysterious disappearance during their Times Square job, Mary Pat had taken over the workshop, doing her best to keep it afloat. Unfortunately, she was just a sixteen year old girl. She still had school to contend with, and didn't know the first thing about running a business. On top of that, she was still trying to search for her brothers. Luckily, she at least had some help with the former. Into the room came an older man with shaggy blond hair and wearing an orange electrician's, a pair of goggles on his face and a yellow construction hat on his head. This was Edison, a longtime friend of the family who lived in the loft over the plumbing workshop.
"Mips, what in the world are you still doing... up?"
He peered through his mop-like hair, seeing that Mary Pat had fallen asleep on her desk. A moment passed before he picked up a blanket, putting it over her shoulders. He removed her cap, hanging it up before patting her head.
"Sleep tight, kid."
He reached over and turned off the lamp, then quietly walked back to his loft.
"Mario…" Mary Pat muttered in her sleep.
Sands of Slumber
Back in Subcon, preparations for the ritual had begun. Imajin and Lina cleared out a space in the living room, allowing Amani to make a circle in the center with salt, laying sticks of incense around it.
"Alright, just lay down in the center of the circle," Lina said.
"Right here." Imajin placed down a pillow with the key under it. "And make sure the Object of Power is over your heart."
"Have you decided which of you will approach your sister?" Amani asked.
Mario stepped forward. "I will."
"You sure about this, bro?" Luigi asked.
Mario nodded. "I need to face my fears."
He laid down on the pillow, removing his cap and placing it on his chest. Amani turned around, rummaging through some kind of bag.
"So, now what?" he asked.
"Well, I jump out of the circle and I jump back in it and, um…" Amani held up a large yellow gourd, "I shake this magic gourd."
"Ooh, I know this one! The Dream Keepers were next called upon to do the Hokey-Pokey and turn themselves around, right?" Mario chuckled, only for Amani to give him a blank look. "What, I can't make a joke?"
"Do you want to see your sister again or not?"
"Alright, alright."
"Now, focus on your sister. It would be best to picture a memory, a strong one with the object of power at the center." Amani prepared herself. "And whatever you plan to say to her… make it count, my friend."
Mario rested his head back, getting settled as Amani jumped in and out of the circle a few times, shaking the gourd, tapping it a few times, and chanting something in Arabic. As she chanted, Mario closed his eyes, subconsciously gripping his cap. The salt circle began to glow, symbols appearing in it and surrounding Mario. An aura began to surround him as well, causing him to float slightly. At the same time, Amani's crystal ball began to sparkle and shimmer from its position on the table.
"It's working!" Imajin exclaimed.
"He's connecting to the dream?" Luigi asked.
"The crystal ball will show the target of the spell," Hassan said. "Keep an eye on it."
"Mips…" Luigi let out, the ball beginning to grow cloudy. He kept an eye on it as Amani finished her ritual dance, setting the gourd aside. Slowly, the clouds in the ball parted, revealing the interior of Super Mario Bros. Plumbing. He could see Mary Pat slumped over the desk, a tear on her cheek and surrounded by papers.
"It's her…" Luigi gasped.
"Looks like she misses you," Lina mused.
Luigi looked on in sorrow, only to feel something small wrap around his legs. He looked down to see Poki and Piki hugging him.
"Don't be sad, Mr. Luigi." Poki said.
"Yeah!" Piki chimed in. "You'll get to go home and see her again someday."
Luigi smiled down at them, placing his hands on their heads. "Yeah. Someday…"
Mario's eyes suddenly snapped wide open, glowing a magenta color, the same as MP's hat, before his eyes closed once more.
"It's done," Amani reported. "He has entered your sister's dreams."
"Then let's hope it works," Luigi remarked.
In the dream, Mario was walking on a cloudy landscape, looking around.
"Mips?" he called. "Mary Pat?"
A distant laugh echoed around him. He did a 360 turn, then he saw a light growing in the distance.
Mario ran into the light, everything going white. As it cleared, he found himself on a playground. He saw a younger Mary Pat, around eight years old, being harassed by a group of bullies. The leader, an older boy in sunglasses with black hair and wearing blue, held up her cap, making her jump for it teasingly.
"I remember this," Mario smiled. "It's about to get fun in five, four, three, two…"
"HEY!"
All eyes turned to see a younger Mario and Luigi in their teens. The bros were clean-shaven, teen Mario wearing a red shirt with a blue stripe, jeans, and red sneakers with white toes, and teen Luigi wearing a green sweater with dark blue jeans and sneakers identical to Mario's, but green.
"Leave her alone, Spike," the teen Mario ordered.
Spike scoffed. "Whatcha gonna do about it, Shrimpo?"
Mario kicked back, smiling as he watched his younger self slowly approach him
"You heard me. Give MP her hat back and back. OFF. "
Spike just laughed and shook the hat over Mario's head. "Or what? You'll bite my ankles?"
A loud thud sounded and Spike's eyes widened, watering as he dropped MP's cap with a choked wheezing sound. Groans of sympathy sounded as Spike slumped over, cupping his groin as Mario lowered his left foot
"Not quite the ankles, but I think I made my point." Teen Mario picked up the fallen cap, pressing it onto Mary Pat's head. "You okay, Mips?"
She nodded, then rushed forward and hugged him
"C'mon, let's get outta here," Luigi insisted.
They walked off as Spike slowly got up.
"I'm gonna get you for this, Mario!" He shook his fist before wincing, limping away. "Ugh... right after I put some ice on this…"
Mario laughed at that, then turned to the manifestation of his sister. Slowly, both Young Mario and Young Luigi faded away, and little Mary Pat was all alone. The scene shifted, and Mario found himself in their Brooklyn apartment, red and blue lights flashing in the windows as a now older MP approached the door in her PJs. Lou and Martha were also in their night clothes as they answered the door. Doing so revealed two police officers at the door, their faces obscured thanks to the dream.
"Mr. and Mrs. Mario?" one cop said.
Lou and Martha exchanged worried looks before letting the officers in. They sat down, explaining what they had found.
"We found their van abandoned with the keys still inside, as well as signs of a struggle in the sewers."
"Where are my boys?" Martha demanded.
"We… don't know," the officer admitted. "There was no sign of them, and our search dogs didn't turn up anything. But... those tunnels are massive, and… accidents do happen."
Lou squeezed his wife's hand. Clenching her fists, Mary Pat spoke up.
"Scapelli…" she hissed. "It had to be him. He had his goons jump them! I just know it!"
"Mary Pat, we can't point any fingers," Martha said. "Not even at him."
"Ma, you know what a slimy rat Scapelli is! He'll ruin Super Mario Bros. Plumbing any way he can!"
"We'll be sure to look into Anthony Scapelli," the officer assured. "In the meantime, I suggest reaching out, seeing if anyone finds them." He sighed. "For what it's worth... I'm sorry."
The officers left, after which Martha broke down. Lou held her, shaking from sobs himself. Mary Pat just stood there, shaking while clutching her cap. Mario watched, his hands shaking before Mary Pat collapsed in despair herself. Finally, he clenched his fists, unable to bear it any longer.
"That's enough," he let out softly, his tone cold.
Surprisingly, everything froze at that, the color and sound draining out of the apartment. Only Mary Pat, hands buried in her hands and crying her eyes out, was still moving. Mario slowly approached, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder, and that was when she looked up, blinking.
"M-Mario?" she let out, wiping her eyes and turning. "Is it… really you?"
"Hey, squirt," Mario smiled slightly. "I'd ask if you missed me, but I think I know the answer."
Mary Pat threw her arms around him. "Where have you been? Where's Luigi?!"
"Luigi's fine," Mario patted her back. "As for where we've been... that's a long story."
"Whatever. You're back now and that's all that matters. Ma! Pa! Mario-!" MP turned, only to see them frozen. "Ma... Pa…" She deflated. "Oh... this isn't real... is it?"
Mario nodded solemnly. "It's a dream, yeah. All in your head. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's not real."
Mary Pat sighed before smiling. "Well… if this is a dream, I'm gonna make the most of it."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
"So, what should we do? This is my first lucid dream. Maybe we can go beat up Scapelli."
"Actually…" Mario began, "why don't we do something more… sci-fi?"
Mary Pat grinned. "Space adventure?"
Mario nodded. "And what's a space adventure without a rocket?"
"One rocket coming up!" MP clapped her hands twice, the area shifting to become a launchpad. There, sitting on the pad waiting to launch, was a red and green rocket, complete with the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing logo. "Think this'll work?"
"Oh yeah. Big time."
Sands of Slumber
Back in Subcon, Luigi grinned. "Attagirl, Mips."
"So that's a rocket," Imajin mused.
"You've seriously never seen a rocket ship?" Toad asked.
Imajin turned to him. "Toad, we live in the Dry Dry Desert where the most advanced technology we really have is an electric fan. So forgive me if I come off as a bit backward."
Toad rubbed the back of his head. "Right, sorry."
"Okay, now all we need to do is summon it here," Lina said.
"How do they do that?" Luigi asked.
"Mario needs to bring the rocket to Subcon," Amani replied. "Waking them both up."
"Then he'll have to leave his sister behind…" Peach realized. "And they just saw each other again."
"I know," Amani said solemnly. "Hopefully, Mario takes my advice."
In the rocket, both Mary Pat and Mario were getting ready to launch.
"This is gonna be so much fun," Mary Pat remarked. "I wonder what kind of worlds we'll see."
"Oh yeah." Mario was silent for a moment before turning to her. "MP, I know this is a dream, and you most likely don't believe I'm actually here... but either way, when this ends and you wake up, I need you to do something for me."
"Anything. Just name it."
"Tell Mom and Dad that Luigi and me are fine. We don't know when or how, but we'll be back home as soon as I can. And... tell Pop I'm sorry. Even if this is just a dream to you, never lose heart or give up hope. Your brothers are out there."
She smiled before hugging him. "Okay, Mario. I promise. Now, you wanna count us down?"
"You know it." They leaned back in their chairs as Mario counted down. "Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one!"
"Blast off!" Mary Pat hit the launch button, and the rocket took off, heading right for a large, swirling portal.
"Oh, that looks like fun!" MP exclaimed. "Like a Warp Zone in Jump Man!"
"Let's-a go!" Mario declared.
They cheered as the rocket flew into the portal…
-X-
Sands of Slumber
…and that was when Mario snapped awake, the aura around him fading before he landed rump-first on the ground of Imajin's home.
"Mama-mia…" he sighed.
"Bro, it worked!" Luigi pointed. "Look!"
Everyone ran outside to find Mary Pat's conjured rocket sitting outside, ready for launch. Mario gave a bittersweet smile.
"Mips came through for us. I just wish we had more time to spend together." He sighed. "Do you... think it made any difference? What I said?"
"If nothing else… I think that was the best dream she's had since we left," Luigi mused.
"Yeah…" Mario nodded.
"You gave her comfort, if only for a fleeting moment," Amani said. "And she has the hope you two will return. Hope is frail, but it's hard to kill."
"Right… thank you, Amani." Mario turned to the rocket. "Now then, we have a toad to croak."
Brooklyn
In the workshop, Mary Pat stirred before sitting up, finding herself at the desk. A moment passed before she went to the couch with the blanket in hand, her eyes falling on a photo of her with Mario and Luigi on an outing to Coney Island, the trio smiling happily. With that, MP laid down before going to sleep peacefully for the first time since her brothers' disappearance, a smile on her face.
Author's Note:
Bittersweet, I know. But at least he got to see his sister again. Next chapter, the attack on Wart's castle begins.
As for who Edison is, he was Mario and Luigi's friend and roommate from the live action segments of the Super Show. And yes, the guy in the flashback messing with Mary Pat is meant to be a young Foreman Spike.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Young Mario - Chris Hackney (Yuito Sumeragi from Scarlet Nexus, Stinger from One-Punch Man, Dimitri from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Kensuke Fukui from Kuroko's Basketball, Kamisato Ayato from Genshin Impact)
* Young Luigi - Antony Del Rio (Pit and Dark Pit in Kid Icarus, Silas in Fire Emblem Fates, Blue Beetle in Injustice 2, Chico in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Reptil in The Super Hero Squad Show)
* Young Spike - Gerry Rosenthal (Jimmy Hopkins from Bully)
* Edison - William Salyers (Cid in World of Final Fantasy, Reverend Putty in Moral Orel, Rigby in Regular Show, Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man PS4)
Please R&R. Until next time!