Lucky! (A Mario tale)

[Super Mario]

OOC: Hi everyone. I used to write a lot of stories on this board; or rather, I would write some stories, but they were usually quite long and often pretty well received by readers. I haven't written a new one in a long time, but for some reason the old fire to craft an epic tale woven from the tapestries of Mario and his companions' journies has been lit again, so I'm going to try my hand at another, after quite a few years. Maybe I'll finish it this time.

**Just a quick note about my writing style before I begin--my stories are for everyone, they rarely venture anywhere into obscenity, sexual contact or expression, drug use, or anything you wouldn't really see in a Mario game. However, as I crave character development and depth, and am going on 21 years old, there will be a maturity within the characters relevant to the situations and their experiences, and anything "offensive" will be conducted in a graceful and sensible manner that will fit with the accepted universe patched together by the various games throughout the Mario franchise. These kinds of things will be few and far between, but they are what makes this my writing and not just a textualized version of a Mario game. On another note, I am a big fan of the Paper Mario/Mario & Luigi game series, and love to add as much humor as is possible without compromising the integrity of the story into my writing--I break the 4th wall a lot, sometimes referencing things which 'remind' the reader that they are reading a fanfiction... so don't let it bother you when these things come up, it's all in good fun. I tend to write with traditional hero/enemy roles, and traditional settings and possibilities; in that sense I am very conservative, so don't expect any non-Nintendo crossovers, blood and gore, or completely uncharacteristic scenarios. If you are looking for those things, then I am not the writer for you.

That being said, I hope I'm able to write something worth reading. Feedback is very welcome. = )

***

Thunder cracked the sky like a horseman's whip, the lightning accompanying it serving to ellicit a sharp white flash through the tiny room. The King narrowed his fiery eyes, staring into a crystal ball that was filled with a swirling white mist, observing with a dark delight that images that it conjured. Across from him sat an aging female Magikoopa, her wiry yellowed hands lifted in concentrated conjuration over the mystical orb. The room was small, barely holding the shelled Overlord and his accomplice, containing only a small table and two chairs--and, of course, the object of their fascination: the crystal ball.

"How long does this thing take to work?" the King's gruff voice cut through the consistent patter of rain against the single high window of the stone walled room, dripping with a familiar impatience. He drummed a clawed hand against the wooden tabletop, leaving tiny nicks along its rough, dusty surface. Receiving no immediate response from the Magikoopa, he snarled, baring a row of menacing fangs... "Kammy!"

Kammy Koopa was snapped out of her apparent trance, adjusting her deep violet magikoopa's hat and shifting her gaze uneasily to the Koopa King, "Ah, erm, I'm sorry Lord Bowser... it should only be a moment... I'm having trouble making the connection..." She thwapped the crystal ball lightly with her fist, grumbling, "C'mon you piece of junk, we haven't got all day..." It was a hoarse whisper beneath the torrential rain.

The fog began to clear, and there within the orb, with a resentful but smug satisfaction, the two of them peered at the hazy face of a familiar foe...

--

Luigi sat up quickly; too quickly in fact, smacking his forehead against the bottom side of the bed's upper bunk. "Ouch!" He rubbed at his face, wincing, letting the pain subside before taking a glance at the clock across the room. "10 o'clock! Mama mia, I swear I just laid down..." But despite the plumber's feelings, sun was streaming in through the window, lighting the red-and-green decor'd room with the ethereal splendor often present on calm, sunlit mornings. Slipping quietly out of bed, Luigi noticed voices coming from the kitchen/dining area of the house he shared with his elder brother Mario...

"--It just arrived in the mail yesterday," Princess Peach Toadstool marveled. She was sitting with Mario at the small table in the main living area of the house, displaying a beautiful jeweled amulet in her perfectly spotless white gloves; it hung from a petite golden chain, displaying a deep ruby jewel that was bordered by a golden floral pattern. She smiled, looking it over; there was something alluring about it, more than just its beauty--it appeared almost priceless, ancient but at the same time sparkling and new. She didn't know who had sent it or why, but it was addressed to her. Probably a gift from one of the many benefactors she had aided militaristically or financially over her years maintaining royal responsibilities in the Mushroom Kingdom, she had thought.

Mario smiled, the ruby hue of the amulet reflecting lightly in his sky blue eyes, "It's-a ME, MARIO! quite a beautiful gift!" he mused, resting his chin in a gloved palm; in truth, he found Peach herself to be much more alluring, and delighted in the fact that she enjoyed the trinket so much. He watched her marvel over it, smiling lightly beneath the thick, reliable hairs of his mustache. The two of them had been drinking chilled tea when she had decided to show off her new jewelry, waiting for Luigi to get up.

The younger brother took a seat with them after a moment, having dressed in his usual lime-green attire--he was still pulling on his worn out brown shoes. "Sorry I slept in so late... I didn't-a sleep so well. I had this nightmare that some weird fella' was making up stories about my life and writing them down..." Luigi rubbed the sleep from his eyes, noticing a cup of tea sitting waiting for him at his usual seat, a green-stained wooden chair with wobbily legs.

Peach smiled, "Well good morning anyway, Luigi. We've got plenty of time, don't worry about sleeping in. The train doesn't leave for another couple of hours."

Luigi nodded groggily, picking up the tea and sipping it. He stirred a bit in surprise, "It's-a cold!"

Mario laughed, sitting back in his chair. Peach giggled lightly, "It's supposed to be cold, silly! It's iced tea. You don't want hot tea on a sunny summer day, do you?"

Luigi laughed a bit at himself, taking a bigger swallow of the sweet tea. "I suppose not, heh heh. Just-a took me by surprise." Mario gave him a wink, and the two shifted their attention back to Peach, who had planned their little adventure. Mario chimed in, "We've-a both got everything packed already, so we can-a relax for a little while before we catch the train." He noticed Peach had put the necklace back on and tucked it beneath the fabric of her shirt; she wore a pink sundress and sandals. 'She always manages to dress so well for the occasion, even on muggy days like today,' he thought, fondly watching her. Peach caught his eye, smiling shyly at the way he still seemed to observe her so carefully even after all of the time they'd been together.

Luigi had taken out a wrinkled piece of parchment, yellow with age, and was studying it carefully against the worn tabletop. He scribbled something in blue ink onto the lower left corner of the paper and tucked it into the front pocket of his overalls. Mario noticed that whatever he wrote had immediately disappeared or dispersed into the parchment, which appeared to be wholly blank. Mario raised a brow inquisitively, "What's that, disappearing ink? Another one of E. Gadd's inventions?"

Luigi grinned coyly, "I've-a got a few tricks you don't know about big brother." Mario wondered for a moment what Luigi would be writing, but decided it was probably disappearing ink for a reason.

The three sat and idly chatted for a little while longer, enjoying the iced tea Peach had made and occasionally arranging and discarding items they had packed.

The plan was for the three of them to spend a week at a coastal beach resort, a private establishment on a small, unnamed island a little ways off of the coast of sunny Isle Delfino. But hey, if they just spent a sunny week on the beach, it wouldn't make for a very interesting fan fiction!

***

OOC: That's all for now, I need to catch some z's. I don't have anything planned too far ahead at the moment, so this could go in a number of directions. Let me know what you think! I'll probably write again tomorrow (and more when it's not almost 3 in the morning), but it's good to get it started. Ciao!

[Super Mario]

OOC: Here we go!

--

The click of the train over its predestined track rhythmically lulled its passengers into a heat-induced sleepiness. Mario, Luigi, and Peach shared a cabin, and sat trading conversation or staring out the window at the rolling cacti and desert dunes. The passenger train had left from Mt. Rugged, and while it was on the more shabby side of transportation possibilities, it was the only train that went to and from Dire Dock, a supposedly haunted dock that was home to a long-distance steamboat, and had recently become a kind of tourist attraction for the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. Despite its shabby appearance, the train staff (all aging Toads with well-kempt mustaches) were very hospitable to its passengers, and would check in on the Mario Brothers and Peach periodically.

"Would anyone like a snack?" A polite, soft-spoken voice broke the silence that had previously inhabited the cabin of our heroes.

Mario snapped out of a deep thought, sky blue eyes shifting their attention to the elderly Toad who stood peeking into the cabin. Luigi looked to be napping in his seat, propped up against a wall which constantly vibrated due to the movement of the train. Peach had declined with a shake of her head, and was staring out the window at the passing desert, as if waiting to see something familiar. Mario gave the Toad an affirmative nod, asking after a moment, "What's-a on the menu?"

The Toad smiled, wincing his face in thought, "Ah... we have... iced blueberry lemonade, fried dried 'shrooms, and the Royal Souflee! I'm Muss T., pleased to meet you." He seemed particularly excited about the Royal Souflee, but Mario thought it sounded a little... exotic for his tastes. Muss T. left after Mario asked for some fried dried 'shrooms, standing up from his seat and walking over to where Peach was standing a few feet away.

"See anything familiar?"

She shook her head, "No, but I've noticed every now and then, there are flowers... but you have to really watch for them. They're orange with red stems, really peculiar and pretty. There are so many dunes and cacti, but every now and then you get these little flashes of color, like tiny sunsets..." She seemed transfixed on the passing sands.

Luigi was awake now, writing something else on the strange, yellowed parchment he kept tucked into the front pocket of his overalls. Tucking it away again, he took off his lime-green cap, wiping at his brow, "It's-a so hot. I hope we get there soon or--"

Luigi's last words were lost in a sudden loud, grating noise. Mario, Peach, and Luigi each grabbed for something to hold onto as the train came lurching to a loud, sudden stop, sliding along the tracks and hissing with the release of steam, finally coming to a full stop after a few moments of awkward inertia.

As sand settled around the motionless locomotive, Mario could hear shouting coming from outside the cabin. Something was wrong...

--

OOC: Okay, all for tonight. I'm sleepy. Power went out yesterday or I'd have posted sooner. I'll probably post again tomorrow. Feedback still welcome!

[jmdblazer]

This is amazingly well written. I really want to read the rest of the story. Keep up the good work, Super Mario.

[Super Mario]

OOC: Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I'm kind of making it up as I go along, so hopefully it stays interesting...

--

It seemed as if the entire population of Toad Town was standing around outside of the recently halted locomotive, the Dry Dry Desert sand still settling around the worn and mutually colorless train cars. Mario, Luigi, and Peach had rushed outside, immediately feeling the strain on their lungs as they attempted to breathe the hot, dry desert air.

Mario watched the other passengers, hearing them muttering and peering toward the front of the train; Why had it stopped? Was something blocking its path? Were they stranded in the desert? Mario dabbed his already perspiring forehead with a red polka-dotted handkerchief, noticing a train steward standing nearby. He sauntered over to the short Toad.

“What’s-a going on?” He tried to phrase the question amiably; everyone’s nerves seemed to be on end from the delay and the hot hot heat.

The Toad tugged at his lengthy white mustaches, as if thinking of a ginger way to phrase his reply, “Well, um… there’s… something blocking the tracks.”

Luigi and Peach had walked over as well. “What is it?” queried the green-clad plumber.

The Toad chuckled nervously… “Nothing, nothing really to be alarmed about… but there’s a Heavy Troopa stranded on the tracks and… we think it’s intentional. You know… pirates and all…”

The Mario Brothers and Peach almost faceplanted, exclaiming in unison, “PIRATES!? We can’t just let them ransack the train!”

The Toad rubbed the back of his head nervously, “Oh, they’ve been quite polite. They said they’re just looking for one thing… but they won’t say what… they’re questioning the passengers. Quite... heavily armed and all.”

Mario’s brow furrowed in worry, “Mama Mia! This-a doesn’t sound good at all…”

Without another moment’s thought, Mario started off towards the front of the train where the Heavy Toopa and pirates were supposedly questioning passengers. Luigi, sighing with exasperation, took off after Mario. Peach called after them, “Be careful!” But she knew they could probably handle themselves.

Sure enough, at the front of the train was a hulking Heavy Troopa, panting from the sun’s relentless beatdown, poised purposefully in the path of the train. Beside it stood three brash looking Dry Bones and a Koopa Paratroopa.

The Dry Bones lifted their fists menacingly as the Mario Brothers approached, kicking up a cloud of sand. An elderly Toad stood bewildered before them, stammering and constantly adjusting his monocle, “Now I’ve told you gentlemen I don’t know anything about an amulet…”

Mario and Luigi stood side-by-side, watching the pirates uneasily. Luigi whispered to Mario, “The Paratroopa looks important…” Indeed, he did. He was regaled in a crimson surcoat and a feathered cap of matching hue, and wore a smug look upon his face, his hands poised on his hips confidently.

The crimson pirate eyed the Marios suspiciously, “Vell, vat do we have ‘ere? A couple of… NE’ER-DO-WELLS looking to stir up some TROOBLE?” He had a thick accent; unplaceable, and almost un-understandable.

Mario tipped his cap up out of his eyes and lightly scowled at the pirates, “What’s-a the big idea hijacking the train and interrogating these-a poor people? Who are you?”

“Me? I ahm… CAPITANE!” He struck a flourished and flamboyant pose. The Dry Bones looked embrrassed. “… CAPITANE REDSCAR! OF-a de dread ship GOOMBAYA! Shoorely yoo hav ‘eard aff me?”

The Marios looked bewildered. What had he said? What were ship-faring pirates doing out in the desert?

The Captain continued. “Mine crew mates ant I are simply pervoyering thees train for a… trinket, ifyouvill. An ammaulet aff GREAT POWERS! Know you about it anything?”

Mario immediately thought of the amulet Peach wore hidden around her neck; it was mysterious, and perhaps it was already getting them into trouble. Luigi tugged his moustache lightly, “Ah, no. We don’t know anything about it. You, er, probably have-a the wrong train.”

“SILENCIO! I require ze cooperation! Iffa you will not comply witha my wishes, my crewmen vill SILENCE-A YOU FOR ME!” This was all the Dry Bones were waiting for, and immediately they started after the Mario Brothers with rusty sabers and rusty scowls.

Mario and Luigi took defensive postures, muttering, “Here we go…”

--

OOC: Uh oh! The first fight so far! We'll see how this goes!