Super Mario Bros OG

[John Tagatchi]

OoC: Yeah, another Mario OG. But this one is a retelling of the Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. game. Guidelines: Follow the original story of Super Mario Bros. as closely as possible. However, as you can see, liberties are taken in the story- Kamek never appeared in Super Maro Bros., but he's been added to enhance the story. Just don't carry subplots too far away from the main plot and stick to Mario characters. Well, let's start.

"They're coming!" the sentry Toad shouted as he dashed back to the capital city of the Mushroom Kingdom, with its 8th sector. All Toads were short creatures who looked very human, with faces resembling mushroom stalks. The illusion was completed by the large mushroom caps they wore on their heads.

This was no ordinary world. It was a world where clouds had smiles, stalks delivered babies, and everything seemed to be alive. But as every coin has twos sides, so does this world. The evil in this world at this time is the trible of turtle-like Koopas, lead by the evil King Bowser Koopa. They were the footsoldiers now marching towards Toad Town. They came in differant shapes and sizes, and each was worse then the last.

Goombas were the lowest of the lot. They looked like differant kinds of mushrooms- the kind you see sticking to your pizza. But these also had small feet, bushy eyebrows and pointy fangs. Very few Goombas had not been brought over to Bowser's side by the king's lies. They were in the front lines.

Walking behind them were the Koopa Troopas. These were turtles, most of whom could walk on their hind legs, tehir front legs having become hands. The color of shell decided rank- green shells being lower then the red shells. They hailed from the same homeland as Bowser, so they had to follow him. Some of the Koopas, known as Paratroopas, wore feathered wings which allowed them to fly. Or at least the ones with well-made wings strong enough to hold their heavy shells in the air.

Flying above the others were the Lakitus. A Lakitu is a nerdy-looking turtle with glasses, riding magical clouds. They also tossed down eggs which quickly hatched into Spinies- four-legged red-shelled turtles whose backs were covered in spikes.

But the two commanders... were the creepiest of all. Kamek Koopa was a mysterious Magikoopa. Magikoopas were the highest order of the Koopas and were skilled in black magic. All that could be seen beneath one's hooded cloak was a bespectacled Koopa face. Kamek red a broomstick, keeping his red wand handy. He was the right-hand man of the higher commander riding beside him... King Bowser Koopa.

Bowser roade in a round flying machine which had a menacing clown face drawn on it. Known as the Clown Copter, it was only half as menacing as the great Koopa King. Bowser was a huge Koopa with clawed hands, hair as red as blood, the horns of a bull, and fangs sharp enough to pierce a Koopa shell- but probably not his own shell, which was huge and covered in spikes. Bowser shouted out an order, and the fight began.

It was a quick fight. The Toads, though quite strong, were sheepish and outnumbered. There spears were also no match for the Koopas' Bullet Bills- explosive black bullets with angry looks on their faces as they chased down enemies.

The Koopa army then approached the Mushroom Palace.

***

Mario yawned as he forced himself out of his bed and trudged over to the kitchen and the coffee machine, muttering a quick "Mornin'" to his brother Luigi as he passed him. Mario and Luigi were mustachioed Italian twin brothers, but aside from that they were very fraternal. Mario was the wiser and considered older by Luigi, who idolized his master plumbing. But none of them were young, nor were they too handsome. Mario was portly and mustached, while Luigi was tall and stringy.

As Mario sipped down the coffee, Luigi asked, "Something wrong, Bro? You haven't been yourself for a while now."

"Huh? It's nothing."

"No, it's got to be something. You only seem actually happy when we're plumbing, and even then you seem like you're missing something."

Mario continued to refuse to speak. He knew Luigi wouldn't take his story seriously. It was four years ago when a gorilla kidnapped Mario's girlfriend Pauline. But the ape was differant then normal ones- it seemed almost human. It had been spotted a few times before then, and one person claimed he saw it rising from the sewers. The gorilla seemed lost and confused, and it found Pauline lovely. So it did what came natural to it and just took her. The ape was persistant, and led Mario on a chase throughout differant landscapes.

Despite the fact that the ape was holding his girlfriend captive, Mario couldn't help but feel wonderful. There was something about the chase and the mysterious monsters that seemed like some mystical adventure, and Mario liked being the hero. Mario found himself performing acrobatic feats he never thought himself capable enough. Eventually the ape's young son, who even wore a tanktop labeled "Jr" came from seemingly nowhere to help the gorilla. It concluded with a battle atop a tower, when the ape had grown giant after eating some sort of giant mushroom. Mario conquered the giant, and Pauline was saved. Mario had never felt happier since.

But after that things took a turn for the worse. Mario gave in to his anger, holding the gorilla prisoner in a jungle. Pauline left him in anger, and the gorilla's son was able to beat some sense into him. That's when Mario quit his carpenting job and started a plumbing business with his brother. Of course he still loved plumbing, but it didn't compare to being the hero of a mystical adventure.

***

The heavy brown doubledoors of the throne room burst open as Bowser and Kamek Koopa entered, escorted by a group of Koopa Troopa guards. Bowser approached the Mushroom King and addressed him, "Now to go over the terms of your surrender: I take total control over your kingdom, and my men may do as they pleased. Any Toads rebelling against us will be transfigured by our Magikoopas, or suffer even worse fates."

The Mushroom King burst out, "And what will we gain by this?!"

"You will be allowed to live. And also, there is one last requirement. To make sure that everything is cool between us, I want your daughter's hand in marriage."

A smug grin crossed the Mushroom King's face. "You can't."

Bowser looked furious. "WHAT?"

"By now, her private plane has already arrived at Rougeport. A friend of mine there will make sure she stays hidden from your vile grasp forever."

"You..." Bowser stammered, "Who? Who is your contact?!"

"I will not tell."

"A fatal mistake," Bowser snapped his fingers and signaled to Kamek, "Give 'im the slow treatement."

"Aye, sir." Kamek pulled out his wand and aimed it at the Mushroom King, releasing a blast which hit his right hand. At first nothing seemed to be happening, but slowly the hand hardened until it was made of red brick. The King tipped over from the weight and also felt great pain, but he surpressed it with a smile.

"Do your worst."

"If you wish..." Kamek charged energy into his wand, but he suddenly forze when he noticed a golden glow surrounding the Mushroom King's hand. The previous spell reversed as the stone softened to free him. "What?!"

Every eye in the room turned to the figure who had just emerged from the secret passage near the throne. She was a tall and beautiful woman in an elegant pink dress. Unlike the Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom, she wore no mushroom cap and did not remotely resemble a mushroom. Instead a cap topped her flowing mane of blonde hair. Princess Peach Toadstool's hands shone through her white gloves from the magic energy.

The Mushroom King's cocky expression disappeared and was replaced by one of pure horror. "Peachy! W-what are still doing here?!"

"I'm sorry Daddy, but I can't leave our people in their time of need- or my father."

Bowser pointed, "Guards, restrain her! Kamek- give the old man a more... permanant spell."

"No!" Peach shrieked suddenly. Reaching around her person, she pulled out a large edible, inanimate Mushroom. But this Mushroom was topped by a purple cap- a sure sign of a Poison Shroom. "Harm a spore on his head, and I'll bite it!"

Bowser surmised the situation. The princess, his love, needed to be alive for Bowser to marry. But he couldn't appear soft by letting the Mushroom King off easily. Finally he decided, "Alright, your highness. We Koopas are a people well known for our fair compromises. Just don't pull anything and give yourself to us, and... we'll let your father off the hook."

The Mushroom King shouted, "Don't put yourself in harm's way, for my sake! Run while you still can!"

Peach hesitated, but she ultimately to the waiting arms of the Koopas. "Thank you, Bowser. You are more compassionate than I thought." The Koopa Troopas restrained her and yanked the Poison Shroom out of her grasp. Bowser nudged Kamek with his giant elbow.

"I should also mention that us Koopas are well-known for our lies." As Bowser said this, Kamek fired a blast of ruby energy at the Mushroom King. In seconds the king was barely noriceable, as his body was completely made of bricks- the arm of which was outstretched towards Peach. Peach shrieked and was overcome with tears.

"Now don't cry, Princess," Kamek mocked. "Now your father has immortality! Only problem is, he won't be doing much more than seeing what's happening immediately in front of him and feeling immense pain for the next eternity."

Bowser walked up to the weeping Peach. "You might be afraid of me. You probably hate me, too. But hate is good. Mold it into your weapon. One day you'll see the light, and you'll see that we were made to be. For now, you'll spend some time in the dungeon until our marriage sometime next weekt."

The Koopa Troopas dragged Peach from the room. She was too busy crying to do more then glare at Bowser.

Bowser shook his head, "Only a matter of time." He then turned his attention to Kamek. "This is great, Kamek! Everything's going according to your prophetic dream!"

Kamek recited, "Of course- the dream I had when you were but a young Koopaling. It started with a series of pipes above the Mushroom Kingdom. Suddenly, lava began to leak from the pipes to the planet, where they spread across the kingdom. The lava wave formed the shape of your face, devouring the world's cities until the entire world was yours. Then... the lava turned to stone, immortalizing your kingdom forever in charge of the world." Bowser never noticed how nervous Kamek would appear when saying the last line, otherwise he would have suspected that Kamek was hiding something from him.

A messanger Paratroopa rushed in and bowed to the King. "A message for you, Lord Bowser." However, his proclomation seemed oddly empty of feeling. The brown-helmeted Paratroopa flew out the window as he muttered, "Another letter delivered. A postman's job is never done!"

Kamek checked the note and reported, "This is odd. It's from the Fighter Fly squad in Sector 1. They claim they've discovered an ancient underground Warp Pipe that leads to... another world."

Bowser seemed intrigued by the idea. A grin grew across his face. "Another... world? When I'm done conquering this world... I'll have another one lined up to be captured! This is perfect! Assemble a squad to venture into this... new world and examine the opposition by next week."

"Yes sir!"

Bowser walked up to a window and beheld the dark clouds gathering over the Mushroom Kingdom. "Heh heh heh... I'm a sea of lava... and nothing can stop me!"