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Chapter 1
*insert title*
~Ditto McCloaker~
Off in a shaded spot, in a cozy, quiet, tucked away, isolated corner
of the magical Mushroom Kingdom, far from the nearest village, sits
a house. A simply decorated cottage, it is the home of a simple, yet
famous man.
Red drapes aside the open windows flutter with the breeze. Out front,
a little porch juts out into a small vegetable garden. Inside is a small
living room, with a radio, bookshelf, and disproportionately extensive
plumbing. Beside the door to the bedroom is a workbench, with a neatly
organized and astoundingly well-polished set of wrenches, sockets, hammers,
brushes, pliers, and just about every handyman tool you could think
of, and many you wouldn't.
The spicy scent of Italian food hangs permanantly in the air, from
the pantry stocked with salamis, hams, fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers,
assorted cheeses, and anchovies; the thick, fluffy Italian bread on
the cutting-board, and from the strings of garlic which hang from the
ceiling.
On the front porch, sits the resident, napping on a swing. He isn't
tall, or handsome, or suave. Over his stocky frame hangs a pair of baggy
denim overalls, over a plain dull red shirt. His burly, hairy arms are
crossed over his round tummy as he sleeps, and he wipes his eyes with
a white-gloved hand.
Instead of a lantern jaw, this hero has a small bump of a chin under
a round, jolly face. Beneath his bulbous, door-knob shaped nose is a
bushy, black mustache, which would be common except for the subtle,
good-natured little upward flourishes at the tips. His large, pathetic
blue eyes are shielded from the sun under a common red cloth cap. On
the cap, just above the brim, is sewn a single white patch, with a simple,
yet all revealing monicker: A large, prominent red 'M'.
In his sleep, he dreams of Italian food and adventure, and he mutters
pleasantly in his sleep, in a thickly accented, musical Italian voice.
Quite an impressive hero, isn't he?
And yet, this is Mario Mario, "Super" Mario, to his fans.
And as or story begins, so does another adventure.
High above, streaks a complex-looking spaceship. The pilot of this
bizarre craft scans the area below for the house which he was informed
was the home of the one known as 'Mario.' Gooney birds flutter out of
it's way as it buzzes the clouds. Suddenly, it stops, as the operator
of this craft has spotted the object of it's seach.
At last... thought the pilot, The home of the fabled Mario...
The craft sailed around, and loomed over the hills and trees nearby.
It began it's descent over the broad, flat aread before Mairo's house.
A cloud of dust kicks up as it comes to a peaceful stop. On the porch,
Mario simply mutters in his sleep and turns over onto his side, unaware
of the ominous vehicle descending silently in his yard, not ten feet
in front of him.
A door on the side opens, and a walkway extends to the ground. A form
steps out from it, and looks up at the sleeping plumber. Steeling himself,
the figure walks silently up to the house, climbs the steps up to the
porch, and then stands silently, casting a shadow over the dozing man.
Mario, awakened by the sudden change in lighting, pushes his cap up
and looks up sleepily at what stands before him.
"Mama-mia!" he cries, jerking awake, as he immediately recognizes
the curious blue-skinned form which stares wordlessly down upon his
helpless, prostrate from.
"PON!"
Mario's face broke into a smile as he beheld his old friend from Sarasaland,
who was to Princess Daisy what Toad was to Princess Peach Toadstool;
her chief retainer, and close friend. The blue-skinned Pionpi beamed
happily at Mario.
Pon, like most Pionpi, was a small blue-skinned humanoid, clad in
light, Chinese-style silk purple robes, with a little ponytail sticking
out from under a white conic hat. His hands were clasped before him,
hidden in his silky tellow-cuffed sleeves, and his wide, happy eyes
beamed down at Mario from behind his large, thick glasses.
"Greetings, Mario-san," said Pon in his soft, airy, thickly
Eastern-accented voice. "It is my pleasure to see you again."
He bowed deeply to Mario, who respectfully bowed in return.
"So, what brings you to the Mushroom Kingdom?" asked Mario,
in the easy, good-natured manner for which he was remarkable.
"Princess Daisy has requested the presence of the Princess Toadstool,
for matters in Sarasaland." said Pon.
Mario was puzzled. Why, he asked, did the loyal Pionpi come to him,
rather than go directly to the Mushroom Castle.
"Princess Daisy has also requested the presence of most honorable
Mario." said, Pon, with a half smile.
Mario smiled resignedly. He didn't press the point, partly because
he noticed that he was starving, as he hadn't eaten in hours.
"Sarasaland is a long way away, even flying one of those things.
Have you eaten?"
It had indeed been a long trip, and the Pionpi was also quite hungry.
"Yes," he said.
"Come on in, then," said Mario, his voice warm with his
famous Italian hospitality. "We shall have something to eat, and
you can tell me all about the reason for your trip."
As the Pionpi stood quietly in the living room, Mario looked in his
pantry. He looked out, worried. He noticed Pionpi standing politely,
though awkwardly in the front room. He sighed, as he walked over and
led him to the table.
"I'm all out of pasta," he said, sadly.
In reply, Pionpi produced something from his clothing. It was a bundle
of some kind of thick, dried pasta, wrapped in a yellow ribbon.
"A gift from Princess Daisy," said Pon, displaying the dried
Lo Mein noodles. "She requested me to deliver them to you, with
her compliments. I would be happy to prepare dinner the dish for you."
Mario agreed. As the Pionpi cooked, Mario went to fetch Princess Peach.
He stepped outside his house, and ambled over to a clearing near the
back of the house. Jutting from the ground was a large green pipe. Due
to the light gravity of the Mushoom World, combined with his own acrobatic
ability, Mario leapt on top with a single bound, and stood on the grating
which covered the lid. Immedieately, the wire mesh platform inside began
to descend into the depths, with the familiar sound of entering a pipe.
Outside the large, chapel-like castle of Princess Peach, of the Toadstools,
from an identical pipe, Mario emerged, and hopped off, onto the road
leading to the bright, cheery blue palace of the leader of the Mushrooms,
Princess Peach. Oddly familiar with the workings of the Royal Palace
for such a common-seeming man, Mario quickly gained audience with the
lovely Mushroom Monarch.
Unlike the child-like Mushroom folk of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess
Peach Toadstool was a lovely young woman, slightly younger than Mario,
with long flowing strawberry blonde hair, and large, lustrous, caring
blue eyes. She was also very tall and slender, six foot in heels, contrasting
greatly with the stocky, plainly dressed, five-and-a-half foot plumber.
Their acquaintance arose from the numerous times the warm, yet cunning
and resourceful plumber, often accompanied by this brother, had ventured
forth to rescue her and her Kingdom from the arms of disaster. In the
casual, informal manner of old friends, he told her of the arrival of
the Pionpi from the distant kingdom, bearing a message from the distant
Princess Daisy, and of her summons. She had known Princess Daisy for
years, as they had been close friends at Princess finishing school,
and had stayed in touch. Mario had also once rescued Daisy from a threat
to her Kingdom, and since had remained in close contact.
The affairs of the castle never being too pressing, Princess Peach
cheerfully assented to join Mario back at his house for lunch and explainations.
Once they had arrived at his cottage, and he had escorted her off
the pipe, she casually asked a question.
"Luigi is here, too, right?" she asked, with a curious glance.
Mario sighed at the mention of his brother. "No," he explained,
"I didn't think this was an occasson to both-"
"Well, you'd best fetch him, too. I'm sure he wouldn't want to
miss this." she said, as she proceeded ahead of Mario to the house.
Mario sighed, adjusted his cap, and headed for another pipe, which would
take him to his brother's house.
Mario's brother, Luigi, had recently taken an abode in an old, spooky
mansion, which Mario knew from the start was a bad idea, as his brother
was terrified of ghosts. However, Luigi had supposedly gotten rid of
the ghosts before moving in. Mario went through the gates up to Luigi's
Mansion, and knocked on the door. It was soon opened by a small, friendly
looking robot, which resembled a Mekabon. It was Hydraulico, Luigi's
helpful robot helper. It's eyes beeped in greeting at Mario, who asked
if his brother was in.
Hydraulico beeped again, and answered, "Luigi is asleep in the
living room." Mario suppressed a smile at this. As he was shown
in to the dark, dingy old mansion, still early in the process of being
refurbished by his brother, he found his brother sound asleep on the
couch, a blanket clutched to his side, a flashlight nearby.
Asleep in the middle of the day, mused Mario. Most of the ghosts, anyway,
thought.
He shook his brother, who woke up with a start. He grabbed his flashlight,
and looked at his brother with sleep-deprived, nervous eyes.
Despite his haggard appearance, Luigi bore an obvious resemblance
to his brother. His facial features were nearly identical, except that
his mustache was more common, and his eyes were green. He was also somewhat
thinner than his brother, and about five inches taller. He wore similar
overalls, with a green shirt. He also wore a green cap, with a corresponding
letter 'L' on the front. Like Mario, he was common an prosaic in appearance,
rather than handsome, but a good guy overall, despite his quieter, more
awkward persona.
He perked up, however, at the mention of Peach, as well as the notion
of lunch, and seemed glad to accompany Mario on an outing away from
the house. He brought Hydrauico along, too, and soon, the complete Mario
Brothers team arrived at Mario's pad, and sat down with Peach and the
Pionpi, Pon.
As Mario and Luigi twirled the Lo Mein noodles with spicy beef and
veggies around their forks awkwardly, they listend as Pon launched into
his story.
"You see, Princess Daisy needs the help of Princess Peach with
some negotiations. Recently, we in Sarasaland have had some problems
with a most cunning and disreputable individual, who has been conning
his way into taking control of many parts of Sarasaland."
"A conqueror?" asked Peach.
"No," replied Pon. "Nothing so threatening. His claims
to property are legitimate, though he has used trickery and cunning
to get them. We understand you have dealt with this individual before,
and may be able to strike a deal with him."
"What's his name?" asked Luigi, his mouth full of Chinese
noodles.
"The foul person's name is... Croco." said Pon, dramatically.
Everyone stopped. Oh yeah, they knew who Croco was. A scheming crocodile
who had recently traded them some beans and scraps in exchange for land
in the Mushroom Kingdom, and Mushroom Castle access, which, thankfully,
he had apparetnly not taken excessive advantage of recently. They all
felt bad for Sarasaland, now having to deal with Croco, though they
weren't eager to deal with him again either, lest he come out with even
MORE.
"Well, have fun," said Mario, to Peach, who shot him a glance.
"Princess Daisy also requests your presence, Mario." Pon
reminded him, and in response to Mario's eye-rolling, hastily explained,
"Recently, we have been having trouble with some other petty miscreants.
Masked thieves and bandits, really. We thought you could come along,
too, and possibly try to find out what they're about and handle them,
as well."
"Have fun, Mario." said Luigi.
"Oh, but Luigi!" said Peach in a most pleased voice, "You
simply must come along! Mario most certainly need your help!"
Luigi sighed, and took another forkfull of Lo Mein.
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