8th installment of the VGNU.
The time has come for the infamous Super Mario Brothers to begin their journey.
Lost in a foreign world, the fate of a great kingdom rests on their shoulders.
(Originally published 2020)
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It was long walk back to the last castle of the Mushroom Kingdom, but Mario and Luigi helped the wounded Toad make it all the way, taking turns carrying him. Once there, Toadsworth quickly took the injured prisoner to heal him, and Mario and Luigi confronted the King.
They demanded answers, having come to the conclusion that they should've taken this seriously from the beginning. If they were going to continue-- and they surely weren't about to turn back now, not after all they've seen-- they'd need to know everything.
The King held to his usual sad expression. "I admit... I had hoped that this would be easy, that you could simply defeat this age old enemy of mine and rescue my daughter... but I suppose I knew he would be one step ahead of me."
"Just start from th' beginnin' this time," Mario said. "An this already doesn' make sense, so stop holdin' back."
"Very well," the King nodded. "I'll start with our Kingdom, the Mushroom Kingdom. It is almost as ancient as the worlds it rules, as mushrooms and fungi are the dominant races on almost all of them. I'm certain there is something similar to our kind even on your planet."
"We got mushrooms, sure," Mario huffed. "But they ain't sentient."
"Not all mushroom kind is," the King agreed. "And not all mushroom kind are good natured either. I'm sure you've seen them, the Goombas. Brown toned mushrooms with sharp teeth and rabid eyes... Monsters, they are... nothing more. On other worlds there are mushrooms just as cruel if not worse, but we-- the Toadstool people-- have turned these worlds-- those under the Mushroom Kingdom's rule-- into civilized lands. There are many planets, many worlds which spawn many vicious creatures.
"One such creature, is the Koopa," the King shifted in his seat and lowered his voice. The way he glanced around the room without moving his head was like he expected others to overhear him, but not that he wanted to keep his words a secret, only that he didn't want to frighten his people what else he had to say. "Their leader, their King... he has turned many of our people into mere bricks as I have said before, but it is more than that. For years he has tormented our people, taking them and breaking them like toys... the lucky ones are turned to stone... some make it back alive... the poor souls..."
The King fell silent, suddenly lost in thought.
"...Are y' expectin' th' same fate for yer daughter?" Luigi asked solemnly.
The King looked down to him and nodded, eyes heavy. "There is no heart to this beast... no reasoning... only cruelty and hatred for our kind. It is a hatred I cannot understand, and see no beginning to. It simply has always been..." Finally he closed his eyes and held his head in his hands, sinking slightly in his throne. "I am terrified for her... but I have no idea where he could be keeping her. I have searched for her... I have failed for so long, always... always just a step..."
He could barely speak anymore, his words small and choked as he shook. The frail old man could've once been a great King, but it was clear much time had passed since then. All that was left was a tired father worried for his child, and unable to do a thing about it.
