The city was engulfed in dust. Almost nothing from the fight could be seen, not from afar or from where the heroes were standing just above the remains of the now shattered fortress. It was a strange sense of calm after a hellstorm of punching and chasing and fire-breathing. It finally gave everyone a chance to breathe, to take in their victory over the merciless Koopa King that lied defeated in what was left of his ship.
Finally the dust began to clear, and the twin brothers were still standing tall over their enemy, slowly coming down from the rush of adrenaline. The effects of the Super Star had worn off, but luckily the major injuries remained healed thanks to its power. Well...for the most part.
Mario felt a hand briefly touch his shoulder, which was revealed to be Princess Peach coming up behind him with a blue mushroom in hand. Toad and Donkey Kong weren't far behind and joined the group as they all stared down at the turtle who just suffered the biggest beating of his life.
Bowser, who surprisingly wasn't unconscious after that final blow, looked up at the princess with an embarrassed grin. "Peaches..." He laughed, "Listen, this is not the way I pictured it, but give me one more chance."
Peach, however, cringed in disgust. She couldn't believe she came so close to actually marrying someone so cruel, yet so pathetic. "Ew! No!" She then stuffed the mushroom into his mouth, which immediately shrunk his entire figure by three sizes. Toad went over to the tiny creature and picked him up, securing him in a glass jar he fortunately had handy.
"Ha! He got the blue mushroom!" Laughed Donkey Kong.
"Eh, see? Told ya I'd get you a pet turtle." Mario grinned at the princess, who couldn't help but laugh at his joke.
"Not bad, mustache." She said with a small smirk, which made the guy in red blush just the tiniest bit. Nobody seemed to notice, and good thing too. Otherwise he'd suffer a major teasing from DK and his brother. Peach then turned around to sing the other twin's praises, "And Luigi? You're so brave!"
Luigi seemed surprised, but did his best to play it cool and simply chuckled. "Heh, thanks. It's..kinda my thing!" He put his fists to his hips. Mario patted his shoulder, smiling widely at his brother's newfound confidence.
"Ah! My boys!" Cried a familiar voice coming over to join the scene. When the brothers looked, they saw it was none other than their mother climbing over the rubble to rush towards them with open arms, followed by their father who was cheering excitedly. "My heroes!!"
The mother hugged them close, showering their faces with kisses. For a second it seemed like the woman was on the verge of tears. Whether it was from pride or relief, they couldn't tell. But either way they happily accepted her affection. Being away from her for so long made them miss being smothered by her. Even Mario, who normally tried to avoid that in public.
The father was grinning widely, his eyes lit up in a way they had never seen before. He grabbed the elder son by his shoulders, "Mario! You were amazing!"
Mario was nearly frozen. He couldn't remember the last time his father ever said anything like that to him. And considering the last conversation they had before this whole adventure, it was incredibly satisfying to finally hear he did something his family could be proud of. "Thanks, Dad..." He said in awe. The little brother folded his hands at his face and smiled softly at their exchange, knowing how long Mario had been waiting for this moment.
Suddenly the family, along with Peach and Toad, were all scooped up by the strong arms of the talking ape. "Bring it in!" He exclaimed as he held them in a bone-crushing hug. Then the sounds of approaching applause distracted him, and he put them down before any of them could lose any circulation.
Citizens from all over the street were making their way over to the scene. One might've thought they'd be distraught over all the damage or the fact there were strange creatures walking amongst them now. But instead, they were cheering. They witnessed the impressive fight the brothers just faced and it was incredible. Even Spike, their former boss, was filled with pride and pushed his way ahead of the crowd to call out, "Let's hear it for the Super Mario Brothers!!"
The sounds grew louder, and each of the group slowly stepped forward to be in better view for everyone. Wow, this was it. People were actually clapping for them, for the Mario brothers. They accomplished something great and people knew it. After spending their whole lives being told what they could and couldn't do, they finally proved to the world they were capable of anything. And they were, as long as they had each other. That was the only reason they ever succeeded in anything; by doing it together.
Luigi and Donkey Kong were waving to the crowd, while Peach, Mario, and Toad exchanged their own expression of pride towards one another. The brothers then jumped in the air in sync, as the five unknowingly struck a perfect pose for a picture that was taken for the newspaper.
The celebration lasted a good while, but inevitably the authorities showed up and the crowd had to disperse. Now came the part Mario dreaded; having to explain everything to everyone. There was a lot to explain, and so little energy to do it. The group was led away from the remains of the destroyed Koopa fortress and were asked a series of questions. Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong were overwhelmed by the amount of inquiries directed at them, such as who they were, how they got here, etc. Luckily, the brothers' parents stepped in and kindly told them to not bother the poor kids, as they'd been through so much and needed some room to breathe.
While the older adults did the talking, the rest were left to sit for a moment and calm down after what felt like an eternity of holding their breath. Donkey Kong was standing guard, just in case anybody came over to bug the other four. Not many people seemed to want to approach, anyway, not after seeing police lights nearby. Toad and Peach were sitting on the broken cement of the street while Mario and Luigi stayed at the curb, leaning against each other, finally feeling the physical aftermath of the fight.
Mario's bruises might've disappeared, but he sure still felt the soreness all throughout his body and in his face. His black eye was gone and yet he still felt like even touching his socket would cause tears. No doubt he had some internal injuries going on that he didn't think about until now. Being punched and thrown around like a rag doll by a nine-foot monster wasn't a pleasant encounter—one he hoped he wouldn't have to go through again.
As for Luigi, his skin felt like it was on fire, mostly on his right side, where he was pressed up against the boiling manhole cover to shield his brother from Bowser's fire breath. It wouldn't surprise him if he had second-degree burns on his arm from that. On top of all that pain, he was also extremely dizzy and dehydrated. Having spent the past couple days in a metal cage hovered over a pool of molten lava, he was going to need endless gallons of water to recover from that hellish experience.
By the time the parents finished talking with the police, the sun was beginning to set. There was still so much the boys needed to explain to them, but right now they figured it was best if they return their friends back to their world so they could get some proper rest. Despite the overwhelming exhaustion, Mario and Luigi managed to stand up and guided their friends towards the sewers. It was hard to find the entrance with all the wreckage laid strewn about in the street, but they managed to pry a broken piece of Bowser's ship off the hole and climbed their way down.
Somehow Mario was able to remember the exact path he and Luigi took that led them to the other world in the first place. He'd only been down in this sewer once and yet it felt so familiar he didn't need to look at anything twice. As he constantly checked to make sure everyone was still with him wherever he went, he noticed more and more how tired they all were. He was aware his little brother's energy was running low. For him he didn't even have to ask, he could just feel it.
With the rest of them, it was strange. His first meeting with each of them, they were so high-energy and full of hope and promise. But right now they looked so worn out. So unlike themselves. For Mario it was like seeing strangers. But maybe once they returned home, they would get some sleep and finally feel at peace knowing the threat of Bowser and his army was gone.
After climbing down some more structures, they finally made it to the part of the sewer cut off from the rest of civilization; the part nobody seemed to know existed. Yet as they landed their feet on the ground, something already felt off about the environment. There was even more rubble down here than up in the streets. Dust made the air around them somewhat foggy. Mario and Luigi had to use their phones for flashlights to be able to see better. Donkey Kong stepped on something, which made him grunt and jump back in pain. Everyone looked right at him to see if he was okay, but were shocked to see the cause of his discomfort.
A green object. Large. Broken. Smooth, in spite of its condition. Mario knelt down to pick it up, observing it with worried eyes. Oh, no.
He looked up at Peach, who shared a similar look, like they both already knew what it was but couldn't form any words to acknowledge it. Luigi and Toad quickly caught on, and once DK stopped rubbing his foot, he realized what was going on as well. The five exchanged a quick look before continuing their way towards the pipe they were looking for.
No, no, no, please no.. Echoed in Mario's mind. The closer they got, the more scattered pieces they saw on the ground around them. Careful not to step on any more, and worried at what they might find, they all walked slowly, with the red plumber leading the way. There was a pit forming in his stomach the closer they got, and when they finally made it, finally finding the only way to return to the Mushroom Kingdom....
...the pipe was gone.
The warp pipe, the only way for his friends to return home. It was gone. Destroyed. Blasted into smithereens, it's remains scattered all around them like the debris of a bomb. Smoke poured out of what was left of the green material, which wasn't much.
Nobody said a word. Nobody moved. They all just stood there in complete shock, having no idea what to do. Mario especially couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. No. Was his only thought.
He did this.
He destroyed the pipe.
It was his fault.
He finally thought he did something good, but at what cost?
The man closed his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to look at that broken pipe any longer. He couldn't bring himself to look back at the people behind him, either. All he could do was wonder...
What now?
—
A/N: So for those of you on tumblr, you've probably seen me rant about making up scenarios for the Mario movie based on Owl House scenes, and a while back I came up with one based on the first episode of season three "Thanks to Them", and yes I know some other people have also thought of a 'what if the pipe broke' AU but I'm hoping to take a different approach with this story. It'll be a mix of wholesomeness, funny/awkward moments, and of course some good ol' angst mwuahahahaaaa
Anyway I know this one's kinda short, I usually try and keep the prologue brief so I can save some room for more later on. Still let me know what you think so far and what you hope to see throughout the story! Also keep in mind this is actually my first time writing a SMB fanfic, so bare with me.
That's all for now! Have a nice day my lovelies!!