"So, funny story..."
Was the only thing Mario could say to his parents when he returned to the door with his brother, a princess in a wedding dress, a little mushroom man, and a talking gorilla.
With the pipe destroyed, and with nowhere to go, the brothers didn't think twice about offering their friends to stay with them for the time being. Of course, that meant having to make sure the rest of the family wouldn't mind the extra company. And, as expected, it meant finally explaining everything that had occurred over the last couple days.
And so they did. Sitting all together at the table, provided with a healthy dinner, everyone told their side of the story. Mario went first, explaining how he and Luigi ended up in the sewer and fell through the mysterious warp pipe that separated them in different realms of the other world. He proceeded to go on about meeting Princess Peach and joining her on her journey to the Jungle Kingdom, where he had to fight Donkey Kong in order to earn the army's alliance in the fight against Bowser. But things didn't go as planned once they set out on Rainbow Road, where the army ended up captured, and Mario and DK were split up from everyone else (they later learned this is where they were presumed to be dead). Of course, they managed to return to the Mushroom Kingdom as the fight was going on and rescued all of Bowser's prisoners—which included Luigi.
Then came the part Mario now regretted so deeply; when Bowser ordered a Bullet Bill to destroy the entire kingdom. Mario wasn't thinking clearly in that moment. He saw the biggest bullet he'd ever seen charging straight towards the home of the princess who'd fought so hard to protect her people. So many innocent lives were going to suffer. He had to do something! He ended up making a target of himself just a second before the bullet hit the castle, and lured it into the warp pipe that brought him to that strange place. That strange, colorful, imaginative place that he wondered if he'd ever get to see again.
He had assumed the Bullet Bill's explosion inside the pipe would be the end of it. But oh, how wrong he was. It caused a sort of black hole type suction that sent everyone back to Brooklyn. It must've been the titanic fortress of the Koopa King that destroyed the pipe in the sewer. Considering its size, it made the most sense. Whatever broke it, Mario knew it was his fault regardless.
Luigi went next, and boy, was it hard for him to speak about any of it. Honestly he didn't want anyone to know everything that happened to him, but with all eyes on him he didn't have much of a choice. So he pushed through the mental pain of reliving those horrid memories of being chased by turtle skeletons through a dark forest and over a moat of lava, then kidnapped by strange creatures who he learned were called Shy Guys. Dragged and pulled around by ropes tied at his wrists, he was taken into the mysterious fortress of the evil warlord Bowser; the monster of his nightmares. He was then interrogated, questioned about Mario who was apparently traveling with a princess the king had a crush on. Luigi tried not to give in, but the information was tortured out of him, and he was then thrown into a cage with the rest of the innocent people held captive by that tyrant.
He purposefully left out certain details of his story, such as how much it hurt being tied up and thrown around against his will, how paralyzed he felt all throughout being questioned by Bowser, how fatigued his body was after being trapped in metal with the air hotter than the surface of the sun. And worst of all, the pure terror of being lowered towards his doom all for a ritual sacrifice of a royal wedding. His entire life literally flashed before his eyes when seeing that lava fill up his cage, and all he could do was crawl to higher ground, prolonging the inevitable, as all his childhood memories replayed in his head. His last thoughts would be of Mario, everything they'd been through together, how much he missed him, and how he'd never get to apologize for falling through that pipe and bringing them into this mess.
If it wasn't for Mario he'd be a goner. He would've fallen straight into the lava and nobody would've seen or even cared. He would've been dead, end of story. He owed his brother his life.
Peach proceeded to explain more of who Bowser was and how she initially thought his plans were to take over the world by destroying the other realms and whoever dared to stand in his way. Word of him stealing the Super Star spread like wildfire. The other kingdoms knew they were going to be under attack soon. Peach was more than prepared for anything the Koopa King had planned—or so she thought. Turns out, when she was ready for a battle one on one, after she lost the Kong Army (and sadly, her new friend), Bowser ended up proposing to her, claiming he stole the Star so they could rule the world as one.
One would have to be insane to marry him, and of course she immediately told him she would never. But unfortunately, he used the princess's one weakness against her; the Toads. She had no choice. If she didn't say yes, he would hurt her people; the people that raised her from when she was a lost baby. She swore she would always protect them at all costs. So she fearfully accepted the proposal, making him promise not to hurt her kingdom. Never in her life had she felt more helpless than in that moment, when poor Toad was being tortured right in front of her and she couldn't fight to save him. She was given no choice, no hope, no freedom.
Luckily she and Toad devised a plan to sabotage the wedding, and it had worked up until Bowser managed to break free of the ice she trapped him in and order the nuke on her kingdom.
Donkey Kong didn't say much about his part, since he was with Mario for most of this journey (much to his disliking). He did mention that seeing his father and the rest of his family being trapped and lowered into lava was 'unsettling' for lack of a better word. He didn't want to talk much about that, though. Toad was awfully quiet, too, mostly just playing with the food in front of him and vouching for everyone else's words since he was there for most of it. He especially avoided eye contact when Peach mentioned the part about him being used as a threat against her when confronting Bowser. Nobody could tell, but the poor guy felt a sense of guilt at that reminder he wasn't able to defend her like he promised.
The room went silent once everyone had their chance to speak. All of it was processing in the parents' minds, and the group didn't have anything else to add and just kept quiet as images of their encounters with Bowser played like a slideshow in their brains.
The mother then stood up and simply said, "Let's fix up those injuries."
Not the reaction the boys were expecting, but it wasn't surprising. As she collected each empty plate from the group, everyone was left to disperse for the time being. Toad got up to explore a little around the kitchen/dining area, mostly just looking at pictures and furniture. At first Donkey Kong was going to join him, but then decided to stay in the corner to finish drinking the water that was given to him.
Peach joined the boys' mother in the kitchen to help rinse the dishes, despite the woman's insistence that it wasn't necessary. The rest of the family was either in the living room or upstairs, so none of them really heard the story. Which was good. There would've been too many interruptions from Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur.
Mario, Luigi, and their dad remained at the table, quiet as mice. The boys couldn't bring themselves to even look up at their father. Luigi was too shaken up by the retelling of his experiences, while Mario was so lost in thought he couldn't make eye contact with anyone if he wanted to—which he didn't. Right now guilt was eating him from the inside out. It was tough to look at anyone directly in the eye.
Soon the mama bear returned with a little first aid kit. She placed bandages on any cuts or scars seen on anyone's body, which was mostly her sons and Peach. Poor Luigi did have rough-looking burn marks on his shoulder that she would need to pay extra attention to. She made it clear that him and Mario would be seeing a doctor once they gained some of their energy back.
She hid it well, but the brothers could tell there was some sadness in her eyes whenever she looked at them. Maybe it was from seeing them in such a bad condition. Still, it was heartbreaking to witness. But they weren't given much time to register when the woman put on a cordial smile for her guests.
"I can tell you've all been through a lot." She told them, gently cupping Peach's hand for comfort. "You are more than welcome to stay here with us, for as long as you need. I promise you'll be safe here."
Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong expressed the same smile of gratitude at once. The brothers glanced at each other, a little relieved to finally have confirmation that this arrangement was official.
The mother looked to Peach specifically, gesturing her head the other way. "Come on, dear. You'll need something more comfortable to sleep in tonight."
The princess was more than happy to hear she could get out of this uncomfortable wedding dress now. Having been holding the veil that had been ripped and torn beyond repair the whole time, she was anxious to remove the whole getup and throw it all in the trash. She was led to a different room, while Mario signaled the rest to come upstairs so they could start settling in as well.
As the four boys lazily went towards the stairs, Mario felt a large hand on his shoulder stop him. Turning around, he saw it was his father. Before he could even ask what he wanted, the older man spoke first; "Let me just get this straight; you went through all of that.. just to save Luigi?"
That question felt unneeded to be asked. Mario briefly glanced up the staircase, catching a glimpse of his little brother trudging up the steps. "I'd do anything for him."
A vague sentence that meant so much more than he could explain. It didn't matter him how dangerous the journey was, how many times he had to put his own life on the line, how many hits he had to take. If Luigi was what he was fighting for, then he would fight until his last breath.
He looked back at his father, whose face softened in slight awe. Sure, he had brothers of his own, but he couldn't imagine being put in Mario's shoes; having to fight a giant, fire-breathing monster to save them. "I'm sorry.." He said after a small pause, looking down in shame. "You... you were never bringing him down. I never should've said you were."
Those words from a few nights ago had hurt Mario deeply, but he knew his dad didn't mean to cause any harm. He could see now that the man was just concerned about their future, even if he didn't choose his approach in expressing that concern carefully. "It's okay, Dad." Was all he could say, with a genuine smile.
The father smiled back, gently patting the boy's shoulder. "Get some rest, son. You need it."
Mario then went upstairs and joined the rest in his room that he and Luigi had shared since they were kids. Luigi was changing into his pajamas while Toad was excitedly wandering around the room, looking at everything there was to see. "Wow, cool view!" He commented, looking outside the windows. "You can see all the parts of Bowser's ship from here! Heh-heh, look at that squished face!"
He pointed towards the top of the ship that was once shaped like Bowser's head, and was the part that had suffered the most damage from the fight. Donkey Kong tiredly glanced outside from the wall he was slouching against, but Luigi refused to look for even a second. Clearly he despised any reminders of that creature's existence.
However, the reminder made Mario nervously ask, "Speaking of, what exactly should we do with...him?"
Toad had a confused look that quickly switched in realization. "Oh! Right!" He removed his backpack and set it on the floor next to Mario's bed. Reaching into one of the pockets, he pulled out the jar that revealed a miniature Bowser sleeping inside. "Hmm, got any cages or dungeons we could keep 'im in?"
"Uhh, not exactly." Mario said, scratching the back of his head before reaching out his hand. "Here, let's just put him out of sight for now."
"Where?" Asked the little brother, nervously hugging himself as his eyes fixated on the jar.
Mario shrugged as Toad handed it to him. "Somewhere we don't have to worry about him."
As he left the room, Luigi hesitantly followed him out. Mario stopped for a second before he went straight towards one of the doors at the end of the hall. Opening it to reveal the coat closet, he placed the jar on a step stool at the bottom. "There." He shut the door, "That oughta do for now."
Luigi nodded, but a worried frown made itself present on his face as he kept his stare at the closet. The thought of Bowser living in their home, being within the same walls, was less than ideal. Understandably, the little brother wasn't so sure about this.
Mario could see the uncertainty in his eyes and was quick to give some assurance. "Hey, don't worry. What's a guy the size of a hamster gonna do, huh?" He chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. But it was proven pointless when Luigi didn't react. Taking a different approach, the older brother gently held the unburnt shoulder and smiled softly, "He won't hurt you again. Trust me. You're safe now."
Their eyes met, and that look on Mario's face was more than enough comfort for the younger twin. He weakly returned the smile to show his appreciation. Really, where would he be without Mario?
Oh, right. Reduced to a crisp in an ocean of lava...
The two brothers returned back to their room to find Donkey Kong dozing off in the corner next to the desk and Toad unpacking things from his backpack. Mario scoffed quietly as he went over to change into his own comfy nightwear.
Downstairs, Peach and the boys' mother walked into the empty dining area. The blonde was seemingly much more comfortable wearing the long t-shirt and soft pajamas pants provided for her by the two women of the family. "I know it's probably not what you're used to." Said the mother with an apologetic grin, "But I hope it'll do for now."
"It's perfect. Thank you." Peach smiled kindly, being led into the living room that was now empty except for the father sitting in a recliner.
"Well, I'll go get some sheets so you can sleep in here." The mother said, gesturing to the sofa at the center of the room.
Just as she was about to walk away, Peach looked around and noticed the absence of her friends. "Wait, where's everyone else sleeping?" She asked, curious, as well as confused.
The older woman stopped and turned back to answer her question. "Oh, I guess upstairs in the boys' room, sweetie."
A small frown appeared on her face, and her eyes looked down to the floor. "Oh."
For some reason, she didn't like the thought of being away from them, not even just for the night. Especially not Mario, who she thought she saw die right before her very eyes. She assumed that they would all stay together after all that happened. Honestly, she just didn't want to be alone...
That saddened look was hard not to notice. The woman glanced at her husband, who had just recently tuned in to the conversation and shrugged in response. A small sigh was heard from the mother, who hesitated for the longest minute. Not a surprise she wasn't exactly jumping on board the idea of an attractive young girl sleeping in her sons' room. But when she thought about the situation they were in, clearly nothing inappropriate was even in question.
"Uh, you know what? I actually think we have an air mattress we can put in the room for you to sleep on!" She said, after much contemplation. "Why don't you go join them while I go look for it?"
Peach stared at her in surprise, but didn't think much of it and did as told. It didn't take long for her to find the only open door that led to the room occupying her exhausted friends. Still, she knocked on the doorway to announce her presence. "Room for one more?"
Mario's eyes widened slightly seeing the princess, and not just because she was inviting herself to stay the night with them. But the sight of her in casual clothes caught him off-guard. It was different from every outfit he'd seen her in so far. It was strange, but that didn't mean he didn't like it.
"Absolutely! Join the club, princess!" Toad responded enthusiastically, before either of the brothers could give an actual answer. To be fair, they were too tired to question it. Their mother showed up a couple minutes later and set up the air mattress at a reasonable distance from the other furniture in the room. She made sure to place comfortable sheets and blankets on top, as well as a sleeping bag for Toad right next to it.
"This is Luigi's from when he was little." She informed the mushroom guy. "I hope it'll be cozy enough."
Toad nodded, before he dropped to his knee and did a dramatic bow with his head. "Thank you, Mario and Luigi's mom, for providing us with shelter!"
Peach and the brothers chuckled quietly at his attempt to be formal. Donkey Kong would have too, if he wasn't half-asleep and had the energy. The mother smiled awkwardly as she backed away, "Please never do that again. Oh, and just call me Giorgia." She said to all of the guests, slowly stepping out of the room. "If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know, okay? Buonanotte!"
Once she left, everyone made themselves comfortable in their new sleeping arrangements. Peach sat down on the air mattress and moved the blankets aside. "Your mom seems nice." She commented with a smile. At least if she was trapped in the human world, she was comforted to be welcomed into such a caring household.
"She's the best." Luigi yawned, lying back into his bed that he had missed so much since this adventure started.
Mario said nothing as he looked out the cracked door, having not taken his eyes away since watching his mother leave. Several things were running through his mind and probably would be all night, but one thing in particular was nagging him and he had to face that now while he had the chance.
"I'll be right back." He said to the group as he hurried out of the room. Luigi was so out of energy he didn't even question what his brother's intentions were. Toad continued to pull his belongings out from his bag to set them up next to his sleeping bag, while Peach just quietly watched him with tired eyes.
"Ma?" Called Mario as he caught up to his mother in the hall. Giorgia turned to her son approaching her, concerned that something else was wrong, judging by that regretful look on his face. "Ma, I— I'm sorry.."
"Sorry?" That she wasn't expecting, and frankly it hurt that he felt like he had to apologize for anything.
"I.. I was acting stupid that night Lu and I left.." He lowered his head, fingers picking at a loose thread on the hem of his shirt. "I just wanted to prove that we could do something useful, that we could..." He grumbled, giving up on that thought before proceeding with, "Look, I.. I know you must've been worried. I didn't mean to stay gone that long. It's just, I had to stay! I had to get Luigi back! But things got out of control and..."
Hearing him stammer like he was about to cry made Giorgia's heart ache. She pulled him in a gentle hug, running her hand over the back of his head. "Hey, hey. It's okay." She spoke, using her comforting motherly voice she hoped would soothe his worries. "I understand why you did what you did. I was worried, yes. But none of that matters now. What's important is that you and your brother are home."
Mario just leaned against her shoulder with a tired frown. Home...what did that even mean now? Yes, he was back with his family, but he didn't really feel home, not since he returned tonight. If he was being honest, when he was transported back to Brooklyn, it didn't feel the same as it once did before this whole adventure. It felt dull in comparison to everything on the other side of the warp pipe. Giant mushrooms as trees, rainbows you can drive on, flowers that give elemental powers. All of that really existed, but now he'd never get to experience it again. The worst part, his brother wasn't there to experience any of it with him.
"Yeah, we're home." Mario nodded weakly.
His eyes averted back towards his room, where he saw Peach holding her crown in her lap with a longing frown. Toad was leaned up against her legs, letting out a soft sigh as he, too, stared at everything meaningful to him that he set up on the floor. Donkey Kong, still battling his urge to sleep, stared aimlessly towards the windows with a cold look in his eyes, as if he was thinking of a certain someone who was responsible for all this suffering.
"But they're not..."
—
A/N: cue Owl House s3 theme song