Chapter Text
Disclaimer: All assets of the Mario Galaxy Movie belong to Nintendo and Illumination.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Redux
Chapter 1: Personages
Mario yawned as his alarm clock went off, though it wasn't like any ordinary alarm clock as it responded to his movements and would get progressively louder the longer he stayed in bed, and the only way to turn it off was leaving the bed lest the raucous noises continue, which made getting out of bed much more effective since there was no snooze button. It was a bit unorthodox for an alarm clock, but its effectiveness made Mario's mornings more productive and on schedule, especially considering the early clients he had to deal with. He did his oral hygiene before getting dressed in his red-clad plumbing outfit that he had a multitude of.
He walked downstairs to begin prepping breakfast when Luigi was already up and on the phone nonetheless, but at this hour? It was rare to get early clients, but they did happen every now and then. Mario turned on the stove as the green plumber spoke. "Super Mario Bros. Plumbing, Luigi speaking… Oh, hey, Mrs. Toadina! How are you?… That's awesome to hear. What can we do for you?... A clog in your sink again? Oh, I'm sorry that happened to you, but let's see if we have any availability today." He opened his laptop. "Oh no! Unfortunately, we're all completely booked for today, but I can get you in for tomorrow at 10 am. How does that sound?... Great! We shall see you then." He hung up.
"Already taking customers, eh?" Mario said as he cooked eggs on the stove.
"Yeah. Can't you believe it? I was up at 6 trying to manage our schedule for the next week and the moment we opened, the first call flooded in. It's crazy how fast they can be." He held up his phone. "But that's why I'm fully prepared!"
"But remember what we talked about."
"Yeah yeah, I know! 'Rest is always important.' I don't need to hear it a thousand times!"
"Well, if you were properly getting your eight hours of sleep like any human would, we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we?" Mario tapped his shoulder. "I'm just looking out for you, fratello."
"I know, but I'm not your baby brother anymore. I can take care of myself."
"Even if you aren't a baby anymore, you are my brother. Nothing will change that." He continued cooking breakfast in silence for a bit before placing two plates on the table. "Eggs, sunnyside up, for you and bacon for breakfast. Eat up."
Luigi smirked. "You know me too well." They ate and went out the door with their tools, Toad Town already sprawling with activity as Toads walked about, doing errands, or having chats with other Toads. As the most populous city in the Mushroom Kingdom, it wasn't surprising to see the town this busy with activity in the morning, but considering how long they lived in Brooklyn, the Mario Bros were used to it.
In fact, they've become celebrities at this point. Every Toad they walked by either said hi, asked lots of questions pertaining to Mario's relationship with Peach, or the occasional autograph. Hell, they even started to make merchandise based on them. Everything from their names and faces plastered on t-shirts to toys, food, and so much more than Mario had ever expected. It was almost too much for the red plumber from seeing his face plastered on every wall there ever was to dealing with constant fan girls who would swarm the brothers trying to determine which one was the cutest or most dashing. It was crazy just how much their lives have changed in the past year.
And their business was also booming because of their celebritieship. In the past year, they were ranked number 1 in the plumbing business, completely decimating the competition. They were constantly busy every workday working from 8am to 7pm with weekends off—something the red plumber was very grateful for. They constantly had new customers to visit for their plumbing problems every day or just as an excuse to see them in person. And Luigi really stepped up in his role in managing the business. He decided to handle the customer service side—accepting calls as they came in, scheduling appointments, handling complaints, and keeping a tight schedule to maintain punctuality while Mario handled most of the repairs, though Luigi didn't hesitate to help or solve some issues himself.
His plumbing knowledge had only grown compared to last year, and he often did early mornings to keep up with the growing demand, which Mario had pointed out to him multiple times, but Luigi's dedication to the business was truly what kept the business together.
He smelled the brisk morning air and sighed. "Man, such a beautiful morning, isn't it, Mario?"
"Yeah. So, what is the schedule regarding today?"
"Well, I'm glad you asked." He pulled out his phone. Mario could practically see the joy and enthusiasm Luigi had with his tone and body movements as he listed off one customer after another with their specified time and plumbing needs. He definitely wasn't the cowardly brother from before. "And that's pretty much it," he said, putting away his phone. "So all in all, about 10 customers for today." Mario nodded. "Though one thing I realized waking up today is that it's our one-year anniversary since we moved to the Mushroom Kingdom. Can you believe it?"
"Yeah. I remember the day we told Papa we were moving out of the house. The look on his face said all that needed to be said."
"Don't-a forget his hug," Luigi said. "He practically squeezed you to death." Mario laughed. "Though Mama had the biggest outburst of tears that day. She was happy and sad at the same time."
"Well," Mario said, "We needed to move on. After all I felt like last year, I've never felt more free than right now." And that was the truth. After having Antonio constantly run his decisions to avoid a future he had, having the ability to make his own decisions was freeing. He could finally get out of his cage and fly without looking back. They glanced around the town to see it decorated with colorful banners depicted with star imagery that were draped from one building to another as Toads set up different venues featuring various foods and merchandise. "Wow. Wonder what's going on here."
"You don't know?" a Toad said. "It's for the Star Festival, one of the Mushroom Kingdom's biggest events ever! It's next week, so we must make sure everything's ready for such a grand festival."
"Sounds interesting," Luigi said. "I wasn't aware of this Star Festival, but it sounds like something to look forward to. Right, bro?"
"Yeah. Something we can do after this week is over."
"It's also for Peach's birthday."
The two glanced at each other. "Wait," Luigi said. "Peach's birthday?"
"Yeah. Every year, we throw a big celebration of Peach's birthday celebrating everything she's done for our kingdom. The two events happen to coincide with one another." The Toad glanced at Mario. "So, you're gonna get something special for your special someone?" Mario didn't say anything. "You should get her something special. Maybe something shiny and sparkly like a diamond ring perhaps? Well, I have more decorations to set up, so see you later!" He walked away.
Mario sighed. "You OK, Mario?" Luigi asked. "You seem tense."
"No, but he just had to make a comment, didn't he?"
"What does that mean?"
"It feels like nowadays everyone wants nothing other than the latest gossip about Peach and I ever since we became celebrities. Bro, be honest. Has all this special treatment we've been getting the past year been too much for you?"
"Well, I haven't minded it as much. I mean, for once in my life, I feel appreciated, like my life finally has a purpose. I've always been so hard on myself, thinking I was never gonna make it in this world, and the world can be very cruel. It helped grow my confidence in who I am as a person. Though the flattery the Toads give can be a bit over the top, I don't mind it as much. I know it's different with you."
"Yeah. My relationship with Peach isn't exactly a private one."
"Well, yeah, considering she confessed her love for you in front of hundreds of people."
"But that's the thing. Because our relationship is public, people are constantly craving gossip, asking me stuff like 'When are you getting married?' or 'How many kids will you two have?' It's just after the Brooklyn Incident, I was hoping things would die down, but because we saved the kingdom from an overgrown turtle, there's never a moment where I can enjoy the peace and quiet before someone comes along to ruin it." He clenched his fist. "Those people keep digging their noses in something that's none of their business because there's nothing to begin with!" The plaza became very quiet as Mario heaved heavy breaths. He glanced around at every Toad that was in the plaza just deadpan staring at him because of his outburst. He growled. "Come on, Lu. Let's go before we draw even more attention." He walked away from the crowd without saying another word.
Mario tightened the pipe with two wrenches, thoroughly examining his handiwork to make sure there was no leak as he tapped it with his wrench. He huffed, tossing the wrenches in his tool bag. "Job complete. Thank you for your patience, Mrs. Toadina. Thankfully, we finished our schedule early so we could take you as our last customer of the day."
"Oh!" Toadina—an older pink female Toad who strangely wore sunglasses indoors—said. "Aren't you the sweetest?" She playfully tugged on his cheeks. He chuckled.
"Well, that's how the Mario Bros roll," Luigi said, casually leaning on his brother's shoulder. "Striving to provide the best customer service every day!"
"Since your day is over, I have a gift for you." Mario inwardly groaned as she walked to the kitchen. For some customers they saw, they gave the Bros various parting gifts of something they bought or made themselves as a token of thanks, but Mario just thought of it as more of the fawning he was done with at this point. She came out with two cups of tea in her hands. "A nice cup of my favorite tea—chamomile tea. Sometimes, you need something to relax your body at the end of a strenuous day. Hope you young men enjoy it."
"Thank you, Mrs. Toadina. It's a pleasure."
"And please sit! Make yourselves at home." She pointed to her sofa. "Take a chance to relax." They nodded as they sat down on the comfy sofa. Mario plopped on the couch and sighed, closing his eyes to rest. "You boys had a long day?"
Luigi nodded, sipping his tea. "Oh, yeah. Cannot wait till the weekend where we can just chill and take it easy. I tell ya something. Sometimes, we're basically nonstop most days, working about 12 hours a day. It's a bit insane, but I love it. It gives me a sense of passion. I love my work."
"Though your brother seems more tired between the two of you."
"Well, he handles a lot of the grunt work, so he tends to tire more than me, but at least he's not alone. Right, bro?" Mario didn't respond. "Wow. He must be really feeling it."
"Well, you boys are welcome to stay if you wish. I have left over lasagna if you're hungry." She stood up from her recliner. "It's time for bed for this old lady, but if you want to stay the night, please feel free. You've earned it." She walked away.
"You OK, bro?" Luigi said, rubbing Mario awake as he groaned.
"I'm-a tired. Leave me be."
"But you seemed more tuckered out than normal. You wanna talk?"
Mario sighed and sat up. "It's just been so much this past year. I just want to live a normal life, being able to enjoy the peace and quiet I've earned, but because we've become celebrities, we've had everything but that. And I just…" He paused, sniffling as he wiped away his tears. "It's been too much. The fame. The constant fawning of every fan I come across. And I don't want to act derogatory and unappreciative, but I never wanted any of this. I just want to live a normal life with someone I love, but I can't even do that because we're busy and she's busy and we can't even see each other on a regular basis." He sighed. "I want to commit to a relationship with her, but how the heck can that happen when we're so far apart? I'm happy with how far we've come in our lives, but without her, my life feels incomplete. All I want is Peach." He clutched his chest. "That's all I want."
"You know," Luigi said, "I think we need to deadass take a full week break, or even two. We've worked so hard for this community for the past year, we've hardly taken any time to ourselves. Our customers might be disappointed, but you're right. We have lives of our own, so let's get out of Toad Town. Let's see parts of the world we haven't yet seen. Let's travel. Does that sound amazing to you?"
Mario smiled. "Yeah."
"And you need to go see her. Even if she is busy, still make an effort to see her. You and her have something special. Cultivate your relationship. Capisci?"
"I will."
"And take the rest of this week off to make that happen. You've earned it."
"You'll be fine on your own?"
Luigi huffed. "Who do you think you're talking to? I'm-a Luigi, one of the famous Mario Bros! Of course I'll be fine!" He shoved him. "Go freaking enjoy yourself!"
Mario laughed. "OK, OK! I will." He sipped his tea. "Very soothing stuff. Well, it's time to head home. Ready, Lu?"
"You know it." They walked out the door.
"Also, 'deadass', huh?"
"Don't get used to it."
Mario chuckled. "Fair enough." He sighed with a smile. He was gonna look forward to sleeping in tomorrow—that was for sure. Then, Peach.