Chapter 1: Beginnings
Our story begins somewhere in the dark unknown…
“You failed miserably, sister! You allowed those Mario Brothers to defeat you, and now you will stay here with us forever!” said a mysterious voice.
“I’m sorry! Those Mario Brothers are just too strong, sisters!” said Cackletta’s spirit. “Although, I’m sure I could defeat them if I had your assistance…”
“I know where this is going, Cackletta, and it’s not working,” said another voice.
“Please! I know I can win! I’ve memorized their attack patterns, just please don’t let me stay in this horrible place!” groveled Cackletta.
“Fine, sister,” replied what sounded like the leader. “Seek the Super Nova Prophecy of Toadal, and you shall succeed… NOW GO!”
Cackletta was sucked up and up and up until she reached the surface in Fawful’s helmet. Fawful had been a wanderer ever since the first Mario and Luigi incident, and had been searching for new work. When Cackletta’s soul appeared to him, reborn, he was overjoyed. “Fawful… I… have… returned…”
Meanwhile, at Peach's Castle…
“Mario, Luigi, I’m leaving the Mushroom Kingdom for political business. I wish to improve our ties with the Beanbean Kingdom. I now need you two to rule over the Mushroom Kingdom while I am gone,” said Peach.
“I don’t know, Princess, we don’t know anything about-” began Luigi.
“Aw, don’t-a listen to-a Luigi! He doesn’t think-a before he says things! Of course we’ll-a watch over the kingdom!” interrupted Mario.
“Very well. I thank you and leave you the best of luck. I must now depart.” And with that, Princess Peach left for the Beanbean Kingdom.
“So, down to-a business! What’s our first order as-a rulers, eh Luigi?” asked Mario.
“I don't know, Mario. You were-a the one who seemed so eager to take this job, I thought you might've had some idea of-a what to do.”
Just then, the palace doors burst opened and the guards came in bearing two familiar faces. “You’re such a rookie, Rookie!” yelled Popple at his new sidekick.
“QUIT CALLIN’ ME ROOKIE!” yelled Croco. “I’ve been pickin’ pockets since before you knew what a coin was!”
While the two thieves bickered, Mario was deep in thought. So deep, that he spaced out, and Luigi had to make a decision. “Just let' em go.” began Luigi. “They’re not worth it.”
“Why you-” began Popple before he was dragged out. “This ain’t over, ya here?! I’ll be back!” Popple and Croco walked down the steps of the palace in dismay. “Ah Rookie, we’ll never be respected in this town…”
“Quit callin’ me-” began Croco.
However, he was interrupted by a rustling in the bushes. They stared for a moment, and out came a Toad with a green face and red clothing. “Be excusing me men of gentleness…” he said as he walked towards the castle.
“Um… Let’s go pick some pockets…” said Popple.
“That was of closeness,” muttered Fawful (if you didn't figure that out by now, you should just stop reading right now). “Now, to the castle library…”
“Mario? Mario?!” Luigi said as he snapped his fingers at the still entranced Mario. “Eh, it’s no use.”
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Fawful came in. Just then, Mario woke up and noticed the disguised villain. “Hey… Don’t I know you from somewhere?” asked Mario of the intruder.
“I’m not thinking so, sir,” replied the imposter.
“No, I swear I’ve seen you… Oh-a yeah!” Mario spotted Fawful trying to walk off, and stopped him in his tracks. At this point, Fawful was close to a heart attack. “Yeah, you-a thought you could escape… my raving fan!” Fawful’s heart nearly stopped. “Yeah! You-a tried to get my autograph, and I was busy! Well, here-a you go ya rascal!”
Mario scrawled his signature on a piece of paper and handed it to Fawful, who was just happy to be alive. Just then, he heard a voice in his head. It was Cackletta. “Tell him about the fire, you fool! That way, we can search the castle uninterrupted.”
Fawful took a minute to compose himself, and burst out, “Mario! There’s a fire in Toad Town, and they need you! Go quick!”
“Did you-a hear that, Luigi? A fire! I’ll-a get FLUDD!” yelled Mario.
“And I’ll get the Poltergust 3000 to sweep up the ashes!” replied Luigi.
And with that, Mario and Luigi were out the door to put out the fire, while Fawful was given the opportunity to search. “Now, to be finding that prophecy…”
Meanwhile…
“This is Lakilan, your roving Lakitu reporter with this breaking story! As you can see, the good community of Toad Town has been set aflame! Eye witness reports say that it was started by a funny green man in a red cloak and an odd helmet. The arsonist quickly fled the scene, and further info could not be gathered. Wait! What’s this?! It’s the Marios come to put out the flames!”
And so they did, Mario putting the flames out with FLUDD and Luigi sucking up the debris with his fantastic vacuum. “See that teamwork? Mario putting out the fires, and Luigi cleaning the ashes! Wow, the boss will pay me huge for this! ... Did I just say that on live television? Anyway, I’ll catch up with the Marios later for an exclusive interview. Remember, you saw it first on MKNN (Mushroom Kingdom News Network). This is Lakilan, signing off.”
By the time the report was finished, Mario and Luigi had saved the town from certain burnination. As for Lakilan, his story was at stake. “Lakilan, from MKNN.” he said as he approached the Mario Brothers. “That was quite spectacular how you put out that fire! I was wondering, could I ask you two a couple questions? It won’t take long.”
Mario of course was all for an interview, but Luigi knew they had better things to do. “I’m-a sorry, I know we all have to make a living, but we having pressing business to attend-a to. Good-a day.”
“But I need my scoop! Come on! My mortgage is getting out of hand, I just got divorced, I really need this money!” begged Lakilan.
Luigi thought it over, and found the possibilities. “Ok, we’ll help you out, but you have to help us with our important work for say… a week.”
Lakilan went to shake Luigi’s hand. “Deal partner! You won’t regret it!” And so, the threesome headed back to the castle, all satisfied by their accomplishments.
Back at the castle, however, all was not well…
While Mario and Luigi were cleaning up the fire, Fawful was searching for the so-called prophecy. He took a vial out of his coat and looked into it. He could see the evil spirit of Cackletta, swimming around in some vile liquid. Fawful threw it on the floor, and out popped Cackletta’s spirit, preserved by said magic liquids. “Well, search cretin!” bellowed Cackletta.
Fawful turned into his normal form and started looking through books. Eventually however, there were less and less books to choose from. The floor was littered with read volumes, and Fawful became fed up. “It’s all here! Tayce. T’s recipes, a written history of Goombas, everything except this prophecy of foolishness!” yelled Fawful.
“That’s impossible!” said the flustered Cackletta. “My sisters assured me there was a prophecy! Nya!” Cackletta threw a book at a random shelf, and a secret door opened. In it, there was a pedestal with a glowing scroll upon it. “Fawful…”
“Yes Cackletta…”
“Grab that scroll. Now.”
At this point, Mario and Luigi had returned with Lakilan. The noise of the impact from Cackletta’s thrown book had alerted them of a presence in the library. The two evil beings heard talking upstairs and knew the heroes had returned. Fawful stuffed Cackletta in another vial and the scroll in his pocket, transformed back into his disguise, and fled. In his rush, he knocked into Mario, sending the vial flying. Mario picked it up and looked at it. “You-a dropped this, friend!” said Mario as he handed the vial to Fawful.
“Th-thank you.” stuttered Fawful as he ran off.
“Such a nice-a Toad!” Mario said to himself.
Meanwhile, Luigi ran into the corridor. “Who was that, Mario?!” asked Luigi frantically.
“Some nice green Toad with red clothes,” replied Mario.
Luigi ran back outside and noticed Fawful escaping, in his true form. “Mario! It’s Fawful! You have to stop him! And I’ll hide in a corner…”
In a flash, Mario was out and raring for battle. He opened it up by tossing fireballs at Fawful’s headgear, which malfunctioned, sending Fawful to the ground. “Fink-rat! You will be of paying for that!”
Fawful sent a magic attack at Mario, which he skillfully dodged. Mario used his signature jump attack on Fawful, and the villain fell. Then a voice was heard from in his coat: “Fawful! The planets are almost in alignment! You must perform the ritual now!” With that, Fawful donned his headgear, and flew off.
At that moment, something in Mario’s head clicked. “Did she say something about planets, and alignment… Oh no!” Mario said as he ran down into the library.
“Man, I’m getting some great stuff,” Lakilan said as he followed. Mario opened up the secret door, and discovered the prophecy missing. “What’s wrong, Mario?” asked a worried Lakilan.
“I have never failed to save the Mushroom
Kingdom before, but now I think we are all doomed…”
Next time on Mario and Luigi: The Super
Nova Prophecy: Mario tells the legend of the prophecy itself, and how all
of humanity could be doomed to Cackletta’s evil desires. Meanwhile, Cackletta
puts her fiendish plans into action, and some new characters come into
play. But I won’t say any more, I may spoil it. What is this mysterious
prophecy? What are Cackletta’s plans? And above all, who are these mysterious
sisters of Cackletta? All these questions and more will be answered in
chapter 2!
Chapter 2: Rebirth
“So Mario,” Lakilan took out a pen and paper, “what is this prophecy, and why do you now doubt your hero skills?”
Mario, who had fallen to his knees, recited the legend behind the Super Nova Prophecy:
“A long time ago, before the creation of the Mushroom Kingdom, wars were constantly fought for the rights to land and food, among other things. The greatest of them all was fought against an ancient Toad tribe, the ancestors of Mushroomers today, and the Koopas, led by Alastor Koopa III. Alastor was overwhelmingly powerful. He could destroy half a Toad army in a matter of seconds. Even armed with the most powerful Stars, the Mushroomers stood no chance. So, seven Mushroom sages decided to create a weapon. A weapon, the likes of which have never been seen on this earth. The sages poured all of their most powerful magic into it. It was a Star, like no other, its power, unsurpassed throughout the universe. They called it, the Super Nova.”
“Now wait a sec, Mario,” began Luigi. “How did you become such a great storyteller?”
“Years of practice. Anyway, when the Super Nova was finally perfected, the Toads were on the brink of defeat. Their numbers had decreased at an extremely rapid pace, due to Alastor’s cruel desire for malice. In the final battle that would decide the fate of the future, the sages brought forth the Super Nova. The power was far too overwhelming for Alastor, and he fell in battle, never to plague the world again. Before he died, however, he had a son, Morton Koopa Sr.”
“Wow, I’m getting some great stuff here,” exclaimed Lakilan. “You mind slowing up a bit, Mario?”
“Whatever. Anyway,” began Mario in a slower voice, “the seven sages realized how much power they had in their possession. They could destroy worlds with the immeasurable magic that they created. Many others tried to claim the Super Nova for their own, many evil souls. The sages noticed this, so they hid the Super Nova somewhere in space, where its power could never again be reached. Or so they thought.”
“What happens next, Mario?! I’m itching for more!” said a Toad. Mario had just noticed that a large crowd had gathered around him, and was listening to his tale. Lakilan was digging in his cloud for another notepad to write on, and Luigi was sitting cross-legged, very keen on hearing the rest.
“Ok, so years and years later, when Morton was in power, a great Mushroom prophet named Toadal lived. He was a descendent of one of the seven sages. He gave people their fortunes, told the future, and even predicted the birth of myself, Mario. Anyway, one day, he was sitting on a grassy hill, enjoying life, when he was struck with a vision. It was a way for the Super Nova to be freed from the heavens, and used at will. This information could not be leaked out to anyone but the royal family, so he wrote down the prophecy on a magical scroll, one that could only be touched if you were of royal bloodlines. So, he rushed it to the current ruler, and he hid it away so that no evil eyes could see it.”
“But then how could Cackletta get it? She’s not of the royal bloodline,” asked Luigi.
“Cackletta is not,” began Mario, “but Fawful is.”
“FAWFUL?!” Luigi and Lakilan yelled together.
“Yes, I was just getting to that part. Fawful’s grandfather, Freadful, was the royal servant back in the day. The princess loved the servant, but was not allowed to marry him, because he was not of royal blood. So, in secret they got married, and had a son, Fawful’s father Fastly. So, although no one knew he was the true king, he was, making Fawful completely of royal bloodlines.”
“Wow… What a story,” said Lakilan.
“Well then, we can’t just stand here! If what you say is true, then we have to stop Cackletta!” bellowed Luigi.
“It’s impossible. Once that star is in her hands, she is unbeatable.”
“Well… You know, Mario, if I must, I can lend assistance,” piped up Lakilan.
“And hey, you’ve got the best bro around! What do ya say?”
Mario rose with a smile on his face. “Let’s a-go!”
Meanwhile, on Star Road…
“Hm… the prophecy says we must be of being here to be performing the ritual,” said Fawful as he held up the prophecy.
“Hold it right there!” said a voice. It was Geno, in his doll form, ready to put up a fight. “The Star Road doesn’t need a goon like you running around and messing things up, so bring it on!”
Geno charged at Fawful, who threw Cackletta’s spirit out of the vial. Cackletta began the ritual, while Fawful and Geno fought. “Geno! BLAST!” Geno fired a blast of energy that hit Fawful right on target. “You… will be of… paying for that…”
Meanwhile, Cackletta was chanting something while looking up at the planets, which strangely were in a perfect line. “Sacred spirits bestow upon me! The almighty power that I so desire! Raise my power, higher, higher! For all those in the world to see!”
A rumble that shocked the planet was felt, as the trio was making their way to the Star Road to stop the ritual. Mario and Luigi had donned Wing Caps, and Lakilan flew on his cloud. Geno, satisfied with his victory over Fawful, charged at Cackletta for his next attack, but was amazed by a star falling from the heavens. “No…” muttered Geno. “It can’t be…”
“EYEHAHAHAHA!” screeched Cackletta as she picked up the Super Nova. Suddenly, she was returned to her body. She paused and stared at it: a silver star with a gold aura surrounding it. As Cackletta held it in her hand, the silver turned to black, and the aura turned blood red.
“There’s no way I can stand a chance against her with the Nova!” thought Geno. “But I can’t just stand here, I must make a stand!” Then, Geno began charging energy, “Geno… FLASH!!!”
Cackletta was hit by the move, and nothing could be seen in the blinding flash that followed. However, when the light dimmed down, Cackletta stood, unharmed, with a malicious red glow in her eyes. “EYEHAHAHA! Fool! I posses the Super Nova! Hehehe, you then may be the first to die at the hands of my power! Now DIE!” Cackletta charged a beam of pure darkness, and fired it at Geno.
When the trio arrived, they found Geno barely clinging to life, and Cackletta standing over him, menacingly. When she noticed them she said, “Ah, Mario Brothers! How nice to see you! I would like you to witness my power!”
The ground below the Star Road began to quake and tremble. Suddenly, the rock and earth began whirling around in circles. Eventually, the stone began to take shape, into a giant black citadel, complete with black towers and pointed roofs. It rose higher and higher into the air until, BOOM! It shattered the Star Road, and settled there. Mario could just make out Geno saying, “Not again…”
Cackletta reached down to touch the Star Road, and when she did, the road turned as black as her heart. “Welcome,” she screeched, “to Castle Cackletta! EYEHAHAHA! And now, for my sisters to join the fun!”
Cackletta rose up the Nova, and four beings, each identical to Cackletta except for color, appeared on the dark road. “You have done well, sister!” piped up one.
“Yes, your success has freed us from that awful dimension!” said another.
“Sisters,” Cackletta began, “these are the Mario Brothers! Mario, Luigi, meet Chuckletta, Laughletta, Holetta, and Oholetta.”
The sisters all laughed at once: “EYEHAHAHA!”
“P-pleased to m-meet you!” stuttered
Mario.
Next time on Mario and Luigi 1.5: Can the Mario Brothers, along with the weakened Geno and reporter Lakilan, stand up to the uber-powerful Cackletta and her evil sisters? If not, what will happen to them? What will become of Plit? Is there hope left for humanity? And just where is Princess Peach through all of this anyway? All these questions and more will be answered, next time on Mario and Luigi 1.5: The Super Nova Prophecy!