Many, many years ago, the famous Mario Brothers were whisked away from their home in Brooklyn to the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach Toadstool from a horrible fate…
Livi wandered aimlessly around in the grassy fields, the light breeze ruffling her short, brown hair. She hummed to herself as she surveyed the few trees, some already dropping their leaves in preparation for autumn.
They had been summoned by the greater powers of this world, those which are in charge of the delicate balances hanging in the realm of the mortals in the Marioverse-mainly being the Star Spirits, Queen Jaydes of the Underwhere, and King Grambi of the Overthere.
She had come out here to sketch, but the day being so warm and sunny, and the field so beautiful and peaceful, the young artist had quickly lost interest, more concerned with simply surveying the scene around her.
This was not the first time a Real-Worlder had been called upon for a great task in this world, and it would not be the last.
Livi suddenly screamed as the ground shifted and shot out from under her, throwing her forwards so she landed face-first in the grass.
There was a task that needed accomplishing, and required a Real-Worlder as a key ingredient to its success. And, for whatever reason, this simple girl was chosen.
Livi pushed herself up off the ground, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. "Ow… what the heck was that?" Turning slowly around to where she had been standing not a minute before, Livi saw something amazing…
Now, granted, she had not been chosen completely at random. This girl was a Fangirl of the Marioverse, and a rather obsessive one at that. She knew her way around its inhabitants, locations, and creatures of all sorts.
"A… a warp pipe?" Livi wondered aloud. There was no mistaking it-a bright green warp pipe had sprung right out of the ground, the dirt cracking into mounds of rubble around it. Livi felt a smile spread across her face as she eagerly, and a bit clumsily, pushed herself up and stumbled around the pipe, examining it from every angle. It truly was a warp pipe, just like the ones she had seen in her Super Mario games.
And, given the aspects of the Marioverse that particularly caught this girl's attention, only she was capable of accomplishing this task in the manner necessary, and more than likely the only one that would, given the opportunity. She would need help-lots of it-which she could easily obtain should she make all the right friends in all the right places.
"No way…" Livi whispered to herself, placing her hands on the top of the pipe and hoisting herself up to peer inside. "This is so cool! It's an actual warp pipe! Awesome!" Livi sat down on the rim, swinging her legs over to dangle inside, but still keeping a firm grip on the edge for fear of falling in. The inside of the pipe was simply black nothingness, leading to whichever realm in the Mario World had sent it.
It would be a difficult task to accomplish, with all sorts of trouble, confusion, danger, and chaos along the way. But, she was a determined young girl, and was defiantly up to the challenge. However, she was easily frightened, and wasn't usually one to go looking for trouble.
Suddenly, Livi felt a slight shift in the breeze. It seemed to be pushing downwards a bit, which was quite out of the ordinary. Actually, Livi soon realized with a gasp of surprise, the change in breeze was coming from inside the pipe, more like suction than anything.
Then again, she wouldn't need to go looking for trouble, if trouble came and found her…
The winds picked up speed, knocking Livi off-balance. She tried to hold on to the sides of the pipe, but the current was too strong, and before she knew what was happening, with one final scream, Livi was sucked head-over-heels into the pipe, tumbling down the dark passageways as it pulled her along.
And so, as she was whisked away to the Marioverse, the young fangirl's journey began. A journey she would treasure forever, and a journey those who kept close company with her would not soon forget. She was soon to be a hero to some, an enemy to others, yet somehow, a dear friend to all.
The end of the pipe that had burst through the ground suddenly sucked right back in, the broken rubble instantly healing over as though the pipe had never been present at all. And just like that, all that was left of Livi was the small messenger bag she had dropped, her sketchbook-full of her characters and fandoms, and her small case of her favorite Mario games.
As all the pieces were set into place, with the beginning of Livi's journey and the others preparing for her arrival, the story was set into motion-and one fangirl's dream and each and every one of her fandoms' nightmare was about to unfold before their very eyes…
Luigi bounded up the castle steps, closely following his brother, both of them frantic and worried. They had received a call from one of the guard Toads, claiming that they had discovered an invader of some sort, and wanted them to come investigate. Having few, if any, details, Mario and Luigi had no choice but to rush up to Peach's Castle and investigate.
The doors were opened by the Toads on duty before the brothers reached the top step, the two simply rushing past with only a curt nod in thanks to them. They stopped briefly, Mario asking a Toadette where the Princess was (knowing she would want to be at the center of the action, as always), and they were quickly off in that direction.
Mario and Luigi found themselves at the door to a guest bedroom on the second floor, knocked softly, and dashed inside. The room had one bed in the center, with a pink canopy draped behind it. Medic-Toads were gathered around the bed, whispering amongst themselves, and examining the figure lying the bed-a young human girl, with short brunette hair, bright green eyes, and a very tall, scrawny figure. The girl was playing a silver DS that Peach had brought in for her, tap tap tapping away on the screen with her stylus and looking intensely focused.
Toadsworth walked over and greeted the brothers, then showed them over to where the Princess was seated on the bed beside the girl, talking softly to her. She stood up to greet the brothers, giving Mario a light peck on the cheek, then introducing them to the girl. "Mario, Luigi, this is Livi… some of my Toads found her out in the castle gardens-they claim she fell out of a warp pipe."
Livi looked up briefly from the game to wave ecstatically to them. She squealed with delight upon getting a better view of her visitors. "Oh my god! It's the Mario Brothers!"
The brothers smiled at the girl, then turned back to Peach. "Luigi…" Peach said sweetly. "Would you be a dear and keep Livi distracted? I need to talk to Mario about this."
Luigi sighed, but tried not to look too disappointed. "Ah… sure, Peach…" He watched the couple walk over to the table on the other side of the room, then sighed deeply, walking over to sit next to the girl. "Hey there…" he said.
Livi smiled up at him again. "Hey, Weegee!"
He looked over her shoulder at the game she was playing. "Mario Party DS, right?"
Livi nodded eagerly. "Yup! It's amazing! The graphics are totally crap-tastic, but ohmigosh it's so much fun!"
"Really?" Luigi laughed to himself. She was a funny little girl, for sure. "You like Mario Parties?"
"Love 'em!" She said. As soon as Livi finished up her Minigame, she turned the screen so Luigi could see. "Isn't this great? It's Kamek's Library! How cool is that? I swear, I bought this game back home for the sole purpose of playing this course."
Luigi got an uneasy knot in the pit of his stomach. "Oh… you, uh… really like Kamek, huh?"
"Heck yeah! He's adorable! And he's so snarky and funny… like in Partners in Time! When you guys went to Yoshi Island, and younger Kamek had to run around and steal cookies for Baby Bowser! Hilarious! These games are so great! I'm totally obsessed! Do I sound obsessed? 'Cause I think I'm seriously starting to…" Livi ranted.
Luigi laughed again, relaxing ever so slightly. "Wow… you really know your Mario…"
"I know my Luigi better!" She chirped, scrubbing the dusty frame on her screen madly and coins bounced all around her.
"What?" Luigi asked, suddenly confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you're my favorite…" Livi blushed slightly, smiling at the green-clad hero.
"Uh… r-really?" Luigi felt a bit of blush creeping into his cheeks as well. "You like… me best?"
"Oh, totally! You're way smarter, you can jump way higher, and you're a little fraidy-catish sometimes, but that just adds to the cuteness!" Livi reached down to the leg Luigi had up on the bed and yanked the cuff of his overalls up a bit, exposing the red-and-white striped socks he was wearing. "Plus, you have amazing socks…" she added playfully.
Luigi went scarlet as Livi made clear how much she knew about him. "That's really sweet, Livi… I didn't… I had no idea you, uh…"
"Had such great taste?" Livi asked sweetly, giggling to herself. She leaned over, laying her head on Luigi's shoulder, making him blush harder. "You're just adorable… I'm a sucker for cute characters, no matter what…"
"Really? Like how?"
"Like Dimentio."
Luigi cringed fearfully at the name of that psychotic jester. When was the last time anyone had brought that name up?
"Di… Dimen… Dimentio?"
"Yeah… Of course, he's like, scary as heck, and really annoying when you gotta fight him over and over and over and over… but, jeez, with that adorable outfit, and that devious little smile…" Livi squealed again. "He's just so cute-I couldn't help it. Before I hit Castle Bleck, the little sneak was already under my skin!"
Luigi gulped nervously, trying to suppress a shudder. "Oh, right… What, um… what other characters from the games do you like?" He asked, trying desperately to change the subject from Dimentio.
"Well, let's see…" Livi sighed deeply, staring off into space, and obviously preparing for a very long rant. "There's you, of course, and Kamek, and Dimentio… then, besides that, there's Fawful and Mr. L… and you guys are like, my top five. Then there's Cackletta, Count Bleck, Mimi, Nastasia, O'Chunks, Princess Daisy, Baby Bowser, Ludwig Von Koopa, Lemmy and Iggy Koopa-they're the twins right? OK, then I really like Larry Koopa, too, and-oh, duh-King Bowser is just plain awesome, and I guess Prince Peasley was pretty funny-totally gay-but really funny, I like King Boo and the rest of the Boos in Luigi's Mansion, and Merlee and Merluvlee, and-"
"Man, you weren't kidding…" Luigi interrupted, laughing a bit. "You really are obsessed, huh?"
"Oh, yeah, totally! I love this crazy place! It's great!" Livi suddenly stopped talking as a very timid-looking Toad walked over and shyly offered her a small, silver can with a mushroom painted on it. Livi smiled sweetly, took the can, and patted the Toad on the top of his cap. He blushed, bowed slightly, then scampered off.
"Oh, they're so cute…" Livi sighed. She then started to look over the item she had been given. "What's this?"
"It's a 'Shroom Shake…" Luigi said, taking it from her to pop the top off.
"Oh! Like in Super Paper Mario? I love that game!"
Luigi laughed, handing her the open drink. "I've heard… here, drink up."
Livi hesitantly took the drink, tried to peer into the tiny opening to catch a glimpse of the liquid inside, then gave up, gulping it down. Luigi noticed a few bruises on her arms and forehead vanish into thin air. Livi sighed in satisfaction, then handed the can back to Luigi. He simply tossed it across the room into a wastebasket.
Livi lay back into the pillows on the bed, going back to her game. Luigi lay down next to her, looking over her shoulder again. "So, Livi… how did you get here?"
Livi shrugged, not looking up from the battle game. "I dunno… One minute I was walking in the fields, then the next, there's a big pipe stickin' out of the ground… before I knew what was happening, I wound up here-Oh, look at Kamek! He's so cute when he's trying to kill me!"
"So… A pipe just… popped out of the ground?" Luigi asked.
"Yeah, nearly killed me, too… it came up right where I was standing…"
"Ah, I see…" Luigi mused. "Well, luckily, it shouldn't be too hard to get you home-we'll just have to find the pipe you came out of, and once you jump down it, your pipe should return on earth."
"What?" Livi asked, shocked into finally looking up. "But, I don't wanna go back home!"
"Huh?" Luigi was stunned.
Livi dropped Peach's DS, forgetting the game entirely, and threw her arms around Luigi's shoulders, burying her face in his shirt. "I don't wanna go home! I want to stay here-with all of you guys! I wanna go on crazy adventures, too! And meet crazies, and beat up baddies, and kick friggin butt, just like the Mario Bros.!"
Luigi put his arms around her, attempting to comfort her. "Shhh… Livi, it's okay… No one said you had to go home now…"
Livi sniffled a bit, looking up at Luigi. She had tears welling up in her eyes. "Wh… what?"
"Well, you don't have to go home right now, I guess…" Luigi said. "So, maybe… you could stay here at the castle? Just for a while?"
"Really?" Livi was instantly elated. "That would be awesome!"
"I don't think it should be much of a problem…" Luigi said. "Time passes a lot quicker in this world than yours… Any time spent here would be doubled compared to time in your world.…"
Livi shrugged. "Well, I'm always slippin' off somewhere, anyway… I'm a dimensional traveler, ya know…" She said proudly, gesturing to herself with a bit of arrogance.
"Really?" Luigi said, his thoughts returning to Dimentio. "Is that so?"
"Yup!" Livi chirped. Her face fell a bit, though, as she continued sheepishly. "Well… I can't really do much… I'm an Artist, so the worlds I can go to are limited to the ones I've created… I really don't know how I got here…"
"Well, then…" Luigi smiled at her. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you like… and once you go home, we'll get some mechanics to keep the pipe you came though open, so you can come and go as you please."
"Alright! That sounds awesome!" Livi screamed, hugging Luigi tight.
And so, just like that, Livi was accepted into the Mario Bros. lives. The room she currently stayed in was quickly re-decorated to her liking-with a large TV, and all sorts of gaming platform and Livi's favorite games from Real World. Livi continued returning every few months to stay for a while, then she would disappear yet again.
This continued for quite a while, until Livi's fantastic journey began to pick up pace. Almost a whole year later, on Livi's 15th birthday, she returned to celebrate it with her new friends.
This is where her story begins…