Disclaimer:
I possess no rights to characters in this fan fiction created by a particular company and as such all rights to Mario, Peach, etc. belong to their respective owner(s). However, I hold all rights to any and all (original) characters specifically created in this fan fiction by myself.
A/N:
Due to the seemingly incoherent nature of the Mario universe, this fanfiction contains its own interpretation of the history, setting, mythology, etc. encountered within this universe with certain changes that do not take place in any of the games and can thus not be considered truly canon (though whether Mario possesses canon universe is up for debate). Assume all of Mario's adventures have already taken place (as of 2012) despite the differences perceived within the Mushroom Kingdom's geography.
In layman's terms: since the Mushroom Kingdom's locations change on a whim throughout the games, I decided to created my own version corresponding to the needs of this story. In my defense: every Mario game pretty much does it.
Also, expect this to be the last author's note I provide for the rest of the story. Updates and supplementary information can be found on my profile, so I suggest checking it out if you're interested.
Enjoy!
Part 1
Times to Remember
Chapter I
A Day of Celebration
Oh Mario, where are you?
From the balcony seat, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom watched the world below her with unsettled eyes. The soft drone of conversation filled the large theater with a buzz of noise as each entrant waited for the play to begin.
Princess Peach Toadstool was in no such mood.
Her gloved hands pulled at her hair impatiently; that man was certainly taking his sweet time to arrive! She would have expected him to be one of the first guests to appear since the princess didn't doubt he knew Toad Town by heart. Could he have gotten lost? It didn't seem at all likely, but it was still a possibility.
Peach sighed. Never leave Mario alone in an all-you-can-eat pasta parlor again, she acknowledged.
For the third time today, Peach brought her gaze downward, looking for any signs of the plumber. The wooden seats were all filled with all the different inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. Goombas, koopas, bumpties, even the mischievous shy guys lined the large theater, chatting eagerly amongst each other. Peach was heartened to see that today wasn't just a day of festivities for her kingdom's inhabitants, but also a day of tolerance and of unity. Where each species realized that there was nothing separating one race from another. Today, everyone was one.
The two sentries guarding the passageway leading to the balcony looked at each other in surprise. Then, one of them pulled the red curtain closing the exit open to allow someone's entrance
Peach smiled as she turned to see the new arrival. At the other side of the curtain was Mario. He looked like he'd seen better days, although his belly seemed to have grown despite having been only two hours since she'd seen him last. He held his customary hat with both hands, wringing it awkwardly as he looked at Peach with apologetic blue eyes.
There he was, the man that had changed Peach's world forever. The man for whom without Peach would be nothing more than a tool to be used by a power-hungry tyrant. He was the epitome of mundane; Mario was no knight in shining armor—quite the opposite in fact. With his greasy brown hair, untidy dress code and large stomach, he looked more like a servant than a hero, but a hero he was.
He was her champion. He was the Mushroom Kingdom's champion. And he was all they had.
"Mario!" Peach exclaimed, "I'm so glad you could make it."
Mario began apologizing profusely as soon as he walked towards her, his voice carrying that all-to-familiar strange accent that acted as a balm to her frayed nerves.
"There's no need to worry," Peach told him. "You do need to eat, after all."
Mario sighed in relief and sat down by her side.
Having regained her mood, Peach and Mario's voices joined the theater's others in a chorus of tales and jokes tossed about endlessly as the world waited for the day's entertainment to commence.
At this time, an old toad dressed in a black tuxedo with silver lace at the sides took to the stage and gave out a piercing whistle.
Little by little, the noise from the room was drawn to silence like water flowing through a drain. Once the toad had gotten everyone's attention, he shouted in a booming voice: "Attention, please! The play is about to begin!" And with that, he exited the center stage in the opposite direction he came.
Soon the lights around the theater began to dim one by one, until the room was completely covered in darkness. Excited murmurs rose from the front aisle of the theater as everyone else stood motionless. Both Mario and Peach settled themselves comfortably in their seats then to wait for the play's start.
With a click, the lights behind the center stage all lit up simultaneously, revealing a group of toads lined in a phalanx formation and armed with golden trumpets. The conductor raised his hands, and silence covered the world once more. Bringing them down sharply, the trumpeters took the cue and began playing. The world erupted with the beautiful melody caused by the toads' immense skills.
"Isn't this wonderful, Mario?" Peach whispered.
The mustached man gave her a nod as he edged his seat forward.
Mesmerized by the music, very few people noticed the crimson curtains slowly drawing open and the gradual departure of the trumpet band.
The background of the scene was a cloudy sky overlooking a castle-town on the horizon. At the right edge of the stage was the large balcony of a makeshift tower built from granite. A raven-haired woman stood at the edge of the balcony, her hands leaning on the rails as she looked down at the town below her.
"My heart be wrought with dismay, my faith in freedom is long gone, my kingdom lies there astray, while my help is surely done!"
The woman pressed a hand over her eyes, drying up the tears that fell openly from them. Alone she cried, seeing the futility of staying alive as she watched her home destroy itself.
"Curses upon those who mettle, blessings upon those who mind, A life is no longer settled by hope whence there's none to find."
From the skies, the sounds of flapping wings were heard in the distance. The shattered princess looked up then to see a white bird perched across the balcony's handle. It looked at her with concerned eyes before squawking.
"Hark, Princess, why so blue? What has that monster now done to you?"
The princess wiped the few remaining tears from her eyes as she regarded her companion.
"My time is finished, my kingdom lies broken. No words will make him listen to the pleas these lips have spoken."
The bird flapped his wings angrily, giving out angry chirrup as he did so. "'Tis wrong of him to do this! Yet you must not give into your plight. Tell him of his failures, for of your capture he has no right!"
The princess merely shook her head. "I cannot be so cruel, his intentions mean well. My heart is too weak to fool my lover's impenetrable veil."
The two continued arguing. From what Peach understood of the princess's condition, a strange monster had one day come to her kingdom and was met with scorn by all of the kingdom's inhabitants save for the princess. She was the only one to show the creature kindness, and as a result he fell madly in love with her. However, the princess felt no infatuation towards the creature, despite the generosity she showed him, so he became infuriated and flew the princess to the top of his tower, where no one would have her but him.
Despite her love for her kingdom, the princess didn't want to hurt her new friend, so she willingly complied with his actions in the hope that he would one day realize the extremity of his behavior and free her. During her long stay in the tower, she befriended a goonie crossing by one day, who acted as her messenger, obtaining information from her kingdom and learning of its imminent destruction. As the two friends discussed how best to remedy the situation, they formulated a plan to free the princess from her prison. The princess knew what she would have to do, much as she hated it. Yet for the betterment of her realm, it was paramount she act out her plan.
From the tower, a door creaked open and a strange raven entered the balcony. The goonie quickly flew away in a rustle of feathers lest it be discovered, and the princess was left alone with her warden.
The creature greeted the princess kindly, while she remained silent. Asking if something was the matter, he received a sharp scolding from the princess in response.
"…My life is my own," finished the princess, "and if thine love was true, then thy would know!"
The creature stiffened, looking at his love as if seeing her for the first time. Then, understanding the error of his ways, he apologized to the princess for everything he'd done and flew away, never to return.
The princess walked to the center of the balcony and gave a short monologue about how she hoped her friend would someday find a lover that loves him as much as he loved her. Then, the curtains began to lower slowly like a portcullis after dusk, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.
Mario noticed that he and the princess were the only two viewers left in the theater. Mario stayed a distance away from Peach, watching as she spoke with the playwright and the actors. Mario remembered them from his adventures with Luigi in the Beanbean Kingdom, though he was somewhat surprised to see the founder of Chuckola Cola Inc. go playwright.
"Oho!" He said in a loud voice, "How did you enjoy it, Princess?"
"It was marvelously done, Bubbles." She replied.
Bubbles did one of his customary spins. "I'm very glad you think so! Today seemed the perfect day to bring our talents here to the Mushroom Kingdom! 'The Princess and the Monster' has taken many of our bordering lands by storm, or so I'm told."
Giving no time for Peach to respond, Bubbles continued." And where is our second guest of honor?" He asked, looking around.
"Mario," Peach called, "would you mind coming here a moment?"
Mario complied and greeted Bubbles and the cast with a wave. "So tell us, Master Mario! How did you find our performance?" One of the actors asked him with eager eyes.
Mario replied in his incomprehensible yet somehow easily understood language.
"I don't know…" Peach drawled, "The final act was somewhat…unsettling."
Bubbles laughed raucously. "My dear Princess, it is perfectly natural for you to feel that way, but I assure you, tragedy is oftentimes the most efficient comedy."
"I'll try to keep that in mind." Peach replied, still somewhat incredulous to the very notion.
"Well, we should be going! We've many more performances to do before the month's end, and I'm sure you'll be extremely busy today as well, Princess."
"Indeed. Thank you very much for coming and for entertaining us. I'm sure the other viewers enjoyed the play just as much as we did." Peach replied every bit as formal as she would be when discussing terms with a fellow monarch.
"The pleasure is all ours! Seeing how gorgeous you are first-hand made the whole trip worth it!" Bubbles said, giving the pair a wink.
Mario and Peach paid their goodbyes to the playwright and his actors and left the theater. Outside, everyone was chatting endlessly about the play. Mario and Peach began walking south of the residence district and towards the castle at the center of Toad Town.
"He is right, though," Peach sighed. "We should return to the castle as soon as we can. It's almost midday, and I've yet to greet any of our guests."
Mario wondered what the princess was talking about.
"What? Don't tell me you've forgotten what today is already!" She exclaimed. "The large amounts of people in the towns, the festive decorations, the play…surely these things have made you somewhat suspicious, haven't they?"
Mario shook his head.
"Oh, Mario" She giggled. "Sometimes you're insufferable."
In his defense, celebrations seemed to occur out of nowhere these days…
They rounded a corner, finally exiting the passageway leading out of the district and into the market.
"Today is Tribute Day, it's a national holiday celebrated by the entire kingdom. We hold it near the very end of the year, ever year. The entire kingdom opens its doors and allows all who wish to enter in order to celebrate. Every town has its own celebration style, but Toad Town holds the largest. We then allow all who participated in the day's events who wishes to take part in further splendor inside the castle, where there will be a banquet held in the kingdom's honor.
Mario's mouth instantly watered at the thought of food.
"Still, it isn't all entertainment and festivities. Every town mayor meets up with me in the castle, and there we discuss what policies to enforce during the new year, such as public relations with other nations and things of that manner."
Mario sighed; glad he wouldn't be a part of that.
"Which is why we should get back as soon as possible. It's customary and good manners to greet the mayors and guests from faraway places, then I have to stay for the banquet, and then I have to talk politics with the other heads of the realm. It will certainly be a tiring day for me."
Mario agreed. All that did seem like a lot of work, though he wondered if the princess would be safe. Allowing anyone to meet her was all well and good, but she was an important figure in the kingdom—the most important, in fact, and Mario could think of many people who could use this opportunity in a malicious manner.
Still, he didn't doubt the princess would have guards and Toadsworth to protect her. Of course, they've never really done anything to prevent accidents from happening in the past.
Finally, Mario and Peach entered the castle courtyard. The area was filled to the brim with company of different shapes and sizes. White tables covered with pink drapery littered the healthy grass, filled with delicious-looking appetizers. The guests mingled this way and that, while toad guards armed with sharp spears watched their surroundings vigilantly for any signs of trouble.
"This heat is making my head throb." Peach declared. "I'll be going inside to speak with some of the guests, you can stay here and—"
The princess was stopped by the appearance of six toads, each dressed in formal attire and wearing gilded hats.
"Princess! We've finally found you!" A female voice called, presumably the band's leader.
"What is it now, Isadora?" The princess asked with an audible groan.
"You're late." She replied, completely ignoring the question. "Where have you been? The guests have been asking for you for an hour now."
"I was out enjoying myself," Peach put emphasis on the last two words. "With the citizens of Toad Town—my people, and with Mario."
"Ah Mario," a masculine voice called out. "How do you do? The princess hasn't been too much of a burden, I hope?"
"I can take care of myself just fine, Earnest." Peach snapped.
"Oh yes, just fine." Isadora scoffed. "In fact, you can do it so well, we never need to clean up your mess whenever disaster strikes."
Peach gasped in outrage but said nothing.
Mario was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"You are to come with us, Princess." The one called Earnest commanded.
A new voice brought everyone's eyes towards it. "How dare you command the princess, you hooligan!" Toadsworth was running from the entrance to the castle towards Mario and the rest of the group. He reached them tired and panting.
"Silence, you old fool!" Earnest replied. "We seek only the princess's safety, as should be your main concern." He added in a dark tone.
Toadsworth looked about ready to burst from rage, before Peach laid a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Enough, Toadsworth, I shall see what the Council wishes."
No more words were exchanged. Having gotten what the wanted, the Council beckoned the princess to follow them into the castle. Raising her chin as high as she could, she followed them in stride. The guests in the courtyard tried their best to disregard the argument that had just taken place, though they made no means of hiding their stares as they watched Peach enter the mouth of the castle and disappear within.
"Those n'er-do-wells!" Toadsworth said in between gasps. "How dare they place the princess in their treacherous schemes!"
Mario had no idea what was going on. He tried his best to ignore what had happened.
"Ah, Master Mario!" Toadsworth mentioned excitedly, "I didn't notice you there, my boy! How goes the good fight?"
Mario told Toadsworth of his adventures today with the princess.
"Yes… well, I suppose I should remind you of the surprise she has prepared for you. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Mario slapped himself on the forehead. He really did need to keep a steadier grip on his promises.
"Not to worry, Master Mario! Simply explore the castle for a spell at your leisure. A guard will come to you once it's ready."
Mario nodded his thanks and proceeded to the snack table, where he began filling his platter with a number of delicacies. The small slices of mushroom dipped in honey sauce were his favorite, and watching plays always did make him hungry.
Mario continued eating his full for a while, greeting any passersby that noticed his presence. Many of his old pals from his prior adventures had shown up, though they seemed too busy enjoying themselves to talk much with him.
Mario wasn't surprised at all to see Bowser and his minions weren't invited, though he hoped this wouldn't cause problems later on.
While munching on a piece of mushroom, Mario wondered what it was those Council members wanted with the princess. As far as Mario recalled, the Council had been set up earlier this year, as a means of keeping the Mushroom Kingdom stable when the princess was captured or unable to rule. Cases such as those were extremely prevalent in the early portion of the year, leaving the kingdom without rule for quite some time.
Mario could understand why the princess would take such a direct route in making sure the kingdom was well-tended while she was gone, but things could have been simpler if she had chosen the council members instead of having her citizens choose them instead. It was all just as well. The Mushroom Kingdom wasn't particularly known for its military prowess—a fact Mario would never mention aloud, and needed strong leaders to compensate for its lack of strength.
The council members acted as reagents to the throne, taking command whenever the need arose, but always backing down once the kingdom was returned to stasis. Despite Mario's ignorance towards all matters political, he was still clever enough to deduce that the Council somehow still held a leash upon the princess.
He slowly wondered whether Peach herself was aware of that.
Mario noticed Toadsworth, still seated in the same place Mario had seem him last. He was likely still waiting for Peach's return, although Mario suspected he might not be seeing her for the rest of the day.
There. Mario had done it again. All this thinking was making him even hungrier.
"Master Mario!" A voice called out before he could grab his plate.
Mario saw the bright armor of a toad guardsman heading straight for him. From the way he held his spear and his youngish appearance, Mario suspected he was still new to the force. His cap was a regular white with red spots, and in his hands he held an envelope.
"Master Mario," he repeated, "I've received word the princess is waiting for you inside the castle. Please report to her as soon as you can."
Mario thanked the guard who then bowed and walked away. Mario wondered whom that envelope in his hand was for.
"Master Mario," Toadsworth said, bobbing his way closer to him. "The princess has requested you presence, you shouldn't keep her waiting. Come along now!"
Mario took the hint and walked through the castle's large door. The all-too-familiar tapestry and flooring met his gaze as he walked in. Mario sighed as he felt crisp, cool air run though his face. The princess was waiting for him at the center of the rug with the sun-shaped design in the middle of the main room.
"Ah, there you are." Peach greeted. "Are you ready for your surprise?"
Mario jumped in affirmation.
"Good, then let's go. It's in the second floor balcony."
That was certainly an odd place to hold a surprise. Mario wondered what it was. Walking along the castle, he noticed there was no one else roaming the halls other than Peach and himself. That did seem somewhat suspicious, but Mario simply shrugged it off and kept walking.
The second floor was as silent as the first. Mario was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.
"I can see you're brimming with excitement, huh? Peach added sarcastically. "Don't worry, we're almost there."
Entering the door towards the balcony, Mario gasped as he stepped outside.
He could feel his cheeks burn as red as his hat.
Beneath them was likely every person in the entire Mushroom Kingdom. The crowd looked like a melting pot of races and cultures—which was exactly what it was. Everyone stood still, waiting for the princess to speak.
"Citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom," Peach began saying. "today we gather together in a time of glorious celebration. Here we can forget the troubles of today and of the past. Now, we can revel in our freedom and enjoy ourselves."
"But today is much more important than that. We are gathered together here, not as a myriad of different cultures and peoples, but as a kingdom. In this, we are united, and nothing will ever change that. Seated next to each of you are not toads, bob-ombs or any other differentiating factor used to separate and divide us."
Each member looked to their sides, obviously aware that the people seated next to them were in fact toads, bob-ombs, or any manner of differentiating factor used to separate and divide them.
Peach shook her head. "No, those next to you are exactly as you are: members of the Mushroom Kingdom."
At this, the crowd exploded in a series of cheers. Peach raised her hands to quiet them down.
"I take great pride in this nation," Peach said. "I am heartened to know we are one of the most culturally diverse and prosperous kingdoms in the known world. I am delighted to say that this is, in part, due to each and every one of you."
The cheering commenced once again after each word.
"But," The Princess added, "You all know even we have our problems."
The crowd immediately dimmed into silence.
"Bowser and his army have attacked our precious home many times during the past year, and he has succeeded in capturing me numerous times, leaving the kingdom in a state of peril."
Peach closed her eyes and sank her head downward.
"For this, I am truly sorry. It is my fault this kingdom possesses no means of keeping brainless oafs like Bowser at bay. It is my fault we do not have a decent enough military to fend off incoming attacks from rival kingdoms and outlaws. It is my fault I must become so woefully submissive as to allow errors such as these to keep occurring. I am to blame for all of this, and I take it all willfully."
The entire world was silent for a long while. Mario couldn't remember how long it was before Peach spoke once more.
"However, one thing I said isn't entirely true. We do, in fact, have a protector; a means of combating whatever force tries to test this kingdom's stability. Mario, please step forward."
Mario did as was commanded of him, his face getting all the more flushed as he waved tentatively to the crowd.
"Mario is our one line of defense against all threats. Our hero. Our champion. He has not once failed us, always managing to rescue me and save the kingdom in a matter of weeks. Without Mario, I would not be here."
"We would not be here."
"And so, today, I wish to dedicate this Tribute Day to Mario, the Champion of the Mushroom Kingdom!"
The world erupted with the sounds of claps and cheers. Even the princess stood there, clapping and smiling at him. But despite the obvious joy he brought to the people of the Mushroom Kingdom, there were six members of the audience, all seated in the front, which neither clapped nor cheered.
Back in his quarters, Mario sat enjoying a plate of spaghetti sprinkled with Mushroom paste. The cook had done an amazing job in cooking the fresh pasta just right. The meal helped Mario relax and lounge after a long and arduous day.
The speech the princess had given really helped to bring a higher sense of togetherness for the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. Despite the calm demeanor almost everyone showed during the day, Mario could tell there was still a lot of tension between the different species within the kingdom. A day of forced festivity wouldn't be enough to change that, but Peach's honest admissions were enough to show people that they weren't altogether too different from each other. Mario hoped the new year could commence in the same light. He wondered what the princess was doing right about now. Likely still speaking with the other leaders of the kingdom.
A soft knock at the door brought Mario out of his mulling. He stood from his chair and walked up to open it.
"I'm sorry if this is a bad time," a toad guard said, this one female and with blue spots in her cap. "But the Princess Peach has asked for you. She wants you to come to the courtyard whenever you can. Should I tell her you won't be coming?"
Mario shook his head and told the guard to tell Peach he would be right there.
"Alright. Make sure to have lots of fun while you're with her." She said with a crooked smirk before closing the door.
He had no idea what that guard meant by that.
Mario left the rest of his food unattended and stepped out of his room, closing the door as he left. From the windows of the second floor, Mario could see the sun was beginning to set.
As he walked towards the courtyard, he wondered what the princess wanted this time. Not that he was getting tired of her company, but she had been extremely eager to be around him as of late. They had never been as close to each other as they were during the past year. The Mushroom Kingdom had suffered through much, but it always grew stronger. Bowser was becoming more and more desperate after each failure at his hands—and with desperation came mistakes. The last capture of the year only took three days for everything to return to normal.
Of course, that had been four months ago.
Bowser's attacks had taken a steady decline after the half point of the year, though in the beginning they had been extremely brutal. Despite everything, the year had seen a record increase in kidnapping attempts, which was why the Council had been created, after all.
Mario was beginning to take an immediate disliking towards those council members. Since their inauguration, they had shown nothing but resistance to Peach's actions to increase public relations and promote cultural diversity in the kingdom. They seemed more interested in flaunting their xenophobic ideals than properly running the kingdom. Mario agreed more with Peach's philosophy in many things. She truly did seem like she knew what she was doing.
Two guards gave Mario a salute as he descended the stairs and entered the first floor. The main area still had a couple of guests enjoying the sunset, though from what Mario could see, there was no one outside the courtyard save for Peach. Most of the visitors had retired to their quarters, tired from the day's festivities, and none too eager to return to the mundane trails awaiting them tomorrow.
Mario entered the courtyard, meeting Peach's gaze as he walked forward to greet her.
"I'm terribly sorry for these constant interruptions, Mario, but there was something I wanted to discuss with you."
Mario wondered what it could possibly be.
"So, how did you find my speech? Was I too embarrassing?" She asked.
Mario told her what he thought.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was the least I could do to our people after all the trouble I've caused them." She sighed. "I truly wish I was strong enough to keep Bowser at bay without you needing to help me every time, Mario. I try to do the best I can, but it never seems to be enough…"
Mario comforted her as best he could.
"You really think so?" She asked with bright eyes.
"Say Mario," Peach added, changing the subject, "how fares your brother Luigi? I haven't see him in all of today."
Mario told her about how his brother left on some errand a week or so ago and hadn't come back yet.
"And he doesn't write? That seems odd. Still, I'm sad he couldn't make it. We haven't seen each other in so long."
Mario asked how the meetings went.
"I shouldn't bore you with the details, otherwise I might fall asleep myself. But we did a lot this year, despite the Council's constant attempts to turn this kingdom into a place more backwards than the land of the cragnons, things went better than expected. Thank you for asking."
Mario nodded his gratitude.
"I'm somewhat worried about Bowser." Peach said. "It's been a little less than half a year since we've last heard from him, despite how vicious he was at the start. It makes me wonder why I started the Council in the first place."
"I would have expected him to show up today, but there were no signs of any treachery whatsoever. I can't tell if we should be worried or if we should revel at our good fortune."
Peach shook her head. "But that isn't the reason why I called you. You see, before the meeting began, some guests decided to bring me gifts. That usually happens every year, but this time I received something rather interesting. Take a look."
Mario saw that in her hands Peach was holding a black leather-bound book with strange markings in the cover. She set the book to the ground and waited for Mario's reaction.
"I received this specific piece from Toadsworth, who recovered it from someone…he doesn't know more than that, as odd as it sounds."
Mario's eyebrows rose quizzically.
"I really don't know what to tell you. Toadsworth mentioned only that the person who gave this book to him was wearing a blue mask and matching robes. For some reason, he doesn't remember anything more about the person."
Mario instantly voiced his concern, remembering many a time how when the princess took strange objects from strangers, the result usually led to disaster.
"You unease is noted, but believe me: if this book looked even remotely suspicious, Toadsworth would have burned it in the nearest fireplace and spread the ashes in the wind before even thinking of giving it to me. Knowing him, the lapse could simply be a result of his age, the poor man."
Mario understood the point, but was nevertheless suspicious.
"Besides, I feel like the book is calling to me…"
Mario slapped himself on the forehead again. This surely wasn't going to end well.
"I've only read a portion of it so far, but the parts I've read are certainly…interesting." Peach said.
Mario was dreading her next words all the more.
"This book seems to tell the story of the Mushroom Kingdom…before it was the Mushroom Kingdom."
Now Mario's alarms were going off.
"I don't know how the facts in this book escaped our records. I don't know if I even believe the things written in here. They could be as fallacious as any other spontaneously written work. But whatever the case may be, this story is not one our kingdom's citizens will be fond of hearing any time soon."
Mario asked the princess to recount what she learned.
"Well, according to this," the princess placed a gloved finger on the cover, "many ages ago, there were a people called the Sampioen—our ancestors. These proud people were fighting a constant war with the Koopas of Dark Land. The leader and king of the Koopas was a ruthless deformed member of their species named Hermos Khandavner Koopa, who possessed professional militaristic insight and was a logistical genius. I suppose it would be right to assume that Bowser is one of his ancestors. My, but how the mighty have fallen."
Mario chuckled softly at the jibe, still too nervous to promote any further signs of amusement.
"However, despite the extreme military prowess of the Koopas, the Sampioen held a similar strength. Somehow, miraculously, they were able to fend off the Koopa horde for quite some time, despite being severely outnumbered in all aspects. The Sampioen fought valiantly, but they were no match before the Koopas and their powerful siege machines and dark magic."
"It seemed the Sampioen were on the verge of extinction, but five of the most powerful sages in the Sampioen force created a series of powerful artifacts that could only be awakened through a means known only by the sages. One such artifact—the Gem of Creation, harnessed the power of the elemental stars floating in the newly created Star Haven."
"According to this book, the exact number of artifacts in existence is unknown. There could be anywhere from two to a thousand, or maybe more."
Mario gulped at that prospect.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Peach answered reassuringly, "I doubt anyone living today has the means to awaken any artifact should they find them."
Mario sighed softly to himself. This was hardly the first time he had heard a line like that.
"In any case, these artifacts were used to overwhelm the Koopa forces, but upon seeing the carnage and havoc their creations wrecked upon the world, the sages, weak and weary from building their creations, infused the remaining artifacts with their magical essences, giving the objects a simple form of sentient ability. These artifacts had but one purpose left: they were to scatter into different parts of the world and hide in secrecy as to not to be found until they were called upon to return to the hands of civilization."
"Upon obtaining information on the artifacts' disappearance, the Koopa King mobilized his armies into one final division and sent his forces out for one final attack in order to wipe out the remaining Sampioen once and for all. The final skirmish was fought on the road connecting the Sampioen lands with Dark Land. The Sampioen returned victorious, but heavily tattered. Fortunately, the Koopa King was forced to retreat to his faraway base to nurse his wounds, but his hatred for the forces who wrought his defeat still remained deep within his heart, even after he sired the one next in line for the throne and mysteriously disappeared from history soon after."
"The Sampioen, on the other hand, savored their victory, though their numbers were now very few. They too needed to regroup and reform their dying culture, at which point they chose to disband military practices altogether and instead spend their resources on building a decent and efficient form of government in which everyone could be happy."
Closing the book, Peach sighed from exhaustion. "And that's all I had the time to read."
Mario had no words that could explain his feelings.
"The implications for what is said in this book are immense, Mario. Yet I've still some unanswered questions, like the target whereabouts of the Koopa King told in this tale, or the reason for the Sampioen-Koopa war. Surely there's more to it than the Koopas wanting to conquer anything they considered weaker than them."
"In any case, you must not tell anyone of what you've learned here, Mario. I do not know what consequences this could bring to the kingdom should its people discover the apparent truth about their past. I must think this through after finishing the book. That is when I will make my decision."
Mario looked at the sky. The moon shone brilliantly, like a silver sentinel watching their every move.
"I'm terribly sorry for taking up so much of your time. Please, feel free to return to your quarters, Mario. I for one, plan to do just that… err, rest in my quarters, I meant." Peach added, somewhat flustered.
Mario returned to the castle, too drowsy to spend more time thinking about the day's occurrences, with a guard kindly leading him back to his room.
That night, Mario slept like a Clubba.