Pre-Author's Note: Super Paper Mario spoilers ahead. This story will be a cross between Super Paper Mario and Super Smash Bros. This prologue has nothing new however, its everything in Super Paper Mario up until the first world. Anyone who has played the game can skip the prologue, but anyone who hasn't needs to read this if you want to be able to follow the story.
Prologue
Ahem! Today...I'll tell you the story of the lost book of prophecies. This prophetic book was a mysterious tome full of stories of future events. Of course, many people craved this book, wishing to glimpse their futures. But no person, after obtaining this amazing book, ever found happiness. The reason? The book held frightful secrets not meant for people's eyes. That book came to be called the Dark Prognosticus and was sealed away. This...is the tale of that book's last owner. It is a tale of love...
"Ooh...Oooooh...What happened to me...What is this place?"
"Bleh Heh Heh Heh Heh...Oh, you're awake, Princess!"
"...Huh?" Princess Peach slowly opened her eyes. At first the world appeared fuzzy and blurred but she blinked it out to see two figures in front of her.
One was a tall blue-skinned man whose body was concealed by a clean, white robe. One gloved hand was revealed, in it was a tall cane with a large diamond at the tip. He wore a top hat as white as the rest of his clothes and a monocle covered his left eye. His right eye was nothing but a glowing red hole in his face, the same eerie, red, glow also came out from his mouth which was at the moment curled into a wicked looking smile. The other was a much more familiar figure...
"BOWSER!" Peach screamed, who was too alarmed to realize the king of koopas was in a tuxedo, or just didn't care.
The Koopa King turned away from Peach and waved to a massive crowd of his minions that were watching this strange event. The giant turtle waved and laughed at his followers as they cheered for their leader.
"You rule Bowser!"
"All hail Bowser!!!"
"Hi Peach!"
"W-What's going on here!?" asked Peach.
A short woman with the same color skin as the monocled man appeared floating above Peach and adjusted the pair of spectacles she wore as she began to speak. "Count! Yeah. Um, 'K, so preparations are almost complete."
"Mmm...than it shall be begun...by Count Bleck!" said the man...who was apparently Count Bleck. He turned away from the girl and faced Bowser.
"Bowser... ferocious and fearsome, evil king of the Koopas..." he began, "Do you take Peach to be your lawfully wedded wife 'til your games be over?"
"Bwa ha ha!" laughed Bowser, " Will I marry Peach? Are you kidding me? The answer's YESSSSSSSS!"
"Peach...Noble princess, pure of heart...Do you take Bowser do be your lawfully wedded husband 'til your games be over?"
"Now just a second! You will explain to me what is going on...RIGHT NOW!"
"Bleh heh heh heh heh" laughed Count Bleck, "Is it not obvious princess? This is your wedding!"
"But...why in the WORLD am I marrying Bowser?!?"
"Hey, no gripes from THIS side of the altar, Bleck old boy!" yelled Bowser, "I don't get the details, but the count here has gone through a lot of trouble planning this! Just relax! We'll be married, we'll be in love, it'll be awesome! Finally!"
"NO!...and who picked this dress out?! It's awful!" yelled Peach, who just noticed her wedding dress, "Take me back to my castle, immediately!"
A red ring of energy surrounded and shocked Peach knocking her to the ground.
"Yeah, um, being rude to the esteemed count is kind of frowned upon, 'K?" said the girl as she adjusted her glasses again. "So, yeah, Peach. I'm gonna need you to answer the count now...Do you, Peach, take Bowser to be your husband 'til your games be over?"
"Nuh...Nu...No..." grunted Peach, too weak to talk properly after getting hit by the powerful attack.
The girl looked a bit surprised, showing emotion for the first time. "Wow, you sure are a fighter. But yeah, noone withstands my super-hypnosis, sorry. 'I do.' Say it now, 'K.?"
Another, brighter red ring of energy surrounded Peach and shocked her, making her release a grunt of pain.
"Oooh...Ooooh...oh" grunted Peach, "I...I...do."
A second of complete silence passed by.
The sound of a large bell ringing filled the air, the entire altar began to shake violently, an eruption of darkness swarmed out of the altar like a swarm of bats out of a cave.
Bowser stared at the strange shadows in confusion. "W-WHAT?!"
The rumbling awoke a green clad man who was sleeping in the middle of the crowd of minions. "Ugh, what in the world?" asked Luigi as he got up. "What am I doing here?" Luigi looked towards the source of the rumbling. "Huh?! Is that...Princess Peach over there? And that guy is...HEY!"
The mass of shadows swarmed together and began to take form in what seemed to be the shape of a heart. The shaking began to take a rhythm similar to a heart beat. The dark heart floated in front of the count.
Count Bleck waved his arms in the air madly. "BLEH HEH HEH HEH HEH! BLECK! Yes, all precisely as written in the Dark Prognosticus! Already it is unleashed! The Chaos Heart!"
"Oh, yeah, um, congratulations Count..."
"HALT!" yelled Luigi as he ascended the steps of the altar.
"And just who are you?...asked Count Bleck." asked, well, Count Bleck.
"Oh no! I don't give my name to scoundrels! Just watch as Luigi punishes you for your badness!" yelled Luigi, "HERE I GO!"
The girl began to shout, "Yeah, um, I'm gonna need you to stop right this second, 'K? If you interrupt this now..."
Luigi jumped onto and bounced off of Bowser's head, then landed on and jumped off of the Chaos Heart, finally landing by Princess Peach. The blow to the Chaos Heart caused shadows to swirl off of it in all directions, consuming all nearby light. The tremors began to grow much worse by the second.
"Here's where Luigi rescues Princess Peach!" yelled Luigi. "Eh?"he asked as he finally noticed the Chaos Heart's reaction to his jumping.
A bright flash erupted from the Chaos Heart, then another, hundreds of blinding flashes surrounded everyone near the altar. Finally a massive explosion of pure light consuming everything and everyone that got in it's way.
When the light subsided all that was left was the Chaos Heart. The altar, Peach, Luigi, Bowser, and everyone else had disappeared. The Chaos Heart floated menacingly in the air.
Count Bleck mysteriously appeared in front of the Chaos Heart, a book with a black cover that was covered in ancient markings and a red jewel in it's center magically appeared next to him followed by the girl with the glasses.
"Um, yeah, so are you alright Count?"
"Fools...pointless acts like these will only earn you pain...from Count Bleck!" screamed Count Bleck. "Very well, as the Chaos Heart is secured this ragtag group now lacks use."
The girl adjusted her glasses. "Um, yeah, so Count, this means you can turn to a new page of dark prophecies..."
The Count swung his arms into the air again, his robe waved behind him, the inside speckled with white spots shaped like stars laid against an inky black cloth. "Open your mouth darkness! Consume everything and destroy all worlds! Just as told in the prophecy! BLECK!"
The sun was shining brightly, the birds were chirping happily, and the sky was as clear as could be. The bright sunshine shone across the forest, waking the animals and beginning the new day. Yes, a nice, peaceful day. This was the scene just outside of the Mario Bros.' house.
Inside, Mario and his brother Luigi had just finished breakfast. Luigi yawned. "Boy, it sure is peaceful, eh Bro?"
Mario simply nodded.
"Makes a guy feel lucky, having a peaceful day...Yep, reeeeeal peaceful. It's so peaceful it's almost a little bit boring. It makes you just want a...'KERBLOOEY!' 'ya know? Some kind of shocking event..."
Mario rested his chin on his hand. It had been a long time since Peach had been kidnapped. Was it a new record?...No, it hadn't been quite three weeks yet. Now that Mario actually thought about it, it almost had been enough time for a new record since Bowser last kidnapped Peach. No way Bowser would let THAT happen, he would probably steal her away any second now!
Mario voiced his thoughts to Luigi and his brother mulled it over. "At Princess Peach's maybe? That'd be cool huh Bro? Maybe we should go visit Mushroom Castle! It has been a while, I'm sure the Princess would be happy to see us."
Finished on deciding what to do, the brothers left the house. And saw the peaceful scene outside...
...be completely shattered as Toad ran towards them from Mushroom Way screaming his head off.
"M-M-M-M-M-M-M-MARIO! HELP!"
The famous brothers jumped from the doorstep at their house all the way to Toad.
"T-Toad?! What happened?! Why are you so crazy?!" asked Luigi.
"It's sh-sh-sh-sh-shocking! Mushroom Castle...RAIDED! Princess Peach...STOLEN!"
Both Brothers jumped in surprise, but it was Luigi who started to panic.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! Why, that's ridiculous! Who would do such a thing?!" Luigi screamed. "Wait a sec...Yeah! I think I've got it! Bro, this must be the work of that guy! That bad guy!"
Mario wondered who Luigi meant for a brief second before it registered in his mind. Of course! It had to be him!
"I won't stand for this...we'll have to sneak into his castle and rescue Princess Peach! Let's go Bro!"
Mario nodded and ran off, Luigi following close behind.
Toad watched them run off and wished to the stars that they would return safely. "Good luck Mario...Bros.!"
The loud roaring of an army could be heard from even far away from Bowser's Castle, the evil looking structure surrounded by a moat of lava, and filled to the brim with monsters of all shapes and sizes, and then some, all of which happened to be in the main hall of the castle planning an attack.
"BWA HA HA!" laughed the Koopa King. "Listen well, my elite minion task force! It's time to initiate my awesome plot to invade Mushroom Castle! Today is also the day that I make my beloved Princess Peach ALL MINE! And if that weren't awesome enough, I'll also stomp her little mustache buddies!"
His army screamed to both encourage their king and themselves.
"YEEEEEEEAH!"
"You rule Bowser!"
"Yeah!"
"Your Rudeness! Wooh!"
"All hail King Bowser!"
"We're under attack!"
"Bwa ha ha!" Bowser laughed, "We're under attack, you jokers are the best! Hey! Who are those hairy guys in the back?! We SHAVE in this army soldiers!" Bowser jumped all the way to the end of the hall, his minions scattered to avoid being crushed by their king. When he landed Bowser saw that the 'hairy guys in the back' were actually "GAH! MARIO?!...AND Luigi?! How'd you get in here?!"
Mario then told Bowser the intricate, complicated, ingenius method he and his brother used to get into the heavily guarded castle.
"What?! The front gate was open?!" Bowser yelled. "How many times have I told those idiots?! If you're the last one in, LOCK THE GATE!"
"Quite you big Bowser!" yelled Luigi. "We know you kidnapped Princess Peach! Now where'd you put her?!"
"Where'd I–...Wait, Wha? Were only just now about to launch our atta–"
"MARIO!! HELP!!"
In the air, above the crowd of minions a cube made of light and colors mystically appeared, and inside it was Princess Peach! Another thing quickly appeared next to the prison containing Peach..
"BLECK! Your princess has been taken...by Count Bleck!"
"You, wait by WHO?!"yelled Bowser.
The man did a small bow. "By me...Count Bleck! The chosen executor of the Dark Prognosticus...is Count Bleck! The fine fellow prophesied to come to this dimension is also...Count Bleck!"
Bowser hated riddles, because they made him think, but he hated people who talk in riddles even more! "Guess who doesn't make even a little bit of sense...Count Bleck! Enough! Release Princess Peach right now! I'm on a schedule over here!"
"Count Bleck says NEVER! This princess is integral to fulfilling the prophecies...she will be brought to Castle Bleck and used to destroy all worlds...by Count Bleck!"
Great...another kidnapper. Mario jumped into action, literally. He jumped above Count Bleck and tried to stomp on the man's head. Just before he reached his target Mario was deflected by a light shield, pain coursed through his body the second he touched it and was sent crashing to the ground. Count Bleck raised his staff into the air and waved it. A black hole ripped into space, covering Mario and trying to rip him apart. It sucked him in, through him about in it's center, stretched him beyond his limits and even electrocuted him before spitting him out onto the floor.
"Big Bro!" Luigi yelled, crouching by his brother to see if he was okay.
"This man deserves ridicule...Weaklings can not face Count Bleck!"
"Hey, here's a thought, why don't you come down here and free the princess... OR ELSE!" as Bowser said this his army began to close in around the group, readying their shells, hammers, magic wands, and whatever else they carried.
"Bleh heh heh heh heh...your princess shall not be freed...by Count Bleck! In fact Bowser, evil King of the Koopas, Count Bleck will take you too!" Count Bleck through his staff into the air and it began to spin wildly as Bleck glowed with power. "BLEH HEH HEH! BLECK!"
A gigantic hole appeared behind the count and began sucking up everyone in the room, not even Bowser, with all his weight could resist the hole's pull.
"BLEH HEH HEH! BLECK! Count Bleck's preparations are now in order! All that remains is for the Dimensional Void to appear, as foretold in the prophecy...Bleh heh heh heh heh...BLEH HEH HEH HEH BLECK!" Count Bleck was too focused on his thoughts too notice a sleeping Mario had somehow escaped the void and lay on the floor as he teleported away.
"...ario...Mario..."
Mario's eyes shot open. He jumped to his feet and looked around ready to take on Bowser, or Bleck, or whoever had kidnapped Peach!
"Mario, are you awake?"
Mario turned around and noticed what looked like a rainbow colored butterfly floating inches from his face.
"My name is Tippi...I am what is known as a Pixl...a sort of fairy...Mario, I came to find you. You met Count Bleck...he captured a princess and an evil king...Is this not so?"
Mario gasped, remembering the events that had taken place clearly now. How much time had passed since then?
Tippi could tell from Mario's reaction. "Then that means Count Bleck is already starting to form The Void...We haven't much time...You must come with me. Yes, if your friends are to be saved, you must come with me...Let us go."
Mario let out a yelp as he felt for the first time, what it was like to be pulled from a plain of existence and thrown into another...
Mario fell from the sky and landed, quite uncomfortably may I add, on a large floating platform above a city he wasn't familiar with. As he got up a man in a blue robe with a long, LONG, mustache walked over to him.
"Oh ho! Back so soon Tippi? And who might this be? Red shirt, blue overalls, and a magnificent mustache! Tippi, you have truly outdone yourself!"
Tippi floated over to the man. "He matches the description in the Light Prognosticus perfectly...and his name is Mario."
Both strangers set their gaze on Mario, who looked back...without a clue what they were talking about.
"I welcome you Mario!" said the robed man, "This is the town of Flipside! You have come far from the Mushroom Kingdom of your dimension...of course, our fair Flipside is no dimension at all! No! It is BETWEEN dimensions! My name is Merlon, a descendant of the ancients who built this town. I busy myself by studying musty, ancient texts to forestall the end of all worlds!"
Mario tilted his head once Merlon said 'the end of all worlds'. He was wondering if it would be another world-saving adventure instead of a nice, relaxing, save the princess one.
"Ahh...you want to know about the end of all worlds? What's happening you ask? So Tippi has not told you yet I gather...Well then Mario, the answer hangs above you."
Mario looked up and saw a small spot of darkness against the sky.
"Do you see the gathering darkness in the sky? It is a hole in the very fabric of space! Such a strange phenomenon...Is it near or far? None know, it may appear small now but it will only grow. And in the end it will swallow all worlds, all existence, all dimensions...The void was created by our enemy, Count Bleck, who wields the Dark Prognosticus."
"A fair and lovely princess, a furious monster king..."recited Tippi, " the union of these two will call forth the Chaos Heart, the consumer of all worlds...and the Chaos Heart will ravage the sky, and call forth the Void..."
"Yes, the passage Tippi just quoted is from the Light Prognosticus of my ancestors. The book also says this: The Void will swallow all...Naught can stop it...unless the one protected by the dark power is destroyed. The hero with the power of eight Pure Hearts will rise to this task...' so it is written."
Suddenly Merlon started to glow and a glowing, orange-pink heart appeared above his head. Mario could feel the warmth emanating off of it even from his distance. It wasn't just warm in a temperature sense...no, warm in a different way. A comforting, reassuring way...Like how you feel around someone you-
His thoughts were interrupted by Merlon. "This is one of the eight Pure Hearts. You are surely the hero spoken of in the Light Prognosticus. You are the only one who can defeat Count Bleck and save all worlds! Mario! Take this and save all worlds from destruction!"
Mario stared at the Pure Heart. His mind was still trying to register all of this. The most important adventure he had ever had was probably when he saved the world from an ancient demon, or when he saved the Star Road or Star Rod. All of that didn't even come close to this...his world wasn't the only one on the line, every single creature, thing, and dimension relied on him this time. And if he failed they wouldn't just be ruled by some evil dictator, they would end...they would die...But if he didn't try, then that would happen for sure. If he tried they at least had a chance. Mario had beaten the odds before, and he could do it again! And what would happen to Peach? He still had to save her!
Merlon stared at Mario, patiently awaiting his decision.
"I will."
"Excellent! You really are the hero of legend! My eyes never deceive! So...ahem! Mario, our brave hero! Take this!" The Pure Heart floated from Merlon's grasp over to Mario.
Mario reached out and grabbed the heart with both hands. He could instantly feel its power flood into him.
"You got a pure heart!" said Tippi, who for the first time since Mario met her actually seemed happy. Well, he had just agreed to save all worlds. That was something to be pretty happy over.
"Now, great hero Mario, your first task awaits. You must take this Pure Heart and place it in the Heart Pillar in ths town. Tippi will lead you there. Return to me when you are through with this task!"
"This way!" Tippi called out as she flew to the edge of the platform. Mario followed and looked off the edge. There were various buildings and floors to the town, it stretched on for as far as the eye could see, and yet there was still a somewhat humble feel about it. He could also tell how high up he really was, at least thirty stories. Then he looked straight down and saw a large white pillar rising out of the ground.
"Thats the Heart Pillar." said Tippi.
Mario simply nodded, and jumped off the platform towards the Heart Pillar.
Mario fell the thirty stories and landed effortlessly, although with enough force to crack the cement. Oops. Mario waved his ankle around a little bit, it kind of hurt. It had been a while since he jumped from that hight.
Tippi flew down next to him. "There was an elevator you know..."
Mario just shrugged and continued towards the pillar. He reached it in just a minute. It was about twenty feet tall, seven feet wide both ways. A heart indentation was marked near the top. Mario could feel the Pure Heart pulse stronger, and he could feel a rumbling coming from the pillar.
The Pure Heart rose above his head and began to spin, faster, faster, faster still. Then it shot up high into the air out of sight, before coming right back down and landing in the indentation. Then a bright flash and a magical array of colors burst from the pillar and took the shape of the face of a clock. Then more of them appeared and crossed with eachother creating a beautiful pattern of colors and shapes as lines and circles appeared inside of each of them. The patterns began to spin, some in one direction and others in another. They began spinning and expanding, growing larger still! Then they all stopped. The magnificent show had seem to have paused in time.
And then all of the shapes and colors flew back into the pillar in an instant, followed by a giant beam of light shooting into the sky.
Mario walked off of the elevator back onto the platform suspended in air.
"Ah, the two of you return! Look! A door has appeared!" yelled Merlon, pointing at a nearby red door that had...well, appeared. "This 'Dimensional Door' was made to lead the hero to another Pure Heart. Yes, somewhere beyond this door lies another one of the seven other Pure Hearts...Tippi.You must use your powers to help Mario find a Pure Heart and return here."
"Of course..."
"The Light Prognosticus foretells that the hero will meet a 'dimensional governor.' and from him, the hero will learn the 'dimensional technique.' So now go through the door, and seek out the dimensional technique and the Pure Heart!"
"Well," muttered Tippi, "Let's get going..."
Mario nodded and ran straight for the door. He grabbed the knob and opened the door before running inside...
Inside a dark, nearly pitch black room, Count Bleck stood. He was smiling crazily as he stood upon one of the many floating spider-web looking platforms that floated around this shadowy room.
"BLEH HEH HEH HEH HEH! The Void has been ripped into the dimensional fabric!" said Count Bleck. "Yes, Count Bleck is pleased. Everything is going according to the Dark Prognosticus. Now its just a matter of time until all worlds meet their demise! Bleck!"
On the opposite side of the room from the count, a large, hairy man was hunched over on one of the many platforms. "Wow, that's just super Count! First you'll erase all these naughty worlds, and then your gonna make a perfect world without war or all that other icky stuff!"
A smaller figure wearing a colorful outfit and a mask continued for his companion. "Yes, yes, nobody likes the 'Icky stuff'...Yesss...A perfect world...sounds magical...Ah ha ha...I can hardly stand the wait."
"Sorry I'm late!" yelled a large, hairy, hunched over man as he fell from the ceiling. He landed just in front of...himself. "What in 'blazin bog rats?!How'd I beat my'self 'ere?! What's goin' on?!"
"Mimimimimimimimimimimimimimi" laughed the doppleganger. "Oh, O'Chunks. Didj'a oversleep or something?" A blast of purple smoke covered the figure, when the gas faded Count Bleck stood in the figure's place. "I guess it's hard to be on time though, when you've got muscles instead of brains!"
"EH'!" yelled O' Chunks. " Yeh' can't fool meh' wit' that crazy shape-shiften' hooliganry! It's Mimi 'innit? Show some respect for the Count! You can't just a go borrowin' 'is face, lass!"
"Bleh heh heh heh heh." laughed the real Count Bleck, " how delightful, Mimi, almost as dapper...as Count Bleck!"
The fake Bleck was covered in smoke again and Princess Peach Toadstool appeared. "Aw golly gee! Thanks Count! With you around, it's nothing but big smiles around, all the time! Hanging out with the count, that's MY idea of a perfect world."
"And here I thought Mimi's ideal world was a gem filled pool full of hunky life-guards..." muttered the clown-like figure."
"HEY! DIMENTIO! HAVE YOU BEEN READING MY DIARY?! I mean...um...nevermind..."
"Bleh heh heh heh heh heh heh...well, different strokes for different minions. After all these rotten worlds are ended, Count Bleck will make sure all your dreams come true! But for that to happen...we must follow the instructions of the Dark Prognosticus!"
The blue-skinned girl next to the count adjusted her glasses before speaking. "Yeah, um, about that, Count. Just an FYI? I've got an urgent memo for your inbox. Apparently there's been some unapproved dimensional travel lately...yeah. I'm thinking it's the hero of prophecy. We're gonna need an action plan for this guy..."
"A dimensional interloper?!" yelled Count Bleck. "The hero of prophecy?! Are you sure of it Nastasia?! Interesting, mused Count Bleck, we must put an end to this nuisance."
"Count Bleck!" yelled O' Chunks. "That 'ero Nastasias goin' on about'. He yer enemy? Then ya gotta cut meh loose on 'im! Yeh' gotta! I'll give him a nice taste 'uh O' Chunks!"
"Very well, O' Chunks. Count Bleck will leave the hero-chunking to you. Do not fail."
"Yeh can count on meh Count! I'll rain down like a fat thunderstorm! I swear it!" yelled the chunky man. He turned around to face the other two suboridnates. "Mimi, Dimentio, yeh should tag along! Yeh could witness a proper chunkin'!" With that O' Chunks jumped off of the platform into the shadowy depths below.
"Mmm...I do love a good chunking..."said Dimentio, "Well then, I believe I'll head out as well." A rift in space appeared for the briefest of moments before Dimentio disappeared into it.
"Bleh heh heh heh heh...So, hero. You would defy Count Bleck? Then hurry, for your world's end draws near...BLEH HEH HEH HEH! BLECK!
Mario has been called once again to save the world. No small task. Could he prevent Count Bleck from pulling off his sinister plot? Would Mario reunite with Princess Peach? A truly interdimensional adventure was about to begin...
Author's Note: Sorry for sticking so closely to the storyline of Super Paper Mario for the prologue, I promise other chapters will actually have new stuff in them. I'm also sorry for this prologue being a tad boring...I had to fill it with so many explanations. x.x Don't blame me, blame Super Paper Mario. But at least its over now and from now on the story can actually focus on the adventure. YAY! Adventure!
And if you haven't played Super Paper Mario and my descriptions for characters aren't very good, just go google their names on google images or something.
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