Hey there! It's me, PSULucky, and I'm writing yet another fan fiction that I hope to see you all enjoy. It's a Paper Mario-like story, which is completely new to me. But I have some good ideas and I've love to share them with you through this fan fiction. Below is the prologue, which was fun to write and didn't take very long, either. But each chapter, from here on out, will be LONG (with the possible exception of the next chapter). I'm still debating as to whether I should split up each chapter into a few parts so you guys don't need to wait a painfully long time. But we'll see.

Oh, and if you get the chance, I'd very much appreciate it if you'd also check out my other story, Murder in the Mushroom Kingdom 2. Thanks everyone!

The Secret of Mount Frost

BY PSULucky

PROLOGUE

Mario was relaxing in his armchair as he heard the familiar sound of the mailman dropping off his mail. The plumber took one last sip of his coffee before he pushed himself from his comfortable spot and walked to the door. Outside, he could see the mailman speeding off toward the next house on his list.

Inside the mailbox, Mario found a clutter of letters, thrown to the back as though they were mere pieces of junk. But little did Mario know...one of those letters would reveal something he would never forget...

"Bill...bill...junk...ah," He began, eying up a particular letter in his hand. Something apparently caught his attention, "What's this?" He examined both sides of the envelope, curious as to where it had come from. But without further ado, he tore up the letter, right there on the side of the road, letting the ripped-up paper fall to the ground.

The contents of the letter were as follows...

Dear famous explorer,

Enclosed in this letter you should find one train ticket to the Marvel Express. With this ticket, I ask you to board the train at 10:00 PM on this very night to head to Mount Frost. I am sorry for the sudden notice, but we are in desperate need of an adventurer of such to help find the answer to an ancient mystery that has plagued the town for ages. It is up to you to meet with the six other explorers at the train station and help save Mount Frost from the very doom of evil itself.

I'll be waiting.

Mario stared blankly at the letter, not entirely sure what to say, or to even think. He began to re-read it, ensuring that this wasn't some prank or anything. Was this real? Did this place even exist? Would it be worth the trouble to go? But if it was real, Mario would hate to turn down the need for help. It bugged him whether to believe that his help was really required.

He shook his head is disgust, realizing he best not question the letter any further. He was going, and it was final. But still, something seemed...fishy...

It was like there was going to be a hidden meaning behind this whole thing. But if so, Mario was definitely the kind of person that wanted to figure it out. And besides, he had six so-called explores that would be aiding him on the adventure, making the whole thing easier. For once, everything wasn't on Mario's shoulders. But it made him a bit jealous that he wasn't getting all the limelight this time...

Really though, who was going to be helping him? He felt like he was on some reality show where he was going to meet his teammates for the first time. Except he wasn't going to be competing for a million dollars...more like a pat on the back and a few congratulations...

"Hey, uh...Luigi?" He called as he entered back into the house. Something told him that he better tell his brother about his new adventure before he unexpectedly disappeared for a few days. And he also had a feeling that his brother wouldn't approve as nicely as he had hoped...

"Yeah, bro?" And then Mario proceeded to explain to his brother about this new adventure as he came bounding down the stairs. With each word Mario spoke, Luigi's frown grew even larger, until it became so large that it pained even Mario to be ditching his brother this way. But when someone was in need of help, Mario made it a vow to always be there for them.

"Mario, why?" He asked, "Why? Can't you just...not do this, one time? You don't even know where this place is! Have you ever even heard of it before? No, you haven't!"

Now it was Mario's turn to frown. Luigi did have a good point, but a good point wasn't enough to turn down such a desperate-sounding offer, "It doesn't matter. Someone out there wants my help, and I want to give it to them..."

Luigi groaned, as Mario suspected. He figured that what he said wasn't going to turn Luigi's opinion around. If anything, it just made him more annoyed, "Erg...fine! Whatever, fine...I don't care...I can entertain myself without you. So don't worry about me. Just leave me. I could care less, really..."

Mario gave him the most deadly stare Luigi could imagine. It was the kind of stare that would make you want to cower backwards in fear. And Luigi didn't like it..., "Luigi, I'm going whether you want we to or not..."

"But..." Luigi began, but realized he best not fight with his brother. And besides, him whining wasn't doing any good. It was just wasting time and getting on his brother's nerves, "Alright, I guess you're right...the people in Mount Frost need you...just be careful..."

Mario grinned, and then waved him off with his hand, "Ah don't worry, I'll be back in a few days and then we can go golfing..." Luigi wasn't sure if Mario was serious or just being a smart aleck. He knew Luigi had always loved golf, so it wouldn't surprise him if he was just saying that to shut him up. But ah well, it did a good job...

"The Marvel Express..." Mario began, "Where is that? Donut Plains, I think?"

Luigi shrugged, thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, I think so. It's like...four hours away, I think. You should start packing soon, don't you think?"

Mario realized that his brother was very correct. If he were to board the train by ten, then he'd need to leave his house in about to hours. That gave him little time to pack and prepare for his big adventure, "You're right...I better start now..." And with that, he disappeared up the stairs and into his bedroom, ready to prepare for the days to come...

As afternoon ended and evening began to seep in, Mario was ready to leave the Mushroom Kingdom behind and start the long drive to the Donut Plains train station. He waved his brother good-bye, called Peach to tell her where he was going, and left out the door with two full suitcases in his hand.

The roads were eerily empty, making him feel very much alone. It was like he driving through some abandoned ghost town. He felt very nervous, and on top of that, very unsafe. So, to lighten the mood, he turned the radio on, hoping to find some music that could clear his anxious thoughts.

"It's the end of the world as we know it..."

Mario turned the radio to a different station, hoping to find some head-banging music that could throw his troubles away. But when he was stuck with some bad choices, he settled for the new popular music, not entirely wishing to listen to some country music...and definitely not some orchestral piece that sounded like it came right out of the Beethoven era.

Mario yawned, clearly tired from all the bustling about he had went through today. But his tiredness seemed to make the trip go much faster than one might suspect. Once he was even certain he had fallen asleep for about a half hour. Or else his clock was very off. But either way, the ride was pleasantly quick with no worries or troubles to slow him down...

And as Mario pulled into the train station parking lot, he couldn't help but to wonder where on Earth that letter was going to lead him. If it even was on Earth...