You're My 1-Up Boy
Mario adjusted his cap and squinted his eyes in the broad daylight. Sure he had seen big city areas back home, but this was a different kind of city.
Not a Toad or Goomba or sight. Just well-dressed businessman and cabbies driving around. Still, the trail in finding Peach had led him to New Donk City regardless.
"Let's-a go!" he shouted, running forward. He jumped on the hood of a nearby taxi, which propelled him to spin on the telephone wire. But he was jolted by the angry cry of the cabbie.
"HEY! That's 200 coins, you bum!"
Mario landed on the ground and gave a nervous look, but Cappy urged him to keep going. As he ran, he passed some women playing jumprope in the park.
"Goodness me, Gwendolyn, who is that?"
"It's-a me, Mario!"
Cricket chirps. Cappy yelled into his head; the cabby was chasing Mario down the street for the busted hood.
"Mayor, you have a phone call on line 1?"
"Send it through."
After her experiences being gorilla bait, Pauline had moved up in the world. First she had opened a successful toy company, but it wasn't enough, she had the thirst for something more. So she opted for political office, winning 75% of the vote on promises to reform the transportation system and extend sick leave days.
Child's play, really.
"What? No no no, Mr. Movdega, I agreed to meet with the union on Thursday, today is Monday. Yes. Yes, I'll be there."
Pauline hung up the phone and continued on her documents, but then her assistant, a fresh-out-of-college intern named Kevin entered the room. "Ma'am, there's….some red-capped man running around the city?"
Red-capped….? M….Mario….?
She looked in her desk drawer, at the picture inside: she and Mario were at the fair, and he had just won her a stuffed bear.
"I'll handle it."
The doorman let Mario enter City Hall, and it only took two minutes before Pauline arrived on the bottom floor, fresh out of the elevator. Mario knew her to wear a rather risqué red dress, but she had become more professional with a red pantsuit and purple hat. More mayor-like.
"Pauline?"
"Mario….it's been a while since I've seen you. You fought DK with the Minis…" she walked up to him, marveling at the fact that he was still shorter than her. She always thought that to be cute.
"Yeah. When did you-a become the mayor?"
Pauline smiled. His accent was as charming as ever. "Oh, I'm two years in my term. Come take a walk with me, Mario. We can have lunch."
"Lunch? But…"
The restaurant she had chosen was a high-end place called Vito's, on the intersection of Krusha Drive and Kiddy St. Mario was a little blown away by the presentation, more so that the mayor managed to secure the place all to herself. The perks of it being Monday afternoon.
"So you're on another quest to save Princess Peach…?"
The plumber dug into his pocket and placed down Bowser's "invitation", where he and Peach were in matching white, only she didn't look so excited for the idea.
"He's stepped up his game this time, hmm? Anything I can do to help?"
Mario sighed. "I just-a need to find the Power Moons-a. Your city have any?"
"There might be something like that around, but…." Pauline touched the tip of his signature white glove. "You should be more careful. You can't go around jumping on taxis."
"Eh heh….you heard about that?"
"I've heard a LOT about your adventures, Mario. I'd like to know a little more, if you can spare the details?"
He rubbed his hair, under the cap. "Well….we ARE friends…"
Pauline didn't like that word. Friends. Friends didn't win prizes at the fair, or bring her flowers on Valentine's Day. There was a part of her that kept thinking about her history with Mario, and while their lives were in different directions these days…..the writing was on the wall.
"Right. Um…..oh! I bet you're wondering….how did New Donk come about?"
Indeed, that was a good question. "Uhhh….the founder-a had a thick accent?"
"No, you silly. You were a construction worker for it some ways back, and now, we've expanded! That towering gorilla inspired one of the architects. A good friend of my dad, actually."
"How-a is Peter?"
"Alright. He's got some minor dementia, sadly."
Mario frowned. He was so busy traveling and playing the hero for the Mushroom Kingdom, he had forgotten some people suffer from things other than Piranha Plant bites.
"And the street names?" Pauline continued, pointing to the window. "He was shocked that Donkey Kong had all of these friends!"
"But that wasn't-a DK, that was-a Cranky," Mario clarified.
"Same difference, Mario. Our city was inspired by a gorilla attack, and it'd be something else if you could bring him here, with the Kongs. Tourism would explode!"
"Ehhh….maybe."
Pauline chuckled. "I get it, I get it. All of your friends are on the other side of the warp pipe, so to speak. Make any new ones?"
He told her about the space goddess, Rosalina, watcher of the cosmos. And there was also the plucky Captain Toad, explorer to the stars. And once he started talking about Smash Bros. and little creatures called Rabbids, well…..Pauline's eyebrows got higher and higher.
"The adventures never stop for you, Mario, huh?"
"Guess not," he smiled. But then he scratched his cap, a pair of red eyes came out from them. It would've startled Pauline, but then again, she had once gotten captured by a gorilla with a tie.
"Psst, Mario! Don't you dare try to capture her, got it? She's too pretty…."
"And who is this? Someone else or have the mushrooms gotten to my head too?"
Flushing, Mario took off his prized cap. "Cappy-a is a ghost that's with me. His ship-a took me here, to New Donk."
"Fascinating…."
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am!" Cappy said.
"Say, Mario…..there's a few more spots I want to show you. Is that alright? Cappy can come too."
Mario scratched his head, again. "Well….if you say so…."
The first stop was a trip down memory lane – the girders he had once worked on, along ago, were part of this unfinished structure east-bound of the city. Mario recognized the barrels he had to jump over, along with the hammer.
"What's-a this?"
"I guess you could call it an art piece," said Pauline. "Don't you remember, all the way up there…? Where I was sitting?"
"You were-a blonde," Mario said without thinking. "Feels-a like forever ago…."
"Ugh, don't remind me. The dye job was terrible and you know it."
Mario wondered why this would be something the city would want to keep. He had left the "regular" venues of city life behind when he and his brother traveled to the Mushroom Kingdom. He was used to jumping over lava and fighting Koopa Troopas. Could he even be a construction worker now?
"Mario, how's your brother doing?"
"Luigi? Oh good, good, he-a even had a year dedicated to him once. Even has-a girlfriend, Princess Daisy."
"That's good to hear." She smirked. "And I assume your girlfriend is Princess Peach?"
Mario coughed awkwardly. The answer was a little complicated, but the lack of an immediate response did make Pauline's eyes light up, ever so slightly.
The next stop was the Crazy Cap store, a place that made Cappy brim with excitement. He loved when Mario used new hats.
"Hey, mayor! How's it hanging?" asked one of the workers, Eddie. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Mario. I'm just showing him around."
"Wait wait, isn't that the guy that jumped on the cab outside? Oh man, my cousin was angry."
Mario whistled innocently.
"Ah ha….this is a rather new facility, Mario, but business is doing well! You're welcome to pick up extra clothes for your adventure, if you want?" she eyed the mafia don-esque suit. Mario checked his pockets. "Uh, free of charge, of course."
"Whoa! Mayor's a nice lady, ain't she? What's the scoop, mayor? This is your…..you know….?"
"Oh! Well….I suppose you can call it that," Pauline said, looking to Mario expectantly. He looked puzzled. "He was the one that fought that gorilla."
"No kidding! Shoot, man, you gotta get me a picture of him!"
"Sure-a?" the plumber said, unsure of the prospect.
On the limo trip to the next destination, Mario had the time to explain some of his newer adventurers, making the mayor laugh in delight.
"You're telling me one of these Rabbids dressed up as Peach and tried to upstage her? With selfies? My goodness…."
"Yeah, she was-a handful."
"How do you do it, Mario?" Pauline looked out the window. "These types of escalades would drive a regular person to madness. Then again, you always were a special one."
Mario tapped his lip, thinking. A big part of it was because he liked the thrill of adventure, but also because….well, it was his job, right?
"Your job is a plumber, no? I hope Peach appreciates your efforts," she teased.
"Sure-a! The princess-a is really sweet, and we always have parties-a, kart races-a.."
"I can see why Bowser kidnaps her all of the time."
"Well…." Mario paused. "He-a loves her like I do."
"Love is a very serious word, Mario. Does she think the same way?"
The plumber, again, didn't respond. In reality, he wasn't sure. Bowser was his rival for Peach's affection, and despite the kidnapping, the two had become rivals in a way that they just wanted to outdo each other whenever the chance.
There was a softer side to Bowser that he and Peach knew of – Jr. and the Koopalings.
"Mario…..may I admit something?"
"….?"
"This…..wasn't just a tour," she whispered.
"What-a do you mean?"
Pauline sighed. "Do you remember when we broke up, all those years ago?"
Mario did, but he didn't feel like saying it out loud.
"I was a silly girl that didn't deserve someone like you. I thought I could do better, but in reality….better was the starting point."
"Pauline…."
"You're nice, Mario. But not in some artificial way, you've always done what is right, even if you have no business doing it. The people in the kingdom count on you in the same way New Donk counts on me." The limo stopped. "I thought, maybe….I could win you back."
Mario shifted, now uncomfortable. What could he say? "I…..I never-a forgot about us, Pauline. But our lives-a are different now."
"You're right. This isn't the world you're used to. But….can I just ask you something?"
He nodded.
"In 10 years, or 20…..or however it takes….if neither of us has found someone…..would you give me a second chance?"
"You-a think too highly of me," Mario replied. "You're-a great on your own. Look at the city, she's-a beautiful!"
"I guess I'm still that love-obsessed girl I was all those years ago. If you love the princess…then I won't detain you another minute further."
Mario didn't like to think about the future, but the present. What concerned him now. And that was finding Peach before Bowser married her.
But was it truly just because he had to? Would this finally be the time she chose him over Bowser, instead of waddling in the line of indecision to the two men dedicated her the most?
"I want you-a to meet the others one day," he said. "Yoshi, Rosalina, maybe-a even Sonic the Hedgehog. There's no reason why-a you can't still be in my life."
"And you and your friends are more than welcome here."
Mario and Pauline stared at each other, but the plumber cleared his throat. "I…."
"Sssh. Go be the hero, Mario." She opened the side door. "It's what you're born to do."
He nodded and jumped out, heading off to look for the Power Moons. But as he ran down the block, he saw something that made him stop.
Mario's – The Best Pizza in New Donk!
It was the same place where he and Pauline had their first date. She had pulled him in excitement, pointing out their matching names the whole way there.
Cappy's eyes popped out. "Wow….she really likes you, Mario."
Mario didn't say anything. He had to keep running, to not get distracted by the memories. Their lives were different, and that was that.
Pauline rode back without a fuss. She was looking at the picture she took from her desk drawer.
"You'll always be my hero, Mario."
She smiled, despite some wetness coming to her blue eyes.
"My 1-up boy…."
FIN
Ending notes: Super Mario Odyssey looks like GOTY, and I just had to write something about it after that sweet trailer. And it's Nintendo, so it's not going to happen, but I like the headcanon that Pauline's song has a romantic subtext towards Mario.
So glad she's back in the Mario canon. Based Motokura and Koizumi.