SUPER MARIO - THE LEGEND OF THE CRYSTAL STARS
goldenwhackabump
Important Note from the Author: This fanfiction is a crossover between the Mario and Zelda universes. You can not place this story at any specific place in the official Zelda timeline, and there will be influences from all games, regardless of whether or not they conflict with the official timeline. The geography of the Mushroom Kingdom, Sarasaland, and Hyrule, the three Kingdoms that are featured in this story, have been jumbled and pieced together from the various games from the Mario and Zelda franchises. The resulting three Kingdoms are then connected to each other in a way that is logical. Furthermore, I have introduced geographical locations of my own creation to these Kingdoms. In this sense, the world in this fanfiction is an entirely unique world, as it is an unprecedented combination of original and unoriginal locations. There will be both great similarities and vast differences to events that have occurred or history that has been established in the games. Ultimately, this fanfiction is best construed as an alternate universe, free from the bindings of the events that have been established in the games. I hope that the reader will approach it with a fresh mind, and that they will get the feeling that they are seeing these worlds and learning about these characters for the first time.
This story is inspired in part by my other two fanfictions, which also have SUPER MARIO in the title. Some of the plot elements from those stories, such as the Princess of the Galaxies backstory, have been borrowed for this fanfiction. However, this fanfiction rapidly diverges from the others and will be vastly different in many ways. It will feel effortless for the reader to separate the events of each story.
This fanfiction will also be written such that each chapter (beyond the Prologue) will be experienced through the perspective of one of the characters. I have grown great respect for this style of writing after reading the A Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin. I have hardly any experience with this style of writing, but personally I am already convinced that it is an advantageous way of writing a story if you want to increase the level of immersion for the reader. It is my goal to encourage the reader to feel like they are really in the minds of each character as the chapter is told through their eyes, and felt with their feelings, rather than explain the events of the story from the perspective of a detached and omniscient narrator.
I should warn the reader that this SUPER MARIO fanfiction will be more mature than my other fanfictions sharing the SUPER MARIO name. The biggest difference is that more characters will die in this story. The story will not be gruesome enough to bear the MA rating, since I don't want to break the immersion by treating death in Nintendo the same way they treat in it Game of Thrones. It will be in keeping with how death is experienced in Mario and Zelda, only there will be much more of it.
Lastly, let me give big thanks to you. You may have just stumbled upon this story out of curiosity or boredom, or maybe you are already familiar with my work. Either way, I hope you give this story an honest chance. I am really excited about it. I would love to hear what you are thinking about it, so please leave a review after a chapter if you have the time. If you are really enjoying the story, consider giving it a follow and a favourite so that other people can find it, too.
With that out of the way, let's begin with the story.
-gwb
Prologue
The Starbright Legends are a collection of old stories that are filled with sage wisdom and wild prophecies. These ancient texts serve as the foundation for the Starbright religion. Starbright is the major religion of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Kingdom of Sarasaland. Those who practice the Starbright faith are referred to as Starseers.
It is said in the Starbright Legends that a magical woman will continuously drift throughout space for one thousand years in a dormant state. During this long state of slumber, she is encompassed and protected by the energy of the Goddess. The texts refer to this enigmatic woman by several titles, such as "Lightbringer", or more commonly, "the Princess of the Galaxies."
According to the Starbright Legends, the Princess of the Galaxies will reach the Mushroom Kingdom at the end of her one thousand year journey. The Goddesses energy surrounding her will rain down onto the three kingdoms in the form of luminous Goddess Stars during her descent. This miraculous phenomenon will serve as the dramatic conclusion to her long and lonely intergalactic trek. Expert scholars who have spent their entire lives studying the Starbright Legends believe that these Goddess Stars will grant miraculous powers to those who obtain them. Other erudite scholars believe that such a proposition is preposterous. They argue that the Goddess Stars are much more likely to disperse themselves entirely as a great energetic wave before they can reach the earth.
The Star Festival is an annual celebration that occurs on the day that the Starbright Legends predict that the Princess of the Galaxies will conclude her journey. On this day each year, towns and cities from all around the world host lively celebrations in honour of the Starbright tradition. For devout Starseers, the Star Festival is a day of prayer and deep contemplation. For those who are less bound to the Starbright faith, the Star Festival serves as a well-deserved holiday. It is a day where one can spend quality time with their loved ones, a day where one can party, cut loose, and have some fun.
Top scholars have debated for centuries over which year is the thousandth year. More than a thousand Star Festivals have already taken place, so Starbright scholars have recently concluded that there must have been some error in the early interpretations of the texts. As a consequence, no matter how devoted you are to the Starbright faith, one cannot resist the temptation in wondering if this year will really be the year that a magical woman and colourful stars will rain down from the sky.
The sun was nearly setting, and citizens from all over the Mushroom Kingdom were already in full celebration. Toad Town, the Kingdoms capital, was especially bustling tonight. Families lined the town streets in order to watch extravagant floats and fun characters parade down the brick roads. Colourful banners that glittered like the fabled Goddess Stars swooped along the black streetlamps. There were all sorts of street performers and carnival games positioned on the grass in front of the closed shops. People cheered and applauded as the three tiered Royal Float had passed them. Colourful confetti and sweet candy rained from the float in such quantity that the children hardly needed to fight over it. All the while, the noble and honourable Princess Peach Toadstool, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, waved to her people.
The Bumpty's of the northern Shiver City had their own way of celebrating this special day. This frigid community had traditions such as ice sculpture contests, glow-in-the-dark ice skating on Big Flipper pond, and eating lots and lots of world famous "Shiver Snow Cones", which were being sold faster than their flippers were flapping. The neighbouring Starborn Valley, a pious lot, were more religious in their activities, opting for mass prayer and contemplation over fun and games. The industrious Goomba's from the western Goomba Village would launch the largest fireworks in the entire Kingdom, which were so big that they could be seen all the way from the peaceful Koopa Village to the east. If one of your neighbours got their hands on some Goomba fireworks for their party, you knew they meant business. The rich and glamorous Poshley Heights hosted parties that surpassed the capital, only the place was simply too expensive to attract larger crowds. The celebrities of the world enjoyed the Star Festival here, often to perform live music and meet with fans. Miss Pauline, lead singer of the famous Red Hats, was always a hit with the crowd.
Even Sarasaland's dreary and ramshackle Rogueport took the effort to celebrate the Star Festival. This old seatown was somewhere that you would never consider going, at least not for long, if you knew what was good for you. But for this one night, suddenly Rogueport would be bathed from the colourful and serene light of traditional street lanterns. In the port taverns ale would flow plentifully into the flagons of the gruff workers from the nearby Rusty Bucket Bay who had retired for the evening. The usually crude men would remain cheery and sociable for the night, and outside world class dancers would perform, utterly carefree, on what were typically very unsafe streets for pretty women.
Princess Peach's personal tradition was that she always hosted a big party at her Castle during the evening. As soon as the Star Parade concluded, she would immediately head back to Peach Castle and rejoin her guests in the lively atmosphere. At her request, her senior steward Toadsworth would send formal invitations to people from all over the Mushroom Kingdom. She would always invite her friends Mario and Luigi, who lived in a humble house on the outskirts of Toad Town.
Tonight, the Star Festival was proceeding as normal. Mario and Luigi would soon be on their way to Peach Castle to join the party, while Princess Peach was eagerly awaiting their arrival. Unbeknownst to the entire world, something would happen tonight that would forever change all of their lives for the worse.