Chapter 2
Mushroom Castle, 1600 Mushroom Avenue
Toadsworth looked up at Mario. "Bowser?!" he exclaimed. Mario nodded. "Yes," he said, "There's nobody else in the Mushroom Kingdom who would want to steal the Shard. I'm sure of it. His Koopa army probably did it for him." Toadsworth sighed. "Well, in that case, be careful, Mario. You know how powerful Bowser is. We all do. You may have defeated him 3 times now, but each time he returns with a vengeance stronger than before. This may be his most sinister plot yet. If he's going to use the Shard to overthrow the Toadstool family, we have to act quick." Mario nodded at this and turned around as Luigi approached the two. "Eh, Mario?" Luigi said, his voice trembling, "Did you say… Bowser?" Mario looked at his younger brother. "I did." said Mario. Luigi was physically shaking now. "I don't think I can go on this journey with you, bro. Bowser might have untold power!" Mario glanced back at Toadsworth. The older Toad said, "He's right, Mario. The Crystal Shard has laid waste to entire armies, and with the artifact in Bowser's hands, there's no telling what he might do with it." "We have try and stop him, at least!" said Mario, "The fate of the Mushroom Kingdom might rely on what happens in the next few days!" Toadsworth gulped, sighed, and nodded to Mario's statement. "You're correct. Potentially dark times lie ahead of us. Bring Peach and Daisy up here, Mario. The Winter Ball is cancelled."
And so, Mario did as told and led his girlfriend, and his brother's, up to the stage as most of the patrons from the Ball exited the castle, heading back to their homes in disappointment. Once the ballroom was totally empty apart from the five, Toadsworth began talking, and explained how Bowser and his forces may have stolen the Crystal Shard to use in order to put himself into place as ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. "Oh, dear…" was Peach's simple reaction to this news. She reached for Mario's hand and clutched it as Toadsworth continued talking. Once his lecture was over, Peach made a proposal. "Professor Toadsworth," she said, "What if we… send a message to Bowser? A warning that the armies of the Mushroom Kingdom will act against him if the Shard isn't returned peacefully?" Toadsworth pondered this idea for a moment. "Hmmmm…" he said, "That's not a bad plan. But I doubt he'd listen. He is Bowser, after all." Luigi interjected. "But, I'd say that's worth a shot!" Daisy and Mario agreed also with this. "Very well," said Toadsworth, "Princess Peach, shall you send an ambassador to Bowser's Castle, far off in the Outskirts?" Peach nodded. "I'll be sure to only send the most courageous and strongest possible one." Mario looked over at his girlfriend and smiled, expecting her to say his name next. But, she didn't. "The Mushroom Kingdom will send my very own right-hand man, Toad!"
Bowser's Castle, the Outskirts
The outer limits of the Mushroom Kingdom, or the Outskirts as they were known by local citizens, was avoided by the people of the primary kingdom for good reason: the land comprising the Outskirts was pure solidified rock and magma, with lava pools spread across the place unevenly. Black and grey volcano ash clouded the skies, blocking the sun on most days. And worst of all: it was where King Bowser and his evil Koopa Troop were headquartered. The 'Skirts had been the place where Bowser was born, and left to die by his neglectful parents. But unlike them, Bowser decided to make something of himself. So, he took a hold on the native, sentient lifeforms living there, such as Koopas and Goombas, then declared himself King of the hellish region. Everything was going great. At least, that's what Bowser thought when he first tried to expand his rule and take over the Mushroom Kingdom by kidnapping the Princess, Peach Toadstool. Then, her boyfriend, the plumber Mario, had to enter the picture. The same thing happened the next two times. The pathetic red insect, thought Bowser to himself as he sat in his oversized throne room made of grey brick, he won't have a chance to stop me this time. With the Crystal Shard, the whole Mushroom Kingdom will be mine! Bowser loudly laughed to himself as a Koopa Troopa, one of the soldiers in his army, entered the chamber, clearly taken aback by the sudden increase of heat as lavafalls flowed on either side of Bowser's throne.
"My Lord," the Koopa said, kneeling down at Bowser's feet, "I'm told by the guards at the front gate that a special emissary has arrived from the Mushroom Kingdom. Apparently, they, uh... er…" Bowser was getting increasingly annoyed with this Koopa. "What?" Bowser screamed out, "What?! Tell me, spit it out, Koopa!!" The Koopa Troopa was now visibly afraid. "Lord Bowser," he nervously continued, "I'm afraid you've been suspected as the thief of the Crystal Shard at the Kingdom's Winter Ball." "WHAT?!" yelled Bowser even louder than before, which was at the point where it nearly shook the whole throne room. The Koopa trembled at Bowser's might. "Indeed, King Bowser. Shall I send the diplomat in?" "Go ahead," said Bowser with a growl, "They can beg and plead for the Shard all they want, but Peach and her underlings will be powerless to stop me soon enough." "Yes, my Lord." replied the Koopa before exiting. After waiting a few seconds, a diminutive figure entered Bowser's throne room. It was Toad, the personal assistant of the Princess herself. "You…" said Bowser, leaning down from his throne to closely examine Toad, "You're the pitiful aide of Peach, aren't you?" Toad was scared, his eyes full of fear as Bowser's face got closer, to the point where the small figure could feel the larger turtle-creature's breaths on him. "Um, yes." said Toad, "And my name is Toad-" Bowser interrupted. "I don't care what your name is!" he yelled. Toad was even more afraid now.
Bowser continued, "Just read me whatever useless message the Mushroom Kingdom has sent me this time." Toad didn't say a word as he reached into his satchel and removed a scroll of paper. He straightened the paper out and cleared his throat. He began to talk. "To King Bowser of the Outskirts, the leadership of the Mushroom Kingdom has recognized that you and your forces have stolen the priceless, and infinitely powerful, object known as the Crystal Shard as a way to overthrow the Princess and her parents. If you do not return this artifact within the next 48 hours, military action will have to be taken against you, and your scores of Koopa and Goomba soldiers." Having finished reading, Toad rolled the paper up again and put it back in his bag. Bowser had a blank, yet still irritated, expression on his face. After several seconds of tense silence, Bowser let out a boastful, incredibly loud laugh, which actually did shake the whole throne chamber. "You really are all so wretched, aren't you?" said Bowser, to no response from Toad, "A small, little note simply asking me to give up the Crystal Shard? Ha-ha-ha! If you and your red-clad savior think that'll be enough to stop me, you might want to rethink your plan!" Bowser laughed again. Toad looked around the sinister throne room, and then back at Bowser. He was going to go off-script.
"Well, Lord Bowser?" he said in a futile attempt to save the Kingdom sooner, "Can you, er… at least tell me where the Shard is being kept?" Bowser appeared baffled with this statement. "Only if you agree to be thrown in a lava pool afterwards." Toad's eyes widened and he gasped. "Uh, no thank you, King Bowser. I think I'll just leave now." Toad turned around and began to exit the throne room, his hands and head still shaking out of pure fear from the shelled king. As he reached the front gates of Bowser's castle, the mushroom-headed individual breathed a sigh of relief as he finally got to go back home. "Idiots." said Bowser to himself, "The lot of them are idiots." For the first time in a while, Bowser, now slightly afraid that the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom knew for a fact that he possessed the Crystal Shard, stood up from his massive throne, and headed out into the halls of his castle, preparing to go to the room where the Shard was being kept, hidden back in the deepest areas of the fiery place. As Bowser stomped down the halls, numerous Koopa soldiers saluted him, either physically, or verbally. That was the kind of respect Bowser demanded from his underlings. Total loyalty.
Bowser approached the red and gold-patterned door leading to the Crystal Shard's protection chamber, slowly pushing open the entrance with little effort. When the walked in, the first thing he saw was the guard he had put into place to watch over the Shard until it was ready to be utilized to its fullest strength and potential: The wizard Kamek, one of Bowser's oldest advisors and leader of a special breed of Koopa known as the Magikoopas, of which there were only a few. The Shard had been placed under a defensive magical shield by Kamek, which was only able to be opened by him, but the request for such access could only be requested by King Bowser himself. "Ah, Lord Bowser," said Kamek, approaching the King with his blue robes dragging on the deep red floor, "I've been studying the Crystal Shard and its history for a bit now. It seems that this artifact exceeds even my abilities." "What do you mean?" Bowser replied, intrigued. "Well, it seems that this object, while originating from the stars, holds magical and fantastical properties. I've been experimenting with it, and have found that it can conjure up anything that comes to its wielder's mind. Weapons, soldiers, resources. Anything." Kamek then stepped aside, to reveal the Crystal, a faint purple glow around it indicating that the magic shield was still up. Then, the protective coating was lowered, and the Shard glistened magnificently against the dark contrast of Bowser's castle.
Bowser's eyes lit up, his mind now completely engrossed by this object of ultimate power. Sure, he had tried to kidnap the Princess three previous times in failed attempts to overthrow the Toadstool leadership, but the Koopa King never had anything like the Crystal Shard at his disposal. This was the best chance at succeeding in his goals. "Eh, go ahead, my King. The Shard is all yours. Touch it, think of anything, and whatever it is you want will appear right before your very eyes." Bowser did so, stepping forward and laying one oversized hand on the Crystal. Even now, he could feel the power flowing through him. Bowser shut his eyes, and conjured up the mental image of something simple, just to start with. Six Koopa Troopas, all armed with spears and shields engraved with the emblem of Bowser's face. As he felt a vibration in his hand, Bowser opened his eyes, only to see exactly what he had wished for, standing right before him in the chamber. As he glared at them, the Koopa Troopas stood at attention for their king. Bowser took his hand off of the Crystal Shard and walked over towards the Koopas, closely checking them out to make sure everything was in working order. "Hm…" said Bowser, turning back to Kamek, "And these are perfect copies of ordinary Koopa Troopas?" "Indeed, King Bowser." replied the wizard, a smirk on his face. Bowser, too, smiled. "So, we can begin our assault sooner than I originally thought?" "Considering that we don't have enough power for an invasion right this second, if you continue to produce the right armies and scores of weapons, vehicles, and more, I'd say that Lord Bowser is ready to rule the Mushroom Kingdom, once and for all." Bowser smiled even wider, his eyes now filled with joy. "I'll get started as soon as possible." Bowser said.
Mario and Luigi's house, 985 Koopa Lane
Mario and Luigi had now returned home from the cut-short Winter Ball, and the duo were out of their fancy tuxedos, and back into their signature red and green overalls, respectively. Right now, the only thing on the duo's mind was the whereabouts of the Crystal Shard, as well as the status of Toad. At least one of those questions was answered as Mario, laying in his bed, noticed that his phone's screen lit up. Mario quickly sat up and grabbed it. He had gotten a text from Peach which read, Toad has returned safely from the Outskirts. He didn't get any new information. I'm sorry, Mario. Seeing this, Mario sighed and put his phone back on the dresser. Luigi heard this and turned from his own bed. "What's the matter, Mario?" Mario turned towards his brother. "Toad didn't find anything out about the Shard at Bowser's castle." He had a solemn expression on his face. So did Luigi now, but less so. "Uh… don't worry, bro!" said Luigi, trying to cheer his brother up, "You've defeated Bowser before, and I'm sure you can do it again!" "Yes, but," continued Mario, looking down at the floor, "He has a magical weapon of untold power and strength. He's never done anything like this." "Aw, c'mon, Mario." Luigi said, standing up from his own bed and sitting next to Mario, "Remember what you've said to me before: you're the hero of the kingdom. And the kingdom needs you right now." Mario looked over at his brother, nodding. "Yeah." Mario stood up. "Yes, the Mushroom Kingdom needs me!" Luigi smiled and stood up as well. "That's the spirit! Wahoo!" Luigi high-fived Mario, and the two laughed for a moment. "Now," said Luigi, "Whaddya say we get to sleep? There might be a big day ahead of us tomorrow." "Yeah, you're right." Mario replied. And so, the two headed off to bed, with Mario prepared for anything that came his way.
Mushroom Kingdom Town Square, the next morning
Mario's kart sped down the streets of the busy town square of the kingdom, with a nervous Luigi in the passenger seat, worried that Mario, in his chaotic driving, would crash into a building or hit a citizen. As the kart skidded towards and around a corner, Luigi yelped out in fear. "Mario," he yelled over the sounds of the engine and tires, "Where are we going?!" For some reason, Mario hadn't bothered to tell Luigi what was going on when he rushed his younger brother out of bed this morning, but Luigi was soon hoping to find out. "We're heading to Professor Toadsworth's office at the university!" said Mario, "I got a call from him that he found something regarding the Crystal Shard!" Luigi looked around as the kart passed by numerous markets and shops, saying, "Oh, dear…". A few moments later, the kart arrived at the road leading up to the university's parking lot, eventually pulling in between a couple of other karts. Mario hopped out fast, while Luigi simply climbed out of the vehicle and calmly walked behind Mario. Mushroom Kingdom University was an admittedly imposing building, with 4 giant flags draped over the entrance signifying its 4 founders. Deep red and gold were the sports team's colors, so the building reflected that greatly. Mario looked up at all of this as he ascended the steps to the entrance doors.
Mushroom Kingdom University
Mario and Luigi traversed the halls of the college for a good 10 minutes, passing by many teachers, students, and whoever else, all while searching for Professor Toadsworth's office. After checking 5 different wings of the university, they finally found him, the sign outside of his office reading, Dean Toadsworth, Prof. of Archaeology and History. Mario smiled as he read the sign before knocking on the door. Toadsworth immediately let them in and sat them down at his cluttered desk. "Pardon my workspace," the Toad said, "I've been working tirelessly all day, and it looks like it will have payed off." Mario was interested by this. "What do you mean?" Mario asked. "Well," replied Toadsworth, walking over to his large bookshelf, "Last night I scoured the university's library to see if I could find anything about the Crystal Shard… that I didn't already know, of course." Toadsworth chuckled at this, as did Luigi. Mario, however, was fully focused on whatever he was about to be told. Toadsworth climbed a wooden ladder and reached for a dusty brown book on the top shelf. "Lo and behold, I found this!" Returning to his desk, Toadsworth dropped the book onto his desk. Mario and Luigi leaned forward to read the title, which was, A Cultural and Social History of the Mushroom Kingdom, by Takashi Miyamoto. "This book held everything I possibly needed to know about the Shard! And it unveiled some new truths that may be crucial to stopping Bowser's plans of taking over the kingdom! Here, here, take a look at this!" Toadsworth reached for the book and flipped its pages many times, before stopping at a particular one, page 152. Toadsworth laid the book back in front of Mario and Luigi, so they could take a closer look at it. The book's passage read,
"It is, of course, common knowledge by now that the primary method by which the current ruling family (see page 695, the Toadstools) acquired their leadership was through a powerful and ancient artifact known as the Crystal Shard. The Shard had interstellar origins, and crash-landed on the planet when the Mushroom Kingdom was nothing more than a few colonies. It was discovered by the first colonists living here that the Shard could be used by anyone to conjure up anything, so long as they were touching the object and had a mental image of what they wanted beforehand. This led to the first rulers of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Veronas, using the Shard and taking over the whole land, putting down any other kingdoms that stood in their way. It is said that King Verona abused his powers with the Shard, which led to the downfall of that family's rule, and the taking of the throne by the Toadstools. This much is what's confirmed by historians. However, several signs in recent years have pointed to the presence of another powerful and similar artifact located in the Koopahari Desert, located far east of the Mushroom Kingdom mainland. Though these claims haven't been officially verified yet, many expeditions have been made to that area of the land, with very few of the archaeologists who went there coming back unscathed."
That was the end of the page. Mario sat back in his chair and looked over at Luigi, who had a creeped-out expression on his face due to the prospects of explorers not coming back from the desert. Toadsworth spoke. "While, yes, the claims haven't been verified as of yet, all signs point to there being something else in the Koopahari Desert that could counter the Crystal Shard. With it, we could stop Bowser's plans from coming to fruition. But, the desert is a highly dangerous place." Mario had a determined look in his eyes. "I'm willing to take that risk." he said, "What about you, Luigi?" Luigi looked over at Mario. "Uh, bro, I'm not so sure about this one. If we go to the desert, we might not come back uninjured, or worse… not alive." This was definitely classic Luigi, being afraid of everything, and all that. This brought up the situation that Mario would have to take the journey alone. "You, Toadsworth?" Toadsworth laughed. "Oh, no. Maybe 20 years ago or so, I could've gone on the adventure, but I'm far too old now. I'd just slow you down. If anything, it's better you went alone. We both know you can handle plenty of dangers by yourself. Bringing another person along may increase risk of injury, or worse." "That's true." said Mario, standing up, "May we take this book back home with us? There might be more information in it." "Oh, yes, indeed. Go right on ahead, boys. I'm in no hurry to return it." Mario nodded as Luigi stood up as well. "Thank you very much, Professor Toadsworth!" exclaimed Mario with gratefulness as the two brothers exited his office.
Toadsworth sighed. "Good luck, Mario. You're gonna need it." he said, almost exasperated.
