The first thing Mario felt was a comfortable mixture of 4 sensations, the soft feeling of grass under his body, the calming warmth of the sun on his face, the tickle of a cool breeze on his face, and an overall sleepiness (though that last one may have been caused by a concussion). He wanted to lie there forever in peace. However, he at least wanted to get a glimpse of where he was.
Peaceful blue sky met Mario's eyes. He thought it looked quite lovely. Though there was a strange, unmoving cloud that seemed to flash wild shades of blue and green. And it was shaped very strangely too, less like a cloud and more like a rip.
Mario quickly sat up. "Mama-mia!" he screamed, his voice echoing across the land and into the distant mountains. He was quickly overcome with panic as memories of the tear flooded back to him. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" he gasped.
He tried his best to calm himself down. "Alright Mario, let's just camly think this through. What happened?" he said to himself. "Well there was a party, and a cake, a fantastic cake, and then Bowser attacked, and then BOOM!"
Could Bowser have done this? He dismissed the thought quickly. Bowser didn't want to destroy anything, just kidnap Peach.
Peach.
Was she okay? Where was she? Mario answered the first question, figuring she was okay if he was. Hopefully. So now he just needed to figure out where she was.
Wait a moment.
On second thought he also needed to figure out where he was. He glanced around. He was in a grassy field with a small brook, shining train tracks, a small forest, and-
"Train tracks!" cheered Mario. "Tracks gotta lead to somewhere, right?" he muttered to himself. He hopped to his feet, groaning as his back popped loudly. He ran to the top of a small hill near the tracks and scanned the horizon. He saw nothing but plains to the south, but to the north, passed the forest, he saw the faint skyline of a city about 20 miles away. It didn't look like Toad Town, but it was something! Mario grinned to himself as the slid down the hill and followed the tracks into the forest. His adventure had begun.
Prologue: Road to San Hongo
Mario entered the forest and quickly took in his surroundings. It wasn't a creepy forest by any standards. The trees weren't very dense so a lot of light still filtered through the canopy overhead to dapple the dirt ground. There was a fair amount of underbrush, but it had been almost completely cleared everywhere within five feet of the tracks, giving him a nice area to walk.
Mario walked peacefully for a few minutes, enjoying the warm sun as he hummed a light tune to himself. Perhaps he could make this all a simple journey. He'd pick up his friends and get back to Toad Town with little trouble.
"Yeah, no," he sighed as he heard a growl come from the nearby bushes. Two Goombas and a Paragoomba scurried out and eyed him angrily. One of the Goombas dashed at him which he responded to with two swift jumps, defeating it. He rolled out of the way of the next one's attack and jumped up to give the Paragoomba a swift kick. When the Goomba tried to hit him once again, he bounced off it twice, leaving him with the Paragoomba. He was about to finish off the last baddie when it unexpectedly dove and rammed into his stomach, shoving him backwards.
"I forgot how annoying you guys are," he groaned, jumping on it one last time. He looked at the defeated enemies and let out a sigh as he dusted off his overalls. As he plodded on he kept his eyes narrowed, now forced to look suspiciously at what he thought was a peaceful path. He continued like this for another five miles, having to deal with the occasional baddie. By that point he was panting and his shoulders were sagging, but he still trudged on.
Up ahead, Mario could see the forest abruptly stop at a river that was 30 feet across. A large, black steel drawbridge sat upright at the end of the path. Mario sighed deeply. End of the line. As soon as he got near the water, it was clear that it was moving too fast for him to swim through.
Glancing around, Mario caught sight of a signpost planted recently in the dirt. It was made of black metal and was bordered with black and yellow industrial stripes. Mario read the white text printed on the middle of the sign:
New Drawbridge!
Train stations send automatic signals to our high-tech engineering marvel,
so no operator will be present. If you need to lower the bridge manually,
hit the button located on the back of this sign and the bridge will lower
for two minutes.
Mario grinned and stepped around to the back of the sign, where there was a large, red button. Mario smacked it with his fist, but it didn't budge. Wincing and holding his sore hand, Mario instead gave it a swift kick, which still didn't do anything. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Mario jumped back and charged at the button with his shoulder. He slammed into it and crashed to the ground, doing nothing to the button. Mario rolled onto his back with a groan. Looking up, he noticed a piece of paper taped to the front of the post. Mario quickly ripped it down and read it:
Missing Travel Pack
If found, please return to Jim Toadsteel at construction site.
If construction is finished, don't bother. I've probably already gotten a new one.
Likely lost in the brush ahead of this sign.
"Sounds useful," commented Mario, pocketing the note. He rolled out from under the sign and hopped to his feet happily. At least he had something else to go after. Maybe it had a control switch for the bridge. That was probably too hopeful, but Mario tried to stay bright on the matter. He wouldn't be bested by a mere bridge.
Mario made his way into the underbrush, which had flourished into a complete entanglement due to the river's humidity. After being pricked by the tenth thorn bush, Mario began to question his decision to look for the bag. He pushed through another set of bushes and came upon yet another Goomba, this one brandishing a spiked cap.
"I was wondering when I'd see one of you guys," Mario said, almost chuckling to himself. His hands took on the familiar hammer-wielding position and he prepared to swing. The spiked Goomba gave him an amused look. "What are you laughing at?" Mario snapped. He looked up to his hands, realizing with horror that he didn't have a hammer. He was helpless. "Mama-mia!" he yelled. The spiked Goomba, well aware of his weakness, began to run at full speed towards the plumber. Mario, left with no other option, ran for his life. He ran through every unpleasant patch of brush, getting scratches all over, and the spiked Goomba seemed to have no problem keeping up. After over a minute of fleeing, Mario's foot caught on something, sending him plummeting into a bush.
Mario shook his head dazedly and looked back at what had tripped him. It appeared to be a leather strap, sticking out of a bush. Mario gave a hopeful grin and grabbed at the object. "The travel pack!" he cried happily. His happiness what short-lived, however, because the spiked Goomba plowed its way through the bushes and stood menacingly over him. Mario shoved his hand into the travel pack, hoping he could find something to save his life. His hand clenched around a familiar object, causing a wicked smile to spread across his face.
Mario got a wooden hammer! He can now destroy certain blocks and strike wall-bound or spiked objects!
Mario whipped out the hammer and struck the foe in the face, defeating it before it could even know what was going on. Relieved, Mario searched the bag for anything else that would be useful. He found three mushrooms and chomped down on one, reinvigorating the hero.
Satisfied with the recovery, he put on the travel pack and strapped the hammer to the outside of the pack for quick use. He scanned the area around him, having become disoriented in the chase. He saw the looming figure of the bridge and picked his way back through the brush over to the sign. Putting all of his strength into it, he swung the wooden mallet at the button, finally pressing it with a satisfying chunk!
The large bridge slowly descended towards the other side of the river, creaking loudly as it did. When it finally landed with a thud, Mario scurried across, chirping "Wahoo!" and walked into the next section of the forest.
Between fighting off the three kinds of Goombas he had encountered, Mario's mind began to wander. He was very alone. Well, not entirely, a fact he was rudely reminded of every few minutes. But the fact remained that he had landed where he did, wherever that was, yet there was no sign of anyone else from the castle. Where could they be? He didn't know, but he was willing to bet that he wasn't the only one that was flung far from home.
He plodded along for another few miles. Being left to his thoughts was slowly driving him crazy. "How much longer?" he finally shouted, unleashing a day of frustration and fear into his voice. Yet he got no response, no comfort. All he had done was manage to provoke some unseen foe in the bushes.
Two strange Goombas shot out of the bushes. One was a distinct sunburn red and the other was an electric shade of indigo. "What are these Goombas?" Mario gasped, pulling out his hammer and bending his knees. The red Goomba suddenly engulfed itself in a vibrant covering of flames and jumped at the plumber. "Mama-mia!" he shrieked, narrowly jumping out of the way. The indigo Goomba quickly followed up by surrounding itself with a field of electricity and rolling at Mario. The plumber jumped over the Goomba, but it quickly got rid of the field and lunged at him with its fangs.
"Watch out!" called a deep, confident voice. A Goomba suddenly hopped out of the bushes and headbonked the indigo foe. This newcomer wasn't a standard-issue Goomba, though. He had short, black hair with hints of gray that was neatly styled with hair gel and wore a khaki vest, tan cargo pants, and black combat boots. "Stay sharp, kid! You're messing with a Mossy Goomba and a Pop Goomba! Have you fought these guys before?"
Mario shook his head wildly. Dodging another lunge by the indigo Goomba. The newcomer Goomba chuckled. "You sure look like it! That blue one's a Mossy Goomba. It has 3 HP, 1 Attack, and 0 Defense. It can surround itself with electricity to stun you, shocking, I know!" He chuckled at his own joke before promptly giving the Mossy Goomba a second hit. "The red one's a Pop Goomba. It has the same stats as a Mossy Goomba, but it attacks with fire. I hope you brought aloe!"
He bounced on the Pop Goomba twice. In a panic, the foe set itself on fire, causing the newcomer to jump backward. "You see, that's the problem with these grunts, they surround themselves with fire or thunder and you're left not being able to do anything. It's pretty tedious."
"I might have a way to finish these guys off faster," replied Mario, snatching his hammer from the travel pack. He slammed it down on the head of the Pop Goomba, finishing it off.
"How resourceful!" commended the mysterious Goomba. He jumped onto the Mossy Goomba while it was distracted by its comrade's defeat, taking it out. "You seem to have a bit of experience on you!"
"A bit," Mario said humbly. "You too. Thanks for the info."
"Ah, no need to thank me, kid. Helping's what I do!" replied the newcomer. "So what brings you to little ol' Railway Wood, pal?"
"It's," Mario paused a bit, holding his temples. "It's a bit of a long story."
"I've heard plenty of long stories, another one won't kill me," the Goomba replied with a smile.
So for the next minute or so, Mario explained the events of that morning, mainly focusing on the ripping of the sky.
"Jeez, if I'd lived a less exciting life I wouldn't believe you," admitted the Goomba. "Though I s'pose I can't argue with that crazy rip in the sky. That's rough, er... what's your name, kid?"
Mario gave him a thumbs up, chanting "It'sa me-a Mario!"
"Nice to meet you, Mario!" replied the Goomba. He quietly muttered "Where have I heard that name before?" to himself, but decided not to pursue the issue. "The name's Goombalan." He stepped forward, offering his nonexistent hand for a handshake.
Mario shook his "hand", saying "Nice to meet you." He paused awkwardly for a moment before saying "So, what's your story?"
"I used to be a big-time adventurer," he began. Mario could sense a monologue coming. "Years ago, I traveled all around the country, fighting off all things evil. My life was once one of action, adventure, mystery, and romance, but that was before." His gaze fell to the dirt and he let out a sigh.
"What happened?" asked Mario, becoming engrossed in the adventurer's story.
"I aged. I'm 42 now and adventuring is harder when you're in your 40s. I'm not as limber as I used to be, so the travel is harder. Plus I've settled down. Sure I have the woman of my dreams and a great son, but it means I can't risk as much."
As Goombalan spoke, Mario couldn't help but be fearful. He would be 30 in a year. How long did he have left before he had to settle down? "That's interesting," he said, trying to suppress a shudder.
"You think so?"
"Yeah," said Mario with a sympathetic grin. "I've been on a fair share of adventures myself."
Goombalan looked at him with narrowed eyes, trying hard to remember who this gentleman was. He just couldn't recall and Mario was feeling too humble to elaborate. "Well that's great!" he finally exclaimed. "Look at us, we make quite a pair: an old adventurer in his homeland and a young adventurer seemingly far from home!"
"Speaking of," began Mario, "where are we?"
"Well, we're in Railway Wo-!"
"I remember," interrupted Mario. "But what's the greater location? You mentioned a country, what kingdom are we in?"
"Kingdom? Kid, we're not monarchists around here!" Goombalan snapped. "Welcome to the glorious Topaz Republic!" he said pridefully.
Mario paled. He'd never even heard of this country. "Um, how far is that from the Mushroom Kingdom?"
"The Mushroom Kingdom?" questioned Goombalan. "That's a whole continent away. Why do you a- Oh no way!" The realization seemed to put Goombalan into overdrive. "That's crazy! You're from all the way over there?" he cried. "What are you going to do?" he asked, his tone dripping with sympathy.
Mario pondered the idea for a moment, collecting his thoughts from the day's journey, and finally struck a heroic pose. "I'm going to find my friends, get back home, and hopefully find out what's going on with this crazy sky tearing business!" he declared.
"And you won't be alone!" Goombalan announced in similar heroic fashion.
"You're going with me?" gasped Mario, looking gratefully at the Goomba.
"If you'll have me," confirmed the adventurer. "I may be older now, but I still feel that passion for adventure. And now the opportunity has literally landed here. It's almost as if this is my destiny!"
"I'll be happy to have some help," Mario replied with a grin. "Are you sure you're still physically up for it?" he asked. "Er, no offense," he quickly added.
"None taken. I'm sure I couldn't handle a big adventure alone, but you seem capable enough that we'll be fine," he said confidently.
There was a brief, awkward, pause until Mario asked, "So… where should we go first?"
Goombalan thought for a second, "We should go to the capital city, San Hongo. It's right in the center of the region. However, I first need to stop by my house, it's in Railway Village, which is on the way."
"Alrighty!" cheered Mario, "Let's-a go!" And the two adventurers made their way along the railroad, making their way towards Railway Village.
