Chapter 12

12A - Beanstalk Ingredients

As Mario and friends went due east down Flower Fields, they passed a row of three trees with multi-colored leaves.

"Could these trees have fruit on them?" Mario asked himself. He took out his hammer and struck the leftmost tree, dropping two Red Berries. Mario and Luigi each took one Red Berry and consumed it.

"Hmm... Is it just me, or does it taste like a cherry?" Luigi asked after savoring the berry's taste.

"It kinda does. These berries didn't look like cherries, though." After 15 minutes, the group saw a flower with purple petals, a yellowish white face, and an emerald colored stem and leaves. She was frowning and looking down at the grass.

"Hello. Are you Petunia?" Mario asked the flower.

"Yes. It's me," Petunia answered with a sad tone of voice.

"What's the matter?" Luigi questioned.

"It's a sad tale you need to listen to. Ever since the sun went away, I've begun to droop... I have no energy at all. Without the sun, it just seems like...the whole world...is sad..." Petunia began to tear up, making the group feel sorry for her.

"Now these...Monty Moles dig...into the ground...and bite my roots! Oh, woe is me!" Petunia finally started sobbing as four green Monty Moles began popping up and down all over the place.

Mario and Watt hurried as quick as they could and hammered and electrocuted all four Monty Moles; it took a little more than a minute because the Monty Moles had fast reflexes.

After the Monty Moles were taken care of, Mario walked up to Petunia and stroked her stem.

"Are you okay, Petunia?" Mario asked softly.

"Sort of, but...it'll take time...before I've calmed down," Petunia sniffled.

"One quick question before we go: Mr. Wisterwood said that you had a Magical Bean with you, right?"

"Umm... Yes. Just give me a second," Petunia answered before uprooting a green bean that resembled a typical lima bean. "I'll give you this to show how grateful I am." Mario took the Magical Bean from Petunia and stowed it in his overalls pocket.

"Thank you, Petunia," Luigi thanked Petunia.

Just before the group could turn around and go back the way they came, Petunia butted in, "Wait! About that Magical Bean I gave you... You shouldn't plant it."

"Why not?" Luigi asked.

"Because as a seed, it will always enjoy freedom. After it's planted and it sprouts up, it won't ever be able to move again. Don't you think that's sad?"

"Yeah. It does sound sad to me," Mario agreed.

"I suggest you do not plant it with, for instance, Fertile Soil and Miracle Water," Petunia pleaded calmly. "I don't want to think about a sprout growing out of my cute little seed."

"But we need the bean and that soil and water to make a giant beanstalk and fight Huff N. Puff up in the sky," Luigi said.

"You mean the evildoer that made the sun go away?"

"Yes. Who else would it be?" Mario asked.

"All right. I respect your wishes," Petunia said before the group walked back west. "Good luck to you guys."

After arriving at the section with Wise Wisterwood, Mario looked at the different paths leading to five other areas in Flower Fields and couldn't decide where to go next.

"How about we go clockwise?" Luigi offered. "I think that's the easy way to explore these fields."

Mario immediately took Luigi's advice and led him and Watt to the southeast. This time, there was a flock of Crazee Dayzees walking up and down the pathway.

"What are those flowers?" Mario asked, pointing to the Crazee Dayzees. "I've never seen them before."

"Me neither," Luigi replied. "They do look pretty, though." Thinking the Crazee Dayzees wouldn't hurt them, Mario and friends casually walked forward and the Crazee Dayzees started singing, having noticed the group approaching them.

"Wow. I didn't know these flowers were-" Mario started to say before he suddenly grabbed his head in pain; Luigi did the same a couple seconds later. "Aggh! What's happening to my head?!"

"I don't know! My brain is pounding!" Luigi answered with agony. Both hurried down the path to not get affected by the Crazee Dayzees' singing even more.

"I hope it wasn't them singing," Mario said. "How could their voices mess with one's brain?"

"They're just strange flowers, bro." The group resumed their trek southeast until they came across a yellow lily; her nose resembled a wooden stick and she was stationed in front of a crystallized tree.

"Good morning, boys," the flower introduced herself. "My name's Posie."

"Hello, Posie," Mario returned the greeting before looking at the tree. "That's a nice tree right there."

"Thank you. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in all the world?" Posie asked.

"Not just flowers, Posie. I've seen cloud patterns, star constellations, and beach shores to name a few."

"What's with your mouth?" Luigi pointed out, having mistaken Posie's nose for a mouth.

"Oh, how rude of you! This is my nose!" Posie scolded Luigi.

"Sorry. I didn't know."

"Anyway, boys, to tell you about my nose, it was this Fertile Soil that made it grow so long. I happen to like it! Heehee..." Posie explained.

"So, you're pulling a 'Pinocchio', but you don't lie, right?" Mario asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but your nose looks pretty nice too." Mario's face blushed at Posie's comment. "It could stand to be a little bit longer, so why don't you take this Fertile Soil with you?"

Posie scooped up some of the Fertile Soil next to her stem and offered it to Mario, but Luigi took the soil as Mario couldn't pay attention.

"Your nose will be perfect soon! Heeheehee..." Posie giggled.

"Okay... I guess we'll go now..." Mario murmured, having been creeped out by Posie talking about his nose.

By the time the group evaded the Crazee Dayzees and made it back to the central section, they didn't waste time and started down the southwest path.

"I'm sorry Posie made fun of your nose," Luigi told Mario. "I agree that it was creepy."

"Don't mention it again."

Along the way, Mario and friends spotted two trees with yellow green leaves on their right. Mario struck the leftmost tree, which dropped two Yellow Berries.

After Mario and Luigi ate their respective berry, Mario commented, "It's definitely a yellow grape. Same taste and texture." Another 10 minutes passed before Mario and friends saw a pink water lily sitting in the center of an empty spring. She looked sad at first sight.

"Aww... The poor flower..." Mario said with sympathy before the water lily spoke up.

"Oh, how horrible! The spring went dry!" the flower moaned. "What a tragedy... Oh! This can't happen to me! No, it can't! Not to Lily!"

"Very fitting name," Luigi whispered.

"Somebody! The horrible thing that rides the clouds...took our precious Water Stone!" Lily continued. "Water flows from that magical Water Stone... Without it, the spring will never recover... Oh! And I'll wither up if I can't float on the water! I'll be crushed by my own weight and wither... Poor Lily! Oh no! Don't give up, Lily! Perhaps a handsome prince will arrive and help you soon...!"

During Lily's sad speech, Mario walked up to her before laying his hand on Lily's back. Luigi and Watt stood next to spring's ledge.

"It's okay, Lily. Don't be sad," Mario coaxed Lily, who immediately turned to see him.

"A prince... Well, he actually looks more like a plumber, but beggars can't be choosers!" Lily said to herself before introducing herself. "Hello, prince. I'm Lily, a beautiful and fragile flower who lives in this spring."

"I'm Mario. Is there anything I can do to make you happy again?" Mario offered.

"Yes. Could you please get my Water Stone back from that horrible cloud creature?"

"Absolutely. I'd hate to see you wither into nothing," Mario replied.

"Oh, Mario! You're a dream come true! Thank you so much!" Lily thanked Mario with enthusiasm. "Please find it quickly!"

After rejoining Luigi and Watt, Mario said, "You heard Lily. Let's see where the Water Stone is at." Mario and friends headed back toward the central section and started to the west before stopping just short of a group of Ruff Puffs.

"I don't like the clouds' faces," Luigi said while staring at the Ruff Puffs' red orange eyes. Suddenly, Mario saw two Yellow Exclamation Point Blocks to his right.

"This better be a good powerup," Mario said before he and Luigi hit the blocks from underneath. Two Cloud Nines emerged from the blocks; the Cloud Nine resembled a white, airy cloud with black eyes and a black smile.

"That's new," Mario commented. "Maybe we could use these clouds to float past the brown ones." As soon as Mario and Luigi touched their respective Cloud Nines, they each turned into a bigger version of the powerup's original size. In addition, their eyes and smiles turned red and green.

Mario and Luigi floated underneath the Ruff Puffs with ease while Watt flew over them. Inside his Cloud Nine, Mario clapped his hands once to turn back to normal before Luigi did the same.

"I wonder if there are other cloud powerups in this world," Luigi said. "Maybe in the form of a flower or something." Eventually, the group approached a brown gazebo covered with green vines; there was a big hedge behind the gazebo and bushes with red and yellow flowers formed a big circle around it. To top it off, a dark pink rose with a thorny stem and leaves sat in the middle of the gazebo.

"Oh, hello," the rose greeted the group. "It seems like ages since I last saw a visitor here. I'm Rosie, a Rose Spirit. I'm ever so glad to meet you. Here I am in full bloom, and there's nobody to look at me. Please, admire me all you like. Breathtaking, aren't I? Aren't I just incredible?"

"Yeah. I love your appearance," Mario answered with a smile. "You got dark pink petals spread out evenly, a small yellow face with cute black eyes, and green limbs with a small number of thorns. Just the way I'd see a rose." In response, Rosie lightly hugged Mario.

"Oh, thank you. You're so honest and charming. And underneath that scruffy mustache, I bet you're handsome." After Rosie let go of Mario, she briefly studied Luigi. "That goes for you too despite your round mustache."

"Thanks, Rosie," Luigi thanked Rosie.

"You know what? Because I like you both, I'll show you this." Rosie took out a blue gem that twinkled in the sun; Mario and Luigi became mesmerized by the gem. "Isn't this stone beautiful? I found it just the other day. Some strange creatures on clouds dropped it. I couldn't resist its gorgeous glitter, so I made it mine. I could look at it all day..."

"That's the Water Stone," Mario said. "We need that to help Lily because she's in trouble without it."

"Oh, how very sad," Rosie replied. "Well, too bad. It can't be helped. This stone is mine now, you see?"

"Listen to yourself, Rosie," Luigi protested calmly. "Lily will wither up without the stone. Selfishness won't solve anything."

"Huh... How sad... Really... How very pitiful..." Rosie murmured with sarcasm. "As hard as it is to believe, that Lily sometimes acts like she's prettier than I am. She's dumb, but she's not evil. And if she's gone, there'll be no flowers to set off my beauty."

"That's not true. All flowers are just as pretty as each other," Mario said.

"Hmm... You make a good point... Let's see..." Rosie wondered out loud. "How about this: if you bring me something more beautiful than this stone, I'll think about trading it."

"All right-y. I'll go find a prettier item by myself," Mario told Luigi. "Wait here with Watt."

As soon as Mario ran off back toward the east, Luigi sat to the right of Rosie, waiting patiently for the time being.

"I wonder what the man in red will find for me," Rosie said.

"Maybe a shinier stone like a ruby," Luigi replied. "We'll see soon." 25 minutes later, Mario hurried back to the gazebo holding a Crystal Berry.

"Here we go!" Mario huffed, out of breath from running hard. "A Crystal Berry."

"Oh, how pretty! I love it!" Rosie gasped with joy; she immediately took the Crystal Berry. "Where did you find the Crystal Berry?"

"Your friend Posie was kind enough to pick a couple of them from her crystal tree," Mario said. "She feels for Lily just like you."

"I see. Well, you'd better hurry back and give this stone to Lily." Rosie handed Mario the Water Stone. "I'm sorry I was selfish toward you two."

"No worries, Rosie," Mario responded. "I knew you were nice all along." Rosie gave Mario another hug before the group began to walk east again.

"Make sure Lily knows that she was saved because of me!" Rosie called out.

Because Mario and Luigi couldn't sneak past the Ruff Puffs this time around, they had no choice but to fend them off using Mario's hammer and Watt's electric attacks. Eventually, Mario and friends made their way back to Lily's spring.

Having noticed Mario holding the Water Stone, Lily exclaimed, "Oh, it's the Water Stone! Quick! Put it in that hole next to me!" Mario immediately placed the Water Stone in a hole in the center of the spring and hopped out of the spring, which filled itself up to the brim with clear water.

"Oh, it's water! Sweet water! The spring is full of water. I'm floating again... Oh, this is paradise... Thank you so very much!" Lily thanked the group. "I'll give you this watering can in return. Here you are!"

Lily took out a small orange watering can and gave it to Mario, who stowed it in his overalls pocket.

"This is the most nourishing Miracle Water around!" Lily explained happily. "It's water with a little Lily extract! If you use this Miracle Water on any plant, it'll grow like gangbusters!" Suddenly, Lily frowned, having realized something wrong. "Uh...but not right now. Because there's no sun..."

"Don't worry, Lily," Luigi reassured Luigi. "We'll find a way to make the sun rise again."

"Oh, yes! Great idea! You should go see about getting the sun back into the sky," Lily responded. "A resourceful team like you must have some idea about how to get the sun back up again! I bet you'll do it! You saved me, after all!"

"All right-y. Have a lovely day, Lily," Mario bid Lily goodbye before leading Luigi and Watt northeast back to the central section. All they had left to explore were the northwest and northeast sections. What will they find to dissipate the dark clouds and make the sun rise again?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Cloud Nine powerup is derived from one of Spike's battle moves in the original game, which makes it more likely for enemies to miss Mario when attacking him.