But the Fates Aren't Done With Me Yet
Chapter 1
Rogueport, 2004
(Uploaded on April 12, 2021)
Summary: The first of eleven scenes, covering Mario's thoughts on his trip to Rogueport.
Notes: This fic contains spoilers for a variety of Mario games, most notably the two major RPG subseries, with additional references to that one little guy's Paper Mario: The Temple of the Sun (s/5389528). There will also be light crossovers with Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
The Make a Friend series and the Hope's Peak Academy Crossover Chronicles series are also canon to this fic, though neither are involved in the context of the fic.
This chapter, as can be implied, covers the events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
"Only those who have not abandoned hope can turn back the prophecy of doom. They walk forward into the future, no matter how dark and uncertain it may be."
– The Light Prognosticus, Super Paper Mario
August 19, 2004 – Evening
Rogueport
Docks – Outward Sea
Amidst the orange sky and the setting sun, Mario leaned over the ship's rope fence and smiled into the distance.
The sea before him was glistening a bright gold, bathing the town of Rogueport in a soothing glow.
"…it's been a long month," he remarked to Peach, one finger tapping atop his hand. "One long month for us, dealing with the fabled Thousand-Year Door."
"Tell me about it," the princess said, leaning against the fence with him. "We went to the Moon, for Stars' sake! That's something not everyone can brag about!"
A light chuckle exited his mouth.
"I know. It's… really hard to believe, how much has happened since then."
His voice turned a bit wistful.
"…I think I'm gonna miss this, honestly."
Peach snorted. "Can't say I'm surprised—you did get to see more of Rogueport than me."
She let her mind begin to wander as their vessel continued its long trek home.
"I didn't get a chance to make any good memories here myself. I was kidnapped only a few hours in, and spent the rest of my time holed up in a cell. And learning what the X-Nauts had planned… well, it was terrifying. Even Cackletta wasn't that terrible, relatively speaking. If it hadn't been for TEC—and of course, my faith in you—I…"
She pursed her lips.
"…I'm not sure what I would've done."
"…I suppose the stakes were pretty high this time," Mario acknowledged—"and that's not even mentioning all the crazy things that-a happened. Like—"
He stopped himself at the last minute, a frown coming onto his lips.
Like… Like…
A memory flew back into his head.
Yoshi Kid pointed upward, shock all over his features. "Gonzales! Up there!"
The whole party followed his gaze, to the top of the machine that had risen out from the arena floor.
"That's the Crystal Star, right!?"
Mario grit his teeth—he couldn't mistake that glittering relic as anything but. "It is…!" He glared at the old Clubba sitting inside the generator's interior. "So, this is where it's been the whole time! You've been hoarding it all to yourself!"
"Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!" Grubba laughed. "How you like my machine? Pretty dang nice, huh? Yep, I've been suckin' power from fighters with this baby! SLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP! Yer darn tootin'!"
He flashed a grin. "An' you wanna know why? 'Cause it keeps my bod forever young, son!"
…like that.
It hadn't all been sunshine and rainbows for Mario and his team.
"You're so popular around here! I just love being you! Yeah, it's so cool, I don't think I ever wanna stop!
It was like something out of a nightmare. A long, horrific nightmare, one that consumed everything in its sheer absoluteness.
But it was real.
Oh, it was real.
For there, in front of Mario's eyes… was the hero's own visage, smugly staring at him with beady black eyes.
"You," Mario breathed, his brain rapidly putting the pieces together. If I'm currently a shadow, and he's right there… "What did you do…?"
The imposter snickered. "Figured it out yet, Slick? Well, lemme tell you: that Crystal Star didn't just let me turn those greaseheads into pigs. It let me steal your identity, too! Your body and name belong to me now—and that means you get to be a nameless shadow, as forgettable as one of those dumb Goombas! Tough break, huh?"
There were a lot of monsters abound.
A little too many for comfort, really.
Even at his worst, Bowser was never as disproportionately petty or vile.
And Mario would be lying if he said that didn't make him apprehensive.
(The future's always in flux.)
Peach blinked. "Mario…? What's the matter?"
"It's nothing," he reassured her. "I'm just… thinking."
Thinking about the end.
Thinking about all the chaos.
…thinking about what happened to you.
"You are foolish to oppose me."
Opposite of Mario on the theater stage, the Shadow Queen stood in all her evil glory.
Her face was pale, darkened with calculating eyes and a cruel smirk. Her high-collared cloak and dull purple dress lent to her an aura of unbridled power—befitting the ancient demon she was, but not the princess she was possessing.
"Yesss… and that foolishness… will have to be punished." She glinted at the plumber, seeming to consider him an interesting Fighter Fly on the floor. "This vessel of mine, which shares such a connection with you… do you truly believe you can stand to hurt her? It's not too late to submit…"
Mario gulped, a bead of sweat going down his head.
Can I really do this…? he thought. That's… a good question. Because—
I've—I've never had to do anything like this before.
…and I've never had to fight Peach like this before. Not like this.
What am I supposed to do…?
Stars, can I stop this cataclysm before it gets worse…?
…
…
…
"Don't let her get to you, Mario!" Goombella's voice interrupted him.
He jolted toward her—the partner he'd known for almost an entire month now.
"That may be Peach's body, but it definitely isn't her inside right now!"
"I—I know this doesn't l-look good," Koops admitted, "but—if we don't do anything here, the—the whole world will be lost!"
Flurrie placed a hand on Mario's shoulder. "Mario, darling. Don't be afraid. There's still hope for us to triumph."
"Yeah! The Great Gonzales never gives up!" Yoshi Kid exclaimed.
Vivian nodded. "We've come this far, and we haven't fallen yet. We can do this—together!"
"Scarlette would be most displeased if we don't send this demon packing," Bobbery spoke up—"so let's give 'er a show to remember! C'mon, old boy!"
"You heard 'em, dearie," Ms. Mowz said. "We're with you until the end!"
Mario closed his eyes.
"…yeah. All of you are right."
He took out his Ultra Hammer and twirled it once in his hand, giving the Shadow Queen the firmest glare he could muster. Naturally, he was joined by his team of seven—the friends that had stuck by him through thick and thin.
"It doesn't matter that you've taken over Peach. You were vanquished once; we can vanquish you again! And this time, we'll make sure your black heart never resurfaces!"
The Shadow Queen narrowed her eyes.
"Very well, then… I will take great pleasure in gifting her your final life." She raised her hand, dark magic at her fingertips. "Prepare yourself."
"Then let's-a-go!"
In that moment, Mario felt himself relax.
In spite of everything, though…
…there were plenty of things that made this journey all worth it.
"Y'know, this last month… hasn't been the easiest. I saw a lot of dire and discomforting situations—some that I think might haunt me for a while. But…"
He smiled.
"…for all that it's worth, I'm glad I got to go on this wonderful adventure. To see a world beyond the hills; to lend a hand to those in need—and to meet seven more partners who I'll forever adore."
"You really think the world of them, huh…?" Peach remarked. "That's… good."
She looked back toward Rogueport, still sparkling as brightly as a Grand Star.
"Beneath all the grime and the crime, I can see: there's a vibrant town here, full of love and light. It isn't the safest place to be, or even the cleanest—but maybe… that's what makes it so charming. It's a glimpse into a different realm, with its own way of life.
"And that's something I'll never get tired of seeing."
Mario nodded, crossing his arms in satisfaction.
"Yeah. Same-a here."
The two of them stayed like that for a while: calmly watching the sun set and contemplating what the future held for them.
It was a scene that could be stretched into an eternity.
…
…
…
…
…
"I hope someday, I'll get to come back and truly see this place for myself," Peach said. "I only get to take so many vacations, and it's not like time'll wait for me."
"Only if you let me and Luigi go with you too," Mario snorted. "After the chaos we've been through these last few years, I'm not taking any more chances."
"Hey, I don't get in trouble that much!"
"Isle Delfino and Beanbean beg to-a differ."
Against the backdrop of a humble living room, Mario sat in front of a camera, verbally relaying his recent experiences for all to hear.
"…and that's everything that happened over my trip to Rogueport!" he was concluding, a warm smile situated on his lips.
"I have to admit, this journey was a lot grander than I had expected. I've had three similar large-scale adventures before: the Smithy Gang, the Star Spirits, the Beanbean Kingdom—but I've never had to deal with the end of the world before now."
A solemn expression hit his face.
"It's… sobering, being at the forefront of something like that."
"There was a real weight to everything, this time around. Peach's life was genuinely in danger. I myself nearly died more than once. There were monsters all over, sinking their teeth into everything—"
"—and, of course, the Shadow Queen was ready to blanket the world in darkness, had I fallen then and there."
"…at the very least, though, things never got so dire that I was overwhelmed by it all. That was thanks to all the friends I made—and the world I've grown to love."
Peace returned to his features as he leaned back in his chair.
"They're the reason why I found the strength to push on, despite everything. They're my team, just like the one I had four years ago."
"They've become some of my closest companions… and for that, I'll never, ever forget them."
A few seconds passed, as he let his thoughts settle a little.
"And I know there's still more to go. This may have been a grand journey, but I haven't seen the peak yet. Maybe every once in a while, we'll have another 'end of the world' situation to liven up the stakes—but so long as I've got my friends, I think I can handle anything that comes my way."
"And that's it for this week's video diary! As usual, it's-a-me, Mario, signing off. See you next time!"
Little does Mario know…
…from here on out, peace is never a guarantee.
I've always wondered how Mario must've felt to go through the Gamecube-Wii era. Specifically, all the games that deal with the end of the world.
It certainly can't be easy, knowing that there might always be another apocalypse waiting around the corner.
rarsneezes' Mario-centric fics do a fairly good job exploring some of this, but I wanted to do my own spin on things. So I decided to take a cue from Umbreix's The Witching Hour (an excellent PMMM fic, one you should definitely give a shot) mixing together relevant canon scenes with Mario making a sort-of video diary of his adventures.
This is something of an experiment for me, seeing as how different the framing of this fic is from what I usually do. That being said, I hope I'll be able to believably get across Mario's emotions as the Mushroom Kingdom's 'Apocalyptic Age' progresses.
…and oh boy, is it gonna be a ride.
Well, that's all for now! Next time: Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. See you then!