Chapter Two- A Hero's Return
Bells chimed in the market square of Toad Town. Paperboys lined up on the sidewalks, shouting for the attention of potential customers as the breeze took an occasional newspaper to the rooftops. Wild dogs hopped about pedestrians, begging for small morsels of food with their noisy barks. But neither the paperboys nor the dogs would get what they hoped for. The baker's shop was closed, as were the florist and the butchery. The pedestrians who always walked the streets, rain or shine, found themselves alone. Everyone who could afford to do so was celebrating indoors. For today was a holiday, and in the Mushroom Kingdom, holidays were worth celebrating.
But as empty as the town's streets were, the path leading into the hills and ultimately to the castle was absolutely deserted. The path was unpaved, simply because it was too busy for construction workers to work on without making it hopelessly congested. Today was an excellent day to begin construction work, but the city could find no laborer who wouldn't quit his job rather than work on this holiday.
As the day drifted into the afternoon, it appeared that the path wasn't entirely deserted. There was a plumber traveling the path to the castle, whistling his favorite tune. Alone though he was, he was under great scrutiny, for the green grasses and leafy trees around him were not empty. Chattering squirrels watched him from their nests, as did bluebirds from the thin branches they tend to alight upon. Rabbits scampering about stopped and stood, sniffing at the unsettled dust in the air that signaled the plumber's approach. Field mice and gophers, having sensed tremors in the ground caused by approaching footsteps, fled into the wilderness. Taking no notice of all this, the plumber walked on.
The plumber paused and stared up at the castle that stood beyond the golden gate. It was a sight he had not seen for some time. He sighed. The breeze gently rippled his green sleeves as he stood there. Shifting his backpack and pulling his cap over his eyes, Luigi walked on.
He stopped in front of the gate and rapped his knuckles on the bars. There was a click from somewhere inside, and the gate swung free. Luigi pushed it with his hands and walked into the castle's front yard. Suddenly he stopped. There was a rustling in the bushes to the right. He heard it again. It was definitely not a rabbit. It was something much larger.
"I know you're there, Yoshi," he said aloud. "You can come on out now. There's no point in pouncing if the element of surprise is gone."
He looked around, waiting for a response. There was a thrashing in the bushes to the left as a flock of birds lifted off and scattered into the blue sky. Luigi glanced at the disturbed bushes out of the corner of his eye, but saw nothing.
"Yoshi. Oh, Yoshi!" he called.
As soon as he stopped speaking, he noticed that the wind was ruffling his hair. His cap was gone. He rubbed his hands over his head, and then spun around. There, on the path behind him, was the perpetrator. A green bundle of energy with large eyes and an active nose, Yoshi grinned up at Luigi, sucking on the cap in his mouth.
"Give me that!" Luigi cried, snatching the cap from Yoshi. "Aw, you slobbered all over it. I just washed it, too."
Yoshi giggled. "Surprised you, didn't I?" he said.
"No," said Luigi, tucking the cap into his backpack and placing a clean one on his head. "I knew you were there, so technically, I was expecting any kind of response."
"Oh, yeah right," said Yoshi, rolling his great big eyes. "I bet I could've even jumped on your head without you noticing. Like this!"
Yoshi leapt, but came short. He found himself clutching Luigi's backpack, sagging down to his lower back.
"C'mon, enough of that." Luigi swiped at Yoshi, but the little green dinosaur ducked out of the way. "I have something really important in there. It's for the Princess."
"Wow! Something important? Hey, you don't mean this, do you?" Yoshi grabbed the drool-covered hat from the backpack and hopped away, placing the cap on his own head.
"Has the Princess been feeding you sugar?" Luigi sighed. "Speaking of Peach, where is she? I arrived without notice, you know. Is she here? The front door isn't locked, is it?"
"No, no," said Yoshi. "I was just out here because I thought today would be a great day to catch rabbits. And it was… until you came. But hey, why chase rabbits when there are plumbers running around?"
Yoshi jumped again. This time, Luigi was ready. He also jumped, achieving a height three times that of Yoshi's. When he came back down, he landed squarely on Yoshi's saddle.
"Ha!" Luigi cried. "What'd I say about that element of surprise, huh?"
"Ok, you win," said Yoshi with a cough. "C'mon. Uncle, uncle!"
"Not so fast. I want you to do five laps around this lawn with me on your back. Giddiyup!"
Neither of them had paid much attention to the castle during their quarrel. Now, when Peach called from the bridge across the moat, she caught them both by surprise.
"Luigi!"
Yoshi jumped, causing Luigi to fall off his back. Both head turned up to look at Peach's disapproving figure. She stood with gloved hands on her hips and furrowed eyebrows across her pretty face. Luigi swallowed hard. Peach had scolded him before for "bullying" Yoshi, and today must certainly be the last straw. He looked at Yoshi, who was now putting on a face that said he was the victim the whole time.
"Princess Peach," Luigi breathed. He attempted a bow, but was still so disoriented that he fell over. "Listen, I know this looks bad, but…"
"Luigi!"
Peach's voice was softer this time. Suddenly, Luigi knew that she, too, had been play-acting. She opened her arms and smiled. Luigi stood up, dusted himself off, and walked into Peach's arms. She gave him a gentle hug, then stepped back to look into his face.
"You've returned at last," she said happily. "Were you successful? How many did you bring? Where's Mario? He didn't… oh, no. Did he?"
"Relax," Luigi said coolly. "Mario's still at the pad. He thought that, since he did most of the work (supposedly), he deserved to stay at home and rest. As for our success… well, take a look."
He dropped his backpack and, stooping over it, unbuttoned the largest pocket. Light shone from the bag, causing Peach to shield her eyes.
"Oh!" she cried. "They're so bright… how can you stand it?"
Luigi shrugged. "They're not like the sun," he said. "If you stare at them long enough, you don't burn your eyes out. Eventually, you get used to their brightness. Me, I hardly notice it anymore."
He dipped his hands into the bag, picked up what appeared to be a handful of the bright objects, and held them out to Peach. Timidly, she dropped her hand and squinted at them.
"How many?" she asked.
"Eight," Luigi answered. "Over the course of four months, Mario and I found eight Power Stars."
"Eight?" Peach cried. "Eight? Why, that's wonderful!"
"I suppose," said Luigi. "But we traveled so many miles, endured so much hardship… I know this will sound greedy, but I sort of wish we had found more."
Peach put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't," she said sternly. "Don't you dare think so little of your accomplishments. Here are eight more Stars that are safe from Bowser's grasp. You know how eager he is to get them. In a sense, it is eight fewer Stars that Bowser could have gotten. And you know what? Now, the Mushroom Castle is endowed with the power of one hundred and twenty Stars. That is the achievement of a lifetime."
Luigi stared into Peach's bright blue eyes. He looked down at the collection of Stars in her hands, and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah. It does add up, doesn't it?"
"Of course," Peach said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Now, I must first go put these in the safe, and then, we shall celebrate! Most of the staff is gone for the holiday, unfortunately… but what's a female who can't cook? I'll bake you two a cake! You can come too, Yoshi!"
"Yahoo!" cried Yoshi, clapping his hands with glee.
Luigi did a double take. "I, uh, guess I'll go get Mario," he said.
"No, you should rest." Peach beckoned for Luigi to enter the castle with her. "I know a way that is much faster. Unreliable, perhaps, but faster."
Luigi nodded, and followed Peach into the castle. Yoshi stood watching a butterfly go by, until, realizing he was alone, he scampered through the front door. A few minutes later, Peach appeared at her balcony, holding a letter and a whistle. She sounded the whistle, scaring away several finches from her flowerbeds. She waited patiently. Soon, the sound of flapping wings sounded from above the castle. A Parakoopa, wearing a leather cap and goggles, dropped down from above.
"Parakarry here, at your service!" the Parakoopa piped cheerfully.
"Here," said Peach, handing him the letter. "Take this to Plumber's Pad."
"Right away, ma'am!" Parakarry said with a salute. He turned and began to fly off.
"Ah, ah, ah! Parakarry?" Peach said suddenly. When Parakarry turned around, she shook a finger and winked. "Don't lose it this time."
"Well, uh, yes ma'am!" He offered a shaky salute, and then took off soaring.
As Parakarry flew into the sky amidst the fluffy white clouds, he heard musical chimes drifting from town. He looked down at the castle, which had shrunk considerably. He reached into his mailbag and pulled out a map, dropping a few letters in the process.
"Well, let's see here," he said, staring at the map and scratching his head. "Plumber's Pad is… here. Toad Town is… here. Now, I go… east, is it? Oh, wait, I'm holding the map upside down."
Suddenly, Parakarry bumped heads with another Koopa of the skies. Peach's letter nearly dropped from his bag, but he saved it with fumbling hands. He gave an instinctive salute toward the other Koopa.
"Top of the morning, Lakitu-1," Parakarry said nervously. "Or, uh, I guess that would be, uh, top of the afternoon."
Lakitu-1 simply laughed. "Hello there, Parakarry," he said. He did a quick look-over to see if his camera was damaged. "Where are you going in such a hurry, pray tell?"
Parakarry adjusted his goggles. "Well, uh, you see… Princess Peach gave me this letter. I'm supposed to give it to Mario at Plumber's Pad. I… uh, seem to have lost my map. Do you have any idea where Plumber's Pad is?"
"Sure." Lakitu-1 pointed to a small cottage on the outskirts of Toad Town, near a thin stream coming from the mountains. "It's over there. Just make sure you don't… wait, wait! Mario? Mario's here?"
"Why, yes," Parakarry answered, glancing around as if he were in trouble.
"When did he arrive?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the Princess knows. All I know is I have to give him this letter as soon as possible. You know."
"All right, then. Take care, Parakarry."
With a salute, Parakarry dived down toward the cottage by the stream. Lakitu-1 watched him go. Then he shook his head and slapped himself. "Mario's back!" he said. "Probably just arrived, too! Wow! This would be excellent news coverage! I'll just wait for him to appear, and then, bam, camera's rolling!"
Lakitu-1 kissed his camera and disappeared behind the mountains, where he would wait for Mario to appear. Meanwhile, Parakarry had arrived at Plumber's Pad without further trouble. He placed the letter in the mailbox, shouted "Mail call!" and fluttered off.
There was a moment of silence. Then, as the front door was kicked wide open, the plumber himself appeared in all his glory. Blue jeans ironed flat, red shirt rippling in the wind, moustache neatly trimmed, gloved hands balled at the sides, Mario was the epitome of plumbing, having reached an immortal status that all others only dreamed of. He looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the departing Parakarry. But he never did. To that day, he had never once seen Parakarry's face.
With a hop, Mario descended to the grass. He walked wordlessly to the mailbox, opened it, and took out the letter. It was pink and closed with a star-shaped seal, both sure signs that it was Peach's. He stuck his pinky under the flap, pulled it open, and unfolded the paper inside. It wasn't a long letter, and was probably done in haste. Yet Peach's handwriting was as fine as ever, and her signature was still the loveliest to be seen.
Dear Mario,
Please come to the castle. I have baked a cake for you.
--Yours truly,
Princess Toadstool; PEACH
Mario folded the letter and tucked it into his back pocket. He looked out at Toad Town and frowned. He dreaded having to walk among the Mushroom people so soon after arriving from such a long adventure. They would grovel at his feet, asking all sorts of questions when the most he could ask for was a little rest. He looked past the city toward the green hills. He could just barely make out the highest tower of the castle.
"There's more than one way to get to the Mushroom Castle," he muttered.
He removed a plank from the side of the cottage and pressed a button. Suddenly, a nearby boulder split in two, and a shiny green pipe rose from the ground. Mario leapt into the pipe. It sank into the ground, and the boulder reassembled itself.
Filming all this from the sky, Lakitu-1 raised an eyebrow as Mario disappeared into the pipe. He had a hunch as to where it would lead, though. Pausing the film, he turned and glided toward the castle.