Lucina just stared dumbstruck at the strange man standing in front of her. She had never seen someone dressed like him before in her life. She tried to read his expression, his posture to get a better picture of what type of person that this Solid Snake was. Given that he was hiding in a cardboard box, Lucina figured that he would be a hard person to figure out.
The man coughed and Lucina jumped. "What? Did I do something to offend you?" He asked, his eyes narrowed.
Lucina waved her hands defensively and quickly, "Not at all sir! So… you are Palutena's Enforcer? What exactly does that mean?"
Snake opened his mouth to answer, but Palutena interrupted him. "Well, he likes his job to be called that to sound more serious," the goddess said, oblivious to Snake's glare. "He takes his job very seriously."
"That's because keeping tabs on the surface is important!" Snake snapped, before reaching into one of several pockets on his body suit. After fumbling for moment, he pulled out a small box and opened it. Inside were several little yellow stick-like objects. He extracted one and put the box back into his pocket. "I am Skyworld's eyes and ears on the surface world," he explained to Lucina, who had a thought cross her mind.
"But don't you have your magic table to view the world below?" She asked Palutena.
"That's true. Although it is reliable, it's not always able to detect everything. Altea, as I've said before, is protected by an ancient magic and is hard to view most of the time."
"Couldn't you have Pit do that?" The girl asked, staring at Pit who standing behind Palutena.
"Although Pit is competent, (Pit blushed at the compliment) Snake has a specific skillset that makes him the perfect person for the job. Put that away Snake," She suddenly snapped, causing Lucina to jump. "You know how I don't want you lighting your cigarette in here."
Snake froze as he was holding the stick just millimeters from his mouth, the tip now glowing a cinder red. "Right. If you all will excuse me."
And on that note, the strange man turned and proceeded to head towards the exit. Palutena sighed as soon as Snake was out of earshot. "I really wish he would give up on smoking…"
"I don't mean to be rude… but he seems… different than everyone else here?" Lucina asked, as Snake vanished outside the doorway.
"Last year, I discovered Snake badly injured alongside a river in the Wilds. Naturally, I brought him back here and nursed him back to health. Since then, he has offered his loyalty to me and well, the rest is history."
"Did you know what caused his injuries?"
Palutena shook her head. "He never told me how he received his wounds."
"Nor did he tell me," Pit piped in. "Though I never had the guts to ask him since he's so…"
"Different?" Lucina supplied.
"Scary."
"Oh. I see." She turned to looked towards the doorway that Snake had left through. Like everyone else Lucina had met in Skyworld, Snake seemed interesting. But he also seemed distant and appeared to be hiding something. Like her family…
A sudden chill flowed through Lucina's body as she recalled the story she heard about family. Marth's words about his sister's death and the impact it had on their family rang throughout her head. A part of her wished she hadn't asked, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
"Hey," Pit unexpectedly asked as he saw the pained expression on her face. "Everything ok Lucina?"
Lucina's eyes refocused as she saw both Pit and Palutena looking at her with concern. "Yeah, everything's fine," she unconvincingly replied. She turned away to dry her eyes, but the damage was done.
Palutena bent down to Pit and whispered in his ears, "Why don't you go to the infirmary to get your injuries checked."
"But I'm feeling," Pit started to say but faltered under Palutena's stern gaze. "Uh… I mean of course Lady Palutena…"
Without another word Pit marched his way down the hall, pausing only to peer over his shoulder at the pair he left. And with a small huff under his breath, Pit continued his way to the infirmary.
Once Pit had vanished from view, Palutena looked somberly at the young girl that stood before her. "I imagine today must have been rough on you Lucina."
All Lucina could do was nod, unable to look the goddess in the face. "I suggest you head to the guest room and get some rest. I'm sure you will feel refreshed."
Lucina was touched at the goddess's notion and yet… "But what about our mission?" Lucina asked.
Palutena laughed. "The regions aren't going anywhere dear. Pit and you can head to the next region to give the invitation once your both ready."
The goddess then turned and started to walk away. She reached for the door handle and opened it. Just as she was about to disappear into the hall beyond, a sudden thought crept into Lucina's mind. Lucina blurted out, "Lady Palutena. I have a question concerning my uncle."
Palutena froze. She turned around and slowly asked, "Yes?"
"He believes that someone else killed my Aunt Emmeryn than the general that was accused. You wouldn't happen to know if anyone out their who wanted to spread chaos around Altea… or any other reason for that matter?"
A passing cloud covered the sun which left Palutena's face hidden in the shadows, her face unreadable. "I'm sorry Lucina," She quickly said, as though wanted to get the conversation over with. "I know that there are plenty wicked individuals in the world… but I don't recall any individual that would gain anything from doing such a despicable act."
Feeling slightly disheartened, Lucina said, "Thank you for answering my question," with a bow. She straightened herself up and said, "I'll see you later Lady Palutena." And on that note, she walked past the expressionless goddess and left her alone in the room.
The warm afternoon sun poured onto Lucina as she laid on the comfortable bed. She tried to listen to Palutena's guidance, but she couldn't rest. There was simply too much going on right now and she couldn't turn off her worrisome thoughts. Her mind wandered between Corrin's disappearance, her family, and the uneasiness between the four regions throughout the last few hours.
She sat up and stared out the window, gazing out onto the scarlet-colored clouds. There were some passing Centurions flying in the distance. Perhaps they were finishing up a training session?
A gleam of light fell on her eyes as she watched the Centurions swooping in the sky. Lucian turned away from the window and saw where the light was reflecting from. The light was bouncing off the Falchion which laid on the table.
Lucina left the bed and approached the table, staring at her weapon in a new light. Before today she thought that it was modeled after Marth's own weapon. But it turned out that the sword before her was the real deal.
She grabbed the blade and looked at it closely. Marth had said he swapped it with her model Falchion because of Aunt Caeda. Something about her having two huge reasons why she didn't like it? Lucina sighed and put the sword back into its scabbard. Just another question to add to the ever-growing pile.
A rumbling noise came from her stomach, and she blushed. When was the last time she had anything to eat? The thought of food drove everything else out of Lucina's mind and she bolted out of the room, eager to devour something edible.
Lucina soared through the stone halls, trying hard to ignore the grumbling from her stomach. She turned her third left corner just as thought to herself a slightly important detail. She wasn't shown where the dining hall was located.
She wandered onwards, hoping to run into a friendly face to lead her in the right direction. But luck was not on her side as a minute passed and she ran into no one.
After rounding another corner, she caught a whiff of something smelling delicious. Almost like fresh bread, straight out of the furnace! Lucina followed her nose, her anticipation growing as her walking sped up.
The alluring smell led her down one more hallway and she noticed an extravagant wooden door, slightly ajar. Lucina smiled as she was sure that she reached her goal. To her surprise however, she saw Pit crouched in front of the door. He appeared to be looking into the room, completely unaware that Lucina was approaching him.
She knelt next to him and asked, "What are you doing Pit?"
Pit leapt like a frightened cat and looked back, wide-eyed at Lucina. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" He scowled, clutching his chest in shock. "I… I might've attacked in self-defense If I hadn't recognized you!"
"Right," Lucina skeptically replied. "I'm sorry Pit."
Pit started to calm down, his breathing returning to normal. He crouched back down and turned his attention back towards the door. He muttered, "As for what I'm doing… I'm listening."
Lucina tilted her head in confusion. "Listening to what?"
"Lady Palutena and Snake are talking about us."
His reply caught Lucina by surprise. What would those two be discussing about Pit and her? She leaned over the crouching Pit and peered through the small opening.
Her hunch was right as it appeared to be a dining hall. Several tables were lined up neatly in rows with several trays of food spread amongst them. The room was empty except for Palutena and Snake, who stood beside a pillar near the door. Both were looking frustrated.
"You really think those two are the right ones for this mission?" Snake asked.
"Yes," Palutena replied, sounding irritated. "No matter how many times you mention it, my answer will be the same!"
"Please look at it from my point of view," Snake gruffly said. "No matter what that kid says, he's not ready. And the princess… really can we trust her? You should send me instead. I'd be able to complete this mission without a hitch."
Lucina couldn't believe her ears. She felt that she hadn't done anything to make her seem untrustworthy. Besides, Palutena said that this mission was tied to her destiny… or something like that.
She glanced down at Pit. He looked visibly angry at Snake's words. "Who does he think he his?" Pit whispered through gritted teeth. "I'm totally ready for this mission!"
Lucina opened her mouth to agree with him, except her stomach beat her mouth to the punch. The loud rumble from her stomach echoed through the hall.
"What was that noise?" Snake asked. Before either could react, the door swung open with Snake glaring down at them. "What are you two up too?"
Lucina stood straight up and said, "We're getting some food."
Pit also got to his feet, glaring at Snake. "Yeah! Unless you think the foods not ready yet," Pit snapped, standing tiptoed, trying to intimidate the older man. It didn't seem to be working.
Snake raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Behind him, Palutena asked, "Pit were you two eavesdropping?"
Pit no longer was trying to make himself seem taller. Rather he it seemed like he was trying to make himself smaller. Lucina came to his aid and said, "We didn't mean too. We were hoping to get some food and we… stumbled upon your conversation."
Palutena walked forward, looking a little disappointed. "How much did you hear?"
"Just enough," Pit replied. "And I think Snake here is wrong!"
"I agree," Lucina stepped in. "Please give us a chance to proof ourselves! We are ready to do this mission!"
Palutena was silent, deep in thought. The other three turned to look at her while she pondered what the best choice of action would be.
The goddess let out a deep sigh and tapped the floor with her staff. A bright light appeared behind her, basking them all in its warm light. "Very well. If you two think that you can handle this… this portal will take you to the least dangerous region… in my humble opinion. I'll give you three days to give the message to the region's leader. Otherwise, I will listen to Snake's solution."
Pit beamed, practically leaping with joy. "I won't let you down Lady Palutena!" He grabbed Lucina's hand and said, "Let's go Lucina!"
"But what about dinner?" Lucina squeaked, but Pit wasn't listening. He tugged her along, past the scowling Snake and into the portal where the two vanished in an instant.
Snake folded his arms and asked, "Why did you put a time limit? You already claimed to have faith in them."
Palutena tightened her grip on her staff. "They needed the proper motivation to believe in themselves like I believe in them." She walked towards Snake, avoiding looking him in the eyes. "Besides after they succeed in the mission… perhaps you will warm up to them? Maybe even see them something like a dysfunctional family."
She walked past Snake down the hall. He turned towards the flickering portal. "Family, huh?" He whispered.
Lucina and Pit emerged from the pillar of light and into a forest clearing, much like before. Though Lucina noticed that the trees and grass seemed to be brighter than the ones back in Altea. Pit let go of Lucina's hand and marched forward. "Come on Lucina," He boldly said, crossing the clearing without looking back. "Let's go deliver Lady Palutena's invitation!"
"Hold on one second," Lucina pleaded. "Do you even know where we are?"
"It doesn't matter!" Pit snapped, stopping at the end of the clearing. "I have to proof to that jerk that he's wrong about me!"
Lucina just started to realize what Pit's issue really was. It was the first time in years that he got to leave Skyworld. Yet to have someone trying to prevent that from happening. She wanted to say something encouraging, but again, her stomach did the talking for her.
Upon hearing the loud gurgling noise, Pit turned around, blades raised. His eyes widen as he realized that there was no threat, just a hungry Lucina. He lowered his blades in shame and muttered, "I'm sorry about this Lucina. I was just too eager to prove Snake wrong that I forgot that your starving."
Lucina quickly crossed the clearing and stood next to Pit. "It's okay," she soothingly said. "I understand how you feel. My friend is somewhere in any of these regions, and I can't look for her if we stay up in Skyworld."
Pit nodded in agreement. "Yeah." His eyes suddenly went dark, and he muttered, "I hate that Lady Palutena trusts that jerk more than me. She's known me since I was five and he's only been around for only one year! And I have to prove to her that I am reliable!"
Lucina shifted on her feet. "I can't answer for her since I barely know her… but I'm sure you don't have to proof yourself to her. Why do you think that she anointed you as Skyworld's Captain?"
"…Because she saw something in me!" His eyes lit up. "You're right Lucina! Who cares what Snake thinks about me!" He gave her a wide smile. "You really know what to say. Thanks."
Just as she was about to respond, Lucina got distracted by a strange creature emerging from some bushes. She yelped at the sight of the creature. Pit wheeled around and both drew their swords, pointing at the brown creature.
It was the creature's turn to yelp, jumping backwards away from the swords. "What's wrong with you weirdos?" The tiny brown creature asked, its feet nervously twitching.
"What are you?" Lucina asked while lowering her blade. She didn't sense any hostile intentions from the… thing. That and after getting a better look at it, it didn't look that dangerous. The creature was nothing more than a misshapen head and feet.
The creature huffed and turned away from the pair. "Head to Toad Town, the wife said," the creature mumbled to itself. "It will be easy, she said. And yet I come across two weirdos who don't know what a Goomba is…" Still muttering to itself, the creature wandered off, following down the path.
Pit lowered his blades, which dissolved into light. "Toad Town? Oh! We must be in the Mushroom Kingdom!"
The western region of the country that neighbored her home region. Her first time in another named region! Lucina fought to conceal her excitement as she turned her gaze down the path. She noticed smoke coming from further down the path. "Look over there Pit," She exclaimed, pointing towards the rising smoke. "That must be Toad Town."
Pit gazed in that direction. "It doesn't look too far! Let's go Lucina!"
He took off running down the path in his excitement. Lucina sighed before following behind him.
The stones crunched under her feet as she jogged after Pit. Lucina was in no rush as she wanted to take in the sights. Professor Byleth told her once that the Mushroom Kingdom got its name based on its large fungi. Seeing them in person and Lucina was not disappointed. The side of the path had several large red and green shrooms, skyrocketing towards the sky.
Lucina was entranced by the environment for what seemed like several minutes. She was so entranced that she didn't hear Pit's cry of warning.
SMACK!
The poor princess ran headfirst into a wooden wall next to a door. Lucina fell backwards onto the grass, groaning softly. "Someone's certainly excited," Pit chuckled, offering Lucina a hand.
Embarrassed, she accepted his help and got back on her feet. "Just a little caught up in the moment," Lucina admitted. "This place just feels almost unnatural compared to…" She paused as her eyes caught sight of the strangest looking people Lucina had ever seen.
Walking around the town were a bunch of folks that barely reached Lucina's waist. But the strangest part was they all were wearing mushrooms of various colors on their heads. They were moving about their day, huge smiles on their faces as they mingled with their peers. Pit also caught sight of the citizens and explained to Lucina, "Those are Toads, the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Why are they called Toads? They don't look anything like toads?"
Pit opened his mouth to answer her question, but he was cut off as the building door swung open and smacked him against the wall. An older yellow spotted Toad emerged from the building. "What's all this ruckus?" The female Toad asked, oblivious to the child she hit.
"I'm sorry," Lucina said with a bow. "This is my first-time visiting Toad Town and, in my excitement… er… I ran into you house."
The Toad laughed. "It's alright dear. My name is Tayce T. Those are some interesting garbs your wearing," She noted, gazing upon Lucina's outfit. "Where are you from?"
Lucina hesitated. The lady was friendly and didn't seem dangerous… yet Lucina knew that she shouldn't mention that she was from another region. There was already enough tension amongst them.
She was spared from having to answer as a soft groan came from behind the door. The door swung away from the house revealing a battered Pit rubbing his head. "Oh, don't worry about me… I'm fine!" Pit muttered laying against the house.
Tayce T. gasped and quickly rushed up to Pit's side. "You, poor dear," She soothingly said, helping Pit to his feet. "I didn't see you there. Are you hurt?"
"Not at all madam."
"That's good at least… Oh I know!" She walked briskly back into her house, leaving Lucina and Pit confused. They could hear the elderly Toad rummaging throughout the house. The answer was apparent as the moment Tayce T. reemerged from her house; a strong waft of dessert goodness flowed with her. "I hope this Shroom Cake will make things better."
She held a plate in each hand and on top of each one was a large slice of a fluffy red cake. Pit accepted his slice and started to dig in. "Thif ish delikous," He stuttered with his mouth full of cake.
Lucina reached for her plate, but despite her hunger, she found herself unable to take the plate. "What's wrong dearie?" Tayce T. asked.
"It's just… my mother always told me to save dessert for last…"
Pit finished swallowing his piece and barked, "Lucina! Seriously?"
Tayce T. silenced him with a look. "Now dear… it's alright. I admire that you're respecting your mother's words. But this can be our little secret," She added with a wink.
Lucina gave in to her cravings, and she accepted the plate and proceeded to take a bite. Pit was right! It was delicious! Lucina found herself wolfing down the slice, enjoying every bite.
It was a moment of bliss that ended as she heard Pit laugh. "Someone's a messy eater."
Lucina was brought back to reality as she could feel frosting covering her lips. She turned as red as the cake. Lucina was a princess and here she was displaying a not so eloquent look while eating. She could just imagine her mother's fury if she could see Lucina looking like this.
Tayce T. held out a napkin for Lucina, who quickly snatched it. "I'm sorry you had to see me looking like this," Lucina apologized as she wiped her face.
"You weren't the first nor will you be last person to have that reaction to my cooking," the elderly lady kindly responded.
"It was really good, thank you."
"My pleasure. Since you enjoyed it, I could give my recipe to you mother so she could make it for you. Where does she live?"
Lucina froze and not at the thought of her mom cooking for her. The conversation was heading back towards dangerous waters concerning that she was from another region. Evidently Pit noticed this too and he butted in, saying, "We actually should get going. We have something important to discuss with the Princess. Could you point us in the direction of the castle?"
"The castle? It's right over there." She pointed towards the northeast where indeed the pair could see the pointed white castle.
"Oh. That was easy. Well, let's go Lucina," Pit added, starting to walk away.
"I'm sorry but we really should get going," Lucina said, bowing to Tayce T. "Thank you for the slice."
"At least one of you respectful towards your elders," She huffed. "And you don't have to be so formal. It wouldn't hurt to loosen up."
"I… I'll consider it," Lucina finished before leaving. She navigated her way through what seemed like a sea of Toads towards Pit. "What was that all about?" She questioned after she caught up with Pit.
"The lady was asking too many questions," he bluntly replied. "Besides we do have a job to do. The castle's right over there and we won't even need those three days. This is going to be a piece of cake!"
It was not a piece of cake. They stood outside an iron gate that was shut tight. The castle loomed over them just beyond the gate. On the other side of the gate, two red spotted Toads were pointing their spears through the bars at Lucina and Pit. "Go away," the smaller Toad croaked. "The Princess isn't seeing any visitors! There have been reports of a mischievous pair of criminals in the area. For all we know you two could be them in disguise!"
"Trust us," Lucina said. "We aren't criminals."
"That's right," Pit pleaded, gripping the bars. "We have an important message for her!"
"Again, no visitors will be entering the castle," the larger Toad barked. "Now please leave or we will escort you of the premise with force."
The larger Toad barely reached Lucina's waist so she was sure that they could easily take them in a fight. But that would send a bad message to the Princess if her guards were attacked by outsiders. "Let's go Pit," Lucina said. "We will find a different way to get the message to her."
Pit reluctantly removed his hands from the bars. They pair turned around and retreated down the path, feeling the Toad's eyes on them until they were out of sight.
"Great," Pit moaned. "Now what are we going to do?"
After a minute of walking, they found themselves at a park and where sitting down at a bench. "Maybe we could try to ask Palutena for assistance? She might know what to do."
"No," Pit snapped! "We don't need to ask for help after one failure! I… er… we can do this without aid!"
Lucina sighed. She knew that Pit was really focused on proving himself. "Alright… we won't ask for help." As she mulled over any plan of action, she could hear a joyful tune coming from the other side of the park. She looked over in the direction of the tune and could see a large outdoor pavilion. "Pit what do you think is going on over there?" She asked as the wind started to pick up.
Pit looked over and simply shrugged. "I don't know, and does it really matter?"
Lucina's answer came in the form of a piece of paper. The paper collided with her face thanks to the strong wind. She removed it from her face and saw that it was an advertisement for a play. The ad featured a ferocious looking giant turtle launching a fireball at a jumping red man. A man wearing green was cowering behind a pink gowned princess in the background.
She looked at the words on the flyer and read aloud, "For three days come see the exciting reenactments of the tales of the Super Mario Bros. Staring the Super Mario Brothers themselves!"
Pit perked up and snatched the flyer. He eagerly scanned the flyer, his mouth ajar. "No way," he whispered. "The actual Super Mario Brothers! In person!"
"Are they famous?"
"Only the most famous pair of brothers in the world! Or at least famous in the Mushroom Kingdom! Mario and… the other one…"
"The other one?" Lucina repeated, but Pit was on a roll.
"Mario is a hero who constantly saves the day from the evil Koopa King! Maybe it's not too late to buy tickets!" And just like that Pit's moodiness evaporated as he leapt from bench and dashed towards the pavilion.
Lucina was happy that her friend was feeling better… though she would appreciate it if he would stop leaving her behind. She left the bench and followed Pit.
As she neared the large pavilion, she could see a crowd of Toads already sitting in the chairs, staring eagerly towards the stone stage. The play hadn't started yet, and she saw Pit standing outside the ticket booth, talking to a glasses wearing Toad. A problem popped into her head that she was certain that Pit didn't account for. They were in a different region, and it probably had a different currency compared to back home. She wasn't even certain if Pit had any money on him.
Turns out Lucina was wrong as a grinning Pit approached her. "Here's your ticket and a brochure about the play," he said, offering her a ticket stub and a pamphlet.
"How did you pay for this? I thought each region has a different currency."
"The Mushroom Kingdom and Altea share the same form of money in gold coins. Hyrule uses Rupees while Corneria uses something called Credit."
Lucina looked down at her ticket and saw that there seats were in the back. That was probably for the best since if they towered over everyone else and would block their views. They made their way over to their seats and sat down.
Pit could barely contain his exactment, practically bouncing in his seat like a child. Lucina opened the brochure. She was about to read the cast list as a scratchy voice filed the air. "Attention everyone," a tuxedo wearing Toad bellowed over the catchy tune. "Thank you all for coming out today. My name is Em C., and I will be your host for this play. But you're not here to hear me prattle. Without further ado… I proudly present the Tales of the Super Mario Brothers," He finished as the curtains moved towards the side.
