At the mention of the Star Spirits, the crowd erupted into a mix of cheer and murmurs. Mario could see their reasoning for both. On one hand, the Star Spirits were benevolent deities who had helped the world much in their long lives. On the other hand, the fact that such a powerful and legendary hero would pray to the Star Spirits for help means that this problem was far more severe than they had likely originally thought. Mario wasn't quite sure of he had comforted the crowd or scared them further.
"I will go to the top of Shooting Star Summit, where my voice will most be heard."
"Heh," Bowser laughed, which caused many to turn towards him, disapproval in their faces. "Who says those old stars will be able to help you anyway. They couldn't stop me from taking their precious Star Rod!" Mario was nearly ready to smack Bowser upside the head, but he realized his rival once again had a point. Mario had heard of the legends of the Star Spirits since he was a toddler. If they were all real, then the Star Spirits should be incredibly powerful, far more powerful than Bowser. How did he even get to Star Haven without their approval, much less steal the symbol of the Star Spirits' power? Regardless, Mario had a job to do.
Mario was almost at the hill, heading through one of the Toad Towns. Some people thought there was only one, but like Bowser, Peach had multiple castles, and a Toad Town surrounded each one. Normally, no one royal family could afford so many castles, but the Mushroom Kingdom and Koopa Kingdom were very large and prosperous. The Mushroom Kingdom was rich for its extremely fertile agriculture, which generated mushroom power-ups that were rare and exotic to the rest of the world. The Koopa Kingdom was rich thanks to the resources it sieged from many other kingdoms.
Mario looked around at the nearly deserted street. Everyone must have been huddling in their houses, afraid of whatever what mysterious energy was. He couldn't blame them, as even he was a little afraid. A green-capped Toad yelled from the only open market space, asking if Mario would like to buy anything. The Toad was practically begging, as no one else would come out to meet him. Mario was already extremely well-stocked with some of the most powerful items in the world, but he spent a few hundred coins on his items out of pity.
"T-thank you so much Mario." the Toad said in a high-pitched voice common to his species. "I hope you can stop whatever's going on."
"Don't worry buddy," Mario said reassuringly. "I've always stopped the bad guy. You can trust in Super Mario, hero number one!"
"Oh thank you Mario." the Toad said. "You know, it really is a chaotic world out there. All the constant attacks from evil forces. We would have been destroyed a hundred times over if it weren't for you and your brother." Mario was glad to hear that his brother was finally getting some recognition for his heroism. For years, Luigi had been in Mario's shadow, always seen as the butt of every joke, and forgotten about despite being an extremely powerful and capable hero of his own. Luigi was almost as powerful as Mario himself, and had saved his bacon multiple times in their quests. Yet he never resented him, only wishing to protect and love his older brother. Mario knew this because of his journey into Dream's Deep a few years back, where he saw Luigi's deepest thoughts and desires.
At the same time, he was uneasy when the Toad said the kingdom would be finished if not for him. Toads were not a warlike race. He had overheard some Koopas talking about how Toads were like sheep, scattering uncontrollably at the faintest whisper of conflict. There were a few powerful ones, especially the Master, the teacher of the Toad Town Dojo who even he had a hard time fighting, and the Origami Craftsman, who could create life with nothing but his dexterous hands and some origami. However, the Master had died of old age and the Origami Craftsman vowed to never make life again. Besides, those Toads were very reclusive, and didn't help much against the threats to the kingdom. Most of the Toads wouldn't have stood a chance against the forces that attacked them if not for him, and that was a bit scary. What would happen when he was no longer around? Would more heroes pop up to defend the kingdom and the world?
Mario knew he had no time to worry about any of that. He went past the Toad and through the edge of the town, passing Peach's Castle of the area and approaching the mystical Shooting Star Summit in all its glory.
The sky slowly faded from its daytime colors to hues of dark blue and purple. The Shooting Star Summit always had that sky, thanks to the enchantment placed on it by the Star Spirits. Unlike the Koopa Kingdom, which also had perpetually dark skies thanks to being on the edge of the Dark Lands, this place always felt serene and comfortable. Mario thought changing the very sky was an unfathomable feat possible only for the gods when he first visited the place many years back, but after a hole puncher stole the local sun of one of the kingdom's deserts, he wasn't so sure anymore.
Shooting stars fell as the plumber merrily skipped to the central hill, his worries dulling from the majesty of this wonderful place. He knew he would have a long road ahead of him, but he was no longer worried. The ground began to shimmer in vibrant hues of green, blue, and purple as he climbed up the hill, ready to hear the wise council of the Star Spirits.
When the plumber reached the top, he saw a flat plane starting off purple on the edges then gradually fading to bright green at the circle in the center, which also bore a star-shaped marking. There were seven similar circles with markings closer to the edges, all equidistant from the center. These were used for the Star Spirits to communicate with mortals via astral projection, as they had once done with him. The center circle could generate a special starry path that was the only way for mortals to go to Star Haven—it was normally sealed off by the most ancient and powerful of star magic. No one could fly up there, as Star Haven did not physically exist on the same plane as the rest of the dimension. It may have been an entirely different dimension entirely, or even between dimensions, like Flipside. No one could teleport there either, until Kammy found out how once.
Mario knitted his hands together in prayer. "Oh, radiant Star Spirits, hear my call, and grant my wish." The hilltop seemed to shimmer even more radiantly as Mario began his appeal. "I wish for your great and wise council to assist me. To tell me about this evil threat, and to help me stop it."
After a few seconds of silence, the star marks on the hilltop glowed ever-brightly. Mario unknitted his hands and looked around at the white light radiating from them. After a few more seconds, the Star Spirits themselves appeared; or at least, their astral projections did. The Star Spirits never personally left Star Haven anymore. They had told Mario they could only hear all the wishes from there. They also didn't like to bring mortals in, and only brought Mario so they could grant him the power of the Star Beam and the Star Ship.
"Welcome Mario," Eldstar said warmly. "We knew you would be here after that wave of evil spread over the dimension." So this was extremely serious if the entire dimension could feel that horrible energy.
"A terrible force has escaped the Underwhere and taken several evil beings with it." Mamar said. Mario was alarmed, not knowing that the Underwhere could be escaped. Of course, he didn't know Star Haven could be entered without the Star Spirits' permission until a few years ago, so he probably shouldn't have trusted himself to know the rules of the universe.
"Where is this being now?" asked Mario.
"It has transported to this dimension, but we are unsure where exactly it is located, for it is using nefarious magic to cloak its presence." said Skolar.
"Oh then." said Mario, discouraged. "Do you at least know which kingdom it is in?" He hoped he was not sounding rude. Though he knew the Star Spirits were a forgiving lot, he wanted to treat them with the reverence they deserved.
"We have managed to determine the location of this evil is the Sand Kingdom, around the eastern border." said Muskular.
"Of course, we are unsure if it will stay there forever." said Misstar. "And we are unsure of this being's true powers."
"Though we do know that whatever this is poses extreme threat." said Klevar. "Even for such a legendary adventurer as yourself, this force may possess abilities you have never heard of." Well that certainly made Mario feel better.
"But we have faith in you, dear Mario," said Kalmar. "You have achieved so much. You've even saved us from Bowser. There is no threat to this world you cannot topple."
That's right. The plumber reminded himself that many of his past foes had insane powers he'd never knew existed until he'd fought them, but their fancy powers ultimately didn't matter. Mario still beat them all with nothing but his trusty boots and hammer… and his allies… and some items he picked up along the way…and artifacts tailor-made to stop them… and sometimes divine help. Still, Mario knew he would triumph as he always had.
"Even before you recovered our prized Star Rod, we knew you were destined for legendary things," said Eldstar. "and no one in this world is more qualified for this task than you."
"Speaking of the Star Rod," Mario interjected, remembering something Bowser said earlier. "How was he able to steal it from you? What trick did he pull?"
"Ah, well" said Eldstar, clearly surprised by the question. "We are restricted by Divine Law from acting without a wish." Mario was shocked by this. He knew mortal wishes helped the Star Spirits, but he didn't know they relied on them to act at all. "No one had wished that Bowser couldn't steal the Star Rod, so we were unable to stop him."
"But…" Mario asked. "How did Bowser even get to Star Haven in the first place?"
"Even we do not know that." Eldstar answered. "That despicable Kammy Koopa was the one who teleported in, but we are unaware of what spell she used exactly."
Mario chose not to press any further, knowing their most prized treasure being stolen was something they would rather not discuss.
"Now, we have told you all we can on this great evil power." Eldstar said. "It is time for you to go out and save the world once more."
"You can count on me."
"The power of the stars will be with you."
Then, in a flash of starlight, the Star Spirits were gone.
The air was dry and hot as Velz'ar finished his cloaking technique. The technique would keep his presence hidden from any "higher authorities" that might be watching. Of course, they may still pick up on his general location, but they would have no knowledge on what he or his allies said, or on his many other dark techniques.
Velz'ar was not entirely sure where he was, but he would find out soon enough. He saw nothing but miles and miles of scorching sand, with a small village in one direction. He could sense a ton of magic across this world, magic that could only be achieved by highly advanced civilizations. On one hand he didn't have, this magic could prove useful to him. On the other, there were likely powerful heroes defending their sources, which could prove quite a nuisance. He heard grunting.
Looking back over, he saw some of the people he'd brought with him start to awaken. Velz'ar had used the energy of their spirits to create corresponding bodies that would roughly match what they had before their deaths, and they were a varied bunch, with different heights, skin tones, and builds. Probably different abilities too, as well as motivations, but he knew he could wrangle them together with the promise of unlimited power. If any strayed, he would dispose of them.
"I… I have confusion." one of them said. His skin was green and he had swirling glasses and a bright red cape. Velz'ar could tell right away that this guy was the inventor type.
"What has happened?" asked another one. This one was much bigger and more heavyset, with purple skin, white spots, a purple robe, and a crown. This one was clearly royalty, and one who had seen her fair share of battles.
"I have freed you from your prison in the Underwhere!" he announced. "I have seen your latent ambition, and I feel I can help you achieve that." He floated slightly higher. "The power I used to free you all is nothing compared to what I can have, and to what I can give you. All I need is your cooperation, and all of your wildest dreams can come true!" The ones that were awake looked at him with wonder, clearly entranced by his offering. He could since little doubt in them, and why would there be? He had just escaped the Underwhere. Of course, he could sense plenty of fear, with a few of them even turning their faces away, but that was only natural when interacting with beings like him.
"So, what do you say?"