Wow. I've kind of been sitting on this chapter for a while...A few scenes were really annoying to write...but at least I finally updated! Here, we get to see Goombario act like a real fanboy, and it won't be the only chapter we see that in.
Luckily, there will be slightly less of a script to follow, so...it'll feel less scripted? ...Hmn.
Anyway! Thanks for the follows and favorites, guys~
And one last thing...I changed up a few things in the Prologue. Just a few sentences for something later on. Is it even noticeable? I don't know. You tell me.
Here's the chapter!
It was Mario! He was there! In the Toad House! Just a few feet away!
Goombario couldn't help but grin and let out what sounded suspiciously like giggles (not that he'd ever admit it). Sure, it was a bad situation, and he was extremely worried, but this was his hero and inspiration for all he's studied and trained for! Despite wondering what had led Mario to being unconscious in the forests and burned pretty badly, Goombario was sure that he'd be fine and be up soon enough. When that did happen, all would be explained!
Aside from that, he'd finally be able to talk to him! He'd ask for his autograph. and talk about all the places Mario has traveled to! Luckily, he knew all about his adventures so Mario wouldn't have to bother explaining about them all...Goombario just hoped Goombaria wouldn't try to butt in much, since she always called all of the attention.
Either way, he just couldn't wait until Mario woke up and talked to him! In fact, Goombario decided that he'd be the first one to greet Mario! With a giddy laugh, he walked outside his house and waited in the yard.
After all, how long could it possibly take for the Mushroom Hero to wake up from his injuries?
Four days, apparently.
By now it was obvious that something was indeed wrong. In the span of these four days, Goombario's excitement turned to one of worry, and that fact rang true for the rest of the family.
"He's not moving an inch! He's only just breathing normally..." The Toad had whispered urgently to Goompapa on the second day, "I sent a message to the castle but I haven't heard back...If this keeps up..."
The Toad trailed off as he noticed Goombario and Goombaria nearby, who then proceeded to pretend they weren't eavesdropping. "I think he just needs to rest." The Toad finished up, and the older Goomba took that as a hint, traveling back to finish up the gate. After the earthquake and Mario showing up, fixing the house had been sort of forgotten. He didn't notice his two kids trying to look busy.
The Toad did, however, and he stepped up behind them. "I would have thought that smart kids like you two would have known better."
Goombario, as clever as he was, was never good at being confronted by adults. Goombaria, luckily, did. "We're worried about Mario, Mister." She said with a cute pout.
Nobody could resist a cute face and logic like that, so the Toad immediately softened up with a sigh. "I know, I'm pretty worried myself...but eavesdropping isn't going to fix anything, you two. It'll just make you worry even more."
Goombaria frowned. "But is it true that he hasn't even moved?"
"That's what I meant." Toad sighed. "But, yes. After you all brought Mario, he hasn't even stirred. I don't think he's going to get up anytime soon."
Toad looked back at the Toad House, "I have to go back and check on him, I don't want anything to happen while I'm away..." He walked off and entered the building, leaving the young Goombas with the facts.
Goombario mused over this and glanced at Goombaria, who was noticeably more downcast. He wondered how to comfort her when she spoke up quietly. "You don't think that...What do you think could have happened to make Mario like that?"
The blue-capped Goomba paused briefly, choosing his words carefully. "I don't really know...but hey! Don't forget what he's done already!"
Goombaria considered this for a few seconds and gradually smiled, though there was still a hint of doubt. "I guess you're right, Goombario..." then, with a shaky teasing voice, "For once."
"He will," Goombario assured her, "He's Mario!" But even he was a bit unsure.
On the third day, Goombaria was helping Goomama clean up the last of the mess the earthquake caused in the house. Because of this, Goombario was free of his younger sister for the afternoon. However, he realized that reading his history book would simply bring his mind to the currently unconscious plumber in the Toad House right now.
Speaking of, the Toad walked out and saw the Goomba. "Hey," he greeted, sitting on one of the steps of the post.
Goombario replied politely and continued to stand around glumly. He guessed that the Toad was bored, since he started to make small talk, and before long they were in a pretty interesting discussion about Toad Town, which of course led to his job in Mushroom Castle, then to Mario.
He had seen the hero before every now and then when the Mario Brothers visited the Princess, and from what he's seen and heard, they were both pretty nice guys. He's only talked to him a handful of times, though.
The blue-capped Goomba sighed in relief. He was surprised at how relieved he was to hear that. Perhaps he had secretly feared that Mario would have turned out to be some sort of jerk? That was hard to believe, since he knew everything about the plumber. Still...
"Oh! Here we are in a long conversation, and we don't even know each other's names!" The Toad realized, and quickly amended that, "My name is Ress T."
"I'm Goombario," the Goomba replied, "Don't blame yourself. It's been a crazy week."
"Yeah..." Ress muttered, "It's just...it's so weird seeing the Mario down for the count. Of course, I know that he'll most likely be up in no time, but..." he trailed off from his confession before reddening a little bit. "I guess I shouldn't be telling this to a kid..."
"Kid?" Goombario echoed back, almost offended, but shrugged it off. "I mean, I feel the same way, I've looked up to him for so long..."
Looked? Past tense? Ress looked at the Goomba in question.
"I mean, I still do!" Goombario said quickly, noticing the puzzled look. "He's awesome! But who could have caused that? Do you think...there's someone stronger than Mario...?"
There was a bit of stunned silence between the two, and the unsettling thought bothered them.
Finally, Ress T. spoke up again. "N-no. I mean, no! I might have only seen Mario so many times around the castle, but I've also seen him in a few battles too! No matter how strong the opponent seems to be, he always gets the better of them! He's very resourceful and smart, not just strong!"
With that, the clever young Goomba's doubts seemed to just vanish. Had he actually thought otherwise? Of course! No matter if Mario had lost to someone! Being smart was just as important as being strong! And someone as kind and determined as Mario would always be unstoppable! Goombario's optimism returned to him.
"You're right, Ress!" he exclaimed, standing up. "He's beaten Bowser more times than anyone can count! No way can he be kept down! I know he'll wake up! I just know it!"
The outburst had startled the Toad somewhat, but Ress relaxed and smiled after a few seconds. The Goomba's faith was contagious.
Gooma seemed to notice that Ress T. must have said something to cheer Goombario up, and decided to reach out and be polite after the house was cleaned up. Proper introductions were held and the Toad was invited for dinner.
Ress happily accepted, but asked if he could take the meal with him in order to keep an eye on Mario and his condition.
Luckily, the Goomba Family understood. In these worrying times with bad Goombas and earthquakes, there were more important things than enjoying a meal with near-strangers.
On the fourth day, Goomama brought Ress breakfast, which he proceeded to eat on the step. It seemed to be a comfortable spot for him. Before long, Ress T. finished his meal, and stood up to walk back into the Toad House.
"Oh..." He started to say as he closed the door behind him. "Mario!"
The house was all cleaned up, and Goompa was just about finished with the Veranda.
Goompapa said he only needed a few more tweaks on the gate and it'd be good as new.
It felt almost like a normal day, and Goombario felt like he could finally relax. Goombaria still seemed perplexed, but there wasn't really anything Goombario could tell her to calm her down. He's tried.
"I'm going outside," he told her. "Do you want to play?"
"The only place to be is the yard and the clearing...and I don't want to go to the clearing." she mumbled.
"That's fine." Goombario replied. He wouldn't want to go there either. "Come on, hurry up."
They were only out there for a couple of minutes, before they began to argue about what to play. Goombaria began to whine and sulked when Goombario rolled his eyes and ignored her. regretting that he invited her outside already.
The Toad House's door opened once again and Goombario wondered if Ress was interested in playing (he needed a break after all) and turned to ask the Toad to join them.
And the question died on his lips.
Mario was awake.
Standing on the steps of the Toad House.
Looking around in slight confusion.
Mario was looking at Goombario's village in confusion!
Goombario was practically frozen as he internally screamed, his eyes following the Mushroom Kingdom Hero as he noticed Goomama and walked over to her, striking up a conversation.
"Oh, land sakes! Mario! So nice to meet you! My!" Goomama greeted rather excitedly before catching herself. Her voice lowered and Goombario frantically wondered what they were saying.
This felt so surreal! He must have been dreaming! This entire week must have been fake! There was no way that Mario could be here!
The red-clad plumber replied to something and the conversation seemed to end. He turned and walked straight down the path to the gate that Goompapa was still working on.
Goombario didn't seem to realize that the chance to say something to Mario was slipping away. He watched as Mario and Goompapa talked about something and finally realized that it was possible that Mario being awake and walking around was, in fact, real.
At the same time, Goombaria blinked and finally seemed to notice Mario. She was pleasantly surprised, but wasn't as dumbfounded as Goombario. Her mood brightened considerably.
Meanwhile, Goompapa had explained the gate situation to Mario, who seemed a bit tense. The gate was to keep out unwelcome guests and was destroyed due to the earthquake. It seems like Bowser had this plot of his planned in advance and spread his troops throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mario offered to help fix up the gate, but Goompapa declined politely. "I'm almost done here, anyway. The hinge is just a bit tricky...Feel free to take a look around our house meanwhile."
He needed to get going as soon as possible to get to Shooting Star Summit, but...he couldn't just leave this family without any barrier from Bower's Troops. What kind of guy would he be if he did that? He can wait until he was sure the Goombas who had saved him were secure, then he'll follow the Star Spirit's request. Mario owed the Goomba family at least that much.
Thus, Mario agreed to stay until Goompapa finished the gate's repair.
Deciding to follow Goompapa's suggestion, Mario turned to the yard again and saw the younger kids, who seemed to be squabbling like all siblings do. Wandering closer, he managed to pick a few bits up in their hushed argument.
"...I'm the one who told you about him-!"
"So? I'm cuter!"
"That makes no sense!"
"-But why should you get to talk to him first?!"
"I know more about him-"
"And? I'm the one who-!"
They were fans! While still a bit unaccustomed to being so well-known, it was always flattering to know that you were looked up to.
"Hello." He greeted simply, smiling as the two Goombas immediately stopped arguing and turned to him, eyes wide.
Goombario shook his head, managing to regain his composure first. "Hey Mario! I'm Goombario! I'm your biggest fan! You don't know what this means for me to meet you! Seriously!"
Mario chuckled, "Oh, I-"
"I'm glad you're feeling better, Mario...I was really worried because you were lying there in the forest and you didn't open your eyes at all the whole time..."
Goombario glared at his younger sister as her charm worked flawlessly and Mario all but melted.
Hoping that he didn't cause too much trouble, the plumber told her to smile now. He was feeling much better, and princesses just shouldn't be worried.
Goombaria giggled in delight and continued. "You know, Mario, I was the one who found you! Me! Goombaria! I was in the forest and found you there. Then I called Daddy and Goompa and Goombario and they carried you back and I'm really glad you're better!"
After thanking Goombaria for her help, Mario turned to Goombario and thanked him as well. It was great to receive such a warm welcome from his biggest fan.
The Goomba's heart pounded, and the his large grin was frozen in place for a few seconds before he spoke up again. "Y-You're welcome!"
With a final smile, Mario headed inside to greet the rest of the family.
Goombario beamed brightly, "Can you believe it, Goombaria? That was Mario!"
"I know!" She exclaimed, putting aside their argument for now, "He's better now! And he called me a princess!"
The siblings continued to gush for a few minutes when Goompapa called them over.
"I've finished working on the gate, so when either of you see Mario tell him he could set out for Shooting Star Summit now."
"Wait," Goombario said, confused, "He's leaving already?"
Goompapa sensed his disappointment and nodded with a sigh, "He said he had something important at Shooting Star Summit, son. It's no doubt that it has to do with what happened."
"Oh. Okay." Goombario replied glumly.
Goombaria wasn't ready to accept this. "Do you think I can go with him, Da-?"
"No." Surprisingly, she was shut down quickly, "It's too dangerous, and Mario needs to focus on his task."
"But, Daaaad..." Goombaria continued to whine but Goombario chose to walk away now, too annoyed to deal with her complaints now. As he walked away, the door to the house opened and Mario walked out.
"Oh! Mario..." Goombario began. "My Dad was looking for you. He said to tell you that he finished fixing the gate. I guess now you can travel back to Toad Town and Shooting Star Summit, huh?"
Mario seemed pleasantly surprised that it was done so quickly, but noticed the Goomba's disappointment. There wasn't really anything he could say, so he simply nodded and walked to the gate to leave the village.
Goombario trailed behind slowly, and when the two arrived at the gate, Goombaria looked just as glum as Goombario.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Goompa told Mario, "but the gate is finally fixed. It's too bad you can't stay, but duty calls I know..."
Once again, Mario nodded. He would have liked to get to know the family better but he couldn't just a ignore a Star Spirit's plea.
"Yeah, we understand. Just feel free to come back and visit anytime, Mario."
Goombaria piped up, "Best of luck, Mario." Her brother opened his mouth to say his own farewell, but a shrill laugh caught all of their attention.
The group of four looked up as the purple-robed Magikoopa soared by and turned to hover above them. "So my instincts were right after all," she muttered to herself before speaking up. "Mario! I can't believe you're on your feet after taking such a beating from King Bowser!"
Sadly, what she thought to be a grand entrance was undermined when a confused Goombaria squinted at her. "What's that!? What's that weird flying thing?"
"Weird?" the Magikoopa sputtered, "You rude little...I'm a beautiful Koopa with a beautiful name: Kammy Koopa!"
"Hmn." Goombaria replied, unimpressed.
Kammy growled. "I wish I had a time to teach you a lesson, brat! But, no." Her glare turned to the plumber, "Mario, hear this! Don't even bother trying to save the Princess. You've witnessed King Bowser's might! Not even you can handle him now!"
Mario stood poised to attack when the 'beautiful' Magikoopa rose her shining wand.
"Here's a gift from him!"
Out of thin air, a yellow block manifested itself and dropped heavily on the gate, making the ground shake once more.
"Nyeah heh heh heh!" Kammy cackled. "Your world is ours now, Mario!" With a final drawn out laugh, the Magikoopa sped off on her broom.
The first response to the rather strange ordeal came from Goompapa who seemed annoyed at most. "I just fixed that gate...Kammy Koopa, that fiend!"
Meanwhile, Mario walked over to the smashed gate and the newly blocked path. As he suspected, the magic spread around the surrounding area to act as a barrier.
Goompapa spoke up, observing Mario frown at the fact, "What exactly happened to the Princess, Mario?"
With a sigh, Mario explained the entire ordeal. The party, the uproot, and the loss he went through because of the stolen Star Rod.
"What?! So Princess Peach was kidnapped by Bowser again!?" Goombaria cried, shocked.
"Unbelievable!" Goompapa said, "So now you have to go to Shooting Star Summit to help save her, right?"
Mario nodded.
"Um...This could be a problem." Goompapa muttered. "To say the least..."
"We've just gotta do something to help Mario, don't we?" Goombaria asked, "No one else can save the Princess!"
Goombario wracked his brain for a solution to be a help as well. He only knew a little bit about magic because of the Mushroom Kingdom's history.
King Koopa had used dark magic in the past in order to turn the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom into inanimate objects. After that, he took Princess Toadstool against her will in order to ensure her own magic would remain unused to save her people. Only magic can counter magic. Good magic can beat bad magic.
"Wait a minute!" Goombario exclaimed. "I have it! Goompa's hammer!"
Mario blinked. "Kammy used-"
"What good will that do?" Goombaria asked curiously, "A normal hammer can't really stop barrier magic, can it?"
"The hammer was made by Goombas, so there's at least a sliver of magic in it, because of the telekinetic aura we have." Goombario paused. "I don't really know if it would be enough to counter the block, though."
"It's worth a shot." Goompapa shrugged. "I think Goompa is using it to fix the veranda. I'm sure he'll let you use it if you ask him, Mario."
The plumber nodded, and walked into the house once again.
"...Do you think this will work?" Goombario questioned uneasily, "I don't want to waste his time."
Goompapa thought about his words carefully, "Even if it doesn't, it wouldn't be a waste. It's better to at least try something than standing around. Don't worry about it, son."
Goombario was still unsure, but said nothing more.
Meanwhile, Goombaria was more interested in the block than in Goombario's doubt. She walked over to the yellow obstacle and tried to push past it to no avail.
"Goombaria, stop that." Goompapa said absentmindedly, "It might be dangerous."
"Yeah, if Mario couldn't get past it, what makes you think you can?" Goombario asked rhetorically.
Goombaria frowned, "I bet the hammer thing won't even work." she countered.
Before the two siblings could begin to argue, Goompapa spoke up. "It's been a few minutes. Mario should have been back by now. Why don't one of you two go check if there's a hold up?"
Both Goombas immediately shot a glare at the other and both tried to be the first to the front door, trying to be the first one there.
"Move, Goombaria!"
"You first, jerk!"
"Brat!"
"Nerd!"
Goompapa sighed as their voices trailed away. It was like no one cared about his poor, ruined gate.
Goombaria made it first and gave a triumphant, "Ha!" However, as soon as she said that, Gooma seemed to just notice her and smiled.
"Ah, darling. Come here a second," she greeted pleasantly.
"Uh, actually, I'm kinda busy, Gooma..."
"I'll only take a second, dear." The Goomba Grandmother insisted.
Defeated, Goombaria walked to her, annoyed as she could practically feel the smug radiation coming from Goombario.
"Yes, Gooma?" she said in stilted syllables.
"There was quite a commotion outside a while ago. What happened?"
"Oh, well, Dad had just finished fixing the gate so Mario was going to leave to save the Princess-"
"What a noble cause!" Gooma exclaimed.
"Yeah, but a nasty old witch came and broke the gate, so Mario needs to get the hammer that Goompa has."
"Oh my..." Gooma paused. "Then what happened?"
Goombaria paused. "No, that hasn't happened yet. We were going to check up on them and..." She trailed off when she noticed Goombario grow disinterested in the recap and walk off toward the back door. She pouted but had no choice except to continue her explanation to Gooma.
Meanwhile, Goombario opened the door and stepped out onto the veranda...
Or he would have, if there were one.
"Whoa-!" he stumbled back into the house, surprised. It took a few seconds for the implications to settle, then he gasped. "Goompa and Mario must have fallen!"
Goombaria paused in her conversation with Gooma, "What?!"
"I just said what!" Goombario shouted in reply as he ran by, heading outside to tell Goompapa.
They could really only wait. The veranda had been above a cliff, and directly below it was Troopa's 'playground.' It was too dangerous to go to the forest now.
An hour of worried waiting passed, and Goompa finally returned from the forest, with Mario right beside him. During the walk, he had already imagined how worried the family would be, so as he opened up the gate, he called out, "Never worry. kids! I made it back alright thanks to Mario!" He walked forward to greet his grand kids with a comforting smile.
"Goompa! I looked outside and almost fell looking for you and Mario!" Goombario exclaimed.
"I was very, very worried! Very worried, Goompa!" Goombaria cried, on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry, kids, I apologize. But I'm back safe and sound, so don't fret now." After making sure they were comforted enough, Goompa walked to the front door with the three behind him following suit. He stopped abruptly. "Now, Mario! Before I forget, I've decided to give you something that should help you in the future. Wait here a second." Without waiting for an answer, he walked inside.
With the worry of the hour gone, and the excitement of Mario being in their village returning to them, the siblings turned eagerly back to Mario with wide grins.
"Oh, huh? That's Goombaria's Dolly you've got there. She was looking all over for it." Goombario stated calmly.
Goombaria, on the other hand, was much more ecstatic. "It's my Dolly! Dolly, Dolly! Oh, thank you so much!" she squealed in delight, 'reaching' out for it. "Where did you find it?! I've looked everywhere!"
Mario handed her the plush and explained that it was found in a...tree, interestingly enough.
"Weird..." Goombario muttered, but Goombaria was too caught up to notice anyway.
"Oh, my sweet Dolly. I'm so happy...Don't you ever get lost ever again!" Beaming, Goombaria got an idea. "Oh, yeah! Here's a present from me, Mario!" she pulled out a Star Piece, "Look at the pretty glitter!"
Mario took the shard in slight surprise, then nodded his thanks. Pocketing it, it lightly chimed against the other one he had obtained just a while before.
"And, take this, too." With a hop, she pecked a kiss on his cheek, only slightly embarrassed.
Goombario ignored the cutesy scene and somehow managed to talk to Mario coherently. Perhaps he was practicing the question over and over when Mario was missing, but no one will never know. "So, you always seem to beat up your enemies. Do you work out?"
His idol nodded after a slight pause. He didn't really work out on a regular basis (or at all) but the frequent adventures he's been on has been enough to keep him at a steady weight. After explaining this, he then asked if Goombario did.
The blue capped Goomba beamed at the chance to talk about what he's done to train. "Well," he started, making Goombaria roll her eyes, "I study self-defense by reading books written by experts and listening to Dad and Goompa. And, of course, I put things into practice so I can be strong like you! It's starting to show, too!"
"Yeah, Goombario's head is as hard as a rock now," Goombaria giggled, somewhat serious. It did hurt a lot...
Mario chuckled in amusement, and Goompa finally returned, closing the door. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Mario." he called before beginning to walk over.
"It's fine Goompa! We're just rapping with Mario."
"Oh. 'Rapping,' huh?" Goompa glanced at Mario who shrugged. "Anyway, I wanted to give you something, Mario." The elderly Goomba stated as he stepped forward, "Here."
The plumber stared at the silvery-cyan shoe...pin? What? He looked back up at Goompa for clarification.
It seemed that he was grinning with amusement already. "I'm sure you've never seen anything like it. That's called a Badge. They're created with a bit of magic that enhances a certain aspect of anything you do. That one is called a Power Jump. When you hop off the ground, it makes you stronger. It's been more than a help for me before..."
Marveling at the magic-filled pin, Mario wondered if there was anything for rescuing people instantly.
"But listen here and listen well!" Goompa suddenly snapped, "Badges only work if you have them on, and there's some limit to how much you can wear, the stronger you are, the bigger the limit."
Very helpful. Mario gave his thanks and carefully placed the pin-or Badge, rather- on himself. ...It didn't feel any different, but he was sure he would be able to learn about it later on.
"Hmn...by the by, Mario. when I was looking for the Badge, I heard from Gooma...that you're taking it upon yourself to free the Princess from Bowser's clutches."
Mario nodded.
"Oh, yeah!" Goombario exclaimed. Bowser didn't really seem like a threat at the moment, not when Mario was around! "Mario can beat anyone with one hand hand tied behind his back!"
"Hush, now, Gooombario," Goompa scolded lightly, "Mario, you can keep the hammer, it should serve you well. If I were just a bit younger, I would have come along and helped. I'd have done some damage! The years have started to weigh on me though. I tell you, this lower back pain..."
Reassuring the elderly Goomba, Mario told him that he's used to either going it alone or having one other person join him-usually Luigi-on his adventures.
"Adventure...you're so lucky!" Goombario muttered in awe, "I really want to be one too, someday!"
"Me too!" Goombaria agreed.
Goompa still mused over the possible choices. "Oh, here's an idea. Goombario..."
Goombario turned. "What?"
"Perhaps the timing is perfect. You are no longer a child, and evil times are upon us..."
"What?"
"You should accompany Mario."
Goombario jumped. "What?! Really!? Can I really go, Goompa?!"
"Certainly, but maybe you should ask Mario too."
Goombario turned immediately, "Then, would you mind, Mario? I promise I won't get in the way or anything!"
Mario pondered over this.
It wouldn't hurt to give him a chance. And if there was something too dangerous, the village wasn't too hard to get back to. Goombario was clever, too. That Hammer idea was proof of it.
Mario gave the Goomba a thumbs-up.
Goombario blinked. "Yeeeeesssssss!" he celebrated, hopping up, "Mario, you won't regret this!"
The hero chuckled. He was sure that he wasn't.
Goompa smiled before clearing his throat. "...Well, I think it's about time for my nap. I'll be in the house." As he walked off, he mumbled, "Goodbyes have a way of making this old Goomba get weepy." And it was true, but that was a story for another day.
Goombario still had a large excited grin. He was actually going with Mario! Him! "This is so cool! Mario! Let's go!"
Annnnnd, there we go! C: Goombario's finally joined and in the next chapter, we'll finally start on the journey. ...And I'll try not to take too long this time. Maybe.