Mario had really outdone himself with his new Super Mario World theme park, and the entire place had become an instant hit among the masses within minutes of its opening. It took a fairly huge bite out of his freakishly vast money deposit, but taking one look at all of the cheerful buzz going on around him had him conclude that it was all worth it. After all, the Mushroom Kingdom residents needed some form of respite from the dastardly Koopa Troop, and if he was being honest with himself he and the gang wanted some time to unwind too.
"Damn Mario," Daisy started saying, "where did you get all the money to make this place?"
"Been savin' up and waited until I could open up a few businesses and make more money," the man answered, swelling up his chest in pride. "Saving the world is quite literally the best pay there is out there; I collect so many coins left and right that it's not even funny."
"It must be funny if you're laughing about it," his brother joked, causing him to promptly crack up.
"You're right about that Weegee, 'cause I'm laughing all the way to the bank here!" He, Luigi, and Daisy all broke out into raucous laughter but Peach kept herself quiet. "Bowser's just makin' it too easy these days I swear! Some time ago when he kidnapped Peach I ended up snaggin' over a million coins by the time I was through rescuin' her."
"For real?!" Daisy asked. "Damn, you must have it made for you."
"That's what I keep tellin' Weegee here. I be like 'c'mon bro, it'll be a fun workout for ya'' but nope, he always says he's not in the mood or he's got some important errands goin' on at the moment."
"As much as I want to help out bro, I can't bring myself to see rescuing Peach as too much of a fun workout."
"And you shouldn't," Peach finally spoke up. "Thank you for treating it as a serious matter."
"Hey, I do take it seriously!" Mario said in defense. "It's just that it's–sweet Star Spirits above, it's just so freaking fun bouncin' around everywhere! Of course, there's always the matter of rescuing you and that's actually important, but it's really hard not to have fun while I'm at it! And besides, nothin's better than getting you back home."
"Really?" the pink princess asked. "Honestly and truly?"
"Uh-huh, without a shadow of doubt. Now c'mon, lighten up a little. For us? For me?" He saw her face in deep thought for a good couple of seconds, and then a small smile came to her face as she came to a decision.
"Well, today is a special day, and I should be enjoying it with my good friends and my dear cousin Daisy. I suppose I can manage to "lighten up", just for you guys, and especially for you Mario since you asked."
"Alrighty then! Now, who's ready to have some good ol' fashioned fun?!" Everyone piped up in excitement excluding Peach who quietly agreed with the others. With that settled the four pals darted off to try out the nearest attraction they could, inevitably snowballing into other activities during the day, and what a blast they all had! Poltergeist shenanigans in a haunted mansion, paintball tag warfare, dozens of sports events, Super Mini Mario World maze levels with the toys, it was all a good romp out in the outdoors. Everything went by so fast that nightfall was already upon them, and Mario decided to treat them out to dinner before the big event was to happen.
"Mmm-mm! You've got some fine cooks up in here Mario!" Daisy said while scarfing down some barbecue ribs. "I gotta hire some of them one day!"
"I can lend some of them out to ya' for however much," he replied. "Try not to rough 'em up too much eh?"
"You wound me man; I won't ask for much."
"Yeah right, you should see what she has me cook for her," Luigi added. "I get dozens of orders daily for Reznor Ribs, Toadstool's Delight, Jelly Ultra Cakes, you name it."
"Damn Daisy, where do you put it all?" Mario asked in surprise.
"In my gut, where else?" the tomboy giggled while patting her stomach and belching afterwards. "I do a LOT of working out, so all of that food I eat gets put to good use." Daisy flexed one of her arms to show off packed and even sculpted muscle.
"My goodness Daisy…" Peach had never noticed when Daisy started beefing up. "I can't ever seem to lose or gain any weight at all, how do you get that muscular?"
"I just watch my diet and exercise. The more food I eat and the more I hit the gyms, the more muscle I grow."
"And the more plumbing I have to do later," Luigi whispered to Mario, earning a laugh from the man and an "I heard that!" from Daisy.
"Well, there's someone who'll be able to smack Bowser around if he decides to start something."
"You mean WHEN he decides to start something," Daisy corrected. "And besides, I need something other than sandbags and little ol' Weegee here to unload some steam onto." The man only groaned in response at the woman's laughter.
"Hah, getting whipped around by Daisy little brother?"
"You wish, Mario!" he vehemently denied.
"Oh he's getting whipped alright, in more ways than one," Daisy smirked, the younger twin man nearly falling over at the not so subtle innuendo. "Still haven't gotten him in shape yet; he's definitely lean and a little mean, but he ain't packing much heat." Luigi only blushed at the dirty humor at his expense and desperate to get the focus off of him he changed the subject.
"So, Peach," he called, getting the blonde highness' attention. "You got anything going on in your life right now? Anything interesting, and hopefully not involving using me as a punching bag?"
"Well, I have to see about the tax policy that the council wants to revise by the beginning of the New Year; Toadsworth's been saying that it was high time to fix that rusted old bill but we put it off until the next year had begun. Then I have to see about the sewers that seem to be absolutely infested with people down there."
"Me and Weegee can help you with that Peach," Mario volunteered but the princess shook her head "no" somewhat sadly. "Hey, it'll be easy. We just gotta tell them nicely to leave and–"
"Thank you for the offer Mario, but I must decline. Anyways, it's not so simple as that; several pipelines have been backed up for quite some time creating the absolute worst stench in many sections and many more pipes are in danger of outright bursting open. The cleanup and repair teams are doing everything they can to fix this problem right now. And that's just half of the entire issue; apparently many have taken refuge in the sewers due to lack of housing and living space; we can't simply tell them to leave the sewers when there is nowhere else to go, especially if some have grown fond of their new environment. I actually wanted to go down there and see what I can do but I could not resist the opportunity to spend time with you all on this special day. I'll have to personally look into this as soon as possible and hopefully it will be resolved quickly."
"Aw come on Peach, you know I can handle these sewers. You used to come to me whenever stuff like this happened, and now you've been turning me down every time. What's going on?"
"It's just…I really do appreciate everything you do for this kingdom Mario, but I‒we can't rely on you to fix everything all the time and run you ragged while we all sit here and do nothing. Now is the time that I actually start taking responsibility back and care for this province instead of just calling you for everything; the New Year is beginning shortly after all and now is the perfect time for change. I have to learn how to do things on my own, and I hope that you can understand that." Mario was silent at that; he didn't have much of a problem helping out and supporting the kingdom, but this seemed to be personal for Peach so he decided to respect her decisions on the matter and nodded his head in quiet agreement. "Thank you Mario, that means a lot to me."
"That reminds me, MY sewers aren't in tip-top condition either," Daisy stated after a while. "We had dozens of S.W.A.T. units down there clearing things up, myself and Luigi helping out, but we pulled them out for today because of the festival. We'll all simply get back to work tomorrow."
"I bet those muscles of yours are coming in pretty handy," Mario said to the Sarassaland princess.
"Very much so. The junk is just so hard to move around for anyone else, although my personal experience and knowledge of plumbing, please excuse my language, is very shitty, pun acknowledged but not intended. That's why Luigi's down there with me, and we make a damn good team; he tells me what needs to go where and I do the heavy lifting."
"Sarassaland must be very self-reliant and self-sufficient Daisy," Peach said.
"Yeah it is, but it's a crapton of work we all have to do, especially me. Luigi volunteers a lot, and I'm really thankful for that. I'd have probably gone straight up mental if I had to do all of it by myself, special mention going to managing the oil fields. Wario's been trying to get up on our black gold for quite some time but I ain't putting out nothin' for him. He's gonna have to come and take it with honest coin and at a reasonable price if he wants it."
"Careful Daisy, he just might do that, or worse," Mario added. Seeing as how the festival was near starting Mario decided to wrap things up with a quick question he wanted to ask Peach. "So Peach, when are you going to get some free time between your work once the New Year starts? You know, so that we could all spend some time with each other again? Often? Maybe some quality time with yours truly?" The princess shot him a distant, unsure glance before staring off into the distance.
"I don't know Mario, I honestly do not know right now. There's a lot of work ahead of me and the kingdom right now, and who knows how long it will take until it is able to stand on its own two feet again. For now, let's just focus on enjoying what's left of this night with each other before we all return to our daily tasks…" Everyone was silent again, not entirely willing to break the quiet atmosphere and disturb whatever train of thought Peach had going on. For nearly an entire minute there was nothing but dead air between them until the pink princess spoke up again. "Say, it's almost time isn't it? For the Star Festival to begin? We ought to be heading to the Town Square now where the event will take place…" Still not wanting to make any noise the others nodded in quiet agreement before clearing their plates of any leftover food.
"Yeah, I'm just about finished eating my meal. You know what they say‒"
"Better late than never‒"
"But never late is better."
"Indeed. Our business is finished here so let us not waste any more time." Even as they made haste to the Town Square they hadn't forgotten to leave their payments for their meals along with a few tips. Trotting through the streets they could see several establishments closing shop in preparation of the big event ahead and dozens of people bustling by en route to their final destination. As they reached the square they beheld a bespectacled and grey-garbed elder Toad with the massive hair of an ancient sage hunched over his star-tipped wooden cane. He stood on a pedestal stroking his Santa Claus beard as he watched the junior citizens crowd around him through his squinting eyes; it did his heart good to see so many of the younger generation participating in this age-old tradition.
"Welcome one and all," the elder Toad began through a clear voice. Within mere seconds everyone within the vicinity had quieted down "Welcome to the Annual Star Festival. I am Benedict Haar T. for those of you who are unfamiliar with me. Now, I am certain that you are all excited to start this, but I have an important announcement before we do so." The entire crowd looked at the minister with uncertain gazes; usually he would enact the prayer before anything else after a brief greeting. "This may sadden you all, but today will be the last time I lead you all into prayer…" As he expected, many were shocked to hear the news and murmured amongst themselves about the possible cause behind this. "Fret not my children, my health is in fair condition. The reason behind this departure as your chapel leader is simply to encourage the younger generation to take up the mantle. We wouldn't want to always have only the elderly perform these rites; I am appointing two successors who will take my place as chapel leaders and you will be acquainted with them when I am finished here, but that does not mean I will no longer enjoy this event with you." This dispelled the fears of several citizens in the crowd about him.
"Oh thank the star spirits for that," Peach sighed in relief. "T'would be such a shame to lose such a respected minister like that."
"Now I don't want to keep you all here for so long, so let us prepare ourselves. Everyone, find a comfortable spot to pray to the elder stars." As he himself got into a kneeling position with a bowed head and covered eyes, so too did many of the other denizens including Mario and his friends. As soon as the plumber was on his knees however, an overwhelmingly foreboding feeling hit him and washed all over him. It was a sense of untold dread and unease, as if something very wrong had just happened. He looked around to see if anything was amiss and found nothing, though he did notice that Luigi, Peach, and Daisy all had similar confused expressions across their faces.
"Bro, is something up?" Luigi asked him in a whisper.
"I'm getting a really eerie vibe right now Weegee; I can't tell if it's just me or if something bad is goin' on right now."
"I'm getting the same vibe too man," Daisy quietly shuddered. "It's giving me the heebie-jeebies."
"And you Weegee? Peach?"
"Something feels terribly wrong here…" Peach muttered loud enough for the others to hear but not loud enough to disturb everyone else. "It feels as if something horrendous will befall this place soon."
"I'm always feeling like something rotten's up," Luigi added, "but right now it's even worse than usual."
"Glad to see that we're all on the same page here…" Mario did a double check of the surrounding area and again saw nothing out of the ordinary. He however failed to notice the Magikoopas who watched everything from high above the castle tops.
"I still don't like this idea…" Wizenheimer said with a small trace of anxiety in his voice. "His Abhorrentness is acting rather strange today; first he ordered us to spy on these hapless mushroom munchkins to signal the right time to invade but then decides to invade the kingdom anyways against his earlier aversion to doing so…"
"You're not seriously backing out of this are you Watsonheiner?" Kamella questioned. "His Brutishness said it himself: there are no such things as Star Spirits and this whole thing is a scam to ensnare gullible fools such as these creatures."
"That's Wizenheimer! Get it right!"
"Wait a second," Kammy thought aloud, "His Oafishness said that there were no Star Spirits?"
"Correct," Kamek responded. "His Ruthlessness decided that they were but a fairy tale invented by the mushroom folk."
"Preposterous!" Kammy nearly bellowed. "His Oafishness should know better that there are Star Spirits, especially when he captured them himself!"
"You sure you're not going senile yet?" Kamek deadpanned, only to get thwacked over the head by Kammy's magic rod.
"Silence your tongue nincompoop! I was there with him when he took each one and trapped them in cards while seizing the Star Rod! Don't any of you remember when he told us of his plan to seize the power to make wishes come true?"
"I do recall that," Kamella replied, "but what does that have to do with‒"
"The Star Rod grants wishes! The Star Spirits guard the Star Rod and use it to make wishes come true! All of that is located in Star Haven which is connected to this world by the Star Road where wishes ascend from our world to become granted and descend onto Star Hill where they come true!" The other Magikoopas stared at their fellow witch in slight shock while she attempted to catch her breath after the bout of yelling. "Who said something about His Unruliness invading?"
"Er…His Awesomeness said that since there were no Star Spirits that it was fine for him to lay siege to the Mushroom World and‒" Wizenheimer wasn't finished explaining by the time Kammy started to have a fit.
"Oh rotten Koop-scoot! What time is it?!"
"I-It's fifteen till midnight."
"How close is he in proximity to this very location?!" Kammy Koopa was now outright panicking; she did not want her king to become victim to one of the worst fates ever to plague anyone. "We must tell him to call off the invasion until at least a minute past midnight!" Kammy and the rest of the Magikoopas got their answer; they could hear the familiar whirring of airship blades and flaring rocket engines drawing nearer and nearer towards their destination, the grinding gears and treads of the tanks closing in, and the swishing of water being pushed away by incoming battleships. Looking up at the sky it was a pitch black canvas devoid of any stars and the moon itself had become hidden behind dark storm clouds. This was an omen of bad times, really bad times. "Oh…crud…"
"Hey Mario, you hear that?" Luigi asked. "It almost sounds like a bunch of helicopters heading our way."
"Helicopters?" He tried to search out the sound but found none until a few seconds had passed. He could hear it now, but it didn't register as helicopters; it registered as something far more threatening and it was a tune all too familiar to the man. "Airships…"
"Huh?"
"Airships!" Mario shouted, snapping the entire group of citizens gathered at the plaza out of their prayer. They might have brushed Mario off as crazy had they not at this point heard the sounds, and as if they needed more evidence the gargantuan aerial warships came clear into view. It was very fortunate for Mario that he had enough foresight to bring his weapons and a power-up with him: he drew forth his trademark hammer and had a fire flower on standby. His brother Luigi also had enough foresight to bring his own hammer and fire flower. Princess Daisy herself simply switched into a combat stance with her fists up to her face in a boxing position. Peach on the other hand looked as if she was very unwilling to get into any conflict, but she was a valiant princess either way and stood beside her friends as she drew out her parasol. However, while the gang rose against the airships, an obscene fear began to creep into them when another foreign sound reached their ears.
"What‒what's that sound?" Daisy asked, taking nervous glances around her. It was not a noise that was familiar to her, yet Mario and Luigi knew it all too well.
"Those are tanks…" Mario said in a quiet fearful tone.
"Tanks?!" Daisy nearly screamed. "Shit…I thought Bowser only had airships!"
"He hasn't used tanks in forever…" Luigi spoke. "He usually only uses his airships for raids. What made him want to drudge up his tanks again all of a sudden?" The sound of the treads came closer, now mixed in with the sounds of structures crumbling and snapping underneath and the screams of the mushroom folk scattered everywhere, whether they were running for their lives or shrieking out their last breaths as they were crushed underfoot. Those last sounds in particular was what got to the heroes; never before had they actually heard the telltale signs of death, the Koopa King himself usually being merciful enough to not cross that horizon. Yet this had finally come to pass; the airships themselves were busy at work painting a portrait of destruction and despair, firing white-hot cannonballs at the buildings and at unfortunate citizens in their way. Anchors were lowered and the Koopa Troop came descending from the weight holds. Once they touched down they made to brutalize and butcher anything that came into their view.
"What are they doing down there?!" Kammy shouted from above. "This is not what we planned to do once we were given the green light to raid the kingdom!"
"I never thought that His Roughness would actually resort to this…" Kamek whispered. As the once caretaker of the Koopa King he never instructed the brash koopa in the ways of manslaughter, simply to incapacitate his hapless victims.
"The Star Spirits have grave punishments for those who dare to take another's life," Kammy said. "Is that not the reason you avoided teaching His Mightiness murder?"
"I knew not of Star Spirits but I can't see myself or His Unwieldiness killing for any reason," Kamek said. "I mean, what is the point to all of this?" The Magikoopas simply looked upon the carnage that their king's army was wreaking upon the carnival, and as much as they detested the mushroom folk they could not help but cringe in pity at their fates. They looked to Mario and his friends and contemplated their next action.
"I believe that a retreat on our part is in order," Kamella suggested. "There is no need for us to stick around and partake in this…"
"And I think that it's best that we avoid His Ferociousness directly until this blows over," Wizenheimer added to their options. The Magikoopas held aloft their own magic rods and whisked themselves away in puffs of smoke and magic, right before Mario turned his eyes in their direction. The plumber could have sworn that he saw the trademark circle-x-triangle pattern but figured that he was seeing things. His top priority was to get as many people as he could to safety.
"Weegee, Daisy, listen up!" he called, getting the two's attentions. "Try and see if you can hold off these goons! I'mma try and see if there are any open escape routes and get these people outta here!"
"You got it Mario!" Luigi saluted.
"One dose of asskicking coming right up!" Daisy shouted as she darted towards a Hammer Bro. before striking them hard with a haymaker. Mario himself then looked to Peach, who was currently carrying the injured Haar T. along with her. She looked in Mario's eyes with a fierce determination that clashed with her serene expression; she was going to help save these people and nothing he could do or say would change her mind.
"Looks like it's up to you and me to get everyone outta here." Mario said. "Attention everyone!" Mario shouted to get the townsfolk's attention. "This is not a simple kidnapping raid anymore! It's turning into a bloodbath! I need everyone to follow me and Princess Peach to an escape route out of here!" The townsfolk immediately complied and left whatever belongings they couldn't retrieve behind to leave. Once all of the townsfolk were ready to depart Mario and Peach began their getaway and led the people through the intact streets, momentarily leaving Luigi and Daisy behind to take care of the Koopa Troop. Everyone was in a panic and ran as fast as they could to get to safety. A cannonball tore through a building right in front of Mario's party and a tank rolled through the demolished buildings, fortunately not noticing the fleeing group. After the war vehicle passed the runners resumed their escape trailing behind Mario through the streets, some of the citizens recognizing some of the fallen bodies as they passed by. Peach could hear the various voices either expression anger and hatred or grief and pain, and she wondered what had possessed the Koopa Troop's king to commit this atrocity.
'Bowser's never done anything like this before…' the princess thought to herself. 'Has he finally snapped? After all of those times that he kidnapped me and tried to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, only to fail…is this his breaking point?' Mario's voice wrested the princess out of her thoughts.
"You okay there Peach?" he asked. The princess merely nodded her head which—though not completely—did put the plumber at ease. By the next three minutes passing the group found themselves in a forest; everyone but Mario wondered what was going to happen next until Mario pulled out a remote from a pocket and pressed a button. In seconds a multitude of steel pipes rose from the ground. "Alright everyone, listen up: these pipes will take you the bunker deep underground. The bunkers have been tested to survive anything that could be thrown at it and I'm the only one who knows where it is. You'll be safe down there. The children and their relatives go first!" The citizens didn't have to be told twice to jump into the pipes, with everyone letting the families go down first in a show of good nature. After the last child had gone down the pipe with their family Mario gave the order for everyone else to go which they did without the shoving and pushing. In a matter of two minutes only Benedict Haar T. remained wanting everyone else to escape before he did. "Alright Peach, I want you to take the benedict with you down there alright?"
"Must I remain in the bunker as well Mario?" Peach asked with a trace of worry in her voice.
"Don't worry it's well-built. It's not like anything's gonna happen to you guys down there, and I did have the bunker built to accommodate the entire population if it ever came to it."
"It's not that it's just…"
"C'mon Peach, it's for your safety."
"If they're after me then they won't rest until they have me. They may even try to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom if I can't be reached by them."
"If that's the case then I'll deal with them."
"You don't think I can handle myself Mario?" the princess asked the plumber sounding offended.
"No, that's not it either!" Mario told her trying his best not to yell. "Peach, I'm very well aware of the fact that you can handle yourself quite fine without me or anyone else. Had it been any other time, I wouldn't object to you helping out. But this…this is not one of those times. This is much worse, and I don't want it to be one of those times where…" Mario really did not want Peach out and about at such a time in history, trailing off imagining the horrors that could befall her, and Peach could see the slight fear and worry in his eyes as he trailed off. "Just…please stay put where it's safe in the bunker alright?" Peach didn't answer him but she made her way into the bunker pipe, albeit reluctantly, carrying the injured pastor with her. With that Mario returned to the amusement park as fast as he could leaving the pipe behind.
Peach slid down the steel pipe with Haar T. in her arms and saw a light below after five minutes had passed, and before she even touched down on the ground she had no intention of staying. When Peach and the pastor were out of the pipe the pastor's successors who had gone before him at his request rushed to hold him; Peach handed him over to them and right before the pipe left she sprang back up into it and began her journey back to the surface, with the pipe disappearing so that no one else could enter it. As much as she didn't like not listening to Mario she could not sit in a bunker and wait while something terrible was happening to her kingdom. 'I'm done being the daily damsel-in-distress who needs other people's help. I'm going to be the ruler that I am meant to be, the one who will go above and beyond for my kingdom on my own, even if it kills me. I'm sorry Mario for not putting my trust in you in handling this, I really am, but this is something that I refuse to sit out. I will let you do this for me one last time, and from then on I will rise to the dangers myself whether you approve or not.'
Mario had arrived in the square where the prayer was held and found the entire place ransacked. He looked around to see if he could spot his brother and friend, and was immensely relieved to find them still clearing out the Koopa Troop rather than dead. Though it didn't look like they would hold up much longer. Daisy was even in her Fire Daisy form and she appeared exhausted. Pulling his own Fire Flower out he ate the rather bitter-tasting plant and felt a flame ignite inside of him. His clothes changed color from red and blue to white and red, and his pyrokinesis was augmented to drastic levels. Once his transformation into Fire Mario was complete he pulled out his hammer and charged at one of the Koopa Troop elites. A Koopatrol was spinning towards Luigi who readied his own hammer to counter them, only for Mario to jump into the armored Koopa's warpath and swung his fiery hammer at them, sending the on-fire Koopa careening into their allies in an explosion.
"Hey, you finally made it!" Luigi greeted his brother.
"As if I'd sit this one out," Mario remarked. "Had to tell Peach to stay in the bunkers where it was safe."
"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Daisy said as she swung a flaming leg at an Ice Bro., dealing critical damage to them. The trio did their best to fend off the surrounding enemies armed or otherwise, with Mario thwacking any mook in sight with his fiery hammer, Luigi doing the same with his regular hammer, and Daisy threw out burning punches and kicks. In a minute they took care of all of the enemies in the area, taking a slight moment to catch their breaths.
"Man, that was tough," Daisy commented out of breath.
"These guys aren't playing around," Luigi added similarly tired.
"No argument there," Mario said. "Here, catch." The fire plumber tossed both Luigi and Daisy a Mushroom in addition to tossing Luigi a Fire Flower. "I figured that you might have given Daisy your Fire Flower if something happened so I had one extra Fire Flower on me for each of us—Peach included—just in case."
"You really have things thought out don't you?" Daisy said while munching on her Mushroom.
"I pretty much have to," Mario said.
"Hold on, if you have an extra Fire Flower for Peach, how come you told her to stay in the bunker?"
"Like I said Daisy, just in case. This…this doesn't seem like one of those times where Peach could handle all by herself."
"It's that bad huh?" Luigi said.
"Looks like it," Mario said. "I'll be honest, I'm not even sure if I can handle the situation alone this time. And if something ever happened to me I don't want Peach getting into trouble or worse. And, if I'm honest, I don't think I'm gonna make it out of this one."
"What?" Daisy asked. "You're…you're not serious are you?"
"What would make you think that?" Luigi asked.
"I'm not sure, but I just have a really bad feeling about this."
"Then we'll all just face this crisis together," Peach's voice came from behind the trio. They all turned around and met with the sight of the princess with her parasol in hand.
"What the—Peach!?" Mario said in shock. "But I—you—"
"I know Mario," Peach said with a slight hint of regret in her voice, "but I'm not going to sit around and watch my kingdom burn. I am its princess, and I will do whatever it takes to protect it."
"Peach, you know that they're going to be coming after you and they'll kidnap you the moment they get the chance…"
"And if that is what it takes to protect my kingdom that that is a price that I am willing to pay."
"But—"
"And besides Mario, if you three fall here – and unless the Star Spirits intervene – then all is lost anyways. I would have just been left to live out the rest of my days in the bunker as everything slowly crumbles piece by piece, and I would not have been worthy of the title as its ruler by then. If the Mushroom Kingdom is to fall then as its princess I wish to fall with it along with my family and friends. A good captain goes down with his ship and crew, just as a good monarch goes down with their kingdom and royal retainers." Mario wanted to convince Peach otherwise in case such a thing ever came to pass but he knew that when she had her mind on something it was virtually impossible to change it. As much as it pained him he came to the point that Peach would fight alongside them, putting herself at risk as well as they were. "I know how you feel Mario, but now is not the time for me to stand by, it is time for me to stand up." Surprising everyone there Peach had pulled at her parasol to reveal a sharp sword hidden inside the handle. "This enchanted weapon was passed down in my family for generations in case we ever went to war again, hence why I have never actually used it outside of practice. My grandmother had taught me how to wield both parasol and sword ever since I was young and Toadsworth has helped in keeping it maintained. I may not be as sturdy as the rest of you but I know how to use this weapon efficiently. Now, I do recall you saying that you had a Fire Flower for me Mario?"
"Oh, er, right…" Mario pulled another Fire Flower out of his pocket and handed it to Peach who thanked him for it. She consumed the plant enduring its unpleasant and oily taste, and in a quick moment she transformed into Fire Peach. Her dress and parasol were a color of white and red, her pumps were red, and her hair was held in a ponytail by a ruby ring. As the Fire Flower's powers took effect the parasol and sword began radiating heat with small ember particles emitting from them both. The others had to admit that at the moment Peach truly looked like a lady of war, such a contrasting image that almost made them think that Peach had become a different person. Not to soon however Mario noticed something strange happening to the enemies he and the others had defeated. He didn't believe that he and the others killed them but it looked as if they were bleeding black blood; this black "blood" started moving out from underneath the unmoving bodies, and in an unnerving display the "blood" began taking shape. Out of a puddles of the black "blood" came the forms of the various fallen Koopa Troop elites, appearing as "dark" variations of them with inky-black bodies and beady blood-red eyes.
"Okay," Luigi said, "stock villain trope much?"
"You would know that wouldn't you?" Daisy quipped.
"Who cares?" Mario said. "If it's a stock villain trope we're facing then we'll just play the hero tropes!" The four heroes readied their weapons and stood in a circle with each other as they became surrounded, intending to guard each other's backs. A Koopatrol doppelganger launched at Mario only to be deflected away by his flaming hammer while Luigi had done the same to another. Peach smacked and stabbed a Hammer Bro. lookalike that was bold enough to approach her as Daisy shot out an intense fireball at a Magikoopa who flung magic spells at her. Wave after wave of the shadow creatures swarmed the four but they never wavered, using their weapons and fire to decimate the mooks. Once the number was sufficiently short enough for the heroes to take on without having to stay in a circle they broke off and tackled their foes.
Mario dodged a hammer thrown at him and uppercut the Hammer Bro. high into the air with his own hammer then moved on the next one, tearing its head off with a single swing. Just as a Magikoopa was about to cast a spell the plumber let loose a searing blast from his free hand, incinerating the dark wizard. His last foe was a Koopatrol who for once didn't duck into its shell but opted to strike Mario barehanded. It clashed with Mario's hammer several times before it hands were demolished by a powerful swing. Luigi only had the Bro. quadruple to deal with, jumping over the boomerang and tossing a fireball to dispel the one that was headed his way. An upside-down overhead strike pulverized the Hammer Bro. who tried to defend itself before Luigi caught the returning boomerang and decapitated the Boomerang Bro. Lastly, dealing with the Fire and Ice Bros. Luigi did not hesitate to burn the Ice Bro. to a crisp with his fire and got caught up in a firefight with the Fire Bro. He eventually overpowered the creature when he added his electricity into his stream of flames, something that the purely fire-based creature was weak against. Peach used her sturdy parasol and sword to impale two Magikoopas when she closed in, tearing them in half before she came down atop a dual wielding Hammer Bro. with a descending slash with her sword. The remaining Bro. was dealt with by the parasol jamming itself inside it before opening, blowing the creature into giblets. Her last foe was a Koopatrol but this one was brandishing a sword of its own very much like the defunct Terra Cottas. Peach charged the opposing swordskoopa and found it to be a very competent swordfighter, matching her dual strikes with calculated swings and even deflecting her fireballs. It was not said that it didn't meet its match soon as Peach was not strictly a swordswoman, tripping the Koopatrol up with a sweep kick and quickly stabbing the armored terrapin with both parasol and sword once its guard had been broken. Daisy herself was assaulting her opponents with a mixture of punches and kicks wreathed in flames, her fist even going right through one of the shadow creatures. Her kick tore off the head of a Magikoopa who flew out of her reach and she ran up to a Sledge Bro., grabbing the large opponent and slamming it down hard with a German Suplex. Her last foe was a single Koopatrol who challenged her hand-to-hand. It was fairly decent for a mindless mook but Daisy put it down with a string of brutal suplexes derived from a renowned Russian wrestler.
The group took a final glance at their surroundings and found that there were no more enemies to deal with.
"That looks like that's all of them," Mario breathlessly spoke. "Damn, Bowser ain't dicking around this time…speaking of which, where is that scaly-assed son-of-a—" His curse was cut short by a deafening howl tearing through the air, followed by a multitude of more of the Koopa Troop's elite pouring out of the airship above them, including more airships closing in on square. Several Rocky Wrench manned tanks ripped through buildings with their cannons aimed at the quadruple. Near the water a battleship fleet reached the area and from them came many of the Koopa Troop. All of its members appeared with paler than usual color with their eyes shining a bright red. The New Year's bell rang out in the giant grandfather clock tower right before a familiar figure came down from the lead airship, guffawing while they descended. They touched down with an earth-shattering landing and glared their eyes at the four in front of them while a hellish flame poured out from their maw.
"Bowser!" Mario shouted at the figure.
"Well, how's everyone's day going so far?" the Koopa king asked in a reverberating growl. "Enjoying your New Year so far?"
"You know damn well how our evening's been you bastard!" Daisy yelled at him.
"Oh come on," the Koopa king said in a mock-hurt tone, "all I did was ask you a friendly little question and then you guys start acting mean towards me? I'm hurt."
"Fuck you, you miserable sack of shit!" Daisy was beyond pissed with Bowser's actions and was ready to tear him a new one and set it afire.
"Now, now, there's no reason to start mouthing off at me like a Wario. I just wanted to drop in on you guys and celebrate the Star Festival too. I guess that my Koopa Troop got a little carried away with the welcome wagon though."
"You…you…!"
"Why are you really here King Bowser Koopa?" Peach asked her likely soon-to-be abductor, barely keeping a lid on her building rage. She wasn't going to put up with any of his mock-friendly antics after what his army had done.
"Oh alright, alright," Bowser said cutting to the chase. "I actually came here to cordially invite Princess Peach Toadstool to attend the Dark Land's annual New Year's festival, but I know how you guys get if I don't invite you too along with her. I guess that I can squeeze the rest of you in if you want."
"Yeah, no," Luigi said. "The food probably sucks, the activities are probably boring, and it's already a new year. Try again next year when you're a little less—oh I don't know—insane?"
"Oh well, your loss. But Peach, you're still coming right?"
"Like Hell Peach is going anywhere with you!" Mario shouted.
"Hey, I wasn't talking to you, thank you very much. Now, whaddya say Peach?"
"No." Peach sharply told him. "I will not attend your New Year's festival, not after what you did here."
"Aw, what? But I didn't do anything. It was my Koopa Troop. Oh, but I should take some responsibility for my troops acting up. How can I repay you for this?"
"By leaving," Peach said, "right now, and never coming back here again."
"You know I can't do that, I gotta check in every once in a while to see how you're all doing and—"
"Get out of my face Bowser or you will feel my wrath. And I promise you that it will hurt." Bowser's face looked shocked for a brief moment but it slowly shifted into a hostile expression, and in a split-second Peach saw a flicker of something foreign in the Koopa king's eyes. It was not the usual flicker of typical Bowser rage, but it was something darker, far more sinister.
"You know what, fine," the Koopa king suddenly said, losing his friendly demeanor. "I tried to be a nice guy and visit you guys, but you obviously don't care and still treat me like crap. So guess what? I will have Peach anyways and if any of you other losers try to stop me, I will kill you. And if Peach here decides to resist I'll decide to raze this whole stupid kingdom of fungus freaks to the ground!"
"You wouldn't…!"
"And I totally mean it this time! So either you come with me or I'll take you by force. Come with me and this place stays, fight me off and this place is history!"
"Not on the best day in your life pal!" Daisy shouted while she charged at Bowser, giving him a fierce flaming kick in his abdomen. Luigi similarly followed-up with a fire-infused overhead swing of his hammer. Unfortunately for either of them, neither of the attacks had any lasting effect on the Koopa aside of infuriating him.
"What did I tell you about getting in my way?" Bowser growled.
"Well…shit," Daisy muttered.
"You're telling me," Luigi stated. This was before Bowser grabbed them both and held them in a crushing grip. Wanting both of them out of the picture he chucked Luigi into a nearby café, the plumber crashing through a table and chair before colliding with a wall, falling unconscious; Daisy was simply slammed and pressed down into the ground until she stopped moving from the pain.
"That outta take care of those two," Bowser said. Peach and Mario looked on in horror and shock at the possibility of Bowser just killing their closest friends and relatives. "And now for you, Mario, my most hated nemesis."
"Trust me, the feeling's mutual," the plumber shot back.
"Be careful Mario, Bowser's not himself," Peach warned.
"Yeah, I kinda figured that part out already."
"No, I mean, this isn't him."
"Whaddya mean?"
"I saw something in his eyes, something foreboding and vile. Those aren't his eyes Mario…"
"Right, I'll keep that in mind. Now come on you freak!"
"After you," Bowser taunted. The plumber did not hesitate in the slightest, swinging his hammer full force at the Koopa king's head intending to knock him out. Weapon and scales connected, yet the hulking figure did not budge. Quickly recovering his balance by kicking off of the Koopa Mario started to super-charge his hammer with fire, a more than he'd ever used before. Mario silently prayed to the Star Spirits that the next hit would do Bowser in since a regular attack didn't cut it. He eyed the smug beast before him and charged at him one last time, jumping off of the Koopa king and intending to down him with all of his strength. The king didn't dare budge, intending to take on the blow in full to prove his nemesis's frail might. Then he saw a blaze in the plumber's eyes and the fire on the weapon turned from red to white. His eyes widened at the sight and he attempted to dodge the attack but the Plumber managed to strike him before he could get away completely. The hammer met with the under-shell padding and struck it with such ferocity that it caused the Koopa king to howl in pain, in addition to even managing to scar the Koopa and chip off shell matter. Bowser stumbled backwards for a moment clutching the spot fiercely, and Peach could only stare in surprise.
'A white flame…could it be? No, it can't be.'
"Argh, you'll pay for that you mushroom-munchin' plumber!" Bowser roared, sprinting toward the exhausted man in a fury. As soon as Mario looked up his gaze was met with the Koopa's foot inches before his face before it collided with it hard. He was sent flying past Peach and into a building, losing his weapon in the process. Desperately he tried pulling out a Mushroom to heal himself but the Koopa king was already on him and began pummeling him further and further into the structure. His punches were without mercy and each one felt like a steel piston hammering into him. With a final punch he was blown through the structure and ragdolled against the floor before Bowser grabbed him. He wasn't going to choke him, but he tossed Mario out through the building making a new hole. Again he reached for a Mushroom but he was stopped when he was lifted into the air and punched several yards away. After that Mario could move no more.
"Mario!" Peach cried. She ran over to him to help him but Bowser landed right before her.
"Oh no, don't mind me," Bowser taunted. "Go on over to your man and do what you usually do. No? So you're just gonna stand there like the damsel-in-distress you are? Thought so." Bowser picked Mario up by his legs and began to swing him in a circle. He picked up maximum speed and flung the unconscious plumber into the air, and he finished up his attack by spitting out a large fireball at him. The fireball connected with the plumber and exploded; when the smoke cleared Mario's form was nowhere to be seen. This sight filled Peach's heart with despair, falling down to her knees as it had appeared that Mario's game was finally over. Bowser himself grinned intensely at this and danced to himself in victory.
"YES! Finally, that pesky plumber is finally gone! Done for! History! Woo hoo!" His laughter only served to deepen Peach's sorrow and anger, and the triumphant Koopa walked over to the grieving princess to claim his spoils. "Well, that was pretty fun. Still, I can't believe that I finally got rid of him. Sure is gonna be pretty boring around here…but not for long. Now then my dear Peach, it's time for yo—" His sentence went unfinished as a hand streaked itself across his face, sending him reeling. He turned to the perpetrator and found Princess Peach glaring at him with intense fury and hatred. Her eyes spelled murder but he did not lose his steam from the attack, instead getting angrier. "Now you've gone and done it…" The voice that spoke was his but mixed with another's, a more demonic voice. In a speed that Peach did not anticipate the Koopa king was right in front of her; she hurriedly attempted to ready her parasol and sword but the Koopa's paw flew into her face, backhanding the princess face-first into the ground. Peach struggled to stand after the move but she was yanked from the ground and faced a pissed Bowser.
"I told you what would happen if you tried to resist me…" he growled in a dark tone. Peach did not fear him and in a further act of defiance she spat into the eye of the beast. In a fit of fury Bowser's slammed his fist into Peach. The princess was dizzied from the attack and could barely think properly. "Keep this up and see what happens to you Princess."
"I…hate…you…" she drawled out as much as she could. 'This isn't Bowser, I know that it isn't him…He would never do this to me or anyone else…Oh great Star Spirits, please save us from whatever this demonic force is…deliver us from evil and into your arms of salvation…Please…' in disgust Bowser backhanded her a second time, knocking her out cold. With Peach down for the count Bowser retreated to the airship and signaled for the anchor to be hoisted back up. With Peach in his free arms and holding on the anchor chains he took one last look at the amusement park to see his airships, tanks, and battleships retreating from the area. He'd have burned the place to the ground but then it would have cut into his forces still present; he figured that he would do that later. He got what he came for, and with a mighty laugh he retreated into his personal airship and set off to return to the Dark Land. He had much in store for his captive.
"…Grandmaster Merlin," a young child's voice rang out, "he's not waking up…is he…"
"Patience my dear child," an elderly man's voice replied. "He will awaken in due time."
"But he's hasn't moved yet! What if he's not going to make it grandmaster?"
"He will. He is still breathing normally is he not?"
"Y-yes, but…"
"Then have no fear, he will make it through. I know it to be so."
"If you say so grandmaster…"
"Urgh…" a tired voice groaned out. Two gasps of surprise were heard from the child and elder. The darkness was slowly disappearing and in the clear were two individuals. The child wore a white and red hooded robe and her hair was red while the elder's face was completely obscured in darkness underneath his large wizard hat except for his piercing yellow eyes. They were staring down at someone with interest, the child appearing to be extremely happy and relieved.
"See?" the indigo-garbed elder said to the child next to him. "Did I not tell you that he would awaken?" His voice was clearly aged but it held mirth to it.
"And he did!" the girl almost squealed. "He finally woke up grandmaster!"
"Thank the divine Star Spirits above for this miracle. Not many survive such horrific injuries.
"Ugh, where am I?" the tired voice asked in a daze.
"You are in our humble abode sir," the elder informed him with a bow. "My name is Merlin, or Grandmaster Merlin as I am honorably known as. This here young child with me is Merlux, my apprentice."
"Hi, nice to meet you mister!" Merlux greeted. "What's your name?"
"My name…?" the tired voice said. "It's…it's Mario…"
"Mario? You mean THE famous Mario of the Mushroom Kingdom!? Oh wowee! Grandmaster—"
"I know my child," the elder said with a chuckle. "I have heard stories of the Mushroom Kingdom's savior, the Great Gonzales, the Hero of Legend, the Jumpman. Yes, your name is far and wide even now to reach our secluded village.
"'Jumpman'?" Mario said in amusement as consciousness returned to him. "I haven't been called that in a while. Cranky Kong first called me that name, what with him being a gorilla and all."
"You mean that mean monkey who kidnapped your lady friend?" Merlux asked.
"Merlux," Merlin started, "it is not nice to call another a mean name."
"I'm sorry grandmaster." Mario looked at the child who looked apologetic and innocent.
"Apology accepted."
"Hey, you said that I'm in a secluded village?"
"Yes," Merlin said. "I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was out foraging for herbs for my latest concoction and returned home with what I needed when an explosion was heard outside. The other villagers were screaming so I took my staff and hurried outside. That was when Merlux and I found you near the prayer square all burned up and horribly bruised. Luckily for you I am a potent shaman and so I had performed a healing ritual upon you to save you from near-death. Though your injuries were eliminated you did not come to for quite some time."
"You were out for a whole week!" Merlux said while waving her arms in a wide arc.
"Man, that must've…" Right then and there it all started coming back to the plumber. The last thing he remembered was Bowser laying into him in what was the worst beat down he had ever received. After a vicious punch to his face he blackened out completely. Another thing he remembered was the defeat of both Luigi and Daisy, and how Peach had tried to help him only to be stopped by Bowser. "Peach!"
"Peach?" Merlux asked. "Who is she? Do you know grandmaster?"
"She is the young monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Do you know what happened to her!?" Mario frantically asked.
"Yes…" Merlin answered solemnly, "…among other things…when you crash landed here in our village and after you were healed, I was able to invoke the all-seeing eyes of the Star Spirits above to divine the cause of your appearance. As I gazed through the universe, I had witnessed your disastrous battle against the Koopa king, and I had also witnessed the abduction of the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom by the Koopa king's hand."
"I knew it…" Mario muttered. "Where is she now or did you see where she was taken to?"
"I assume that she was taken to the Koopa king's castle…"
"You 'assume'? That means that you don't really know do you?"
"Sadly no. When I had attempted to divine the princess's location—and I had attempted this feat many times afterwards—I was met only with white noise. I had conversed with the Star Spirits themselves to uncover the reason behind it, and they revealed to me that the Koopa king had somehow managed to nullify their ability to locate him."
"What!?" Mario was in disbelief; how what it possible for Bowser to be able to stop the Star Spirits from finding him? He remembers very well that he was able to capture them and make them little useful aside of telepathic communication but they weren't captured by him as far as he knew.
"And I also bore witness to more distressing matters…" Merlin spoke. "Through the Star Spirits' eyes I had gazed upon…the burial and memorial of Luigi Mario and Princess Daisy Toadstool of Sarassaland…" Mario's face froze up in horror upon hearing the news. "Their services were held simultaneously with each other yesterday, their graves being located right next to each other in Sarassaland. I attended their funerals out of respect and gave the departed princess's parents my condolences as well as yours." Mario didn't move for a good while, still in shock at hearing the awful revelation.
'They're dead…I can't believe it…there has to be some mistake…' He didn't want to believe that his brother and friend were dead, yet his denial couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes, nor could it stop the rage building up in his heart. His heart burned with a newfound hatred towards the Koopa king and the thought of vengeance began taking root in his mind as his lips curled into a fierce snarl. Merlux took a slight step backwards and Merlin stepped forward to comfort the trembling plumber.
"I am truly sorry for your loss Mario," he consoled placing a hand on the man's shoulder, "but heed my words. It was not the Koopa king's doing or intention to deprive both your brother and friend of their lives."
"How?" Mario growled as he glared at the shaman. "I saw him kill them myself, and you're telling me that he didn't mean it!?" The shaman couldn't help but recoil from the man's rage, something that Mario noticed and calmed himself. "I'm…I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. But what do you mean that it wasn't him?" Merlin had recovered from his temporary state of unease and began to explain to the plumber.
"Sometime during the dawn of New Year's Eve, I had sensed a terrible disturbance in the all-encompassing force of the universe, as if a new age of terror and fear were about to unravel…Wanting to discover the source of this disturbance myself I had invoked the eyes of the Star Spirits and beheld a most horrendous spectacle…it was the Koopa king wrestling with a great daemon of fell origin. The Koopa king had fought valiantly, yet in the end his body was wrested from his control, his mind having been locked away as this daemon assumed new ownership. I consulted with the Star Spirits concerning this daemon's identity, and my worst fears were confirmed to me. This daemon was actually a Fallen God of Old, one who had once attempted to subjugate all that ever was into his tyranny with a mighty war, something that he referred to as the 'Wicked Games'. His name was 'Theoskotos'; he was once a revered God who embodied the darkness, but for some untold reason his heart became filled with evil. He was stopped by the Goddess of Light – Theafos – with the help of her loyal knight, but in the process she was to seal her own soul away to secure the Fallen God's imprisonment in what is now known as the Dark Lands, and her immortal form was to be reborn as a mortal as a result." Mario didn't like hearing it, seeing as how this meant that he had to face an old God. He remembered the last thing Peach had said to him when he fought Bowser:
'I saw something in his eyes, something foreboding and vile. Those aren't his eyes Mario…'
"Peach kind of already told me as much, but I kind of figured that she meant he was insane, not that he was possessed."
"Indeed. It is said that those of the Toadstool royal family is descended from the Goddess through blood and that every female member is stated to be a direct incarnation of her, capable of utilizing a portion of her divine might. Some even say that Princess Peach Toadstool is a reincarnation of the Goddess herself as she displays many traits of the Goddess. Although, no one has yet to confirm this for certainty even with the supposed evidence that suggests so. Princess Daisy Toadstool on the other hand is—er, was—considered a member of her descendants but was stated to be of impure blood, a mongrel of the former Sarassaland Queen who had an affair with a common-born pauper in the face of her and her king's marriage. She was thus deemed a bastard child who had no connection to the Goddess and was mistreated for much of her early years, especially when she turned out to be something of an improper lady who mingled far too much with the common people, particularly those from poor urban streets. Many feared that she would repeat her mother's actions and possible marry one from such an area."
"Yeah," Mario lightly laughed at that. "Daisy always was considered the 'ghetto' one out of the four of us. There were tons of rumors that she was sleeping around with Weegee and was planning on marrying him. Heck, I thought that the rumors were true too." He sighed to himself, knowing that he'd never find out the truth at that point. "So…how do I beat this Dark God guy?"
"Defeat him? Ah yes, I remember now. As I spoke with the Star Spirits they bestowed onto me the knowledge of how to defeat the Dark God once more. In their words contained what is called 'Essences of the Goddess', eight crystalline objects containing a fragment of the Goddess's power; they told me that only those who are the descendants of the Goddess could wield their power, and when all eight are assembled by such a being, they will be able to assume the full might of Theafos and with its power they could utterly defeat Theoskotos."
"Um, yeah. But the problem is the only supposed descendant of the Light Goddess is Peach and she's kidnapped. And if this Dark God is possessing Bowser then wouldn't he try to take the Essences of the Goddess?"
"He has. They are all in his possession through the beguiled Koopalings and Bowser Jr. However, seven of the Koopalings have decided to sow mayhem in various locations rather than stay to guard the Dark God's stronghold along with him, meaning that taking the Essences of the Goddess is very much possible. And once a sizeable number of these Essences have been collected we will be able to divine the Dark God's current sanctum."
"Okay, that's one issue out of the way, but please tell me that you know a living descendant of the Goddess?"
"Indeed I do. In fact, she is right here in this very village, in this very household."
"Where?" Mario looked around and didn't see anyone else but Merlin and his apprentice Merlux. When his eyes lingered on the child for a time she smiled and gave him a small wave. Naturally he waved back but a thought settled into his mind. The child before him tilted her head to the side a little and smiled wider, as if she was telling him something. Then it finally hit him. "You?"
"Bingo!" the child exclaimed with outstretched arms.
"You're a descendant? But…I…"
"She is very well a descendant of Theafos," Merlin said with a hint of pride. "The Star Spirits even told me as such. At first I was in disbelief over the revelation, but this gave me a new hope, a hope that the Mushroom Kingdom—as well as the entire universe—can be saved."
"But, she's a child," Mario said objecting to the implications it meant. "Are you sure that it's a good idea to let her tagalong with me? Especially with this Dark God being a thing?"
"Do not let her age fool you my good sir; her magical prowess is second only to me out of this entire village of shamans, and her bravery is boundless. She has even expressed a desire to accompany you on one of your heroic exploits when she had heard of them. She can prove quite useful to you throughout your journey as a companion, and it will prove to be a useful learning experience for her. And in any case, she is the only confirmed descendant of Theafos."
"I promise that I won't let you down Mister Mario!" Theafos said to reassure the plumber. It didn't put him at any more ease but he relented. The puppy dog eyes she was giving him made it hard to refuse her too.
"I guess so," Mario said. "I mean, I used to have one or two kids come along with me before, so what's the harm?"
"Yay!" Merlux cheered while jumping up and down. Mario had to smile at the child's cheerfulness and enthusiasm, though he knew that she was going to be a handful once they started adventuring.
"Well, now that that's settled, would you happen to know where each of the Koopalings are right now?"
"Fortunately yes," Merlin responded. "I pinpointed the locations where the Koopalings are currently stationed and marked their spots on this enchanted map." Merlin handed the map to Mario and he took a look at it. Each Koopaling was found on a different continent out of the seven continents there were, and Bowser Jr. seemed to be in the Dark Land.
"Of course, the ol' defeat the bosses in the eight different worlds shtick. How did I not see this coming?"
"It does appear decently clichéd given how many times it has happened by now."
"Oh well, nothin' to it but to do it. Welp, it's been real nice chatting with you Merlin, but if you'll please excuse me I have some heroic adventuring that needs to be done." Mario made to quickly stand up before Merlin could warn him.
"Erm, Mario you're—"
"Ewwwwww, you're pee-pee is showing!" Merlux said covering her eyes from the sight. This made Mario pause as he stood atop the bed he was laying on.
"My what?" the man said.
"I…forgot to tell you…" Merlin started while averting his eyes, "…You are not wearing any clothing…"
"…What?"
"Your clothing…it was destroyed by the time you were found outside a week ago. Nothing was salvageable."
"Nothing? Not even my hat?"
"I am afraid so." The next sight was nothing short of pitifully hilarious; the plumber slumped to his knees in a bug-eyed stupor and let loose an anguished howl that would make the cheesiest of movie scenes look tame.
"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Anyone who was outside of the house gave the building a questioning glance before they returned to their own things, all left with the memory of a narm-filled yell forever staining their minds.
Back inside Mario was quietly weeping his heart out at losing his beloved cap that he had since his infancy, with Merlux wondering if he was okay and Merlin being at a loss for words.
"All you alright Mister Mario?" Merlux innocently asked. "Maybe grandmaster will let you wear his hat."
"I…I do not know what to say about this…" the shaman said. "Mario, please, desist with the tears…" The plumber turned to the shaman with the face of a puppy, tears and snot cascading down his face and babbling incoherently. "Oh dear Star Spirits above, please stop."
"M-m-m-mah hat…" Mario softly cried out.
"I know that you loved your hat, but please, will you please cease with the mourning? This does not create a comfortable sight and you do have an adventure to undertake…" Merlin didn't want to sound like a jerk of any sort but the spectacle in front of him was extremely awkward as Hell; after about fifteen seconds Mario was able to calm himself down and wiped his face off with a Kleenex tissue Merlux handed him.
"My dearly beloved cap, you will be missed…" Mario said still kneeling on the bed. "Wait, hang on…oh yeah, I wasn't wearing my usual clothes. But that means that…damn, my fancy suit's trashed! And I just got it too!"
"Hey, you said a bad word Mister Mario!" Merlux informed the grown man.
"Huh, oh, er, my bad."
"I do have some new clothes for you to wear," Merlin said once he was certain Mario was sober enough to listen. "They were fashioned after the standard wear of our mercenary guild's attire with a few design flairs borrowed from your old clothes. Follow me, I will help you get fitted into them." The shaman and the naked man walked to a room down a hallway where the door was shut. There were some noises heard from behind the door consisting of swishing fabric, buckling of belts and zipping of a zipper, a metallic thud or two, a few complaints from Mario, and after about two minutes it became silent. The pair emerged from the door and Merlux gasped in awe when she saw Mario's new look.
"Holy wow!" Merlux stated. "You look cool Mister Mario!"
"Really?" the plumber asked in genuine surprise. "Er, thanks. I still think it looks a little off but it's pretty okay." Mario's shirt was now a collared one still colored red with a gold zipper down the middle and with a lack of sleeves, his pants were blue baggy cargo pants, on his feet were brown army boots, a yellow belt held his pants up, white fingerless gloves clung to Mario's arms, a chest guard with a red M was placed over Mario's left breast over the shirt, , and a red headband rested atop of Mario's forehead.
"This attire takes cues after the Goddess's legendary knight's casual clothing who fought beside her in the Shadow-Light war," Merlin said. "If Princess Peach Toadstool truly is a descendant of the Goddess then you would be her loyal knight in a sense. Merlux could count too since she is confirmed to be such, and you would be her protector."
"Huh, I can see the parallels." The outfit honestly didn't look bad, but the only thing that kept Mario from calling it great was the lack of a cap similar to his old one. He figured that beggars couldn't be choosers though, and he took the whole thing in stride. "Alrighty then, it looks like we're finally off."
"Oh, and one more thing before thing before you go. Two more things actually. This here pendant that Merlux wears, it serves as a form of communication between me and her, and soon to be you as well once you depart."
"It also helps out with my magic too!" Merlux added.
"Should I learn of something new I will contact the two of you at once. Or, if you desire any assistance from me or simply wish to talk, you may contact me as well. I will respond the moment you call."
"Thanks for the info," Mario said.
"And lastly, our village has several shops that you may access if you wish it. Here is a fair amount of coins to spend as you wish for wherever you go and Merlux has the ability to instantly transport the two of you here in the event that there is something you may want. We regularly stock up on new inventory every once a week, so return here to inspect the wares soon."
"Got it. Thanks for all your help Merlin."
"You are most welcome. Go now, and may the Star Spirits above watch over you."
"You too Merlin."
"Bye grandmaster! I'll make you so proud!"
"I know you will." Mario and Merlux stepped through Merlin's door and into the outdoors, where Mario was awed with the sight of the village. The entire village rested inside of what appeared to be a hollowed out mountain or even an extinct volcano, and the village looked closer to a city. There was a large crater up above and below was what looked like a massive lake.
"What is this place?" Mario asked in wonder.
"This is our home!" Merlux said. "We live inside a volcano far out in the ocean that grandmaster said won't ever erupt again."
"So it is a volcano. No wonder it's warm down here. How'd you guys get his much water though?"
"From the rain."
"Oh, I thought it was because the volcano rose out of the ocean and that this is all leftover water. Then again if it did you guys probably wouldn't be here."
"Nope! Hey, let's go to the armory and see if we can get us some gear, and then we'll visit the grocery store and pick up some food for the journey!"
"Okay, lead the way." Merlux and Mario took a rather short stroll to the armory store; once inside Merlux ran up to the counter and rang the bell.
"Stahl, It's me, Merlux, your best friend~!" Merlux shouted. "And I've got a new friend I want you to meet~!" Footsteps from behind the backroom were heard and from the back emerged a silver-haired man who looked grizzled and scarred, but his mouth cracked into a toothy grin when he saw the young girl at his counter.
"Hey there Luxie," the man greeted. "I thought I heard you from the backroom. What're you doin' here? Just comin' by to drop in on your old friend?"
"A little bit. I'm going on my first adventure!"
"An adventure you say? Well then, think you need to buy somethin' from here 'fore you go?"
"Mm-hm, me and my new friend Mario!"
"Mario?" Just then he noticed the man next to Merlux. "Hold on, you're the guy that crash landed here a week ago! You're THE Mario, the same guy who hands Bowser his scaly a—er, tail on a daily basis?"
"That's me." Mario replied.
"Well I'll be a woodchuck named Chuck, I never thought I'd live to see ya', let alone in person, and you can clearly see how old I am."
"I've noticed."
"So what're you doing here?"
"Well, Merlux wanted us to stock up before we left."
"Say no more, I've got the perfect thing for you. Wait right here." The man disappeared into the back room where the sound of metal clasps being undone was heard. In short notice the man returned with a weapon in hand: a hammer.
"Holy Monty Moly," Mario said as he gazed at the hammer.
"I just made it a few weeks ago," Stahl said. "Nobody seemed to want it, so it must be your lucky day. Of course I gotta sell this, but for you I can let ya' have it for a slashed price. How's that sound?"
"It sounds like a deal," Mario said grinning. "So how much is it?"
"It'll be just a hundred gold. For someone like you that's hardly anything, am I right?"
"You're right about that I—oh crud, I forgot to ask Merlin if my wallet was intact. It's probably not. Hey, listen, do you guys do bank account transfers?"
"Bank account transfers? What's a bank account?"
"…Sssshhhhhhhhoot. Well, let's just hope Merlin gave me enough for the hammer." Mario didn't actually count the coins he was given and hoped that it added up to at least one-hundred. Much to his relief and slight disappointment it was exactly one-hundred. "Oh sweet Star Spirits above, thank you Merlin! Here is exactly one-hundred coins. I wish that my wallet wasn't destroyed but here you go."
"Thanks." Stahl accepted the gold and handed the hammer over to Mario, who eyed the metal weapon like candy. "Is that all you're buying?"
"Yeah. That was all the coins I had on me sadly. Hopefully I can get to the rest of it.
"Stop by soon when you do. I may have something nicer for you than that."
"Count on it. Thank you for your service."
"Bye Stahl! I'll miss you~!"
"Miss you too little buddy! And give that big ol' turtle the what-for for me eh?" Leaving the store and stepping outside Mario inspected his new hammer. As opposed to the wood hammers he usually had with him this one was made purely of metal, the head and the handle bolted tight to prevent the head from coming off.
"It's so cool…" Merlux said.
"It sure is…" Mario agreed. "This'll definitely come in handy."
"Okay then, it's time for the grocery store to pack up some food!" The trip to the grocery was similarly short and as soon as the pair stepped through the door they sounded off its chimes, alerting the clerk inside to their presence.
"Howdy folks!" the accented Toad greeted sitting down a cart of produce. "Welcome to Fresh an' Breezy's! Oh, why hello there little lady!"
"Hi Mister Freu T.!" Merlux greeted. "Me and my new friend Mister Mario are going on an adventure!"
"Mister Mario? Well, ain't this a hoot! The Great Gonzales has dropped in on me! Howdy do Mister Gonzales?"
"Pretty fine," Mario said as he shook the clerk's hands. "We're here to pick up some foods for the road. Got a scaly Koopa whose behind has my boot's name on it."
"Shoo wee, that feller's done asked for it this time I suppose. Welp, don't wanna keep ya' here for too long now, so how's about I just hand ya' a free basket of some of our finest produce? Little Merlux has been a big ol' helpin' hand 'round here an' always leaves a tip, so she deserves a little somethin' for her hard work."
"Wow, thank you Mister Freu T.!" the girl said as she accepted the Toad's basket.
"Anythin' for my sweet little lady."
"Aw stop it, you're embarrassing me…" Merlux had a clear blush on her face but Mario knew that is was what kids did when someone complimented them.
"Ain't nothin' to be embarrassed about Merlux. So, Mister Gonzales, I see you paid a visit to ol' Stahl. He hook you up nice?"
"Real nice," Mario grinned brandishing his new hammer.
"Ooh, that looks like that hammer that ol' Stahl's been working on for almost a month! He said he wouldn't sell it to no one until it was finished. That's sure to be a keeper right there! Looks like you two are all set for your journey, now take care out there y'all!"
"We will!" Merlux said, not forgetting to make her daily tip deposit. "Thank you so much Mister Freu T.!"
"We'll visit you again soon!" Mario shouted back as they left the store.
"Wouldn't doubt it for a second! Oh, I almost forgot somethin'; my sister Swee T. called me an' said that she's just moved out to Toad Town. She's openin' up her own little shop out there. I don't know what it is but try to stop by and give her a holler for me 'kay?"
"Will do!" With that the clerk went back inside the store, and Mario and Merlux felt ready to begin their adventure. Pulling out the map Mario figured out which location they would stop by first.
"Let's see here…Larry's in the Mushroom Kingdom right now, as per his usual gimmick I guess, but for once in his life he's not in the grasslands. Morton's out in the wastelands here, which is weird because he usually picks either a desert or the mountains. Wendy's out at a chain of oasis island resorts. Eh, that's a step up from her usual water world hotspot. Iggy's staking out at another kingdom this time. Huh, that's something new; it sure looks haunted. Where's Roy? Oh, here he is, right in the active volcano regions. Yikes, and it's blue-colored too. Blue colored fire and lava is worse than the usual red. Lemmy, Lemmy, Lemmy…where are you? Right here in…a jungle? Okay, I'm starting to see a change here. Is Ludwig in the sky?…Of course he is. He's always in the sky. And Bowser Jr. is of course in the Dark Land; easy enough."
"So, where are we going first?" Merlux asked the man.
"…I really wanna defy the trend that's been going on for years but let's go pick on Larry first. He's just so easy to beat it's not even funny anymore, more or less pitiful. But heck, I sure get a kick out of seeing his face every time I whoop him."
"Alright then! Time for Merlux's super-secret teleportation powers! NOW TELEPORTING!"
"Wait, I think I forgot to ask—" In a blink of an eye Mario and Merlux left the village, teleporting straight to the Mushroom Kingdom. From wherever they ended up, they would march to Larry Koopa's location, defeat the Koopaling, and retrieve the first of their Essence of the Goddess.
Meanwhile, back at Merlin's house the wizard was troubled over how he could not communicate with the deceased Luigi and Daisy's spirits. It was a feat that had worked on everyone else beforehand, and for these particular two individuals it would not work.
"This is vexing," the wizard mumbled to himself. "I have tried and tried again to speak with the souls of the departed Luigi Mario and Princess Daisy Toadstool of Sarassaland, yet my endeavors bear no fruits for the labor. Something is amiss; what of their souls? Have they been met with a terrible fate? I must have the answers. Perhaps I will find them if I observe their graves once more to see if their spirits had left the body yet or if they linger around the graveyard." Merlin once more invoked the eyes of the Star Spirits to gaze upon the tombstones of the two recently passed. He watched intently as there was no suspicious activity at first. After keeping his eyes on the spot for nearly half an hour, Merlin was about to call it quits for the moment. But something odd caught his attention; he studied the sight closer and he finally got the answer he had been looking for during the past week.
"Is it true?" he said. "Is this truly what I am seeing before me? It is what I see and it is a most desirable answer to my queries. I must inform Mario and Merlux of this immediately. It seems as though fate – as strange as it can be – has another purpose for those two yet…"