Chapter 6: The Soul Contract

It was late in the evening, and the rain had proceeded to fall. The dark windows of the sleeping city were wet with rain drops, calm slanted rain visible in the streetlights.

Mario was lying on the wet streets with his back to the cobblestone, his eyes closed peacefully. He may or may not have been sleeping, but he was not snoring. The camera zoomed in closer to his unconscious face before fading to black. A vortex of blue chains in a purple and black background transitioned us from reality to dream.

/

Mario awoke and had found that he was locked inside of a cell. He was sitting on a thin mattress that lie over a thin board. The makeshift bed was about 2 feet above the ground, and was supported by chains which went into the wall. Mario was hatless, his brown hair scruffy. He was wearing a typical white and black stripped jailers uniform, barefoot with a ball and chain attached to his right ankle. His hands were cuffed with what appeared to be magical handcuffs. They were made of otherworldly stone, glowing an eerie blue.

"Oh?" Mario barked with rather calm confusion, standing tall.

"*chuckle*... Despite being thrust into such a strange situation, you do not panic."

"Huh?" Mario barked, turning towards the iron barred door of his cell.

Mario noticed there was a wooden table in the center of what appeared to be a cylindrical room. The mature, deep male voice had come from a man in a black suit who was sitting at the table in a blue chair with a tall back, his white gloved hands neatly together on its surface. He had a white formal undershirt, a black tie, and black pointed shoes as well. What was most odd about this man was the strange, eerie purple mask that was upon his face, unable to conceal all of his long grey hair which was flowing behind.

The mask had bright red-yellow eyes with green pupils, and yellow and green spikes all around it's heart shape. The sight of it alone would have sent chills down just about anyones spine, but Mario was unshakeable.

There was a young girl with a small build and medium length dark green hair wearing a light green tunic, standing at the right of the desk. The sleeves of the tunic were a darker green than the torso, which also featured a dark green collar of the same shade. She had a green tunic belt with a gold buckle as well as green boots. Finally, she also wore a green headband. Her eyes were blue, and based on her expression alone it was difficult to tell if she was serene or somber. She gave a quick bow. Her voice was soft and full of youth, but surprisingly mature.

"It is my pleasure to introduce Master Majora, inmate N-64."

Mario looked around, and noticed that the cells in the cylindrical room were organized by a rows that were assigned a letter. The cells were assigned a number within that row. There were a ton of cells, but no one was in any of them. It was also odd that the floor was set to row N, with no stairs or floors above to provide access to the other cells above and below.

"This room is merely a cognition that has been modified for the purpose of our discussion and holds no bearing in reality." Majora informed, noticing Mario had been examining the prison quite intently. "Please refrain from dwelling on such trifling matters."

"Pay attention, inmate N-64." She warned, her voice soft.

Mario turned towards them without a word, but they gave him a bad feeling. His eyes narrowed in caution. Majora gave a calm chuckle, which caused Mario to ease with a mild bark.

"*chuckle* This one is worthy of being called by his own name, Miss Saria." Majora decided.

"My apologies, Master." Saria apologized, with a bow. She looked at the prisoner with a calm expression. "Mario, is it?"

"That's right." Mario replied, with a nod. "Who are you two?"

"You may call me Majora." Majora introduced, his tone mature and voice deep. "And this, is Saria. She serves as the warden for this... jail of souls."

"Jail of souls?" Mario questioned, his head tilted. He looked down at his hands, examining once again the glowing magical cuffs that locked them in place.

"Those are in place to prevent you from using your Goddess power." Saria explained, with a hand.

"Really? It's not like I'd use them on you guys, anyway." Mario frowned.

"*chuckle* A trusting fellow. How admirable." Majora nodded, his expression impossible to gauge since he was wearing a mask. His chin was resting upon his clasped fingers, elbows on the table. "However, a lack of caution may one day cost you your life. It would be most wise to keep that in mind."

"I'll be okay." Mario kindly argued. He proceeded to look around again. "So what is this jail of souls, exactly?"

"The jail of souls serves as a prison for all who are bonded by contract." Saria explained, with a hand.

"Contract? Did I really sign something so bad it would imprison my very soul?" Mario questioned, seeming uncertain.

"We are all bounded by the chains of reality. Helplessly destined to suffer during our short and tragic existence, both tempted and harmed by acts malevolence and greed... But what Miss Saria is referring to concerns the Goddess Stars."

"Since you have acquired the power of a Goddess Star, your soul is bound to this place through contract." Saria explained.

"Wait, what do you mean by my soul being bound to this place?" Mario questioned, head tilted in thought.

"In the events that your life is cut short, you will end up imprisoned here." Majora explained.

"Wait, what? I didn't know that was part of the deal!" Mario fret, appearing nervous.

"Relax, Mario." Saria soothed, raising a hand partially. A magical scroll had appeared before their very eyes. "You have not yet signed the soul contract."

"I'm not signing something like that, no way!" Mario resisted, turning his head with closed eyes while remaining handcuffed.

"Sign the contract, or forfeit the power of the Goddess Star." Majora explained, nodding with his hands together upon the tables surface. "These are your choices."

"Wait, so in order to keep my powers I need to sign the soul contract?" Mario clarified, his head tilted.

"Yes." Saria nodded.

"And if I sign it, in the events that I die... I'll be imprisoned here?" Mario continued, looking forward.

"That is correct." Saria confirmed, with a hand.

"Gee, that's really tough..." Mario admitted, looking downward with a nervous sweat.

"*chuckle*... Such are the ramifications of acquiring true power." Majora warned.

"In the event that you refuse your newfound power, the Goddess Star from which you obtained it will reappear somewhere in your world." Saria explained, with an informative finger. "You will then be returned back to your world with no other consequences."

Mario was looking downward in thought, weighing his options. He eventually looked straight ahead once again with an expression of determination.

"I accept." Mario agreed, his expression serious. "With this, I'll be able to protect my friends. I'll be able to protect our kingdom, and I'll be able to get hers back."

"What happens to me doesn't matter." Mario continued, his expression brave with closed eyes. Thoughts of Princess Peach, his brother Luigi, Pauline, Princess Daisy, and all of his friends flashed through his mind. He opened his eyes. "As long as I know I can protect them... as long as I know that they will be alright, I can rest in peace!"

"My, my... How valiant." Majora praised, hands on the table and legs crossed beneath. "Saria."

Saria marched toward the imprisoned Mario with a floating quill pen and contract at her side. They hovered into Mario's cell, the magical quill pen nesting in his gloved, cuffed hand.

"Please sign the contract to receive your new power." Saria ordered, with a hand.

Mario did not hesitate, nor was he eager to sign. On the bottom of the page was a line next to small italic words, which Mario did not read. They happened to read "enter your file name". Mario sighed the contract.

"The soul contract has been signed." Saria informed, making the document and utensil disappear into shimmering light. "And so, the power of the Fire Star is rightfully yours. Congratulations."

(Everyone... I'll protect you.) Mario assured, his eyes trembling in determined thought.

"*chuckle*... Do take care not to die a foolish death." Majora warned. "The consequences are severe."

"Of course I won't." Mario retorted, brimming with confidence.

"I hold high expectations for you." Majora informed, with a hand.

Once again, a vortex of blue chains in a purple and black background transitioned us from dream to reality.

/

Mario could hear the rain again. Somewhere nearby was Pauline, who was driving in a red convertible. Her red nails gripped over the steering wheel as she drove through the rain with tired eyes. Her cell phone lit up on the passenger seat as she received a text message. She glanced down at it.

1:26 AM

Waluigi: "Subject: Carnival?"

"Ugh, I totally forgot about that." Pauline groaned, unlocking her cell phone while driving. She tapped away with her thumb while controlling the steering wheel with the opposite hand. The windshield wipers were moving slowly to remove the calm rain.

1:27 AM

Pauline: "Yes. I'll send you more details in the morning."

1:27 AM

Waluigi: "Excellent."

"Geez, he answers so quickly. Seems like a total creep." Pauline dismissed, giving an expression of disgust. She looked up from her phone and her eyes widened in terror as she saw a figure standing in the wet headlights. She screamed as she slammed her heel onto the brake pedal. "YIIIII-"

The car screeched as it came to an abrupt stop. Pauline looked up as she heard someone pat their hand twice on the hood of her convertible. She saw it was Mario, who was soaking wet with a big smile on his face, waving at her.

"Mario?" Pauline calmly awed in surprise. She put the car in park and unlocked the doors so that he could get in. Mario recognized the sound, and proceeded to make his way to the passenger side, looking awfully happy for someone who was soaked and nearly hit by a car.

He opened the door and immediately proceeded to sit down. "Hi Pauline!"

"No no no!" Pauline panicked, not wanting him to sit directly on the car seat with his wet clothes. But it was too late, as he had already sat down. She faced forward with a pout. "Ugh."

"Something the matter?" Mario asked, seeming clueless.

"It's nothing." Pauline dismissed, looking out her car window with disappointment.

"How is everyone else?" Mario asked, with a hand. "Did they make it back to the castle?"

"We ran into that old hag, and she gave us some trouble but we pulled through somehow." Pauline explained, oversimplifying the story purposefully. "They should be back at the castle. I decided to go home."

"Oh, that's good to hear!" Mario smiled. "Glad they made it back alright."

"*sigh* Look, I don't really want to drive you all the way back to the Castle then back home again." Pauline complained, putting the car back in drive. "I'm eager to get home, so you can just stay at my place for the night. K'?"

"Okay." Mario nodded, seeming totally fine with the idea.

Pauline had turned on the radio, a dull expression on her face as she drove through the rainy streets of Mushroom City. The song was titled Beneath the Mask.

"Well this brings back memories." Mario laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Driving through the city streets together, heading to an apartment. Haha, feels like I've been transported back in time!"

"You know, it's easier if you just don't bring up the past." Pauline sighed.

"Well I know we're both thinking it anyways." Mario argued, with a hand. "Besides, it's just a comment."

"Yeah, I suppose." Pauline surrendered, not seeming to care anyway. There was a brief period of silence before Mario spoke again.

"Do you ever miss home?" Mario asked, his voice soft. "Our world, the big city?"

"What? Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" Pauline retorted, rolling her eyes.

"I guess I'm just feeling... reflective today." Mario shrugged, after finding the right word.

"Well... yeah, sometimes, I guess..." Pauline shrugged, coming up to a red light. The car had come to a stop before she spoke again. "I mean, it's all just so strange. How one day we suddenly ended up in this great, wide, wacky world."

Mario did not speak, his silence granting Pauline the opportunity to speak her mind freely.

"But I mean, I'm okay. I'm used to my new life here." Pauline admitted, driving through the green light in the deserted streets. "I enjoy my job as Mayor of Mushroom City. The people here like me. Plus, I'm a lot more successful here than I was back home."

Mario persisted his silence, listening intently to his old companion speak her mind. She smirked with a small laugh, looking at Mario.

"And you are certainly far more successful here as well." Pauline sniped, jabbing at his past.

"Heh, I can't argue that." Mario grinned. He turned and looked out the rain splattered passenger window. He reflected with a soft smile on a time when mentioning his past may have hurt him.

Eventually, they had arrived outside of Pauline's apartment, which was located in the far reaches of the eastern district of Mushroom City. The eastern district of Mushroom City was full of expensive homes and apartments, and the farther one travelled from central square the more expensive they got. Only the richest people in the Mushroom Kingdom could afford to live here.

Mario and Luigi had traveled through the northern district earlier. It was through this district that one can reach Peach Castle via the northern gate. The northern district houses the lovely and world renown Heart Gardens, the far edges of it lining the pathway to the northern gate. Within Heart Gardens located in the middle of dirt path intersections were silver fountains of Princess Peach with her arms raised, water shooting from a spout atop her head that was concealed by her metal crown. Stone curved bridges over gently flowing rivers were accompanied by four stone pillars with stone Stars positioned on their flat tops. Also worth noting in the northern district are the few "hole in the wall" type restaurants and cafes, as well as the cities massive public library.

It was dark inside of Pauline's apartment. The only light came from Pauline's ensuite, as she was standing in front of the bathroom mirror in a satin red nightgown, removing her makeup. Mario was lying on the living room couch, looking up at the roof in deep thought while beneath a spare white blanket reserved for guests. It was too dark to see many of the details in the apartment, but it was easy to see that it was a very nice, spacious place. There was also a large framed picture of Mayor Pauline in formal red clothes with a dark sunhat and gold accessories, her hands neatly together. She was on the left side in the picture with the dark silhouette of Mushroom City behind her, yellow taxi's providing a splash of colour. On the bottom of the picture in large white font were the words Mushroom City. Eventually the light from Pauline's room no longer crept into the living room, and Mario was submerged in near complete darkness. Her heard the bed inside her room make a sound from Pauline's weight. His mind was racing.

The scene was very metro. A city full of yellow cars, and based on the models of the vehicles it was sometime before the 1990's. Near a famous bridge by some glistening water was a considerably heavier Mario, who was dropped to one knee before a thin woman wearing a scarlett dress. In his hand was an opened box containing a lovely ring, the red heel of the woman backing off a step in shock. The solitary diamond sparkled as it rested on the white gold band. People watched the soundless scene. The woman started to laugh, although you could not hear it. Mario's eyes were concealed with shadow. A frown had formed across his face.

Mario's eyes narrowed as his finished the memory. He shook his head. Thoughts of Princess Peach entered his mind. He thought of a memory where she was outside of the castle tending the gardens. Mario had approached her from behind, and she had turned to him. He thought of the way her blonde hair moved, the way her blue eyes looked into his. He remembered her smile.

(It was all for the better.) He thought to himself. He lifted a fist out from under the blanket, examining it with a determined expression as he held it high. (And with this new power, I will protect everyone. And I will help Daisy get her kingdom back.)

Confident that his newfound power would be able to help his friends, Mario closed his eyes and proceeded to drift to sleep.