Chapter 12: The Second Trial, Part I
The mall was absolutely bustling today. From a top down view, it looked like a sea of different coloured Toad heads migrating through the first and second floors of the rectangular complex. The contrast of colours looked almost like that of an abstract painting.
Peach was inside of a store of a particular cell phone provider, doing her best to understand all of the technical lingo the sales provider was bombarding her with. He was a youthful male Toad in a blue uniform, with blonde bangs swept to the side. His spots were a dark yellow. Daisy was standing right by Peach's side, her arms folded and foot tapping. She stared down the sales associate, inspecting and judging every word that came from his mouth for any hint of swindling. Luigi had spent some time examining the displayed electronics. He particularly enjoyed a pair of noise cancelling headphones he had tried, but knew from the moment he had seen them that he could not afford them.
Luigi then journeyed outside with his hands in his overall pockets, seeing if there were any nearby stores he could inspect to kill some time as Peach went through the rigorous ordeal of setting up multiple cell phone plans. As Luigi stood outside while looking to the right, a tall lanky man in purple had bumped into him, which caused the stranger to emit a rather nasally bark of surprise.
"Wah!"
"Whoa!"
Luigi's eyes met the narrow eyes of the tall lanky man, who was preoccupied with trying to catch an object which their encounter had caused him to drop. Luigi directed his gaze on what appeared to be a strange wooden doll that was falling from his hands. The doll itself wore a blue cape, as well as a blue hat with yellow ribbon on it. It also wore dark brown boots and had a spiked yellow collar. The big, blankly staring eyes of the doll were a deep maroon.
Luigi went for a dive, and managed to catch the doll. With a bit of a mid air turn, he landed on his rump with the doll safely in his lap.
"Gotcha!" Luigi smiled, somewhat proud.
The lanky man in purple stomped forward with pointed orange shoes, snatching the doll out of Luigi's arms. "H-Huh?"
"Give me that!" Waluigi sneered, looking at the man in green down the bridge of his nose. "This, is the grand prize at tomorrows carnival! I can't have someone like you sullying it!"
"Huh? Grand prize? Carnival?" Luigi thought aloud, standing up and rubbing the back of his head. Then, it all clicked. He was the man from the carnival poster. "Oh, yeah! The Bombastic Carnival! You're the guy!"
"Yes, that's right." Waluigi quickly firmed, seeming hellbent on not wanting to waste another second with Luigi as he rubbed his twiggy moustache between his fingertips. He bore an overwhelming sense of pride, of which Luigi apparently had appeared to be oblivious.
"That things the grand prize?" Luigi gawked, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know, seems a bit shabby to me."
"Shabby?!" Waluigi shrieked, as if he had been deeply offended somehow. "This is the elusive Geno doll! There is only one of its kind, and it is thought to be over a hundred years old. Look at the incredible wood work! People will love it!"
"Yeah, somehow I doubt that..." Luigi declined, weakly kicking with his hands in his pockets. "What a weird prize for a carnival."
"Whatever. Not like I would a expect a simpleton like yourself to appreciate something so magnificent." Waluigi sneered, storming off rather angrily. "It would be a shame if people like you won it."
Luigi watched with his hands in his pockets as the lanky man stormed off with his twiggy legs in his rather ridiculous pointed shoes. "Geez, what's his deal?"
/
Mario had migrated through the plain quite some distance, running barefoot through the snow. It was quite the peculiar feeling, to trot half naked through snow and not feel the least bit chilly. He paused to look back. At this distance, he could hardly see the faint pillar of smoke from Link and Rosalina's fire. He faced forward and continued through the plain.
/
"I see." Link acknowledged, fire light flickering on his face. "I knew I had sensed the Goddess in you."
"I don't remember much else." Rosalina added, half apolegetically.
"A thousand years drifting through space, surrounded by the energy of the Goddess." Link summarized, stirring up the coals with a stick, before placing another log on the fire.
"In the past," He began, sitting back down. "Zelda would sometimes speak of such a Legend. I don't remember paying too much attention though, because it would not have been quite as relevant during that time as it is today."
"In the past?" Rosalina inquired, staring into the fire.
"Aye." Link confirmed, nodding to the fire. "That would be over a hundred years ago, now."
"Wait, what?!" Rosalina gawked, turning to him in shock. "Just how old are you, anyway?"
"Ahahaha!" Link laughed, rather boisterously. It was almost as if he was drinking sake again. "Yes, well. Let's just say you're not the only one who has been... how would you describe it? Preserved, over some period of time. But that's a story for another day."
"Hmm... hey, umm..." Rosalina slowly started, looking off to the distance with a finger on her chin in thought. "So then we're all from different time periods, right? You, Mario, and I."
"Yes." Link confirmed, with a single nod. His wrist lay limp over a bent knee in a leaning sit. "That would be the case."
"I wonder..." Rosalina continued, eventually heaving a hopeless sigh. "No, never mind..."
"What is it?" Link softly encouraged, with almost a laugh.
"Well... it's just... it's interesting that we all have met up here and are planning to work together now, in this age." Rosalina explained, her blue eyes both lazy and keen. "What are the chances of that? I can't help but wonder if this is being orchestrated."
"You think this is all the product of planned fate?" Link clarified. "Our destiny?"
"Mm." Rosalina agreed.
"I mean, it is true that it is a miracle we are all living under the same sky. But there are still lots of questions." Link objected.
Rosalina didn't reply, and instead stared forward into the fire and let Link speak.
"For example, Princess Zelda is the reason that I was preserved. She's also the reason that I'm here now." Link explained. "For you, it would have been the Goddess, right? As for Mario... I mean, I don't know that much about him yet, but I sense that he is originally from another world entirely. How did he end up in the Mushroom Kingdom?"
"And then there's whoever is making us go through these trials." Link continued. "I'm not sure if these all interconnect in someones planned out way, or if this is just one big coincidence."
"Hmm..." Rosalina was deep in thought. She took nearly five minutes to continue speaking. "It does seem like it would be hard for someone to set all of this up. Maybe even for the Goddess. Still, I just can't help but feel like someone, or something, wants us all to be alive at the same time."
"It's hard to say for sure." Link admitted.
"But Mario," Rosalina was quick to continue speaking. "He must be over a thousand years old."
"Why do you think that?" Link inquired, looking at her with keen blue eyes.
"Because I have memories of him in my early life." Rosalina flatly replied.
"Like what?" Link persisted.
"I remember..."
Rosalina proceeded to slowly ramble on about various things she remembers from her past. They were mostly vague details, like Mario's clothes, or his moustache blowing in the wind. She mentioned soft air, and bright colours. Blonde hair, she emphasized blonde hair. No matter how hard Link pressed her or how many questions he asked, he couldn't get anything concrete from her, such as where she was or who she was with, or things Mario might have said. It was a weak testimony, he thought. He decided to change the subject.
/
Mario had marched straight towards the snowy mountains for the entirety of the journey, the beautiful jagged mountains growing larger and larger as he approached them. It was as if it were slowly swallowing him whole, like a ship being sucked into the belly of a whale. Eventually, Mario hit a point close to the mountain where the snow suddenly got far far deeper.
"Awawa!" Mario cried, as he sunk into the snow completely. He lit himself on fire in an effort to avoid being buried alive. "Fire!"
A large burst of flame extended outward from him like an atomic bomb. All of the snow within a forty foot radius had completely melted. Mario took a moment to survey what had been revealed. The grass in the surrounding area was wet from the snow that had just melted, and there was now a steep grassy slope which led back to the snow where he had come from.
"That explains the sudden drop." Mario thought to himself.
Mario turned and saw that there was small, semi-frozen log cabin within this decline. Luckily, his quick fire burst wasn't persistent enough to set it alight, although it had no trouble vaporizing the surrounding snow. Accompanied with a bark of wonder, a red exclamation mark appeared over Mario's head as he saw the door was struggling to open.
SLAM!
With a loud kick, the door had finally managed to bust open from the inside. What emerged from the warm cabin was a Toad. He was dressed in a brown winter jacket, the kind that had lots of rolls. It even had a real fur hood. His pants were also brown and insulated, his boots a deep black. His mushroom head was blue rather than white, with red maple leaves instead of spots.
"Oh, thanks for that eh! Till' now I was more stuck than a beaver in maple syrup." The Toad greeted, with a friendly accent. "You can call me Canuck T."
"Oh, hello. I'm Mario." Mario replied, with a wave. "I didn't realize anyone lived way out here."
"Well Mario, I reckon ye certainly wouldn't have after that ol' avalanche earlier." Canuck T. proceed to digress. "A couple o' rumblin' from that there mountain and those snow caps were tree' sheets to the wind. Swallowed me and Dolly whole, eh, like nothin' else, mind."
Before Mario could even respond, a pink coloured dear with sparkling eyes stormed out of the log cabin. It had small sporadic white patches of fur in the shape of stars and a red bow on its adorable head.
"Eh? Dolly?! DOLLY!" Canuck T. cried, but to no avail.
Mario stood there stunned as the deer charged through him, sending him flying up in the air.
"A-wa-wa-wa-wa!" Mario cried, twirling in midair before landing on his belly. "Ooomph!"
"DOLLY! DOLLY, GET BACK HERE!" Canuck T. cried. He watched with a somber expression as the deer ran off towards the mountain.
A cold chill blew through the arctic air. Mario was back on his feet. Canuck T. waved him in.
"Aww man, there she goes. All this here happenin' has spooked er' good, eh." Canuck T. explained, somber. "Well, mite as well step on in for a cuppa and a snack. I'm just bout' gutfounded meself eh."
Mario accepted the offer with a polite nod, and entered the log cabin behind the friendly Toad. After several minutes, they were sitting at a wooden table with two steaming cups of coffee. There was an old television on top of the fridge, which Mario would have to turn extensively if he wanted to watch. There was a clear blue bag of crumpled recyclables next to the plastic black garbage bin beside the fridge. The lid was partially opened, and there were a few flies buzzing around it. Near the fireplace in the adjacent room, there were milk crates of newspaper and kindling besides the red brick hearth.
"Well, I don't know much about magic n' stuff but you don't mind the cold much, eh?" Canuck T. thought out loud, after hearing Mario's explanation. "Might you shore be a helpful hand to 'ave around these parts."
"Thanks for this, but I really can't stay for long. My friends are out in the cold and I need to find them some warm clothes." Mario explained.
"What's that now? Yer buds are in a pinch?" Canuck T. exclaimed, with concern in his tone. "Well why didn't ye pipe up before? I got just the ticket!"
With that, Canuck T. went down the hallway that was just behind him. Shortly after he returned with three sets of winter gear, folded neatly and wrapped in a strap. There were even boots. He plopped them down onto the table. The sets were surprisingly compact.
"This'll do the trick. Real fur, that stuff is. Even if its bloody well 40 below, you'll be warm as toast." Canuck T. explained. "There's one for you too, eh. Even if you aint cold, it'll protect your skin from scratches and the like."
"Wow, thank you so much..." Mario awed, half apologetically as he rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I don't have any money..."
"Money?! You said yer friends were stuck out in the cold, didn't ya?" Canuck T. gawked, baffled. "Their lives be needin' savin'! I don't need no goods, bud."
"Besides, you got me out from under that ol' avalanche." Canuck T. continued. He looked downward with a somber expression. "Though I sure do miss sweet ol' Dolly, mind."
"We'll definitely keep an eye out for her." Mario assured, with a nod.
"Mighty 'ppreciate that, bud." Canuck T. nodded, smiling again. "Now go on out there and get them there on to yer friends. Before they start losin' digits eh."
With that, Mario left the log cabin, saying his farewells to the friendly and generous Canuck T. He continued through the snowfield back the way he came.
Link and Rosalina were still sitting by the fire, managing to keep warm thanks to the heat it provided. Despite this, Link began to look grim.
"I do hope Mario returns to us soon." Link admitted. "We are down to the last of our firewood."
"I'd hate to fail the trial by freezing before I had a chance to even do anything..." Rosalina agreed.
As if right on cue, a cheer could be heard from Mario as he hopped towards them.
"Ah, great! He's back." Link softly smiled.
"Finally." Rosalina added, watching as he hopped a few times, performing a triple jump and nearly landing into the fire pit.
"H-Hey!" Rosalina barked, shielding herself to brace from sparks and ash.
"Sorry that took so long, guys." Mario apologized, dropping three packs of gear. "A super friendly Toad in a log cabin over that way gave these to us."
"Really? He's a lifesaver!" Link cheered, accepting a pack.
"Aww..." Rosalina softly pouted, looking at the clothing with disdain. "But these are mens clothes..."
"I don't think you have much choice!" Mario comedically scolded.
The three of them dressed themselves in the gear, which looked just like the gear Canuck T. was wearing. Rosalina smiled as she slipped on the grey wool socks.
"Wow, these are so warm and comfortable!" Rosalina exclaimed, animated yellow bold lines accenting her glee. "But these boots are a little too big for my feet."
"Ahh. Much better." Link awed, standing tall while dressed in the gear, which fit him perfectly. Mario stood tall and stared at him in peaceful silence.
The three of them were dressed exactly the same. A brown coat with rolls, brown thick pants, and deep black boots. The hood was real fur, and only Mario opted not to wear his. The cold blush on their cheeks was almost as red as Mario's cap. Link and Rosalina each wore the black gloves that were provided, Mario choosing to wear his usual white pair.
"I'm so warm now." Rosalina calmly stated, with a hint of glee. "I just gotta keep snow out of these boots."
"Tuck your pants into them." Link advised.
"Let's start exploring!" Mario cheered, running forward with clenched fists of excitement. "I haven't even been on the mountain yet!"
"Hold on just a moment." Link silenced, revealing his Sheikah Slate. "I'm going to get us a map."
He stared at the screen, and watched as blank section of the map pulsate. Text appeared on the screen with an accompanying technical jingle.
"Scanning area..."
Eventually, a blanked out section of the map shun a mystic blue light, and a detailed map had appeared along with a chiming echo. He couldn't get the entire map, however.
"Regional map extracted..."
"Hmm..." Link sighed, with a hint of disappointment. "Looks like I couldn't get the entire area from here."
"What do you mean? What did you do?" Mario questioned, his head tilting for a second.
"I've extracted regional data using this Shiekah Slate." Link explained, while Rosalina was finishing up tucking her snow pants into her boots. "This looks like a really big map. If we want the full picture, we should head towards the top of that mountain there."
Rosalina and Mario both turned to where Link was facing. Link was pointing to the summit of a mountain that made Canuck T.'s cabin seem like the size of an ant.
"You mean we gotta climb up that entire mountain?" Rosalina sighed, defeated by the mere thought. "What a pain..."
"It will be much colder up there than even down here." Link warned. "I do hope this gear will suffice."
"We won't know 'till we go!" Mario cheered, jumping with a clenched fist skyward. "Come on! Let's beat this trial together!"
"Hahaha. Indeed." Link agreed, with a nod. "Let's complete the trial and get ourselves out of here."
With that, Mario, Link, and Rosalina began their adventure into this mysterious, snowy world. Unbeknownst to them, a most daunting trial awaits. Crawling on the opposite side of the mountain walked long, mechanical white legs with clawed feet, accompanied by the technical sounds of some sensory system. Glowing blue light from the machines reflected off of the snow that the clawed feet trampled over as they scanned the environment.