Fleetmont

6:00 am

By the time Mario, Goomblaine and Hanner had walked back to Fleetmont (all the while having to deal with the anomaly of the sun rising backwards), the entire town was swept up in a madcap celebration. All the missing citizens had returned, and friends and family were being joyfully reunited on all sides.

"Wow! I've never seen the place this busy before!" Hanner laughed.

"Hanner? Hanner! Is that you?" came a voice from somewhere in the bustling crowd, and suddenly Sergeant Sledge came running out.

"Oh, praise the stars! You're all okay!" he cried in relief as he approached them. "Hanner, did you honestly go off into the forest with those two? Really, I've been worried sick about you!"

"Sorry, Sarge," Hanner muttered. Truth be told, she was still a little upset about the pointless job he had given her.

"We're lucky she did, though," Mario came to her rescue. "We never could have beaten those Pudgy Budgies without her help!"

Sledge straightened up. "So I've been hearing the truth, then? You three got rid of them?"

"You sound shocked," Goomblaine muttered. "Nice to know we got so much support."

"And I see you found that Sun Soul of yours, too," Sledge went on, noticing the glowing egg Hanner was clutching to her chest. "Hanner, what are you doing with that thing?"

"Turns out, it belongs to me," she said brightly.

Sledge frowned. "Uh huh…"

"Hey, Hanner!" came another voice. The green- and blue-shelled Hammer Bros quickly came up behind Sledge.

"Oh man, Hanner, we were talking to Sarge about you!" cried the blue-shelled one. "We really thought you were a goner, man. But you were the one who got rid of the birds?"

"Yeah… guess I'm good for something after all, right, Sarge?"

Sledge immediately started looking guilty. He bowed his head and sighed.

"…I'm sorry, Hanner," he admitted. "I suppose I haven't been treating you very fairly. I was starting to doubt you could handle being on the force. But you really proved me wrong." He suddenly started looking proud. "You're a truly great Hammer Bro for what you did for the town. I'm certainly glad to have you around."

Hanner had been smiling, but now her face fell.

"Uh… well, about that," she said awkwardly. "Y'see, I kind of have to leave town for a while and go with Mario. He's on this really important mission, and he needs me along."

Sledge turned skeptically to Mario. "'Really important mission'?"

"I wouldn't take her from you unless I absolutely had to," Mario promised. "But she's the only one who can help. I hope that's all right."

Sledge looked back and forth between them, finally sighing deeply in defeat.

"Well, if you really need her that badly, I can't say no," he decided. "Just bring her back soon, would you? Already she's become some sort of town hero. I think people will want to hear about what happened directly from her."

"Hey, you guys can't leave now!" the green-shelled Bro protested. "We're having a homecoming party for everybody who got lost! And you guys are the guests of honor!"

Mario looked surprised. "Well… I don't really know. We really should get going, and – "

"All right! A party!!" Hanner cheered, and that was the last word on it.

The festivities ending up lasting far longer than Mario would have liked, but he had to admit, the cheerfulness of the occasion was contagious. He did get a little tired of constantly having to recount how they'd defeated the Pudgy Budgies, though. When everything had died down, he, Goomblaine and Hanner unanimously agreed to stay at the Hotel for a while, Mario just then realizing he hadn't gotten any sleep since he'd come to Chronoside.

They woke up at six in the morning – of course – and after a few more goodbyes, they began the long journey back.

––

––

Soluna Town

12:00 Noon

Crawling back up through the Warp Pipe, Mario was relieved to find Soluna Town exactly the way he had left it. Everyone was still cheerfully going about their lives, and there was no sign of any impending crisis.

"I've always wanted to come here," Hanner giggled. "What a neat place this is! Sure is more interesting than Fleetmont."

"Okay, so what do we do now, exactly?" asked Goomblaine, sounding grouchy as ever.

"Well, we should probably go find Rodolfo," Mario quickly decided. "If anyone can give us an idea of where the second Sun Soul is, it's him."

"Who's Rodolfo?" asked Hanner.

"Trust me, you'll know him very well by the time this is over."

Mario led the other two over to Rodolfo's narrow little house, which was fit very snugly in between two other white plaster buildings on the side of the street, and rapped on the door.

"Hey, Rodolfo? We're – "

"MARIO!!" the Doogan cried in delight, throwing open the door so abruptly that the trio standing outside leapt back in alarm. "Oh, you came back, just as I knew you would! Come in right this instant, all of you!"

He practically shoved them into the foyer, jittering with excitement.

"Mario, how were things? Not too troublesome, I hope? You did find the Sun Soul, yes? I should think so, otherwise you wouldn't have come back, isn't that – "

"Geez, Rodolfo, calm down," Mario sighed. "Yes, we found the Sun Soul – " Rodolfo started clapping in anticipation. " – and we found the Guardian, too."

Rodolfo's eyes looked like they would bulge out of his head.

"You did?! Where?!"

Hanner, while obviously taken aback by the eccentric Doogan, very quietly cleared her throat and waved at him.

Rodolfo turned to her. "You? It's you?"

He whooped in excitement, scaring all three of the others, and then seized Hanner's hand and began shaking it violently. "What an absolute honor! I can't tell you how thrilled I am to meet you, miss! I never in my life imagined I'd get to meet one of the Guardians face-to-face!"

Hanner was looking very uneasy. "Uh… I'm really just a regular kid, mister. Honest."

"Nonsense! If you were selected to be one of the new Guardians, then there's nothing regular about you! And I mean that in a good way, mind you."

"But she's not a real Guardian yet," said Mario. "I mean… we don't think she is, at least. She doesn't have any special powers or anything."

"No, I suppose not," Rodolfo sighed, looking sobered for the first time. "That will have to wait until all six Guardians have been awakened to their identities, I believe. Yes, you'll need all of you in order to realize your true powers. Although, I should think just having that Sun Soul with you should grant you some kind of ability."

"Well… I did kind of feel something," Hanner admitted. "Yeah, when I first put my hands on that Sun Soul… well, it almost felt like there was some kind of magic inside me. I don't really know how else to describe it."

"Hmm…" Rodolfo seemed to be pondering this, when all of a sudden he snapped his fingers.

"Mario! Are you familiar with something known as Star Power?"

Mario blinked. "Uh… actually, yes. Very much so."

Rodolfo nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes, I should hope you are! There are many different beings and relics throughout the world that are said to grant Star Power to their wielder. Just last week, I was researching a legend on seven ancient and powerful jewels known as the Crystal Stars – "

"Uh, yeah. I've seen those."

"Well, of course you have," Rodolfo chuckled. "But my point is, the Twelve Guardians are also said to have the ability to bestow Star Power on a chosen person. In fact, the stories that discuss the calling of a new Guardian describe how the person who awoke them would be able to perform a special ability in conjunction with that Guardian."

"So you're saying Hanner and I… together we can use some kind of special move?"

"Yes, yes! Why don't you try it out right now?"

Mario and Hanner looked at each other unsurely, and the plumber shrugged.

"Here goes nothing, I guess," he decided, taking Hanner by the hand. "Uh… Star Power activate?"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a spiraling wind seemed to form around the two of them. Mario leapt back in shock as it whirled around them, and he noticed it actually seemed to be glittering in a rainbow of colors. Finally it rose up and vanished, and Mario was stunned to realize he suddenly felt completely energized.

"Woah… that was neat," Hanner gawked.

"That's it!" Rodolfo cheered, jumping up and down in excitement. "That move is known as Second Wind! It has the power to restore your energy if you are weak."

"Well, that's definitely good to know," Mario remarked. "So once we get the other Guardians, I'll be able to do something like that with all of them?"

"Unless I'm horribly mistaken, and I rarely am about this sort of thing, then yes," Rodolfo confirmed with a smile. "But in order to do that, of course, you'll need to find the remaining Sun Souls as well. And I – "

Suddenly, his eyes grew very wide, as he seemed to remember something very important. He smacked himself in the forehead.

"Oh, Mario! Forgive me! I've been an utter fool!!" he cried. "I just now remember what you asked me before you left – how you wanted me to keep an eye out for those other friends of yours!"

Mario's heart skipped. "You mean Luigi and Peach? Did you find them?"

"Why don't you come see for yourself?" Rodolfo laughed, grabbing Mario by his sleeve and pulling him along. Goomblaine and Hanner tailed along after them until he had led them into the living room.

Mario gasped.

Sitting there at the coffee table, looking completely unharmed, were Peach, Luigi, and Toadsworth.

Peach looked up and gasped as well, jumping to her feet. "Mario?!"

"Guys!!" Mario cried, racing forward and hugging Peach tightly. "You're okay! You're all okay! Oh, thank goodness! You have no idea how worried I was!"

"Hey, take it easy, big bro," Luigi laughed, and Mario remembered him and hugged him as well.

As soon as he let go, though, the smile fell slightly from his face.

"Oh… but… that's only half of you, isn't it?"

"What's that?" asked Peach. "Oh, yes… Rodolfo told us about that. He said the world was split in half, and there's other versions of us somewhere now?"

"What a load of poppycock," Toadsworth scoffed. "That fellow is completely daft, if you ask me."

"Actually, he's not," Mario sighed. "It's true. There's another half of this world, one where it's always night. And everyone in this half is in that one as well."

"Boy, that's creepy," Luigi said with a shudder. "I only want there to be one of me!"

"We're working on that," the older brother assured him. "Did Rodolfo tell you guys anything else? How we're looking for the Sun Souls and the Guardians and all that?"

Peach wasn't listening. She was suddenly crouched in front of Goomblaine.

"Oh, Mario! What cute friends you have!" she squealed, tugging on Goomblaine's bandana. "These are your new partners, aren't they? They remind me so much of your old ones! You always seem to have a Goomba and a Koopa with you, it's so silly – "

"Hands off, lady," Goomblaine snarled, and Peach jerked her hand back in alarm.

"Say, Rodolfo, there is one other thing," Mario recalled now that he was looking at his partners again. "We're pretty sure there's only one version of Hanner."

"Well, of course there is!" Rodolfo agreed as though it were completely obvious. "You can't very well have two halves of a Guardian, can you? No, I believe everyone who was chosen currently only exists in one half of the world, like our dear friend Hanner here."

"Well, then, we have a sure-fire way of telling who the other Guardians are," Hanner remarked with a grin. "There's only one of each of them!"

"Exactly. And now that we're on the subject, I suggest we figure out exactly how to go about finding the next one."

"Good idea," Mario sighed, sitting down and unfurling his map over the coffee table.

As he looked, he saw that the next region of Chronoside they would be visiting, on the southwest corner of the map, was a mountainous area. In fact, drawings of jagged peaks took up practically the entire corner of the paper.

"Ah yes, the famous Pietra Bluffs," Rodolfo regarded the map. "One of the largest mountain ranges in the world. And if I recall, there are hundreds of mountain villages around there. No doubt our Guardian is living in one of them."

"Okay, but which one?" Mario asked doubtfully. "I mean, look at all those mountains. We don't have time to go climbing all of them!"

Rodolfo sighed. "I'm afraid I can't help you there, Mario. It could be any of them."

Mario frowned deeply, wondering where exactly they could go from here, when suddenly Peach spoke up.

"Oh, Mario! I know where it is!" she realized. "The Sun Soul! It's at the very top of Mt. Tourmaline!"

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Peach.

"…How do you know that?" Mario asked after a very long moment.

Peach suddenly looked nervous and blushed. "Oh… I don't even know," she confessed. "I just all of a sudden realized it somehow. But I'm positive that's where it is, Mario, I really am!"

Completely confused, Mario turned to Rodolfo to see what he thought of this. But it was Hanner who spoke next.

"Hey, Mario, you remember what I said before?" she recalled. "How I thought that if one half of you learns something, then the other half knows it too?"

"You think that's what happened?" asked Mario. "So then the Peach from Nightside somehow found out where the Sun Soul is? But that would mean – "

"Your Nightside counterparts have been kidnapped by King Shroude, and he's holding you prisoner in the Temple of the Sun where he just so happened to divulge the location of the Morning Soul!!" Rodolfo cried in a sudden panic.

Now everyone turned to stare at Rodolfo.

"Uh… I guess that could be it," Mario decided.

Peach looked very alarmed. "What?! We were kidnapped?! By the awful man who killed those Guardians? How could that be? What does he want from us?"

"So only half of you got kidnapped?" Mario chuckled. "Well, that's fifty percent better than average."

"Stop fooling around, Mario!" Peach snapped, grabbing him by the shoulders. "We have to save me! I mean, us!"

"Princess Peach, that's quite out of the question," Rodolfo said firmly. "We currently have no access to the Temple of the Sun, and I'm afraid we won't until we have found all six Guardians. Besides, this may work to our advantage. Your Nightside selves can find out where the other Sun Souls are being held, and then you will be able to tell us."

"But… what if something bad happens to us over there?" Luigi protested, looking frightened. "Doesn't that mean something bad happens to us too?"

"That may be, but I wouldn't worry about such a thing. If it were King Shroude's intention to finish you off, he would have done so already."

Mario narrowed his eyes at Rodolfo. "Are you sure about that?"

"Almost entirely."

Mario groaned and shook his head. He had learned from previous experience that "almost" usually meant "no".

"Well, if you're right, Peach, then I suppose we have to go to Mt. Tourmaline," he said resignedly.

"Yes, Mt. Tourmaline… the tallest mountain in all of Chronoside. That would be a very fitting place to hide the Morning Soul," Rodolfo mused. "You'll certainly need help getting up there. Mountain climbing is not a layman's sport."

"I suppose the first thing to do would be to learn a little more about the place," Mario decided. "Any thoughts on where we could go to do that?"

"Well, there is the Department of Tourism… their headquarters are on the other side of town," the Doogan recalled. "Many people visit Mt. Tourmaline yearly, so the department would be the best place to obtain information about it."

"Oh, Mario! You mean you have to leave again already?" Peach cried, quickly standing up. "Well, I'm coming with you this time! I don't want us to be separated any longer, and that's that!"

"What? Don't be foolish, Princess!" Toadsworth snapped, standing up along with her and holding his cane out in front of her. "It's far too dangerous out there for you! I was assigned to look after you, and so I shall!"

"But Toadsworth, can't you see he needs me?" Peach protested, starting to look impatient. "We'll be much better off if all of us go together! There's no use in us just staying here while Mario goes off by himself!"

"Actually, I'm afraid accompanying Mario is out of the question for the rest of us," Rodolfo sighed as he folded his arms. "We're only halves of people, you know. We can only remain in the half of the world to which we belong. In order to do collect all the Sun Souls, one must travel through Day and Night, and the only people who can do that are those who haven't been split – namely, Mario and the Guardians."

"And me, if anyone cares," Goomblaine muttered.

Peach visibly wilted. "Oh, I see," she sighed. "And I was so looking forward to sightseeing around Chronoside too… well, Mario, just promise me you'll be careful out there, won't you?"

"Yeah, and we'll try and find out where all those Sun Souls are," Luigi promised. "I just wish we could come with you guys. We could really help out in a pinch."

"You guys don't have to worry," Hanner promised them. She dramatically pulled out her hammer and pointed it at the sky. "As a proud member of the Hammer Force, it is my duty to uphold peace and justice wherever I go! I will help Mario, no matter the odds!"

Goomblaine started snorting in uncontrollable laughter at her theatrical display.

"And Goomblaine will help too, of course," Mario said impatiently.

––

And so Mario and his partners bade farewell to their friends before setting off across town. As they walked down the cobblestone street, Mario became aware that he still hadn't seen all of Soluna Town. There were plenty of shops and landmarks that caught his eye – one in particular.

"Hey, guys, what's this?"

They had reached a circular area in the middle of town where numerous benches were set up for people to lounge around. In the very center of the area, though, was a strange-looking pillar or altar of some kind. It was made of white marble with gold patterns decorating it, and it rose up to about Mario's height.

"I haven't seen this thing yet… what's it for?" he asked, assuming at least one of his partners would know the answer.

"It's just some other dumb tradition they've got around here. It's a Star Pedestal," Goomblaine replied listlessly.

"Yeah, those things are really important," said Hanner. "I think there's one of those in every town and city in Chronoside. They've got one in Fleetmont."

"What do they do?"

"Normally, nothing," said the Hammer Sis. "But there's a legend that says if you return a wandering star to a Star Pedestal, something good'll happen to you."

Mario looked intrigued. "A 'wandering star', huh? I don't suppose you know what that's all about?"

"No. Nobody does, because there's no such thing," said Goomblaine. "Seriously, that's just stupid. Those things don't do squat, and they never will."

"Aw, you never know, Mario," Hanner said encouragingly as she and the plumber went off after Goomblaine, who was already impatiently leaving. "Maybe we'll find one sometime on this crazy adventure. Wouldn't that make a good story?"

"I dunno. This story is complicated enough already."

––

The headquarters for the Department of Tourism, as it turned out, was a rather small and unimpressive building. There was an unoccupied information desk in the front, several chairs set up for people to wait in, and a back room which Mario never did get to see. There was also a case full of pamphlets and brochures, which Goomblaine and Hanner started leafing through while Mario stood at the desk.

"Hellooooooo?" he sighed, ringing the bell. "Come on, where could they be? This is a bit of an urgent case."

"It must be lunch hour," Hanner decided.

Goomblaine glared at her. "It's always lunch hour here."

Hanner blushed. "Oh yeah… I keep forgetting about that."

"Well, this is pointless," Mario grumbled, folding his arms. "We'd better just go back to Rodolfo's house and tell him that – "

"AHEM! AHEM! AHEM! Last call for the Pietra Bluffs! I repeat, last call! If you signed up for a tour of the glorious Pietra Bluffs, YOU'D BETTER BE HERE NOW!!!"

Suddenly, from out of the back room came marching a large group of people who all seemed to be wearing hiking gear. Leading the group was the one who had been shouting, a Bald Cleft wearing a hardhat with a light set into it. Walking next to him and holding a clipboard was a Monty Mole wearing a pith helmet.

"Yeah, yeah, you heard the man," sighed the mole, scribbling something down. "All payments are final, no refunds, we cannot be held accountable for any crippling, life-threatening accidents that may occur while you tour with us – "

Mario blinked. "Woah, woah, woah!" he said, running eagerly up to the Cleft. "You guys are leaving on a tour of Pietra Bluffs? Right now?"

"ALL PAYMENTS ARE FINAL!!!" the Cleft barked at him. "At least I would be saying that to you if you had MADE a payment! Are you on the list? NO! Which means you did NOT make a payment! Which means NO TOUR FOR YOU!!!"

"Geez, what's this freak's problem?" Goomblaine grumbled.

"I AM CLEFFORD!!!" the Cleft bellowed at Goomblaine. "The founder and president of Clefford Touring Unlimited! You will NOT refer to me with such disrespect!"

The Monty Mole groaned and shook his head, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, you guys," he sighed to Mario and his partners. "He gets like this right before a big tour. Adrenaline rush, I think."

"Well, look," Mario said to Clefford, "my friends and I really need to go to Mt. Tourmaline. It's kind of an emergency. If I can pay right now, can we join this tour group of yours?"

"PAH! I spit on such nonsense!" Clefford growled. "I provide first-class, five-star tours of every region in Chronoside! They are in high demand! Signups occur weeks, no, months in advance! Besides, it costs one thousand Coins per person! You don't exactly look like the types who are swimming in money!"

"Real tactful, this guy is," Hanner muttered.

Mario sighed. "Look, isn't there any way?" he pleaded. "You really have no idea how important this is."

"AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW IMPORTANT REVENUE IS TO ME!!! NOW BEGONE!!!"

"Now, wait just a minute," Hanner said decisively as Clefford began to lead his group out the door. "What if we paid you in something a lot better than Coins?"

Mario turned to stare at her. "Hanner, what are you – "

This got Clefford's attention as well. "You talk foolishness, annoying Koopa girl who is probably poor! What could possibly be better than Coins?"

"Well," Hanner said with a grin, "there's this."

She pulled out the Dawn Soul.

"ARE YOU NUTS?!?" Goomblaine screamed at her.

Clefford stared hungrily at the glowing Sun Soul, his eyes glazing over. Mario wouldn't have been surprised if he'd actually started to drool.

"Great Gritzy Desert!!" he cried. "I have no idea what that thing is, but it looks EXPENSIVE!!!"

"Yeah, well, you can't have this one," Hanner chastised, holding the Dawn Soul out of the greedy Cleft's reach as he tried to jump for it. "But what if we told you that there's another one just like it at the very top of Mt. Tourmaline?"

Clefford stopped jumping and glared up at her. "I'd say you must think I'm very stupid indeed."

"Yeah, we do," Goomblaine said without missing a beat.

"But I'm telling the truth," Hanner promised him. "And if you can get us all the way up the mountain, that thing could be yours!"

Had he not been gazing longingly at the Dawn Soul this entire time, Clefford probably would have said no. But luckily for Mario and the others, Clefford was one of the more selfish and foolish Clefts around.

"Oh… all right, all right!!" he finally decided. "You join tour! We go up Mt. Tourmaline! DELICIOUS GLOWING EGG IS MINE!!!"

The Monty Mole looked up from his clipboard. "Uh… sir, is that really a wise idea?"

"Morris, you fool!" Clefford spat at him. "I know a good business plan when I see one! You obviously don't! That's why you're just a beleaguered assistant!!"

"Yes, sir," Morris grumbled.

"Now, let's waste no more time hanging around this dank place!" Clefford declared. "THIS TOUR HAS BEGUN!!! ALL PAYMENTS ARE FINAL!!! NO REFUNDS!!! WE CANNOT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ANY CRIPPLING…"

"Hanner, I have no idea whether that was incredibly smart or incredibly stupid of you," Mario muttered to her as the three of them joined the back of the tour group, Clefford leading them all outside as he continued to shout. "You almost lost your Sun Soul, and now that guy thinks he's getting one!"

"Theoretically, he could be the next Guardian. Then it'd belong to him after all," Hanner said with a weak giggle. "Oh, Mario, I'm really sorry. But there was no other way he would let us come with! I had to do something!"

"I hope you ain't actually planning on letting him have it when we find it," Goomblaine growled at her. "Or you're even stupider than I thought."

Clefford led his tour group across town until they reached the southwestern area, where a Warp Pipe was sticking very conspicuously out of the ground.

"Now then!" he announced, turning to face the group. "Let me remind you all that Clefford Touring Unlimited does not accept stragglers! If you fall behind, you get left behind! And furthermore, you're all looking after your own selves and your own stuff! You already paid, so I really don't care what happens to you anymore! So don't come complaining to me if you fall and break your – "

"WE GET IT!!!" shouted Mario, Goomblaine, and several others.

"All right, all right, you ingrates. Let's hurry it up! Next stop, Mt. Tourmaline!"

He jumped into the Warp Pipe, with Morris very reluctantly following after him. The remainder of the tour group filed in one by one once they had gone. Mario, Goomblaine and Hanner were the last of all.

––––

A/N: Don't you just love those lengthy, dialogue-filled chapters? Yeah, me neither. Hope I didn't bore you to death. But Chapter 2 starts next, so you can get excited about that. :D

And Happy Holidays, everyone!