A brand new life is calling...

It's so much brighter living in your world.

Savior, what you did for me

You gave me something I want everyone to see.

-Learning to be the Light: NewWorldSon

I awoke peacefully. I didn't remember any of my dreams of that night, but that just made it all the more relaxing. No turmoil within my head while I was unconscious. Unfortunately when I opened my eyes I was still in the space the small one had brought me to. I was almost hoping that had all been a dream and I'd be back in my darkmat in my own space.

I threw my feet to the ground and picked myself up. I made my way over to the plate and pulled it open. I walked out into the main room and saw many of the little one hustling about. 'How did it multiply so quickly? And they all look identical.' One of them approached me. "Ma'am, the dining room is this way," he said, gesturing for me to follow him. I strode after him leisurely; looking at all the features of the space I was too tired to last night. There were two large staircases on either side of the room leading up to a large plate at the top. Directly underneath that there was a smaller plate, level with the floor I was standing on. Two other plates sat on either side of the space probably leading to a couple of hallways.

We stepped through the door under the staircase. This space was large, and had an elongated table in the center of it. There was a plethora of food items sitting atop it. A few of the little ones were already seated and eating. The one I was following turned back towards me. "Please help yourself, ma'am," he said motioning towards the table. I walked over to the end and gazed along it. The smells floating into my nostrils made my mouth water. My stomach growled telling me how hungry I was. I sat and scooped some food onto a dish for myself. I scarfed down the delicious cuisine quite unceremoniously, and piled more in the dish. I finished another dish after that one before I lounged back, thoroughly stuffed.

Now that I had some sustenance in me, I needed to talk to this Princess Peach. I rose from the table and returned to the other space. All of the little ones seemed to have gone on their way, but it wasn't empty. There was a man standing alone a ways away, twiddling his thumbs. He wore a green hat, which had a white L on the front of it, and shirt. His pants were blue and had straps going over his shoulders. He also had a slew of hair on his upper lip. I stood a few steps closer before he noticed me. He waved his hand enthusiastically, and walked over to me.

"Hey there! Haven't seen you around before. What brings you to the castle?" He asked.

"I was traveling and stopped to rest. Your Princess was kind enough to let me stay," I replied.

"Yeah, she's a really nice lady. No matter who you are she's always gonna have something sweet to say to you."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"My bro just went to get her. They should be down any second." As if that was a signal the plates at the top of the stairs opened. Through them came a pudgy man, wearing the same attire as the gentleman next to me, except it was red and had an M on the hat instead. They even had the same hair on their upper lip. If I had to guess, I'd say they were related. Also, a young, pretty woman walked beside him. She had blonde hair, with a crown atop her head. She wore a beautiful, flowing, pink dress.

They made their way down the stairs and stopped in front of us. The woman quickly curtsied before speaking. "Hello, Luigi. How are you this fine day?"

"I'm fine, Princess. And how are you?"

"I am wonderful, thank you." She turned towards me and smiled. "You must be our guest. I am Princess Peach. I'm sorry for not introducing myself to you yesterday, but I thought you'd like to get some sleep first."

"I'm glad for you hospitality, your highness. My name is Ruia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruia," Peach said cheerfully.

"I'm Mario," the one wearing red stated.

"And I'm Luigi," the one in green chimed in.

"It's good to know you," I smiled at them.

"Why don't we all go out and we can show you around. We'd love to hear about where you come from, Ruia," Peach suggested.

"That sounds wondrous, your highness," I answered and followed them out the door.

Mushroom kingdom was an amazing place. There were so many vibrant colors everywhere, and the citizens were all so kind. Every way you turned there was simply something bright to keep the mood cheerful. We made our way to a small café for lunch after a while. We sat in a corner that would allow us some privacy. A waitress came and took our orders quickly and left us to our conversations.

"So, where do you come from, Ruia?" Princess Peach asked.

"I hail from a place called Tanjo n'ok."

"I've never heard of that. Where is it? What is it like?" Luigi questioned.

"Relative to here, I'm honestly not sure where it is. I do know it is a very long journey, and not one worth making for what you'd see there. I have no idea what our lands look like. You see, we live encased in metal, and aren't ever allowed to leave. I've never seen such things as the sun, or plants." I paused for a moment and looked at their awed faces. They'd obviously never heard of it, so they wouldn't know how to get back. Before I got caught up in thoughts I continued. "It is always dark and dreary. We have artificial lights, but they don't help much. Now that I've seen your lands I realize it's quite depressing."

They took a moment to process everything I'd told them. "That does sound sad, but it's your home. How will you get back if you don't know where it is?" Peach asked, genuinely concerned.

I cast my eyes down, embarrassed by the truth of the statement. After a moment I realized something painful. "The Nlciao, my family, or former family I should say, made it that way."

"What do you mean?" Mario asked.

I paused, thinking back to them, but stopped myself before I got emotional. "I was banished," I answered in a whisper, "I am never allowed to return."

"Oh, my poor dear," Peach cooed, "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for Princess, so please do not." I smiled up at her reassuringly. "You have already been kinder to me than my family ever was." They all gave me the same pitying look that made me sick. I didn't deserve pity. I was a monster. I didn't belong in their presence, but they didn't care. They were so kind to me it warmed my heart. In that moment I swore I would never again use my powers, so as not to hurt these people.

The waiter brought our food and we ate mainly in silence. Once we'd finished we made our way out of the restaurant and started back to the castle. We came upon a small hill and I could see much of the lands from the top. I looked out to a peculiar dark area amongst all the bright of Mushroom Kingdom. There seemed to be some sort of castle in the midst of it. "What is that?" I asked, pointing to it.

They all looked towards it and frowned. I quickly regretted saying it since it upset them so, but they answered me shortly. "That's Bowser's castle."