Chapter 5 Super Mario Rescue

Mario walked down the path with his hands stuffed deep in the recesses of his pockets. He also kept his head tilted to the ground. There was no reason to lift his head because A, he had walked this path so often that he could traverse it in his sleep, and B, he was lost in thought.

No no, not lost in thought. A better thing to say was submerged in thought. He was in over his head; if he spent to much time in his mind, he would become overwhelmed and explode. He would drown in the sheer quantity of thoughts and feelings.

Why why WHY did it have to be Goomburger? Of all places! He should take Peach to a place that was just as special as her. He should show her all the ways that she made his heart race. He should show her that he cared about every last detail of her, down to every strand of golden hair sitting on her beautiful head.

And yet, no. In the end, he had done the one thing he said he wouldn't and took her to Goomburger. The place that was the literal definition of fast food. The place that a Princess should not be taken to on a date on all things. Sure, their lunch didn't meet the exact definition of a date, but that was neither here nor there. It was the principle of the place that mattered, after all.

Mario sighed. He…he…he didn't know what to do. He wanted to bring the very best to Peach's table. He wanted to sweep her feet in a manner that put the times he rescued her to shame. She was special. She was beautiful. She was precious, lovely, and graceful. She was everything that Mario wanted in a woman. Her appearance was so picture perfect that it belonged in a Renaissance painting. Her personality was loveable to a tee, her smile was bright enough that it changed the very vibe and atmosphere of any room she happened to enter. She deserved the best.

But could Mario give that to her? Could he deliver on being the best he could possibly be for her sake? If he didn't do that, was incapable of doing that…well, then he wasn't deserving of her. Sure, all the times he rescued her certainly earned him points in her book, but he needed to do more than that. He needed to be exactly what she needed. He needed to be…perfect.

And he wasn't. He was just a portly little plumber, undeserving of a princess. He didn't even deserve to breathe the same air as her, let alone be her boyfriend.

Mario shook his head. Maybe it would be best to put this topic to rest for a bit. He had already thought the thought to death. It wasn't exactly dead horse; more like a dying horse about to take its final breath. But still, dwelling on this would only make him more anxious, as well as ignite any regret and inferiority complexes he had. Best to step back, take a breath, and dwell on all that was good in his life. He could leave thinking himself to death for later. MUCH later.

So, for the first time since he started this walk, he lifted his head. The air was crispy and the breeze was gentle. All the smells that he loved and associated with the Mushroom Kingdom shared the atmosphere; the earthy mushrooms, the even earthier soil, the grass whose aroma gave Mario the impression that it had just been mowed. The colors also popped out. Not so much that it burned the plumber's retinas, but enough that it made him feel like he was walking round in a brightly painted picture. The red of the Toad houses, the azure blue of the sky, the green of the grass…Back when Mario and Luigi were in the real world, he used to dream about places like this. While Brooklyn had been a comfortable place to live, every pieces of scenery consisted of either drab grays or ugly browns. The variety of the Mushroom Kingdom was nice, to say the least.

And the sounds. The bird chirps sounded like flutes in a symphony. The Toads talking, with their voices over-lapping each other, sounded so homey and friendly. These were the sounds that Mario associated with the Mushroom Kingdom. With home. No matter how much nostalgia he held toward Brooklyn and its ordinary wonders, he would always consider the fantastical Mushroom Kingdom his home. Sure, when he and Luigi first arrived, they didn't blend in at all. But now that they had built up names for themself, with Mario being the hero and Luigi being…well, Luigi, it was a place that he never wanted to leave. It was like Heaven if Heaven was on the other end of a dirty warp pipe and was filled to the brim with Mushroom people.

Mario stopped. He wanted to ingrain these sounds into his mind, brand them on his brain so that he could appreciate them later. There really was something to be said about slowing down and just listening to your surroundings; being fully present in the moment.

"Mama Mia, I love this place." Mario smiled and took in a deep breath. "Everything about the Mushroom Kingdom is perfect."

"Help!"

Mario blinked. That call for help was distant and echoey. He looked around; none of the Toads had seemed to hear it. They were too preoccupied in their own worries and daily lives to notice it. That meant that the responsibility to follow it and figure out what it was fell on him.

So, he put one step forward. He noticed that, the closer he got to the edge of Shroomberg's eastern border, the louder the calls grew. Not only that, but the grew more frequent; a definite sign that whoever was calling needed help as soon as possible. Mario hurried up so that he was running instead of walking.

"Help me! Please!"

Mario looked around. The calls were loud now, loud enough for him to determine that the caller was a young child. That meant he REALLY needed to hurry; if a child was hurt…well, if a child was hurt, then Mario's responsibility to rescue them was all the greater. There was always something extra sinister about the fact that bad things could and would happen to children, especially young children.

"HELP!"

Mario stopped right on the edge of a cliff, a cliff that dropped off right into the Cremini River. He looked down, and his heart jumped into his throat. The caller, a Toad who looked no older than six, dangled off the side of the cliff. The only thing that was preventing them from going splash in the river was a branch that they grasped tightly in their hot little hands. A branch that looked like it was just minutes away from snapping and sending the kid to his doom.

"Mi amico!" Mario leaned down. "Are you okay?"

The Toad looked up. His face lit up when he saw who was speaking to him. "Mr. Mario!" The branch's hold on the cliff wall grew looser, causing the Toad to shriek. "I'm okay, but please help me!"

Mario nodded. "No need to worry, little fungo." He laid on his belly and extended his hand towards the Toad. The Toad reached out to grab his hand, but the distance between them was too great. Neither one of them was able to grab the other.

What's worse, the branch's threats to send the little guy drowning grew even more frequent. The little boy screamed, crying as he did. This broke Mario's heart straight down the middle.

"Keep holding on, little buddy." He stood up. He frantically searched the surrounding area. Item boxes, item boxes…there had to be item boxes! WHERE WERE THE ITEM BOXES?!

"HELP!"

Mario, now so desperate that tears were growing in his eyes, squinted into the distance. There had to be some item boxes around here, otherwise the child would be dead. Mario couldn't live knowing that the blood of a child stained his hands. Evil goombas and malicious koopas sure, but not someone whose life had only just begun. Mario mumbled a prayer to Grambi, hoping beyond hope that he could locate the item boxes he so desperately needed.

Thankfully, his prayers were answered and his hopes proved to be well placed. In the distance, he saw yellow blotches floating in the air. Those were item boxes; there was no doubt about that.

"Just hang in there, buddy," Mario said as he looked down at the Toad. "I'm going to go see if I can get a power up."

The Toad grit his teeth as he tightened his hold on the ever loosening branch. "Please hurry!"

Mario nodded and took off. He ran as fast as he legs would carry him. The adrenaline and desperation only made his movements faster; there was no such thing as running out of breath in moments like these. He barreled through the grass, determined to reach those item boxes.

I can do this, he thought to himself. I have to do this. I HAVE TO DO THIS!

Finally, he reached the item boxes. He stopped underneath them, his breathing a little on the heavy side. There were three of them in total; three chances of finding the power up he needed.

"I hope there's a tanooki leaf in one of these." With that, he jumped up and hit the first one. "A 1 UP!" Normally, Mario would be ecstatic to find these, but this time, they only made his worrying more prevalent. He hastily stuck the green mushroom in his pants pocket and hit the next block. This one produced a fire flower. A great power up, but one that was ultimately useless in a scenario such as this.

"Come on!" Mario felt like crying. In the distance, he heard the little Toad screaming. No doubt the branch was just seconds away from breaking. "Come on, come on; give me something! ANYTHING that will allow me to fly!"

With that, he broke the last box. Out of it sprouted a cape feather. It floated to the ground, causing Mario to breathe a sigh of relief. Not exactly a tanooki leaf, but it would do. The only thing about it was that, unlike the tanooki leaf which allowed him to hop into the air and fly for as long as he wanted, this little baby required him to get a running start. A little annoying, but by all means doable considering the distance between him and the Toad.

"Grazie Grambi." He took the power up and activated it, causing a cape to bellow out from his back. Grinning, he broke out into a run. The cape fluttered and flapped behind him, creating a playful sound in his ears. Even then, he still remained serious. Taking a deep breath, he jumped into the air and flew. A good thing too, because just as he predicted, the little Toad's branch snapped.

"AHHH!"

Mario dove toward the boy. Seconds before he hit the water, he grabbed him by the hand.

"Gotcha!" He hoisted the Toad up and flew back up onto the side of the cliff. Once both of their feet were safely planted on the ground and they both caught their breath, the Toad smiled and embraced Mario in a hug.

"Thank you thank you, thank you!" He squeezed him extra tight, his laughter springing up in a way that was both beautifully charming and outrageously adorable. "You did it, Mario! You saved me!"

Mario beamed and hugged the Toad back. "It was nothing, piccolo fungo." He patted the boy on his bulbous, blue spotted head. "Now, all we have to do is get you back home…"

Before Mario could finish his sentence, the ground rumbled under his feet. Startled, the little Toad jumped back. A good thing to, as th edge of the cliff broke off and sent Mario careening down toward the river.

"AHHH!"

Splash!

The door was opened by the little Toad's mother. "Oh!" She smiled down at her son. "Toadly, you're home." She kissed him and looked him straight in the eye. "You didn't get into any trouble, did you?"

"Well…I kind of did." Toadly smiled. "But it's okay, because Mr. Mario saved me!"

The Toad's mother looked up, into the face of the grumpy, muddy, sopping wet and dripping Mario. She gasped when she saw him. "I can't believe it! You're actually the Super Mario!" She reached for a notebook on a side table near the door. "May I have your autograph, Mr. Mario?"

Mario huffed and scribbled his name on the paper. The mother squeed and hugged the notebook to her chest.

"Oh, I can't believe my son was saved by Super Mario of all people!" She beamed at him. "Thank you so much!"

"Any…anytime." Mario wiped some mud off his face. It was going to take a long hot shower to clean his skin and hair, and an even longer cycle through the wash in order to clean his clothes. "I'm…" he cleared his throat, too grumpy to put on a smile. "I'm glad to do it."

The mother's face grew warm. "Such a heroic young man." She drew her son closer to the door. "Well…see you later!"

"Bye Mr. Mario!" Toadly called out.

"Bye!" When Mario had waved at them and they closed the door, he let out a long, super drawn out sigh. "Looks like I should get home." He shook his head. "Not that there's much to do there…" He shook his head a second time. "Oh well. At the very least I can clean up and put this unpleasant experience behind me."

With that, he turned and began walking.