Chapter 9 A Glittering Ruby

Mario spent a lot of his time wandering and hiding, ducking into the shadows whenever the opportunity and the need arose. The hours dragged on, like the day was intentionally going out of its way to be as long and as grueling as possible. This was a problem, as Mario longed for the night hours. He yearned for the darkness, for it would be the perfect cover to hide his scaly, monstrous new self.

But alas, fate wasn't kind to him, similar to how it wasn't kind to many a monster. It took what felt like an eternity to get to the early hours of the evening. When that finally came, Mario set himself down under an apple tree just on the outskirts of Mushroom Village. And while he was there, he curled up into a little ball and started to sulk. The day had been exhausting from start to finish. And the worst part of all this was that tomorrow wasn't going to be any better. It would still hold a grudge against Mario and his new form. It would still present to him issues that he had absolutely no hope of overcoming. Tomorrow was guaranteed to be terrible.

Just like every other day from here on out.

When Mario had that thought, he actually started to cry. He couldn't believe that he was doing this; it felt like such an unheroic thing to do. It felt like something that the very essence of who he was (or used to be) would reject. And here, he cried. He cried so much that, after a little bit, his eyes and face grew numb to the pain. His tender eyes and rough face no longer allowed even the relieving process of shedding a few tears to provide the plumber-turned-koopa any type of grace or mercy.

But honestly, it was the only thing he knew how to do at the moment. Even despite the fact that no one would pay a sobbing koopa any mind, he still cried. He cried for hours, with the twilight overtaking the sky and the nocturnal animals making their presence known with their iconic calls. He cried, not knowing if there was any hope left now that his whole life. Everything he had ever known and loved was gone. How could someone come back from that? How could anybody pick themselves up after hitting rock bottom this badly?

"Hey."

Mario lifted his head out of his lap. Did… did he really hear that? Or was it some kind of hallucination, his mind grasping at straws for any kind of relief and comfort in this time? He hesitantly got up, looking around the area. He didn't see anybody. At first.

"Who's there?" he asked, not really knowing if he would appreciate an answer. He turned to look behind the tree, and that's when he saw someone. A young, human woman with short brown hair and glowing green eyes, to be more specific.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked.

Mario hesitated. Again, he questioned whether or not this is real. There was always the possibility that he had cried himself to sleep and was now dreaming underneath the shade of the apple tree. However, one pinch on the arm and one hand reaching out to touch the woman's arm proved that no, this wasn't a dream. This was real. This was actually happening, despite the very slim, very near impossible odds.

"Uh…" Mario struggled over what to say. "I'm…" he didn't know whether or not to tell the truth. After all, what rational person would believe that he was Super Mario, cursed to have a reptilian body? Luigi hadn't believed it. Toad hadn't believed it. Why then would this random woman, paying him attention for no discernable reason, believe him? He couldn't do it.

But at the same time, he couldn't exactly lie either. Again, he was terrible at lying; the worst liar to be born in the history of the universe. So, he just stood there, trying to decide what was the best thing to say.

"I'm not doing quite so well, no," he finally settled on. Sure, it was a massive understatement, but it was at the very least the truth.

The woman nodded. "I can understand that. Any koopa who decides to come to the Mushroom Kingdom ultimately finds it's not… welcoming, I guess you could say."

Mario nodded, understanding her point completely both from a logical standpoint and an experiential standpoint. Sure, on some level, the Toads' hostility and fear towards Koopas made sense. But at the same time, that fact was not a good aid for the mustachioed plumber in these circumstances.

"How far away do you live?" the woman asked. "Do you live in the Koopa Kingdom?"

Mario bit his lip. "No, I don't live in the Koopa Kingdom." He hesitated, his heart pounding in his mouth. "But… I also can't easily and readily return home, either."

"I see." The woman put her hand to her chin. "Well… why don't you come lodge with me for the night? I have a spare bedroom."

Mario's jaw dropped to the floor. "Wait, really?" His eyes went big an buggy. "You… you'd do that? For a koopa?" When the woman nodded, he had to do a double take. "That's… thank you! Thank you so much… um…"

"Ruby."

Mario smiled. "Yes. Thank you so much, Ruby. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"Of course." Ruby gestured for Mario to follow her. "Follow me; my house isn't that far from here." She noticed Mario's fear, which caused her to pause. "Plus, it's almost nighttime. No Toad or human will even be out to notice you."

Mario breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you. Lead the way."

…

The sleep Mario got was surprisingly restful, which was a miracle on par with walking on water. He stirred and rose to sit up in the bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he did. For a split second, he hoped that everything that had happened yesterday was a bad dream. He figured that he was more than likely still in his own house, waking up in his regular bed and ready to conquer the day after Peach's birthday. In fact, he almost expected that. He opened his eyes, ready to see his room…

Only to be mightily disappointed. The room was exactly the same room Ruby had guided him to the night before, the room with a colorful comforter and plushy, stuffed animals that looked like they belonged to a child. And if that was all the same as before… yep, yep, he was still a koopa. He actually sniffled when he saw his scaly hand, almost delving right back into a crying fit. Why did fate have to be so cruel? He had done his best to be a good hearted, kind hero. Why then would something this horrible happen to him?

After a little bit, however, he shook his head, dried his eyes, and decided that he wasn't going to dwell on that. He had much more important problems, like figuring out where to go from here. He thought, once again, about how in the world he would get to the Koopa Kingdom and fight Bowser. The slim chances of him emerging victorious without any sort of power up still made him shudder, shudder like he had just learned how to. Would he be able to do it? He certainly hoped so…

Mario sighed, lamenting the impossible odds. He got out of bed, and when he did was when a terrible smell wafted into his nose. It was a smell that filled a person with fear, a smell that caused even the most tough and brave of people to enter panic mode. That being, the scent of something burning.

With wide eyes, he bolted out of the room. His heart seized up when he saw Ruby, burning something on the stove. He ran over to her, his worry going off charts that not even Luigi and Toad had topped. "Ruby, what are you doing?"

Ruby didn't turn to face him, but she didn't need to in order for him to see her blushing complexion. "I wanted to make you breakfast."

Mario made a face. He leaned over Ruby's pot, seeing some black stuff that he hoped used to be some sort of oatmeal. "Uh…" he twiddled with his fingers. "Th… thanks?"

Ruby chuckled. "You're welcome." She gazed into the pot, into what could easily be considers a big black abyss. "I think it goes without saying that this isn't exactly… edible anymore." She turned off the stove. She finally turned to Mario, her whole face seeping embarrassment. "Maybe we should make ourselves bowls of cereal instead?"

Mario would've laughed if he wasn't still recovering from the panic from earlier. "That sounds great, thank you."

With a smile from Ruby, the two of them got right into making cereal. Once they were done, they took their bowls out into the dining room and sat down with them at the table. Thankfully for Mario, who soon discovered that his tastebuds hadn't changed at all during his sudden and horrible transformation. Puffy Shroom cereal was still as sweet, crunchy, and delicious as ever. As a consequence, he ate it happily. He lapped it up, not stopping for even a minute to breathe. Maybe this was because he hadn't eaten a morsel yesterday, or maybe it was because he was just thankful to come across a familiar taste in this impossibly tumultuous time. Either way, he enjoyed eating the cereal.

It was after he had halfway finished the cereal, however, that questions started to rise up in his mind. He looked at Ruby, studying her with an almost disbelieving mood. "Hey, uh… Ruby?"

"Yes?" Ruby asked as she took a bite from her own bowl of Puffy Shrooms.

"Why did you decide to help me?"

Ruby pulled the spoon out of her mouth, looking at Mario with an expression was… actually kind of humorous. "Why wouldn't I? You were crying under the apple tree that I frequently go to. How can I not help someone when I see something like that?"

Mario sighed. "Well… I guess that makes sense…" he shook his head. "But what I meant was… why would you help a koopa?"

Ruby seized up a little bit. "Uh, well…" she stirred her cereal. "Koopas are people too. And people need help."

Mario actually snorted when she said that. "You actually think those monsters deserve help?" Ruby gave him a puzzled, surprised expression, one that immediately reoriented Mario to the fact of what body he was currently in. "Uh… I mean… you don't hate koopas like everyone else?"

A mist seemed to settle over Ruby's eyes. "I could never hate koopas," she almost whispered. That was the only explanation she gave, and honestly, Mario kind of wanted to pry for more. However, he decided against it because of how… forlorn Ruby appeared. So, without another word, he jumped right back into eating his cereal.

After a while, he finally finished. Once the very last drop of milk had been drunken from the bowl, he smiled at Ruby and went to put the bowl in the sink. He actually managed to hum "Jump Up Superstar" as he rinsed the bowl and put it in the drying rack.

"You don't have to do that," Ruby said as she too stepped into the kitchen. "You're my guest; you shouldn't have to do housework."

Mario chuckled. "I know. But still, I like to help out when I can." He reached out, offering for Ruby to hand over her own bowl. After a moment of reluctance, she handed it over, and Mario washed and rinsed it. He actually felt a little proud of himself, looking at the sparkling dishes in the drying rack.

"Well. That's a lot less hassle for later."

"It certainly is," Ruby replied. "Thank you… oh, uh, I don't think I ever got your name?"

Mario seized up when Ruby said this. Just like last night, he questioned whether or not he should lie about this, if she would even believe him if he did tell the truth. It was ultimately him reminding himself of his pathetic lying skills that made him say:

"I'm Mario."

Ruby did a double take. "Mario? You have the same name as the plumber who saves Peach from Bowser!" She chuckled. "It's odd that any koopa would have the name of their king's sworn enemy…"

Mario chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well… there's actually a reason for that…"

AN: Fun fact; I was originally going to have Mario meet Professor E Gadd in this chapter. However, after a bit of thought, I figured Ruby would make more sense. And would further solidify this being in SK canon.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next one will be out soon! :)