Chapter 3: The Wonders of Toad Town

Pearl followed Belle through the gates to Toad Town. The girl had never been so overwhelmed yet so excited at once. The town was bustling with strange citizens she'd never seen before. They shared a few traits with her Underworlder brethren back at home such as their similar facial structure and appearing in a variety of colors, but their skin was more of a peach color, their eyes and mouths didn't glow different colors, and in the place of crystal-like hair were round domes resembling the mushrooms from back in the fields. Some of these citizens gave Pearl some strange or even awkward looks, but she merely smiled and waved in response.

Compared to back at home, Toad Town seemed a lot more crowded as the streets were packed like hordes of Scaredy Rats near a trash buffet. The little princess was lucky to have Belle around. The yellows and browns that made up the Honeyhiver made her easily clash with the one-color Toad Town citizens. There's no way she could lose sight of her if she tried. Not that Belle wanted her to either, since she stayed close to the girl (though not too close as to get poked by her sharp hair again).

"So… this 'Underworld' you speak of…" said Belle. "It's probably nothing like this kingdom… right?"

Pearl giggled. "Well, so far it's kinda like it. Only not as crowded… or bright." Pearl put her hand above her eyes as she looked around the scenery. She certainly liked everything around her, but that ball of light was so bright… It made looking up a bit difficult. Why was that thing there? The crystals back in her world were certainly bright and beautiful, but not blindingly so.

Belle seemed to notice Pearl's struggles and took something out of her pocket. "I guess there's no sun there, huh? Here." The Underworlder didn't even have time to examine the object the Honeyhiver took out as she suddenly placed it over her eyes. The world around her turned a bit darker, though that glare from the big ball on the ceiling was thankfully gone. She didn't have to cover her eyes anymore. It felt so relieving… She could see everything!

"Wow! Thank you!" Pearl thanked as she looked around more clearly. The buildings were easier to make out now. Some places that stood out to her included a purple house with a spinning blue roof, a blue building with a huge envelope next to a logo saying "POST OFFICE", a garden nearby that wasn't growing vegetables, but rather those same small stalked plants she saw when first arriving, and even a purple roofed building with the logo "Crazy Cap".

"What is this cool magic?" asked Pearl.

"They're sunglasses," answered Belle. "They keep the sun out of your eyes, with the added bonus of looking cool!"

Pearl giggled. She didn't feel any cooler than before, but decided to just take her word for it. She was pretty used to these kinds of compliments at this point. Before she could look around more, a peculiar jingle ringed in her ears (or rather where they would be anyways). Both her and Belle saw a moving mushroom on wheels playing music with the logo "ICE T. JUNIOR'S". Some other kids gathered around the truck, laughing and squealing in sheer glee. Pearl looked to the truck with intrigue. Those kids seemed to like it… but why?

"Aw yeah!" Belle exclaimed. "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" The girl sang in a giddy tone.

'Ice Cream'. Neither word was very familiar to the Underworlder girl at all. But repeating it in her mind multiple times, it had a pretty nice ring to it. And if other kids found it appealing, she simply had to find out why. "What's ice cream?"

Belle stopped dancing in place and went still like a statue. Pearl was wondering if something was wrong until the Honeyhiver slowly turned towards her with jaw dropped to her shoulder line. Pearl grew worried and waved her hand at her face, only for Belle to lunge toward her and grab her waist with all four arms. "You're joking… right? You've never had… never heard of ice cream in your life?!"

Pearl only dropped a sweat and let her eyes wander. "Um… n-no? Wha-What is it?"

Belle narrowed her glare at Pearl, only to soon replace her scowl with a grin. "Oh, you've never lived until you've had one. Now, come on!" Belle eagerly pulled her new Underworlder companion over to the truck. Pearl watched as all the mushroom-headed kids got this 'ice cream' and licked it off their cones with huge smiles brighter than any Underworld crystal or even the big ball on the ceiling (or the 'sun' as Belle called it). Some even got the food on their faces without a care in the world. Pearl was a little confused on what the hype was about. It's just food after all, and food is… well food. But she figured it might be worth finding out what the hype was about.

Belle got up to the person in the truck with a name tag saying 'Ice T. Jr.'. "A scoop of cookies 'n cream, please!"

"Coming right up!" said Ice T. Jr. as he took out a scooper. He then turned to Pearl who stared at her for a moment with a similar look to the other residents earlier, but quickly returned to smiling. "And what will you have, little girl?"

Pearl looked up at the menu. She saw lots of words that were brand new to her. Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Pistachio, Mint Chocolate Chip, Buttered Pecan, the Cookies 'n Cream flavor Belle ordered, and so many more. Pearl had no idea what any of these were. She considered picking a random one at first, but what if she didn't like it? After a little more thinking, she made her decision.

"I think I'll just have what she's ordering, please."

The vendor chuckled. "Good choice! That makes my job easier, and it's a personal favorite of mine. That'll be 5 coins each."

Pearl was lucky to get allowances from her mom every week and paid just as Belle did as well. Ice T. Jr. gave each of them ice cream cones. The scoops they got were white with black hard crumbs sitting atop hard cones. Belle immediately got to licking and chewing on her scoop while Pearl just continued to stare at hers. This food was so new and strange to her. It felt so cold to the touch and somewhat squishy. Didn't help that it dripped on her hands as if it were water. What if she didn't like it? What would Belle think if she didn't like it? Would she just be seen as weird?

"Pearl!"

Pearl was shaken out of her thoughts when Belle yelled. "Ah! Wh-What is it?"

"Are you waiting for your cone to melt? Chow down!" Belle said before getting back to eating.

Pearl sighed. She was right. It was now or never, and her mother always said you'd never know until you try. So she closed her eyes and took a lick. Just a second after her tongue made contact, her eyes spread wide open again. Oh… Ooooooooooh, this was… This was beyond anything she could've imagined! Pearl's taste buds were tickled from the soft texture from the ice cream and it's incredible flavor she couldn't even imagine to explain as it wiggled through her mouth and down her throat. It felt so cold, yet so soothing, like a swim in the pool on a hot day but inside her mouth.

Belle could see Pearl's pink eyes sparkling from behind her sunglasses and smirked. "Good, huh?"

"G-Good?" Pearl struggled to formulate her thoughts. She still was trying to process this amazing food… "ice cream" was it? This was almost like when she first arrived on and saw this strange new world, except instead of her eyes, it was her mouth. Still, the overall feeling she got was the same.

"GOOD?! This is amazing!" Pearl exclaimed, smiling more brightly than that 'sun' ever could and taking another lick. "You were right, Belle! I've never felt so alive!"

Pearl then kept licking the cone like crazy, not caring how much got on her face and took a huge bite, savoring the creaminess that tickled and soothed her mouth. Belle noticed that Pearl already took off a bigger chunk of her cone in a few seconds than she did in a whole minute.

"Woah! Woah! Slow down, girl! You're gonna get brain-"

"AAAAGH!"

Pearl stopped and clutched her forehead.

"-freeze…"

"Ow…"

Belle rubbed the princess's forehead until the pain stopped. "You good?"

"Yeah…"

"Take it slow, okay? There's no rush. Glad you like it, though."

Pearl happily licked it again after feeling better. "I love it! I'm definitely telling my mom about this!"

The two finished their ice cream and went on their way through the streets. Pearl saw so many stores nearby. Restaurants, gift shops, banks, shopping malls. This kingdom had it all! Pearl wanted to explore them all, but she wouldn't even know where to start!

"Where are we going next, Belle? Is it somewhere fun?" Pearl asked giddily.

"Oh, it's fun alright!" replied Belle. "Do you like toys?"

Pearl gasped. "I LOVE toys!" She wasn't exaggerating either. Her closet was full of endless toys she got for all of her birthdays from her subjects, and her bed was always filled with stuffed animals. She could play with them all day and never run out of things to do.

"Then this is the place for you!" As Belle said that, they approached a massive building with a green mushroom-like roof and brick walls painted red and blue. An array of potted plants were laid out by the entrance, and the logo laid straight above. A blue oval with red and green squares with the words "Toad's Toy Store". (1)

Belle quickly took back the sunglasses from Pearl saying she wouldn't need them anymore and they both ran through the automatic doors. Well, they may have just entered a magical wonderland. There was so much to see here! The walls were brimming with color, featuring depictions of mushrooms, ? blocks, pipes, and other unfamiliar but cool looking patterns. There were many shelves across the store and so many toy exhibits that kids were playing with, like a racing set, a dollhouse, action figures, and many new types of toys Pearl had never seen before. No toy store in the Underworld that Pearl has been to had ever been so huge and colorful. Pearl's delight was through the roof at this point. There was no wiping that huge smile off her face anytime soon.

Pearl was still looking around, taking in the beauty of it all when Belle tapped her shoulder. "I've gotta go get something for a friend. Meet me at the register when you find something!"

Belle took off towards an aisle to the left and Pearl waved. "Okay!" Pearl ran off in the other direction looking at the many aisles. Though she also made sure not to get into people's way. One person just barely dodged her sharp hair and yelled at her afterwards.

"Hey! Take off that helmet! You almost poked me in the eye!"

Helmet? What helmet? Pearl just shrugged and quickly apologized before continuing on, this time slowing down to look around more. All of the toy isles looked so fun and colorful… but where to start? Pearl kept wondering what to pick out when one area at the end of the store caught her eye.

She stepped on a carpeted flooring depicting the bright blue 'ceiling' of this new world with the sun and everything. Many different knick knacks were seen around the place where some kids were looking or even planning to buy. A blue banner was laid out proudly on the wall with colorful bold letters spelling "WELCOME TO MARIO LAND!" and a whole basket full of plush toys stood in the center with a flag pole behind it. The pole depicted a statue of a peach-skinned man with blue eyes, a black mustache, a red shirt with blue overalls, and a red cap with an 'M' emblem. The man appeared to be holding onto the pole with pride, smiling at all those who came by. Pearl couldn't resist smiling back. He seemed very jolly and kind much like herself; not to mention also wearing red. (2)

Above the pole was what looked like a blurry mirror attached to the ceiling. Though it didn't seem to work too well, as Pearl could barely make out her reflection. (3) Without warning, it suddenly started flashing colors and an admittedly catchy song began to play.

"Look! The commercial's playing!" one kid shouted as the rest began to gather around Pearl to watch the mirror.

[BGM: Mario Brothers Rap - The Super Mario Bros. Movie]

We're the Mario Brothers and plumbin's our game!

We're not like the others who get all the fame!

If your sink is in trouble, you can call us on the double!

We're faster than the others, you'll be hooked on the brothers!

Pearl found herself bobbing her head to the beat almost instantly. And could she really blame herself? This song sounded really good! The lyrics were rapid fire, so she couldn't really keep up with them, but it didn't matter much. Who knew mirrors in this world could do this?

After the lyrics ended, that same person depicted in the statue and a similar person wearing green came onto the mirror.

"It's-a me, Mario!" said the man in red.

"And imma Luigi!" said the green man.

Pearl waved to them. "Hi! I'm-"

She didn't get to finish as Mario kept talking. "Are you-a tired of paying too much for plumbing?"

"Mamma Mia!" The two of them gasped with dollar signs surrounding them.

"That's-a why the Super Mario Brothers are here! Off to save-a the princess, the Mushroom Kingdom, your lives, AND your wallet!"

"Just see what our bestest clients have to say!" added Luigi. The mirror then showed several names with comments attached to them.

FlowerPower89: They're both amazing! Especially the green one~

Toad4Captain: Mario and Luigi are heroes to us all! And I will follow in their footsteps no matter how fearful I get!

toadettethecutie: If these two can't help you in a pinch, no one can!

TMunchakoopas: The Yoshi clan owes it to the brothers! We'll always keep them safe!

FLUDDSprite02: I'll never forget how Mario filled my vacation with sunshine! He'll fill yours with it too!

Just then, a beautiful woman dressed in pink with a jeweled crown, blue earrings, and flowing golden hair walked into the frame. Pearl almost mistook her for her mom for a brief moment before shaking her head.

"My kingdom has been a better place than ever thanks to my heroes!" She kissed Mario on the cheek, whose face flushed red before speaking again.

"Forget-a those expensive plumbing companies where you're just a client. With the Super Mario Brothers-"

"-you're family!" all three of them concluded. The music then stopped and the mirror turned black again.

The kids cheered and went back their separate ways again. Pearl stared blankly at the screen, wondering if they'd come back and talk to her again. Well, even if they wouldn't, what she witnessed still amazed her! There was something about that 'Mario' guy that felt super inspiring. And that woman, who she assumed was a princess or queen, felt very much like her own mother. She looked down into the plush pile depicting many different unfamiliar faces. But not like it mattered for now. She already knew which ones she was getting!

She took two plushies resembling Mario and the golden haired girl and ran back to a line to the register where Belle was waiting.

"Yo! You look excited," commented Belle.

Pearl twirled with her plushies in hand and beamed. "You could say that!" She noticed an orange box in Belle's hands with a strange looking mushroom depicted on the cover. "What did you get?"

"Oh, it's just something I got for a friend. She's been wanting to add the Propeller Mushroom to her collection, so I thought I'd help her out," Belle explained. Pearl raised her finger to ask something else, only for Belle to eye the toys she got. "Oooh! Plushies of Mario and Peach! I personally would've gotten action figures instead, but whatevs. You got good taste!"

"Oh! You know about them?" asked Pearl.

"Yeah, they're celebrities! They're like the coolest humans ever!" Belle took the Mario plush for a brief moment. "Mario has saved the Mushroom Kingdom from impending tyranny from Bowser and the koopas hundreds of times. He's a hero who goes out and helps all AND hosts really awesome sporting events, parties, and go kart races! There's nothing this guy can't do!"

"He sounds amazing!" Pearl said with awe.

She gave him back and then took the Peach plush. "Princess Peach is this kingdom's princess. She always looks out to the well being of everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom and brings them hope even in the darkest of moments. They say her pure heart can heal anyone down to the soul… but most importantly makes AMAZING cake! I wish my kingdom had a monarch like her… Ours is a bit pushy with the taxes. This kingdom doesn't eat up my whole allowance!"

Pearl raised an eyebrow. "Wait… You mean you don't live here?"

"Nah," dismissed Belle. "The Honeyhive Kingdom is my home. In fact, my buds are waiting for me back there."

Belle then gave the plush back. Pearl looked back at her two new toys. If what Belle said about both of these celebrities was true… she might have a new favorite set of plushies to sleep with in her bed every night.

"I really want to meet them one day!" continued Belle. "To meet a real princess in person would be a check off my bucket list! And I'd love to show Mario my karate and maybe beat him in a sparring match." She said that last part with a suggestive smirk that made Pearl giggle.

"I'd love to see that!" Though her smile then faded. She told Belle that she was from the Underworld, but not that she was their princess. She didn't even consider mentioning it to her until now. Perhaps it was because It felt good to for once, not be treated like an almighty deity to be worshiped, but as an equal. Alas, it was clearly just because Belle didn't know. But then again, would Pearl be a good friend herself if she kept this a secret from her? Her mama always said that lying will only bring one bad luck.

"Are you okay, Pearl?" asked Belle with a worried face.

Pearl shook her head. "I-I'm fine… I just… I should probably tell you somethi-"

"NEXT!"

"Hold that thought," said Belle as they walked up to the counter. She put her box on the counter and she paid 50 coins. Then it was Pearl's turn. She brought her plushies up and they ringed up at a total of 20 purple coins. Pearl took out her crystal-shaped purple coins and paid them to the cashier. But the cashier just stared at the coins with a befuddled expression. (4)

"Um… is something wrong?" asked Pearl.

"Kid…" began the cashier. "What are these?"

"They're purple coins," replied Pearl. "Is something wrong with them?"

"You're in the wrong kingdom, kid. We don't accept this currency," dismissed the cashier as he handed them back to a now distraught Pearl. "In fact, I've never seen or heard of this type of Regional Coin before. Where did you come from?"

Well, that was a major blow. Her yellow coins worked just fine in this world, but her purple coins didn't? How was she supposed to know that?! How is it even fair!? And now that meant no new toys? Part of her wanted to scream, but she remembered what happened the last time she did that in public… her mother was not happy. So instead, she covered her eyes and teared up.

Belle patted her shoulder. "Hey… Pearl, it's okay. I know what to do!"

Pearl wiped her tears away and watched Belle take out a set of purple coins that were a completely different shape than the ones she had. These ones were round like regular coins, but with a five pointed shape in the middle. Belle paid them to the cashier and he accepted them.

"Much better! Have a good day!"

"There you go! You can pay me back later." Belle gave her a playful nudge on the shoulder. Pearl caught her by surprise with a glomping hug.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! You're a lifesaver, Belle!"

"Um… d-don't mention it." Belle patted her back and let go as they left the store.

Pearl noticed the ceiling starting to get more and more orange compared to how blue it was when she first got here. How odd. The ceiling in the Underworld never changed colors. What was up with this? There were so many questions she had about this wonderfully strange world that she probably won't get them all answered in a single day… maybe even a week!

"So, are you up for some REAL fun?" asked Belle mischievously.

She didn't have to ask her twice! Fun was Pearl's middle name! "You know it! What are we doing next?!"

"Oh, we don't even have to walk far!" Belle gestured towards perhaps the craziest thing Pearl's seen yet. A mushroom citizen jumped into a hole, only for a massive machine to rise out of the hole and send the citizen flying at high speeds.

"Cannon! Cannon! Hop all you can into the cannon!" said the operator next to it, who was a small and round pink ball with eyes and feet.

Pearl gulped. "Um… Are you sure that's safe?"

"Of course it's safe! Especially when you've got someone like me around!" Belle pointed all four of her index fingers at her face in a radical pose. "And it'll be lots of fun!"

Belle pulled Pearl towards the cannon, only for the operator to halt them. "Hold it right there, you two! Aren't you a little young to be using a cannon without an adult?"

"Yes, yes we are," Belle bluntly replied. "But I'm a Honeyhiver and she's with me, so we can make an exception, right?

"Hmm…" The operator stopped to think for a moment. "I guess there isn't any harm in it, but only if your friend there fully trusts you."

Belle turned to Pearl with a more… solemn look than usual. She looked back and forth and back to Pearl. "Listen, I know we've only known each other for a short while, but if I had to put my faith in you in a situation like this, I would do it. Do you… trust me?" She turned away, almost shamefully. "If you don't… I understand…"

"Are you kidding?! You've made this day so much more fun, Belle! I totally trust you!"

Belle smiled again hearing this statement and returned to her usual demeanor. "Then let's… DO THIS!"

Belle grabbed Pearl by the waist and they jumped straight into the cannon.

"Where to?" asked the operator.

"Fire towards the castle!"

"You got it! FIRE!"

BOOM!

So much happening all at once to poor Pearl. First was being grabbed by the chest, then the noise that would've pierced her ears if she had any, and now she was being flung miles across the kingdom screaming all the way. As soon as they got really high up above the buildings, Pearl started hearing a loud buzzing noise and they didn't appear to be falling.

"Belle, what's that noi-?"

Belle pointed one of her fingers up to her back. On her back were two rounded white appendages fluttering up and down. Were those… wings?! (5)

"You can fly?!" asked a bewildered Pearl.

"All Honeyhivers can!" confirmed Belle. "Now, let's take to the skies!" Belle flew up high into the air with Pearl in her grasp. Pearl was elated once again. Never in her world had she felt so free! Everyone in the kingdom beneath her looked like little ants; not that she'd step on them of course. The ceiling also didn't appear to get any closer, but the white fixtures certainly did. Perhaps they weren't really attached to it after all, but then what were they?

On the horizon, Pearl got a great view of the Mushroom Kingdom's castle and could make out more of it than before. It featured a glass window with Princess Peach's image and surrounded a large moat with a waterfall to the left and a white bridge leading up to the front door. A quaint little green field was in front of the castle with what looked like stalked bushes spread around it. A small hedge maze was to the left of it with a pond to the right. It seemed like a wonderful place to just frolic around and play.

"I'm a little tired from all this flying. Mind if we rest on the roof?" asked Belle.

Pearl nodded and the two landed on the rooftop of the castle. After a long and exciting day running through the hustle and bustle of Toad Town, this rooftop was a nice change of pace. No muttering citizens, no children screaming, no cannon shots. It was just Pearl, Belle, and the sounds of chirping in the distance. Not to mention a spectacular view of the town below them and what looked to be other areas of the Mushroom Kingdom in the distance. Pearl had a good view of her kingdom from her bedroom window, but she didn't quite remember seeing so much at once like she did here. In fact, when she really thought of it, maybe it was just how strange and unfamiliar this world was that made her so entranced with it. It looked like there was still so much left she hadn't explored yet.

But what really stood out to Pearl in the moment was the big ball in th- er… the sun. It seemed to have changed positions since when Pearl first arrived here, now sinking below the horizon. And it seemed to make the ceiling look more orange rather than blue.

"Amazing view, isn't it?" remarked Belle. "I heard Yoshi often likes coming up here, and I can see why. And just look at that sunset! Only place that could rival this is Sirena Beach."

"Yeah. It is… I don't think I've ever gotten to see something this beautiful," Pearl replied. "Though… why is the sun… 'setting'?"

"That just means it's the end of the day and it'll be dark soon." Belle got up and looked around. Pearl assumed she was just checking to see if anyone else was here before sitting back down. Belle's smile then faded again like back at the cannon. Pearl was already perceptive enough to tell this was serious. "You know, Pearl… Before meeting you, no one really liked me that much. Maybe it was because of my fighting skills or just how much I tend to be…" Belle trailed off for a moment. A look of concern plastered Pearl's face before Belle continued. "Ah, forget it. Point is I've only had a few friends my whole life, and that's all I really needed. But then you showed up and… you were just really nice to me. Not gonna lie, you're a little weird, but I like you, Pearl."

Pearl smiled and chuckled a little. "I could say the same about you, Belle. And I think I know how you feel. In my world… well… it's not that no one liked me, but I was… different, and they treated me, well… differently. I've seen how everyone else got close and became really good friends like in storybooks, but I don't think I ever got to have a true friend myself…"

"Well, that ends today," replied Belle. "You've got a friend now. No special treatment here!"

Pearl felt like crying tears of joy. Was this a dream? Actually, no it wasn't; Belle already debunked that earlier. Her vision grew more teary as Pearl got into Belle's arms and hugged her with all the care and love she could muster. She felt Belle's arms wrap around her as well. They were quite warm and fuzzy despite how tough as nails they came off as when she first met her.

"Th-Thank… you…"

After the tears ended, Belle let go with a more excited expression. "Ooh! Speaking of friends, you should meet my pals Brooke and Brittany! You'll LOVE them!"

Pearl grew excited as well. Making a true friend was already a dream come true, and the thought of even more friends made her all giddy inside like confetti waiting to pop out. "Let's do it! Where can we find them?"

"I know the way! Let's go!" Belle grabbed Pearl again and they flew off the roof, ready for more adventure!

Trivia:

(1) This is a brand from Mario Kart 8 that appeared in Toad Harbor.

(2) A reference to the flagpole Mario statue that you'll see at the electronics section of your local Target.

(3) The Underworld is reliant mostly on magic and is isolated from the technological advancements of the rest of the world. So Pearl doesn't know what a TV is.

(4) Regional coins from Super Mario Odyssey. The Underworld happens to have regional coins of its own.

(5) Pearl didn't notice these before because she was too distracted by the extra pair of arms.