Prince Mallow Nimbus walked through the streets of Nimbus Land. It was very early in the morning, and the sky was still dark. It was a cool, quiet morning, and the streets were empty. Nimbus Land itself was not by any means a large kingdom, but very elegant. The kingdom literally resided in the clouds, and the only way someone on land could even venture to the kingdom was by a single beanstalk that lead high up into the heavens from Bean Valley below. The land itself-if you could call it that-was actually made of clouds conjoining together, like a giant white fluffy pillow resting in the sky.
Mallow had become ruler of the kingdom only a year before. His father had grown very ill, and his mother had spent most of her time by his father's side, taking care of him. It was up to Mallow now, the sole heir of the royal throne, to step up and rule the kingdom. He knew the time would eventually come, and felt that he was doing the best job he could do. Mallow was still fairly young when he had realized he was a prince, but it wasn't until after his adventure with Mario had ended that he could really say he was ready for that responsibility.
Mario had helped him discover who he actually was. Shortly after meeting Mario, his grandpa, Frogfucious, had told him the truth; that he was not his real grandson, and that he had discovered Mallow as a baby, and took him in to raise him among the tadpoles. Mallow had spent most of his life thinking he was a tadpole, until the truth came out, and he joined Mario on a quest to save the world, and find his true parents. He was very immature then, and would cry over some of the most trivial things. It was amusing to Mallow now, thinking back to that time, and how much he had grown since then, and changed.
He had been up for most of the night, awoken from a horrible nightmare. He had been unable to go back to sleep, so he had decided that a long walk and some fresh air would help lift his spirits. He passed by a few houses, the lights out. Everyone was asleep now, and probably dreaming peacefully. Mallow never usually had trouble sleeping, but this dream was so real, so… horrifying, that he could just not go back to sleep. He shivered, and continued walking down the street.
He had left his crown and his royal cape at home, on the off chance that someone would awaken and recognize him. Now he just wore his favorite pants, light blue and white striped with his belt, and his magenta shoes. He had grown taller than he was when he ventured with Mario, and his pink, curly hair had grown longer. He himself looked just like a cloud, white, puffy skin, and light blue eyes. His arms were long, and his hands and feet huge. He often felt very disproportioned when he was younger, but he had grown into his hands and feet a bit, now being a lot taller.
He continued walking down the street, still troubled by his nightmare. It had been horrible. The entire world had been plunged into a terrible war, and he saw many great lands falling. Many people died, and he saw many of his friends, including Mario, Princess Peach, and even Bowser fall. Nimbus Land itself was set aflame, he saw his lands, his people being slaughtered, and the castle burning. He saw his parents dead at the hands of a mad man, and had seen tadpole pond completely destroyed, the water poisoned, and his grandpa and fellow tadpoles dead.
He shivered, still seeing the horrible images fresh in his mind.
It was only a dream. He thought. It's not real, just a nightmare. It must be all of the stress I've been through over the last year manifesting itself into my dreams. Just a subconscious thing.
He had been telling himself that for a few hours now, but the dream still troubled him. Never before had he had a vision so clear, and never a nightmare so brutal. He continued walking through the streets, and was admiring some of the beautiful scenery. Being that his kingdom resided so high above land, he always had a marvelous view of the world below. From here he could see all of the great lands spread about the world. He could see everywhere from Bowser's castle in the north, to Yoshi's Island, far in the south. He saw to the east the vast desert and beyond that, the kingdom of Sarasaland. He could see great mountain peeks, deep valleys, and in the center of it all, the Mushroom Kingdom. It was a fantastic vantage point.
Mallow was heading for a particular spot he enjoyed sight seeing from. It was a small hill of clouds right outside of town. On one side, a person could climb up and sit on the top, although the other side did end abruptly into open air, and a long fall to the ground below. It was a little dangerous, but had a gorgeous view of the world below and the stars above. He loved that spot, and would often go there to relax and reflect on his day.
Mallow could just make out the small hill, as he was walking through the outskirts of town. He had decided he would go there, admire the scenery, and make a wish to the stars that his dream would never come to pass, and ask for guidance from the stars to help him become a better ruler. He knew in his heart that if he wished and prayed, the stars would hear his words, and grant him the strength he needed.
Mallow had never really grown up worshipping the stars, or anything for that matter, but his adventure with Mario had changed that too. After he had helped his friends recover the seven pieces of the Star Road, and had fully come to understand what the Star Road's purpose was, he spent a lot of time praying to the stars, and making wishes. He knew that to be a good ruler, he had many important choices to make, and had to take full responsibility for any of his actions, but praying had given him more confidence, and had helped take a bit of the stress off. He wasn't so sure if his exact prayers were answered, but he knew that at the very least, the Star Road responded in subtle ways that helped him get through the day.
Hard to believe that a little over ten years ago, I didn't even know what the Star Road was. He thought.
Mallow also knew he literally had a friend watching over him too. Geno had been not only a great friend, but a figure like Mario that he had looked up to. Geno was always very cool, and collected. He could sometimes take himself a bit too seriously, but was very dedicated to his task, and had been a vital member of their group. Mallow had never seen anyone possess such a unique blend of intelligence, bravery, and honesty that Geno had. He had also never seen anyone that powerful in magic before. Sure, Mallow definitely had more skills than almost anyone in magic, but Geno's abilities were otherworldly.
Mallow sighed thinking about his friend. When their adventure had ended, Geno had to go back to the Star Road, and Mallow had not ever heard from him again. Unfortunately, his responsibilities as prince of Nimbus Land, had also kept him from seeing his other friends Mario, Princess Peach, and Bowser too. He hadn't even seen his grandpa in almost ten years. That was the one drawback of being the ruler of Nimbus Land. It was a beautiful kingdom, the people were wonderful, peaceful, kind individuals, and he loved finally being able to get to know his real parents, but sometimes Mallow wished that Nimbus Land wasn't so isolated from the world below.
I need to do something about that. He thought. There must an easier way for people to be able to come and go as they please from here back down to the earth. A beanstalk and an old, rickety bus ride can no longer be our only options.
Nimbus Land had few visitors from the lands below, mostly due to that problem. Mallow had tried a few times to get some kind of transportation system set up for easier travel, but his ideas had failed. There was just no easy way to get people to come all the way up in the clouds.
Maybe the answer lies in the warp pipes. He thought. I'll need to talk with Peach about trying to set up a warp pipe from here to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mallow shrugged at the thought, and continued on towards the hill. He was almost there. As he approached, images of his horrible nightmare started to creep back into his head. He shivered again as he reached the base of the hill, and started to climb.
It only took a few minutes, and soon Mallow was sitting on top of the hill, admiring the sight before him. He looked down at the Mushroom Kingdom, and could see thousands of tiny lights illuminating the land like fireflies in the night. He watched as a flock of birds-seagulls, he presumed-flew towards the Great Ocean, flying towards Yoshi's Island. He even gazed awhile at the mountain pass leading to Bowser's Castle. He could just make out the very top of the great castle's spires from behind the mountains.
I wonder how Bowser is doing. He thought. I know he's always been a pain in Mario's side, but I hope he's okay.
Growing up, Mallow had heard a lot of stories about Mario's adventures saving Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches. He had always thought very badly of Bowser, thinking he was just some evil brute who wanted to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and enslave the princess. On his journey with Mario though, Bowser had joined their quest, trying to reclaim his castle from that creep Smithy. Bowser always tried to play himself off as being the leader of the group, and would have never allowed Mario the satisfaction of knowing that it was really Bowser who needed Mario's help more than him.
Mallow had noticed that from the start. Bowser would rarely talk to Mario during their adventure together, but Mallow, with the help of Geno, would sometimes be able to get Bowser to open up a little bit. At first, Bowser annoyed him for the most part, but as their situation became more dire, and they were getting closer to obtaining all of the Star Pieces, Mallow noticed a different side of Bowser. He was still pretty rough around the edges, but Mallow started to see the Koopa King display moments of compassion, bravery, and he even empathy. That final moment when Geno had left the body of the doll he had possessed to go back to the Star Road, Mallow was sure he saw a deep sadness in Bowser's eyes, same as the rest of them.
"He's a bad guy, but I don't think he's pure evil." He found himself saying aloud.
Mallow stretched his arms out over his head, and sprawled out on top of the cloud. He yawned, and rubbed his eyes. He was starting to get tired again, having only slept for a couple of hours, but he knew he would not be able to go back to sleep until he said his prayers and made a wish. Only then would he be comforted enough to know that no matter how bad a dream he had, no matter how clear the vision, that these horrible events would never occur.
Mallow stared up into the night sky, and gazed upon the majesty that was the stars. This sight alone was the reason he loved this spot so much, as he could see the entire night sky. It was a gorgeous night tonight, and one of the benefits of living among the clouds, was that he always had a clear view.
Mallow looked towards the north, searching for a cluster of seven stars, the Star Road. He saw a number of other constellations in the sky, and recognized a few other planets. He saw a small, blue planet, and knew to look just a little north of it and he'd find….
It wasn't there.
Mallow shuddered, and quickly sat up, gazing at an empty space in the sky where the Star Road had been. He could feel himself start to sweat, his skin crawling. His breath started to quicken, and he could hear the sound of his heart beating in his ears.
"Where are they!?" He said worriedly. "They should be right there, but… nothing!"
He franticly started looking about the night sky, trying to see if perhaps he was wrong about the location, but Mallow had been to this spot too many times, and had looked up to the Star Road and prayed almost every day, and knew that his worst fears were true.
The Star Road was gone.
Mallow stood there, in that spot, gazing at the empty space in the sky for what seemed like hours. He started to cry, and rain started to fall in Nimbus Land. A hint of a thought in the back of his mind remembered that it had been about ten years since his tears had caused the rain to fall. He continued to weep, and the rain fell harder.
"There he is!" He heard a voice say.
Odd, that sounded like it came from right behind me. He thought.
He turned around just in time to receive a blow to the face. Before he knew it, he was tumbling down the wrong side of the hill. He clenched on to the edge of the cloud with one hand instinctively, the rest of his body hovering far above the land below. Before he knew what had even happened, he saw two dark figures suddenly emerge on the hilltop.
"Go! Finish the job, Dodo!" He heard a woman's voice shout. "Or I swear I will pluck every one of your feathers, and roast you over a fire!"
He grabbed the ledge with his other hand, and started to pull himself up. He tried to do it quickly just as an enormously fat black bird reached him. It had a long yellow beak, colored red at the tip, and wore a small metal hat on it's head. Mallow knew that bird all too well. Mallow pulled himself up, with his back against nothing. The bird jumped in front of him and grinned.
"Dodo!" He shouted. "If it's you, than the woman up there has to be…"
He was cut off as the bird struck him, point blank in the face. The force of the blow sent him falling backward, tumbling off the edge of the cloud into the open air. Mallow screamed as he felt himself falling. He looked back up at where he had fallen, and saw the dreadful bird laughing. He looked back down, and could see the ground getting closer and closer. He saw his grandpa, Mario, Geno, Bowser, his parents, his kingdom. He saw his entire life before him as he fell through the clouds, past a mountain top, and could start to make out the details of the landscape below. He blacked out before it came to meet him.