Hi, everyone! supermariobroultimate here. Now, this story is a little different from my usual fare. A while back, I came across a Super Mario artist whose work I really enjoyed. I was so inspired by his creations, that I decided I wanted to write for his OCs. He did say that he'd love to see fanfiction of his characters (he even once said that he thought no one would ever write fanfiction of them, never say never). Anyways, here he is now with a special message!

PhDedede: Hi everyone! I'm the owner of Pearl, Belle, and all of their friends, and I was both touched and honored that someone was willing to write an entire story featuring them. Proofreading the whole thing and watching my girls come to life was an absolute blast, and it was so cool to work with someone who not only wanted to write for them in the first place, but understood the assignment so well that I didn't even need to change much of anything. This story is pretty much in-line for my vision of all these characters, and to see someone understand the core of their personalities so well was really cool. I'm hoping to work with him on more stories with my girls in the future!

He even drew the cover art for this story! You can find PhDedede and his amazing art and OCs on Twitter/X, Tumblr, and Bluesky, so be sure to check them out!

The Super Mario series is owned by Nintendo

Original characters featured (and some locations) are property of PhDedede

Chapter 1: That Fateful Day

Ahem! Today… I'll tell you the story of a lost kingdom, and how a girl from that civilization came to us. No, not THAT Lost Kingdom. This one was even more lost.

You're probably familiar with the adventures of the Super Mario Bros. and their many friends as they save Princess Peach and protect the Mushroom Kingdom from the clutches of Bowser and his evil Koopa Troop.

"Wahoo!"

Well… this is not about them.

"Aw! Mamma mia!"

What you likely don't know about the Mushroom Kingdom is that miles underneath it, far deeper than the average underground level, there exists another kingdom.

Pearl's POV

Hi there humans, toads, honeyhivers, koopas… um… whatever else is out there… Sorry, I'm still kinda new around here, but I hope we can be friends! My name is Pearl! I'm the Princess of the Underworld! Oh… you've never heard of it? I don't blame you. I've actually never heard of the Mushroom Kingdom either until just recently. Ooh! Would you like to hear the story of how I first discovered your world? It was a day I'll never forget, and I'm sure you'll like it too!

My story begins in my beautiful hometown of Crystallia in the Underworld. It's a beautiful cave system full of colorful crystals and wonderfully decorated stone houses. The people there… well, we're called underworlders, and we're made of stone too! We have crystal hair that can be any color of the rainbow, glowing eyes and mouths of any color, and our skin can range from pure white to charcoal black. Usually boys have darker skin than girls, but it's not always the case.

Okay, Pearl. Thank you for your input, but we need to get the story rolling. I'll take it from here.

Hehe! Okay then! Let's go!

Narrator POV

Crystallia

Despite the lack of sunlight in the Underworld, the Underworlders always had a very sunny disposition on life. Their eyes, happy smiles, and hair gleamed as bright as stars in the night sky despite not knowing what stars or a sky were. Most of their days were spent mining for materials in the minefields, practicing their rock magic, or simply resting in their homes living a simplistic but happy life. Today's story is focused on who is probably the happiest Underworlder of them all. The young daughter to the Underworld's Queen and heir to the throne, Princess Pearl.

Up in the highest room of the castle, the little princess laid in a comfy bed full of plushies sleeping like a rock. Er… well, she technically was a rock. Her skin was light gray and just as hard as one, though her red hair was as soft as moldable clay drooping down from the side of her bed. Soon her rest came to an end when a pebble was catapulted straight into a gong.

Pearl's eyes darted open, glowing with a pink pigment that instantly lit up the darkness around her. Her mouth produced that same pink glow as she yawned herself awake and smiled.

"Good morning, plushies!" She hugged one of her stuffed animals and clapped her hands twice. Torches in her room instantly lit up to brighten the atmosphere, fitting with her everyday mood.

"Pearl sweetie, are you up?" called a voice from downstairs.

"Coming, mama!" responded Pearl. Pearl got up from her bed and into her bathroom. There, she rubbed her hands together real quick and produced a flashy magical aura on her hands. Then she'd start molding her long hair back into a certain pattern she enjoyed most and harden it into a crystallized form. Every Underworlder would do this in the morning and had a specific hairstyle that suited them to the point where one would be hard fetched to find two individuals with the same style. For Pearl, this style was pigtails. Lots and lots of pigtails. The more pigtails, the better! The best part was she wouldn't need hair ties to keep them in their shape. The hair would solidify and stay in its preferred position.

Pearl giggled in delight at her newly refreshed hair and quickly changed into her usual attire; a red dress with white frills and a pink emblem, along with a set of large brown shoes. The child rushed down the stairs with glee and was greeted by her mother making breakfast. Pearl's mother was a woman slightly taller than the average human female. Her red crystal hair stretched all the way down to her knees with a crystallized golden crown resting on top of it. Her eyes and mouth glowed blue with a pair of diamond earrings to match them. The woman's attire consisted of a pale red dress with blue and white accents, and several blue and pink jewels around the torso. This dress was cut off on her left side, revealing a dark red leotard and yellow high heels. She also wore arm-length white gloves. Her name was Ruby, Queen of the Underworld, and she smiled upon seeing her cute daughter come eagerly for breakfast.

"Good morning, my little angel! How did you sleep?" asked Ruby.

"It was great, Mama! Though I had this weird dream," said Pearl. "I was on a walk when I found this door that took me to a strange world full of masked creatures I've never seen before led by a fat green guy. For some reason, he didn't like vegetables." She giggled. "But what else is there to eat?"

Ruby laughed with her. "That does sound like a strange dream. You sure are one to let your imagination run wild, Pearlie." Ruby wiped off her own plate as Pearl was eating her black lettuce with a side of turnips. "When you're finished eating, come to the throne room. I've given you plenty of rock magic lessons, and I think the time has come where I see how well you can do it on your own."

Pearl perked up hearing this. "Really?! That's great, Mama! Are you sure I'm ready?"

"This is what all your training so far has been leading up to, Pearl. I think you're more than ready," Ruby said with utmost confidence.

"I can't wait!"

Pearl soon finished her breakfast, not wasting a moment in getting this started. This was her moment! Up until now, her mother instructed her not to use rock magic outside of fixing her hair, and her training sessions. This was usually because Pearl trying her magic on anything that wasn't her hair would usually backfire. Either a crystal spawned in the wrong place would damage something, or trying to fix a broken object would result in the repaired spot looking irregular and lumpy. She had gotten more conscious about these issues over time and they have lessened, but she still wasn't sure if she was ready to be trusted with this power.

Pearl stepped into the throne room, her mother sitting at her throne with her trident in anticipation.

"Are you ready, Pearl?"

Pearl knew there was no backing out now and just put on her usual smile. "Ready, Mama!"

"Guards, bring it in!"

Ruby's guards with crystallized blue mustaches and burly physiques brought in a replica of Ruby's Crown, but sliced into two. Pearl couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by this. Her fixes were usually a bit smaller than this, yet they still weren't perfect without her mother's guidance.

"Mama, are… Are you sure I'm ready for this?"

Ruby nodded. "Take your time. There's no rush."

Pearl kept staring at the split crown. This was her new chance to start using these powers on her own, yet the fear of slipping up and disappointing her mother still got to her. Ruby waited patiently for Pearl to make a move. The young girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath, remembering her mother's teaching that being so tensed up will only make it more likely to mess up. Pearl slowly put her magic to work, putting the replica crown together like a needle and thread would to torn clothes. She kept her eyes on the crown, not letting her focus shift elsewhere, as much as she wanted to see how her mother was reacting. Every little detail was important in this kind of test. The crown repair only lasted about two minutes, but to Pearl it felt like at least ten.

"I'm done, Mama."

Ruby applauded. "Well done, Pearl! You did that without cracking much of a sweat. That alone is impressive. Most kids your age will usually mess up on their first try on their own."

Pearl smiled hearing this as her mother grabbed the replica crown and began examining it. The girl got worried when Ruby's face took on a shocked expression.

"Did… Did I mess up, Mama?"

"N-No… In fact, this is…" Ruby grew elated and hugged her daughter. "nearly perfect! Oh, my baby! I'm so proud of you!"

Pearl was beyond amazed. Her first try at rock magic on her own and she got it nearly flawless?! She had to still be dreaming, right? Well, the pride her mother felt for her certainly felt real, so she hugged back with tears of joy.

"I… I actually did it!"

"You sure did, my darling. You might just be the luckiest girl I know!" exclaimed Ruby.

"Weeeeeeeeell… I DID have the best teacher in the whole Underworld to guide me," Pearl replied cheekily.

Ruby giggled at the comment. "Well, you've done so well today that your lesson ends early. I hereby grant you permission to responsibly use rock magic on your own, and you're free to do as you please for the rest of the day."

"YAY! Thank you, Mama! You're the best!" Pearl grabbed a backpack full of essentials like snacks and stuffed toys. "I'm gonna walk around the kingdom and show my newly refined powers to everybody!"

"Have fun, dear! Just make sure you're home by dinnertime, okay?"

"I know! I love you, Mama!" Pearl left the castle giddily, happily anticipating another walk around her favorite place in the world… well, not that there was much to the world as she knew of.

"I love you too!" Ruby responded, watching her daughter frolick towards the village.

Later that day, Pearl was showing her newly permitted rock magic to a group of kids around her age. They oohed and aahed as Pearl repaired broken shards of a mirror nearly flawlessly. There were a few instances of bumps indicating it was broken before and fixed, but it was still easy to see one's reflection in it without issues. The kids applauded as Pearl finished.

"Now THAT'S how you princess!" cheered a blue haired boy.

"How'd you do that so easily?!" asked a pink haired girl.

"You're amazing, Princess!" praised a yellow haired girl.

"My older sister isn't even that good!" remarked a white haired girl.

"I'd kill for skills like that!" said a green haired boy.

Pearl's cheeks flushed pink a bit from all the praise. "Thank you guys! I'm sure all of you will be as skilled as me one day! Never give up!"

"We never shall, your highness," said the first kid as they all bowed to her. "C'mon guys! Let's convince our parents to help us get as good as her!"

And so, all of them left in agreement. Pearl was left alone, proud of the other kids for being inspired by her, and yet… she frowned a bit; an emotion she didn't show often. She may be of royal blood in this kingdom, but she never personally saw herself as above any of the other kids, more or less living a life of being carefree and playful under the laid back but disciplined watch of her mother. Like any other kid, really. And yet, that's how the other kids saw her; always insisting on giving her special treatment because she's royalty. Whether it just be seeing her as an idol, role model, or letting her go first in anything at their own expense of fun.

She still enjoyed her life very much. But it'd be even better if she had one, just one kid in her life who saw her as just a really good friend and not the royalty she was. Sometimes she wondered what a simpler, non-royal life was like. Couldn't be that much different from her current life given how much freedom she generally had, but still…

Pearl got so lost in these thoughts that she forgot where she was going, walking past the kingdom limits unbeknownst of her. She pulled out a plushie and 'spoke for it'.

"'Oh, Pearl. Don't worry about them! Princess or not, you are my best friend!' Thank you, Mr. Rocky!"

Pearl felt a little better with her voice impression, not noticing how far she was from the village at this point.

"Huh, that's strange. Where are the buildings? Did I take a wrong turn?"

Pearl took out a map of the Underworld from her backpack and couldn't pinpoint her location.

"O-Okay Pearl. Don't panic. Just look for Mama's castle and everything will be okay." Pearl was about to turn back, but froze in her tracks when she saw what was behind her. Snoring right beside her was a plant with a yellow and gray head, chapped lips, and broken teeth laying in a pile of amber. It was an Amber Piranha! Pearl had heard horrible stories about these creatures. Many adults who went mining for amber would often never return… most likely because of these monstrous plants ambushing them, and what would happen is less than pretty.

Pearl gulped and grabbed her composure. She very slowly and carefully tiptoed around the snoring beast. Her anxiety would rise as the snot bubble got bigger, as it could pop at any moment. Unfortunately, she didn't see where she was going and tripped down into a nearby crevice.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Pearl landed in a deeper area where it was really dark. Thankfully, her backpack full of stuffed toys broke her fall. But now she was more lost than ever in an area where only her glowing hair and eyes illuminated her surroundings.

"MOMMY! SOMEONE! HELP!"

No answer. It became clear to Pearl that she had traveled too far this time. All she could do now was… try to find a way out. So the girl got to exploring. Thankfully, with glow in the dark eyes and hair, she essentially had her own built-in flashlight. The area had lots of dripping water that slightly calmed the girl down. A particularly strange sight down here was all the green holed structures that occupied the place. They all looked rusted and broken, and when Pearl tried approaching them, they didn't seem to do anything. Odd. These green structures didn't seem to be natural, so what was their purpose?

Pearl supposed she'd find out if she kept walking, but she still kept on her guard. Who knew what would happen if she ran into a Lurkitu or a Doomba down here? Both of which could render her game over. All the green structures seemed the same… until one particular structure stuck out like a sore thumb. Unlike the others, this one appeared to glow like her hair. It was red and jagged in a crystal formation, and it didn't seem to be broken at all. The tube seemed to stretch out upwards all the way to the ceiling.

One voice in her head was saying that maybe Pearl should stay away from it. But when something grabs Pearl's interest, saying no to it was out of the cards. The curiosity of what that thing was would keep biting her in the back of her brain if she didn't take a look. So she walked up closer to the mysterious holed structure and smiled.

"It looks like my hair!" she giggled and crawled into the holed space. It was surprisingly smooth on the inside compared to the jagged outside. "Hello? Hellooooooooooo?" Her voice echoed through the narrow tunnel this structure presented. "Anyone in here?"

Suddenly, she felt a draft pulling in from behind her. Her dress began fluttering in the direction of the draft and the previously dark tunnel started shining a bright light.

"Huh?!" Pearl then felt her whole body being pulled towards the light like a magnet. She lost her grip on the floor and screamed as the light sucked her straight in and heard a loud warping sound. Her eyes were so overwhelmed with intense flashes of light that she closed them as she was being pulled upwards at a high velocity.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

?

Pearl was still wondering what in the Underworld was happening when out of nowhere, she was shot straight out towards a soft, mushy object that broke her fall. She slid off the stalked red polka dotted platform right onto the ground, still dizzy from that whole trip. Pearl laid on the ground for a minute, collecting her thoughts and feelings. When she got up and opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was… green? Wait, why was the ground green? Usually it was gray, black, or blue. And it was surprisingly soft. Almost like wetter clothes. It wasn't just green on the floor with her. Surrounding her were these strange stalked plants sprouting out of the ground with a yellow center and petals that were either red or blue.

Pearl shook her head and took in her surroundings. It was all so… surreal! Pearl took minutes to process what she was seeing. Everything that surrounded her was an absolute explosion on the senses. Where to even begin? Above her sprouted tall capped fungi that were red with white spots, one of which had just broken her fall earlier. Right behind where she appeared, there was a massive green hill over 50 times her own height. Pearl had seen plenty of hills in her kingdom before, but never ones this massive, nor green. And… was it just her, or was that hill staring at her with eyes? In fact, there were lots of hills in the surrounding area that were like this. Perhaps the strangest of them all was the ceiling. Up above, she couldn't even tell how high above her head the ceiling was since there were no bumps and it looked pretty smooth. It was also an extremely light shade of blue instead of the darker blue or black she was used to. There were also big white puffy things attached to it and a big yellow ball of light. Pearl tried staring at the ball, but her eyes started to hurt and water, so she looked away.

Despite how extremely different and unknown this surrounding area was… Pearl found it… oddly beautiful. Beautiful in a VERY different way than back home, but that only made her imagination run wild with a big smile on her face.

"What is this place?"

Thank you for reading! I've already completed about half of this story prior to PhDedede giving me permission to upload it here, so look forward to Chapter 2 tomorrow. The Underworld, its citizens, Pearl and friends are owned by PhDedede. I'd link you to his social media if this site allowed me to, so look him up on Twitter, Tumblr, and Bluesky. Have a great day!