Chapter Text
Mario leaned over the ship’s railing, letting his mustache ruffle in the salty spray. Star Spirits, did he need this.
“I’m glad Peach invited us to this vacation,” Luigi chirped, fanning himself with his hat. “We need this after the last incident.”
“We really, really do. Especially you.”
Luigi simply stared into the waves, muttering to himself. Mario let his gaze linger for a moment before turning back to the view in front of them. The shoreline was rapidly coming into view now.
“Luigi, we’re almost there!”
“Alright! Lemme check that brochure Peach sent…”
“She sent a brochure?”
“You didn’t read it?” Mario shook his head, and Luigi rolled his eyes. “I swear, you’d be lost without me, bro… We’re heading to the Pearl Kingdom. Apparently, they have this incredible control over the elements because of some funky magical pearls.”
“Gee, I wonder where the kingdom’s name came from…”
Luigi snickered, which eventually burst into a full, gasping-for-air laughing fit. He buried his face in the brochure in a failed attempt to stifle it as the ship pulled into port.
This was going to be a great vacation.
One hour-long bus ride later, the bros were greeted with Facetlight, the bustling capital of the Pearl Kingdom. The buildings were tall, tightly packed with winding footpaths between them. Every single one was painted in neon colors, bright yellows and magentas and cyans that hurt Mario’s head to look at.
So instead, he opted to focus his attention on the wildly-waving Peach, smiling warmly at him from the shadow of a massive white spire. He briefly glanced up at it, only for the glare of the sunlight off the top of the building to nearly blind him. He decided Peach was the safest thing in the area to look at after that.
“Mario, Luigi! I’m so glad you two could make it!” She had, apparently, decided to don sunglasses, and had the foresight to offer each of the brothers a pair. “We really needed this after… y’know.”
“We really did,” Luigi agreed, stretching. “And thanks for the sunglasses, the paint was kind of hurting my eyes.”
“It’s no trouble. I’ve got a full day of sightseeing planned! Don’t worry, the shops are a bit less… eye-straining, haha…”
True to her word, she led the boys all throughout the luminescent city. Apparently, she’d made plans to visit the other major cities of the Pearl Kingdom later in the week. The townsfolk were predominantly bipeds with floating hands, although there were quite a few Toads and Koopas and other folk. Mario stuck close to the party for most of the trip, until Peach suggested they split up and Luigi agreed.
He idly milled about the streets, listening to the chatter of townsfolk. This was nice, just sort of existing and admiring the area. As much as he could, of course, with the blindingly neon colors. He knew he’d bore of this eventually, and want to do something a bit more exciting, but it was nice to take a bit of time to cool down once in a while.
Stars above, he could probably enjoy this city all day though…
Until, of course, he nearly tripped over a Goomba. Both them and him squawked, earning a few looks of concern. Mario picked himself off the ground, and then helped the Goomba to their feet as well. They had bright purple eyes and a matching scarf, and their brows were knitted in concern.
“Ah—I, uh, sorry sir—”
The Goomba squeaked when they finally processed who had nearly tripped over them, muttering out a tiny “Oh stars.”
“Sorry, that was my fault,” Mario apologized, holding up his hands. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“It’s—it’s no trouble, really, I… S–say, are you… Y’know, Mario? From the Mushroom Kingdom?”
Mario wasn’t sure he liked the hopeful look in this Goomba’s eyes as he spoke. That was most certainly an I’m-about-to-rope-you-into-another-world-saving-adventure look. But, hey, someone had to do it, and this guy looked so genuine. Mario would hate to let him down, especially if people did end up in danger like what tended to happen. “Yeah, that’s me?”
“Oh thank the Star Spirits, you gotta help me! L-listen, I wouldn’t normally ask you for help, you kind of terrify me, but it’s my best friend, Canopus. I-I think they’re gonna do something really bad and really stupid and I haven’t been able to talk them out of it. Could you maybe, just, I dunno… Scare some sense into them?”
Mario raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“I’ve tried everything and they’re implying they’re gonna do something really drastic,” the Goomba explained, looking rather like he was about to cry. “I don’t want them to get themselves hurt or anything. I’m sorry for having to ask this of you but I don’t know what else will get through to them!”
“Okay, okay,” Mario held up his hands as he spoke, “I’ll help, alright? Where’s your friend, uh…?”
“R-Regulus, my name is Regulus. C’mon, they’ve been hanging around in this one back alley since this morning—”
Regulus led Mario back to the main plaza, and then glanced down an alley near the central spire. “They’ve been hanging around here.”
Mario peeked down the alley, but saw nothing. He helplessly shrugged at Regulus, who looked distressed. “Um… Okay, maybe that’s a good sign? Maybe they gave up on their harebrained scheme?” He added a nervous chuckle, as if trying to convince himself.
Mario happened to glance over at the massive spire in the plaza, just in time to spot a tufted tail disappearing into its door. A Goomba was holding the door open for the tail, before their green eyes settled on Mario. They looked startled for a moment, before their expression shifted to one of disgust.
They turned to head inside, and Mario was already darting after them. Regulus squawked in alarm, scrambling after him. “Hey, no, that’s the Iridescent Spire! You’re not supposed to go in there—...Where are the guards?”
“Something’s wrong,” Mario confirmed. “What’d you say your friend looks like?”
“Oh, they don’t bother with any accessories or anything, but they have these really pretty blue and gold eyes.”
Mario hummed uncertainly, glancing around to see if anyone was looking at him, before silently slipping into the building. Regulus, despite his complaints, followed after him. He still kept muttering to himself, first about his friend and then about how they weren’t supposed to be in here.
They walked up a long, well-lit staircase. The stairs themselves seemed to glow with an ethereal light. Every couple of feet, there was a door faintly outlined in the pale pink wall, although Mario didn’t really bother trying any. It definitely felt as sacred as Regulus was claiming. At least, it did, up until Mario heard banging behind one of the doors, one barricaded by a ribbon of some kind over it.
“Someone, please, let me out!” shrieked a voice behind it, and he quickly ripped the ribbon off. One of the bipedal townsfolk, a pale yellow fellow with short horns and a sky-blue cloak, stumbled out. He gasped for air, muttering profuse thank yous, and Regulus looked like he was gonna be sick.
“I…” The caped figure coughed into their hand a few times. “Apologies, sir, and thank you for letting me out. It was… quite claustrophobic in there.”
“Are you one of the Pearls’ attendants?” Regulus nervously muttered, eyes wide.
“Ah, yes. My name is Dawnbreak. I… assume you’re not with the ruffians that stuffed me in there?”
Mario shook his head. “We saw someone going in here and I don’t think they’re supposed to.”
“Don’t th—oh, wait a moment…” Dawnbreak leaned in closer, scrutinizing Mario. “Ah! You’re that hero from the Mushroom Kingdom, yes? Forgive me, I’m afraid I don’t remember your name… I don’t keep up with all of that drama.”
“It’s Mario. What’s going on?”
“Some ruffians made it inside the temple! I don’t know where the guards were, but one of them knocked me out with some kind of sleeping spell and must’ve bound me in that closet.”
“They must be after the Sacred Pearls!” declared Regulus. “Oh Star Spirits, if we lose the Pearls—”
“Hey, calm down, that’s not gonna happen!” Mario said. “And if it does, we’ll get them back, okay? Dawnbreak, can you lead the way?”
“I don’t plan on putting myself in danger if those fellows are still around dealing with the security…” He shook his head. “Just keep going up the stairs. The Pearls are kept near the tip of the spire. The guardians up top have probably got the situation handled, but it’d be nice to have a backup line of defense…”
“Don’t worry, sir, I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Mario lied. Moments later, there was a loud crashing sound from above.
Stars why couldn’t he just have a vacation.
“Oh no. Oh, nonono!” whimpered Dawnbreak unhelpfully, wringing his hands.
“We need to check on the Pearls!” shouted Regulus, racing up the stairs. Mario was honestly impressed that a Goomba could take stairs that quickly. Still, this didn’t stop him from scrambling past a concerning amount of barricaded doorways after him.
He began to pull down the trapdoor at the apex of the staircase, only for someone to kick it open before he could. Whoever it was used his face as a springboard before he could get a clear look, leaping off him to scurry back down the stairs. Mario whipped around, as if to chase them down, but paused.
Regulus was staring after the retreating form, jaw hanging open in shock. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if trying to form a response, but couldn’t find the words. Mario let his hand hover over Regulus’s back for a moment, before thinking better of it and clambering up the trapdoor.
The room at the peak of the spire might’ve been called gorgeous, once. But now the place was utterly ransacked, delicate equipment thrown to the floor in a mad scramble to get away. The shattered remains of stained glass windows coated the floor, and Mario was glad he had thick boots.
Despite his bare feet, the second Dawnbreak followed Mario up the ladder he threw caution to the wind. He made an incoherent noise of either pain or distress as he practically collapsed over the pedestal in the center of the room. “Ohhhh no. Oh nononononono!”
He whipped around, grabbing Mario by the overalls with surprising force. “The Sacred Pearls are missing! Those ruffians stole them! Oh, stars above, what are we going to do?! Star Spirits only know what those fools intend to use the pearls’ magic for!”
Mario placed his hands over Dawnbreak’s, awkwardly patting one. “What we’re going to do is get them back. I’ve got experience with this kind of thing. I’ll track down the thieves and bring back the pearls, alright?”
“I—you would?” Dawnbreak released his grip on Mario, instead returning to anxiously wringing his hands.
“Of course.”
“You’re not even from here…”
“Well, yeah, but I’m not the sort of person who can just sit back and watch. Do you have any kind of way to track the pearls?”
“Oh! Um, yes, I believe so.” He scurried off, opening a few drawers before finally withdrawing an elaborate, iridescent compass. “This is the Iridescent Compass. It’s sort of an emergency measure for this exact kind of situation, although if anything everyone probably assumed it’d only be necessary for a corrupt guardian…” He paused for a moment, contemplating. “Wait. Where are the guardians???”
“It looked like they all got locked in their rooms, same as you,” Mario admitted with a shrug. “It doesn’t look too hard to rip those ribbon things off from outside.”
“Right, right, I um. I’ll let them out while you go retrieve the pearls. Which you should probably get on while the trail’s still hot. Do you have a map?” Mario shook his head as Dawnbreak pressed the compass into his hands. The metal was cool, and the needle glowed a deep blue as it pointed… somewhere.
“Okay, the tourist centers should have some. It looked like the thieves split in all directions with the pearls, so you’ll probably have to visit all the corners of the Pearl Kingdom… Sun and stars, I am so sorry about this.”
“Eh, it’s no trouble. I’m kind of used to this…”
“Wait!” Regulus piped up, hopping up and down. “Can I come, please? I-I know I’m not much, but this is my fault for not stopping Canopus—”
“It’s not your fault someone broke into the tower,” Mario insisted, folding his arms. “Not unless you’re some kind of secret villainous mastermind leading the thieves.”
Regulus laughed, petering out into a nervous whimper. “Please. Please, maybe I can still talk some sense into Canopus and they can get these people to return the pearls. I need to come. I can even help you out! I know the Pearl Kingdom better than you do, I can help you find hidden switches and stuff!”
Mario sighed. “Alright, you can come. Just try to be careful, and don’t jump into danger without me, okay?”
Regulus nodded with a shaky grin and determined eyes.
Regulus joined Mario’s party!
“Alright, let’s see how that fancy compass—”
“I think I should probably tell the princess and my brother where I’m going,” Mario interrupted, holding up one hand. “And maybe get a map. I mean, you probably know your way around, but it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of insurance in case we get separated or something.”
“Oh, yeah, good point. Let’s go.”
“I’ll come down with you,” Dawnbreak offered. “Just to clear things up with the authorities so they don’t go assuming you did all of this.”
“Thanks.” With that, they descended back to ground level. There was a massive commotion in the plaza, now. True to his word, Dawnbreak vouched that Mario and Regulus had attempted to stop the theft. While he spoke with the police, the two wandered over to the edge of the crowd. Peach and Luigi were lingering there, looking concerned.
Peach clasped her hands in front of her mouth, before lowering them in a gesture of worried frustration as she spoke. “Mario.”
“Peach.”
“We can’t just have one vacation… Let me guess, you’re getting involved in all this?”
“You know me, Princess. I can’t just sit back and watch while the kingdom’s in disarray.”
She sighed, dragging a hand down her face. “I know, I know, I just… Be careful, okay? I’d never forgive myself if you got hurt on a trip I suggested.”
“Ah, don’t worry, Princess,” Luigi chimed in, “this is Mario we’re talking about! He always comes out fine! I believe in you, bro.”
“Thanks, Luigi,” Mario said, giving him a hug. “We’ll have those magic pearls back in no-time. I’m sorry your vacation got ruined, though… Speaking of which, Luigi, do you still have that brochure with the map?”
“It’s not your fault,” Peach muttered, shaking her head. “We’ll stay around town until the pearls are back and you’ve beaten up whatever the monster of the month is. It might not be safe to go sightseeing and I don’t need to give you any more anxiety.”
“Besides,” agreed Luigi as he forked over the map, “they’ve got some great cafes around here. I don’t mind spending a week or so just in town.”
Mario nodded. “Again, so sorry about this, guys—”
Peach cut him off with a smooch on the forehead. “Just don’t die.”
Mario awkwardly backed away, waving as he did so. He was blushing brightly as he turned back to an equally-mortified Regulus. “I feel like I just intruded on something.”
“No, you really didn’t. C’mon, let’s see where this compass leads us.”
The two followed the faintly glowing compass’s trail to the bus stop at the southern part of town. Mario recognized it from earlier, when he’d arrived. The bus now looked a fair bit more beat-up, though, and the tourists leaving it looked rather frazzled. The driver stumbled out, leaning on the door with an exhausted sigh.
“If y’all want to go by Seafoam Port,” hissed the driver, “find another bus. I’m not going that way again today.”
“What happened? ” Mario asked.
“I wish I knew! I was just driving the normal route here when some reckless weirdo came charging through and nearly threw me off the road! Stars above!”
The driver kept grousing and griping as Mario and Regulus shared a knowing glance.
“Sure sounds like someone trying to get away from town as fast as possible.”
“And the compass is pointing this way…”
Mario nodded before turning to the bus driver. “Are there any other buses coming soon?”
“Should be ‘bout half an hour. There’s a trail if you’re in a rush, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Looked like a nasty storm was brewin’.”
Mario and Regulus approached the gate, staring up at the aforementioned storm.
“So.”
“So.”
Regulus clicked his tongue. “We can’t wait for this mess to blow over before we leave, can we?”
“No guarantee it even will.”
He sighed. “Hoo… Okay. For Canopus…”
With that vow muttered, the pair trekked forwards into adventure.