Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars OG

[John Tagatchi]

It was an uneasy period for the Mushroom Kingdom. Strange monsters calling themselves members of the 'Smithy Gang' spread their influence across the lands, attempting to find the seven fragments of the shattered Star Road. Even the great Mario could not stand up to these forces alone. Well, he probably could have if the level cap was at a higher level than 30, but that's beside the point. To defeat this terror, Mario found unlikely heroes to join his quest. Including the unlikeliest hero of all; his arch nemesis, King Bowser Koopa.

With the help of his allies, Mario was able to fight his way through the minions of Smithy, back into the mechanical dimension from whence they came. Then, plunging into the dimension themselves, the heroes squared off against the Machine King himself, Smithy. After a feirce battle, Smithy fell, as did his dimension. All the peices of the Star Road were reuinited, and the power of wishes was restored.

Bowser's actions did not go unnoticed by the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. A truce was agreed upon, granting members of the Koopa Troop into Mushroom Villiages, and vice versa, at least until the rebuilding was done. For a while, it seemed like the Kindom would finally get a break...

...However, the sudden breaking and reassembling of the Star Road was having it's affects. Wishes were unharmed, but the fabric of time and space, a fabric that in a world of warp pipes and magic doors is constantly torn, recieved a massive gash. Small holes, windows to other dimensions, have begun appearing across the Mushroom Kingdom. Some appear for a brief moment then vanish. Others, however, stay open, and grow, becoming doorways for the beings of that dimension to cross into the Mushroom Kingdom.

And not all of them are friendly...

"What does that featherhead want THIS time?!"

The young shaman grumbled to himself as he trekked across Booster Way, keeping the inhabitants of the path at a distance with a glare. He certainly wasn't in the best of moods, having to make a house call to his old boss; Valentina. He had left Nimbus Land to get away from her. Still, she was a paying customer, and if she didn't tip well, her new husband certainly did.

Most Shamans lived in Nimbus Land before the Smithy Gang attacked, as part of Valentina's personal guard. When she fled after her failed grab at the crown, though, a few of the Shamans defected, descending into the Mushroom Kingdom. These shamans situated themselves in towns, and used their powers for profit, starting businesses where they would tell fortunes, or help locate items for customers, or perhaps give them an edge in battle. Mergus was one of these Shamans.

However, his choice of location for setting up shop was a poor one. The simple folk of Moleville didn't see much use for a fortune teller, save a few cases where some nimrod couldn't locate his pickaxe, or detonator, or other trivial things. As an even crueler twist of fate, Valentina happened to become smitten with Booster, the resident quackjob who lived in the nearby tower. When she heard a shaman had taken up residence in Moleville, she made sure to enlist his services.

"But of course she couldn't come to ME, like every one else.." Mergus growled to himself. "She has to make EVERYTHING come to her! I hope I get to forsee her fall down some stairs today." The shaman finally made it to the tower. Wiping his feet on the welcome mat, he knocked on the door and waited.

Silence.

"DODO! We have a visitor! Get off your fat, feathery end and get the door!" Came a shrill voice from within the tower. "Honestly, I wouldn't be suprised if I had to tell you to BREATHE!"

A few moments later, the door creaked open just enough to allow Dodo and his multicolored beak to peer through the opening. He blinked at Mergus for a few minutes before recognizing him, and opening the door all the way.

"Ah, Mergus!" Valentina stood a few feet behind Dodo, smiling sweetly. It was likely she had been closer to the door than Dodo when Mergus knocked, but he didn't bother mentioning that. "So happy you could come. And on such short notice too."

"It was nothing at all, Milady." Mergus bowed low, putting on fake airs. "You merely interrupted my breakfast." And it was a wonderful breakfast too, now laying cold and half-eaten in Mergus' house. "Now, what do you wish of me? Locating your slippers again? Forseeing how much weight you'll gain if you eat that cake?"

"Oh, nothing so trivial." Valentina said with a wave of her hand. "Actually, I think my husband and his servants can tell you our situation best- they saw it, after all. They should be on their way down right now."

"'Saw it'? What do you mean by-"

Mergus was cut off by a loud train whistle. A large toy train had just exited a doorway in the back of the entry room, with a large man with a horned hat sitting on the engine. Three gray snifits were crowded into the car just behind him.

"Here I am, my pink-skinned Venus!" Booster called, hopping off of his train. His three snifits did the same. "Ah, Merlock! Great to see you again! How are the kids?"

"Uh, it's Mergus, Lord Booster. And I'm unmarried with no chi-"

"That's fantastic! They'll grow up into fine lads, I'm sure! So, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, Darling, he's here to help us." Valentine said. "Why don't you tell him about that 'thing' you saw in your room today?"

Booster furrowed his brow in confusion, before nodding quickly. "Oh yes, that! Well, you see Merduk, it's like this-"

"We were organizing Booster's dolls right?" Snifit 1 quickly cut in over Booster.

"Yeah, he just got a new Waluigi doll, and we needed to organize them by height!" Snifit 2 continued.

"And we were trying to figure out if the Waluigi doll was bigger than the Bowser doll, and I happen to think that as long as Waluigi does not slouch he is the-" Snifit 3 rambled on, but was quickly cut off again.

"Anyway, we were organizing them, when the curtains flew backwards!"

"And this huge black star-shaped thing appeared! Except it wasn't really a thing at all!"

"Yeah! It's like it didn't even un-exist at all! It was a hole in the air! A star shaped hole!"

"One of those dimensional things people are talking about now!"

"But it disappeared about a minute later!"

"And- and that's it."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Booster nodded to his Snifits.

"Did anything come through it?" Mergus asked sternly.

"No, nothing at all! It just shut!" Snifit 2 said, hopping up and down.

"Well, I believe this is more a matter to report to the Mushroom Kingdom Royal Guard than myself, Milady." Mergus looked back at Valentina.

"Oh, no worries Marvin-"

"Mergus."

"-Mudman, I sent a message to the Castle as well, right after we saw the hole. I wrote a letter, stamped it 'Urgent', gave it to a pair of my prized beetles, and pointed them in the general direction of the castle. We should be hearing from the guards any minute now!"

"Good to see you're on top of things." Mergus groaned, holding his head in his hands. "But still," He said, looking up as he did, "That doesn't explain why you sent for me, Milady."

"Well, Mergus, I need you to use your powers and see if the hole will reappear, and if anything will happen if it will."

"As you wish, Milady. Just give me a moment." Mergus quickly took out his crystal ball. The sooner he dealt with this, the sooner he could leave. Concentrating, the churning smoke in his ball began to form shapes.

The image of Booster's room at the top of his tower quickly formed. A few dolls were strewn on the floor, but otherwise there wasn't much in the room besides the curtains. Then, in front of the middle curtain, a small black pinprick of light- well, anti-light, appeared, and began to grow. However, something seemed to be amiss with the hole. It's growth was erratic and shaky, as though it was being forced open. Then, it became apparent that it WAS; a pair of blades appeared to be forcing the hole open on either side. It was impossible to see through the hole, there was so much blackness. Suddenly, a pair of green eyes appeared in the middle of the hole. Then another much smaller pair off to the side. And another. A dozen. Two dozen. More.

Mergus' concentration slipped. He jerked up, his eyes wide.

"I need to see where the hole was."

"No problem! C'mon, hop in!" Booster ran over to his train.

"Oh, no, Lord Booster, I would much rather walk than-"

"C'mon, it's the only way to travel! All aboard!"

Mergus sighed, and trudged over to the train, slumping down in the caboose.

"Choo chooooo!" Booster shouted as the train chuffed to life.

Mergus pulled his hood down over his eyes, sighing. This was going to get worse before it got better...