//------------------------------//
// Cappying It All Off 
// Story: Super Mare-io Odyssey: A Story Untold 
// by Cool_Quick 
//------------------------------//

Sunlight streamed through the window. And into my face.

Believe me, the last thing you want in early morning is sunlight glaring right in your sensitive eyeballs.

I quickly sat up, blinking rapidly. My vision was still blurry from sleep, and it was made even worse by sunspots. I pretty much had the vision of a bat.

It took a couple of minutes, but finally I could see fully again. The first thing I saw was Spike across the table, snoring softly. He somehow still had his cup of water in his claw, and was cradling it like a teddy bear. It was a miracle he hadn't spilled any. I guess it's the miracle of the unconscious mind.

Apparently mine wasn't as adept, because the second thing I saw, or rather felt, was my nightclothes, completely doused in water. It was recent.

"Oh, just peachy," I grumbled to myself. Getting up, I sloshed across the room to the hall, my slippers squeaking on the floor. I'm sure Bowser would have trembled in fright if he had seen me then.

I fussed and mumbled all the way to the restroom, and all the way through changing into my overalls. I finally stopped when all of my wet clothes were off of me, and I felt dry-ish.

When I was done changing, I went back into the kitchen just in time for Spike to yawn and stretch. And make his cup of water douse him in the face.

He gasped and shot water out of his mouth nose and ears like a broken garden sprinkler. It looked hilarious and bizarre at the same time. I snorted with laughter, but realized too late that apparently some water had hidden in my nose until then. So, I joined Spike in watering the kitchen like a true Master Gardener. No watering can required.

That's where a sleepy Twilight found us when she came into the kitchen, eyes bleary.

"What are you guys doblubblub?!?!" she began before getting a face full of water that spurted from my nose after a particularly bad sneeze. It woke her up fast, and styled her mane in a way that made her look like Billie Joe Armstrong. It just made us laugh, which made us choke on water again, which made us water the garden some more.

When we finally got all of the water out of our system, the rest of the Mane Six had come down, and they had had their laugh over Twilight. She'd gotten fixed up, and the morning was already a great one.

"So," she said after finishing her grumbling. "What did you want to do today, Mario?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm for just walking around. Getting to know everything."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Bo-ring."

I gave her an easy gaze. "If I wanna be boring, than I can be boring."

She huffed, but said nothing more.

"Where do you wanna walk to?" Twilight asked.


"Nice and easy, now," Fluttershy guided.

I stared at the birds, trying to look casual. Most birds thought bipedal creatures with mustaches were a bit... unnerving... to say the least.

"Now, just gently scatter the seed."

The seeds poured onto the grass with a sound like Niagara Falls, and the birds chirped noisily as they flew away.

I sighed with frustration. "That went well."

Fluttershy put a hoof on my shoulder. "It's alright. It's always a bit scary at first, but you'll learn soon."

I gave a deep sigh, this time with a sensation I hadn't felt in a long time.

Peace.

"Are you okay, Mario?" the Pegasus asked.

I looked at the scenery around me, enjoying the fresh air, air much fresher than the dirty New York air, or even the Mushroom Kingdom air. The mountains seemed to smile upon everything, and the sun beamed on the two of us, two different intelligent species making a connection.

I was making history, but I didn't care then. Talking to these ponies was very similar to talking to a person. They had a few cultural differences, such as substituting "pony" instead of "body," but all in all, we were very alike. Just different in body.

I didn't respond to Fluttershy's inquiry for a moment. When I did, it came out rather husky. "I haven't felt this peacefull since... I don't know when."

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm glad you feel so wonderful. Equestria is a land of magic and friendship, but we believe in peace as well."

"Tell that to Pinkie," I remarked, remembering the hyper pink party pony who'd nearly given Cappy cardiac arrest. Or would that be capdiac arrest?

Fluttershy giggled. There was a kind of grace in Fluttershy's behavior that intrigued me. She had the exterior of a peaceful lamb, but I sensed an inside of steel. This was a pony I felt comfortable with.

We sat and talked in the sunlight for a while. Fluttershy was gradually getting more at ease, and she had lots of stories to tell about her and her friends' adventures across Equestria, some of them sounding even more grand than my own adventures. I told her my adventures, and we shared jokes, and had a great time.

Finally, Fluttershy had to go inside to tend to her housekeeping, and she bid me farewell.

I smiled and walked down the road, eyes closed, enjoying the fresh, afternoon air. 

My happy reverie was cut short by some kind of projectile hitting me in the face.

I gave some kind of strange sound probably only comparable to a sea lion in need of medical attention, and looked around for the pony that could have hit me.

I saw nothing.

Muttering to myself about kids, I looked on the ground and saw a piece of paper.

It read "Come meet me in front of Sugarcube Corner." It was signed, "BM."

I frowned. Either someone wanted to talk to me, or this was some prank. No matter which direction, I was understandably hesitant. 

Still, this was Equestria.

I stuck the paper in my pocket, and walked quickly towards Sugarcube Corner. Several ponies stared at me as I walked by, and some started whispering to each other. I ignored them, and concentrated on my task.

When I got to the end of the street overlooking Sugarcube Corner, I saw a small hooded figure standing by the door of the house in question. It seemed impatient, and kept looking around nervously. 

When it saw me, it quickly gestured with a brown hoof. I cautiously approached. It could be a trap.

I reached the figure, and it pulled me close. "You're Mario, right?" it whispered.

"Yes..." I said hesitantly.

"I have a lot I need to discuss with you, but not here."

"Where do you want to..."

The figure suddenly lashed out, and hit me in the head with a very hard object that clanged through my skull. I felt the reverberation go through every corner of my skeleton, before the world went dark.