//------------------------------// // 07: Special Connection // Story: Paper Mario: Elements & Stars // by ThePegaKris //------------------------------// ”Hnnngh...” Dear Mario, Please come to the castle. I have baked a cake for you. Yours truly, Princess Toadstool Peach ”Whatcha got there, Mario?” Pinkie snooped around. ”Uhh, nothing! Just...something old, it’s no big deal!” ”Uh-huh...” Twilight presumed. “Well, we got the Elements of Harmony from the Tree of Harmony!” The six Elements of Harmony were worn by the Mane Six as golden necklaces, except for Twilight’s, which was in the form of a crown. These looked to be the real deal after Mario read about the tale of Equestria’s two regal sisters who ruled over the land about a 1000 years ago. ”It’s feel so awesome again to wear these after so long!” Rainbow exclaimed. “By the way, sorry if I made you feel sick, Luigi.” ”Blehhh!” as Luigi puked a bit. “It’s...nothing really...” ”Oh no!” Fluttershy gasped. “You’re not feeling well, either!” ”Wouldn’t be the first time Luigi’s thrown up like this...” Mario whispered to himself. “But seriously, we need to help him out!” ”Oh... Maybe I wasn’t in the best shape of my life for that attack.” ”Rainbow Dash, if you’re going to do a ‘Sonic Raindoom’ next time, at least don’t actually pull a fast one on Luigi, darnit!” A.J complained. ”I said I was sorry.” Rainbow pouted. ”We need to find Zecora so that she can relieve Luigi of his internal pain.” Rarity suggested. ”Her hut is just around the corner!” Twilight exclaimed. “Let’s go, and Pinkie, stay away from the Mirror Pool for once.” ”Aww, but it was so much fun cloning myself!” Pinkie frowned. East: Zecora’s Hut ”Luigi, stay with me, you’re going to be fine.” Mario said. ”Please, bro.” ”I’ll get the door.” Rarity acknowledged. “Huh? It’s locked!” ”Ya didn’t even knock on it, Rarity!” A.J raised an eyebrow. ”No, I swear I did, and there was no answer from Zecora!” ”There’s a note on her door.” Spike pointed out. I am out doing some harvesting, and all in a day without resting. If you seek my attention, unfortunately, I have to put our appointments on suspension. But, I will back soon, even before the rise of the moon. Hope you can accept an apology in the midst of my methodology. -Zecora ”Well, that sucks.” Rainbow harbored. “Where else do we take Luigi to?” ”The hospital, genius?” A.J spit out. ”Now that you mention it, the place was almost packed with patients when I left this morning.” Spike said. “I don’t even know if Cappy and Bowser could check Trixie in.” ”Well, I’m sure they’re trying their best to make sure she pulls through, Spike.” Twilight thought. “But, we need to find alternative solutions to Luigi’s pain.” ”I’ll take care of him.” Fluttershy insisted. ”Uhh, I’m pretty sure you’re only a vet, Fluttershy.” Rainbow said. ”That doesn’t mean I’m not able to take care of other ponies.” ”I gotta give it to Fluttershy, though.” A.J brought up. “She did treat Apple Bloom’s fever at one point, which I thanked her for. ”Mario, you get to make the call!” Twilight referred. ”Well, what do we gotta lose? I see no point in fighting over who has the best medical experience. All that matters is that we waste no time helping Luigi, so I say that Fluttershy will take care of him.” ”Yay...” Fluttershy intimated. ”Don’t be so quick to judge, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight settled. “She just wanted to volunteer to help, that’s all.” ”You’re right... Maybe I need to stop stuffing myself in the clouds and look at every possibility. Luigi’s all yours, Fluttershy. Make sure he’s well-rested by the end of today.” ”Are we...back in the Mushroom Kingdom?” as Luigi kept spinning his head. ”No, but once this is all over, we will be back home.” Mario reassured. ”Come on Luigi, let’s go safely patch you up!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “We’ll be back at the castle later!” as Rarity joined Fluttershy. ”Yeah, me too...” as Spike slowly started following Rarity. ”Bye!” The rest of the group waved off. ”At least all of us are still wearing our Elements of Harmony.” Twilight said. “Remember, none of them will work if the Element of Magic goes missing or is being used in the wrong hooves.” ”And just to be safe, before I start taking a nap at home, I’m going to hide my Element somewhere safe!” Rainbow instituted. ”Let me guess...” A.J smirked. “In your bathroom, Rainbow Dash?” ”H-Hey! I don’t like it when somepony is sneaking up on me while I’m doing my business! Later, girls...and Mario!” ”Uh-huh...” Twilight murmured. “What about you, Applejack?” ”There’s nothing to fret about, Twi! I’m hiding my Element somewhere safe in my attic, although Granny Smith hates having to go up there and breathe in the dust... Anyways, see ya both later too!” ”Bye Applejack!” Mario and Twilight waved off. ”...And then there were two.” Twilight sighed. ”Hehe, yeah!” Mario giggled. “Your friends really have been a big help thus far on our mission, Twilight, and I want to thank you a lot again.” ”No problem! That’s basically what we’re best at, Mario. We help other ponies in times of need, just like you do with your people from the Mushroom Kingdom. Again, that’s how important friendship is to us.” ”I see. How did you become a princess in the first place? Were you actually born into a royal family?” ”No, but my parents did raise me in a city that’s heavily centered around royalty.” Twilight replied. “ I became a princess five years ago, after completing an unfinished & almost impossible spell that one of my idols failed to utilize in his studies. His name happened to be Star Swirl the Bearded.” ”Star Swirl the Bearded?” Mario asked. “Didn’t you mention that he was one of the Old Pillars of Equestria?” ”Yes, I did. He is unstoppable, when it comes to magic! He may be over a thousand years old, but he’s still alive and well to this day. I finally achieved my dream of meeting him too, although we did exchange some bits of awkward dialogue!” ”Don’t we need him and the other Old Pillars to find King Sombra?” Mario inquired. ”No, Mario.” Twilight responded. “We only need their artifacts. If we were to actually bring them to King Sombra, he would probably steal all of their strong powers and use them to fight us, which will be much more difficult.” ”Fascinating story...” ”Yeah... Hey Mario, is it okay if you can...tell me what you were reading back there?” ”Oh... Well, I guess I trust you enough, so I can definitely tell you, Twilight. That letter I was reading...was one of the first letters I ever got from Princess Peach. It reminded me of all the adventures that I’ve been through, trying to save her.” ”Ah. How does Princess Peach react every time you save her from Bowser?” ”She’s always been grateful for the troubles I had to go through in order to get to her. She never lies, both about that and the rewards she gives to me and even Luigi. The three of us get along very well with each other.” ”What about Bowser himself?” Twilight asked. ”He’s always been a pain to deal with, but there are times when Luigi, Peach, and I have been forced to work with him, such as right now. There’s one part of me that says my duty is to always stop him, but another part of me...seems to somehow feel bad for him.” ”There must’ve been something terrible about Bowser’s past that’s causing him to do what he still does, huh?” ”Other than looking for a wife, even I still don’t fully understand why he goes around kidnapping the princess every single time. I don’t get tired of it, but it’d be really interesting to know more about him in detail. Before my friends and I got here, I managed to convince one of his kids to no longer invade the Mushroom Kingdom as long as I get his dad back safely.” ”Hmm, but there’s something I still don’t get...” Twilight zoned off. “When I saw you reading that letter, Mario, you looked...a bit depressed, when before that, you were all joyful. Is something bothering you?” ”Kind of... It’s about Princess Peach. You know, this isn’t the first time that she’s been possessed and turned into the Shadow Queen.” ”What?” Twilight gasped. ”It’s true. The first time Peach turned into the Shadow Queen, I actually felt an emotion that I rarely feel... Fear...” ”Fear of what?” Twilight pressured. ”Fear of losing her to the darkness.” as Mario started to shed a tear. “Not only is Princess Peach one of my best friends, but I-I... l...o...” ”Mario, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Twilight reassured. “You can always trust us to comfort you and we’ll be there for you, no matter what. You not only have our word, but the word of your own friends, too. When we find King Sombra and return Princess Peach back to normal, you can tell her how you really feel about her, okay?” ”Okay, but...what if my fear takes over when I fight Sombra?” Mario sniffed. ”We won’t let that happen to you!” Twilight confirmed. “King Sombra grows stronger off of fear & hatred, and we won’t let you succumb to his possession, either.” ”...I’m really glad I met you, Twilight. It’s no wonder ponies here call you the ‘Princess of Friendship.’ You deserve that title forever.” ”And you, Mario? You deserve to be called a hero. We may be from different worlds, but I know one thing for sure.” ”What’s that?” ”We’ll be friends forever...” The two leaders, standing in front of the Tree of Harmony, gave each other one big hug, solidifying their right decisions that they’ve made along the way.