Work Text:
Mist swept across the thick treeline, thin rays of light peeking through small gaps in the branches. Mario had to sidestep after a shriek from the young Mallow beside him, cotton candy-like fluff colliding against his side as a soaring arrow impaled the ground where he once stood. It hadn't been very long since the two of them had arrived in Rose Town, and it took no time at all to realise things were amiss. A few frozen toads and one runaway doll later, the pair decided to hastily make their way towards the desolate forest maze, nestled behind the quaint, rural toad civilization.
Walking through the forest wasn't too bad, apart from the obvious arrow problem. The wigglers were easy to get around, the chained kongs a little concerning, and the fake mushrooms absolutely infuriating. Yet Mario and Mallow pushed on with ease, the mage casually running his puffy little hand against the rough tree surfaces as they moved with impressive pace deeper and deeper into the woods.
That is, until-
“Uh, Mario?” Mallow huffed out exhaustedly from beside him, reaching up to cling to the plumber’s sleeve, “I think we're…”
“Lost” was the unspoken elephant in the room. Once they had reached a set of crossroads, everything fell apart. Not only did they have zero clue on where to go, but the enemies approached them in swarms, forcing them to think on their feet. Each path would just lead to another set of crossroads, and each of those would have their own gang of creatures wanting to bite their heads off. It had taken them fifteen minutes to find a spot to finally take a break from all the running and panicking, and even then they still had no idea where they were.
Mallow flopped his back against a tree, his body deflating with exhaustion. Mario, after a moment of checking everything was indeed safe, threw his own body beside Mallow’s, fanning himself with his hat and wiping his brow of sweat. He was known for his acrobatics, not his aerobics, and Mallow himself clearly wasn't great with cardio. The two friends leaned against each other and let out tired breaths.
“Sorry Mallow,” Mario shook his head, “but I don’t think we’re going to find our way through like this…”
“You’re right…” Mallow’s bottom lip quivered, “I don’t even think we could make our own way back to town, let alone figure out what happened to Gaz’s doll…”
A collective sigh of dejection sounded from their mouths. The pair’s usual ability to bounce off their optimism and jolly natures had been replaced with a lingering tiredness laced with pessimism. Mario looked to Mallow and considered making a makeshift umbrella out of the leaves scattered across the floor to prepare for a likely storm. His stomach then twinged with a sudden guilt. As the adventure-experienced adult, he should be the one to lead them forwards. Yet this maze had none of the usual signs: no patterns, no minute details, no trials, no hidden paths, and no person to guide them. It was probably the best maze nature had ever built, meaning it was simultaneously the worst maze nature had ever built.
Mario was about to give up completely, but then his head perked up suddenly, causing Mallow to jump to his feet.
What… What was that?
Mallow seemed to have noticed it too, slowly looking around the area. Mario was quick to do the same.
It was almost like…
Music?
Their feet moved automatically, as if being lured by a siren call. The music was their guide now, weaving them through the forest, the crunching of the leaves beneath their feet providing steady percussion. That melody was gorgeous, nothing like the two had ever heard before, parting the trees in a way that seemed magical. If they looked close enough, they could swear the fleeting sunlight was dancing. It almost felt like some kind of spell. Almost. Unlike most spells, this wasn’t pretending to be something it wasn’t. There was no malice here. It almost sounded like…
…Like twinkling stars.
The world finally opened to a small clearing. Stood in the middle of the woodland scenery was a dark figure adjourned in blue, cap and cape fluttering in the light breeze. The stranger seemed oblivious to Mario and Mallow’s appearance as they gracefully glided around the dirt in a small circle, form relaxed and enraptured by the surrounding song. Resting between their chin and shoulder was a small wooden instrument, a long thin stick passing across the strings and creating a sound that span fluidly around the souls of those who listened. Mario could only admire, mouth slightly agape, at this person’s magical talent. Their frame quite closely resembled their instrument too-
Wait… That hat… And that cape…
Before Mario could process his thoughts, the music crescendoed before slowly fading out. The musician lowered their instrument slowly from its resting place and remained still. Were they taking it all in?
Mallow clapped and cheered with a gleeful smile on his face, and the performer’s eyes snapped open, the strange nutcracker-like mouth lowering in surprise. They regarded the puffball with a confused gaze of bewilderment before their eyes drifted to Mario’s. How had Mario failed to notice all the signs before? The wooden frame, the ball joints, the hair shavings - this was Gaz’s runaway doll.
“That…” Mario began.
“THAT WAS AMAZING!” Mallow cried out, approaching the doll, “your music is sooooo good!”
“Ah…” Gaz’s toy blinked (blinked?!?!), “Thank you. You’re too kind.”
“Wait a minute…” Mallow paused, squinting suspiciously, “haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”
“That’s the doll Gaz claimed to have wandered into the forest,” Mario reminded Mallow, who then turned to the plumber.
“Oooooooh!” Mallow nodded, “The one that shot you!”
Mario threw Mallow a disapproving glare. The tension didn’t last very long though, as the doll let out a hearty laugh at the pair’s antics. Mario’s gaze drew right back towards the doll, as if they had their own gravitational pull. Their arms were wrapped around their torso, as if they could feel the bubbles of cheer racking their body just the same as he or Mallow could. It ended with an amused sigh as they attempted to compose themselves, taking a deep breath and clearing their throat.
“Allow me to explain myself. This is merely a form I am borrowing briefly. I am a star who hails from the Star Road, a sacred place within the galaxy where people’s wishes are granted. When a group of miscreants known as the Smithy Gang took over Bowser’s Keep, they also pierced the road, shattering it into seven star pieces. I am currently on a quest to locate them and rebuild my home, and I needed Gaz’s doll as a body to help me achieve that. There’s not much I can do as a star, after all.”
“Wait!” Mallow straightened up in realisation, reaching down to sift through his backpack before pulling out the star the two had found at the Mushroom Kingdom, “Is this one of the star pieces?”
“Yes, that is!” The doll glowed, “quick, pass it to me!”
Mallow did as he was told, allowing the star to rest gently in the hands of this celestial presence. They seemed to admire it for a moment, eyes glittering with untold hope and relief. With a fond smile, they launched the star up through the forest’s mist and into the boundless sky.
“Thank you both so much,” the doll folded their arms with a smile.
“No problem!” Mallow reached towards the sky happily, “what’s your name, stranger?”
“Well…” they looked away for a moment, “my name is ♡♪!?, but uh, hehe, that’s a little hard to pronounce so… Just call me Geno, after the doll.”
“Hi Geno! I’m Mallow! That’s Mario!”
“Oh, Mario?” Geno’s voice sounded familiar with the name, “we’ve heard about you!”
“Ah! Uh,” Mario flinched as Mallow pointed towards him, “It’s nice to meet you too, Geno.”
Mario reached his hand out towards Geno, who looked at the gesture with an alien expression. Did he not know what this was? With a gentle smile, Mario stepped towards Geno and took his hand, the puppet gasping softly with the sudden contact. Bringing their joined hands up between them, Mario shook Geno’s hand firmly. Afterwards, he let go, watching as Geno brought his hand up towards his face.
“Sorry, too much?” Mario looked away sheepishly, “it’s called a handshake. It’s a more formal greeting, I suppose.”
“I see…” Geno flexed his fingers, “Sorry, I’m still getting used to all of this.”
“No problem at all,” Mario gave a supportive smile, “take all the time you need to get used to everything.”
Geno’s body relaxed at Mario’s words, the tension in his shoulders loosening as they dropped to his side. Suddenly, the doll’s expression shifted.
“Wait, why are you two so deep into the forest?”
“Oh right!” Mallow responded, “we were looking for you! Gaz said his toy ran off!”
“Right, that…” Geno winced, “that makes sense. Sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Mario reassured him.
“Yeah, Mario’s right!” Mallow agreed, “besides, we got to hear your music, so I’d call this a win! What’s that called, by the way?”
“Ah, this,” Geno gestured to the instrument in his left hand, “this is called a violin, my fluffy friend.”
“Oooooh”
“Wait, hold on,” Mario looked towards Geno, “if you’re a star, then how can you play the violin?”
“I’ve always been quite musically attuned,” Geno answered, smiling at the violin fondly, “music works very differently as a star though. Melodies are created through movements and chimes, similarly to singing and dancing for you. Maybe I subconsciously sought out a way to translate that into my own form of expression in your world? I can hardly explain why, but before I approached the forest, I came across a store in Rose Town and found this. I suppose it felt like a fateful encounter for me? It took a bit of trial and error to get it to work, but I think it’s perfect…”
Mario briefly regarded a similar stick to the one Geno was using with his violin, broken and discarded on the floor. He also won’t question how the star-possessed puppet was able to pay for the thing in the first place.
“That’s incredible…” Mallow stared at Geno in awe.
“Thank you, really,” Geno chuckled, “it’s just… Natural to me, I suppose.”
“Did you come out into the forest to play your violin?” Mallow asked.
“Not at all,” Geno shook his head, “I came here looking for another star piece. I believe a member of the Smithy Gang, Bowyer, has taken it. He is also the one raining arrows down across both here and Rose Town. I must get to him and retrieve the star piece.”
“What was the violin performance for then?” Mallow’s head tilted, “I liked it, but was it supposed to help stop this guy? Oh, wait! Were you luring him in?!”
“No, I…” Geno pulled his cap over his eyes, “I was… Uh… I was nervous.”
“Nervous about fighting Bowyer when you just arrived here?” Mario wondered aloud.
“I wish I could deny it,” Geno admitted, “when I first gained control of this body, I could barely walk. I collided with the side of a staircase before slamming myself head-first against a counter. Even now, I’m constantly tripping over myself. I’m worried that I may have difficulties if I lose full control of my movement during combat.”
“Awww Geno,” Mallow walked to his side and patted the side of his arm, “Mario and I can come with you! That way you won’t have to be alone, so then you won’t have to worry alone!”
“Those… Are some wise words,” Geno looked to Mallow.
“Thanks! My Grandpa is super smart! He taught me that!”
“A great teacher needs a great student.”
“Awwww, you’re just saying that!”
“You two are sure?” Geno’s gaze drifted to Mario’s, “you’ll really help me?”
“Of course,” Mario nodded, “A world without wishes is a terrible thing. We’ll do what we can to help.
“I…” Geno appeared genuinely bewildered at the sudden offer to assist him, but it soon turned to a confident and resolute glint in his eyes, “thank you both. Now, let us be off, there’s no time to lose. Follow me.”
Geno turned to a path opposite them, marching strongly towards his goal. Mallow ran along behind him, the optimism he had lost sight of before now well and truly renewed. Mario followed from a fair distance, flashes of blue and woodland tunes still playing on loop within his mind.
At least he didn’t have to navigate anymore.