The World Rings, Night 1: Keeper of the Stories

Once upon a time, there was a king and a queen. Their love was eternal, or at least for the better part of a day. You see, the king feared his love would be disloyal, so to assure that would never happen, the king killed his wife after the first night. He had hundreds more wives lined up, and he killed each one after one night. And then one day, he met his newest wife: Scheherazade. Before they commenced proceedings, Scheherazade told the king a story.

"Did you know there are more worlds beyond this one? Did you know that people and wars exist on those worlds? They are not human like we are… They were called Zathurians, and they sought the Power of the Stars. And one day, as if by a miracle from the gods, two children were born with this power…"

The tale was so enthralling that the king couldn't help but listen. But Scheherazade stopped in the middle of her story, for the night was over. There was no time to finish. So, the king spared her life for a day so she could finish the tale. Then, she began an even more amazing story.

"Those children with the Power of Stars were not the only ones to be born with power. There were billions of them, all across the universe. It was decided long, long ago by the ancient gods."

Her stories were endless. They lasted for a thousand or so nights, and the king kept sparing her life. It was as if Scheherazade knew the very universe from the moment of its birth. The story of how the demons continue to plague the world and the valiant Hero in Green who would slay them. The stories of the "Galactic Kids Next Door" that spread their philosophy to all corners of the cosmos. …Indeed… nearly every story tied in to those Kids Next Door. Every story until this very day. To when they challenged the gods themselves and brought forth several new ages.

Eventually, the king could not bear to kill this woman. Nor could he allow her to die. Not with so many wonderful tales to share…

A gargantuan book of Golden Pages was closed by The Chronicler, an ancient and wise dragon. "I must admit… your knowledge is far more vast than mine… Scheherazade." He faced the young girl with flowing golden hair and bright blue eyes. "To know the entire history of this world… and others." The Chronicler viewed his endless bookshelf, displaying titles such as One Piece, Star Wars, and Family Guy.

"I know." Her bare feet calmly crossed the stone floor and took the massive book titled Gameverse. "I've always found it funny… how everything in history could seem so small." The book shrunk to a fair size to carry. "And how tearing a simple page could rupture reality itself."

The Chronicler slid the book onto a pedestal. "Then, my dear… what story will you tell next?"

Scheherazade closed her eyes. "That is only for her to decide…" Her body transformed into light and whisked into the heavens. The Chronicler watched as the book turned into light particles and floated away.

"So, you're reincarnating again, are you? I suppose that's for the best… after all, someone needs to control that little rascal. The question is, who will watch over him until then?"

Star Haven

In a region of space where stars glittered brightest, there sat a floating blue, star-shaped island. The grass and trees glittered like sun rays on water, and energetic Star Children were frolicking about the island. "Wheeeee! Hahahaha!" Some Star Kids were hovering a safe height as a 3-year-old brown-haired girl in a blue top-hat was jumping and trying to catch them. For someone her age, she was bouncing fairly well. "Stop flying, silly stars! I wanna make a wish!"

"NO, I WANT A WISH!" A yellow-haired girl in a red hood jumped off the Hat Kid and was able to catch a Star Child. "GOTCHA! I wish the entire Koopa Clan would DIE in a fire!"

"Louise, that's a mean wish!" The Hat Kid tried to tug the star away. "I wish you were nicer!"

"I wish you had a mustache like me!"

"I wish your mustache was bigger than the castle!!"

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Louise released the Star Child and wrestled her sister to the ground.

"Maria! Louise! Stop it!" pled their uncle Luigi, a man in a green cap and blue overalls. He spread the twin girls apart as they flailed their little arms toward each other. "You know negativity affects the Fountain of Dreams! Don't you remember the story?"

"Mama reads that story every day, I'm SICK of it!" Louise complained.

"She's jealous 'cause the Stars gave her a mustache!" Maria retorted.

"Mmmmmhh." Louise frowned and rubbed the little facial hair with her finger.

"Oh, cheer up, Louise." Luigi smiled. "Premature mustaches just mean you're maturing quickly."

"HA! Hear that, Maria, I'm more mature than you! …What does 'mature' mean?"

"Maria? Louise?" They looked as their mother and father approached. Their father looked like Luigi, but with a red "M" cap and shorter, while their mother was a golden-haired queen in a pink dress. "There's… something we need to discuss with you."

All the family members gathered inside the Star Sanctuary, staring up at the Seven Star Spirits. In the center of them was a sleeping genie-like imp. "Hey! What's that baby?" Maria pointed.

"Maria, Louise," spoke Eldstar, "have you heard the Story of the Eight Firstborn?"

"Yes, YEEEES!" Louise whined. "Mom reads us that story ALL THE TIME!"

"Don't worry." Peach whispered to the spirits. "I only read them the kid-friendly version."

"Don't worry, Louise." Maria whispered. "Mom doesn't know we read the real version."

"My favorite part was when Revan died!" Louise snickered.

"That story did not tell of ALL the Firstborn." Misstar replied. "We have recently discovered there are far more than eight. And this little one, who is called Hoopa… his power is on par with Jirachi's. And lately, the Koopa Clan have been trying to invade our home. We fear they may be aware of his existence."

"According to The Chronicler, Hoopa's Guardian is a woman named Scheherazade." Klevar followed. "She is thousands of years old and is reborn every generation on a planet called Earth. Until this woman returns for Hoopa, we must keep him safe from the hands of evil beings. Which brings us… to you two."

"Children…" Peach spoke solemnly, hands folded on her dress. "The Star Spirits proposed that Hoopa be sealed inside Maria's magic hat. We would lock the seal using a Name Spell: this means it will break if you two say your true names. You two will go with Luigi to live on Planet Earth to hide from the Koopa Clan."

"Another planet?" Louise said worriedly. "Will we… live in a castle?"

"I'm afraid not. I would prefer if you all lived in a remote location. You know, a house that didn't have a hundred rooms and a bunch of servants."

"W-W-W-We have to live… l-like poor people?" The mustached girl started crying.

"Don't worry, Louise. We'll give you two your own bank accounts at Gringotts. Of course, we'll have Luigi watch over them until you're older."

"You're not gonna stress the moral of 'There's no shame in poverty,' Princess?" Luigi said with half-closed eyes.

"Of course there isn't. But money has its benefits."

"But when will we see you again?" Maria asked.

"We don't know. But it won't be so bad, I promise. You see, we're acquainted with a special group of people on that planet: the Kids Next Door. When you grow old enough, you'll be able to join them and make lots of friends. And I'm sure, by then, Scheherazade will come for Hoopa."

"But why do we have to do this?!" Louise asked. "Why can't Uncle Luigi do it by himself?"

"With age and experience, children prove to be more capable than adults." Klevar said. "If evil comes for you, you will be able to defend yourselves. And besides, we believe Hoopa will feel more comfortable with children like you."

"And considering Bowser's old habit of kidnapping me… well… it's only a matter of time before he tries to kidnap you two." Peach reasoned. "By sending you away, we could protect both of you and Hoopa."

"Yeah…" Mario nodded.

"Don't worry, Louise!" Maria jumped. "Going to a new planet will be fun! It's like living on a really big star!"

"That would actually hurt." Luigi said.

"Oh, fine! But I want a REALLY big cake when I come back home!"

"Hm hm hm! It's a deal!" Peach giggled.

"Very well… let us cast the spell now." Eldstar said.

"Can I hold him first?" Maria asked adorably. "Pleeeeaaaase?"

"I suppose we can allow that." The spirits moved the genie down to the child and Maria held him in her arms.

"Nnnnnhh… Scheherazade…" Hoopa spoke softly. "Is that you?"

"No, silly! My name is Maria! And this is Louise."

"Ehhh…" Hoopa cracked open his eyes, which had white pupils with green ring-like irises and yellow sclera. "Hey… do you got any donuts?"

"Ah, yes." Eldstar spoke sheepishly. "He gets quite the appetite. I wonder if his Guardian is the same."

After the ritual commenced and Hoopa was sealed inside the hat, the family left the Star Sanctuary. They approached a woman named Dimentia, who wore a blue gown with a twinkly star design and had a black-and-white face. "Can we trust you to take them to Earth, Dimentia?" Peach asked. "We don't wanna draw attention by carrying them on our ship."

"That should be easy." Dimentia smiled. "After all, I can just warp them. …Although finding the Mushroom Greens may be a bit difficult. Do you remember where they are?"

"Yes, I remember." Luigi answered. "I can help you find it, no problem!"

"Daddy, I can do it this time, watch me!" They looked over at Mario and Maria. The plumber did a backflip, followed by a Ground Pound. His daughter pulled off the backflip, but her back met the ground instead of her bottom. "Owiiieeeee!"

Dimentia sported a chuckle. "You know, the kids on Earth have a sport where they smash their butts into the ground and try to leave as big a crack as possible. Did they learn that sport from your people, perhaps?"

"From Mario and Luigi, maybe." Peach replied. "I always thought it would become a bad influence."

Maria hopped back on her feet and grinned. "When we come back home, I'll be the best Butt Pounder ever!"

"Hoo hoo!" cheered Mario.

Three years later; Mushroom Forest

The twins were able to adjust to their new lives on Earth, though Maria had much more fun than Louise. Since they weren't allowed to say their names, they went by the nicknames Hat Kid and Mustache Girl, a nickname Louise was very resentful in accepting. Of course, she couldn't call herself Red Hood, because two people already had those names.

"Come ON, Maria, we gotta get back to Uncle Luigi!" Louise whined to her sister, who was carefreely skipping across some large mushrooms. "It's getting daaaaark, and it might rain soon!"

"Rain isn't scary, MG! And quit saying my name, we're undercover!"

"Undercover from what? Nobody's come to find us since we got here."

"Whatever!" The joyful sister Wall Jumped up between some trees. "You're gonna have to try harder than that if you wanna join the KND, Sis!"

"Ugh." Louise rolled her eyes, not caring about the KND at all.

"Psst. Excuse me. Little Girl." Louise looked to her left. There was a bald man disguised like a tree. "It is me! Your friend, the tree."

"Uhhhhhhh… Last I checked, trees can't talk."

"Of course we talk. We trees are very friendly to little girls. Come over, have some Tree Candy."

"OOOOO!" Maria landed in front of Louise. "I want candy!"

"Maria, NO!"

"GRAAAH!" A bunch of beefy, bald men in aprons leapt out of the bushes and grabbed the Hat Kid.

"Boss was right! These girls are on intergalactic black market wanted posters!"

"Mafia will give them to Koopa Clan, then Mafia will be famous!"

"Let my sister go!" Louise leapt, flipped in midair, and kicked all the Mafia in the faces.

Maria escaped their grasp and began to run. "C'mon! We gotta get Uncle Luigi!"

"AAAAAH!" Maria turned back, horrified to see all hands on Louise's arms and legs. "Let me go! Sis, help!"

She was going to throw her hat at the Mafia—but she realized why they might be after her. She remembered the secret inside her hat. "Egh! Maria, please!"

She gasped back to attention. "W-We promised Mom and Dad, Sis!"

"What?! Maria, help me!" The Mafia began to bind her in rope.

"I'll get Uncle Luigi! Be right back!" And she bolted in the opposite direction.

"Maria, come back! Maria, please! MARIAAAAAAAAA!"

She kept her back to her pursuers as she ran, her sister's voice soon to be drowned out by the rainfall.

By some miracle, she lost the Mafia and made it back to their house outside the forest. "Mari—I mean… Hat Kid." Luigi was still not used to referring to her by nickname. "Where's your sister?"

"Louise… we were playing in the forest and she was captured by these scary men." Maria cried.

"Captured?! Don't worry, we'll save her! Let's go!"

But when they returned to the forest, the Mafia were already gone, and Louise was nowhere to be seen. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" Luigi demanded. "SHOW YOURSELVES!"

"Louise…" Maria fell to her knees and buried her eyes in her hands. "I-It's all my fault! Sniff!"

"Maria, don't worry." Luigi patted her back. "We'll find her, no matter what. I'll call my brother and Peach, we'll get her back before you know it."

Maria took off her hat, her tears falling into its empty void. She made the choice to save it in place of her sister… but was it really worth it? Whoever was supposed to come for this creature… she wished they would hurry up.

Church of England, Earth; nine years ago

"Aaaaaaaaahhhh!" A woman was in the process of giving birth. "Nnngh! …What's all this light?!"

"This child must be a lightbender!" the nurse said. "Don't worry, Patty, we'll have it out soon!"

"Nnnn…nnnngh…" Patty shut her eyes tight from the pain. …Then, the pain seemed to vanish, and a golden light was shining upon her. She looked up at the shining form of a golden-haired girl in a white robe. "Are…Are you… an angel?"

"I will use your child as my Index." Scheherazade spoke. "Her personality will be her own, but she will inherit all of my memories. Those memories will only awaken when she speaks her true name. Her name will be Scheherazade… but you must not reveal it to anyone. She will know this, too."

"I… don't understand. Angel, please tell me… what do you have planned for my daughter?"

"Only time will tell. For now, just allow her to enjoy life." Scheherazade gave a warm smile before disappearing. The next thing Patty heard was a baby's cry as the light dimmed and she saw the nurse holding her child.

"It's a girl, Patty." she said with adoration of the infant. "She already has your hair. Isn't she precious?"

Patty smiled as she was handed the infant. Indeed, she was already budding a small patch of silvery-purple hair. "So… an Index, huh…?"

"Index?" the nurse asked. "That's an odd name for a baby."

"It is, isn't it? I have a feeling… this child is going to be very special someday."