It had been a long tunnel this time. Mario had been shifting through it for a long while. He'd been in there for what seemed like forever. It was dark and damp. It had been a while since he'd heard Luigi yelling for him. His name had echoed through the pipes. "Mario. Mario." He was carrying a flashlight in his right hand, the light was glimmering in the corners it reach. He could hear the tinkling of water down the sides of the wall.

There didn't seem to be a sign of the end of the tunnel when suddenly, there was a dim light. Mario began running down the pipe towards the new aurora, slowly he poked his little red hat out of the pipe, waving it around to see if any koopa's were there to destroy him. Nothing happened. He peered over the rim of the pipe to look out at the world around him. It wasn't what he'd expected.

A little green yoshi had been following him through the tunnel, it was now that Mario looked at the creature and said, "Yoshi, I don't think we're in the Mushroom Kingdom anymore." The land was nothing like the Mushroom Kingdom. It was barren. Covered in large hills of dust, rocks, and craitorous mountains. It was cold outside. Then he looked at the sky. In the distance he could see a green and blue moon.

"Surina, get away from there!" Someone was shouting in the distance. It wasn't long before a figure came into view. Mario watched the long strands of hair floating in the wind as the young girl skipped to towards him. He hid in the tunnel slightly, only glancing over the rim to watch the girl.

The girl was skipping through the dust gracefully, when suddenly she fell. She cried out in a loud wailing moan. Mario's first reaction was to go over to the girl, but he held himself back. The girl stood there whimpering and holding her knee close to her chest. She had scratched it on a rock. It wasn't a bad wound, but the way she was going on about it was ridiculiously obnoxious.

After a few moments Mario took in the surroundings a bit differently, looking at the girl in her long white gown something about her changed in his eyes. She was beautiful. More beautiful than any woman he had ever known. Her eyes were fantastic, romantic, and captivating. Within moments he was convincing himself to approach her. She was the most lovely creature he'd ever seen. Perhaps he could convince her to return to the Mushroom Kingdom with him. She would be a lovely bride. He remembered that he was betrothed to Princess Peach already, but his heart was yearning for the new found lovely being before him. He steadied himself and was about to go to her when he saw a man come forth from behind one of the craitorous mountains.

It was a tall thin man, wearing a black tuxedo and a mask over his eyes. He leaned down in front of the girl and glanced at her knee that was exposed through a rip in her dress. His dark hair swam in the cold air around them.

"What have you done now, meatball head?" The man asked.

Mario was infuriated. How dare the man stand there in his princely attire and call the heavenly creature a "meatball head." Mario convinced himself further to approach them, he was about to make his move when he heard the young maiden reply.

"Darien... I'm sorry I wandered away." She looked deep into the man's eyes and watched a playful smile erect over his lips.

"Silly meatball head, I love you." He leaned down and kissed the girl fiercely. The passion overwhelming both of them. In that moment, Mario realizes that he stood no chance to the handsome devil kissing the young woman he had just fantasized his future with.

"Oh Darien," Surina moaned as she kissed him deeper.

Mario turned his head and headed back into the tunnel. "Come on Yoshi, let's go home to Princess Peach. Luigi must be in a furry." With that they disappeared back into the tunnel that they had came from, and headed on their way back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario never forgot that girl. She always toyed with his dreams and he often dreamed of returning to the place beyond the pipe. However, he contented himself with Peach, forcing himself to let go of the one moment he believes he felt true love.