Flipped (Super Paper Mario SWAP AU)

Prologue (1)

"Hey, Merlon... it's been a while..."

He was sitting atop Flipside Tower, closing his eyes and allowing a faint breeze to brush past his face. The breeze was cool as well. Above him was a starless sky, an infinite sheet of black. But the golden sun would come soon.

Every month on this very day, he'd go to the top of the tower and wait for the sun to rise.

Sometimes it's still surprising, the way the entire sky seems to come to life after hours of darkness. Even on the days he spent inside instead of out and enjoying the sun, he'd enjoy the way the morning sun would stream through the windows. 

"You won't believe what happened this month," he started with a quiet chuckle. "A kid... small boy, about ten I think, told me he wanted to be like me when he grew up. Can you imagine?"

He quietly laughed to himself, then let out a soft sigh. The sunrise had yet to come. That was the thing about sunrises, they came at different times all throughout the year. It's impossible to get used to as the seasons change. Sometimes, the golden hues will flood in unwarranted at hours too early for it to be appreciated. Other times, the skies remain dark for so long that people start to fear it will never be light again. The fear only makes the gold seem more beautiful, though.

That's why winter has always been his favorite season. Well, that, and the charming little snowmen children would build down on the streets of Flopside. He loved the angel-like silhouettes made in the ground, the laughter that would ring down the streets just minutes after school being canceled. He always felt a little confused about that... living beings naturally love learning and growing, right? So why were children always so happy when school was canceled? 

What he wouldn't give to go back.

He's considered being a teacher once. But he could never do what teachers do. Spend a year with a select group of kids, nurturing and watching them grow only to let them go and watch as they move on, far away from him forever. He wouldn't be able to handle it. Besides, he already had his place in the world. A job far more important in the eyes of many. Not to him, of course. There's nothing more important than teaching. Raising children correctly and safely, that's what mattered.

It wasn't winter anymore. Or, technically it still might have been, but the winter months were ending and shifting to spring. He didn't dislike spring in the slightest, it was just different. It felt more foreign than winter did. He enjoyed the warmth, that was his favorite part of spring. Still, no matter how much sun showered the world in light, it never could fight away the permanent chill he always felt deep within him. He's been called cold, not because of his personality. In fact, many believe him to be one of the warmest of people to ever walk the streets of Flopside. The coldness was more of a condition. He never talks about it, always quick to change the conversation when it's brought up.

It seemed he still had a few hours, so he stood up and brushed himself off. Sometimes, he did get a little overexcited, especially on this day of each month. 

"I'll be back," he promised the sky. "I'll be here."

He took the elevator back down the tower and quickly slipped into his house, where he briefly passed through his living room, past the shelves filled with countless books, potions, scrolls, anything and everything that should be owned by an ancient. Sometimes, his shelves felt far too cluttered, but he could never bring himself to get rid of any of it. Not even the seemingly useless things, like old costumes and dusty cowboy hats from silly good times long ago. His door had the moon painted on it. 

He remembered the day he decorated this building he'd grown to call his home well as if it was yesterday.

Shaking the memories away, he briefly turned his attention to the pillar located in the center of his living room, it held the most important book of all, the very thing that held Flopside, Flipside, and all the worlds together.