"No, no, no!” the blue-hatted shadow siren cried as she watched their latest efforts fail spectacularly. The Excess Express was on it’s way again, with the summoned Smorgs dispersed by Mario and his crew and the tracks clear. Beldam frankly had no clue how they kept defeating her spells so easily; she was a great sorceress! The greatest in the world, as a matter of fact! And yet that damnable Mario and his compatriots - including the wayward shadow siren Vivian in her ugly pink hat - kept defeating her plans! Grodus would, of course, be angry. But her plans were flawless, it was the fools executing them that kept mucking everything up!
“Guh,” Marilyn said mournfully.
“Yes, you should be sorry that this failed, it is your fault!” Beldam said. It wasn’t, but Marilyn didn’t need to know that.
“Guh?” the rotund shadow siren suggested.
Beldam snapped her gaze over to the rather larger witch. “I told you! That plan is completely useless! Why would we want to do something like that? It’s just dumb.”
“Guh.” Marilyn said with a shrug.
“I know we’re out of options to stop them . That doesn’t mean we have time to waste on a dumb one.” Beldam snapped.
“Guh, guh.” Marilyn said.
“Oh, for the love of… fine. Fine, you fat nuisance, you can give it a try. Grodus can hardly get more mad. If this doesn’t work, you’re the one roasting, not me!”
“Guh!” Marilyn cheered. She, unlike her fellow siren, was in a bit of a better mood. She wanted to stop Mario and all, but being able to use her own idea for once was fun! And she had an idea that she thought would be better for everyone involved! Mario and his gang would be happy and Grodus would be happy because they weren’t getting the star, and that would mean she and Beldam were happy.
-----
“One victory dinner, coming right up☆! Hope y’all are hungry☆!” the Excess Express’ main waitress said cheerfully. She, and the rest of the passengers and staff alike, were tired of the delays and assaults on the train. The conductor had wanted to keep his wealthy passengers happy and thank the heroes who had saved them more than once, and what better way to do that (within the means of the train) than a mighty feast?
“Is this all really necessary?” said a certain italian-accented, red clothed plumber. “I mean, they were only attacking the train because of us…”
“Oh, for sure, hero ☆!” The waitress assured Mario, “You saved the day in the end ☆! And you’re a cutie, I woulda gotten ya something special anyways☆~”
“Oh that’s so nice of you, weren’t you going to get food for us?” Vivian said sharply, and a bit too quickly. Mario looked between her and the waitress, mustachioed mouth in a confused slight frown. Did he miss something happening between those two?
“Well, like, I’m hungry!” Goombella said, trying to diffuse the sudden tension and staring contest between the youngest of the Shadow Sirens and the Toad waitress. The waitress smirked and spun on her heel, waltzing off into the dining car. Vivian settled back into her seat fuming a bit.
“...Suddenly I’m not hungry.” Koops said quietly.
“Oh darling, it’s never a bad time for a meal,” Flurrie purred. “I learned that quite well in my career days, didn’t I?”
Mario relaxed as the tension dissipated, adjusting his hat. Honestly he didn’t feel like he deserved a victory dinner - he’d caused so much trouble by being here. If he hadn’t been aboard they probably wouldn’t have had to deal with the smorgs or the attempted honey bomb or any of the other issues caused by his enemies. Honestly he would have been lucky they didn’t clip his ticket in half and kick him off, but instead they threw a feast? Where was the justice in that?
Maybe it was just a rich people thing. There had been an inconvenience resolved? Party, doesn’t matter what caused it. He didn’t frankly know. Despite what some may assume from his status as a hero of the mushroom kingdom and other lands, he wasn’t wealthy. Heroism wasn’t a job description, it was more of a thing he felt obligated to do. He was licensed as a plumber which was hardly an occupation of the rich and famous in the first place, and to be frank, he hadn’t snaked a drain in years and his experience crawling through pipes to battle bad guys almost outmatched his experience fixing them - whenever someone saw his name in the address book they figured he was either a practical joker pretending to be the famous Mario or else would have rates too expensive for them. He lived off the occasional reward and the gratitude of the people, and famous in his case didn’t mean wealthy, it meant getting by.
While Team Mario was discussing food, thinking about their situation, or in one certain purple case thinking about Mario, the waitress hummed to herself as she picked up the plates meant for their table. There were a lot, but she had practice! She picked them up easily, and focused carefully as she slowly walked from the kitchen through the dining area.
She was so focused on balancing the plates and not dropping them that she didn’t notice a rather large passenger masked by an equally large newspaper reach a shadowy hand over and wiggle her fingers at the plates. The food glowed a soft purple for several seconds, as the magical spell seeped into it and took hold. By the time the waitress announced her return and cautiously put the plates down onto Team Mario’s large table the glow had faded without a trace, leaving both the waitress and the team none the wiser.
The party dug into the food with gusto - it was a big meal and of higher quality than any except maybe Flurrie had ever had, just the sort of thing one would expect on a train made exclusively for the powerful and wealthy. It was good enough that conversation ceased for as long as there was food on the table but for the noise of it’s consumption.
It was such a feast, that they didn’t notice the spell it put over them. They didn’t notice how their appearances - from their clothes to their very bodies - began to transform.
Mario’s change was the first, and not too dramatic. The overalls had to go, of course, and the silly hat… all of his outfit, really. It changed, transformed. The garish scarlet shirt darkened to a more tasteful and mature maroon shade, while the overalls transformed, the simple suspenders splitting in half at the waist. The top part transformed to become a fancy, navy-blue suit jacket far more fitting the surroundings. The leggings on the other hand, became simple yet elegant slacks in the same color, complimenting the jacket well. The hat vanished entirely, while Mario’s hair became slicked back and straight. A navy tie appeared around his neck and tied itself up to complete the upper-class look that was perfectly in place with the Excess Express. If one was looking under the table, his practical workman’s boots became black upper-class style shoes, the kind that belonged to a man who never had to move at a pace beyond a leisurely stroll.
Most of the party faced similarly dramatic changes, but in a different direction. Goombella’s helmet was replaced with a frilly cap, and Flurrie’s appearance changed similarly with the appearance of such a cap as well as a black-and-white blouse and apron, her flashy gold jewelry vanishing to thin air. From an outsider’s perspective, the pair had become simple maids.
The more… male, companions on the other hand, got a rather different set of changes. The koopa’s hoodie turned black as it slimmed down. When it opened on it’s own it revealed a white shirt and tie beneath it that had certainly not been there before, while his jeans became a matching black set of pants to go with the new shoes he was sporting. Yoshi Kid actually grew bigger, big enough for easy riding, while his hair was brushed down and smoothed. His clothes vanished, replaced with a comfortable saddle. Thirdly, a certain admiral bob-omb had his nautical theming exchanged, his white captain’s hat becoming a black tophat, while his wheel was replaced by a riding crop - a fitting look for a chauffeur.
Most of the changes were minor - clothing, style, some hair. But Vivian’s transformation was by a wide margin the most dramatic. First, she grew - she was small, almost childish despite her age, in her normal form. That was no longer the case, as she was now even taller than Mario, with her hair maintaining it’s proportion to her size. She’d been a bit on the chubby side but that was swiftly no longer the case, her belly pulling in while her newly formed hips flared out. Next came the bust, ballooning out until the Shadow Siren’s mammaries were larger than her head.
She’d never worn clothes before, not needing them due to her nature, but that hardly fit now. Shadows swirled around her body and when they faded they left in their wake a beautifully black dress that hugged every curve, with a plunging neckline that made sure to show off her exquisite bust. Her face smoothed out and matured as well. She had been cute before. Now, she was drop dead gorgeous.
The party, utterly unaware of their changes, continued to scarf down food like starving animals, unable to stop. Only when their plates were licked clean did they begin to take the time to examine themselves.
For a moment, they were quiet, stunned to silence. Then everyone started chatting at once.
“Like, my hat!”
“I don’t think I’ve worn something like this since my early film Maids in Lo-”
“Hey, Gonzalez, what gives-”
“W-What’s going on-”
“Guys, guys, quiet down!” Mario called, and the party managed to silence themselves. He ran a hand through his hair, and looked at each party member in turn. Maid, maid, butler, mount, chauffeur… his gaze lingered in shock on Vivian’s new form, but he shook his head and looked at his reflection in silverware. Not sure what he or Vivian had become…
-----
“...This was your plan?” Beldam said, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
“Guh!” Marilyn said cheerfully, quite pleased with herself.
“You… made them look like a wealthy couple and their servants.”
“Guh.” Marilyn nodded.
“With food.”
“Guh.”
“...And how, precisely, does this stop them from getting the next Star, and interfering with our boss’ plans?”
“Guh, guh!”
“What do you mean sit back and watch! I won’t take this kind of insolence-”
“Guh.”
“Oh, fine…”
-----
The train was pulling into the station and the party was preparing to leave.
“Remind me again why we can’t just, like, change back…?” Goombella asked, mournfully looking upwards at the maid’s cap that had replaced her beloved flashlight-hat.
“When was the last time you carried any set of spare clothes?” Koops pointed out.
“And I have to be able to see whoever cast the spell to perform the right countercurse…” Vivian said. Her voice had changed as well as her body, far more breathy, seductive, than it usually was.
Mario gulped, trying to ignore that. “I’m sure it’ll work out fine. They’re probably going to be waiting for us somewhere. Keep an eye out, this mean spirited prank doesn’t seem like it’s the kind of thing Beldam would limit herself to.”
Privately, Vivian didn’t think this was Beldam’s idea at all - she’d hardly consent to Vivian being given this kind of body. She frankly wasn’t sure what the plan was, but it probably didn’t stop at giving her an eye catching figure. Truth be told, she didn’t actually mind if this was where it ended - she’d caught Mario’s eye more than once, and that just set a fire off in her. As they disembarked the train, she drifted perhaps just a little closer to Mario than she normally would have, and he didn’t push her away…
As they got off the train, they were approached by a well dressed Toad. He bowed deeply to the party. “Welcome to Poshley Heights, Mario and company!” he declared. “We’ve been looking forward to having a hero like you here, Mario!”
Mario blinked - he wasn’t frankly used to being recognized. Most people expected someone taller. Honestly, while normally his humble nature would have him deflect the praise as a hero, this time he… honestly kind of liked it. Even in such isolated communities as this his name was well known? Well, that was kinda nice. He straightened his back a little, stood up a bit taller. He cleared his throat. “Ahem. Yes, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you.”
The Toad nodded, and looked behind Mario, to where the others were. “Well then, Mario, would you like us to take your luggage? We have lodgings prepared for you.”
Mario waved them off. “Nothing we can’t handle ourselves,” he said jovially.
“Ah, of course, I see you have servants to take care of it,” the Toad said, stuffing a note into Mario’s hands. “Cheers. Honor to meet you, truly. And you as well, Mrs. Mario.”
Before Mario could fully process what the Toad had said, they beat a hasty retreat. Rounding a corner, they vanished from sight.
-----
Out of sight, Doopliss the shapeshifter returned to his normal ghostly form, muttering to himself. Make him dress up and act like a bootlicker to that irritating hero Mario, huh? That was hardly a starring role, it wasn’t even a named character! If Marilyn’s plan didn’t work, Beldam wasn’t the only one she’d have to answer to.
It made some sense; the seeds were there, and he was playing the fertilizer. He’d just prefer to be the farmer. Or at least the farmhand reaping the harvest. Or maybe this metaphor wasn’t as multifaceted as he’d thought when he started it. Still, they’d see how it effected their mental states.
-----
`
“Did he just call us, like, servants?” Goombella demanded. A servant, her? No they were friends-
“I-In fairness,” Koops pointed out, eager to avoid conflict, “We look the part right now.”
“Mrs… Mrs Mario…” Vivian gasped, hands on her cheeks. Did she really seem so close with the man that it would be assumed they were married?
Mario blinked, and shook his head. He looked at the note he’d been given, containing an address scrawled in semi-legible handwriting. “...Well, they said they have lodgings prepared for us. I guess we should take them up on their hospitality?”
The party shrugged, taking what bags they did have and beginning to walk down the road towards the address they’d been given. Along the way, they kept being greeted by passers-by, who kept making the same mistakes as the Toad at the station had - treating the majority of the party as servants of the heroic Mario and his wife.
None of them noticed a thing as their mindsets and memories shifted, changed. For most of the party, this was pretty similar. Why bother with pointing out they were friends, not servants? They looked the part, and in a way, they kinda were, weren’t they? They’d follow Mario to the ends of the world and in many cases would do whatever he asked them anyway. Being called servants wasn’t so weird, was it? One of them - and at this point, it frankly didn’t matter which one - asked Vivian if they could help her carry anything.
Vivian blinked - she didn’t really carry much of anything of her own, although Mario had been piling up the items since he began searching for the stars. And, well, she’d started helping out to be nice to him and hopefully get a bit closer. ...But why was she carrying any of it, when she was probably one of the best party members and more helpful than any of them? When she was so close to the hero himself…? They had a serviceable pack-yoshi right there. She unceremoniously dumped her portion onto the Yoshi Kid’s back, not bothering to thank them before moving to cling to Mario.
Part of her was aghast that she was so forward, rubbing her boobs against his arm. But he didn’t pull away. And nobody thought it was at all weird, passing by. What the citizens of Poshley Heights saw was not some harlot clinging to someone who didn’t care, they saw Mrs. Mario… ah, the thought alone warmed her cheeks! Ever since she’d met the dashing hero, he’d made her feel special in a way nobody ever had before! Frankly by comparison to Beldam, he downright spoiled her rotten. And she loved every second of it, and did her best to look sexy for him... She was so enamored by her blossoming love for the man that the thought that she was acting different than she was supposed to barely even crossed her mind.
And of course, Mario himself was feeling the effects as well. Every time someone greeted him with that worshipful look, a smile, calling him hero, his humble nature cracked a little more. Sure, intellectually, he knew he was a hero. He was always treated like one after saving the day, but frankly he was more used to the level of respect due a plumber. Not much at all, and he’d been happy with that. Until now.
This was more the respect he deserved, he thought. He had saved the Mushroom Kingdom, and other places, how many times now? A dozen? The wealth and status and respect, that was just his due for his services. His thoughts, memories, warped themselves. He was rich, powerful. He had earned his way there through hard work and heroism, with all the people of the kingdoms he saved contributing to giving him enough cash to live on forever. He took pride in that. He’d done more than his due to society. And now, he could retire to Poshley Heights.
Something was wrong with that train of thought. It didn’t… it didn’t seem right, did it? He wasn’t going to just give up heroism was he- a feeling on his arm, a soft squishing. He looked, and saw Vivian clinging to him, a vapid, worshipful, loving smile on her face. He held her closer. No, this was right. He’d earned his right to settle down with the hottest lady in six kingdoms. More than earned it. He gave her a smile that promised her they’d have their fun very soon.
The procession turned the corner and were confronted with a huge manor house, the kind of place that could swallow multiple city blocks worth of homes. They didn’t slow down, Mario fishing a set of keys out of his pocket and handing them off wordlessly to Koops. The young koopa bowed and hurried to open the gate, through which Mario and Vivian strode without so much as a thank you. The procession of former heroes marched inwards to set up their new lives.
-----
“Guh~!” Marilyn trilled triumphantly. It had been a couple hours since their plan, and Mario’s party was settling in. No longer a bunch of heroes, but a wealthy man, his vapid and vain trophy wife, and their servants.
Beldam glared at her, putting away her binoculars. They were in a bush on Mario Estate, making sure the spell had taken hold. “This was your plan? To set them up in the lap of luxury? To make them happy? I thought you were going to turn them into frogs or something!”
“Well,” Doopliss said, “You have to admit, there’s a certain appropriateness to it. After all we did to keep them away from Poshley Heights, arriving seals their fate! That’s good theater, that is.”
“Guh.”
Beldam reddened. “Did you have to make Vivian so happy though? She deserved to be his footstool if anything! Although, I suppose you did make her more of a vain, gaudy bimbo than she already was, so you did something right.”
“Guh!”
“Oh, why do you care? She’s not one of us anymore and she was never worth the name Shadow Siren anyway!”
“Actually, Beldam…”
“Ahem.” A new voice said.
The three turned. Vivian, in her new busty and bouncy body, was there glaring at them. They looked… kinda familiar. She was supposed to… do something? “Hey, do I know you…?” she muttered. Something magic… reminded her of hubby’s magic hands, ehehe~ “Well, doesn’t matter! I heard you insulting me, and that’s not gonna fly here!” she said, bringing a whistle to her lips and blowing loud. The shriek split the evening air. “Security!”
Out of nowhere, a half dozen goombas clad in black caps with gold badges leapt over the fence and into the Mario Estate, surrounding the Shadow Sirens and Doopliss. “You can’t do this to me, you brain dead harlot!” Beldam screeched.
“Trespassing, planned assault, defamation…” Vivian listed off on her fingers, “And probably plotted theft and a bunch more crimes. Toodles, you’re going away for a long time! Where you can’t bother me or hubby again~”
Beldam shouted all the way to the police wagon, where she and her cohorts were shoved without ceremony to be taken to the Poshley Heights jail.
Oh, poo… Vivian had gone out for a refreshing stroll, and had all that stress! What she needed right then… what she needed was her lover Mario to take her in his strong arms and kiss all the bad thoughts away! She wandered back to the manor house, licking her lips in anticipation.