Author's Note: Hey! Welcome to my newest fanfiction! This story is planned to be very long and detailed! While this is set in the environment of The Phantom of the Opera, the plot is quite different! Also, my interpretation of these characters may be a bit off! I've never written a Mario fanfiction...but just know that Bowser is far more dark in my version of him, and Peach is a bit different, too! I hope you enjoy! This first chapter is a bit slow...but I promise it picks up! Stick with me!

Please review and favorite if you enjoy! Thank you!

The clicking of heels and boots echoed throughout the streets of the Darklands as the two humans clumsily made their way down the populated streets. Peach's hands were gently locked in front of her as she patiently followed behind her father.

Koopas and other mysterious creatures were scattered for as far as Peach could see. Well, they were all she could see! Peach and her father were the only humans walking among the population as they awkwardly stumbled through the streets. Occasionally, Peach would have a small Koopa nudge her out of the way, having her release a small apology, which was always met with an annoyed glare in response.

The constant sound of rustling and shoving was as pleasant as the ambiance seemed to get, but the two were somewhat-used to it. It was rather similar to the rushing Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom, if you took out the bitter glares and whispers...and...all the other negative aspects.

Yet, not all was bad, in Peach's eyes. While most attention seemed...questionable, some stares seemed to radiate admiration and curiosity.

It was clear that humans were not a common occurrence in the Darklands, whether or not that was a good or bad thing. If the glares and whispers weren't enough evidence, the fact that the two seemed to have an invisible bubble around them, repelling any and everyone, was a dead give away.

Peach's father seemed oblivious to the constant negative energy that surrounded the Koopas that avoided the two. Or, at least, he chose to ignore it, as he gazed over his shoulder at his daughter.

"I knew they said we'd feel out-of-place, but can you believe how literal we should have taken that, Peachy?" Her father mumbled with a slight twinkle in his eyes, "Though I'm not quite sure how I feel about it just yet."

Her father's voice called Peach's eyes upwards towards him as she carefully followed the older man. She gently parted her lips to reply, but quickly fumbled her words as she stumbled and nearly fell, a pair of older Goombas casually walking across the rim of her long, plain dress. The couple, too, had to catch their footing as Peach's dress pulled out from under their feet.

Though Peach wasn't at fault, she politely bent down and whispered her apologies to the two elders. Whether the Goombas were hard of hearing, or simply wanted nothing to do with the out-of-place human, she sighed and ignored their lack of reply before dusting off her dress and catching up with her father, who hadn't even noticed he had nearly abandoned his only daughter.

It's true, Peach silently and cautiously responded to her father's earlier statement, I suppose we don't necessarily...fit in.

The Darklands, as a whole, were the polar opposite of the world Peach had grown up in. The weather was of a barely-tolerable heat that made the young lady regret wearing such a long dress. The material was cheap and rather thin, but it still managed to make her feel uncomfortably cramped as she adjusted her collar with a sigh.

The buildings, too, stood out to the young woman. Rather than the polished marble of the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach's eyes were met with rough, obsidian buildings and dark streets that seemed to absorb the surrounding heat. These buildings fenced in either side of the street and seemed to trap even more heat into the area, nearling suffocating anything that wasn't a Koopa.

The slabs of obsidian housed countless Koopas and were elegantly carved and polished, though somewhat rough. Markings, patterns, and different hues of the dark purple decorated the entrances to the individual buildings. Though dark and intimidating, the architecture had its unique, warm charm.

Suddenly, Peach's father abruptly stopped. With her attention on the large buildings, Peach gently bumped into his back, releasing a gentle "oof," as she wasn't prepared for the sudden pause. However, being so dainty, her father barely budged, let alone noticed, the fact that his daughter's nose had gotten squished on his back.

He beamed. "Here we are," her father stated proudly, though clearly exhausted. He wiped his temple before looking back towards his daughter. He furrowed his brow as he examined his daughter. "Are you alright?"

Peach froze as a slight amount of pigment rushed to her cheeks. She had been rubbing her nose to ease the pain, but quickly lowered her hand before flashing an awkward smile of reassurance.

"A bit squashed, but fine," she gently replied a nonchalant wave of her hand. Peach's smile faded, however, as he clearly didn't care for an answer.

The taller man didn't seem to acknowledge her reply, as his eyes had already focused on the impressive building before them. His hands were on his hips and his chest was puffed in pride as he clutched his instrument's case to his side.

Towering over the two was, indeed, their destination. Word of the Darkland Theatre was spoken of globally, but seeing it in person...Peach was at a loss for words, and even too entranced to notice the countless Koopas shoving past her and dirtying her dress, leaving the theatre in a rush.

The large cathedral upheld the obsidian theme of the surrounding buildings, though pillars and tinted windows decorated its surface. Towers and pillars seemed to reach higher than the two could see, lava and fire providing the only source of light against the dark walls. The distant whisper of instruments playing within its walls beckoned Peach to enter and sing among them, but also brought her back into reality; she had made it.

Awaiting her father's permission to enter, she turned towards him.

"This is all a bit...intimidating," the girl whispered as she clenched her gloved hands anxiously. She had been taught to only speak when spoken to, but her growing doubt seemed to overlook her lessons. "Are you sure they'll even...consider us, father? We're not exactly-"

He scoffed and interrupted her doubt...she instantly regretted talking out of line.

But Peach had every reason to be doubtful! It had taken the two months to reach the Darklands, and the rumor of an opening in their theater was nothing more than that: a rumor. The idea of two humans with no money to their name, getting hired, was ridiculous!

"With your voice and my technique, they'd be foolish to send us away, Peach." His voice was stern, yet reassuring. "Now, now...Let's go before the sun cooks us alive," he muttered with a loud sigh.

The large theater was practically encased with lava in some areas, so the two expected to be suffocated by the heat the moment they entered. Yet, they were met with an oddly-cooling sensation as they walked through the large entrance.

The two released their breaths, not realizing they had been holding them. The air was exactly what they needed.

Inside, the obsidian walls were covered in golden patterns that wrapped along several pillars, reaching the high ceiling, which was painted with religious paintings of strange creatures with wings and halos. Peach had to hold back a small giggle at the calm, happy baby Koopas that were painted flying above all the working individuals below, the exact opposite of what expressions were plastered on the employees.

It was clear that this was a wealthy establishment; somewhere Peach and her father clearly didn't belong.

"Name?" A hoarse voice called out, seemingly repeating herself. Peach's eyes shot back down to earth, seeing a small Koopa before the two, a clipboard in hand. She wore a small headband on the top of her head and her face was painted with heavy makeup.

The Koopa cleared her throat, flipping a page, and repeated herself for what seemed to be the third time.

Realizing she had accidentally ignored the Koopa, Peach hastly replied, "Peach!" She spoke a bit too quickly and loudly. A blush covered her cheeks as she locked her hands in front of her, feeling her father's disapproving gaze on her side. "Peach...Peach Toadstool," she corrected quieter, with the classic charm she had been taught to obey.

Pleased with the response, the Koopa released a small, "Mhm," before scribbling down the names given to her. "Purpose?" She muttered once again, clearly over the fact that she had to manage two people who didn't even seem to be able to afford the clothes on their backs.

This time, Peach's father was eager to answer. He seemed, as usual, oblivious to the fact that the stranger had not looked at the two once, let alone treated them respectfully.

"An opening was announced a month ago!" He tightened his grip on his instrument case, out of both pride and nerves. "My daughter and I-"

"Sorry, sir, but that opportunity passed a few days ago," she interrupted in her monotone voice. She was aware this 'discussion' was a waste of time. "Unless you're here to reserve tickets, which I highly doubt you can afford," she added quickly before flipping her notes back to the front, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave-"

The Koopa's words cracked before she paused entirely. For the first time, she had looked up from her notes and examined the two. A curious expression spread across her face as she was met with curious gazes from the two before her.

She hadn't expected to be towered over by anything other than Koopas or monsters

"Humans?" She muttered curiously, though still somewhat-monotone. For once, she looked awake and almost a bit...pleased that she had found the two. This was just what she was looking for!

The Koopa fumbled her notes, dropping a few sheets of paper, covered entirely with doodles of rather crude creatures. She didn't seem to care she had dropped her personal work, as she squinted her eyes at the two. This was far more important.

Peach and her father awkwardly shuffled as the Koopa's reaction brought even more eyes on the two. They had noticed the mostly-negative attention almost immediately, but this...this, was entirely different. Something was off.

"Seems the spot you're here for just opened. Follow me, please." The Koopa turned on her heels and started walking further into the opera house. As Peach and her father stood in shock, the Koopa turned to glare at the two, demanding that the two follow suit.

Nervously, Peach and her father quickly followed the smaller, slightly-bossy Koopa. They exchanged gazes but never dared to speak as they were led further into the opera house's labyrinth, wary of what exactly the Koopa's intentions held.

As the two walked away, clearly anxious, a set of glowing eyes observed them in amusement. Through a small crack in the stone walls, barely noticeable to the naked eye, the entire conversation had been overheard.

Looking through the hole was a small female Koopa stood upon a wooden crate that, somehow, refused to collapse from age. She wore a bright-pink, spotted bow and a set of red beads rested around her neck. The Koopa's mouth puckered into a thoughtful pout as she listened and observed the situation.

"Wendy! C'mon!" A squeaky, impatient voice demanded beneath her. "What's going on? Can't you at least tell me something?"

The female Koopa groaned in irritation as she stared back at her brother. "Quiet, Junior! They're not completely gone yet! Can you, like, wait a few seconds?" She angrily whispered to him. "Sometimes, I forget how much of an impatient twerp you really are! Doesn't take long for you to remind me, huh?"

Not even caring to listen to Junior's whine in protest in response to her harsh words, Wendy glared away from her brother and back towards the slight crack, looking from left to right, realizing the two had left her view.

"Ugh! You made me lose them!" She quickly hopped off the crate with ease and towered over Junior. "Wait 'till dad finds out that there are two new humans here! Without him sayin' so!" She paused as she harshly poked his chest. "...And that you made us lose track of where they went!"

Junior huffed as he choked back angry tears. He wasn't looking forward to a scolding from his father. "Yeah, well, I was the one who noticed them! You wouldn't have even seen 'em if it wasn't for me! Maybe you're just bad at spying, Wend-"

A strong thump to the head left Junior crying as Wendy stormed off down the dark corridor, her hands in fists at her sides as she mumbled various vulgar insults. Belittling her spying capability sent her anger over the edge...after all, she was in charge of managing all of the gossip and discourse of the opera house for her dad! That was what she was good at! She wasn't going to let some...pipsqueak of a Koopa tell her otherwise...Let alone the very pipsqueak that was only ever good at bothering everyone!

Far behind, Junior's cries were muffled to slight sniffles as he followed Wendy from a distance. He kicked several rocks against the wall as he walked down the damp hall, wishing he had thumped Wendy right back instead of crying.

Junior paused, noticing some intense fire-damage on the stone wall. Ash and sult decorated the area, and the stone was burnt in several shades of black. The burned fabric and supplies seemed to be the only thing left of him.

Junior gulped, no longer crying, as he remembered what happened the last time a stage worker had wandered into the depths of the opera house.

That koopa's 'disappearance' from the above world would be nothing compared to a human showing up and accidentally finding their haven.

Though any other creature would be left unable to see the burns, the underground labyrinths of the Opera House were home to Junior, and he could easily see where he to go as he quickly rushed past the props, easily avoiding obstacles and ducking under spider webs. The air was cool and murky, smelling of stale stage equipment and clothing...But that was what home smelled like to him.

Many knew of the countless twists and turns beneath the famous theater, but very few ventured beneath without an approved reason. For most, the tunnels were simple myth to keep the homeless out of the basement...which was helpful cover for those who lived within its walls.

Junior paused as he turned a corner, however, as Wendy's silhouette stood next to one of a Koopa several times larger than her. She was hunched over and nervously twisting her food on the dirty floor.

Their voices were distant and echoed.

She gazed up at the towering figure. "I swear, I swear! I wasn't the one who even, like, y'know...lost focus of 'em! Dad, it was-"

"I don't give a damn who you're deciding to throw the blame on!" The deep, hoarse voice hissed in rebuttal, not happy with what Wendy's response was. His voice was hushed and overflowing with clear, distinct rage as he clenched his fists. Wendy flinched, as if she was going to be hit, before the other voice grunted in anger, somewhat-annoyed that she assumed she would be even remotely harmed.

Junior couldn't help but smirk as his sister shook.

"This god-forsaken opera house is going to be the death of me. I can already feel my blood pressure spiking," the taller silhouette spat as he wiped his brow.

He pushed back his mane with a drawn-out sigh, clearly not happy with his rage towards the smaller Koopa...though it still remained overflowing.

"Go fetch Daisy," he bitterly mumbled before storming off. "She had better have the answers to why the hell my orders aren't being followed. I expect you to have found her and brought her to me within 20 minutes." Not hearing Wendy run off, he glared over his shoulder one final time.

"Y-yes, sir!" Wendy squeaked before practically sprinting in the other direction, pushing past Junior in desperate hopes of finding the one human they could trust.

Junior barely flinched and gulped as he pressed his back against the wall, knowing that the two humans were not going to enjoy their stay at the infamous Darkland opera house without Bowser's approval...but that's not what bothered him. The fact that it seemed no one else would be safe until they were taken care of, worried him.

Author's Note: I'm sure you have some questions! What's Peach doing in the Darklands? How will all of the Koopalings tie into the story? Daisy? What? That's all cleared up very soon! I hope you all will stick with me through this story! I hope you're prepared for tons of fluff and action!

Thank you for reading! Please favorite and review if you enjoyed!