Super Mario Story

Part One: Enter, the Smithy Gang!

Ch. 1 – The Wishing Festival

The skies over Toad Town were clear and blue, allowing the sun to beam down on the citizens as they went about their day. Toadsman and Toadswoman milled about in the wide, cobblestone streets; a veritable sea of multicolored mushroom caps, with the occasional Koopa or Goomba popping up amongst them. Rowf the Doogan hawked his badges from his outdoor stand, and a line had formed outside Merlon's hut with its whirling top. A sign by the door read "Free Star Readings on Festival Day". The entire town was abuzz with excitement over the Wishing Festival set to take place at sundown. Several shops had decorated their storefronts with paper Star Pieces and other festive ornaments in preparation for the celebration.

In all the hustle and bustle, Geno, in the form of a Star, went unnoticed above the crowds. He soared towards Mushroom Castle, entirely avoiding the merriment in the streets. The castle's magnificent white parapets and red conical roofs stood out against the open blue, overlooking the town from its hilltop. Toad guards stood scattered throughout the castle's perimeter wall, armed with spears and wearing grey mantles. Geno snuck past the sentries easily enough, their attention on the townsfolk and land directly in front of their stations. The castle grounds were just as excitable as the town, with wait staff preparing table settings and arranging flowers for the night's festivities. Cooks were coming in and out to the courtyards to set out food and ice sculptures as well. Geno gave extra care to avoid being seen, ducking into an open window when he could and hiding behind its drapery.

The cool air within the castle was a pleasant change from the heat outside. The halls were much quieter by comparison as well, the Star noticed. Geno peeked out from the curtain and floated silently towards the throne room. Dust motes lazily meandered in the sunlight of the numerous windows. A smell of vanilla and peaches permeated the air, the princess's two favorite scents. The Star moved from marble column to marble column, careful of anyone meandering the castle. He stopped dead as the silence was broken by voices coming from up ahead.

"The preparations for the festival are ahead of schedule, Chancellor!" The first voice chirped happily.

"Very good, Kinopio. And, our guests?" The second voice was much older, but seemed equally jovial.

"All accounted for! King and Queen Nimbus, Princess Daisy, Lady Bow...and, of course, Mario and Luigi, sir!"

"Yes, yes...Let's check on the cakes, shall we?"

Geno attempted to hide himself by floating into the rafters above, observing as Toadsworth and Kinopio passed by below. The red-capped Toad was writing things down on a clipboard as the chancellor rambled on about things that needed doing before the Wishing Festival. Once the coast was clear, the Star moved on, further into the castle. He eventually found Princess Toadstool's throne room, and the princess herself. There she was, sitting upon the throne penning thoughts into a thick tome with a quill in hand and a script in the other.

The throne room was lavish, with pink drapery and an expensive, plush carpet stretching from the actual throne to the doors. The floors were black granite and white marble, polished to such a sheen that they reflected the vaulted ceiling above, with its intricate paintings of the heavenly bodies of the world. It was truly a most regal place to gather one's thoughts. Not a sound could be heard, save for the princess's writing.

"Your Majesty," Geno intoned politely, floating forward to present himself to the Mushroom monarch. His gentle tones danced on the air, reaching beyond the princess's hearing—into her mind.

Peach put down her quill and paper when Geno made himself present. She set aside the book she had been scrawling in on a small table standing beside the throne and rose to greet her ally. Peach's blue eyes were beaming and her cheeks were rosy, echoing her namesake. She smiled at the Star as he floated towards her. "Geno, my friend," she said sweetly. Peach curtsied to her guest, pink fabric ruffling softly and blonde curls bouncing in all directions. "What brings you to the Mushroom Kingdom on the eve of the festival?"

Geno moved in a vertical line as he said, "There are important matters I must discuss with you, Mario, and Mallow. I tried to make my arrival as discreet as possible." The Star stopped his bouncing and asked, "Do you have my old body, by chance?"

The princess nodded and moved to find something behind her throne. She pressed a gloved finger to a red button hidden beneath the large chair and giggled as she heard stones shifting. Peach peaked from behind the throne and saw that a portion of tile to her right had disappeared, revealing a passageway. "Gaz allowed me to keep it here, should the day ever come when you may need it again," Peach explained as she led Geno down beneath the throne room through the secret tunnel.

"I did not know the castle had such secrets," the Star mused as he followed Princess Toadstool deeper into the catacombs of Mushroom Castle. Geno's body cast a soft, golden glow that became brighter as the corridor grew darker. Torches suddenly came to life when they had reached a certain depth, lining the walls with light as the pair came upon their destination. Old magic was at work here, the Star could feel it.

Before them, a stained glass picture of a Grand Star blocked the way. Princess Peach, however, was not perturbed. The princess stepped into the picture, as if it were a body of water, and disappeared!

Geno followed, passing through the glass installation hastily. It was like submerging yourself in water and quickly coming up for air. He found himself beside the princess, in a small chamber made of radiant pink and green crystals. Here, a number of pedestals stood, each holding a different item from Mario and his friends' many adventures. Geno's body, the blue cloaked doll that belonged to a boy in a place far from Toad Town, stood among such articles as the Cobalt Star, the castle's first Power Star, and the original "!" Block caps. Geno hastily zoomed through the air and into the doll, without so much as a word of warning!

Peach looked on in surprise as the doll blinked at her, and then smiled, its eyes full of life. "Geno?" She breathed.

"Hello, Princess!" The doll answered. Geno bowed to Peach and hopped down from his pedestal. "Thank you for keeping my body safe for me!" Geno stretched and flexed, getting used to having a material form again.

"Of course!" Peach said happily. "Now, let's see about getting Mario and Mallow here!"

"Right," Geno agreed. "I've actually sent a message on to Mallow. He should be on his way here with Mario in tow."

Princess Toadstool clapped her hands together. "Perfect! Then let's prepare some tea, shall we?" She took one of the doll's hands in her own and guided Geno out of the chamber and towards the kitchens.

"Oh, uh, Princess?" Geno stammered. "I kind of tried to keep my appearance—how do you say –low profile?"

Peach stopped short as that fact dawned on her. "Of course, my apologizes, Geno. Would you mind if we remained here then, until Mario and Mallow arrive? I have some important research I've been taken with recently and I'd love to finish my current work."

Geno shook his head. "No problem at all, Princess! What is it you're studying, exactly?"

"Why, the Star Road, of course!"

Meanwhile, in the Mushroom Woods to the west of Toad Town, Mario was enjoying the summer day the only way a hard-working plumber knew how: with a nap. The birds loaned their voices to the natural summer lullaby of the afternoon: a gentle wind, the buzz of cicadas and the rustling of the trees. The red-clothed hero was sleeping soundly on the porch swing of his little cottage; his chin dipped and cap in hand. And then, the Roy Bus crashed into the forest.

-CRASH-

Mario was awakened by the shock of the impact and jumped off of the swing with a start! He arced perfectly, landing teen feet from the house. He replaced his hat upon his head and looked around for the bus, wondering why he was always needed when he was just beginning to relax? A cloud of smoke and debris was settling a little ways beyond Mario's home, to the north, so he hastily ran off in that direction.

"Consarnit, bus!"

The mustachioed Lakitu fiddled with the engine of the Royal Bus and was clearly not happy with what he had found under the cloud vehicle's hood. He raised his head and wiped the sweat from his brow with his green hat. "I'ma 'fraid the engine's shot, Yer Majesty," the bus driver said remorsefully. "Could be a few hours before she's open and running again."

"It's alright, Lakilinus," Prince Mallow said kindly. The Nimbus boy was looking around at the forest, wondering where exactly they'd landed. Had Mallow not cast a barrier around the bus before crashing, he and the bus driver would have been pancakes. A shame he couldn't save the bus from damage, though. "I think I saw Mario's cottage a bit to the south of where we are now," he stated.

"Well, if ol' Mario can find his way tah us, we might be able to get tah the castle by sundown," Lakilinus said. "May be better if you two just go on tah the castle by Warp Pipe, Yer Majesty. I'll stick around and fix the Royal Bus."

Mallow smiled at his driver and nodded, which made his entire body move. "Thank you, Lakilinus! Take my Safety Pin, just in case." Mallow unstuck the shiny, cross-shaped badge from his pants, and pinned it to the bill of the Lakitu's cap. "That will keep you fighting fit, in case things get hairy," the prince explained. "Now, I better be off! C'ya later!" Mallow hefted his trusty Froggie Stick from inside the Royal Bus and wandered into the woods.

"Thank ya, Yer Majesty!" Lakilinus called out before returning to the engine of the bus. He scratched his temple with a wrench and wiggled his mustache in frustration. "Let's get tah work!"

Mario regretted leaving his hammer at home.

The red plumber found himself stomping on more Goombas, and punching more Spikeys than he cared to admit. He also neglected to bring any Mushrooms, and the stray bites and spines were starting to become a bother. The forests were starting to become infested with wild monsters lately. Mario hadn't paid much mind to them, but now they were showing up behind every tree and bush. As products of excess Dark Energy, the monsters had no real consciousness of their own beyond causing havoc, nor could they be truly dealt with for good. However, the hero did his best to keep their numbers to a minimum around his home.

-WhAcK!-

Mario caught a Spikey in the chink of its red armor with his fist, causing the sphereical, spine-covered creature to explode into a puff of multicolored stars. However, the plumber failed to notice the two wild Goombas who had appeared from the bushes behind him! The monsters leapt at Mario, fangs bared and ready to sink into the hero's flesh!

"Thunderbolt!"

With a blinding flash and the crackle of electricity, the two brown fungi were pierced by twin bolts of magical energy and disappeared in their own respective clouds! Mario turned in surprise to find his friend Mallow, his Froggie Stick held high, appear from the trees. The plumber jumped for joy and hugged the Nimbus.

"It's nice to see you again, Mario!" Mallow said happily, returning the hug. "Lakilinus was driving me to your home in the Royal Bus, but something bugged in the engine and we ended up crash landing..."

Mario offered to give Mallow assistance with the engine, but the prince waved him off.

"No need to worry. Lakilinus's fixing the engine as we speak. He insisted we go on ahead to-"

"HELP ME!"

The cry echoed from where Mallow had traveled, startling the Nimbus and Mario! Mallow gasped, realizing he'd spoken too soon. "That's Lakilinus! Mario—oh," the prince suddenly noticed the plumber's haggard appearance. He had clearly seen a number of enemies today. "Let me take care of that first. HP Rain!" Mallow used a few more Power Flowers and aimed his Froggie Stick at Mario as a small rain cloud formed above the hero's head. A small shower of healing water fell over Mario, healing his wounds and revitalizing his spirit.

Mario thanked Mallow and jumped excitingly, indicating his readiness to save the bus driver. Mallow smiled at the plumber and the two set off down the path the prince had taken prior to encountering Mario. The way was fairly peaceful, due to Mallow's own fighting in his search for his friend. He brought Mario up to speed on the business of Nimbus Land as they walked: How Garro's statues had become so popular that he was now doing business with Rose Town and Seaside Town, and Valentina was attempting to worm her way back into the land's politics. The prince himself seemed more confident and sure of himself than the young Nimbus Mario remembered traveling with. And yet, he still had that same humbleness about him.

The pair came upon the broken down Royal Bus, but found no sign of Lakilinus anywhere! The clearing was oddly silent, Mario noticed. He moved to check the bus as Mallow circled the perimeter.

"Lakilinus! Where are you?!" The prince cried as he searched for the Lakitu. Had something like this happened when Mario first met Mallow, the Nimbus boy would have surely been a crying mess. This Mallow, however, seemed beyond that hopelessness. He walked towards the bus, where Mario was having no luck finding clues. "It's like he just vanished..."

"No one just vanishes in these woods, kid!"

Mario and Mallow both turned to find themselves face-to-face with two Hammer Bros! The large Koopas sneered at the plumber and Nimbus, their hammers hefted to attack, one in each hand. Mario knew these two, he realized. They were the same Hammer Bros. who had taken Kinopio captive that one afternoon on Mushroom Way between Mario's home and Toad Town!

"Looks like Mario's come back for another round, bro," One said. The two were nearly identical, though one did have a scar across his beak, a possible memento from his last bout with the plumber. "Should we show him what we've learned since last time?"

"Definitely!" Scar-nose exclaimed, launching a hammer directly at the mustachioed plumber!

Mario jumped without a moment's hesitation, allowing the hammer to fly full-speed into the thicket behind him! However, that didn't stop the Hammer Bros. Their hammers must have been enchanted with some special magic, because Scar-nose's appeared in his hand out of thin air!

"Let me try this time, bro!" The other brother chucked a hammer of his own, sending it sailing towards Mallow!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mallow was too slow and the projectile hit him square in the forehead! "Ouch..." The Nimbus rubbed his new welt tenderly, "What's your problem, anyway?! We didn't do anything to you guys!"

"Maybe you're innocent, kid, but your pal here gave us a whipping back in the day and we're still a bit sore about it," Scar-nose said sourly.

"Then at least tell us what you did with Lakilinus," Mallow demanded, brandishing his Froggie Stick.

"The old Lakitu? We took his coins and tied him up!" The other brother answered, receiving a glower from Scar-nose. "Uh, it's not like it matters, though," he stammered. "Because, we're going to give you what for right here and now!"

"Right!" Scar-nose and his brother each timed their throws for their next attack, sending a flurry of hammers from seemingly nowhere at Mario and Mallow! "Hammer Time!"

"Ouch! Quit it!" Mallow said peevishly, as he shielded himself from the blows. "I said, ENOUGH!" Mallow pointed his Froggie Stick at the two brothers and shouted, "SNOWY!" Mallow retrieved a small cluster of Power Flowers from his pants pocket and crushed them, activating his magic. From over the Hammer Bros. heads' a flurry of snow and ice formed, becoming an enormous snowman!

"Uh, bro?" Scar-nose said meekly.

"Yeah, bro?" The other Koopa replied.

"Look out!"

The two ducked out of the way of the descending snow spell, but not quickly enough! Both became trapped beneath the slush as they tried to escape!

"So c-c-c-c-cold," Scar-nose managed through gritted teeth. Everything but his bill had been buried beneath the ice. There was no sign of the other brother, but Mario did spy a hammer buried in the mound of snow. With all the practicality of a man who knows not to waste a good tool, the plumber jumped effortlessly atop the pile and took the hammer for himself.

"Tell us where you hid Lakilinus," Mallow ordered the Hammer Bro. "If you're quick about it, I'll even take care of this snow for you."

"Inside th-th-th-the tree stump t-t-to the east of here," Scar-nose answered, forcing an arm out of the ice to point a claw in the right direction.

Mallow nodded and smiled. "Thank you." He then touched his staff to the pile of slush, causing it to melt away to nothing, revealing both Hammer Bros., severely chilled and utterly helpless.

Mario walked towards where the Koopa had said, and found the old Lakitu tied up and passed out. When the plumber jumped down to rescue him, the driver stirred and seemed totally out of sorts.

"Huh?! Whuzzat? Mario?" Lakilinus squinted at the hero. "What're you doing down here? Didya hear me hollerin'?" Mario nodded and untied the Lakitu, freeing him to steer his cloud out of the tree stump with the plumber in tow.

When they emerged, Mallow was waiting for them alone.

"Lakilinus!" The prince ran over to the driver and gave him a hug. "I'm so happy you're all right!"

"Haha, thanks fer savin' me, you two!" The Lakitu said with a chuckle. "What happened to them Hammer Bros?"

"Mario and I took care of them," Mallow answered. He then reached into the back pocket of his trousers and retrieved a large golden Coin. "Here's your coins back, Lakilinus!"

The old bus driver took the Coin thankfully. "Much appreciated, Yer Majesty!" He then tipped his hat and pulled his wrench from some unknown part of his cloud and said, "Well, back to work! I reckon with those trouble-makers gone, I can get that engine running in no-time! Y'all should get goin' though, the sun's gonna be settin' soon and the festival's gonna start!"

"Lakilinus is right, Mario," Mallow said. "We'd better get back to your place and use the Warp Pipe to get to Mushroom Castle!"

Mario nodded and exchanged good-bye's with the Royal Bus driver before departing with Mallow back to the plumber's cottage.

"That's horrible...awful...terrible!" Peach exclaimed!

"That's why it is of the utmost importance that we gather Mario and Mallow here," Geno explained. "The Star Spirits are worried. A tear in the fabric of this dimension has been slowly growing over the last few days. They fear that tonight it may rip apart completely! We need Mario and Mallow in case things get out of hand."

"But, do you think the four of us alone can stop whatever may happen tonight?" Peach asked. "If what you're saying is true, and this dimensional tear spits something out into our world, can we really stop it?"

"Do you doubt us, Princess?" Geno asked innocuously.

Toadstool shook her head. "No, it's not that," she answered. "I believe we have the power amongst us...but what about the guests? We must ensure none come to harm, if we can prevent it."

Geno crossed his arms and pondered for a moment before asking, "Does the castle have any other secret tunnels? Ones that may be used to, say, escape the castle if necessary?"

The princess giggled at the question. "Why, of course there are! We had them built after the last time Bowser lifted my castle into the air. There is a secret network that has entrances in the four courtyards of the castle, all leading to the same exit on the outskirts of Toad Town."

"Brilliant!" The Star exclaimed. "If things get hairy, we'll escort the guests down into the tunnel then. We should inform the guards and the Chancellor, as well, of our plans."

"Certainly!" Peach motioned for the doll to follow her as she exited the throne room. "I'm sure Toadsworth is out making sure everything is in order with Kinopio. If you wish to remain here, I'll be back in just a moment."

Geno, however, followed the princess. "I'd rather stay by your side, Princess. In light of possible future events, it would not be wise to leave you alone, even if it does compromise my position."

"Well, thank you, Geno," Peach said. "However, I am entirely capable of taking care of myself," she added as they went in search of the Chancellor.

Mario and Mallow emerged from the Mushroom Woods, scraped and bruised, and found themselves at the base of the small hill upon which Mario's home rested. The plumber sighed of relief, as Mallow had run out of Power Flowers in the forest and Mario had none of his own. The plumber ushered Mallow into his home and grabbed two mushrooms immediately.

"Thanks, Mario," Mallow said gratefully. He ate his mushroom in one bite, feeling revitalized almost immediately! "I forgot how quickly Mushroom Kingdom mushrooms worked on the body! Nimbus Land beans aren't half as quick by comparison!"

Mario smiled at the prince and, now that he had a moment's peace, asked why he was on his way to the plumber's home in the first place?

"Oh! That's right!" Mallow suddenly remembered the entire reason for his trip! "Geno contacted me today and said we needed to meet him and Princess Toadstool at Mushroom Castle as soon as possible! I guess you were already going to be there tonight for the festival, huh?"

Mario shook his head. He had forgotten all about the Wishing Festival! Without Luigi around to get the mail, the plumber had neglected to read the princess's personal invitation...

"Well, then it's a good thing Geno suggested I pick you up! Now, let's get to Toad Town! I'm sure Princess Toadstool and Geno are waiting for us already."

Mario nodded and led the prince to where his Warp Pipe Network was set up. The room was an extension Mario had added to the original home some years back when he realized travel by foot was incredibly time-consuming, even with the P-Wing and Wing Cap. Since he was good friends with the princess, she had no objections when Mario built his own collection of Warp Pipes that only he could activate from his home to allow for instantaneous transportation. There were a total of ten Warp Pipes, each a different color and with a plaque upon its neck that indicated its intended destination.

The plumber moved towards a pink Warp Pipe that read, "Peach's Castle: Private Garden". The pipe was large enough to stand on and had a mesh grating over its opening. The way they worked was a most curious phenomena not entirely understood by most people. Essentially, a person stands on the pipe's grating and descends, somehow bending through space and time to arrive at the pipe's other opening almost instantly. Mario hopped onto the Warp Pipe and tipped his cap, slowly sinking into the pipe's magical structure to arrive at Mushroom Castle.

Almost as soon as Mario had vanished into the pink pipe, a new grate appeared over the opening, allowing Mallow to follow his friend. One could ride through Warp Pipes all their lives and never grow accustom to the strange physics of pipe travel. It felt like your entire body was being pulled from both ends and experiencing vertigo all at once. The speed of it was equally jarring. Mallow blinked on his way down and nearly stumbled as, in that seemingly nonexistent time frame, he found himself emerging from the Warp Pipe in a small garden of Peach's Castle. Mario was there waiting for him, smiling at the prince's dizziness.

"Yeesh!" The Nimbus said, shaking from side to side to clear his head (and body). "I don't get how you and your brother do that sort of thing all the time!" He looked around at the garden and wondered where in the castle this could be. It was like a small, circular sanctuary: in the center stood the Warp Pipe, pink-gold and glittering, with flowers surrounding it and sunlight filtering in from a large, circular window above them.

Mario laughed and suggested they find the princess and Geno. He explained that, after a while, you become expectant of the vertigo and brace for it, though it never really stopped happening. Mallow followed the plumber as they emerged onto the castle grounds from a small, unassuming spire located in the north-eastern courtyard of the castle.

The guard standing outside the door was shocked to see someone emerge and nearly skewered Mario with his spear. "My apologizes, Mario!" The Toad said with obvious embarrassment. "No one had informed me that you would be using the Warp Pipe today!"

Mario waved off the guard's worries and left with Mallow towards the throne room, where the princess would likely be prior to the festivities. Various Toads greeted the plumber and prince cheerily as they wandered the castle, all helping to make the place look spectacular for the evening. They entered the castle's central hall when a shrill voice called out:

"Mario!"

The plumber turned to find his friend, Toadette, approaching him with great haste from the lawn. "I'm glad I found you," she said. "Princess Peach is waiting for you and Prince Mallow in the castle's library! You should head inside and see her right away!" Toadette waved as she made her way back towards a cluster of other Toadgirls who seemed to be giggling and staring at Mario and Mallow.

Mallow waved back, bemused, and followed Mario inside. He seemed to have turned a rosey shade of pink and said, a little dreamily, "So...uh, library, right?"

Mario nodded and the pair made their way there. Several decorations hung about the halls, from bouquets of colorful flowers, to ornamental Stars that hung from the rafters above. The walls had a lovely mural of clouds during sunset and the walls were tinged with the scents of vanilla and peach, giving the building a calm, springy atmosphere. They approached the blue door marked "Library" and entered without further ado.

Inside, the two heroes found the chamber seemingly empty. They walked amongst the labyrinthine book shelves, unsure if the princess was above them on the room's second level. As they walked deeper into the dusty library, they heard the princess's voice, as well as Geno's. The pair rounded a corner between shelves and found Peach talking with wooden doll that Geno once used as a body. The two sat at a large wooden table that was covered with loose pages and an open, large, musty tome. As Mario and Mallow approached, Geno and the princess turned to greet them.

"Mario! Mallow!" Princess Peach gave the two a hug and beamed. "It's so wonderful to see you both! Geno and I have been catching up while we waited for you."

Mario tipped his hat to the princess and shook hands with Geno. Mallow performed a slight bow and said, "We're sorry we're late. The Royal Bus crashed by Mario's home and things got a little complicated after that..."

"It matters not," Geno assured the Nimbus. "Now that we're all here, we should discuss why it is I asked you to meet with me." The doll plucked a page from the table and said, "The Star Spirits are concerned about a rip in the fabric of this dimension. Over the past few days, this rip has been expanding and appears to be leaking excess Dark Energy into our dimension."

"Excess Dark Energy?" Mallow echoed, confused.

"The chaotic energy that monsters are made of," the doll explained. "When it pools together, that energy takes the physical form of various creatures intent on causing harm and destruction. Now, Dark Energy is abundant in this dimension already, but this tear has been allowing too much pollute our home."

"What can we do to stop this?" Princess Peach asked.

"Well, the Star Spirits believe the cause is a foreign entity attempting to invade our home dimension, causing the tear and the leak thereafter," Geno went on. "We've all seen this before, together." He allowed that to sink in amongst the heroes.

Mario's expression grew serious as he realized what Geno was implying: Smithy was trying to invade the Mushroom Kingdom once again.

"But we defeated Smithy...right?" Mallow wasn't so sure as he said it aloud. "We gathered the Stars, put an end to the Factory's production...how could he be back?"

Geno held the page in his hand high as Mallow came upon the million-Coin question. "That's exactly what the Princess and I have been researching while waiting for your arrival. Tonight is the night of the Wishing Festival: where people write down their wishes on tags that are tied to Star Pieces and placed upon Shooting Star Summit, to be granted by the Stars above. As you are all aware, wishes cannot be granted without the Star Road that bridges the world to Star Haven. When we first fought Smithy, the Star Road had been shattered by Exor into seven pieces, one of which Smithy kept in his possession and six others which we found together across the kingdom."

"Smithy did mention that he could use the Stars we'd gathered to take over our world..." Peach mentioned. "Do you think...maybe one Star was all he needed, after all?"

Geno nodded. "Precisely. According to these writings, the Star Road is the physical body of all peoples' hopes and dreams. If broken, its fragmented pieces can be used to manipulate the world as the user sees fit. When we had first collected the Stars, their powers laid dormant. But there is nothing to say Smithy's own Star was not activated. He could have used the Star's power to prevent a complete failure should things turn south for him and his mechanical army."

"Then it's settled," Princess Peach said. "We have to simply stop Smithy should he try anything tonight. The guards have already been informed to heard the guests towards the castle's secret exit. We should revisit the armory below the throne room and gather supplies."

Geno, Mallow and Mario all agreed and followed the princess out of the library and back to the throne room. As they walked, she asked Mario, "Where is Luigi, by the way?"

Mario explained that his brother had decided to move into his formerly haunted mansion and that he'd been spending the last few weeks repairing it. Mario had no idea if he'd even be attending the festival, truth be told.

"A shame," Peach said with a sigh. "Daisy is supposed to be coming tonight, so I thought it'd be nice if the two of them could share a dance." Both Peach and Mario knew that Luigi had a crush on Princess Daisy, and she appeared to return his affections. However, the green plumber was too shy to act, leaving Daisy with mixed signals. Princess Toadstool had been trying to get them together since their first tennis tournament together.

"Speaking of guests," Mallow piped in. "My parents are supposed to be attending the party as well! I sure hope they'll be okay..."

"No need to worry, Mallow," the princess said gently. "With you, Mario and Geno, we'll all be perfectly safe!" Mallow smiled at that. The heroes arrived at the throne room, only to find Toadsworth and Kinopio waiting for them.

"Princess!" The Chancellor waddled over to the group, his walking stick clicking on the tile. "And, Masters Mario, Mallow, and Geno! A pleasant surprise!"

"Hey, guys!" Kinopio greeted them happily, walking over to his friends with the chancellor.

Mario exchanged greetings with the Toads, as did Mallow and Geno. Once everyone had swapped pleasantries, the princess asked Toadsworth, "Is there something we can help you with, Toadsworth?"

"Actually, yes, Princess! The festivities are set to begin shortly. You must be present at the gates to welcome the guests," the Chancellor answered.

"Oh! My, the time really has slipped away from us," Peach said with surprise. "Mario, Mallow, Geno, I know we need to be on our guards tonight, but try to enjoy yourselves, okay? I have royal duties to tend too, I'm afraid." The princess left with Kinopio and Toadsworth, leaving the three heroes alone in the throne room as guests from across the kingdom began to fill the courtyards outside.

"Well, guess it's time to party, huh?" Mallow chuckled at his own pun, but Geno and Mario didn't get it. "Jeez, you two are so serious..."

The trio had no way of knowing this would be the last chance for them to joke for quite some time...