High above the tropical waters, I was sitting comfortably in Peach's private plane, imagining the fun we were going to have. We had decided to take a vacation, so we packed up and were now on our way.

Our destination: the beautiful Isle Delfino.

Peach was sitting in the seat next to me, watching an advertisement for the island on the TV in the wall in front of us.

"Welcome to the sun-drenched tropical paradise of Isle Delfino!" a voice on the TV said, "We're so pleased to welcome you to our beautiful home! Come enjoy a natural wonder-land to which we've added the world's finest resort facilities, a spectacular amusement park, and succulent seafood! This and more await you on Isle Delfino! Come relax and let us refresh your body and spirit!"

As she watched the advertisement, with its gorgeous panning shots of pristine white beaches and clear blue waters, she couldn't help but look forward to our vacation.

But then, as the commercial was about to end, she saw movement in the background. There was a blue shadow-like figure hiding out behind the large statue in the town square. It reminded her of someone…

She tried to get the attention of Toadsworth, who was in the aisle across from us, but he was dreaming of sweet fruits. She then tried to get mine, but I was peering out the window; the island was now in sight.

In retrospect, I wish I would've payed attention. But there was something off about the island. It seemed… dark.

A few moments later, a grating voice came over the intercom, "Hello! We're sorry, but the plane isn't at another runway! This landing's going to be a bit bumpy, so hold on tight!"

Almost immediately, there was large jolt that nearly sent all of us out of our seats. The plane skidded to a halt on the runway much quicker than usual.

Disoriented, I got up. "Mama mia, what was that about?"

Peach, forgetting about the shadow for the moment, replied, "I don't know... Let's go check it out."

The door opened and the ramp came out of the plane, and we walked down it onto the tarmac, followed by the pilots of the plane, a red Toad and a yellow Toad. We looked down the runway and were surprised to see a very colorful and pulsating goop covering the tarmac.

"What's this icky, paint-like goop?" Asked the red Toad.

"It's… moving!" the yellow Toad added, reaching for it.

"Now now, boys!" Toadsworth pulled them both back. "Don't touch that stuff!"

I inspected the goop. There was something odd about its shape…

"Master Mario," Toadsworth interrupted me, "If you would, cross over to that shore and find some assistance."

I nodded, then started down the airstrip to a group of Piantas, the strange triangle-shaped, palm tree-wearing inhabitants of this island.

"Excuse me, I was hoping you could help us. You see, I'm Mario, and I —"

"You're Mario?" a blue Pianta interrupted. "That's funny, because we just received a package for you."

"Huh?" The Pianta gestured to a package with an awfully familiar logo stamped on its side.

There was a note attached: "Hey bro, Prof. Gadd just made something and said that you'd need it, so he had me mail it to you. I can't make heads or tails of it; what do you think? From, Luigi."

I began to pry open the box.

"Say…" the Pianta began thinking, "you look familiar… how long have you been here?"

"I just got here. Did you not see the plane land?"

The Pianta looked down the runway and scratched his head. "Huh, I didn't."

Finally, the box opened. Inside, there was a large tank filled with water, but it had a lot of modifications. From the top of the tank protruded a large spray nozzle with a camera and speaker on the side; there were straps on the sides of the tank, and two hand-grips with buttons on the ends; and on the side of its chassis were the letters "F.L.U.D.D." written in golden ink.

Suddenly, the nozzle oriented itself to have its camera facing me. I leapt back in surprise as a voice crackled from the speaker:

"Power-up complete. Thank you for purchasing this item from Gadd Science, Incorporated. Preparing to register customer information. Scanning and classifying subject data… subject identified as Mario, resident of the Mushroom Kingdom. Data storage complete. I am FLUDD — a Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device. I hope to be of assistance. Proceeding with user instruction. Please put your arms through the straps and adjust them as needed."

Hesitantly, I complied. I found that the device was surprisingly lightweight, and it didn't strain my back as much as I'd thought it would. Suddenly, it began rattling off instructions at breakneck speed:

"Press the trigger on the right handle to shoot water from my tank. If you press the right trigger all the way down, you can then swivel the right handle to aim in any direction. Press the trigger on the left handle to switch to the Hover Nozzle. You can then press the right trigger to hover in the air for a short time. If this tank is empty, no water can be sprayed. To refill tank, enter a body of water and press the right trigger. Instructions complete. Proceed!"

My head spun as I struggled to retain all the information. What was I even doing this for?

"Master Mario, what is taking so long?" Toadsworth called.

Oh, right.

I rejoined the others, who were immediately fascinated by the device on my back.

"My, that is quite an unusual device…" Toadsworth inspected it. "Is it some sort of pump?"

FLUDD answered, "I am FLUDD. Glad to meet you."

While they marveled over my device, Peach noticed something in the distance.

Standing atop a building was the blue shadow creature she'd seen on the TV.

But now she could see that it was holding a large paintbrush.

"Guys!" Peach quickly shouted, turning to get our attention. We looked at where she pointed —

And saw nothing.

"I saw someone — a blue shadow creature, up on that roof! I know I did!"

Toadsworth replied, "Oh, pardon my saying so, Princess, but I'm sure it was the heat. There are a lot of blue things around here; it's an island, after all!"

I wasn't so sure.

Suddenly, there was a horrible squelching sound. We turned and looked at the goo, which was now rippling heavily. A large portion of it coagulated in the center, where it took the form of a Piranha Plant-like being.

Peach screamed, "What is that thing?!"

Toadsworth observed, "It looks like some sort of Painty Piranha Plant!"

"Mario!" FLUDD chimed in, "Shoot water into its mouth!"

I looked at him quizzically, and his nozzle moved up and down in a nodding fashion. Unsure, I leapt towards the enemy and pulled the right trigger, which shot a concentrated stream of water towards its open mouth. The moment it hit, the beast started to flail around in agony, until it disintegrated into a small pool of paint. I washed the remaining goop away, and sighed in relief.

"Wow, Mario!" Peach cheered.

"Hey, someone's coming!" the red Toad interrupted us.

We looked to where he pointed, and saw that two cops were marching in unison towards us.

"Why, hello, officers!" I said as they approached, "What can I do for you?"

And then they cuffed me.

"What the-?"

"You are under arrest for city-wide vandalism and Grand Theft Shine."

They began to drag me away, reading me my rights. Peach and the Toads quickly followed.

Something was definitely afoot.