The Staff of Dreams. A white staff, tipped with a red gem, stolen from the Mushroom Kingdom Royal Museum's secret vault before the very eyes of Mario and the Princess. The theft triggered a bizarre sequence of events in the lives of many - but especially in Mario's life. The mind-controlling powers of the Staff of Dreams allowed its thief to control Toadsworth and steal the castle's Power Stars. After this, Mario also fell prey to the staff's power and almost killed Princesses Peach and Daisy, nearly destroying the castle in the process. Mario was returned to his right mind by the Star power and set off to look for the staff's thief, armed only with a mysterious note he'd received that read, "Beware of Takanyar!"

After a search, Mario located the underground Temple of the Stars, in which he met Marlon, Sage of the Stars. Marlon offered his assistance to Mario, terming him the "chosen warrior," and told Mario of his destiny as the one who would defeat this mysterious Takanyar. Also, Mario meets the green-and-brown-robed character Athos, who admits to stealing the Staff of Dreams for Takanyar and joins Mario, turning his back on his evil master.

Finally, after another grueling trip into the Toadwood Forest, Mario, Marlon, and Athos enter Takanyar's underground lair, where they meet Takanyar himself, and his underling, the shadowy Zaron. Takanyar is narrowly defeated by Mario's newfound powers of ice, which were granted him by the spirit of a past Mushroom Kingdom king, and Mario retrieves the Staff of Dreams from Takanyar's foul clutches. All appears to be well now.

However, before Mario defeated them, Takanyar and Zaron used a legendary sword (discovered at the end of Super Mario 7: The Royal Legend) to awaken a powerful army of darkness known as the Shadow Legion. What the Legion's ultimate purpose is, no one knows. But it is still alive and out there somewhere, taking orders from Takanyar and Zaron, who are still alive...

Eight years have passed since Super Mario 8 ended. For Takanyar, they were eight years of watching, waiting, plotting, planning... looking for the opportune moment to strike and reveal his true purpose in wishing to destroy Mario and friends. Takanyar is now ready to swoop down like a bird of prey and seize his victims in his sharp talons.

Takanyar is not his own. He serves a higher one... a great one... Identities are of the essence.

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Princess Peach sat on her throne, utterly bored. She gazed out the window at the dreary summer drizzle that had ruined the tennis tournament scheduled for that day.

"How long is it going to rain like this? Seems like the weather was planning this all along just so I'd have to postpone the tournament!"

The golden throne room doors burst open, and in came Mario, dressed in cowboy hat and boots, lasso trailing from his hand. "Good mornin', Yer Highness! Ya weren't lookin' fer somethin' ta do, were ya?"

"Mario!" Peach laughed. "Where on earth did you get that crazy getup?"

"Right here," he responded, and transformed into a giant, hairy tarantula. Peach screamed and hid behind her throne.

When she peeked out, the tarantula was gone, and in its place sat a yellow rabbit with a key in its mouth. The Princess stomped out of hiding toward the little creature. "Hey, give that back! Don't you go stealing the keys to my drawers again!"

The rabbit promptly turned into a huge red dragon. "What are you so scared of?" it asked innocently when Peach almost fainted. "It is only I." And as Peach watched, the dragon morphed into a tall figure dressed in green and brown. He looked the perfect part of the forester.

"Athos!" Peach said shakily, smiling in spite of herself. "Don't scare me like that! I didn't hire you on as court jester, you know!"

"No?" Athos chuckled and immediately turned into a jester complete with cap-and-bells and yellow-and-purple outfit. He began singing, "Oh, she'll be comin' round the mountain when she -"

"Stop, please!" the Princess gasped when she managed to stop laughing. "It hurts to laugh this much!"

Athos reassumed his normal form. "Your wish, Your Highness?" he asked in his typical grandiose style.

"Just find Mario and tell him to come see me."

"As you command. I am certain that Mario will gladly pay a visit to your most beautiful royal personage." Peach blushed as Athos left with a bow. He headed toward the castle courtyard. As he passed a hallway branching off from his, something down it caught his eye - something black standing in the middle of the hall. He froze. Slowly he turned to face -

"Long time no see, Athos," rasped Zaron.