It took all the strength in the hearts of the heroic trio to ignore the panicked screams and cries of the frightened Toads, and to follow Toadsworth into the Castle. Smoke continued to billow from Dark Mountain, blanketing the peak behind a curtain of black that was somehow darker than the night sky. The acrid smell of brimstone, ozone and smoldering green timber began wafting down over the shaken Toad Town.
"Come." Toadsworth lead the trio into the Royal Library, that was as old as the Castle itself.
"Toadsworth," Peach was worried about her people and wanted to assist them. "what is more important than the Kingdom? Why must we be here right now?"
Mario and Luigi, who had been following in mutual silence, were curious about Toadsworth's peculiar behavior and motives as well. The season Ward was usually so calm, composed and dignified. In this moment he seemed preoccupied and even uncharacteristically scared.
"My dear, what I must show you is a task that I have long since dreaded since my arrival as the Royal Ward so many years ago..." Toadsworth had marched with purpose through the library, passing all the lengthy shelves adorned with countless texts and tomes, only to stop at the intricately carved stone and marble hearth in the center of the far wall.
Peach stood at Toadsworth's side and stared at the Ward with grim facade. Mario and Luigi stood a few yards behind the duo, neither knowing what to say if anything at all during the tense moment.
Carved into the face of the marble hearth was a silhouette of a dancing couple. The couple were adorned with crowns representing their royalty. To the left and to the right of the central dancing couple were other couples, all wearing crowns. The surrounding couples were the descendants of the King and Queen who had settled and ruled over the Mushroom Kingdom during the Castle's initial construction. And above the hearth was an oil painting of Peach's late parents; Queen Orchid and Prince Moral. A small pink rose was resting on the mantle as a sign of respect for royalty on what was supposed to be a night of festivities and celebration.
Toadsworth took his cane and pressed a hidden button concealed within the mural on the hearth; hidden between the crowns of the central King and Queen. The wall to the left of the hearth rumbled and sank backward and slid behind the hearth in a slow but steady pace. A blast of stagnant air and must filled the library are the secret passageway was revealed for the first time to Peach, Mario and Luigi. Toadsworth himself had seen the passage before and gazed into the dark opening with a grimace.
"Come this way." Toadsworth instructed as he took the first step into the passage without hesitation.
Peach peered into the darkness but couldn't see Toadsworth. A bright spark lit up the still blackness as Toadsworth struck a match and used it to light a torch which was resting against the wall. The blackness became a dull orange as the fire's glow filled the passageway.
Turning her focus on Mario and Luigi standing behind her Peach took one step inside the narrow opening. "Shall we?"
"After you, Princess." Mario respectfully acknowledged. "We're right behind you."
The trio walked into the secret passage following the lit torches that followed the descending spiral, stone staircase. The air was thick and smelled of dust. Ancient cobwebs clung to virtually every nook and cranny of the long neglected passage.
"Yuck," Luigi complained as he pulled a cobweb from the bill of his cap and tossed it to the ground. "I sure hope Toadsworth can tell us what's going on outside."
"So do I." Mario agreed, his hand pressed against the wall to help him navigate the new locale. "We need to get back outside and help the Toads!"
Peach nodded but kept her eyes on the torches that marked the path. "I hope no one's been injured..."
Luigi closed his eyes empathetically as the idea of innocent people being hurt was too upsetting to admit.
The trio reach the bottom of the winding staircase and found themselves standing at the entrance of an incredible large, old and vacated chamber.
"Wow..." Mario remarked, his comment echoing off the massive, stone walls adorned with age-worn tapestries.
"Here." Toadsworth's voice sounded off from the heart of the chamber. He stood idle in front a massive semi-circle stone desk in the low light provided by the newly lit torches that encircled the chamber. "This is what I must show you."
Peach, Mario and Luigi all approached Toadsworth tentatively. As they stepped closer they could a large, stained, torn and faded scroll on display atop the surface of the desk. Two candles at the far ends of the scroll were just bright enough to allow the long forgotten words to be read.
"A scroll?" Peach asked bewildered. "Is this some kind of ancient document or map?"
Toadsworth shook his head. "Neither of those, I'm afraid." He put his hand on the center of the scroll. "This, my dear, is an ancient prophecy that has been foretold millennia ago."
"A prophecy?" Peach was almost stunned by Toadsworth's admission. The elderly Ward was never one to believe in superstition or myth. "Why would you bring this to our attention during a crisis?"
Pointing to a faded depiction at the top left corner of the scroll Toadsworth's finger came to rest on the image of a comet. "Do you see?"
"The comet..." Peach realized as her heart skipped a beat. "The ancient Chroniclers knew of this night? They knew the comet would fall?"
Toadsworth nodded while Mario and Luigi stepped closer to the table, peering over Toadsworth and Peach's shoulder curiously. The brothers focused on the image of the massive comet striking into the world below and felt a chill roll up their spines as the eerie depiction almost mirrored the night's events.
"And here," Toadsworth continued to translate the meaning of the images. "after the comet falls from the sky the world as we know it will share be torn apart by ravaging fires and relentless storms. The impact of the comet will create a massive fissure that will separate one hemisphere of the world from the other. Two great warriors will rise to challenge the stars only to fail. As a result a war shall reign effectively splitting the entire planet into two halves." He bowed his head sadly. "We've already felt the resulting earthquake, smelled the fire and building storm..." Turning his gaze to Peach a solitary tear fell from his eye. "the world will soon be torn in half by only two people, dividing the entire populous and causing irreparable chaos."
"This is... This is it?" Luigi asked with voice notably shaking "The end of everything we know?"
Toadsworth ran his fingers to the ancient text below the images and began translating the long dead language for the others to understand. "As it has been written: 'Two Hearts, Two Stars. The Brightest Light Creates the Darkest Shadow. The Darkest Shadow Creates the Brightest Light. Struggle Brings Chaos. Resolve Brings Peace. Thunder and Fire Will Rain Down From the Crying Sky and the World Shall Split in Twain. Spilled Blood of the Innocent Gives Rise to Darkness. Doubted Strength Weakens the Light. Untapped Power Shall Awaken From the Darkness and Smother the Exerted Light. Only the Strongest Bonds of the Heart Can Withstand the Darkness and Restore the Light. One Heart, Two Stars. Two Hearts Beat as One.'" Toadsworth finished the translation. "From what the past Chroniclers and myself have been able to determine, this means that the two warring parties will clash. One side will be victorious and lead the world into nothing but ashes and ruin..."
"Is... Is there anything that we can do? Can we rescue those who become stranded?" Peach asked eagerly as the vividly detailed yet faded images began haunting her sight.
"No. I'm afraid not." Toadsworth confirmed with a sob in his throat. "All we can do is wait. Wait and pray."
Mario took a step forward and put his hand on Toadsworth's shoulder. "I don't believe that! There must be something we can do! Sitting around and waiting won't do anything..."
Luigi stood beside Peach and looked at his brother with mounting dread. "Mario, we can't fight fate. This night had been written about thousands of years ago! We can't change the past or the future!"
"No," Mario agreed begrudgingly. "but we can change the present!"
"What're you saying, bro?" Luigi could see a gleam of anger in Mario's eyes and felt his own stomach begin to knot.
"I'm saying we need to stop the war before it begins! Look!" He pointed at the images on the scroll. "The comet has fallen, the fires and storms are beginning and the earthquake has already hit us, but we haven't seen any sign of anyone trying to start a war. We can still stop them!"
"But how?" Luigi was still feeling cynical about the entire situation. "We don't even know who to look for, or where!"
"How about the mountain peak, where the comet landed?" Mario suggested with sincerity and a twinge of hope. "It can't be a coincidence that the comet crashed into the only mountain with constant battles being fought!" His mind immediately returning to the countless duels between himself and Bowser in the Dark Mountains and Dark Land beyond.
Toadsworth shook his head doubtfully. "Master Mario, I applaud your passion, but the die has been cast. We can't-"
Mario's fist slammed down hard on the stone table and silenced the Ward while startling Peach and Luigi. "I don't accept that! I can't!"
Luigi and Peach could feel an intense heat radiating from Mario's body as his own anger and determination began to affect him physically.
"Easy Mario," Luigi tried to calm his brother and ease the mounting tension. "just breathe."
Peach put her hand on Mario's fist, which was still pressed into the stone table. "Mario, please..." She soothed his explosive temper with a single touch.
His fist relaxed beneath her hand and slowly slid off the table to hang limply at his side. "...sorry."
"Don't be." Peach wasn't offended by his outburst, just surprised. "Everything will turn out okay. I know it."
Toadsworth was still doubtful but knew he had no ability to keep Mario from venturing toward the massive crater in the Dark Mountain. He struck a second match and lit his pipe. Taking a single puff he sighed with defeat. "I can't say that I approve of such a reckless attempt, but I also cannot stand by and doing nothing. Master Mario, if you wish to explore the crater and prevent a war then make haste!"
Mario nodded in respect and looked toward the passage from whence the group entered. "Thank you." He glanced over at Luigi and nodded once before locking eyes with Peach. "Princess, I will return." Pulling down his cap Mario dashed up the staircase and out of sight.
"Mario..." Peach watched as her dearest friend charged to the rescue, leaving her behind in the safety of the underground chamber.
Luigi sighed once and gave the Princess a small salute with his two fingers against his forehead, then shrugged dismissively. "He's my brother, I can't let him go alone, he needs me!" Running off into the passageway Luigi reunited with Mario on the staircase as he too disappeared from sight.
"Good luck. Both of you." Peach all but whispered as the thought of losing her entire Kingdom, her friends and her home began to ache at her heart. "We need you to succeed... All of us."
...to be continued...