The rain still fell, though certainly not as hard as it had earlier in the day. Daisy, Peach, and Ninjetta had set out to the Forever Forest just outside Mushroom City alone, leaving Mario in a hotel room to rest and recover after his battle with the mysterious Mr. L.

Peach's mind was still on Mario and Mr. L. Mario had sustained very few injuries from the fall, surprisingly, just a twisted ankle and some really bad static electricity. And even stranger, there was something about that mysterious adversary that just felt familiar. Peach was certain of it, though she'd never met the man before. She couldn't recall seeing him at any of the sporting events or even karting. He certainly didn't work with Bowser and hadn't shown up at any of the parties either. Perhaps he was a self-proclaimed rival as Waluigi was to Luigi, but when Waluigi first appeared, he didn't strike anyone with a sense of familiarity. It was truly a mystery.

"Aw man!" Daisy shouted, interrupting Peach's thoughts. "Are you sure you know where you're taking us, Ninjetta? That's the fourth time we've passed that broken down sign!"

"The DS says it's right ahead!" Ninjetta huffed, frustrated as well. "They might as well call this the lost forest! We really are going in- Did you see that bush move?!" Ninjetta pointed at the nearby bushes, her hand still on the DS shaking.

Peach followed Ninjetta's indication towards a bush that seemed pretty ordinary. The forest had grown dark, the trees blocking out much of the rain and any other daylight above. It was rather eerie, and Peach couldn't help pondering how Luigi would react to such a place. Yet at the moment, her attention was focused on the bush that was spooking the ninji. She tilted her head curiously, tapping a finger on her cheek as she watched it. "How curious."

"It's just a bush!" Daisy fussed, stepping forward and pushing up her figurative sleeves as if she were preparing for a brawl. She tapped the bush a few times then proceeded to shake it. "See? Nothing's wrong!" she proclaimed, turning back to her frightened retainer.

"P-p-p-princess!" Ninjetta, stammered, pointing at the bush once more. "It's got teeth!"

"Daisy look out!" Peach jumped forward, grabbing her friend and pulling her parasol up behind her head, ready to attack.

"Hey!" the bush shouted. "I should be angry at you waking me up from my sleep, nyeah nyeah?" He yawned, opening his mouth widely, revealing four rather flat and strangely placed teeth. Shaking, the bush shook off all the leaves that had settled upon it, revealing a green fuzzy underneath. The creature was oddly shaped, as all fuzzies were, with one eye larger than the other as it stared at the two princesses and the ninji.

"And I should be angry at you invading my forest!" the bush-fuzzy screeched. "Fuzzy Horde! Attack!"

"Aw man!" Daisy whined as dozens upon dozens of green forest fuzzies quickly swarmed, forming a large circle barrier around them.

Fuzzies weren't known to be entirely civilized creatures. In fact, they were some of the most feral, largely sticking to remote locations in the sky or away from cities. They certainly knew and understood the common language, but that was about it. Their society and hierarchy was barely even known. They tended to drain or poison any creatures who dared tread into their territory. Or push them off a ledge. That was equally possible.

Peach stepped forward, hoping to reason with them. "We do not wish to intrude on your territory. We simply wish to pass through. We seek something which has fallen from the sky."

"Anything that falls into our territory is ours!" A larger fuzzy rolled in from within the crowd. She was a brighter green than the rest, wearing an odd yellow bow with white spots. "I am the Queen of the Fuzzies! Pay us with all your star shards and maybe we'll let you go!" Her words incited a loud cheer from the horde of fuzzies.

"Like hell we'll do that! These star shards are important to us!" Daisy replied, brandishing a fist. "I'll take you all on all by myself if I have to!"

Peach didn't counter Daisy's reply with something more eloquent. Instead she focused her attention on the Queen, curiously pondering how she knew what star shards were. The hunt for the star shards had been largely secret. There had been no official announcement involving the search or the situation, though there had been repeated articles requesting for sightings of Luigi. The legend of the star shards was pretty exclusive to the Chai Kingdom, and that was quite far away from the forest full of fuzzies. Fuzzies were hardly known to travel, especially not for long distances. Nor were they known for their ability to read. "How peculiar."

Daisy glanced over at Peach. What a strange thing to say in this sort of situation. She was calm. Perhaps too calm. Daisy glanced at the larger, bow-wearing fuzzy queen. There was something off about that fuzzy. Regardless, Daisy still stood between the fuzzy queen and Peach, prepared to pounce at a moment's notice. She would protect them all and protect the star shards.

"Do as the Queen demands, nyeah nyeah!" the bush-fuzzy demanded, "or we'll tear you all apart! I bet you all taste good, nyeah!"

"I do wonder," Peach countered calmly, "how the queen of a secluded tribe heard about the star shards. Perhaps did you travel to the great Mushroom City and away from your own tribe?"

Murmuring spread across the gathered fuzzy horde. The queen leaving the forest was highly unusual and dangerous. She rarely left the shelter of the trees and bushes.

"Perhaps this is an imposter," Peach suggested.

"Do not listen to this human!" the fuzzy queen screeched. "She's filling your head with lies! Attack! attack!"

Despite the attempt to reason with and convince the fuzzies that their queen was an imposter, the fuzzy horde sprang into motion, leaping at the two princesses and the ninji. With the flick of her wrist, Peach opened her parasol, using it as a shield against the horde. She backed up, standing back to back with Daisy, Ninjetta hiding between the two.

Daisy poised for battle, her hands balled into fists, ready to punch the fuzzies from the air. She knew the risks, she knew that fuzzies were capable of draining energy and sometimes even poisoning, but what choice did she have, truly? She was the only fighter of the three, and that meant she had to be the hero, protecting her friends and the precious star shards.

Several sprang at her, and she responded with a swift kick, driving her heel into the faces of her fuzzy attackers. She repelled several of them, but that technique only worked for a short while, and soon the fuzzies attacked two by two, one absorbing the kick and the other latching onto her leg and biting it. Daisy reeled in pain, reacting by punching the fuzzy off her leg with a swift and angry fist. Another leapt up, latching onto her arm and draining her energy from her. The more they attacked, the weaker she felt. She couldn't fall here. She had to protect everyone and the star shards. She had to find Luigi and tell him how she truly felt.

Peach gasped as she felt Daisy simply slump down behind her. Quickly she knelt down, clutching her friend's unconscious body, using her umbrella as a shield against the fuzzy onslaught. Yet suddenly and inexplicably, the fuzzies ceased their assault.

"Where did they go, nyeah?!" the bush-fuzzy shouted.

"They couldn't have gone far!" shouted another fuzzy.

"W-w-what's that?!" cried a third fuzzy.

Sounds of at least a dozen boos filled Peach and Ninjetta's ears. The boos cackled and chittered, swarming and dive bombing the forest fuzzies, dispersing their horde. One stopped, hovering just before the edge of Peach's parasol. He faced the fuzzy queen, wagging his tongue menacingly at her. "BOO! Nyahahahahahaha!"

"This isn't what I signed up for!" the fuzzy queen shrieked. Spider-like legs grew out of her fuzzy form, carrying her backwards right into another boo, then another. Why were there ghosts here? No one mentioned ghosts! They weren't cute at all! "MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI!" She stumbled backwards and through a black portal, which sealed up behind her.

"Such vile and heathen creatures." the boo sighed, becoming visible once again. She was a light green shade with long eyelashes, green eyeshadow, and a red bow on either side of her face. She flipped open her magenta fan, fanning herself. "They think they have control of this forest, but it is mine." She floated to the ground, turning to face Peach and her huddled friends. "You are Princess Peach, aren't you?"

Peach peered out from beneath her parasol, looking up to the greenish boo. Several of the boos covered their faces as Peach looked, yet others dared not cover their eyes. "I am. I am deeply sorry if we've invaded your territory. We seem to be terribly lost."

The greenish boo floated up to Peach, looking her over. "Well you are cute, but certainly not as cute as me!" she gloated, fanning herself. "But regardless, any friend of Mario is a friend of mine. But where are my manners? I am Lady Bow, the lord of the mansion at the edge of the forest."

"You helped Mario retrieve the Star Rod, didn't you? And you've come to my rescue once again. I greatly appreciate you chasing off those fuzzies and that imposter queen," Peach smiled brightly. "This is Daisy from Sarasaland and her retainer, Ninjetta. I'm afraid the fuzzies attacked my dear friend. I truly should get her back to the city for help."

"I wasn't sure if you'd remember me, but who wouldn't remember someone as cute as I?" Bow mused, tapping her fan against her cheek. "Cuteness aside, what troubles me is that the queen was an imposter." That did explain why the fuzzies were acting so brashly lately. She had used her ability to hide in the forest to watch them but until today, she hadn't seen them to attack. It was good that she arrived when she did, using her hide ability to conceal the location of the three wary travelers.

She did ponder where the calm queen had wandered off to, but fuzzies weren't her main concern. She had her own boos to look after. "But you don't need to travel all the way back to the city. As cute as she would be to add to my boos, I'll have Bootler tend to her wounds. Come. I'll lead the way."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Peach stood, revealing the ninji which had attempted to hide between the two princesses' skirts. Closing her parasol, she handed it to Ninjetta then carefully hauled Daisy onto her back, carrying her friend like a backpack.

...

Her mansion was dark and gloomy, filled with cobwebs and crooked paintings, quite typical of a place where boos lived, and certainly a proper lady would have a proper haunted mansion. Peach stood out against the dim surroundings in her pink dress, seated at the table in the dining hall, sipping on some tea. She had left Daisy in one of the bedrooms along with Ninjetta and Bow's butler, Bootler. She couldn't help worrying about her friend. Daisy had taken the brunt of the fuzzy assault in an attempt to protect her friends and the precious star shards they held.

Bow patiently listened as Peach explained the legend and the hunt for the star shards, which had lead them into the forest in the first place, and the encounters they'd had so far with the mysterious adversaries.

"What is it with villains trying to steal the stars?" Bow scoffed, fanning herself with her magenta fan. "And somehow that villain Bowser isn't involved?"

"That's correct," Peach nodded, setting the teacup down on the table. It was surprisingly good tea. Bootler knew how to brew tea well. "There has been no sign of him at all, and these people, save Mr. L, don't even look like they belong to this world. I think they're jumping between worlds for the sole purpose of locating and retrieving star shards. They can find them almost as quickly as we can."

"That's what drew you into the forest, isn't it?" Bow reasoned. "You're after the star that fell here. I wanted to keep this gem, but because you're Mario's friend, I'll give it to you instead." Floating over to the dilapidated dresser, she opened one of the drawers. Removing a decorative box covered in dust and cobwebs, she floated back over to the table, offering to the princess.

Peach almost hesitantly took the box, given how dusty it was, but she reasoned the lady boo thought it was beautiful. Boos did like the dusty and creepy, after all, and Bow certainly kept the creepy factor of her mansion. When she'd entered earlier, Peach had noticed a few boo as they hung cobwebs up around the candelabras, though they hid immediately when they noticed her looking at them.

"I believe it suits you better, Princess," Bow added. "Shiny never was my thing. I prefer dark. Regardless, I hope this helps you on your journey."

Careful not to disrupt the cobwebs, worrying Bow might be insulted, Peach wiggled the lid off the box, finding an ornate tarnished necklace inside with a star shard embedded in the center as a gem. One star shard closer to stopping the dark star.

Author's notes

Oh how I do love fuzzies, those weird looking, marginally annoying enemies. They appear in pretty much every Paper Mario game and quite a lot of other platformers, the rpgs, and occasionally Mario Party. There are green fuzzies that live in forests in two of the Paper Mario games, so here I've called the Forest Fuzzies. Fitting, right?

The Fuzzy Hoard refers to a massive number of fuzzies swarming together and appears in very few games. I had been playing Super Mario 3D World at the time when I first wrote this, and there's a level where you have to run from the fuzzy hoard.

Lady Bow is from the original Paper Mario. She and Bootler live in Boo Mansion and she has the ability to hide people. She appears as a cameo in Super Paper Mario in various paintings and as a card.