Hardshell advanced slowly into the room, pistol ready.
"So, where is this thing?" asked Mario, puzzled.
"I'll show you in a minute." Hardshell motioned to Mario to stay out of sight and went to the bed against the left wall. He put his hand over the sleeper's mouth. Instantly he was awake. He smiled up at Hardshell and nodded assent to the warning finger over Hardshell's lips.
Hardshell motioned Mario over to the bed. Before Mario could say anything, Hardshell had knocked him out with a stunning blow to his skull. He crumpled to the ground. The Princess fell from his grip and hit her head against the nightstand between the room's two beds, dazing her. Hardshell was on his knees beside her instantly, undoing the gag and ropes.
"H-Hardshell! What - Why are you doing this?" she asked, surprised.
"Shhhh. I'm here to rescue you. Hold still." Hardshell finished untying her and helped her stand up.
Mario sat up in bed. "Hardshell! Good to see you! What's going on here?"
Hardshell gestured at the unconscious "Mario" on the carpet. "That's not Mario. That's Doopliss. He's been working with Bowser lately on some big project, something that involves Professor Gadd."
"What's the project?" asked Mario.
"I can't tell you right now," replied Hardshell quietly. "I can't afford an information leak. But I have a plan. If you help me, we can stop Bowser before he gets his new machine going. You u must /u help me."
Peach looked him in the eye. "How do I know I can trust you?"
"He saved my life," spoke up Mario. "He helped defeat Takanyar eight years ago."
"Speaking of Takanyar," said Peach, "I haven't seen Athos around lately. Have you?"
"No," replied Mario, frowning.
"You'll just have to trust me, Princess," said Hardshell in desperation. "I have nothing to prove my trustworthiness. But it has to be this way."
"All right, Hardshell. I'm with you," said Peach, and Mario nodded.
Hardshell picked up the rope and gag. "Pardon me, Your Highness, but I must bind you again. Bowser would be very suspicious if you came walking into his castle of your own will, without being forced. Forgive me."
"It's OK, Hardshell. I trust you." She held out her wrists to be tied. "Do what you must."
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The royal astronomer, Opal, set her telescope up atop the castle wall and trained it on the crescent moon. She sat down next to it, her dark blue robe folding around her in soft billows. Looking through her scope, she measured the width of the crescent and recorded it next to the entry for the last night. Then she did a double take.
Instead of the width growing, as it should after a new moon, it had decreased. Opal did some frantic calculations. The moon's phases had reversed! And the reversal placed the new moon directly on Monday night - the Night of Legends.