Mario watched as the airship lifted off. Soon he could see the ground receding, and then he was afforded a view of Bowser's castle, or what was left of it. The towers were barely standing, and it looked as though the Koopas holding the gate wouldn't last much longer against the mushroom peoples' advances. Mario was surprised to see that the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom had several cannons that were hurling cannonballs at the castle.

Mario looked at the ground leading away from the castle. He saw a mob of mushroom caps and Koopa shells, presumably fighting each other. From his vantage point Mario couldn't see if they had weapons or not, but he could guess that they did as he watched them struggle.

Peach was standing next to Mario, taking in the same scene, her eyes wide. Mario couldn't begin to guess how awful it must be for her to witness her beloved Mushroom Kingdom citizens fighting and falling for her.

Bowser steered his airship until they were hovering directly over the fray but high enough that none of the cannons could hit it. He looked at Mario expectantly.

"So, what do we do now?" Bowser asked.

Mario thought for a moment. "Well, it's not as if we can just politely ask them to stop fighting, now can we? Unless...do you have some kind of amplification system on this ship?"

Bowser shook his head. "No, I just have a loud enough voice that I can order my minions around the ship. I don't think it would work to distract people from the battle. Not from all the way up here, at least."

"So, what does that leave us with?" Mario asked. "Maybe if we just lower the ship enough to fire a few cannons. That could get their attention."

"What if we hit someone? I don't want anybody to get hurt," Peach said worriedly.

"Don't worry," Bowser assured her. "My aim is pretty good. I'll make sure I miss everyone."

"Well, then, I guess you can take her down," Mario said.

Bowser pulled another lever, and the ship began to lower itself. As they got closer to the battle, Mario could hear the cries of the opposing sides and smell the gunpowder from the cannons. No one seemed to be looking in the direction of the airship.

Bowser pulled yet another lever, and Mario heard a deep rumbling beneath them. The cannon was moving slowly, trying to find its target. Then the noise abruptly stopped. Bowser pushed a big, red button and a deafening blast filled the air. Mario saw the cannonball sailing somewhere to the right of the castle, creating a small crater.

Several of the mushroom people as well as many of the Koopa Troopas stopped what they were doing and looked up at the airship. Bowser waved his arms wildly, and Peach,Mario, and Kooper followed suit. When the airship was directly over most of the people, Bowser attempted to shout so that everyone could hear him.

"This fighting is useless!" he called. "Here are Mario and Peach, safe and sound. And Koopa Troopas, you are being mind controlled by Kamek! I am your true leader, and I beg you, snap out of it! Stop attacking these poor Mushroom Kingdom people!"

The mushroom people stood staring up at the airship, and they began waving and cheering at Mario and Peach. The Koopa Troopas stood, dumbfounded, as they looked at their leader. Then several of them shook their heads to clear their confusion.

"I think we got to them," Mario said, relieved.

"Let's hope so," Bowser replied.

Bowser, Peach, Kooper, and Mario continued to watch as the crowd dispersed. Some of the Koopa Troopas dropped their weapons, and the mushroom people wheeled their cannons away from the castle. Most of the mushroom people made their way away from the castle, though some just stood and continued to wave at Peach. The Koopa Troopas headed toward the ruined castle. Some began picking up some of the pieces of their battle, including their fallen comrades.

Bowser turned to Mario. "Well, that was easy."

"Seemed a little too easy," Peach replied. "I would've thought that Kamek would have shown up to try and stop us. I wonder what he's planning."

"Can't be anything good," Mario said.

"Oh, would you two lighten up?" Bowser exclaimed. "I would put this down as a win!"

"If you say so," Mario replied. "I guess all we can do now is wait for Kamek to come back."

Peach opened her mouth to reply but was cut short by the sound of cackling. It was quiet at first but grew louder and louder. Soon a rumbling sound came to accompany the laughter. Mario was unsure of where it was coming from at first, until Peach pointed at the ground and shouted, "Look!"

A great rift had opened up in the stone near the entrance to Bowser's castle. Koopa Troopas ran for their lives as lava bubbled up from the crack. Many of them huddled at the entrance to Bowser's castle and pounded furiously on the drawbridge as the lava edged closer and closer. Finally, the drawbridge lowered, and the Koopas rushed inside. Others had not been so lucky. They flailed their arms as they were swept up in the lava and fell through the chasm. Kooper let out a strangled cry as his former comrades slid into the pit.

Then another trench opened up near where the mushroom people were standing. Peach shouted at them to get out of the way, but she was sure they couldn't hear her. Many of them ran from the flowing lava, but others stood frozen. The lava consumed them, and Peach turned away from the scene.

Mario clenched his fists. People were dying, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It wasn't possible for him to save even one of the poor mushroom people or Koopa Troopas.

"Kamek!" he shouted. "I know this was your doing! Come out and fight like a man!"

"Your passion is admirable, plumber," came Kamek's voice. "But now is not the time to reveal myself again. I won't be seeing any of you until that brother of yours recovers. I wouldn't want him to miss the final act!"

There was a final cackle, then silence. Mario dared to look back at the awful scene below. By now there were very few stragglers. Most of the surviving Koopas had made it into what was left of Bowser's castle, and the mushroom people were on their way back home. It would be quite a long journey.

Mario turned to Bowser, Peach, and Kooper. Bowser's jaw was dropped open, his face frozen in shock. Peach had her arm around Kooper, and both looked as though they were holding back tears. Mario's heart ached for all of them. They had lost so much in such a short amount of time.

"My people…" Peach said in a near whisper. She turned to Mario. "I need to get back to the palace. I need to see if...Oh God, I hope Toad, Toadette, and Toadsworth are still…"

Mario walked over to Kooper and Peach and enveloped them in a gentle hug. "I understand," he said, "Why don't we go home and check on them?."

"What about me?" Kooper sniffled.

Mario released Kooper and Peach and knelt down in front of the Koopa, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You've been a great help, my friend. Go home and rest."

Kooper looked like he was about to protest but nodded instead. "Okay. But promise me something."

Mario looked into Kooper's eyes. "Anything."

"I...I want to be with all of you when, you know…"

"When Kamek comes back?"

Kooper nodded. "It's important to me. A lot of the people down there were my friends back when I worked for Bowser."

"Are you sure you want to risk your life like that?" Mario asked.

Kooper's expression turned serious. "Yes. We need to stop Kamek before anyone else dies."

Mario found Kooper's conviction admirable and hoped that his friend would not fall to Kamek's wicked magic. He knew the little Koopa was very brave and that he wouldn't let Mario and the others down. He was part of their crew now.

Mario addressed the Koopa at the helm. "Bowser, I think we have a plan." Bowser was staring at his feet. "Bowser?"

Bowser looked up, his eyes misty. "I can't believe it. I knew Kamek was powerful, but I never suspected he could do something like that. I mean, to wipe out so many of my own men like that, it's just awful. How are we ever going to beat him?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Mario said. "But we have to try. For the sake of everyone we love, we have to try."

"If you say so," Bowser replied.

Bowser turned the airship toward the Mushroom Kingdom, and it continued its journey. Mario watched as the lava pits and hard stone gave way to mountains and lush forests. By the time they reached the Mushroom Kingdom, the sun had set, but the lights of Toad Town remained as beacons for the ship to follow.

Soon the airship came to a stop above Kooper's house. Mario lowered the rope ladder for the Koopa, who gave him a quick hug.

"Thank you for everything, Mario," Kooper said. "Remember what we talked about."

"Don't worry, I won't forget," Mario replied.

Kooper waved goodbye one last time before climbing down the rope ladder and disappearing into his house. Mario raised the ladder and the airship made its way toward Peach's castle.

The castle was nearly empty when Peach and Mario got there. As soon as they entered the main hall, Toadsworth came to them as fast as he could. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and his clothes were rumpled. His glasses hung askew above his white moustache, which looked as though it needed a trim.

"My queen! Mario!" he exclaimed when he got to them. "Thank heavens you're alright. What happened?"

"It's a long story," Mario replied.

"Well, let me get some tea on and we can retire to the library and talk."

"Thank you, Toadsworth," Peach said quietly.

Mario followed Peach down a long hallway and up a staircase to the library. Even though he had been there before, Mario was still awed by the shelves upon shelves of books that seemed to stretch upward forever. He knew Luigi had spent a lot of time simply sitting in one of the plush chairs by the fireplace and reading. He hoped his brother would be able to do that again soon. That is, if he was still alive. Mario tried not to hold on to the anxiety that bubbled up in him when he thought about Luigi's condition.

Peach took a seat on a leather couch that faced the fireplace and motioned for Mario to sit next to her. She leaned into her husband, and he put an arm around her.

"You look exhausted," Mario said. "Are you sure you're up to this? I could just tell Toadsworth what happened myself if you want to go and get some sleep."

Peach shook her head. "No, I should really be here." She yawned.

"Alright, my love," Mario said, kissing Peach's temple. "But we're going right to bed after this."

"Deal," Peach said, and snuggled closer to him.

"Here we are," Toadsworth said as he carried a silver tea set into the library and set it on a table in front of the couch. He poured some tea for Peach, Mario, and himself.

Mario took two sugar cubes from their bowl and stirred them into his tea. Peach chose to go without sugar, as did Toadsworth.

"Now," Toadsworth said. "Start from the beginning. There are a lot of things I know already, but I'd like to hear the whole story at once."

Mario started from Luigi's capture and filled Toadsworth in on all of the events that led them back to Peach's castle. Peach interjected with details that Mario had missed and her own experiences.

Toadsworth frowned. "Mhmm. Well, you two have certainly been through a lot, not to mention poor Luigi. So, this Kamek character, he's going to come back, is that right?"

"That's what he said," Mario replied. "Maybe it will give us some time to prepare, although I still have no idea how we're going to defeat him."

"I'm sure you, Peach, and Luigi will figure it out. How is Luigi, anyway? You said Wario took him to the hospital after he was stabbed, but you haven't said anything about his condition."

Mario looked at the floor. "With everything going on I haven't had a chance to check on him just yet."

"Well, you'd better hop to it, my boy, and let me know as soon as you do. You have to know I was worried sick about all of you, and I'm not sure how much my poor old heart can take."

"Oh, Toadsworth," Peach said with a smile. "You're at least as strong as all of us, if not moreso." Her expression turned serious. "I've been afraid to ask this, but have you heard from Toad or Toadette?"

Toadsworth slowly shook his head. "Not since they told me they were going to Toad Town to rile everyone up. I suppose my worries aren't going to be over until I know they're safe, too."

"The mushroom people should be back tomorrow," Mario said. "I guess we'll find out then."

Toadsworth nodded and looked at his watch. "Oh my, it's getting late. I'll let you two rest. Thank you for filling me in on everything."

Mario and Peach said goodnight to Toadsworth and made their way up to Peach's bedchamber. Mario stripped down to his boxers and got under the covers as Peach changed into a nightgown. Peach settled in next to Mario and laid her head on his chest.

"Mario?" Peach asked.

Mario yawned. "Yes dear?"

"Do you think...everyone will be alright?"

"I sure hope so," he replied, running a hand through Peach's hair. "Try to get some sleep, okay?"

Peach didn't answer him, and soon she was breathing more slowly. Mario put his arm around her and waited for sleep to come to him, but his mind was whirling. He was worried sick about his brother and knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he was sure Luigi was alright. He slipped out from under Peach and walked to the window. The stars were twinkling, and the moon was full. Mario looked up at the sky. He knew that he had to be strong for Peach, Luigi, Kooper, and everyone else. Mario just hoped his strength would be enough for all of them.