Something was wrong. Princess Peach couldn't quite put her finger on what, but even as she was lifted into the sky, bound securely to the airship anchor with Bowser Tape, she could tell that something about this particular kidnapping was different. Maybe it was the army of sinister Shy Guys that brandished straws, slurping up color and life from the land and its people. Maybe it was the towering bucket of red paint, nearly full to the brim, that sloshed and churned in the airship adjacent to her, its purpose still unknown. Or maybe it was the way the Toad had been delivered to her castle in the mail, folded up like a letter and completely drained of his lifeblood like so many on Prism Island were.
Peach didn't have long to contemplate her worries; after the airship departed, the show of flourishing her dangling form before Mario as the Koopa King's latest prize came to an end, and the anchor was hauled up with dizzying speed. She let out a yelp as it came to a stop in the airship hold, and Hammer Brothers gruffly received her. In the same motion as undoing the tape, they confiscated her parasol and told her to move. Peach groaned inwardly at the loss of her prized possession—not only was her parasol an heirloom, it doubled as a weapon and a useful tool if she needed to extend her jumping power, even though she knew the ship was too high up and the surrounding ocean too deep to attempt that kind of escape. It seemed that, like most times she was kidnapped, she'd have to rely on Mario to rescue her from Bowser.
Luckily, Peach still had several tricks up her sleeve, including the latest in messaging technology. She had been skeptical when Toadsworth presented them to her at first, but after seeing their ease of use and automatic guiding system—apparently it was a joint effort from Professor E. Gadd and Parakarry the mailman to make a new kind of greeting card—she knew the Holo-Peaches could come in handy. They were small enough to be hidden discreetly, and once a message was recorded the card quickly moved to auto-deliver itself to the recipient. (At least, that was what they'd promised, as the feature was technically still in beta testing.)
Even though she was captured, the Holo-Peach would relay her voice and messages to Mario, and Peach felt hope flutter in her heart at the thought of helping him somehow. One benefit of being captured, she'd learned, was that it was easy to spy on your captors. With any luck, soon she'd have news to pass onto Mario, and at the very least a way to assure him of her safety.
Peach was soon led down a corridor and near an open window, giving her an aerial view of Prism Island. The tourist destination looked miniscule from so high up, and the Hammer Brothers smirked behind her back, confident she wouldn't make a run for it.
"Don't try anything funny, Princess," one of them growled. "If you do, well, the Slurp Guys are just waiting for something or someone new to drain."
Peach huffed at their rudeness, trying to quell the fear gnawing inside her; the last thing she wanted was to incur their wrath after seeing how the Shy Guys—Slurp Guys, she mentally corrected—had drained Toad's colors away when they arrived at Port Prisma. The Hammer Brothers led her down a hallway to a dark room. As they slowly entered, torches along the walls lit up, illuminating the room, and Peach gasped at the sight. There, before her, stood Bowser himself, coated head to toe in black paint that flowed and regenerated endlessly off his body, drowning out every speck of color on him—save his eyes, which were now glowing yellow and red. At first glance Peach was reminded, with a shudder, of the thankfully brief time she was possessed by the Shadow Queen, and her worries were compounded with the deep, wicked roar Bowser gave. His eyes stared into her maliciously until she blinked, and a sinister grin spread across the Koopa King's face.
"Good work," Bowser growled, his voice amplified and echoing in the small room. "You should feel honored, Princess Peach. You can bear witness to my newfound power! Troops, be ready for additional orders. Prism Island will soon see the folly of underestimating the Koopa Troop and the black paint—and so will you, Princess, if you step out of line!"
Peach shuddered at the malice in his voice and tried to remind herself that despite his bluster and power Bowser had never attempted to harm her before, but she quickly realized that wasn't always so. When the princess really thought about it, he had been perfectly willing to hurt her in the past, but only when she had a direct hand in stopping his plans—and given her status as a captive, that thankfully didn't apply. Slurp Guys with straws at the ready flanked her in case she tried to make a break for it, and Peach let them, surreptitiously moving towards a nearby window. It was barred, but there was enough room to stick a hand out—or a Holo-Peach greeting card. Mario had to know what was going on!
While Bowser turned his attention to his troops, Peach eyed her guards for a few moments, waiting. As the Slurp Guys turned to stand guard by the door she readied a Holo-Peach and whispered a message. The card soon vanished from sight, sucked out the open window, and she watched it flutter down in the direction of the island before she could see it no longer.
"Since you seem to like the window so much, how are you liking the rest of the airship," Bowser suddenly roared; the princess jumped as the Koopa King turned his attention to her. "It's a little battered, I'll admit, but it's good enough to transport my troops—and you, of course," he added with a leer.
Peach huffed and crossed her arms. "I'd like it more from the ground! You're wasting your time and your resources, Bowser. I know Mario will come and save me no matter what you try. He always does, and always will!"
Bowser let out a deep laugh in response. "You think I don't know that? But my previous defeats were all before the black paint, Princess Peach. Now that I've harnessed its power, there's no way Mario can win! Just wait and see—or better yet, I will!"
Peach took a deep breath as Bowser stomped over to her, looking out the window himself. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but as she turned to move away Bowser clamped a claw, still oozing with paint, onto her shoulder. The black paint stayed just shy of flowing onto her as well, but its threat was palpable, and Peach instantly froze.
"You should stay and enjoy the view, Princess. You won't want to miss this," Bowser chuckled, beckoning her forward. Peach obeyed and went to the window, where Prism Island still floated peacefully in the ocean. Then she watched, horrified, as a missile of some kind streaked down from the airship and impacted Sunglow Ridge, a lovely tourist destination the brochure had said was full of life. An ominous cloud shaped like a skull rose from the wreckage, and when the smoke cleared Peach gasped—the entire area where it hit was covered in black paint, rendering every area that had been hit lifeless. She shuddered at the thought of anything being hurt in the blast, and her heart leapt with further worry as she imagined Mario being caught in it.
As if sensing her thoughts, Bowser grinned and laughed at the sight. "That'll show that pesky plumber a thing or two! Nobody can stop the black paint! Nobody! And especially not Mario!"
Bowser lumbered away from Peach, laughing, and she quickly took the opportunity to send another message detailing what she had seen. The end was admittedly snippy and demanding to be rescued quickly, but it was more out of nerves and worry than anything else. That horrid black paint, Peach was beginning to realize, had done more than just give Bowser power and make him obsessed with it—it had made him even more evil than usual. Even at his worst Bowser was far more likely to conquer than destroy, but now it seemed he was bloodthirsty. She shuddered to think of what he could be planning to do to Prism Island, and possibly the entire Mushroom Kingdom. Peach continued to ponder Bowser's actions and the black paint as the guards returned.
After an hour or so, during which Peach was bored, restless, and more importantly constantly guarded, the airship lurched and began to slow. The most persistent of her guards moved to make preparations for landing, and Peach dared a glance out to see where they might be docking. As she looked out the window, however, the princess was confused at the sea of clouds that billowed beside them. Bowser's Castle was normally deep underground or in a lava-filled domain, and this time they were far too high up to land in any of his usual lairs. Prism Island was no more than a speck in the distance, and the airship slowed greatly before finally coming to a stop. Peach was just able to get a third message out expressing her puzzlement before the doors opened again and Hammer Brothers came to lead her away.
Bowser's troops filed out of the ship in an orderly fashion, and Peach and her guards followed. Fog-like clouds hid their surroundings from view, preventing Peach from seeing what was around her, but from the bucket-carrying Shy Guys' careful tread she knew they were still very high up. After disembarking, the Hammer Brothers led her down a long hallway, and the damp, spiky stone walls, lit only by torchlight and windows, confirmed the princess's suspicions—she was inside Bowser's Castle, however improbable it seemed.
Bowser awaited them at the end of the hall, and he quickly ordered Peach into a nearby cell, then strode away once she was secure. It seemed he had other things on his mind than gloating for now, and Peach wondered what his endgame was. The black paint and that horrible missile had to tie into it all somehow, but the question was how? Peach knew she needed more information to go on, but for the moment her mind was on informing Mario of her whereabouts. She inspected the dingy cell, and to her luck, the wall had a crack just big enough to fit a small piece of paper through, and the slight breeze told her it led to the outside. Thinking of Mario and his bravery helped calm her nerves, and Peach whispered a message and slipped it through the crack. She had doubts Mario was finding her notes helpful, or even receiving them, but had no doubt at all that he'd be coming to save her soon. And as long as she kept sending them, he'd know she was alive and unharmed.
The princess's cell wasn't very big—all it really had was a bed and a small table for eating—and Peach restlessly paced the tiny room. By her 24th lap around the room (at least when she'd started counting), a knock on the door startled her, least of all because it was a prison cell. Peach jolted to attention as keys jangled in the lock and Roy Koopa's bulky form strode forward; he would have nearly filled the cell if he hadn't gotten stuck in the doorframe and decided to stay outside.
"Bahahaha," Roy laughed at the sight of her. "It's true! Bowser did kidnap you to show off his awesome new power! Oh man, this is even better than when they mailed you that colorless Toad! Fwip-fwip-fwip and BAM! Bowser lured you and Mario into his trap in one fell swoop!" Roy pantomimed folding a letter to punctuate his statement, and while Peach couldn't see his eyes beneath his dark sunglasses, she could tell they were glimmering with dark amusement. Peach drew back to evade Roy's piercing stare, but she knew the brawny Koopaling liked to brag. Maybe if she stroked his ego, he'd tell her more of Bowser's plans…
"It was a good plan," Peach admitted, "and so original and clever, too! That black paint must really have given him a lot of power to kidnap me out in the open, huh?"
"Oh, totally," Roy gushed. "I'd say he's about as twice as strong as before—maybe even three times! You should see his fire breath and shell moves! That black paint is like six colors of pure power, all mixed together! It's way more powerful than those lame Big Paint Stars. Just wait until Prism Island feels the burn…or should that be the blackout? Bahaha! I kill me sometimes," Roy chuckled. "Anyway, enjoy your stay, Peach. Make yourself at home—but remember that Bowser's got his eyes on you and your lovely pink paint! Don't you dare think of screwing up his plans!"
Still laughing to himself, Roy sauntered off and re-locked the door, but Peach was grateful for the unwelcome intrusion—not only was it a break from the monotony of being a prisoner, Roy had just provided her useful information! Now she knew more about why she'd been kidnapped, and what had happened to that poor colorless Toad Mario had saved. To think Bowser himself had done that…It was awful! From what Roy had said, Bowser was definitely planning something big, and the black paint was feeding his power-hungry ambitions to critical levels. As her fifth Holo-Peach slipped through to the outside, Peach hoped Mario could withstand whatever Bowser threw at him—and then she shook her head, dismayed at her own doubt. Of course he would. Mario had never let her down before, and he wasn't about to start now!
With a yawn, Peach was suddenly aware of how tired she was—being kidnapped and forced to stand around for hours on end wasn't conducive to relaxation, and it had been a long time since the stay at her Port Prisma guest room. The prison bed was uncomfortably hard, but it would have to do, and Peach hoped she'd fall asleep before any aches and pains settled in and kept her awake. Sighing, she pulled the thin blanket over herself and laid down for a restless sleep.
Some time later, Peach jerked awake at another knock on the door; it was Roy, who unlocked the door again and called to her. "Hey, Princess," Roy said with a low growl. "Bowser wants to have dinner with you or something—I wasn't paying attention cause he woke me from my nap, but the Slurp Guys will fill you in."
"That's about right," said a red Slurp Guy who entered the cell from behind Roy. "Master Bowser wants to meet with you in the dining room, on the double! If I were you I'd come quietly, Princess. You wouldn't want to anger him—or us," he added with a sinister air.
Peach's nose wrinkled in disgust. Dinner with Bowser would be terrible on his good days! She started to say as much, but the Slurp Guys' readied straws, not to mention the memory of the black paint, made her think better of it. Peach swallowed hard. "I, er…I'd be delighted. Thank you, Slurp Guys, and Roy."
"No problem," the Slurp Guy said, much more cheerful. "Right this way, please!"
Peach glanced around to see if she could get out of it after all, but with Roy trailing behind her and Slurp Guys in front there was no opportunity to run. The group headed down another corridor and made a right turn, passing a room Roy said was strictly off-limits. Peach's curiosity was piqued, especially at the mechanical noises emanating from the other side of the door, and at her guards' urging she reluctantly entered a well-lit dining room.
The main feature was a long table adorned with two dinner platters, and giant dark gray candles in the shape of Bowser's face—no doubt lit by the Koopa King's fire breath. Bowser stood at the other end, still dripping with paint, and he waved Roy and the guards away as the doors slammed shut behind Peach.
"Well, Peach," Bowser said with a grin, "sit down and dig in! Dinner should be just as good as Larry's steaks—his tastes are refined even for a Koopaling, so I'm sure you'll be pleased. Only the best for a princess, after all."
Peach sat at the table with apprehension. Bowser was being unusually friendly, which put her on edge, especially with the black paint still oozing off him. She lifted the platter and was surprised to find a deluxe Magma Burger, with bright red buns and sauce, green lettuce and yellow cheese, and a blue stick poking out to keep it stable. Bowser's meal was a similar burger, but much larger given his size. Peach cautiously nibbled at the burger and gasped in spite of herself—it tasted deliciously spicy, and just as good as anything Tayce T. or Zess T. made! She was about to eat with aplomb, but noticed Bowser staring at her, then at her burger, and then at his own as if possessed. A grin came to his face.
"Slurp Guys," the Koopa King roared. "Get in here and drain these burgers of their colors, on the double!"
Slurp Guys barreled in immediately and obeyed Bowser's orders before Peach could even think about protecting her meal, and Bowser watched and laughed as the life and color of the Magma Burgers was drained away, leaving only bone-white food that, to Peach's consternation, was cold and completely flavorless. The Slurp Guys left with the collected paint, and Bowser didn't seem to mind the sudden downgrade, eating his burger in one gulp. Peach, though, was hard-pressed to keep eating—especially since Bowser seemed interested in striking up a conversation.
"So, Peach! I'm sure you're dying to know why I'm collecting all that paint from Prism Island," Bowser began, and Peach's heart started to race. Had he found out she'd been spying on him and relaying information, or was it simply Bowser's overconfidence rearing its head? She dearly hoped it was the latter, but it was too out-of-the-blue to tell.
"It had crossed my mind," Peach settled on saying.
"Well, don't worry—the answer's easy," Bowser sneered, his fangs showing as he smiled. "The black paint will be the key to conquering this pitiful land…and then I'll share its dark gift with the entire world! And to do that, I need the Slurp Guys to drain color and life wherever it's found—even in stuff like those Magma Burgers. Once they've brought enough paint of every color, I'll use it to make even more black paint!"
"Just think," the Koopa King went on, pounding the table with a heavy fist. "All becomes one—red, blue, green, orange, purple, and yellow put together become the black paint that shall make me invincible! Mario and Luigi don't know it, but they stand no chance at all compared to its majesty—but soon they'll see, and so will everyone else!" There was a faraway, wild look in his eyes as Bowser raved on, and Peach found her appetite quickly leaving her even more than with the unappetizing meal.
The princess finished her burger anyway, if only to get the look in Bowser's eyes out of her mind, but the Koopa King didn't seem to be paying her attention anymore—he was too focused on ranting about the unstoppable black paint that would soon shroud Prism Island in darkness, draining its color and life. Any time she tried to interject she was shouted down with more threats of its power—and to demonstrate, Bowser drained the color from the candles surrounding them using the paint itself. The red and yellow flames became white, giving out no light or warmth, and Bowser chuckled as the drained colors flowed into him, mixing with the black paint already there and seeming to make him even stronger.
Finally, Bowser seemed to notice Peach and her empty plate, and with a grunt, he gestured for the doors to be opened and guards to arrive. Before he could say anything more, Peach had left the dining hall and was escorted to her cell. As soon as the door shut, Peach readied a Holo-Peach card. Her sixth message was delivered as quickly as possible. Mario had to know what was going on before it was too late! Bowser's terrible rants and raves were a sure sign something was wrong; he had gone on about the black paint for hours with no signs of stopping, and his ominous warnings filled her with dread. If Mario didn't arrive soon to stop him…Peach didn't want to think about what could happen.
But then she steeled herself. If the worst could happen, it made sense for her to find out what the worst entailed. There were still pieces of the puzzle missing, and she bet it had something to do with that room she wasn't allowed to see. If it was a center of activity like it sounded it stood to reason it wasn't locked, since so many troops would be coming in and out. The only problem was escaping her cell, and as Peach leaned against the door in thought she was shocked to find it swing open. Thinking back over what had happened, the princess realized Roy or the Slurp Guys must have forgotten to lock the door after letting her out.
Unwilling to waste her good fortune, Peach waited for signs of activity, then cautiously ventured out into the gloomy castle and approached the forbidden door. It had been a while since she'd last snuck around a castle, and the princess dearly wished for a disguise, or an item like the Sneaky Parasol that changed her appearance to whomever she pointed it at. But with nothing like that available, Peach had to rely on her own skills and observation.
After making doubly sure no one was around, she slowly opened the door and hid behind it, briefly startled at the noise from the room. Peach realized it was good cover to slip in unnoticed, and after a moment she checked her surroundings one last time and went in.
The room opened into a massive military hanger lit by gloomy torchlight, with giant Bob-Ombs asleep by the far wall. Shy Guys on conveyor belts filed out endlessly from tunnels too high up to reach, each carrying a bucket of paint that they poured into a giant mixer in the center of the room, which churned and sloshed to make what Peach knew was more of that horrible black paint. As soon as one bucket emptied, another replaced it, and Peach was dizzied at the seemingly infinite amount of resources. She was further alarmed at the thought of how much paint must have already been made—and the Shy Guys showed no signs of slowing down.
As Peach continued to inspect the room, her alarm growing every moment, she took notice of where the paint was headed. Mechanical pistons pumped the paint to an adjacent room, and a nearby door seemed to lead straight to where it was going. The princess braced herself for whatever lay beyond it and, shaking, opened the door.
What she saw made her gasp in horror. At the center of the next room was a towering faucet shaped like Bowser's head and as black as the paint that flowed from its spout. But it wasn't the black paint that terrified Peach—it was what it was being used for. Giant Banzai Bills rotated under the faucet and were filled up with black paint, and as soon as one was full another took its place. The Shy Guys from the previous room were there too, all carrying paint buckets ready to be emptied, and Peach realized that the Banzai Bills must have been the same kind of missile that had impacted Sunglow Ridge.
Bowser had created a black paint bomb factory, and with a single word could unleash destruction onto Prism Island—or worse.
This was worse than just Prism Island being in danger, worse than even the Mushroom Kingdom being in danger. The amount of black paint bombs in the factory, the endless streams of Shy Guys filling the tank, and the huge buckets filled to the brim all painted a picture of total destruction. Peach could see it in her mind's eye—hundreds and thousands of Banzai Bills streaking from the skies, coating the entire Mushroom World in the toxic black paint. It would spread inexorably, choking the life and color out of everything and everyone until absolutely nothing was left, with even the seas and underground tunnels succumbing to the unstoppable tide of darkness.
With horror, Peach realized that if such an event came to pass, not even Bowser's own kingdom would be spared, and eventually there would be nowhere left to run. Mario, Luigi, all their friends, and even their enemies would fall, buried beneath the black paint forever. It would be nothing less than the complete destruction of the Mushroom World and its inhabitants, and given Bowser's infrequent forays into space, it might even be the first step in universal destruction.
If Bowser succeeded in this plan, it would mean the doom of everyone and everything in their world. He had to be stopped before it was too late—and Mario had to know what was at stake. Peach withdrew her final Holo-Peach and, frantically, began to speak.
"Mario," she began breathlessly, "I figured out what Bowser's plan is! He's going to…"
A tremendous blast of fire, close enough to singe her hair, stopped Peach in her tracks with a scream and made her drop the Holo-Peach. Bowser's terrible roar filled her ears, and she covered them on reflex, watching as the card ran under Bowser and away from him, seeking the fastest route to self-deliver. Bowser seemed unworried at the card's escape, his attention fully focused on Peach. The princess drew back, but there was nowhere to run to, and an army of Slurp Guys filled the room to block off any escape routes.
"I let you wander my castle for a bit and you have the gall to spy on me? And after I was nice enough to give you dinner," Bowser huffed, his glowing eyes piercing the princess's and making her shudder. "Your first few messages were pesky but harmless enough. But telling Mario my plans when they're close to completion? That simply won't do," the Koopa King growled, his voice twisted with malice.
"What should we do, Lord Bowser," asked a Slurp Guy in the lead. "Your wish is our command!"
Bowser stared at Peach, thinking, and the same terrible fixation he'd had before came to his eyes. The princess knew he wasn't seeing her at all, but rather, her colors and life—and what he said next shook her to her core.
"Drain her color at once! And then display her so Mario sees," Bowser commanded with a roar. The Slurp Guys surrounded Peach at his command, two lagging behind with a blank picture frame.
Bowser chuckled. "Don't feel bad, Princess Peach—you've gotten a head start on contributing to the black paint! Soon everyone and everything else will be absorbed in its power—and Mario, too, if he reaches me. And that's a pretty big if," the Koopa King sneered.
Peach knew the next few seconds could be her last moments, and if this was how it ended, she was determined to think positive. Bowser had endangered the Mushroom World and the universe before, she remembered. He had misused the wish-granting Royal Sticker's powers to increase his power, had tried to conquer and remake the universe with the Grand Stars, and had even become completely invincible with the Star Rod, and still Mario had triumphed. She had to believe he'd win here too, against all odds.
In seconds, Princess Peach's colors were drained completely, sensation and conscious thought going with them. But the knowledge that Mario was out there, that he'd never give up trying to save her no matter what happened, brought a faint smile to her lips just before the end.