A/N: This is a short update, and I think you'll see why. It says everything that needs to be said.

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Poisoned Factory

3:28 am

Mario hurtled down the stairs as fast as he possibly could, his heart nearly bursting out of his chest and his mind reeling with what he had just witnessed. He was panicking. He was only vaguely aware of his partners following after him, their chaotic footsteps echoing clang-clang-clang-clang-clang as they pounded down the metal steps.

He didn't even know what he was doing. All he knew was that he had to get there now –

Finally he reached the ground floor, rounded the sharp corner so quickly he nearly fell over, and literally kicked open the door that was standing in his way.

He and his partners crowded into the room, drew to a stop and stared in fear.

The room was dimly lit, with only a few industrial red and yellow lights providing illumination. Like one of the previous rooms they had been in, it was also flooding. Most of the floor was covered in several inches of murky water, and only the thin metal walkway they were standing on was dry.

Maizee was lying facedown on the ground on the opposite end of the room, half in the water and half out, not moving an inch.

Was she breathing? Was she even alive? He didn't know if the fall had been from high enough to be fatal – but that Piranha, and the way it had torn into her…

Taking a deep, shaking breath, Mario gathered up his resolve and hurried over to her, his partners following him. He crouched down next to her and pulled her out of the water, turning her over so they could see her face.

She didn't look anything like the spiteful, vindictive enemy who'd been hunting them down all this time… she looked so vulnerable…

And then she grimaced and opened her eyes.

Mario nearly dropped her in surprise. He heard a few of his partners gasping from behind him.

It took Maizee a moment to realize where she was, but when she did, she looked equally surprised.

"M…Mario?" she gasped, quickly thrusting herself free from him and staring warily. "Y… you're here? You're all here?"

Mario was stunned. She was badly bruised, but other than that, she looked fine.

"Maizee… you're all right?" he asked in astonishment. "You're… you're not poisoned?"

She frowned at his reaction. "I can't be poisoned. Not anymore, at least," she replied. "I… I've had to stay in this awful place for so long, I've… gotten immune to it, I suppose." She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Oh, Mario… did… did you hear everything Bulbin and I were saying just now?"

Mario nodded vaguely, still in a stunned daze.

"I suppose I can finally tell you the whole truth now. I've got nothing left to lose." She slowly drew herself up to her feet, wincing in obvious pain as she did so. "Mario… all those times I went after you… that was all Bulbin's idea. He made me do it, every time."

Mario just gave her a quizzical look. Did he really believe that?

"What? Oh come on! Whaddaya mean, he made you?" Goomblaine demanded, obviously not believing a word of it.

Maizee just sighed resignedly. "I didn't think you'd trust me," she said. "I should probably start at the beginning. Did Bulbin tell you that I've been running this factory and experimenting with all the poisonous chemicals?"

"Yes…"

"Well, that was a lie," she said frankly. "He's the one doing all that. I had nothing to do with it. Back when people were first starting to get poisoned, I realized someone must have been starting the factory up, and I went over here to find out who was responsible for it all… I found him, and I caught him in the act."

Mario frowned warily. "But then…?"

"But then… he framed me." Maizee's voice started growing faint and sad. "He told everyone I was the one doing it, and he had caught me. And… everyone believed him, of course. He's the mayor."

She lowered her face to the floor, looking more and more miserable as she recounted that day that had ruined everything. "So they kicked me out of town. They exiled me. They said I could never come back. And Bulbin's been there the whole time, right under their noses, and still nobody knows…"

Mario was too taken aback by all this to know how he felt, but he knew he had to get the whole story. "So what are you doing here?" he prompted.

"Here… even after I was exiled, he wasn't done with me," she recalled. "He didn't want me going free to tell other people the truth about him… so he kept me in here, where he could keep an eye on me."

She shook her head. "I have no idea how long that lasted. I… I've completely lost track of time. I was completely alone in here, and he had complete control over me… and there was nothing I could do…

"But then not too long ago, he somehow found out about those Sun Souls." She gave a light shrug. "I have to be honest, Mario… I still don't really know what they're supposed to do. Bulbin doesn't either, I think. He just knew that they'd be a perfect way to keep the factory powered forever, so no one could ever stop him. But… he couldn't go after them himself, obviously. He'd risk losing face. Somebody had to do it for him."

"And that someone was you."

She nodded in agreement. "Me and those Piranhas. He sent me out there with them time after time… and he heard about you, Mario, and he wanted me to stop you. But when I found out you were looking for the Sun Souls too… well, I still don't know why you need them, Mario, but I knew right away that it was for something noble. You were doing the right thing with them… so even though I had to attack you whenever I saw you, I've been… trying to help you along. I wonder if you noticed."

Mario frowned in puzzlement, wondering what she could possibly mean by that… and then he remembered something.

"That Power Bounce Badge," he recalled. "The one the Piranhas dropped in the forest… you wanted me to get that, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Yeah… and then you had them eat Clefford's supplies so he couldn't follow us," Hanner realized further. "And you distracted the guards outside Mustard Mines so we could get in…"

"And at the circus, you… did something to the Darkstriders?" Mario looked at Maizee in confusion.

She looked a little sheepish. "Well… they were about to attack you, Mario. I couldn't let them do that." She frowned again, looking guiltier than ever. "Oh, Mario… you have no idea how much I hate myself for all the trouble I've caused you. I swear, if there had been any other way… but there wasn't. All I could do was hope every time that you'd beat me, and I was always so relieved when you did…"

She trailed off, looking forlornly at him. He knew he should say something, but he was at a complete loss for words. He had no idea what to think.

He still wasn't sure he believed her… after all, he hadn't forgotten about the last villain who'd claimed to have been on his side the whole time…

"But… but I still don't get it," Hanner finally spoke up in protest. "I mean… why'd you let Bulbin order you around all this time? Why didn't you stand up to him?"

Hanner had apparently asked the wrong question, as Maizee visibly winced at it. She looked reluctant to answer, but finally she did.

"…When you were back in the village," she began, "did you see all the sick flowers? Did you meet a little one named Daymien?"

Mario started to nod… only to freeze as he realized what she was about to say.

"Daymien… he's my son."

No one said a thing.

"He was the very first one to get sick," she recalled miserably. "I swore I wouldn't rest until I found out who had done this to him. And now… now I can't even go near him anymore." Her voice was shaking. "And Bulbin… he said that if I ever went against his orders… if I ever even tried to tell you the truth… he'd personally end my son's game."

And then the tears that she'd been holding back this whole time finally came spilling out. "He's so sick… he has no way of defending himself… there was nothing else I could do…"

Mario and the others could only stare at her as she hanged her head and cried. Mario was starting to feel weak from everything he'd just learned. He suddenly had an almost uncontrollable urge to take Maizee by the hand and promise her everything would be okay.

This doesn't make any sense… ten minutes ago she was one of our most feared and dangerous enemies… and now –

And that was when he realized it. And the realization was like a blow to his head.

All the times we've run into her, it's always been at night… we've never seen her in Dayside… not even once…

"Maizee," he ventured, very aware of how much his voice was trembling, "do you know that there's something wrong with the sun? Do you remember how it used to come up during the day and it wasn't always dark like this?"

His partners all blinked in shock. Maizee's tears quickly dried up. She stared up at Mario, looking like she hardly dared to believe what she was hearing.

"You remember too?" she said softly. "I haven't seen the sun in so long… is that why you need the Sun Souls? Are you going to bring the sun back, Mario?"

Mario's throat was too tight for him to do anything but nod. For some reason, now he was tearing up as well.

"Mario… whatever you've heard about me, I promise it's a lie," Maizee said simply, pleading her case one final time. "I never wanted any of this to happen. All I wanted was to protect my son. And I couldn't even do that." Her gaze fell to the floor. "That doesn't change the fact that I've done terrible things to you and your friends. I don't expect your forgiveness. But I still pray for it."

For a moment, nobody said anything in reply. They obviously weren't sure what they could possibly say.

The one who finally broke the silence was Dulia.

"Aww, Maizee… of course we forgive you," she said earnestly. "Trust me, I know exactly what it's like, being forced to hurt people you care about."

"And all this time we thought you were the bad guy… I feel terrible…" Hanner groaned.

"Yeah, it's cool, I guess," Goomblaine muttered, trying to make a show of indifference.

"So… you're not mean?" asked Stubba, looking delighted. "Aww, I'm so glad."

"I reckon we're the ones who oughta be apologizin'," Snatchel sighed, removing his hat respectfully. "We've been givin' ya such a hard time, and we didn't even know…"

Mario nodded in agreement with his partners.

Maizee just shook her head. "There's no need for any of you to apologize. I understand completely." Suddenly, a distracted look crossed her face, and she glanced over her shoulder at something. "Mario… I'm not finished in here yet. I think I know where Bulbin's gone… I don't know what he's planning to do, but I have to stop him. But I can't do it by myself. You'll help me, won't you?"

"Yes, Maizee, we will. We all will."

And then, for the first time that Mario had ever seen, she actually smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "We'd better hurry up and go then. We don't have any time to waste."

And the next thing Mario knew, his partners had stood back and made room as she walked over and joined him at his side, at long last.

Maizee Joined Mario's Party!

Maizee is a kind and caring Crazee Dayzee who will selflessly defend her friends and family above and beyond the call of duty. She can use her singing voice to disable traps or other hazards that Mario can't get past on his own. In battle, she can use her Lullaby to damage an enemy with the chance of putting it to sleep, or use Hay Fever on Mario to make him Allergic and incapable of receiving a status infliction.

With nothing left to do, the group turned around and walked back toward the door, leaving the way they had come… and Mario realized, despite how strange it sounded, that it no longer bothered him that outside it was the dead of night and inside they were surrounded by poison. Right now, the world felt brighter than it ever had before.

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A/N: *awaits flames*