At first glance, New Donk City looked to be the polar opposite of the Mushroom Kingdom. While Peach's kingdom was a land of vibrant colors, pastoral landscapes, and strange but adorable denizens and creatures, the Metro Kingdom was all shades of gray, hard angles, and a populace who varied very little in their appearance and clothing. And while the Mushroom Kingdom was a relatively serene place (when Bowser wasn't attacking it, at least), the city was constantly alive with activity, horns blaring and people chattering at all hours, the buildings ablaze with neon once night fell and the street constantly bustling with crowds.
New Donk City should have put Peach off… but to her surprise, she found she liked it. She wasn't sure she would ever choose to live here, but despite being so different from her homeland the city thrilled rather than repulsed her. The people seemed content, even happy, and everywhere she looked there was a new wonder to marvel at - a street performer, a quirky shop, an art installation, or something else entirely.
"It reminds me of Mario's stories about Brooklyn," she mused, doodling in the condensation on her frappe cup with a fingertip. "Except cleaner."
"We work hard to keep New Donk City clean," Pauline replied, looking up from her espresso. "Converting to moon energy has helped - you should have seen this place before the power plant was refurbished. There were days when the smog was so thick you couldn't even see the tops of buildings!"
Peach shuddered. "Well… things are better now. That's what's important, right?"
Tiara was silent - the Bonneter was too absorbed in trying to get to the last drops of cappuccino out of her cup. Peach had no idea how a Bonneter could eat or drink, but evidently they managed. And Tiara had picked up an affinity for the bean drink while in New Donk City, which she declared far superior to the "leaf water" that was popular in Bonneton.
The Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, her Bonneter friend, and the Mayor of New Donk City occupied a table at a rooftop cafe, listening to a local jazz ensemble and chatting over coffee. It was a rare respite for Pauline, and a rare opportunity for Peach. She had so seldom gotten a chance to meet the leaders of other Kingdoms, and she was going to make the most of it… even if the most they did was discuss the differences between their worlds and commiserate on the difficulties of being a leader.
"I wish I'd traveled beyond my kingdom sooner," Peach admitted aloud. "I had no idea our world was so big."
"Well, being a leader has its responsibilities," Pauline replied. "I wish I could travel more, but I'm kept so busy I don't dare leave the city unless I have to. Maybe someday."
"You're always welcome in the Mushroom Kingdom," Peach told her. "The buildings aren't nearly so big, and there aren't as many roads, but I like to think it's still nice."
"Honestly, it sounds gorgeous," Pauline assured her. "And you're always welcome here. You and Mario - we owe him a big debt for saving our city from Bowser and his minions."
"You and so many other kingdoms, it sounds like." Peach sighed deeply. "I swear, I'm about ready to kick that Koopa's spiky butt myself. There isn't a kingdom out there that hasn't been affected by him, it sounds like."
Pauline cocked her head, pondering as she tapped the rim of her coffee cup with a fingertip. "You know… it makes me wonder why Bowser is so intent on harassing other kingdoms. If there's a reason-"
"There IS a reason!" Tiara blurted, dropping her coffee cup to glare at Pauline. "He's a big bully who's selfish and mean! That's the reason!"
Pauline raised her hands. "Whoa, I'm not trying to defend him here. I'm just saying there's got to be a reason why he's such a bully. If we better understand his reasons, maybe we can find a way to stop him from doing this again."
"Believe me, we've tried to understand him," Peach replied with a roll of her eyes. "We've even had to join forces with him on occasion to face bigger threats. If there's a reason for what he does besides his own megalomania, we haven't found it yet." She tapped her cheek. "Tiara, you've got coffee on you."
Tiara squeaked and grabbed a napkin, scrubbing the side of her head furiously. "Well, Bowser's butt is kicked good, right? We probably won't be seeing him again for awhile."
"We can hope-" Peach began… only to shriek as a khaki-wearing form crashed into the middle of their table, upsetting Peach's cup and splashing freezing-cold frappe down her blouse and skirt. Tiara squealed and darted behind Pauline, who had her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker. Other patrons turned to stare, and the band clattered to a stop as their attention moved from their music to the mayor's table.
"Is it a Koopa?!" whimpered Tiara, peering around Pauline's shoulder.
"It's a Toad!" Peach gasped, and she hurriedly reached forward and helped him down from the table. "How did you get here?"
The Toad - a purple-capped fellow in a tan explorer's outfit and carrying a heavy leather backpack - brushed himself off, then bowed deeply. "Princess! I came to deliver a message for you! There wasn't an airship available, so I caught a ride with a passing bird."
The bird in question, a yellow cockatoo wearing an explorer's hat, flopped to the rooftop nearby, clearly exhausted from its journey. Tiara darted over and began fussing over the parrot.
"What message?" asked Peach. If the Mailtoad had come all this way by bird-back, then it had to be something important… and most likely terrible. "Is the Mushroom Kingdom in danger?"
"The kingdom's safe," the Mailtoad assured her. "It's from Luigi in the Cap Kingdom. Um… sorry about your clothes…"
"Never mind my clothes," Peach ordered. "The message, please."
The Mailtoad drew an envelope from his backpack and offered it to her. The envelope hadn't been marked or sealed in any way, but she recognized Luigi's handwriting as soon as she drew the letter out.
Mario's gone missing. Cappy too. Odyssey is still here, so guessing they didn't take off for another kingdom. No one has seen either of them since last night. Getting worried - is he with you?
Peach's stomach sank as she read those words. It wasn't like Mario to simply run off on his own unless someone was in trouble. Had he gone off to answer the call of some other adventure? No, surely he would have told someone, especially his own brother.
"I'm guessing that's not good news," Pauline noted.
"Mario's missing," she replied, folding the note and tucking it into her skirt pocket. "Pauline, I'm sorry to cut our visit short, but-"
"Go!" Pauline urged. "Right now helping your friend is what's most important."
Peach nodded, and she hurried for their nearby airship, Tiara and the Mailtoad close behind. It was a long flight to the Cap Kingdom, and they would have to push the Journey's engines to her limit to get there quickly. But if anything happened to Mario because she wasn't fast enough, she would never forgive herself.
The Journey touched down next to the Odyssey, its engines rattling to a stop. The ship's gangplank had barely thumped into place before Peach hurried down it and onto the black grass. Belatedly she thought that she should have changed into a more suitable outfit for meeting with the Bonneters, but she pushed that out of her mind. This wasn't a royal state visit; this was a personal emergency. Any lapses in dress or etiquette could be excused for now.
Bonneters had been drifting between the hat-shaped houses and airships, fretting amongst themselves, but upon spotting the Princess they drifted closer, clamoring for attention. Each one seemed to want to deliver their story or concern first, and they jostled one another in their efforts to get closer.
"Hey, back off!" the Mailtoad ordered, shoving at a Bonneter who had tried to push Tiara aside to get to Peach. "Give Her Highness some space!"
Luigi jumped down from the deck of the Odyssey and hurried over to meet her, the ghostly crowd parting to make way for him. "Princess! Is Mario with you?"
Peach shook her head. "The last time I saw him was in the Mushroom Kingdom, just before my tour of the kingdoms." Her heart jolted at that - she had just rebuffed Mario's marriage proposal when they had parted ways. He hadn't seemed angry at the rejection, only disappointed… but still, to think their last meeting had ended on such bad terms…
Don't think like that. You'll see him again. You've just got to find him.
"Where did anyone see him last?" she asked, pushing her dark thoughts aside.
"Going to bed last night," Luigi replied, pulling his hat off and running a hand through his hair worriedly. "I woke up this morning and he and Cappy were gone. Nobody's seen them since!"
"It gets worse, too," a Bonneter in a bowler hat added, drifting up at that moment. "We tried to start up our airships to launch a search, but every single one of them is inoperable. Someone must have sabotaged them in the night!"
"We're working on repairs right now," another Bonneter, this one wearing a flat cap and carrying a wrench, added. "But it's going to be a few days."
"A few DAYS?!" repeated Luigi, his voice cracking on the last word. "Bowser's goons could be halfway across the planet by then!"
"Calm down," Peach urged. "Do we even know Bowser was responsible?"
"Who else could it have been?" Luigi insisted. "I dunno anyone else running around kidnapping people!"
A Bonneter in a purple-banded top hat raised a hand. "We've had reports of an airship spotted fleeing towards Cascade Kingdom in the night. We tried to give chase, but that's when we discovered our airships had been sabotaged. Its markings matched those of the Broodal family airship."
"And the Broodals were working for Bowser," Peach replied, scowling. "It adds up." A little too neatly, she thought, but then, who else would have reason to target Mario? Sure, they'd faced other threats to the kingdoms in the past, but enemies like Wario, King Olly, and Smithy hadn't menaced the Mushroom Kingdom in years. Whereas Bowser just kept coming back again and again, like a cold you couldn't shake.
"We shoulda just chased the ship down!" a young Bonneter in a green visor snapped, curling their limbs into fists. "Beaten those mangy bunnies and sent them back to their burrows with their tails smoking!"
The purple-banded Bonneter regarded them with a raised eyebrow. "And how do you propose we do THAT without an airship?"
"We're GHOSTS!" the visored Bonneter retorted. "Am I seriously the only one here who hasn't forgotten that we can fly?!"
"Not nearly as fast as an airship," Peach reminded them. "I appreciate your spirit, though."
The Bonneter beamed, then scowled at the purple Bonneter. "Besides, we all know who's REALLY responsible for all this. Even if Lord Milliner here thinks I'm crazy."
"Not this again, Billie," the purple Bonneter - Lord Milliner - groaned. "We all know you don't like Chapeau, but just because he's arrogant doesn't mean he's behind this."
"He'd sell his own mother if it made him look good!" Billie retorted. "If he thought helping Bowser and the Broodals kidnap Mario and Cappy would puff up his ego, he'd do it! Besides, you notice HE'S not here either! Sure says a lot."
"Regardless of who helped Bowser," Peach cut in, "it's clear what we need to do. We're going to go to Bowser's Kingdom and rescue Mario."
Luigi's jaw dropped. "Are you crazy?! I-I mean… sorry, Princess, but… we're not heroes! Mario's the hero!"
"And Mario's in trouble!" Tiara chimed in. "He saved us! It's our turn to save him now, right?"
"Y-Yeah, but…" Luigi wrung his cap in his hands. "I'm not nearly the hero he is. There's no way I can stand up to Bowser."
"You're not going alone," Peach assured him. "You've got my help too. Whatever Bowser has planned for Mario, we can stop him together."
Luigi gave Peach a skeptical look at that. He opened his mouth to reply… but never got the chance.
The gathered Bonneters erupted into shouts of surprise as a glittering starburst hurtled through Bonneton, raining sparks in its wake. The glowing projectile swooped low over the crowd, then swerved towards the Odyssey. Luigi yelped and tried to leap out of the way, but the starburst struck his cap and shredded through the material as if it were paper. It hurtled through the open door of the airship… and multicolored light blasted through every window before all went still.
Peach stared at the Odyssey, then turned her gaze to meet Luigi's. He just stared back at her with an expression that plainly said what the heck just happened? She could only shrug in response.
"Should… should someone go inside and see what's happening, Your Highness?" asked the Mailtoad.
Before Peach could reply, footsteps sounded from inside the Odyssey… and a figure emerged from the shadows of the ship's interior. Shorter than Mario but taller than a Toad, he wore a blue and gold cloak and hood that lent him the air of a traveler. Serious red eyes gazed out from beneath the reddish-orange curls that poked out from beneath his hood. And most bizarrely, he looked entirely carved from wood - his face and limbs bore the curved lines of wood grain, and his joints creaked softly with every movement as the hinges and sockets ground together.
The strange puppet let his gaze move over the ghostly crowd, then focused on Peach. "Your Highness," he greeted, folding his hands before him and bowing low.
A smile broke out over Peach's face, banishing her anxiety for a moment. "Geno! It's been such a long time!" She opened her arms, formalities be hanged, and rushed forward to wrap her arms around him.
Geno chuckled softly as she hugged him tightly. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Princess. I only wish it could be under better circumstances."
"Wait… waaaaaaaaiiiiiit a minute." Luigi stared at the newcomer, then at Peach once she broke the embrace. "You're tellin' me that THIS is Geno?!"
"Of course it is," Peach insisted. "We told you all about him!"
"You said he was a great warrior from Star Road!" Luigi protested. "You didn't say he was a puppet!" He looked at Geno and quickly backpedaled. "Not that there's anything wrong with puppets…"
"If it helps, this isn't my normal form," Geno replied mildly. "I'm unable to interact with your world in my star form, so I first took on this form when I came to your world to battle Smithy and retrieve the pieces of Star Road. Now… it's simply a form I'm comfortable with. I'm surprised, but glad, that Mario kept that doll all this time."
"Gaz gave the doll to Mario," Peach explained. "He said he should keep it around in case you ever came back. I don't think we ever expected to see you again, but he kept it to remember you by."
"Thoughtful of him to do so." Geno frowned as he regarded the crowd. "Where is Mario? I expected him to be here."
"He's been kidnapped," Luigi fretted, worrying the ragged remains of his cap in his hands. "By Bowser… or at least we think by Bowser."
It shouldn't have been possible for Geno's painted eyes to widen in shock, but they did. "Kidnapped… of course. It was foolish of me to think Bowser would continue fighting alongside Mario after Star Road was repaired. No matter - it's worth it to delay my mission in order to rescue him. We'll need his help."
"What do you mean?" asked Lord Milliner. "If your mission isn't to rescue Mario, what is it?"
Geno leveled a grave look upon Peach, Luigi, and the Bonneter leader. "Smithy has returned," he intoned. "He has opened a gateway to his realm on the moon. And if he isn't stopped every kingdom on this world will be enslaved by his machines… or outright destroyed."