RECAP:

In the aftermath of a mysterious crash, Contemno rescued a man from certain death. After being nursed back to health, the man was given the name Maldeon. Maldeon grew restless during his recuperation. He had no memory of who he was or why Contemno was allowing him to stay here in this tower in the Rain Kingdom.

Before long, Maldeon was tasked by Contemno and Eris to watch over Bowser - the prisoner who was being kept in a cell in the building's basement and ensure he ate to stay alive. Feeling undervalued, Maldeon disobeyed Eris's orders and began conversing with Bowser. There was something familiar about him, but Maldeon couldn't determine why. Yet, his curiosity was piqued.

Meanwhile, Eris departed with a special gift in tow for Junior and company.

Eris hopped from tree to tree. She was growing sick of this aimless searching. There was no need for her to pinpoint Junior's exact location anyway. Her secret weapon was more than capable of leveling this entire forest, regardless of where the brat was hiding. She folded her arms under her breasts and leaned back against the tree trunk.

"If this kid is good at anything, it's hiding…," Eris complained. "Oh well, I suppose it would be best if I leave the rest up to you, big guy." The woman snapped her finger as the monstrosity towered over her.

Peach strolled down the winding forest path. Her bare feet ached and she was scolding herself now for getting rid of her shoes earlier. Still, it couldn't exactly be helped. Now more than ever, Peach desperately wished for some kind of sign of where she was in this winding maze of green. Was she even heading in the right direction towards any kind of civilization?

Peach wiped the sweat from her brow, then froze when she heard something unsettling. In the far-off distance, a high-pitched shriek rang out through the air. Someone was screaming; someone was in trouble. Peach immediately picked up the pace as she sprinted in the direction of the sound.

"So…let me see if I've got this straight," Iggy began as the trio continued walking. "We're going to some star mountain because when you were sitting under that waterfall, a magical voice in your head told you how to beat Contemno?"

"Well, it sounds stupid when you put it that way," Junior contested.

"The word I was going for was 'illogical.' I'm a scientist, Junior. I've always been skeptical about magic. You know that."

"Would it help if I told you this voice had a name? We're going to find Merlon. So, he's a real person at least."

"Doesn't do much for me, I'm afraid." Junior folded his arms behind his head.

"Whatever. All I know is, now we've got this in the bag. That Contemno loser is going down!"

"Hold up, you never bothered to fill us in on how we're gonna do that," said Larry. "If this Merlon guy told you how to beat Contemno, what did he say? What are we supposed to do?" Junior stopped in his tracks.

"Well…he didn't exactly say how to beat Contemno. He just said he can help…," said Junior. Iggy slapped a palm to his face.

"Well, that's a pretty big difference. Did he say anything more reassuring than that?" Iggy asked.

"Not really. He said his powers were fading or…something like that, and we have to meet in person." Larry sighed.

"Well…it's a start, I guess. But do you even know where we're going?" asked Larry. Junior crossed his arms and closed his eyes to concentrate.

"Uhhh…let's see…," Junior started.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten what he told you…," said Iggy.

"N-no…I didn't," Junior replied. "It's just…a little hard to remember," Larry and Iggy simultaneously groaned. "Hey! Cut me some slack! I've never been to this place before so the name didn't exactly stick with me all that well. Just…gimme a sec to think!"

"You said it was 'star' something, right?" said Iggy.

"It's not Star Haven, is it? Haven't you been there before?" asked Larry.

"Yeah, but that's the place where those stuffy star people live," said Junior. "I'm pretty sure that's not what Merlon said. He said it was between the Mushroom Kingdom and Star Haven."

"Maybe we oughta ask Mario or the princess then," Larry offered. "They live around there. Maybe they'll know the place you're talking about." Junior gritted his teeth.

"…N-no! No way!" Junior stammered. "W-we can find it ourselves! C'mon! Let's get moving!" Before Larry or Iggy could comment on Junior's sudden panic-stricken nature, a terrible scream pierced through the stillness of the moment.

"What was that!?" Larry exclaimed.

"It came from over there! Let's go!" Iggy motioned as he took off down the path. Larry was quick to follow behind him.

"Huh? Hey…guys! Wait!" Junior called out after them. He groaned and followed their lead.

The trio rushed into an open clearing in the middle of the forest. But there was no immediate sign of what caused the sound they'd just heard.

"That's odd…," said Iggy.

"Forget about it already, Iggs," said Junior. "We've got more important stuff to worry about so let's just-"

Suddenly, a streak of pink dashed out in front of the Koopas from the other end of the field. Everyone froze as their eyes met.

"…Princess?" Larry began. Standing before them was indeed Princess Peach. Although, it was not the dainty princess they were familiar with. Junior, Larry, and Iggy couldn't help but stare at her drastically altered features; her scorched dress that was torn and exposing her ankles; her mildly frizzy, drastically shorter hair; her bare, bruised, glove-less hands. This looked be a princess who had been through hell and back.

"Larry? Iggy?" Peach replied with a blank stare. The pair slowly approached her. Junior's icy glare from afar went unnoticed.

"…Princess Peach? What're you doing all the way out here?" Iggy asked. Peach smiled sheepishly.

"It's…a long story. Although, I could ask you the same thing." Another ear-grating shriek cut their conversation short.

Out of nowhere, Toad came crashing through the forest and tackled Peach.

"Toad!?" Peach exclaimed.

"Princess! I don't believe it! Finally!" Toad replied between breaths.

"What in the world are you doing here?"

"Looking for you! I watched that fight between you and that masked guy back at the castle; and how you just vanished into thin air at the end of it. I didn't want to believe you were gone, so I searched everywhere for you!"

"Wait a sec, was that you who was making that terrible sound just now?" Larry inquired.

"I thought it sounded familiar…," said Peach. "What were you screaming about?"

"I was being chased," Toad answered.

"By what?" asked Larry. A harsh gust of wind smothered the group. As a towering shadow cast itself over them, they all collectively looked up to the sky.

Descending from above was a familiar foe: Petey Piranha. Standing atop his shoulder was Eris. She jumped off and stood by the monster's side when he reached the earth.

"Great work, bait," said Eris; gesturing towards Toad. "I had a feeling you would lead us straight to what we were looking for."

"Wait a sec, is that…?" Junior questioned aloud. Witnessing the gargantuan, obese piranha plant monster now standing before him awakened a dormant memory. Images of Junior's trip to Isle Delfino flashed through his mind. He vividly remembered Mario first fighting the creature there, and the many encounters the two had had with one another over the years since then.

"Petey Piranha! But…how!? I thought he was-" Peach began as she recognized the monster as well.

"Perceptive, little princess," Eris taunted. "I'm glad you remember him. Because boy does he sure remember you." Petey unleashed a deep, monstrous roar, which greatly contrasted Toad's frail, feminine cries from a moment ago.

"And just who the heck are you!?" Junior exclaimed, shoving his memories aside for the moment.

"Name's Eris. I'm here to make a little delivery on Contemno's behalf."

"Y-you know Contemno!?"

"Oh yes. He and I go way back. Anyway, we've got a special gift for you, Prince Bowser Jr."

"Why would I ever accept a gift from Contemno!?"

"Well, it is your birthday after all. Isn't it?"

"'…Birthday?''" Peach repeated to herself.

"We felt just awful about taking over your daddy's castle. So, my friend is here to make sure you still have some fun on your special day. And hey, there's plenty of 'fun' to go around for your little entourage here too." Eris scanned the rest of the group, then glanced back at Petey. "I'll leave the rest up to you, big fella."

"Wait!" Peach exclaimed.

"Ta-ta!" said Eris as she leaped off of Petey's shoulder and vanished into thin air in a flash of light.

Petey unleashed another thunderous roar. Toad huddled behind Peach while Larry and Iggy stood close to Junior. Inhaling deeply, Petey spat a large chunk of brown, mud-like goop towards the group. They each dove out of the way in opposite directions. Petey continued his onslaught as he fired smaller, faster wads at his targets individually.

Junior rolled out of the way just in time as the projectile coated the tree behind him.

"What is this stuff?" Iggy asked as he approached the tree to examine it.

"Don't touch it!" Peach exclaimed. Petey fired several more shots. One at Peach, the next for Toad, then Junior, and finally Larry. Each one narrowly avoided getting hit with the dangerous substance. Larry clapped his hands together and summoned his shield just before the blob could make contact with him.

"Any ideas, o' fearless leader of ours?" Larry asked Junior.

"Yeah, quit dodging and start attacking!" Junior replied. The Koopa Prince clapped and transformed into his signature spike ball. Taking off like a rocket, the shell sped directly towards Petey with intent to ram him head-on.

Petey chucked another wad of his toxic substance directly in Junior's path, causing the latter to lose control and spin out until he collided with a tree nearby and uncurled in a daze.

"Hey, Iggy! You mind helping out here!?" Larry called out.

"I am helping!" Iggy argued as he continued to meticulously examine the slime tree. "If I can figure out what this stuff is, maybe I can find a weakness. Just, keep me covered for a bit!"

Suddenly, Petey flapped his leaf arms and flew high into the air. Taking a deep breath, the plant behemoth drenched the forest below in a rainstorm of his sludge. Junior took cover in his shell, Larry held his shield above him like an umbrella, and Peach warded the projectiles off with her tennis racket. Defenseless and distracted, Iggy failed to notice in time as the slime covered him from head-to-toe. The Koopaling froze in place like a statue.

"Somehow I don't think that's what he meant by 'cover' him…," Toad commented sarcastically. Peach glared at her assistant.

We won't get anywhere like this…, the princess thought.

"Hey, Larry! Give me a boost, will ya!?" Junior shouted. Larry nodded and knelt down on one knee as he angled his shield near the ground. Junior transformed into his spike ball form once more and sped towards Larry this time. As he reached the shield, Larry thrusted it upwards. The spike ball flew high into the air and collided with Petey; grounding the monster as the two fell back down to earth.

Petey wasted no time standing back up. He suddenly exhaled a steady stream of mud at his targets. Junior huddled behind Larry's shield. This defense wouldn't hold for long…

"Okay, we got him down on our level! Now what!?" Larry asked.

"Hang on. Let me think of something…," said Junior. The Koopaling staggered slightly.

"Can ya think a little faster!? I can't hold this stuff off forever!" As the slime spread out across the ground, Larry suddenly lost his footing and slipped; sending his shield tumbling away.

Before the stream could coat the two now defenseless Koopas, Peach dove in its path and deflected Petey's slime with her frying pan. Since her weapon was much smaller than Larry's shield, she knew she wasn't going to be able to buy them too much additional time.

"…Princess?" said Larry.

"Would you get outta here already!?" Junior exclaimed. "As if you of all people would be of any help to us!" Peach gritted her teeth.

"Well, like it or not, I'm here!" Peach retorted. "This is my fight too! So we can either work together and give ourselves a fighting chance, or we can sit here and argue while we wait for Petey to turn us all into mud sculptures like Iggy! Your choice!"

"She's got a point…," Larry agreed. Junior glared at Peach, who was offering an equally icy stare right back. "Junior!"

"Alright, alright! You can help!" Junior agreed reluctantly. The frying pan vanished from Peach's hands. She grabbed Junior and Larry in each of her arms and yanked them out of harm's way. The trio retreated behind a large boulder nearby.

"Wait for me!" Toad hollered as he followed and dove into cover as well.

This did little to stop Petey's onslaught as he continued to spit mud at their new line of defense.

"So what're we supposed to do now?" Junior asked bitterly.

"I don't know!" Larry replied. "Peach seems to know what that thing is," he commented as he looked to her. "You tell us how to stop it!"

Easier said than done…, Peach thought. Water usually does the trick, but we don't have Mario and F.L.U.D.D to get us out of this one…

"Well? Any bright ideas?" Junior asked. The group turned when they heard a sharp crackling sound. The rock they were hiding behind was beginning to break apart!

"Oh, come on! Is there anything this stupid mud can't break through!?" Toad complained.

"Wait a second…that's it!" Peach exclaimed. The boys all stared at her, confused. "If this mud can break down something as hard as stone, there's no reason it can't work on Petey himself!"

"So what, you want us to cover Petey in the mud?" Junior repeated. Peach nodded. "How are we supposed to do that without touching it?"

"Leave that to me," the princess reasoned as she summoned her tennis racket once more.

"I can give you a hand with that," Larry offered as he summoned his shield.

"What about me?" Junior inserted. "I don't have anything to reflect this stuff with!" Larry placed a claw to his chin.

"Hmm…I've got it! Junior, remember you exam?" the Koopaling asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"The Bowser statue. Remember how you finished it off?" Peach and Toad stared blankly, oblivious to what was being referenced. Junior gasped.

"Oh yeah! That!" he recalled. Larry nodded.

"You and Toad keep him distracted while Peach and I do the dirty work. As soon as the big guy is covered from head-to-toe in the stuff, you swoop in and give him the final blow!" Larry instructed.

"Why am I everyone's bait today!?" Toad shouted. Junior yanked him out from behind the rock as the group charged forward to carry out the plan.

"Come and get me, ugly!" Junior taunted as he started his first lap around the clearing. Petey fired a few small mud shots at him. Just before they could reach their mark, Peach and Larry swatted the projectiles back at their sender; causing them to splatter across Petey's chest.

Toad and Junior continued to run circles around Petey as Peach and Larry took turns intercepting their opponent's fire.

"Huh?" Toad caught a brief glimpse of something glimmering in the bushes nearby. But with Petey still on the offensive, he couldn't stop to get a better look at what it was. All he could do was keep running.

Gasping heavily, Petey ceased fire for a moment. The group seized this chance to rest as well as they stopped running.

"He's slowing down! Junior, now's your chance!" Larry exclaimed.

"Gimme a sec!" Junior replied as he clapped his hands together.

"What is he going to do?" Peach asked.

"I need to focus. Just…keep an eye on him for me, will ya?"

"Uhhh…guys?" Toad inserted. Suddenly, Petey flapped his wings and took off into the air once more.

"Not again!" said Larry.

"I can't get a clear shot at him up there! Get him down somehow! Keep him still!" Junior ordered.

"How are we supposed to-" Peach started.

"Wait a sec, what's that!?" Toad exclaimed. Out of nowhere, a silhouette flew out of the bushes and took to the sky.

"No way…is that…?" Larry started. His hunch was confirmed when the sunlight exposed the silhouette's true form.

Pulling back his fist, Roy slugged Petey squarely across the face with all his might as the two met. The collision sent Petey hurdling to the ground with tremendous force. When he landed, Roy wrapped his arms around Petey's wings and torso and squeezed as hard as he could. Horrified, Petey wriggled and struggled but couldn't break free.

"Where'd you come from, Roy!?" Larry called out.

"Who cares!" Roy shot down. "I'll hold the big guy in place! Just finish him off!"

Petey let out another furious, ear-bleeding screech. Roy squeezed even tighter and forced the plant monster to cough up several large globs of mud. Peach and Larry each deflected the shots back at Petey; covering his gargantuan head in mud. Gradually, his movements ceased as his body hardened under the shell of mud.

"Junior, now! Do it now!" Roy exclaimed. Junior raised his arms high above his head. Storm clouds materialized in the sky above. Peach and Toad froze in place; unsure of what exactly was coming next. Seconds later, a thwomp crashed through the clouds. The stone block demolished Petey's lifeless body into seemingly infinite pieces.

To everyone's surprise, a wave of red liquid poured out in all directions from the impact as well and drenched the victors. They each came back into consciousness not long after.

"I-is this…b-b-blood!?" Toad panicked.

"Impossible. Petey's a piranha plant. He doesn't have…blood…," said Peach.

Junior sat up and winced when he realized that some of the liquid had ended up in his mouth.

"Wait a sec…" Junior's eyes widened. He licked a sample of the "blood" that lingered on his claw. It certainly didn't taste like blood. Rather, it was slightly more…delectable; as if it were meant to be ingested. The liquid tasted quite bitter. "This…almost tastes like..."

Roy and Larry carefully chipped the hardened mud off of Iggy. They took great care to make sure they didn't accidentally break something important off of their brother.

"Ugghh…," Iggy moaned when his head was free at last.

"You alright, Iggy?" asked Larry.

"I feel like I was buried alive…"

"Well, that ain't far off from the truth," said Roy.

The group reconvened in the clearing. It was a rather awkward affair as neither the Koopas nor the duo of Peach and Toad knew what to say to one another now that their common threat had been neutralized. There were far too many questions to know where to begin.

Peach and Junior made eye contact for a brief moment, but Junior sharply turned away.

"So, Junior…," Larry started. "Isn't there something you think we should say? You know…to Princess Peach?" Junior remained silent. The way he was sheepishly rubbing his arm, Peach gathered that Junior was feeling ashamed for some reason. Larry sighed.

"Guess I'll say it then," he spoke. "Thanks, princess. For…helping us out back there."

"Oh…it was nothing!" Peach replied bashfully as her face filled with color. "There was no way I could've handled that on my own. You have my gratitude as well." A gentle breeze carried itself through the forest clearing and rustled the trees all around.

"Well, this day has certainly been full of surprises," Iggy said as he took a seat in the grass and folded his legs.

"No kidding…," Roy agreed.

"If you boys are out here, I can only assume it means you've been through your share of trouble as well," said Peach. "Seeing as we have a moment to catch our breath, why don't we compare notes and try to piece this all together?" The Koopas agreed and joined Peach in the grass.

They each swapped stories with one another of the events that had brought them here. Peach relayed details about Contemno's assault on her castle and her own battle with him, while Larry informed her of Kammy's murder and how they narrowly escaped a similar fate. He carefully omitted certain details about Junior's role, feeling as though Junior had been shamed enough today as it is. The Koopa Prince meanwhile, remained eerily silent throughout the conversation.

"I'm so sorry to hear about Kammy…," said Peach. "That's just awful…"

"Hey, sounds like you got it pretty bad too…losin' Toadsworth and everythin'…," Roy replied. The princess's eyes fell by the wayside for a moment.

"Yes, well…," said Peach. "There's nothing I can do for him now except to keep living. That's why I look as wretched as I do. I'm tired of letting everyone else fight my battles for me. It's time I started fighting for myself." Peach raised her head to the sky above. "To that end, I won't stop until Contemno is defeated. He'll pay for what he's done. I swear it."

The Koopalings were unsettled by the grimness behind Peach's words and her ominous, ruthless resolve. It was admirable to be sure, but completely out of character for the helpless, prim and proper princess they knew.

"Yeah, yeah…," Junior spoke at last as he stood up. "That's all very cute, princess. But if you don't mind, we've got plans of our own to stop Contemno. I think we've humored you and your sob story here long enough."

"Excuse me?" Peach replied.

"You're not the only one who's got it out for that freak, as you now know," said Junior. "I've got my reasons for wanting him dead. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Junior turned back around.

"What was that?"

"You just said you have your reasons for wanting to kill Contemno. Let's hear them. If we're going to work together here, I want to understand your side of things better, Junior."

"Hey, h-hold on here! Who said anything about working together!?"

"I thought it was rather obvious," Iggy inserted. "From the looks of it, we've all got the same goal here."

"Yeah besides, look at what we did to that plant monster back there. We stand a much better chance of winning this thing if we work together," Larry argued.

"'Winning?'" This isn't a game, Larry!" Junior exclaimed. "This is life or death out here!"

"And we stand a much better chance of preventing any more deaths if we work together," said Peach firmly. Junior groaned.

"You would just slow us down. We don't need your help. We never did. We already decided we're doing things my way, and my way doesn't involve you."

"Junior, quit being such a brat, will ya?" Roy complained.

"Oh what, now you're agreeing with them? Gimme a break, Roy. Wasn't it you who was preaching earlier that it was my job to beat Contemno? Now you're saying it's okay to need help? Make up your mind already!"

"I know what I said back there, squirt. But I came back for a reason, y'know."

"And what would that be?"

"I did some thinkin' before. I know I said I wanted you to be our king. But then I realized that a king's only as good as the army behind him," Roy explained. "Don't get the wrong idea. I still think it's your job to kill Contemno, Junior. I'll even help ya get there. But I'm expecting you to start pullin' your own weight from here on out. No more slackin' off."

"Believe me, I intend to. I've already got our plans figured out. Now let's quit wasting time here chatting and get a move on already!" Junior declared as he began to walk away.

"Then let me be part of your army," said Peach. The Koopas all turned back to look at her.

"No," Junior denied.

"Junior, I understand how you're feeling. Contemno made you question your self-worth. He did the same thing to me. I don't know why you're so afraid to admit it, but we're more alike than you know."

"I don't care. We don't need you. Go build yourself a treehouse out here to live in or something. Just stay out of my way." Peach rushed over and aggressively blocked Junior's path.

"Stand aside!" Junior exclaimed.

"Not until you hear me out!" Peach retorted. Junior crossed his arms.

"You've got 60 seconds. Then we're outta here. Go."

Sheesh, he really is Bowser's son..., Peach thought. "Roy's right, Junior. If you want to stop Contemno, you're going to need an army behind you. And no offense, but your trio of brothers here isn't exactly an army. I'm willing to fight with you since our interests align. I'm not asking that you and I see eye-to-eye on everything. But we both want Contemno dead. Let me help you kill him. In doing so, you'll be helping me as well. So, what do you say?" Junior hesitated. He looked around and watched as Larry, Iggy, and Roy each nodded at the proposal. The Koopa Prince clenched his fists.

"You better not slow us down. If you do, we're leaving you behind, got it?" Junior threatened.

"Fair enough," Peach agreed. She stuck out her hand for a handshake, but Junior coldly turned and walked away. She picked up her pace slightly to catch up with her new allies as they departed.

"Hey, wait up!" Toad exclaimed as he scurried behind them.

Together, Peach, Toad, the three Koopalings, and a reluctant Junior embarked on their quest to defeat Contemno.