Super Mario World (Series)

by sleepfiction

After fixing a strange pipe deep below their city, plumber brothers Mario and Luigi find themselves sucked into a pipe that warps them to a strange new land: the Mushroom Kingdom! As strangers in a strange new place, Mario and Luigi quickly make themselves useful by helping those around town, also aided by the compassionate Princess Peach and pursued by the dark King Bowser.

5. 1-5: Luigi Is Missing

In sharp contrast to the kingdom's capital, Mushroom City was a large and sprawling metropolis. There were many skyscrapers- or at least skyscrapers in comparison to how short Toads are- and dazzling lights everywhere.

Many karts took up the brick roads that segmented the city, and many Toads bustled through the sidewalks. It was a lot like the city Mario came from, which made him feel right at home when they finally arrived.

"Please keep an eye out!"

"Please keep an eye out!"

"Please keep…" Nap Toad yawned. "…an eye out."

In front of the steps of city hall, standing in a neat row on the sidewalk, the members of the Toad Brigade where handing out flyers to every Toad that walked past them. These were missing posters, with an artist rendition of Luigi from the front and side on the front of it, approved by Mario. It seemed making cakes had made Peach quite the artist, seeing how accurate Luigi looked on these posters.

Walking up the steps behind the brigade was their captain, accompanying Mario and Peach to the top of the steps so they could meet their person of interest: the town's mayor.

"Captain Toad!" Mayor Toadiko smiled. She was a Toadette, pink cap with white dots, but instead of the typical braids she had on large gold spherical earrings… though she didn't really have any ears. They were mostly just hanging on either side of her cap.

"Hello, Mayor Toadiko!" The captain replied. "Thanks for meeting with us today!"

"Anything for an old friend." She turned to Peach, bowing a bit. "Your majesty."

"Please, don't bow. I'm happy to finally meet you! I've heard a lot about Mushroom City, especially how you keep it in top shape. From what I've seen, those rumors are true."

"I sure hope so! I was honestly thinking we were having an off day today, but if this is us at our worst, I'm excited to see just how great we can make the city!"

Toadiko was beaming. Mario, standing between Captain Toad and Peach, cleared his throat pointedly.

"Oh!" The mayor turned to him. "Yes, right! You're that human guy I've heard stuff about. The plumber!"

"Thatsa me."

"You wanted to see the Warp Pipe." She continued. "It's in the basement of city hall. Toadbert will show you the way down, I'll catch up."

Mario was surprised to see a bespectacled Toad- blue cap, white dots- suddenly appear next to Toadiko. He was holding a clipboard, and smiled with a wave to gesture them to follow. As they started walking into city hall, Mario gave a glance back to make sure Note Toad was down in front of the steps.

Noticing Mario look back, Captain Toad gently whacked his arm to get the plumber's attention.

"Toadbert is from Note Toad's ring. That's why they look alike."

"…ring?" Mario was only more confused.

"Right down here to the creepy pipe, by boogity!"

Toadbert opened a door to the main stairwell, and gestured them to walk in, clearly to head down towards the basement. The Toads and plumber let Peach go first, naturally, though the princess made a point to stand at the side of the doorway and hold the door for the rest of them, forcing them to walk in front of her.

Mario was the last in, with Peach letting the door close so she could walk alongside the plumber. The stairwell smelled aged, like the musty smell Mario could recall from his Nonna's attic whenever both him and Luigi would help her move stuff around… As much as that physical labor annoyed him, he'd give anything to be back at his Nonna's house right about now.

"Mushroom City is known for their noodles."

Peach's voice pulled Mario from his train of thought. He looked at her quizzically. "Eh?"

"Noodles! Like the ones from that 'spaghetti' you talk about." She continued, smiling a bit at him.

"…do they make spaghetti here? Like with tomato sauce and all that?"

"Well… No. Tomatoes are only located in the valleys near the hills to the north."

"Alright. What about a'wheat?"

"What about it?"

"The noodles are a'supposed to be a'made of wheat, right? Are they?"

Peach made a face. One that made it clear she didn't want to give an answer.

"Peach…"

"…well… Not really." She spoke. "The noodles are… long pieces of shaved mushrooms."

"Ugh!" Mario threw his hands up. "Is everything a'mushroom themed here?"

Toadbert and Captain Toad both paused and turned around to stare at him, making Mario stop, his mustache turning downwards as he frowned in surprise.

"You got a problem with mushrooms, mustache?" Toadbert said.

"…no." Mario replied, still taken aback. "I, uh… Love a'mushrooms."

"That's what I thought." Captain Toad glowered at Mario before turning back and talking to Toadbert, back to normal. "As I was saying…!"

They continued to move, Mario still frazzled from the sudden threat to his life. Peach was still in thought beside him, rubbing her chin with a gloved hand.

"I wonder…" She thought aloud. "I know there's some wheat that grows in Isle Delfino. Maybe we could get some to grow here… I think the climate would be right in Moo Moo Meadows."

"Moo Moo Meadows?"

"Yeah! Named after Moo Moos."

"…is that a person or a'something?"

"No, they're animals! You know, the ones on four legs, black with white splotches, you get milk from them?"

"You mean cows?"

"What? No. They're Moo Moos."

"We call a'them cows where I a'come from."

"…they say the word 'cow' when they make noise?"

"No, a'they moo."

"Then where did the word cow come from?"

"…I dunno, actually."

"It makes more sense to call them Moo Moos, they literally moo."

"How is it that we both have a'the same word for mushroom but not a'for something as simple as a'cows?"

"Okay, bickering's over!" Toadbert said. He didn't sound annoyed, just staying neutral. "We're here, by boogity!"

At the bottom of the steps was a wall with a keyhole. The size of the keyhole was relative to a book, perhaps, made for an abnormally large key.

It was the perfecting ending to punctuate the surrealness of the differences between the Mushroom Kingdom and Mario's home. From animals simply having different names, to… whatever the plumber was looking out now.

Small footsteps echoed through the dim stairway, making them all turn. The group parted for Toadiko to come down the steps with the object she was retrieving: a large key, one she had to hold with two hands.

"Sorry! This thing is surprisingly hard to find!"

She got to the front, holding up the key to the keyhole. The Toadette pushed the massive key into the matching keyhole, needing Toadbert's help to push it all the way in, until a click was heard.

They pulled it out in time for the keyhole to widen. Like magic, the keyhole made up the entire wall, until the square bottom of the hole spanned the width of the corridor. They walked under the circular arc that was the now enlarged top half of the keyhole to get into a small, dusty room with one thing inside of it: a Warp Pipe.

Much like the pipe that Mario had become acquainted with in the Woody Woods, this one had a pipe plug on the end, with a flat top and a little hoop for a hook or chain. From the lack of any seismic events in the area, a Chain Chomp was probably not linked to this plug.

Peach touched the top of the Warp Pipe, her soft pink gloves picking up deep gray dust. It was a thick layer, creating a notable stripe across the top with a difference in color. The fingertips of Peach's gloves had deep gray on them- this pipe hadn't been touched in a long, long time.

"This one hasn't been used."

"Just like a'the one at Barrel Volcano." Mario added, frowning.

The princess sighed. She turned to Toadiko, wiping the fingers of her gloves on her dress. "Thank you, Mayor Toadiko, for your help. Even if it ended up with nothing."

"Hey, it's no problem! I'm just happy I got to see the Princess Peach!"

"I'll certainly be making a return visit sometime!" The princess stayed bright even if she was clearly disappointed. "I'd love to discuss new routes for trading between Toad Town and your city- possibly a road connecting each town so the path doesn't require dirt roads. Maybe we can do it over lunch!"

"Oh, I'd love that! Especially if it was over noodles, I love our city's noodles."

Mario shivered a bit at the thought of more mushrooms. With Toadiko and Peach leading the way upstairs to chat, and placed between the two other Toads, Mario made up the back. As he went up the turning stairway, he glanced back to watch the keyhole magically shrink back to its original size when everyone was far enough away from it.

They returned to the front steps of city hall. The Toad Brigade were still handing out flyers, but it looked like they were getting down to their last few. When noticing Toadbert coming out, Note Toad handed the rest of his flyers to Nap Toad (who took it with a yawn), intent on speaking with his relative.

Toadiko and Peach continued to chat beside the Mushmellow, and the blue Toads spoke to one another. Mario stood at the middle of the steps, watching blankly, thinking about Luigi. He felt someone next to him: Captain Toad.

"Like I said, Toadbert and Note Toad are spore siblings. From the same ring."

It still didn't make too much sense to Mario, but he knew what the word sibling meant. He watched as Toadbert and Note Toad spoke happily, the two identical siblings clearly cheerful to see one another.

Knowing their relation made it worse.

"You know, I haven't seen my sibling in a while, either."

The comment took Mario by surprise. He turned to look down at the captain. "You got a sibling?"

"Yeah, his name is Toadie." Captain Toad nodded slowly. "It's been a while since I've seen him."

"Were a'you two close?"

"Well… No. Not really."

"Did you stop talking to him because of a fight?"

"No, not… really. We just weren't that close."

"So you just stopped talking to each other because you weren't a'close."

"…yeah." It was obvious that Captain Toad, trying to relate, realized he could not actually relate. "…Anyway, uh… If you can, I'd like for you to get a physical."

"A physical? Like a doctor's visit?"

"Yeah. Since we're going to be headed to the Beanbean border soon, I'm gonna need you to get checked out by a doctor just in case. We were fine before since we were headed to places inside of the Mushroom Kingdom, but we wanna make sure there isn't anything wrong with you that could affect the Beanish."

"Yeah, a'right. Are there any a'doctors in Toad Town?"

"Just Doctor Toadley, and he should be enough. Just go visit him tomorrow and we'll head out to the border the day after tomorrow." The captain paused, still feeling awkward from his previous attempt to connect. "…We'll head out soon. I'm gonna go help them hand out the rest of the flyers."

"Alright. I'll see you when a'we leave."

"Okay! Bye Mario!"

Captain Toad headed down the steps to join his brigade. Mario sighed, walking down the steps to return to the Mushmellow, intent on just waiting in the kart until the group was finally all ready to leave.

One of the flyers, a stray that fell from the grasp of a Toad, floated through the wind across the street. It flapped between the karts passing by in either direction, only pushed further until it reached the sidewalk on the other side.

It slid slowly, landing face-up, showing Luigi's face on it as it slipped into an alleyway. From the shadow, a figure stood, their eyes only leaving Mario to look down at the drawing of Luigi that was on the flyer.

---

Dr. Toadley's clinic was just on the edge of the residential side of Toad Town. It was a mushroom building with a purple cap, and a front door made of beads rather than an actual door. The front lobby was all white, though, like a standard doctor's lobby.

Mario sat down in one of the lobby's chairs slowly. He set up an appointment with the doctor as soon as he returned from Mushroom City, and it seemed that they had a lot of vacancies that day. He didn't have any plumbing jobs to do, so he settled on going to the office around noon.

There was only one other person in the lobby: a Toad with a white cap and orange spots. Mario looked over the magazines on the small table. There were a few for kid Toads on there that looked familiar. There were also a few that were gossip magazines. Mario didn't find anything interesting.

The clicking of beads pulled Mario's gaze back up. Another Toad, one with orange cap and white spots, came out from the back. The orange-spot Toad stood up from their chair.

"Hey! How'd it go?"

"My enokitis is all cured! I'm finally healthy!" The orange-cap Toad replied.

"That's great! We should go get dinner in Mushroom City to celebrate!"

"Yeah! It'll be just like old times! Two brother toads back out on the town!"

"Heh, yeah! What a blast from the past!"

The brother Toads had their arms around each other as they left, happy and laughing with one another.

Mario watched as they left together, leaving the plumber alone in the lobby. He stared at the door when the Toads left, looking longingly, his mustache turned downwards as the Italian frowned.

"Mario?"

A Toad with a white mushroom cap with pink dots and earrings called on the plumber. Pulled away from his thoughts, Mario stood up on instinct- the receptionist Toad gestured to the hallway right next to their window, silently telling him to walk back to see the doctor.

Walking alone, Mario strolled through the hallway to the beaded curtain that rested at the back. The sparkling purple beads clicked against one another as Mario pushed through.

In the room were shelves of jars with strange liquids and solid material in them. Lights were provided by hanging lights, ones with holes in them, patterned almost like a night sky. The walls were lilac, the floors with soft purple tile, and a rich purple rug in the center of the room. There was also a table in front of said rug with a purple tablecloth over it.

The room was so… purple.

A crystal ball glimmered in the shimmer of the hanging lights. There was a tall bird stand on the opposite side of the table, with a white bird perched on it. Holding out his hand to feed it from his palm was a Toad with a purple cap that had yellow stars on it.

"Uh… Are you a'the doctor?"

"Am I the doctor, definitive? No. Am I a doctor, Toad Town's brilliant and illustrious Dr. Toadley?" The Toad turned, revealing the veil he had over his mouth, with only his eyes exposed. His golden hoop earrings shined in the light. "Yes."

He tossed the seed he had in his hand over his shoulder. The white bird hopped down to collect it from the floor- Dr. Toadley glided to the table, feet and body currently unseen by his royal purple cloak.

"Come."

Mario, a little befuddled, did so.

"You're the town a'doctor? But you uh… don't really seem like one."

"Am I a doctor in the medical sense? Yes and no."

"That's a'worrying."

"Do you have prior medical experience?"

"My, uh… dad is a doctor." Mario spoke slow, still perplexed by the Toad.

"Am I interested in knowing the ins and outs of medicine wherever you come from? No." Dr. Toadley replied, his eyes unchanging from furrowed interest. "You came for a psychical, yes? The answer is yes."

"A what-ical? I came a'for a physical. Just a general a'checkup. I'm sorry, why is a'there a crystal ball here?"

"For my psychic-al. My extensive and complex knowledge of all things Mushroom Kingdom is not only due to my vast intellect, but my ability to peer into my crystal ball to see the answers that my fellow Toads seek out." The doctor replied. "Is my advanced knowledge the reason I was made the town doctor? Yes. Is there anything I don't know? No. The answer is no."

"Anything?" Mario raised an eyebrow. "Can you a'tell me about the Warp Pipes?"

"Do I know anything about the Warp Pipes? Yes- that they were an ancient means of transport created before the Toads were called Toads."

"I already knew a'that. I thought you had a'vast intellect."

"Do I have extended knowledge about the Mushroom Kingdom, as I said before? Yes. Do the Warp Pipes belong to the Mushroom Kingdom?" The last question was spoken matter-of-factly. "No."

Mario huffed through his nose, mustache fluttering. "Alright."

"I sense strife within you. Come, let me examine you inside and out."

Wary at the way it was put, Mario still stepped to the table. The white bird from before fluttered back to its bird stand, perching next to its owner and looking at the plumber just as intensely as the doctor.

Through slits aligned to his shoulders, Toadley brought his arms out, covered in glittery purple material that only exposed his stubby, multi-ringed hands. He slowly circled them on either side of the crystal ball, which started to shimmer and shine as he did so.

As Mario looked into the crystal ball, it's almost like the world faded away around him- at that moment, there was only him, the doctor, the ball and the bird.

To the plumber's amazement, in the crystal ball, a vision of Luigi from the shoulders up appeared.

"Luigi!" Mario whispered in amazement.

"Your brother? Yes. You search for him." Dr. Toadley said. "Is your strife and anguish caused by your desire to find him? Yes, obviously, of course. Will you ever see your brother's face again? Yes, yes you will, very soon. When will he show? At the most opportune moment. But I advise you to think carefully of which face of your brother you choose when he returns."

"Where is a'my brother?"

"Do I know? No. Is he in the Mushroom Kingdom? That much I do know, the answer is yes. Your vitality and stamina will assist in your journey to find him. Your body is sturdy and strong, you are in good physical health- even if you are more pudgy than the average human. What is my advice? Eat more flowery foods when you can."

After a moment of silence, the room came back into Mario's peripherals. He blinked a few times, regaining his bearings, only noticing that Dr. Toadley was writing something on a notepad when he was finished. The doctor gave the folded up paper to his bird, who took it in his talons and flew from the room.

"Birdley will give my full examination to my intern at the front." The doctor said to Mario. "Please see her for payment and a full report."

"Oh. Uh… Thank you, a'Dr. Toadley."

"Shall I see you again? Time will tell. Do keep safe, and be sure to eat flowery."

---

"Gardener… Ahem, Toadiana, please get those hideous roots off the side of the castle. How did they even get there?"

"We don't know, your highness!" The gardening Toadette, with sheers and a green smock on, replied to Chanterelle. "They appeared overnight! They weren't there yesterday, I swear!"

"I can vouch for that. I didn't see them while playing croquet yesterday morning." King Mushroom added, standing alongside his queen. "What kind of roots just grow up a wall overnight? Especially around Peach's window."

"Curiouser and curiouser." The queen murmured.

"Maybe they're like ants! They were led to my room because of food or something!"

"Peach, what kind of roots would want people food?"

"Two words, mother: Piranha Plants."

"…touche. Just…" The queen turned back to the gardener. "Try to get it off as soon as you can."

"Yes, your majesty!"

The gardening Toadette walked away. The king and queen returned to what they were doing: seeing Peach off in front of the Toad Brigade's Mushmellow.

Peach was dressed in an outfit remniscient of her standard regal attire, a version of her pink dress that had no petticoat under it, for better mobility. She wanted to look beguiling for the Beanish- and the last time she dressed for the job when she went with the Toad Brigade, she fell out of a tree because of her boots.

Yes, because of her boots, and not her own choices. Speaking of, she had those boots on now under her dress. They had one more chance to prove themselves to Peach. Besides those, the only other difference to her attire was the pink travel pouch she had around her waist.

The Toad Brigade were all getting ready for the expedition, doing a routine check of the Mushmellow. They didn't even notice when Mario came up- still in his overalls and red shirt- a bit out of breath as he hustled to the front of the castle moat.

"Mario! Hello!"

"Hey… Peach." Mario leaned on his knees as he caught his breath. He stood up straight and cracked his back with a lean backwards. "Good morning, giorno, whatever. Sorry, I slept in a'late. Uh… King and Queen Toadstool, it's a'good to see you."

"Hello, Mario."

"Hey, Mario!"

The queen and king were a respective cool and warm to the plumber. Chanterelle clearly still had her own reservations about Mario, though it didn't seem like she hated him. She was just… keeping an eye on him.

"We're heading out soon! Everything should be packed." Peach said to him.

"Oh, good. I was worried you were a'waiting for me to lift something."

"Nah, I got it. All by my lonesome, with these bad boys." King Mushroom flexed his arms with a strained groan of exertion- there was no noticable lift in muscle on either arm.

"Dad, sto-op!"

Mushroom snickered as his daughter scolded him. Chanterelle rolled her eyes, though had an amused smile. She passed over to her taller daughter, smoothing out her dress.

"Be careful out there. Don't do anything too dangerous."

"I won't! But if I do, I'll keep you in mind."

"I know."

The mother and daughter hugged, with Peach crouching down to do so. Mushroom was next, practically hopping over and giving his daughter a hug with a big smile on his face.

"Love ya, fuzz!"

"I love you too, dad."

Mario scratched his head under his cap, finding himself standing next to the queen.

"You seem excited to see her off a'today. What's so different a'this time?"

"The Beanish love Peach as much as the Toads do. She's practically a celebrity there." Chanterelle replied to him, less cold than last time but still taciturn. "They'd be willing to keep her safe while she's over there, just as the Toad Brigade. She's in good hands."

"Unless she struggles out of those hands, as she tends to do. Keep safe, fuzz."

"I will. I promise I'll think carefully before everything I do."

There was a loud slam as Nap Toad closed the fuel tank. He seemed surprised it happened too, as his sleepy eyes widened. He rubbed his eye. "Sorry."

"Looks like the Toad Brigade is ready to go!" Captain Toad said. "The Mushmellow XL is all set! Glad we got this puppy in, it was starting to get crowded in there! Now it's bigger, and it's got some cool stuff added on! We really appreciate the upgrade, your majesties!"

"It's not problem! You've done a lot for the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"Peach made a very good case for you all."

"I had a slideshow and everything." Peach said, trailing over to stand with Captain Toad. "Let's get moving! If we're quick enough, we'll be back home before night time. That's when it gets spooky. C'mon Mario!"

Peach and Captain Toad returned to the Mushmellow. Mario readjusted his hat, turning to look at the king and queen before he left.

"Uh… It was a'nice seeing you. Ciao."

"Yeah! See you later, Mario!"

"Good day."

The Toads, plus the princess and Mario, all climbed into the vehicle just in time for the mushroom broth in the engine to start revving everything up. The Mushmellow finally had a hand brake after the upgrade, so the driver (Mail Toad) could just undo it for them to start moving.

Something else improved was the inside of the vehicle's carriage. There was finally more space for all of them to sit without being crammed. When he got inside, Mario sat next to Peach, who smiled brightly at him when he sat down. They were separated by Captain Toad happily sitting between the two of them.

"All set?"

"Sure are, cap'n!" Archivist Toadette said, checklist in hand. She handed it back to Note Toad for him to keep an eye on it. She was sitting with Nap Toad and Bank Toad other side of the carriage, their side full. No wonder Captain Toad was on Mario and Peach's side.

"Alright then! At this rate, we'll probably get there by noon!"

The carriage went mostly quiet after that. The chattering of Toads amongst each other, heard over the background tune of Nap Toad snoring as he slept, filled the vehicle.

Those super mushrooms really made the Mushmellow rocket through the land, riding on a premade road headed towards the Beanbean Border. Looking outside, Mario thought the speed they were currently going was similar to one of the metro trains back at Brooklyn. He'd only been on there once, and even if the Mushmellow is smaller, it has much better company- and is so much more hygenic.

He rested his chin on his palm as he looked out the circular window of the Mushmellow. After staring out the window for what seemed to be a few miles, he felt a finger tapping his shoulder.

It was Peach, who was looking over Captain Toad to see Mario.

"The Beanbean Kingdom have people that look like beans."

"I could a'gather that from the name. But thank you."

"I just wanted to let you know! I just thought it was interesting, putting it in your perspective, being a human."

"What kind of thing do humans come from, Mario?" Captain Toad asked, easily dropping into the conversation.

"Monkeys."

"Oh! What's that?"

"They look like a'me, but they're much a'more hairy. And with tails."

"You lost tails when the monkeys became human? That sucks!"

"I know, right?"

"What kind of person is Luigi like?" Peach continued. "We know what he looks like, but you haven't really gone in depth about what he acts like. Could help find him…"

"Alright, alright." The plumber waved his hand. "Well… he's kinda the opposite of a'me, though we have some similarities. For one thing, I don't think he'd a'really be here in this car with us. He doesn't really like a'conflict, and the unknown. He'd probably stay away from Toad Town, and all a'the different Toads, just cause he doesn't want to get a'hurt. At least he wouldn't come out here if he didn't have to."

It was silent in the Mushmellow for a moment.

"…he kinda sounds like a coward."

"Ey, what'd you say?" Mario grabbed the shoulder of Captain Toad's shirt, pulling him up a bit to talk face-to-face. "I help your a'troop out and you insult a'my brother? To my face? Chi ti credi di essere?"

"Mario!"

Peach's voice made Mario snap out of whatever trance he was stuck in, letting go of the captain's shirt as his body tensed a bit. With the same hand, Mario slowly reached back and rubbed his neck, face flushed as he became sheepish.

"Uh… Scusami." He cleared his throat. "Didn't mean to… offend. It's just…"

"It's alright, Mario!" Captain Toad spoke up. "No hard feelings!"

"The Toads have a tendancy to just say what's on their mind without forethought," Peach elaborated. "Your brother sounds like a great guy, Mario. Maybe he wouldn't run head first into danger, but everything you've said about him makes him sound like a really heartful person."

"Yeah, he is… He really is. I'm uh… also a'sorry I did that in front of you. It was a'spur of the moment."

"It's fine, Mario, really. I'm just glad you caught yourself."

Mario's hands returned to his lap. "Yeah… Luigi might be a bit a'scared, but he always comes a'through when you need him to. He's smart as a whip, too."

"He sure sounds like it. Especially if he can cook better than you!"

"Hey, c'mon, that's not a big deal. Anyone can a'cook better than me."

They continued to chat, the vehicle zipping across the roads of the Mushroom Kingdom until they reached the proper borderlands.

As per Peach's debriefing, the Beanbean borderlands were primarily made up of Stardust Fields: a large, fairly grassy region of purple and mauve rocks and soil that led to Hoohoo Mountain, which was the only obstacle to the inside of the Beanbean Kingdom.

Mario looked out into Stardust Fields as the Mushmellow came to a stop. The foliage at the top of Hoohoo Mountain caused small star-shaped leaves (or seeds maybe?) of gold, white and red to scatter around the fields from winds. No wonder it had the name stardust.

They stepped out from the vehicle to look at the fields ahead of them.

"We're a'safe around here, right?"

"There might be some Fighter Flies around here, but we can dispatch them easy!" Archivist Toadette chimed in, trying to make herself look tough at the latter end of her sentence.

"I heard there was a massive Spike around here that forces people to pay a toll to get to Beanbean!"

"That's unlikely, Mail Toad." Note Toad said, looking through his journal. "Spikes shouldn't be able to thrive in an area such as the Stardust Fields!"

"That's why it's so interesting! There could be one out here, waiting, watching, ready… to spit a spike ball at you!"

Mail Toad suddenly grabbed Note Toad's arms and shook him, intent on frightening the bespectacled Toad. Note Toad let go of his Journal as he was jostled, causing his notes to fall down on the ground and scatter.

"Oh! Sorry, Note Toad."

"Hmph." He adjusted his eyeglasses. "It took me forever to organize these notes."

"Don't worry, Note Toad! We'll help you put it back together!" Captain Toad said, before elbowing Mail Toad. "Right, Mail Toad?"

"Yeah, we can. Sorry I spilled them out."

"It's alright. As long as you help put them back together."

"All hands on deck! Except for Nap Toad. I think he fell asleep in the Mushmellow already."

The Toad Brigade all got together to gather up Note Toad's notes, leaving Mario and Peach standing together, the latter walking up to stand next to the shorter plumber.

"…what a'the heck is a Spike?"

"These kinda dwarfish green turtle creatures that spit out spiked balls using magic stomachs."

"You seem eerily a'nonchalant saying that."

The pair began to walk together, further away from the Toad Brigade.

"My dad used to read me a bedtime story about Spikes." Peach replied. "Besides throwing spiked balls at you, they're harmless. I've never seen one in person though."

"If there really is a'one in the Stardust Fields, that might change a'soon."

"Don't tempt fate, Mario." She gently slapped his arm. "Though it is strangely calm here. I thought there would be someone here to guard the border."

As soon as she said that, the ground beneath Mario and Peach started to shake. Quickly, the plumber leapt back, pulling the princess back by her hand as he did. The ground was steady- the spot they were just on suddenly split open, revealing the leaves and soil put on top were simply to disguise some kind of trapdoor.

A star-shaped hole was revealed by the opening trapdoor, and with mechanical whirring from the inside, an elevator revealed a pair of Toads standing on top of one another.

These Toads were drastically different than the average Toads- they were fairly taller, had noses (or maybe face bumps akin to a nose) and their caps were white with stars on them. They had on sunglasses and big, toothy smiles. There was a red one and a green one; the former was on top of the latter.

Still holding hands, albeit unintentionally, Peach and Mario watched as the stacked pair pulled out telescopes.

"General Starshade!" The green Toad at the bottom said. "I can see something strange that might've been the source of the noise we just heard! I can see red, and blue, and some kind of brown fur!"

"Affirmative, Sargeant Starshade!" The red Toad at the top replied. "I can see something too! Something glimmery, with golden fur, with pink!"

They kept staring through the telescopes. Mario and Peach gave each other a glance.

After a second, both General and Sargeant lowered their telescopes, seeing the princess and plumber in full. Once they both saw Peach, they both became shocked, bewildered to see their kingdom's princess this close to the border.

"Oh! Incredible! It's none other than the beautiful Princess Peach!"

"Mysterious character sighting is also confirmed."

"Sargeant Starshade! Mission objective changed! Retrieve autographs, STAT!"

General Starshade hopped off the sargeant, both of them rushing to Princess Peach. They both had notebooks, which they offered to Peach for her to sign. Though surprised, Peach let go of Mario and reached into her bag to get out her trusty pink pen, gladly signing her name for the both of them as they indirectly requested.

Captain Toad walked up, leaving the rest of his group to continue retrieving and organizing Note Toad's notes, hands on his backpack straps with a smile.

"General and Sargeant Starshade! It's me, Captain Toad!"

"General Starshade! Captain Toad sighting confirmed!"

"Affirmative, Sargeant! Warm welcomes are needed!"

Both the militant Toads went up and gave Captain Toad a hug.

"The Starshade Brothers are the ones who helped train me with all my exploring stuff! Without them, I wouldn't know half about keeping my troop protected as I already do!" Captain Toad said to Mario.

"You seem familiar with this strange being, Captain Toad. Further information requested."

"This is Mario! He's a 'human' from the Metro Kingdom!"

"A human. Information logged internally for later recording…"

"He's out here looking for his twin brother, Luigi." Peach continued. "I'm trying to help him by finding the Warp Pipe in this area. If he's exited the pipe in this area, Luigi might be here or in the Beanbean Kingdom somewhere. We're just trying to narrow everything down."

"A rescue mission! And for your own brother, no doubt! I know if Sargeant Starshade went missing I would do everything in my power to locate him!" The general said to Mario, saluting him. "Your determination is respectable, Master Mario! Allow me to show you to the Warp Pipe myself!"

"You don't really a'have to…"

"Negative! I want to ensure the safety of your brother myself! Sargeant Starshade, shall you accompany us to the Warp Pipe?"

"Negative, General Starshade! Current mission objective…" The green sargeant was picking up notes. "Assist the Toad Brigade in reordering notes out of gratitude to Captain Toad!"

"Affirmative, Sargeant Starshade! I will see you when I return! Move OUT!"

The sudden yelling of the last word made Mario and Peach perturbed- however, the princess seemed amused and enamored by the mystique of this strange red Toad. She followed the marching general quickly, with Mario taking up to back to keep up.

Descending into the rocky valleys and peaks of Stardust Fields, the trio trailed through the area together. Peach's boots were working well this time- maybe they could earn their keep after all.

No Fighter Flies were around, so they didn't have to fight anything yet. That would proabably change soon.

Mario blew upwards into his mustache, blowing out the star-shaped foliage that was caught there. He'd have to comb it proper when he was back at his home in Toad Town. Peach, holding her dress' skirt up a bit with one hand to walk quickly, was next to General Starshade to talk to him.

"I've never seen Toads like you before! No offense."

"None taken, your majesty! Sargeant Starshade and I are peculiar looking Toads!" The general replied. "Everyone in our ring looks like that! It's what makes us the best kind of lookouts for the border, being taller!"

"That's so cool!"

"You kinda remind me of a'me and my brother."

"We do? Elaborate, Master Mario." General Starshade turned to look at Mario on the opposite side.

"Mostly the color schemes. Luigi's favorite color is a'green, like your brother wears."

"Sargeant Starshade's favorite color is actually purple! The similarities are alike but also different!"

"I guess. So you don't get to choose your a'cap color?"

"Negative, Master Mario! It's determined by our predecessor!"

"Huh. Back where I'm a'from, you can dye your hair any color you want."

"Really?" Peach was interested. "Since I have hair, you think I could dye mine?"

"Probably! What a'color were you thinking?"

"I always thought I would look good with red hair."

"Yeah, I could a'see it. But I think you look a'best with blonde hair. You look… prettier with it."

"Affirmative! I agree with Master Mario, your majesty!" General Starshade agreed. "Keep it the original color! Otherwise you'd have to change all those stain glass windows at the castle!"

"That's also an excellent point. Okay! Blonde it stays!"

Heading further into the fields, they soon reached the entrance to the fields, the trio passing between two clearly abandoned tracks meant for minecarts. As they passed into the opening to the cave, a pair of eyes from someone from afar followed them, watching them intently.

The caves of the fields was certainly a spectacle. The stalactites glimmered in the light from the opening of the cavern, and there were quite a few waterfalls through the gaps made in the walls of the cave as they traveled further and further inside.

After encountering an overturned minecart, they eventually reached an area of interest: the Warp Pipe of the Borderlands. The tracks were curved around the pipe, giving it a few feet of space, making it essentially a decoration for the mines here.

Approaching the Warp Pipe, General Starshade stayed back so the princess and the plumber could give it a once over.

Mario reached in and wiped the blocked top with two of his gloved fingers. The fingertips of his white gloves were gray- the plug in this pipe was not only still in, but it hasn't moved. This Warp Pipe hasn't been messed with at all.

"No…"

"No way!" Peach said. "But that would mean that Luigi exited through the Toadwood Forest!"

"Is that a'so bad?"

"Mario, the Toadwood Forest is one of the most dangerous parts of the Mushroom Kingdom. There are stories of big packs of Goombas, carnivorous plants- which I realize now are probably Pirahna Plants- and a legend of a group of ancient reptilian beasts who are protecting some kind of precious plant in the deepest confines of the woods."

"Why didn't you a'tell me that before?!"

"You nearly had a meltdown when I implied he could be in The Dark Lands!"

"Well, I… Ugh, fine! C'mon, let's a'get the Toad Brigade and burn a'rubber out of here!"

Mario and Peach rushed away from the pipe, back the way they came. General Starshade quickly followed, holding his sunglasses to his face.

As they climbed up the incline back to the Mushmellow's location, Mario grunted while climbing up using his hands and feet. He readjusted his hat back to remain snug against his head.

"I'm suppose to see a'his face… Didn't know it would a'be having to save him…"

"What're you talking about, Mario?"

"I saw that a'Dr. Toadley guy in town. He told me I'd be a'seeing Luigi soon!"

"Dr. Toadley… the fortune teller guy?" Peach was intrigued. "I never got to meet him… He said you're going to see Luigi on this mission?"

"I'm a'supposed to! Ugh, this is a disaster! What else could go a'wrong?"

The Mushmellow was not there when they got back.

Wind hit the trio's faces as they reached the area where it was supposed to be. Up above them, an airship with double rotor blades was lifting into the air, pulling the Mushmellow into its underbelly before said underside closed up.

The airtub was floating upwards, leaving two figures still on the ground to watch it fly off.

"Hey!"

Mario's voice made the dimiutive figures turn sharpy. They were shrouded in loose red clothing, the only identifiable part of them being the white masks that were strapped to their faces- white masks with three dots, two for eyes and one for a mouth.

"Princess! Master Mario! Shy Guys sighting confirmed!" General Starshade yelled, pointing at the guys.

Reaching behind them, the Shy Guys pulled out bidents from some kind of unseen hammerspace. With a snapping sound, both Shy Guys suddenly sprouted insectoid wings from their back. The wings buzzed as they flapped rapidly, lifting them off the ground.

"Correction! Shy Aways sighting confirmed!"

Mario didn't wait for anyone else to start moving, taking the initiative and rushing towards the flying masked figures- identified as Shy Aways. He jumped once, twice, and three times, flipping through the air and ending up in the right position to reach out and grab one of the Shy Away's bidents while they were still flying, struggling against them,

Left on the ground, Peach and the general were distracted only for a moment, allowing the Shy Away to swoop in to hit them next. Peach shoved General Starshade out of the way, before twisting her body to swiftly evade the jabbing bident from the Shy Away.

The princess reacted to this offense on her person with a swift backhand to the masked attacker. The Shy Away jabbed out the bident towards her again, making Peach grunt as she had to duck under this one.

With her crouched position as momentum, Peach launched herself upwards. She sent a booted foot up, arms falling back and one of her legs swinging up. Her kicking leg was nearly fully straight upwards into the air as she sent the uppercutting kick into the Shy Away, sending him back and up into the air. The Super Mushroom strength she had was no joke.

However, the Shy Away was in his element in the air, and restarted its wings to flutter in a loop. The speed they were going allowed them to tackle Peach, sending her flying back.

Pink and gold sparkles appeared beneath Peach's skirt, bringing her back upright and allowing her to hover to a stop on her feet. She charged forwards, using this sparkle power to send herself flying. She grabbed her tiara, spinning around and using them as a makeshift weapon to swing it into the Shy Away, forcing it to the ground with the power of the hit.

With the attacker dazed, Peach returned her crown to her head. The sparkles from her feet were now around her arms, feeling a staticy feeling through them. She lunged forwards, allowing the sparkles to manifest into a massive dazzling flash that hit the Shy Away. It was powerful enough to send the guy flying backwards, landing hard and knocked out cold.

The princess looked at her hands, realizing what she just did. Peach watched herself make fists and open her hands again, slowly smiling.

She was getting better at this. She just wished she knew what "this" even was.

Seeing that the princess was more than capable of taking care of herself, when the general was pushed out of the way of danger, he rushed to the aid of the struggling plumber in the air.

"Master Mario! I'm here to assist you!"

"Thanks, I feel a'so assisted!"

Mario continued to struggle with the Shy Away in the air. It probably wasn't a good idea to rush in like this- his mistake. Next time he faced against one of these guys, he'd stay on the ground like Peach was.

The Shy Away managed to wrangle the bident out of the plumber's hands, making him start falling to the ground with a sudden outcry of shock.

"I've got you, Master Mario!"

"Oh no."

As expected, Mario landed right on top of General Starshade. The weight of the human was enough to literally squash the general down, nearly to a third of his original size, almost like an accordion.

Suddenly, General Starshade returned to form, an act that sent Mario flying back into the air. He found himself hitting his peak on the same level as the still flying Shy Away, making Mario look at the flying masked attacker with confusion. This quickly turned to shock as Mario had to twist his body to evade a stab from the bident before falling back down.

"Don't worry, Master Mario! Toads are notably very cartilaginous! That and it's very hard to hurt one of—"

He was interrupted by Mario landing on him again, this time on his feet. The plumber was sent into the air, this time spinning around due to Starshade moving when he returned to his previous position.

Mario soared higher above the Shy Away now, making the flying guy follow his movements, face obscured by that white mask. Mario continued to spin, arms out, before he peaked above the Shy Away and started coming down right above the flying guy.

Like a drill, Mario plunged downwards to the stunned Shy Away, hitting with both feet and sending them both down into the ground.

While Mario was still on his two feet, the Shy Away was on their back, their mask cracked but intact and clearly out of it- you could practically see the Paratroopas flying around their head from how dazed they were.

Looking himself over, Mario was amazed he was fine. General Starshade came up and slapped Mario on the back, making the plumber stumble forwards a little but otherwise react with a grunt.

"Great work, Master Mario! The sargeant and I use that move all the time!"

"I'll have to think of that again when I get Luigi back…"

They joined Peach, who was looking up at the Airtub flying through the air, over the border and into Beanbean Kingdom.

"They took the Toad Brigade!"

"Affirmative, princess! It appears they also took Sargeant Starshade as well!"

"You called a'those guys Shy Guys?"

"Affirmative!" General Starshade saluted. "Those variations are flying ones called Shy Aways, or Beezos if you're from the Beanbean Kingdom. Shy Guys are creatures with no affiliation, no leader, and only follow orders from those who can provide them what they need! Preferably coins."

"So someone a'paid them to take the Toad Brigade?"

"But who? And why?"

They turned to look back up at the Airtub, which was passing by the mountain that connected to the Stardust Fields.

"We have to help them." The princess said, steady and determined.

"How?"

"Master Mario! The airship is passing by the peak of Hoohoo Mountain in approximately sixteen minutes!" The general said. "If you were able to make it to the peak, you would be able to get yourselves onto the ship!"

"And what, just a'jump on?"

"Whatever it takes to get my Toads back." Princess Peach stood between the general and the plumber to get Starshade's full attention. "General, how do you suggest we do that?"

"Luckily for you, my princess, I have just the thing. Follow me!"

Peach immediately did so. Mario, though hesitant, felt compelled to follow the pair- against his better judgement of the situation, he followed.

They stood on the heavily disguised star platform again.

"Move OUT!"

Working as a password, the general's yelling caused the star platform to sink down into the ground, bringing Peach and Mario to the Starshade Bros' underground base. Though it was small, it was a size that reminded Mario of the apartment he had back in Brooklyn.

General Starshade speed walked off of the platform, followed closely, through the lift room. He entered a much larger area, with a shutter door at the other end of the room- almost like a garage door. And, on brand with that, a vehicle was parked in the room.

It was almost like a buggy. Red, with blue tires and a blue stripe on it. It had two bars behind the single seat, with a small platform at the base of those bars, as if someone was intended to stand on that back platform and hang on for dear life.

There were tire marks in the spot next to this vehicle. Another was supposed to be there, but wasn't.

"Here it is: the Red Fire!" The general gestured to the vehicle. "There's supposed to be a matching green one for the sargeant, but I guess the Beanish guards across the border took the Green Fire for a spin while we were out!"

"This'll work great!" Peach said. "Can all three of us ride?"

"Only two. You two go get those Shy Guys, I'll provide reconnaissance and reinforcements on the ground." The general saluted. "You two need to leave, stat! You may not have enough time to reach the miniship."

"Yes, sir! Come on, Mario!"

Mario walked to the vehicle, but paused, looking at the general and nodding.

"I'll a'get your brother back. I swear."

"Affirmative, Master Mario. I know you'll get them all safe on the ground."

The general saluted again. Mario gave him a small two-finger salute.

"Remember to use the glider if you get some air! The red button!"

The general's tip was taken in by both plumber and princess alike. Climbing into the Red Fire, Mario sat in the driver's seat, with Peach naturally getting on the back to hold onto the bars. Mario started the truck with a button, revving up the engine loudly. He quickly pulled off, heading out of the opening shutter door back to the Stardust Fields.

As they drove out, Peach looked up to see the airtub starting to eclipse the mountain slightly.

"Hurry up, Mario!"

"I'm a'trying! I haven't driven anything in a'months, I'm a'rusty!"

Mario drove across the purple soil of Stardust Fields, though was clearly way too focused on trying to remember how to drive more than he was trying to go fast.

He slowed down during steep dips. He drove around holes. He even avoided a steep incline to try and take a more winding road around.

It was when Mario stopped the Red Fire for a crossing path of goombas that Peach looked up again- the airtub was completely in front of the mountain now. They didn't have much time.

"Mario!"

"I'm a'trying, Peach! If you think you can a'do better, you drive then!'

"Great idea!"

The princess swung over, forcing Mario out of the seat as she slid into the driver's seat from one side. Mario nearly fell out, but grabbed the back bar, climbing onto the platform and taking the princess' previous spot, only just then realizing what was going on.

Peach had been watching Mario, so she knew one or two things about the vehicle. She switched the buggy into top gear, before slamming down the accelerator down all the way with a powerful stomp.

The back wheels peeled out as the Red Fire dashed- nay, double dashed- forwards. The goombas leapt out of the way as Peach tore through the dirt, creating a massive cloud of dust and smoke behind them as she hit top speeds within a minute. Mario could only hold on, the force of the acceleration causing his feet to fly off the platform, clinging onto the bars for dear life.

Reverberations of the engine roaring from Peach's driving echoed through the fields, all the way down to the base of the mountain. Peach ripped through the bridges and dirt roads.

She passed into Hoohoo Village, laying on the horn so the cactus-like Hoohooligans could get out of the way. They did so, a few of them turning quickly to see the Red Fire rip by.

Mario finally regained his footing as the reached the bottom of the summit, but quickly had to hang on tighter due to the sharp vibrations of the buggy going completely off-road. Peach pressed forwards, foot staying all the way down, petal to the metal to go as fast as humanly possible. She looked up, seeing the airtub was nearly completely passed the peak.

"P-P-P-Peach!"

"Hang on, Mario!"

The princess made a small jump between peaks to avoid different gulches in the side of the mountain. She even jumped the vehicle over a lake, seeing the reflection of the Red Fire in the water below.

Crazy how this is the first time she's ever driven.

They reached the peak, but found that the airtub had completely passed the mountain and was now getting further and further away. However, the pink stones- Hoho Stones, they were called- were making a very peculiar shape at the other end of the peak. Something like a ramp.

Only stopped for a second, Peach looked back at Mario.

"Hang on tight!"

"This princess is tryin' to kill me…"

Peach slammed on the accelerator again. She peeled out, driving across the peak and hitting the ramp. They flew off the top of Hoohoo Mountain, far over the kingdom and its forests. Both Mario and Peach held onto dear life, as if they would be flung out of the Red Fire at any second.

The princess punched the red button beside the ignition. In the space between the seat and the back bars, a massive parafoil- one that was blue, gold, red and white- unfurled and opened up above the vehicle. The glider caught the wind, and the momentum, allowing the Red Fire to soar through the air. The speed allowed them to quickly glide to the side of the airtub, though they weren't any close to the deck.

They were losing altitude slowly. Peach looked between Mario and the side of the ship. She offered him his hand, looking at him with wide but fierce eyes.

Mario took her hand.

"You got this you got this you got this" She murmured.

Peach still had doubts that she had this.

Together, the princess and plumber leapt off of the Red Fire. After they did, sparkles of gold and pink filled the skirt of Peach's dress. They floated forwards, with the power of Peach's magic legs, reaching the square hole used typically for cannons.

Both Peach and Mario grabbed the border of the cannon window with their free hands. Behind them, the Red Fire slowly turned downwards as it started to soar back to the ground. No turning back now.

Mario let go of Peach's hand to grab her arm, pushing her upwards to get her into the window first. Peach climbed inside, and once in, turned around to help Mario in. Grabbing the straps of his overalls, the princess pulled him inside.

They were in the storage area of the airtub. The duo could see that the Mushmellow was held down here, and because there were a few Shy Guys around the vehicle, they quickly ducked behind a large crate.

Mario smelled the crate. It smelled really floral. He felt his nose tickle, making him wince a bit in anticipation of a sneeze. Before he could, Peach held her finger under his nose to keep it from happening.

He sighed, the feeling subsiding. "Thanks."

There were two Shy Guys- a normal one, and a strange one. It seemed to be another variation of them, this one with a black mask that had a large mouth hole that extended out, looking remniscient to a gas mask. They spoke together, in their own nasally, high-pitched language.

"We-eww!"

"Weee-eewwww!"

The black-masked Shy Guy turned and walked away. The normal Shy Guy turned and walked away too, and headed up a ladder to the top deck.

"The Toad Brigade must be on deck."

"But that a'black masked Shy Guy looks like the leader of this troop." Mario replied. "We can a'see why they came after us."

"Good point. Let's sneak in there first."

Mario and Peach snuck across the storage area. They got to the door to the room this black masked Shy Guy entered- possibly the captain's quarters- and peeked through the crack made from the door not closed all the way.

The Shy Guy rummaged through the desk in the quarters, eventually finding what it was looking for: some kind of mobile device. This one was blue, with a top half that resembled a Toad's cap. When the phone was in its hands, the Shy Guy dialed their buddy phone and let it ring on speaker on the desk.

It rung a few times. Peach and Mario, one head on top of each other respectively, gave the other a glance.

"Hello? Helloooo? Is this that Snifit leading the Shy Guys?" A gruff voice came from the other end.

"Wee-ewwww!"

"Oh, good, it is. Alright, what is it? Did you get the princess?" The voice asked. "Because she needs to get here stat! I told her I was going to help her with being stuck in that kingdom, and Bowser's a man of his word!"

The princess' hand gripped Mario's shoulder below her tightly. She whispered. "Bowser?"

"We-ewww!"

"You got her? You got Peach?"

"We-eww…"

"What does that mean? That sounds sad. Did you get her or not?"

"Weeeee-ewwwww…."

"That sounds indeterminate. Ugh, I can never understand you guys! Look, I don't care what you do, just get that princess and bring her back to the Dark Lands! If you want to get paid, you'll do it before the other guy I sent to get her does it first!" Bowser continued on the buddy phone. "What about that 'order' I requested from the Flower Kingdom up north?"

"We-eww!"

"Okay, good. At least you can do something right. Now get out there and get Princess Peach! And don't call again unless you have her!"

Click. The call ended.

The Shy Guy- or a Snifit, as it was called- looked at the phone for a second before starting to walk from behind the desk to the door. Seeing that the Snifit was on their way out, Mario and Peach quickly ducked away from the door.

They pressed themselves to the walls on either side of the door quickly. The Snifit barged through the door and walked past. It seemed that either the Snifit lacked peripheral vision in that mask, or was too focused to notice either of them there.

With their backs still to the wall, Mario and Peach watched the Snifit climb the ladder to the deck. After they were gone, they relaxed, letting out a breath.

"Well, that a'was interesting."

"Bowser… It was Bowser who sent them." Peach said, shellshocked. "This has to be about the letters. We made him upset after the last one, now he's tracking us down!"

"That's a him problem, Peach."

"It became my problem when he put my Toads in danger! Oh no, what are we going to do?"

"Hey, hey, c'mon. We'll a'figure something out, Peach." Mario said, touching her arm. "You, me and Luigi will a'figure it all out. It's partially our fault too, we're a'the ones who opened that Warp Zone back up again."

Peach was still worried, but sighed. "…you're right. There's no use fretting over it now. The Toad Brigade and the sargeant need us."

"That's right. We just need to find something to… to…"

Mario covered his face with his sleeve as he sneezed. He turned to look at that crate they were just hidden behind- now seeing the front, he could see the sticker for postage:

TO: KING KOOPA

FROM: FLOWER KINGDOM

Something told Peach and Mario that this, in fact, was not sent to Bowser by the Flower Kingdom willingly. They walked over to the crate, which had its lid opened a little bit- the pollen fluttering out from the crack was what was causing Mario to sneeze.

However, they saw something glowing from inside. Something orange and blue.

After a quick glance to get on the same page, Mario and Peach pried the lid off the top with their bare hands. Inside, they found the source of the glow.

"Fire flowers?"

"And ice flowers!" Peach finished Mario's sentence, looking at the blue glowing flowers. "I've only seen them used once! They must have a ton of them up at the Flower Kingdom!"

As they looked over the flowers, Mario suddenly got an idea, tapping his chin. He turned to Peach.

"You thinking what I'm a'thinking?"

"We make flower crowns?"

"We can do that a'later. I was a'thinking we make a bit of a hot and cold entrance up above…"

On the deck, the Toad Brigade and Sargeant Starshade were tied to the center mast of the airtub.

There were three Shy Guys alongside the Snifit that was leading the group. They had gotten the drop on the Toad Brigade, using the (currently knocked out) Shy Aways to fly down and sneak attack them.

Unfortunately, none of these guys had the princess with them. They had only gotten wind of where Princess Peach was due to murmurs across Beanbean (which the Shy Guys infiltrated the day before, landing there first on their assigned mission to find Peach) that said princess would soon make an appearance at the border. The Beanish really liked her.

Right now, they soared high over Beanbean Kingdom, slowly passing over it. They would be leaving the coast and flying over the Oho Ocean within the hour.

The Snifit scribbled on a notepad for a second, before showing what he was drawing to Captain Toad, in the center of the group that was tied to the cetner mast. It was some kind of round object with a growth on top.

"…what is that? What're you showing me right now?"

The Snifit pointed at the page, tapping it hard.

"Is that a ball or something?"

"Oh! Is it a plant?" Archivist Toadette asked.

"We-ewww!"

"That sounded like an affirmative." Sargent Starshade said.

"Is it a flower?"

"I think it came from a flower," Note Toad said, clarifying Mail Toad's question. "Is it a fruit?"

"Wee-ewwww!"

"Affirmative!"

"An apple!"

The Snifit shook their head.

"An orange?"

Negative.

"A… peach?"

"Wee-ew-wewwww!"

"Peach! Wait… are you asking for Princess Peach?" Captain Toad asked.

Thumbs up.

"Ha! Fat chance!" Toadette said. "You'll never get your hands on her! Princess Peach is on the ground, far far away from you!" She raspberried at them.

Before the Snifit could react, the sound of crackling ice took everyone's attention. The trapdoor to the storage area was freezing rapidly, creating a large patch of ice that reflected the light from the sky. As soon as it stopped, the entire ice patch exploded with a burst of fire, and two figured came up through the smoke to the deck.

The flowers had changed how both Peach and Mario looked. Peach's dress was now white, with the deeper pink parts of her dressed replaced with a vibrant red. The flower was also kind enough to provide her with something to tie up her hair in a ponytail, which it did automatically. Mario's colors swapped places, giving him red overalls with a blue shirt and equally blue hat.

Smoke puffed from Fire Peach's hand. Vapor, almost like holding dry ice, fell from Ice Mario's hand.

"Huh? Wuzzat?" Nap Toad was finally awake, looking around blearily.

The duo moved forwards at once. The three Shy Guys rushed towards the princess and plumber, intent on kidnapping the former.

Mario summoned an ice ball- which looked like a blue fireball- from his hand and threw it on the ground. The rebound of the ball bounced it from the floor, to the mast, and into the back of one of the Shy Guys. When the ice ball hit the Shy Guy, it created a massive block of ice around them, freezing them instantly. The plumber kicked the ice block, sending it sliding across the deck. When it hit the center mast, it shattered, sending the Shy Guy to the ground with the force and knocking them out.

Just barely dodging a lunge from another Shy Guy, Mario slid backwards, the floor below him turning to ice under his feet. He kept moving, skating across the deck (yet another extracurricular from high school no longer wasted) making a full circle before reaching the perplexed Shy Guy again.

With the gracefulness of a plumber from Brooklyn, Mario leapt into the air, flipping over the Shy Guy. As he did, while he was inverted, Mario grabbed the top of the Shy Guy's hood. The strength the plumber had from the Super Mushroom, plus the momentum from the skating, allowed Mario to flip the Shy Guy and toss him across the deck. The Shy Guy hit the edge of the deck's wall, knocking them out.

Peach was tossing fireballs at the Shy Guy that was advancing towards her. Though it blocked them, Peach was getting a little bit of leeway as her fire was clearly wearing it out.

Her eyes traveled to the Toads that were still tied to the center mast. She wanted to kill two birds with one stone here.

As her Shy Guy got close, Peach raised into the air with a twirl. Two fireballs fired from her body- one that hit the Shy Guy and the other that bounced across the deck, hitting the ropes that were binding the Toads and burning them loose. As she spun back around, Peach kicked the Shy Guy right in his mask, making them flop backwards, defeated.

Mario skated up next to Peach, sliding to a stop. However, they were suddenly attacked with a barrage of abnormally large bullets.

The hole-mouth of the Snifit wasn't just for show, the black masked Shy Guy was practically a makeshift cannon, firing off rounds of large metal bullets. Now that their lackeys were down, it was up to the captain to take down the intruders and kidnap Peach.

Peach lifted her dress a bit to scurry out of the way, and Mario continued to skate across the surface of the deck. The Snifit was more interested in attacking Mario- they just wanted to capture the princess.

"Ya!"

Captain Toad, freed like the rest of his brigade, came in with the assist- he swung a frying pan from his pack into the back of the Snifit's head, causing it to stagger.

With the Snifit dazed, Peach fired a fireball right into the guy, setting them on fire. Mario quickly skated around, leaping into the air in front of Peach.

"Letsa cool off!"

He sent an ice ball into the Snifit, freezing it into a block of ice. With the black masked adversary frozen still, the Toad Brigade (plus Sargeant Starshade) all worked together. They lifted the ice block as one and threw it off the side of the airtub with a unified battle cry.

As the frozen Snifit fell, after it passed through the clouds below, the ice shattered from the Snifit firing a bullet right through the ice. The freed Snifit fell for a second, before insect wings sprouted from its back, allowing it to fly. The flying Snifit looked up at the airship soaring away, but turned back around and decided to buzz off, zipping away from the skies above the continent of Mushroomland.

On the deck, the Toads were happy at their freedom, cheering and giving hugs to Peach. Mario skidded to a stop nearby, and was offered a high five from Captain Toad.

"You rocked, Mario!"

"Heh, thank a'you so much." Mario accepted the high five (a low five for Mario due to the Toad being short). "C'mon, we gotta get a'you all back to the—"

There was a slamming nearby, silencing them all. They turned to a door at the end of the deck, for a room placed underneath the quarter deck, which had a large crack on it. Another SLAM was heard, the door cracking even more.

The Toad Brigade quickly scurried to hide behind Mario and Peach. Sargeant Starshade stayed out in the open, however, adjusting his sunglasses.

With one final slam, the door bursted open. From the darkness, a pair of clawed hands gripped the door frame, before a tall and lanky being pulled itself out. It had on a deep green jumpsuit, and a white mask like the Shy Guys- unlike them, however, the dotted mouth was now an upturned crescent, almost like a smile.

"Mask-Mimic sighting confirmed!" Sargeant Starshade pointed at the creature.

"A what?"

"It's a rare variant of a Shy Guy! They mimic the movements of the most dangerous target in the area! They need to be taken care of, STAT!"

Mario had taken the moment to look at Sargeant Starshade, but when he turned back to the Mask-Mimic, he found its head turning around to look at him. It was perfectly mimicking Mario's stance. The plumber looked at the others, making sure it was only mimicking him.

"…they're after Peach! The thing is a'copying me!"

As long as Mario was still, the creature was still too.

"Could we get the Toad Brigade below deck?"

"I'm not going near that thing!" Mail Toad cried in reply to Peach's suggestion. "It could get one of us!"

"What're we gonna do?"

The plumber kept watching the Mask-Mimic. He looked left, then right… there wasn't anything else on deck, though the side walls were lowered slightly for someone to step off. Mario's eyes trailed slowly to Peach at his far right.

After a second, her eyes met his.

"Peach?"

"Mario?"

"You still got those a'magic legs, right?"

"Yes? Why?"

"I have an idea. But we need a'to use those magic legs."

"Uh… Are you sure? I'm not the most reliable with it."

"I trusted you on the Red Fire, and I trust a'you here. All you gotta do is a'catch me."

Though the princess was wary, after a moment she nodded.

Mario suddenly broke away, skating across the deck at high speeds. The Mask-Mimic copied him, headed towards the right side of the deck. Peach rushed to the edge as well, leaving the Toad Brigade behind with Sargeant Starshade.

Both Mario and the Mask-Mimic leapt off the edge of the airtub. Peach jumped off at the same time, diving off in time to intercept Mario and grab him with both arms.

With focus, Peach willed her magic to life, pink and gold sparkles appearing under her dress as she floated along in the air next to the airship with Mario. They watched as the Mask-Mimic turned around to see (and try to copy) Mario, but disappeared into the clouds next to the ship.

Peach leaned backwards, the sparkles pushing her back to the deck before abruptly ending, making the princess land on her backside with Mario still in her arms, back on the deck of the airtub.

The Toad Brigade were back to cheering, gathering around the pair.

"Princess, that was amazing! How did you do that?"

"I don't know! It just… happens!"

Mario got up to his feet. He looked around the deck.

"Alright, how do we steer this a'thing?"

"It's automatic! It's flying back to wherever they came from!" Note Toad said.

"How're we gonna get back on the ground a'then?"

"The Mushmellow XL has a glider added on!" Captain Toad spoke up. "We should be able to use it to glide right back down to the ground safely!"

"Alright, let's get in the Mushmellow and drop out the way we came!" Peach said. She turned to the sargeant. "Sargeant Starshade! Get the Toad Brigade back into the Mushmellow!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The green toad saluted. "Alright Toads and Toadette, single file line to the storage area!"

Because of Mario and Peach's explosive entrance to the deck, the ladder was destroyed. Mario and Peach hopped down first, catching each member of the Toad Brigade to get them below deck, before catching the sargeant last.

They all piled into the carriage of the Mushmellow, directed by Sargeant Starshade. Mario was close to getting in, before realizing that the princess was not with them.

Peach was leaning into the still open crate from the Flower Kingdom, pulling out flowers and sticking them in the travel pouch she had around her waist.

Mario was exaperated. "Peach!"

The princess turned around, still holding flowers in her hands. "…what? I like flowers!"

There was a thick thud nearby, turning their attention to the side wall. The clawed, green-clothed hand of the Mask-Mimic was now grabbing onto the square frame of the cannon window. Before either of them could speak, the Mask-Mimic tore a massive chunk of the wall off from the cannon window, creating a massive hole in the side of the ship.

It swung back inside, just as Mario pulled Peach back and away from the hole. The mimic sidestepped the flower crate as it was flung out, the crate now spreading massive amounts of flowers across Beanbean and creating a shower of petals (and a single crate) below.

The windows of the Mushmellow were full of the faces of the Toads looking in horror at the Mask-Mimic. Peach and Mario were at the side of the vehicle, grabbing onto it to keep safe from the hole.

The Mask-Mimic returned to mimicking Mario's still stance. Peach looked down, seeing the fuel tank right below her. She opened it with a swift hit from the side of her fist. She shoved a Fire Flower from her hand into the tank to create fuel.

Much like the Super Mushrooms, the Fire Flower was a potent fuel source for the Mushmellow. Flames blasted off from the exhaust pipes as it crashed into the back wall, before it turned while peeling out and drove directly into the Mask-Mimic.

Peach and Mario were dragged out of the ship and into the air as it crashed into the Mask-Mimic. As they did, the princess and the plumber crashed into wooden debris, which caused them to power-down back to their normal forms.

They were now hurtling down towards the Beanbean Kingdom. The Mask-Mimic was gripping onto the Mushmellow, but when the crew inside activated the glider (shaped like a red and white paper airplane) the sudden slowing down caused the Mask-Mimic to let go, sending it down towards the planet below as well.

As they fell, Mario swam (literally, physically swam) to Peach and grabbed her hands.

"Peach! Can you float again?"

"I don't know, this isn't exactly the best condition to do so!"

"We have to do a'something!"

They burst through the clouds, seeing the world down below. They hadn't made it too far away from Hoohoo Mountain when they were flung from the airtub, so they were going to hit the ground within the Beanbean Kingdom itself. Mario could see the castle and the town around it as they got further and further down.

He had some faith that Peach would be able to use her floating powers to save them from this predicament caused by their simultaneous lack of foresight. That seemed to be a common problem for the two of them… certainly something in common.

Peach's hands were the only warm things in the cool whipping air around her and the plumber. Mario's hat was surprisingly still on his head, only flapping a little from the wind. The plumber looked at Peach, keeping his eyes on her as he waited to see what she would do next.

This couldn't be how it ends. It couldn't. He was supposed to see Luigi. He was suppose to show up at the most opportune time, and Mario would see Luigi's face… right?

The plumber closed his eyes and sighed. Right after, the rev of an engine filled his ears.

At their sides, Mario and Peach saw another car come towards them: a buggy, one that was green with blue tires and a blue stripe. It looked like a green version of the Red Fire- this must be the missing "Green Fire" that the general talked about earlier.

As soon as they both looked at the soaring vehicle, it activated its glider, the same colored parafoil that the Red Fire had. Mario and Peach both reached out and grabbed the back bars of the vehicle as it passed by- though the princess' hand slipped, Mario quickly caught her and kept her on the back platform.

The vehicle had been moving so fast that they didn't see the driver, and couldn't see him still as he didn't turn around to greet them. The Green Fire soared down, following the Mushmellow back to the Beanbean borderlands, right at the edge of the Stardust Fields. They were met by the general, who had retrieved the Red Fire and drove it up to the spot they were all convening.

With legs of jelly from the adrenaline of what they both just did. Mario and Peach flopped off the back of the Green Fire to the ground. Mario willed himself up, offering a hand to the princess, who gladly took it to get to her feet.

"Who…? Who…?" She asked, watching the parafoil shrink back into the Green Fire.

The driver of the Green Fire hopped out of the vehicle to walk to the back. His brown loafers crunched the grass, and he adjusted the straps of his denim overalls over his green sweatshirt.

Luigi held his arms out, smiling wide.

"Hey, bro!"

"LUIGI!"

Mario rushed in and hugged his brother, suddenly finding the energy to move again. He soon pulled away to look Luigi over, patting his arms firmly.

"Ma che diavolo? What are you even doing here? How did you get a'that vehicle?"

"It's a long a'story." Luigi replied with a grin, patting Mario's shoulder.

"…Luigi, bro, listen… about what I said before…"

"Who's a'this?"

Luigi's question interrupted Mario, who was taken by surprise. Peach was on her feet, slowly walking over to the duo when Luigi looked at her.

"Oh, uh… This…" Mario cleared his throat. "This is Princess Toadstool."

"Peach, please." She reached her hand out.

"Peach…"

The green plumber took her hand, kissing it and glancing up at her. Peach was surprised, as was Mario, who matched her expression of raised eyebrows.

The Toads nearby got out of their vehicles. General and Sargeant Starshade marched to each other, before saluting in front of one another to greet their brother.

"General!"

"Sargeant!"

"Permission to give warm greetings!"

"Affirmative! Permission granted!"

The two shaded Toads gave each other a hug. Afterwards, they turned to Mario and Peach, giving them a salute for their gratitude as well. Mario and Peach smiled, waving at them.

As soon as they were out, the Toad Brigade surrounded Peach, clearly wanting to make sure she was okay. After a second, they all turned to look at the Mario Bros.

"Who's this guy?"

"Is this Luigi?"

"Why's he so tall?"

"He looks like a stretched out Mario!"

Mario chuckled, his spirits elated from having his brother back. He looked at Luigi- he was displeased by the amount of Toads around him, but not in an anxious way like he expected. Luigi looked… genuinely annoyed. It was unlike him.

As if sensing eyes on him immediately, Luigi turned- when he saw Mario's furrowed eyebrows, his expression changed, becoming neutral.

"It's, uh… It's been a long, long a'day. We should go back home."

The red plumber eyed his brother, feeling a bit uneasy but not able to put his finger on what was wrong.

"Yeah… It has. Letsa go back to town."

---

Peach was busy making a flower crown when they got back to the castle.

Mario and Luigi were there as well, as Mario wanted to show his brother the sights he had been taking in as long as they had been rooming in Toad Town. Peach, seated on the entrance hall's steps, was weaving the flowers she had retrieved together.

"Whoa, this is incredible!" Luigi remarked. "Look at how a'big this place is! It's like… Like…"

"Like a'three of mama's apartment buildings combined?"

"Ha! Yeah, like that."

Luigi stared upwards, walking around and spinning slowly as he took it all in.

Seeing Peach nearby, Mario walked over, looking at the crown in her hands.

"Really pretty, Peach."

"Thanks! I'm thinking I'll give it to you when I'm done." Peach held it up, holding it in front of Mario's head and closing one eye to get a sense of what it would look like on the plumber. "Flowers work well with you."

"It's like Toadley said, gotta eat more flowery foods."

"Looks like Toadley's predictions were right after all. You got Luigi back!" The princess was bright, still weaving the flowers. "Everyone lived happily ever after!"

"I guess…" Mario leaned against the stairway's banister. "There was one last a'thing Toadley said… He told me I had to think carefully of which face of Luigi I needed to choose when he came back."

"What the heck does that mean?"

"Your guess is as good as a'mine, Peach." He sighed. "Ever since we came back, I've gotten a real bad feeling… something in the pit of my stomach telling me something isn't right. I shouldn't feel like this, my brother is a'back! But… Something's wrong."

"Hey, it's alright." Peach touched the back of his hand. "It's like you said with Bowser… We'll figure it out together. You, me, and maybe Luigi. We'll figure it all out."

Mario eyed the hand touching his own. Peach, after realizing what she was doing, slowly pulled her hand away to return to weaving the flower crown.

"…thanks, Peach. I really should focus on the positive. My brother is back." Mario looked back at Luigi, who stopped turning because he was clearly getting dizzy. He immediately met Mario's eyes, as if knowing he was being watched.

Slowly, the red plumber walked away from the stairs to join his brother again.

"Having fun, bro?" Mario asked, though still uneasy.

"Yeah! I'm definitely having a'fun looking at the princess, too." Luigi nudged Mario, his eyebrows wiggling. "How about her, eh? What's a guy gotta do to get a moment alone with her?"

Mario scoffed, staring at Luigi incredulously. "What're you talking about, man?"

"C'mon, don't act coy, I know you're looking at her like that too."

"Where's this ladykiller coming from? Back in high school you didn't even have dates for school a'dances."

"When you've lived through the pipe stuff, you realize how you haven't taken enough risks! Now c'mon, lemme know if you can skedaddle so I can put the moves on the princess." Luigi flattened his mustache with his thumb and index, smirking at Mario.

This was odd, but it certainly made sense. Luigi did just save their lives, and whenever Luigi was doing well, he typically had an influx of confidence. However, the inclination of Luigi and Peach being together alone made a shiver go down Mario's spine. This was weird.

"Uh… How's about I show you where I've been a'sleeping for the last few weeks?"

"Oh! Alright, I guess. Only if I can come back here later." Luigi hit Mario with his elbow.

Mario rubbed the spot he was hit, eyebrows furrowed. "Uh-huh..."

They walked to the door, leaving Peach behind. Mario gave one last glance to the princess, who was still focusing on creating the flower crown.

However, Mario quickly turned back as both castle doors opened up in front of them with a echoing SLAM.

Standing in the doorway, only silhouetted partially, stood another man. He had a big backpack on, notch in his eyebrow from a small scar, a mustache, green hat and denim overalls. He stepped in further, his eyes widened completely with terror.

In walked another, second Luigi.

TO BE CONTINUED...