Down In the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Luigi were having a fine day outside, Luigi was hanging up the clothes while Mario checked the mail box. Inside he found a letter addressed from Princess Peach,
Dear Mario,
Please come to the castle. I've baked a cake for you.
Yours truly, Princess Toadstool
Peach
Quickly Mario got up from his reading, heading over towards Luigi who was still hanging up the clothes line, putting an arm on his shoulder causing him to become distracted and drop the clothes
"Ahh Mario you made me drop our clothes. Now they're all dirty again." Luigi said as he tired to pick up all the clothes off the ground
"Oh sorry bro, but look a letter from the princess she's invited us over for cake."
Mario looked apologetic for maybe one second before he happily explained the letter. To which Luigi brushed off by saying "We can go to the Princess after you help me rewash all these clothes you made a mess of." making Mario pout.
"Come on bro, don't you want to get some of the princess delicious cake."
Luigi just side eyed Mario as he continued to put the laundry back into the basket to be rewashed when suddenly a figure popped out of the bushes interrupting the conversation.
"Did Somebody say something about something delicious."
Out of nowhere a yellow capped individual stated so, with his wiry mustached face and large pink noise complementing the look of slyness on his face.
"Wahh, Wario what are you doing here at our house!? Why are you in our Bushes!?" Luigi exclaimed, as Wario made his presence known, strutting in asking about the delicious food he overheard them talking about.
"Well we were just on our way to get cake at the Princess' castle" Mario said as Luigi gave him a side eye, before continuing "So if you wanted to join us, come right along. The more the merrier."
While picking his nose Wario stated "oh free food I'm In."
So the three of them (one reluctantly) made their way towards Peach's castle. However, along the way while they were passing through toad town, one of the toads ran up to them exclaiming something terrible has happened.
"Mario, Luigi it's terrible the princess has vanished! We need your help."
At that they quickened their pace, running towards the castle grounds while the toad explained along the way that communication to the castle disappeared suddenly and nobody who's gone in has come out, no one knowing where the princess is.
"So does this mean were not getting the free food." The yellow hatted plumber stated, earning a stare from Luigi.
"Is food all you really think about, we have a situation on our hands."
Quickly Mario went to placate the two of them before an argument broke out "Calm a down you two, there's no need for arguing, we'll just find the princess, and we'll have cake as planed okay, nothing to worry about.
At that the two calmed down for now as they made their way down the hill towards the castle, taking in the sight of the large stone palace ahead with it's red tiles gleaming in the sun. Nothing seemed wrong at first glance, the birds were chirping, and the sound of the waterfall crashing into the moat could be heard, while they made their way across green grass towards the entrance.
"has that clock always been there?" Luigi questioned as he caught up clearly tired and exhausted from all the running.
"Hmm I don't know maybe, anyways we should find the princess quickly."
With that the three of them made their way inside.
As soon as they made their way past the threshold they were filled with a sense of unease, immediately noticing that something was wrong.
"H-Hey did they redecorate in here or something."
The once familiar architecture of the foyer had been shifted to something else. Walls which once depicted a bright sunny sky with green hills, were now painted with a blue night sky with an orange accent. The architecture was entirely different as well, the doors being in different spots from before only vaguely following the same layout.
It was also unnervingly quiet in the castle now. The cheerful residents of the castle being nowhere to be found, replaced by an oppressive silence that made the air feel heavy.
"Mamma mia…" Mario muttered, his voice echoing unnaturally in the vast, empty foyer. "This doesn't look right."
Luigi nervously adjusted his cap. "Maybe we should stick together, guys. This place gives me the creeps."
Wario, ever the opportunist, scoffed. "Bah! You two are scared of a little quiet? I'm going to find Peach myself—and maybe some treasure while I'm at it!" Before Mario or Luigi could stop him, Wario stormed off down a twisting corridor, his laughter fading into the distance.
Mario and Luigi exchanged worried glances but pressed on, determined to find the princess. As they ventured deeper into the castle, Making their way down a hallway following the path Wario disappeared to.
The Halls seemed to stretch on forever and ever, at one point seeming to stretch on indefinitely but still they continued. Though it wasn't long before Luigi seemingly disappeared Into thin air, one moment ago he was right behind Mario, and the next, he was gone, swallowed by the labyrinthine halls. Mario called out for his brother, but his voice was swallowed by the oppressive silence.
"Luigi? Where did you go?"
Quickly Mario had panicked, where did his brother go. He backtracked where they came from, but that held no results as the walls seemed to shift and change with each corner he rounded and each door he went through.
Eventually though he came upon a painting, depicting his one and only arch nemesis.
"Bowser!" Mario exclaimed, this must of been his doing warping the castle for his misdeeds. Quickly he ran up to the panting but was quickly stopped in his tracks as the floor gave away to a trap and he was sent somewhere else.
Mario now found himself elsewhere entirely on top a platform suspended in air, looking across from him he could see the Koopa King himself looking ferally at him as if poised to attack at a moments notice.
"You! this is a your doing?"
At that the King lunged him like a beast, as Mario jumped out of the way dogging the attack. Quickly Mario ran circles around him as the Koopa seemingly had a one track mind, which currently was to attack the plumber in front of him.
Noting the mines surrounding the platform Mario formulated a plan as he picked up Bowser by the tail and began to rotate him around like a throwing bell before launching him off towards one of the mines hitting dead on target.
"So long-a Bowser!"
Detonating the mine Bowser was launched up in the air in an explosion before landing back on the platform in a heap. However, before Mario could give him a piece of his mind the Koopa King vanished on the spot as if he was never there, being instead replaced with a red star.
"What is this?" Mario questioned the strange star before him wondering what happened to Bowser, was it just another one of Kamek's illusions. Frustrated he reached for the red star, whatever it was the Koopa King planned he wouldn't get his way, and he would get Peach back.
When he touched the star it's energy pulsed, and the world shifted and suddenly he was somewhere else entirely, in a great hall that bore little resemblance to the castle with a large corridor that stretched out before him.
He could only think of the time it would take to build all this as he continued on through the double doors at the end of the dimly lit hall, which led into let another corridor. As he continued to walk down it's length Mario started to realize that this rescue mission may be more difficult.
At the end of the hall He found an opening which led to a large courtyard, the sky covered in a mystical blue overcast, which oversaw large brick walls and a field of dandelions. In that moment Mario truly had one thought at that moment, that being...
"Oh Peach, Luigi, where are you."
Days had passed with no word from the trio. A lone toad, desperate for help sought out Yoshi, who had been relaxing in the castle gardens.
"Yoshi! You have to help!" the Toad pleaded. "Mario, Luigi, Wario—they're all gone! And the castle… it's changed!"
Being awakened by the toad. Yoshi tilted his head, confused but concerned. "Luigi, Mario, in trouble, Yoshi will help!"
He agreed to investigate, and quickly the two of them made their way to the castle entrance. When they arrived however, Yoshi was struck by the unnatural stillness. The Toad hesitated at the entrance, too afraid to enter. "I'll… I'll wait out here," he stammered.
Unwavering though, Yoshi nodded and headed inside.. The moment he stepped past the threshold though, the entrance behind him vanished, replaced by a solid brick wall. Yoshi spun around his heart racing, he was trapped.
"Oh, that's no good, no good for Yoshi"
The only way forwards was a single door, past it there was a lone panting on the wall depicting a fortress. Seeing all other avenues were cut off from him Yoshi took a deep breath as jumped into the painting.
The world inside could only be likened nightmare. The sky was a swirling void of black, and the ground was littered with jagged rocks and crumbling platforms. A thick black fog loomed over the area, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. The air was cold and still, and the only sound was the faint crunch of Yoshi's footsteps on the gravelly ground.
In front of Yoshi he found a single sign which stated simply
Get Star
In the distance, atop the fortress's central tower, a single red star glowed faintly, its light barely piercing the oppressive darkness. Yoshi moved cautiously, his every step echoing in the eerie silence. The fortress was empty—no Goombas, no Koopas, not even the usual Whomps. It was as if the entire area had been abandoned, leaving only the faint whispers of the wind.
As Yoshi climbed the tower, the fog grew thicker, clinging to him like a damp shroud. He could feel the weight of the darkness pressing down on him, but he pressed on, determined to retrieve the star and find his friends.
When he finally reached the top of the tower, the red star hovered just out of reach, its light pulsating faintly. Yoshi hesitated for a moment, his instincts screaming at him that something was wrong. But he had no other choice. He stretched out his tongue, reaching for the star.
Just as his tongue made contact, the air around him seemed to freeze. The fog thickened, swirling violently as a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Mario—or at least, something that looked like him. His eyes were blank, his body flickering like a dying flame. But this wasn't the Mario Yoshi knew. This was something else entirely.
"Mario?" Yoshi called out, his voice trembling.
The shadowy figure didn't respond. Instead, it lunged at Yoshi, its movements jerky and unnatural. Yoshi dodged, but the shadow was relentless. It pursued him across the crumbling tower, silently drifting over towards the green dinosaur it's movement unnatural and unstopping.
Yoshi's heart pounded as he tried to fend off the shadowy Mario. He spat out a stream of eggs, but they passed harmlessly through the figure, as if it were made of smoke. Desperation set in as Yoshi realized he couldn't fight back.
The shadowy Mario closed in, with a malevolent aura. Just as it reached out to grab Yoshi, the red star's light flared brightly, enveloping the tower in a blinding glow.
When the light faded, Yoshi was gone.
Back in the castle, the Toad waited anxiously outside. Hours turned into days, but Yoshi never returned. The castle loomed like a silent sentinel, its twisted spires piercing the sky.
The Mushroom Kingdom would never be the same.