It remained silent for a few minutes after the magnificent bird's departure.

   The great sky was left wide and open, leaving it a stark and empty contrast to the beach below, already filling with returning cataquacks. The large duck-bills weren't the only ones who soon reappeared: like frightened moths coming out of hiding, the entire population of Gelato Beach slowly began to emerge from the trees and other shelters inland, piantas and nokis still gazing skyward as if to ensure again that it was truly over. But despite their wishes on the matter, it appeared that all had gone back to normal; and the populace was soon enough able to put that thought aside as they turned back to the ground below, and began to make almost as one for a single target: the lone man standing motionless on the beach.

   Quiet and thoughtful amidst a deeper area of disturbed sand, Mario gazed down at the shine sprite he held in his hand. "Well what do you know," he murmured, still seeming somewhat far away. "Do you think it was buried here all along?"

   "It certainly appears so," Fludd answered from his back. "I suppose we never really considered the possibility of shines being buried underground."

   "How would we have found it?" Mario wondered, now stroking its glistening surface.

   "Perhaps we would not. I can pick up the kinds of energy readings they give off, but as you've seen my accuracy isn't too desirable. If the shine sprite was here, however, it must have been what drew the Sand Bird back," Fludd thought aloud. "Or something."

   His owner nodded. "Oh, I believe it. It knew it was here..."

Turning back to the vacant sky where the enchanted baby had disappeared moments before, leaving its hatch-site a distant memory, Mario fell still again. Tilting his head in awe-filled reverence, he pondered briefly once more on the great fortune he had been so graced with. He might get the chance to soar through clouds again; but never, he knew, quite like that.

"To think that thing was only a newborn," Fludd commented now, as if reading his mind. Surprised, Mario nodded, tracing its former path through the sky with his eyes.

"I wonder if we'll ever know what the mama looks like!" he said, imagining an eagle that nearly filled the sky. Would there even be room left on her back to soar among the clouds?

   Turning back to glance at shore, where the Shine Tower stood empty, Fludd replied, "I doubt it — it looks like the eggshell is going to be nothing more than a monument for quite a while. I wonder if much damage was done to the tower when it broke free?"

   Just as Mario was about to reply, the distant uproar of the approaching crowd reached his ears, causing him to snap his head up suddenly. Having been dropped like a careful package by the Sand Bird itself only moments before, he was nevertheless startled to find nearly the entire Sand Cabana now running towards him.

   "Mama mia, here it comes," he said a little nervously, pocketing the shine sprite as he turned and braced to be swarmed. "So much for open space!"

   "Well you did just get a once in a lifetime opportunity," Fludd pointed out. "The natives will be all over you for that."

   "That doesn't mean I have to love it!" he replied, just before the first of the patrons reached him.

   And who should reach him first but Jimmy the noki. "Mr. Mario!! You got to ride the Sand Bird!!!" the boy exclaimed, rushing up to him in utter excitement.

   "Yeah, I did," Mario laughed, not sure how else to reply. "It was amazing!"

   "Could you see the entire island from up there? What was it like??"

   Before there would be a chance to answer that, however, some more of the crowd arrived and began pelting him with similar questions.

   "Dude!! What happened up there?"

   "What did the Sand Bird look like??"

   "Did you have any idea that would happen?"

   "What happened to the wiggler??"

   "You're so lucky!!" one woman practically screamed above them all.

   Mario, quickly overwhelmed, just attempted to plaster a smile on his face and glanced around for a familiar face — any sort of solace. Luckily, he found one in Mrs. Carp, who soon appeared at the side of her son.

   "Mario!! I can't believe what we just witnessed!" she cried, placing a hand on Jimmy's shoulder but clearly ignoring him. "Did you see how the Sand Bird just snatched up that wiggler right off the beach??"

   Mario chuckled. "Not really!"

   "We've never seen anything like it in recorded Delfino history!" she exclaimed, hardly hearing him. "And I dare say it's all because of you and that wiggler!"

   "You think?" the human asked.

   "We don't think, we know!!" an older man's voice broke in. Looking up, the two watched as the crowd slightly quieted down and parted just enough for an orange pianta with a pale mustache and glasses to push his way up to them. Hat tilted far to the side, eyes nearly flashing with ecstasy and indignation, Professor Hobbs was a sight to behold.

   "The Sand Bird knew that nasty wiggler was threatening him from even within the egg!" the researcher insisted, pointing back at the Shine Tower. "And with him causing an uproar out on the beach, it's no surprise he came back to finish business!"

   "Where did the wiggler go?" a random person asked pointedly, and all fell still enough for his answer.

   Mario stopped and frowned. "I was sitting on his stomach when it picked us up," he answered, remembering, "and then I climbed up onto the Sand Bird's back." He shook his head. "Then I never saw the wiggler again."

   "See?! The Sand Bird protected us!!" someone shouted. "And it brought him back safe and sound!"

   "Yes; yes!" Professor Hobbs agreed, excitement not waning yet. Turning again to Mario with all-consuming eyes, he demanded, "What did the bird look like, boy, how did he feel up close??"

   "He was... sandy, but very much alive," the boy offered, feeling suddenly at quite a lack for good words. "There was just... something about him that felt very real, very powerful. And it's wings were — well, you saw him!"

   "I did, I did but I'm sooo jealous of you, boy," the professor replied, almost fidgeting in place. "You got to ride a legendary Sand Bird. Hello?! That's unheard of!! How did you do it??"

   Here Mario could only shrug. "I guess you could say I was just in the right place at the right time. But I wouldn't have traded the experience!" he added with a chuckle.

   "And we wouldn't, either, boy, what with all the fantastic research we'll be able to make! Now for the first time ever we have footage of this thing, and it's as good as it's gonna get!"

   Mario laughed, starting to grow tired of the subject. He loved to talk about his flight, but if they were going to get all technical about it, he wasn't sure how long he'd stay interested.

   "Well, I'm glad that I could help," he offered, glancing around at the lingering crowd as if to say it was over. "It was truly incredible!"

   "I always prayed this day would come before I was too old to enjoy it," Professor Hobbs went on now, initiating what seemed to be a further breaking up of the gathering. "Decades I've waited... And now — Oh, now here we are!"

   "How did it hatch?" Mario wanted to know, glancing to the tower. "Is the tower okay?"

   "Oh, it's fine," Mrs. Carp answered, gesturing. "He broke through —

   "We heard the egg cracking and then it busted out from the side of the egg chamber!" Jimmy put in, illustrating it with his hands. "It left a big hole, you can go see it!"

   "At first it behaved exactly as we expected it to," Professor Hobbs said. "But I truly didn't expect it to come back. And then what it did here to the beach — do you have any notion about it's strange behavior??"

   Mario nodded. "I think it may have sensed this," he replied, holding out a shine sprite. "I found it buried where he'd been digging."

   "I thought I saw you pick something up," Mrs. Carp realized. "They said you were looking for shine sprites, right?"

"Oh, yes!" Mario said. "We're trying to bring them back to the Shine Gate."

"Ah, another good factor," Professor Hobbs commented aloud. "The stray shines were probably attracting the Sand Bird."

At this point everyone mostly ignored him. The crowd was dispersing now, having gotten their moment of thrill, and that was when the pianta Billy swung by just to get a word in.

"You actually did it," he snickered, facing the human with some admiration. "You're absolutely crazy, but I'm impressed!"

Mario grinned absentmindedly as he headed off.

"Oh yes, the shines!" Mrs. Carp remembered, turning to him eagerly. "If you're interested in those. It's funny, I have heard stories about certain dune buds that led to hidden caches of treasure. They were underground, you know, so the dune buds were like inverted staircases and things that created holes when you water them. The sea people used to hide all sorts of things down there."

"Huh," Mario said thoughtfully. A hidden underground vault in the sand? "That's interesting... Maybe that's what this was."

"It does seem like a good place for a shine sprite to hide," Mrs. Carp agreed. "But Mario, I did have something that might interest you, actually! I was talking to someone not long ago — another tourist — who was interested in meeting you. He seemed impressed by what I told him — hang on, let me just see if he's... Ah, there!" the noki woman said, looking to an approaching figure a short distance away. "He's coming now. You should really give him a minute — he might be able to help you!" Glancing around briefly, she added, "Now I've got to be heading back to the shop — but do feel free to come by anytime!"

Turning to go, she stopped to have a brief argument with Jimmy about something Mario didn't care to listen to. All at once he was entirely too distracted by the man he saw coming towards him; and it was all he could do not to stare.

   It wasn't that he recognized him or anything. Mario was just taken quite aback because this 'curious tourist' Mrs. Carp had spoken of was a human.

   It would be ridiculous to say that the boy had never seen humans before. He was perfectly well-acquainted with the species, and had used to thrive among them; but even since coming to Delfino, it had felt like quite a while. Humans around these parts were always a unique, interesting concept according to Mario's experience, and that was even without his personal bias for being one.

   Rather, if there was one thing Mario knew better than anyone, it was that people were some of the trickiest creatures of all.

   The one coming for him now was certainly no exception. Not that he appeared threatening — though that possibility was always somewhere in the back of Mario's mind — but this one seemed like quite an unusual character, even to the man wearing a water pump.

   First and foremost was the strange realization that this man appeared to be wearing a costume of some sort: as he grew closer it became apparent that he was dressed almost as a mascot in a purple pianta outfit, complete with a large-nosed helmet with eyeholes, big purple hands and feet, and a fake tree atop his head. Aside from that, though, his humanity was quite obvious on sight, what with his thin, almost spindly limbs and torso. He wore a light white tank top that didn't cover very much, as well as purple swimming trunks that probably were meant to match the pianta getup. Apart from that, nicely tanned brown skin was exposed in abundance to the sun.

   And now this personage was coming straight for Mario.

   The young man couldn't deny his own interest, but suddenly on being singled out Mario glanced around awkwardly. Professor Hobbs and the rest of the people had mostly strayed off, having apparently gotten what they wanted from him; and suddenly it left him quite alone for this strange encounter.

   Marching right up to the boy in overalls, the costumed man put his hands on his hips and tilted his head. "You there! Man with the magic touch!" he commanded in a voice deeper than Mario expected.

   Surprised, he came a step or two forward. "Are you talking to me?" he asked, knowing the answer. The stranger had a little bit of a strange accent, though it wasn't really Italian; Mario couldn't have said what it was. Closer up, he could tell that this tourist was also young himself, probably no more than a few years older than him; and below the edge of the pianta mask he could see a pointed chin with a dark goatee.

   Facial hair — usually a good sign, Mario thought briefly, sizing him up. He was also pleasantly short, no taller than Mario himself. That was a welcome discovery as well.

   "Yes, you! With the yellow water shooter!" Now the man came to a stop before him, eyeing him in a few brief seconds with sharp dark eyes through the cut eyeholes.

   "You are the one called Mario, correct?"

   "Yep, that would be me," he replied earnestly, trying to make eye contact but finding it difficult. It was always strange talking to someone whose face you couldn't really see — Mario wanted to ask what the purpose of the crude disguise was, but decided it wouldn't be a smart question.

   "I am Il Piantissimo!" the man declared now, as if he expected to be recognized. "...or so you may call me. Like yourself, I am a traveler on this island," he went on, very civil. Almost too civil.

"The noki woman told me you are quite the daredevil," Il Piantissimo continued, jutting a nose back towards the Sand Cabana, "and I must be honest I didn't believe her at first."

"Oh?" Mario said, glancing at the hut in surprise. "Well I'm not sure what she told you!"

"It would appear you have the whole beach in an uproar over this caterpillar," the man replied, crossing his arms. "I saw your antics as well with this great winged bird. Personally, I cannot say I am terribly impressed — but! You do show potential!"

Mario furrowed an eyebrow, unsure how to take the sudden assault on his work. Not impressed? That's not what Mrs. Carp said!

"I'm sorry? I don't think I understand —

   "Ah ha, so the lady didn't tell you then. You see, I am a racing man. Running is my game. I am always traveling to various lands searching for a worthy opponent against whom to try my skill!"

   Now Mario tilted his head. "So you're saying..."

   "I have come prepared for competition, and I have deemed you to be a deserving competitor!" the man declared confidently. "And now, we will race to that pavilion!" He jerked a fake hand at the small plaza on the hill overlooking the Shine Tower.

   Mario looked back and forth in surprise. "Ah... well, it sounds fun," he replied quickly, "but I'm not so sure I have time now for that; I'm afraid I'm pretty busy —

   "They always are," Il Piantissimo replied. "But the daredevils like you are the best opponents! Come, I am no stranger to making deals. I shall make it worth your time... if you race with me now, how about we say I give you this island sage I found?"

   Frowning, Mario looked at him in confusion. "Sage?"

   Here Il Piantissimo stopped to dig something from his swimsuit pocket. "Yes, or however they call them. The sun spirits?" And to Mario and his machine's utter surprise, the man held out a tinkling shine sprite.

   The boy jolted. "Oh, it's not a spirit, it's a shine sprite!" he exclaimed, staring on it in some awe. "Where did you find that?" He must not have done a very good job hiding his desire for it.

   Il Piantissimo grinned like a cat beneath the mask. "What does that matter? It is yours if you race me."

   For a moment Mario had gotten so near to touching it that he could feel its gentle radiance sparkling on his hand; but in an instant the foreigner drew it away. "So! Shall it be a contest?"

   Swallowing in determination, Mario straightened up and faced him eagerly. Well, he hadn't been joking when he said it sounded fun. And even in the hot sun, the little plaza at the top of the cove wasn't terribly far away. And he did like to prove himself to challengers...

   Who was he kidding? He was born for this kind of thing.

   With a firm nod, Mario let a grin spread across his face. "Yes," he said. "But listen — I really need that shine sprite, so no funny business!" he warned.

   "Oh, of course! I am always fair. In fact, I am going to tell the fellows at the shop right now to set up a finish line for us — make it a good race!"

   "Oh, you don't need to do that," Mario began, starting after the retreating man, but it was no use; Il Piantissimo had already run off to alert the press or something.

   Standing alone again on the beach, Mario watched him mingle into the distant congregation of people. He let out a snort. "Well, this'll be fun!"

   Then Fludd, who had been tactfully quiet, moved to answer. "Commotion does seem to follow you around," he commented slyly. "But it is just our luck; so do the shine sprites!"

~

   Ten minutes and an awkward wait later, Mario stood in the middle of the shore, facing the Shine Tower and gathering energy as if in imitation of it.

   By the time their strange friend had spoken to the people in the Sand Cabana, gotten a drink and returned to his side, Il Piantissimo had managed to stir up just about the entirety of Gelato Beach in anticipation of the 'big race'. From where they stood on shore, it appeared that several rows of pedestrians had lined up on the stone steps in the hill behind the tower, and now were situated almost like a mini-grandstand before the big, makeshift finish marker: a bright red flag that occasionally flapped in the scant wind. If anyone there was uninterested in seeing their hero of the day in a contest of physical strength, they were probably a cataquack.

   Taking a deep breath, Mario put one foot before the other and ground it into the sand. Glancing over at his eager opponent who was just stretching his back, he waited. What else to do but get the show on the road?

   Mario didn't feel the need to stretch much — he'd done enough hoopla in the past few minutes with the wiggler and then the Sand Bird that he felt ready to launch himself right to the moon. But still, he did want to do well; he wanted to win, of course! Especially if there were a ton of enthusiastic fans waiting for him at the end.

   Suddenly feeling renewed excitement, Mario gave a lopsided grin. "Ready?" he asked.

   Il Piantissimo squared his shoulders and stepped alongside him, taking a preparatory stance. "Always! Would you count down?"

   "If you're sure," Mario replied, surprised at his generosity. Turning again to the promised goal up on the height, he focused all of his mental energy on the target. "Three..."

   Il Piantissimo shifted a foot next to him.

   "Two..."

   Mario hardened his brow with a sudden fierce determination.

   "One..."

   That was when he felt Fludd make a sudden movement on his shoulders.

   "Go!!"

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

   And they were off.

   Like an animal called home for dinner, Il Piantissimo darted for the eastern end of the cove, his path clearly already mapped out; and in that first second Mario could think of nothing to do but follow him.

   Sand spiraled behind them as their feet glided across the grainy expanse, the two running side by side for at least the first few moments. At the start it seemed they were matched quite well in speed; and then Mario quickly began devising a strategy of his own.

   He could clearly see that Il Piantissimo was heading for the hillside path that snaked up and around to the back of the tower, which Mario had used to get onto the rotating mirrors earlier. That was the safest and most obvious way of accessing the overlook.

   But Mario had his own ideas.

   Previously, he had watered a dune bud there to create a sand staircase leading up to the path; but he could risk no such luxury now. Tearing across the stretch past the now-empty Sand Cabana and under the welcome shade of the trees, the sound of his own effort was enough that Mario had to look to tell where his opponent was; it was still a fair game.

   Fludd didn't speak, but he knew he didn't have to for his owner to conceive a plan. Now they had come to the high-up ledge with the missing staircase; now the costumed man was climbing its jutting wall with as much grace as he could muster.

Now Mario was throwing himself at one wall with seemingly reckless abandon; and the next moment he was pushing off, ricocheting his body from one side to the other in an upward wall kick. It was safe to say that Fludd had never seen such a maneuver, or thought one possible from a human as such; but there was Mario grabbing the grassy edge above, pulling himself and Fludd to the higher ground. And the next he was instantly up and off again, panting in the sun for just a moment like a nonstop workhorse.

   With a singular mindset the young man scrambled over the grassy hillside, somehow keeping his footing on its rather steep incline. Il Piantissimo was nearby, somewhere; it didn't quite matter at the moment. All Mario knew was that he was going to take the straightest path and make a beeline for the finish.

   Almost crawling, he grasped for plants to pull himself up the last few meters of hill, eyes on the glorious red flag visible just overhead. Almost... there!

   The crowd gathered at the small plaza on the hill was a buzz of talkative energy and overall good cheer — there was even someone playing music and others dancing — piantas and nokis alike, adults and some children as well; but their little hilltop party came to a sudden pause when a half-drenched, huffing Mario appeared over the steep edge of the slope, almost staggered into the clearing, and grasped the pole of the flag amidst them all like one being pursued. Then, finally come to a complete standstill, he leaned against it and closed his eyes, panting hard for some much-deserved oxygen.

   There — nothing to it!

   Staring in apparent surprise for just a moment at his slightly unorthodox entrance, the group fell hushed; and then in the next moment the entire place erupted into a wave of cheers.

   "Alright!!"

   "You made it!"

   "Great job, Mario!" Amid the applause that broke out for the brash young tourist, Jimmy suddenly emerged and grabbed his arm.

   "You did it! You're first!" he exclaimed in excitement and obvious admiration. "Not that there was any doubt of that, though." Grinning through his breathlessness, Mario looked down at him and made a thumbs-up.

   He was still clinging to the flagpole a moment later when Il Piantissimo arrived from the beaten path. Upon his arrival, there was some minor clapping from the crowd as well, although some low murmurs picked up.

   The mask hid a great amount of the foreign man's initial reaction at the outcome, which made Mario a bit disappointed; but it was still a great moment. Regaining some composure, he came forward to shake the loser's hand.

   "Good race!" he offered, chuckling through his gasps. He hadn't expected the climb up the hill to be so telling, but he would've done it again in a heartbeat.

   "Yes... phew whew hah... you are pretty good! You have some speed!" Il Piantissimo said, waving off his outstretched hand. Leaning on his knees to catch his own breath, he added, "I didn't think you were capable of the straight climb — you certainly didn't look it!"

   At first Mario, taken aback, wasn't sure what to say. Glancing around awkwardly for a moment, he thought, Is he calling me unathletic?

   "But you used arms and legs... no cheating or catching rides," the man went on now, straightening up. "And I cannot accept a cheated outcome. It must come down to skill! You have grown ever so slightly in my esteem! Slightly!"

   Mario smiled, a mischievous look coming to him. He decided not to mention that he didn't usually play by the book in the first place.

   "But of course, this was only your first race! I must go easy on you. Next time, I'll give you a greater challenge!"

   Mario raised his eyebrows. "Next time?" Internally, he couldn't help a smirk of triumph. So Il Piantissimo was no graceful loser — that much was apparent. Though deep down, Mario knew he wasn't either — he loved to win, and while he was usually pretty good about being a good sport, sometimes he let his competitiveness get the better of him. That had sometimes created quite a show at some sports matches he had played.

   Il Piantissimo faced him now with that same proud air. "Yes, we will meet again! I will be on this island for some time longer; I look forward to our second race. Perhaps you won't run away with it, eh?"

   Mario grinned challengingly and cocked his head. "We'll see... we'll have to see," he said in answer. "Now I believe you have something to give me?"

   "Ah, yes. Here's your sprite." Digging out the golden prize, he handed over the shine. "Take it, you rogue!"

   Mario made another face of amusement. "We're gathering them for a very important purpose," he said. "They're the power source for the island; without them we can't function!"

   "That is always how it is. Every land has their precious source of power that is necessary for their happy existence, and there is always one ready and willing to snatch it away for selfish desires. That is where rogues like you step in to fix it." There was a pause, almost as if the tan man was grinning. "I will keep an eye out for your special sprites, Mario! But if you want them, you will have to play my game!"

   Taking the shine sprite he held in his hand, he feinted and then tossed it, sending it hovering like a small star to the waiting man. Catching it with both hands, Mario beheld it almost like a gold medal.

   "We will meet again," Il Piantissimo assured as if it were a known fact. "And... goodbye!" And with that, before anyone could even say anything else, the masked man turned tail and left, heading promptly back down the hill on the trail. A moment later he was out of sight.

Almost as if Mario had succeeded in telling him off, the people broke into another small applause. Turning in surprise to the lively crowd, he put away the shine sprite and grinned in exhaustion. He'd won!

I wonder what all that was really about. Maybe it wasn't a huge deal; but then maybe it was. Fludd was right — the shine sprites almost seemed to be pursuing him now!

With the post-race commotion seemingly over, the beach-goers promptly resumed with their own festivities: kids began running and chasing each other about, getting under their chatting parents' feet, and others sat about on the steps talking or enjoying the view. Perched on one of them there was one man with a ukulele who looked like he was enjoying himself. Alongside him were two identically-dressed pianta women in orange leaf skirts and tube tops, with small festive leis of flowers around their wrists and heads. Swaying along to the strumming of his instrument, they gave the place a fun feel; Mario briefly wondered if there was a function or something going on.

That wasn't to say there were no faces he recognized. Sitting by himself a short distance away Mario also spotted Professor Hobbs, quiet and still, persistently searching the sky in hopeful surveillance. Suppressing a grin, he stepped over to the older man.

The pianta evidently hadn't cared much about the race or the hubbub around him; he didn't even have to look to acknowledge the boy's presence. "The legendary Sand Bird is gone," he murmured, shaking his head slowly. "If only it could have stayed with us for a little while..."

Now Mario did smile. "I'd say it stayed long enough for us to get a pretty good look though!" he said.

"Well, yes. And also no. That's the bittersweet truth of all things that are anticipated." He sighed again.

Mario was silent a moment as he pondered that, then shook his head, not knowing how else to reply. Best leave him to his own.

Returning to the flag in the middle of the half-circle of spectators, he was soon joined by Mrs. Carp, Jimmy, and the other pianta waitress whom he'd seen working in the Sand Cabana.

"Congratulations, Mario!" Mrs. Carp praised. "We were rooting for you."

"Heh, thanks!" he chuckled. "I'm still not exactly sure what his deal was, but I got a shine out of it, so hey!"

She nodded. "Il Piantissimo has been turning up all over lately!" she replied. "I don't know much about him either — but he expressed an interest in your running skills, so I thought why not?"

Another nearby noki man chimed in. "Yeah, you sure do have a lot of energy! Admirable!" he said.

"These competitions seem like a waste of energy if you ask me," another noki spoke up, sitting on a step close by with a delicate orange-shelled girl at his shoulder. Turning to them, Mario vaguely recognized the guy and his probably-girlfriend from the beach earlier with the cataquacks.

Now his girlfriend snorted at his comment. "This guy finishes every race dead last," she informed them, looking to Mario himself now. "What a pushover." Her boyfriend seemingly didn't care about the statement.

Mario pretended to consider. "Well, my mama always told me too much energy is a bad thing if you can't get it out!"

It really had seemed true. Mario was always breaking things and going bonkers without proper exercise — to an extent even up to the present.

"Well that's why we're so grateful for your help," Mrs. Carp put in. "You put your energy to good use!"

"Gwa ha! Being healthy is what matters most!" an older pianta next to them bellowed, sitting there smoking a small pipe. Doing a double take, Mario realized that Captain Jenkins had made his way up here as well.

Glancing at them all in amusement, Mario said, "Well, I think that any path is okay as long as you find the goal." Glancing over at Jimmy, who stood proudly beside him, he laughed.

"Careful what you say there, Mario," Mrs. Carp warned with a laugh. "That can be easily misinterpreted!"

Mario chuckled. "I only meant it in the context of a footrace!"

"Well, you did manage to make a good little crowd here," the pianta waitress put in. "We could've made some money if we'd opened a stand here..."

Mario grinned. "Say, do you sell any special juice that will help me beat Il Piantissimo?"

Another pianta man standing nearby, overhearing this, laughed. "I'm sorry, we don't know how to make those!"

"You're not serious?" Mrs. Carp asked. Mario just did a half shrug in reply and kept smiling.

Around them, Jimmy and another pianta boy had begun darting and dancing wildly among the adults' legs, making it difficult to stand in one place. With a shake of her head, Mrs. Carp turned to them.

"Boys! That's enough!"

"Aww, but this is a kind of festival, isn't it? What else are we supposed to do?" Jimmy objected.

"Yeah! Get down!" The pianta boy agreed. Then they resumed their games.

With a sigh, the noki turned back to the human. "You know, I was a pretty wild child back in my day," she remarked. "But even so, I find myself yelling at the kids to QUIET DOWN!"

At the sudden unexpected outburst the two froze, stared, and quickly scrambled to sit down out of the way. Mario raised his eyebrows, impressed and a little frightened. Moms be scary sometimes.

Smiling, Mrs. Carp turned back to him and asked, "So are you still looking for more shine sprites, then?"

"Oh!" He nodded. "Yeah, any I can get my hands on. Know of any here on Gelato Beach?"

"Um, mister? You looking for shine sprites? I think I know where one is," a voice spoke up behind them.

Turning, Mario was confronted with the same face he'd first encountered when he'd stumbled onto Gelato Beach for the first time. The watchman Billy hadn't said much to him that Mario remembered, other than yelling something about staying away from the wiggler and off the dune buds; but now he seemed to have developed respect enough. Boy, everyone is here, aren't they? Mario thought.

"You know where the coral reef is, right?" the brown pianta went on. "Well, I'm pretty sure I've seen something gold sparkling out there recently."

"Wait, where?" Mario asked, wiping a glove across his damp forehead.

"You know the coral out by the Surf Cabana? It's just a little ways past that," Mrs. Carp explained, pointing to the boardwalk far off. "It's that rocky spot. See the darkness in the water?"

"Oh... yeah, I see," Mario said, squinting into the distance at the blue gradient far below. "That would be great if it's true! ...And I think I'm ready to jump in the water anyway," he laughed.

Now Billy grinned. "That look in your eyes! I've seen it before!" Snorting at the others, he chuckled, "Go get 'em!"

"But there are fish out there that'll drag you to the sea floor!" someone else added, almost cheerfully.

Mario didn't even falter. "I've dealt with worse," he waved it off. "It'll be nice!"

Billy shrugged. "Well, I'll be darned if there's not a shine sprite out there."

Jimmy glanced up from where he and his friend were now sitting peacefully on the edge of the hill. "Does that mean you're leaving now?" he spoke up in mild disappointment.

"I'll say goodbye before I leave the beach," Mario assured. "Promise."

"Well, good luck!" someone called. He was followed by a small chorus of similar wishes as he headed towards the trail, fingering Fludd in anticipation.

"Thanks for everything!"

"Congrats on the race!"

Mario had just begun to grin absentmindedly, ready to make his downwards descent to shore when a pianta, the man who was strumming the ukulele, suddenly stepped back and almost toppled Mario over.

"Whoa, sorry about that, bud!" he said, turning to look at him. "You're the winner, right?" The entire time, he never stopped picking strings, even though his eyes were focused on Mario.

"Yep," the human smiled, surprised that he had hardly even noticed.

The man, a blue pianta with a tropical shirt and leafy hat that matched the dancer women, leaned closer conspiratorially. "Well I can tell you're not from around here, so let me clue you in. I'm Tommy, Tommy Tanner — instrumentalist and background vocals for these two lovely ladies." Gesturing to the piantas who danced in tandem to his beat, he said proudly, "Delfino's own Doot-Doot Sisters, Louise and Vanessa!"

"Oh, so you're a local group?" Mario thought aloud.

"Well, yeah... these girls are kinda a big deal, so we travel around the island a lot. Keep an eye out for us!"

"Hmm... you know, I actually think I remember someone mentioning you guys," the human said at last.

Tommy nodded eagerly at this. "Yeah yeah yeah! Tell you what, why don't I introduce you? Perfect opportunity..."

"Uh..." Mario glanced the showy piantas over in one sweep. "I'm not sure I really have the time right now..."

For once, he wasn't in a huge hurry — but he didn't really have a huge desire to meet some local performing sensations, either.

   Tommy gave him no choice. "Nonsense, you'll regret not getting to meet these rising stars!" Finally ceasing his music, he turned to the girls and jerked at Mario.

"Ladies, this is the guy who won the footrace," he said, as if they would have trouble understanding. "He's a tourist."

"Hello," Mario nodded politely. "I'm Mario." He paused for an awkward moment, wondering if he should add more. He was kind of used to people recognizing him or reacting wildly when they heard his name, but now he got nothing. I guess hoping they've heard of Super Mario is a long shot. For a moment he also considered complementing their dancing or their shows or something, but realized he really didn't have anything to say on the topic.

"Hi there," spoke up the purple one, without falling out of dance step. "I hope you're enjoying your time on Isle Delfino!" She seemed to mean it but wasn't giving him much second thought as she focused on her moves.

Her sister, Vanessa, however, had no problem voicing her mind. "Cool, a new fan?" she said, looking him briefly over. "You know, I'm just really not that into sweaty guys..."

At first Mario could only stare at her. Excuse me??

Was that a direct insult, or some sort of flirtatious remark? Trying to figure out how to respond to that, for a second Mario created an awkward silence. He didn't feel like apologizing.

"Uh-hh, yeah, I'm sorry," he said as gracefully as he could manage, avoiding eye contact. "I... was working hard here on the beach."

Now Tommy turned to him. "Oh, you're the guy they said who was doing all that crazy stuff, right? You tamed the wiggler?"

Mario chuckled. "Eh, well not exactly... but yeah, that's me. I'm actually looking for shine sprites right now too, so I'm probably — I should get going," he went on, pointing in a random direction. "It was nice to meet you all!"

"Anytime," Vanessa replied, in a tone that said the opposite.

"Come see us when we go to Pianta Village!" Tommy spoke up now. "We'll be there either tonight or tomorrow. Just follow the crowd."

Mario raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Okay, I will," he assured, not knowing how much he really meant it. With that, he quickly turned and made for the trail that would get him out of there.

But as it turned out, he would never even need it. Just as he was about to depart from the hilltop gathering, he bumped into the pianta waitress and the smaller pianta boy who had been playing with Jimmy.

"Oh, you're still here?" she asked. "What's the holdup?"

Mario grinned and sighed. "I can't seem to get off this hill!"

"You know what I would do?" the boy spoke up suddenly. "Slide right down the hill over the edge! Forget the trail, that's the long way around!"

The woman, who must have been his mother, rolled her eyes. "This kid keeps talking about jumping into that tarp down there," she said, pointing at the base of the Shine Tower below. "It isn't just unsafe; it's impossible!"

Mario frowned thoughtfully, moving closer to the edge for a better look. Sure enough, it did appear to be a pretty smooth drop off the grass and sand onto a beige tarp or something near the ground.

"I don't know," he remarked, giving it an analytical eye. "I think I can do it."

The woman gave him a double take. "Huh? YOU can do it?" she repeated.

Mario smiled to himself, walking closer to the edge. He loved moments like these.

Nearby, perched on the edge facing the Shine Tower, Jimmy was sitting quite peacefully, rocking his feet as he stared out at the horizon. On seeing Mario, he sat up straighter.

"Hey! Are you gonna jump?" he asked excitedly.

"Ha. Why not?" Mario asked.

"Sliding down the patch of odd-colored sand there is tons of fun." Pausing to glance back at his mother nearby, Jimmy added, "But I think sitting here and enjoying the view is nice, too."

"Well, I'll have to take your word for that part," Mario said slyly. And with that, he pushed himself over the side and went sliding down the slope, sand and grass doing little to hinder his fall.

Breaking into a roll, a moment later Mario and his machine full of water flew off the cliff side and landed, perhaps a bit hard, right on the meager tarp they'd seen, which turned out not to be much to speak of. It didn't do much to break his fall — it appeared to be a site for the repairs that would be happening to the tower.

Rolling over and getting upright, Mario brushed off his pants and smiled. "It's not that bad," he said to himself, nevertheless checking his arm for bruises.

"You said something similar when you jumped onto the Ferris wheel," Fludd spoke up now, moving his head into a more favorable position. "And when you got into the beach cannon..."

"Oh, but come on," Mario argued, walking around the side of the circular monument's base. "That was nothing."

"You do have a funny definition of nothing," Fludd remarked.

Mario kept smiling, enjoying the chance to finally get to talk freely with Fludd again. "When you've been in my shoes..."

"I do not think that's possible, considering I was not given feet," the machine replied.

Mario didn't answer that one. He had come up around the side of the tower now, gazing up at the chamber where the egg had used to sit; and from where he stood he was not disappointed.

Jimmy had not exaggerated: the glass incubator had been smashed open from within. Like a giant earthworm emerging from an apple, the newborn Sand Bird had created an enormous hole in the side of the tower big enough for several wigglers to crawl through, spreading bricks and shards of glass all over the ground in the process. From the looks of things, there was still going to be some work done here.

"Wow, look at that," he remarked, gazing upwards at the giant hole. "Cool stuff!"

"I imagine it is actually still quite warm, since the mirrors are still pointed at it," Fludd said.

Turning towards his new destination of the boardwalk, Mario had to hold back a laugh. "It's just an expression, Fludd," he replied. "It means it's something really amazing!"

"You sure use a lot of expressions," Fludd answered.

"Hah. I guess so. Here's one for you," Mario said, thinking aloud as he marched out onto the open sands of the beach. Once again in the sun, he tugged at his collar and tried to ignore the sweat trickling down his chest.

"Do you think it's just an expression to say those Doot-Doot Sisters are kind of... stuffy?" he asked.

"It depends on what you mean by stuffy."

"I mean, they think they're better than everyone."

"Given their considerable popularity and somewhat widespread success, that is difficult to say," Fludd said, though he sounded thoughtful. "Personally, I don't know much about them, other than that they sing and perform."

   "But I mean, did you hear what the yellow one said?" Mario asked in some disbelief. "She didn't like me."

   "Well, sweating is only a necessary bodily function. If she didn't like your overabundance of it I suppose that would be unfair."

   "It's not my fault I could use a drink," Mario shrugged. "And it is... getting pretty hot," he sighed now, rubbing another damp arm over his eyes.

   "Yes, that probably is another factor. Piantas are much more resistant to high temperatures," Fludd said.

   "Well, I'm not a pianta," Mario said, fanning his face now, "and I'm glad!"

   "Aren't you saying then that you're better than everyone else?" Fludd reasoned.

"What? Oh, no! I'm only better in some respects. Like running and jumping..."

"Well as far as running and jumping go, you may be right," Fludd acknowledged, "at least as far as Il Piantissimo is concerned."

"Oh yeah, what do you think of that guy?" Mario asked, glancing at the blue cataquacks scattering the beach as he passed. The spherical large-billed birds that he had encountered earlier appeared to have returned to the beach in all their numbers, the prior threat finally eliminated. They made low, funny squeaks as he passed.

"He is certainly an interesting individual — not from around here," Fludd answered as Mario came onto the boardwalk.

"So do you know where he is from? Did you figure out anything about him?"

"Not much to report since I did no scan on him, but I doubt I would have come up with much we could use anyway," Fludd replied.

"You're probably right," Mario agreed. "He seemed very... different." Gazing down into the crystal clear water as he walked along the boardwalk, he marveled at the colors in the rocks beneath.

   "You seemed especially hesitant to trust him," Fludd observed.

   Mario shrugged in response. "He's a strange guy. Always approach with some caution!"

   "Do all men think that way, or just the 'daredevils' like you?" Fludd wanted to know.

   Walking up to the edge of the walk a ways from the Surf Cabana, Mario grinned. "Who can say?" he asked. And with that, he launched himself from the path like a rock into the water below.

   Like a heavenly wave of coolest winter the crystalline sea washed over his head, putting his body at instant ease. With the temperature change came an astounding boost of energy: and like one immediately renewed Mario rolled over and thrust his head at the surface.

   Flinging the sparkling liquid everywhere, Mario burst from the delicate ocean and laughed out loud. "It's been a while since I really went swimming!" he exclaimed, glancing at the ripples that shimmered below him. Kicking off from the still shallow sea floor, he turned to the darker rocks further out and began wading in.

   "Time to look for that shine sprite," he said between pushes, beginning to ease into a breaststroke now. With every move he realized over and over again how lovely it truly was — the water was such a glorious temperature as it swirled around his skin, and so clear and picturesque, too! Hauling the surprisingly buoyant Fludd on his back like a package, Mario kicked himself forward and made for the supposed reef not far away.

   "It is good to get a refill," Fludd said, watching Mario move along. "And fortunate that you know how to swim!"

   "Of course," Mario said, blowing up bubbles on the water's surface. "I've been swimming since I was practically a baby."

   "If you want to put it that way, I believe you have been swimming since you were the tiniest beginnings of an organism," Fludd replied, getting analytical. Mario, unprepared for the sudden biological turn, just snorted into the water and smiled.

   "Yeah, I guess so — but I still had to relearn it later!"

   "It is certainly a useful skill to have," Fludd answered, as Mario neared the area in question. It wasn't that the water was darker or anything out there, but it was the undersea coral that was there in abundance: rising from the sea floor around them were several large, purplish-gray rock structures, some reaching high enough to poke from the surface. Grabbing onto the nearest one and pulling himself up a little, Mario tried to look around.

   "Do you sense anything, Fludd?" he asked, gazing over the stones. From a slightly higher vantage, he could suddenly see that there were several hollowed-out crevices among the smoothed rock walls; and tilting his head observantly, he thought that the reef almost looked like a collection of giant sand dollars below the gentle flow of the waves.

   "I'm getting a reading from the left — perhaps by that rock over there," Fludd said, turning his head. Aiming for some tall orange coral he spotted sticking up from a hole, Mario headed for it.

   "So it's underwater then," he realized, pushing himself along.

   "It would seem to be so," Fludd agreed.

   "Hold on," Mario said, coming to a stop and floating momentarily at the surface. Then, collecting a breath, he plunged underneath.

   The human couldn't have imagined the almost unearthly sight waiting for him when he opened his eyes.

   Down below it was like yet another world; pure, pristine and full of every color he could dream of. He had seen coral reefs before, of course, and was no stranger to oceans; but there was something about the water enveloping his head now that held him nearly astounded for the first moment. Never had he seen a water so blue, a visual so rich as the one literally swimming before his eyes.

   He had sunk down a little ways into a small pathway in the reef, a little rocky valley between two larger rock formations; and the sight below was a treat that couldn't quite be captured from above. A small school of vibrant red fish went zipping by his legs, spreading like magic around him and rejoining as they carried on their underwater flight to an unseen destination. A few green, leafy plants undulated beneath him on the sandy floor, which was perhaps ten feet deep at this point. Even the rock walls around him glittered purple in the sunlight from overhead.

   Holding his breath, Mario gazed on it all in amazement for a moment before remembering his task and kicking forward. He was supposed to be looking... Fludd had said there was something very special around here.

   Following the kind of natural valley he had ended up in, Mario swam underwater a little ways, keeping his head along the floor in search of anything sparkly or otherwise eye-catching. For a bit he almost felt like a manta ray scanning the spongy ground.

   He momentarily became so preoccupied with this task, in fact, that he forgot to even look ahead where he was going; but right when he was about to hit his head on the rough stone in front of him, he felt something soft and silky sweep by his arm.

   Jolting upwards, the next thing Mario knew he found himself face to face with a large, angry-looking pink fish.

   At least, he assumed it was a fish. It seemed to have small, colorful purple fins and a big pair of smacking lips, but the irritated, warning glare in its squinted eyes was a look Mario wasn't sure he'd ever gotten from a fish before.

   Recoiling in alarm, he pulled his arms back and just missed having them snapped at by the large-mouthed creature, which began to wriggle forward from among a nest of glowing seaweed.

   Mario kicked away, staring with wide eyes. Wait... glowing?

   The pink scaled fish lunged forward again, this time coming completely free of its secret hideaway; and having aroused its attention well enough, Mario realized he'd better move.

   Then he did the first thing that came to his reflex: grabbed Fludd and gunned the handles.

   A blast of mostly unseen water shot forward like a current above his head, hitting its mark with a small wave of bubbles. Clearly startled by the attack, the ugly fish jerked backwards. Whoa... underwater Fludd works!

   Quickly propelling himself upwards and away, Mario managed to reach the surface without getting bitten. Bursting up from the water, Mario gasped for air and grabbed on to the jutting rocks, clinging to it as he stared into the water below. The waves lightly tossed his small figure as he kicked against them, watching while the odd fish continued swimming along beneath him until he'd lost sight of it.

   "Well there is the predator we were warned of," Fludd spoke up from his back. Grasping onto the wet rocks with his saturated gloves, Mario nodded.

   "Looks like one ugly cheep-cheep," he observed. Then he gulped for another breath and dove back in.

   The transition to the underworld never ceased to be amazing even if he was expecting it. Thick turquoise water pulled in every direction around him as he pushed downwards. Grains of sand swirled like tiny tornadoes above the floor as he came to look closer in the plants at the end of the underwater canyon. But burrowing his head among the thick seaweed, Mario found no surprise fish attack to stop him this time.

   Pulling apart tangled strands of seaweed with his fingers amid purple and pink coral stacks, he almost felt like a real old-fashioned treasure hunter, complete with wetsuit and recording gear ready to make a big archaeological discovery. To an extent that was true — but he knew there would be no one else to see the golden glow of the lost shine sprite hiding within, or to hear its gentle shimmering sound that emanated even through the water around him.