"Go straight that way," the policeman instructed firmly, placing his hands on his hips. "You can't miss the mess, pal!"

Rubbing his wrist, the young man before him silently nodded in compliance. He wasn't opposed to helping, but he didn't exactly like to be ordered around everywhere. After all, it was a little hard to be real friendly with the person who had just been dragging you around in handcuffs!

As Fludd had rightly predicted, they had come for Mario quick and early in the Delfino prison next morning. Still in the middle of an admittedly nice dream of home, he had awoken to the harsh clanging sound of the prison door opening. Not entirely wanting to leave his memory's pleasant embrace, he had lingered for just a moment and gotten a rather hard wake-up call on the shoulder from the warden. After a hurried breakfast Mario would rather soon forget, he had been hustled outside the police station at long last into the already-cooking morning. Despite the heat which he had expected of Isle Delfino, the sky didn't at all appear to match; although it was little past dawn, the sky was clouded over with a strange grayish cast, rendering the whole place around them shady and oddly dark-looking.

It was the last thing on Mario's mind at just this moment, though. The moment the handcuffs fell away and the fresh air hit his face, he instantly felt retransformed; finally, freedom! This was his tomorrow; now was his time to make things all back as they should be. The instant he was free he almost had to bounce up and down to keep from running off.

"Your first job's to get rid of all that ugliness," the policeman before him was saying. He said it a little spitefully, almost as if explaining to a naïve two-year-old. Mario inwardly sighed.

"Okay," he replied, eager to just get moving. He hadn't really moved his legs in over half a day, and he was starting to get rather antsy. On top of that, he was most eager to find the princess; she had to be around here somewhere. Surely she knew of his release, right?

Noticing that the rapscallion was barely listening, the policeman frowned. "And remember, we'll be watching you, pal," he informed firmly. "We'll know if you start slacking off!"

Mario nodded in what appeared to be obedience, and the pianta finally sighed and waved him along. "Get going! Clean up Bianco Square, and make it snappy!" Watching him go, he turned toward the deputy beside him and shook his head. "I swear, graffiti artists just make me so mad..."

~

The fresh taste of sea air mingled with the sound of gulls and people's voices up and down the market street as the morning's first business began to commence. It was the start of another busy day on the island; fruit vendors were opening shop beneath straw awnings along the wall of the overhanging building, and islanders in casual beachwear already strolled the streets leisurely. This place certainly did get off to an early start.

Passing underneath the stone arch connecting two buildings, a young man wearing a unique water pump on his back walked away from the police station and cast a sweeping glance over the unfamiliar world before him. True, he didn't know where he was going; but whoever said that was a problem?

As a human, he didn't exactly blend in; but then, neither did most tourists. He was shorter than the average pianta, so his vision was somewhat limited; and after a moment of seemingly fruitless searching he turned to the machine on his back.

"Fludd, do you see anything?"

"Market Street. The center of business on Isle Delfino, where the finest tropical fruits are sold. It is here that many piantas make their living. To the left is the East Plaza Shore, and up ahead take a right to reach Bianco Square and the Grand Pianta Statue. The tall building up on the left is the east bell tower –

"No, I meant do you see the princess," Mario interrupted, trying to take in everything Fludd was saying. Well, if he got lost he always had his map.

"Scanning," Fludd answered, slowly moving his head in a circular motion. Mario had to admit he was impressed by how much Fludd seemed to be capable of; what didn't the machine know?

As Mario stood waiting a moment for Fludd to come up with something, wondering just how far Fludd's 'scanners' could reach, a familiar voice suddenly called his name.

"Mario!"

Turning, Mario looked up to see a yellow toadstool rushing towards him from beneath one of the palm trees beside the street. The worried look on his face quickly faded to one of joy.

"Benji?" Mario asked, stepping forward. He was about to say something else when suddenly the toadstool reached him and promptly grabbed his leg in a hug.

"Wahh! You're safe! What a relief!" Benji cried dramatically.

Mario couldn't keep back the smile of amusement. Wrapping an arm affectionately around the little toadstool, he said, "It's good to see you, Benji... Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking up at him but not letting go of his pants just yet. "We're all okay, we were just worried about you! This vacation is crazy!"

You got that right, Mario thought. "Where's the princess?" he asked, voicing the biggest question on his mind.

"She should be around here somewhere. We all came to the plaza when we heard you'd be released this morning."

"Well come on, let's go look for her," Mario replied, motioning for him to follow. Not needing to be told twice, Benji followed Mario as he began to head down the street, weaving between early shoppers and other villagers who seemed to only be there to socialize. A pianta man strumming a small guitar as he walked meandered past them, and Mario caught his eyes for a second. Wasn't that the guy he'd met on the airstrip yesterday? It could be a little tough to tell with so many piantas about. It was all certainly different from the peaceful neighborhood streets of the Mushroom Kingdom, where nearly everyone was below Mario's shoulders.

So this was Delfino Plaza; or at least, a part of it. Behind the shouting voices and the busy tramp of islanders, he could hear the gentle rhythm of the sea; wave after wave rolled in the distance, giving the entire plaza a wonderful ambience. That, combined with the warm air and the distinctly tropical smells, gave it all a very beachy feel.

The first thing that instantly struck you about the place was the color; not just the buildings, but even the villagers were brightly dressed with rainbow skin tones. Although the sky was admittedly quite dark, the place still seemed alive for the most part.

The buildings here were all very tall, almost skyscrapers compared with most buildings in the Mushroom Kingdom. Everything was made of bright orange clay and grey stone, even the old-fashioned shingles on the pointed rooftops. It was all very extravagant in a rustic sort of way; around doorways and wooden windowsills the walls were adorned with triangular tiles in decorative patterns, and suns and moons seemed to be a prevalent theme everywhere one looked. Colorful tropical birds in hues of blue and green flashed about, flitting among overhanging power lines. The style of architecture and even the colors sang of home; not the Mushroom Kingdom, but more like a quaint Italian villa. Indeed, all that would seem to be missing was a roadside band with some accordions and guitars.

Glancing up and around at it all for the first time, taking it all in nearly at once, Mario realized that he liked it. How similar it all felt, he suddenly found, to the streets of that faraway country he had once dwelled in; and for just a second he imagined that he was back. For a brief moment he drank it all in, and the familiar excitement swept over him. He wondered how old these buildings were, to be so cultured and yet so neat-looking.

As Fludd had mentioned, on his left beyond the roadside palm trees was a small shore, a tiny beach that almost melded into the street. A shallow strip of sand where a few chairs and umbrellas were set up soon gave way to the ocean itself, like the town abruptly dropped off into a blue eternity. On the horizon, Mario could make out a tiny little island farther off.

He was so engrossed with looking around for a moment that he wasn't watching entirely where he was going, and soon bumped, hard, into the shoulder of a passing pianta man.

"Oh, sorry," Mario quickly said, backing up. The pianta, however, seemed hardly to have felt it.

"What's this, now?" he asked, stopping and looking the guy over. His eyes widened as he quickly took in the one before him. "That mustache! That red cap!" he exclaimed.

Mario and Benji shared a split-second glance. This could only be really good or really bad.

"You look just like the villain they just arrested!" the man exclaimed, almost in exaggerated horror. Then, in a frown of disapproval, he declared, "They shouldn't have released you, if you ask me. You cad! Quit writing your 'M's all over the walls! You might think it's decorative, buddy, but here's a newsflash: nobody else likes it!"

Now it was Mario's turn to frown. "My...?"

The pianta raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, your 'M's! Your silly little signature!"

Mario stopped and stared at Benji in confusion. "But... how could they..."

"Don't play dumb with me! Listen," the man went on indignantly. "Clean it all up now, hooligan! There's a whole ton near the pianta statue!"

Then, in a huff, he walked off, muttering to himself disdainfully. Mario and Benji stared after him for a moment before sharing glances.

"What's wrong, Mario?" Benji asked.

Mario shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "He said that the 'M' is this villain's signature... have you seen what he's talking about?"

Benji thought for a second, then nodded. "There is a good amount of graffiti on the walls in the square," he offered. "It's a lot of jumble, but there is a specific red mark kinda like that on a lot of stuff." He paused and then widened his eyes, looking at Mario in shock. "But... that's crazy!"

Mario was deep in thought, painfully aware of Benji staring at the red 'M' embroidered on his hat. "How could that be, Benji? How could they possibly... unless... someone's trying to frame me."

Benji gasped in horror. "You mean... this really isn't all just some big misunderstanding, is it? There's really someone out to get you!"

"Now, I don't know for sure," Mario said, settling his gaze over the throng. "But there is definitely something going on here and I don't like it."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that," Benji said sympathetically. "Does every single person on this island already know about your arrest? That guy just called you a villain! Why that –

"It's okay, Benji," Mario cut him off. "We shouldn't pay attention to all that stuff."

Deep down, Mario had to admit it was bothering, to be spit upon like that; not that he didn't suffer plenty of criticism from his enemies, but usually it didn't come from random civilians. He was proud of his good reputation, and he would never let it be sullied by something so silly as vandalism. He was the 'reckless rogue'; the hero who wasn't afraid to do things his own way, and that's the way he liked it.

He was used to being recognized, as Fludd had figured out; Mario was quite a bit of a famous figure, and used to being praised for his exploits almost everywhere he went. There was always someone who had heard of him, who would treat him like some sort of idol; it had admittedly gotten him perhaps a little spoiled. But no one here seemed to have heard of any of that, though. It made him feel unusually crummy; these people seemed only to know him for some awful misdeed he didn't even do. Had they been badmouthing him over the media, publicizing his arrest or something? If they were, it had better not get out of hand... He tried to squash the thought before he got really mad. The sooner he cracked this case wide open, the better.

Moving on, Mario and Benji soon began to pass the fruit stalls under their big flapping banners, where the vendors were shouting to try to hook buyers.

"Durians and coconuts here! Fresh from Pianta Village! If you're not buying get lost!"

"Red-hot peppers! In a sun drought like this you need hot peppers to heat up!"

Benji chuckled in confusion at some of them. "They seem a bit desperate for business," he commented.

As they passed another one, an orange pianta man selling pineapples called out to Mario. "Hey there! You don't look so good," he commented, and waved the two over to his tent. Compliantly, the human did, bringing the toadstool with him.

"What do you mean?" the toadstool asked curiously.

"Well, it's like... it's like disaster is written all over your face, you know?"

Mario sighed and tried to lighten his look. Was it really that obvious? "Well, I think we're already having a disaster here, don't you think?" he asked, adjusting his hat while Benji looked in awe over the fresh pineapples.

"What's that?... Oh, right," the pianta said, chuckling at himself. "What with the shine sprites and all. Well, can I interest you chaps in anything?"

"No thank you," Mario replied graciously, then took Benji's hand to pull him on his way. "We have to be going. Thanks, though."

"Take care, buddy!"

Continuing on down the road, Benji began moving with a skip in his step. "Well, some of the people here seem friendly," he said.

Thank goodness, Mario thought. He was just about to think of a reply when a brown pianta man just up ahead spotted them and came forward a little too fast for comfort.

"Hey, if it isn't the bad mustache man!" he said loudly, almost as if hoping to make a scene right there in the middle of the road. Mario looked at the ground in a huff before he could say or do something he'd regret. And speaking of friendly people...

"Hey!" Benji spoke up, stepping forwardly bravely. "Mario didn't do anything wrong! You don't know what you're saying!"

"Sorry, little fella, but I'm afraid you don't know what you're saying," the man replied. "This is clearly the guy who's been ruining everyone's lives with all his paint! I mean, he's on every wanted poster in town!"

"It's not his fault!" a small indignant voice broke in. They all looked up to see Alexander, the red toadstool, come to their rescue. Crossing his arms, he came and stood beside Mario and Benji. "And besides, the police let him go. The court ruled to let him clean it all up without any trouble, in case you missed the news."

The man raised a skeptical eyebrow and looked the human over, as if doubting his capacity. "Well, just because you're cleaning up the town, that doesn't mean you're clean with me!" he declared at last.

Alexander shook his head in exasperation as the man went on his way. Mario and Benji stood by for a moment in silence. Well, it surely couldn't get much worse than that.

"Everyone here thinks they're so smart," Alexander said with a snort. Then he turned to them. "Anyway, good to see you, Mario. The princess is right over here, if you were looking for her," he added, gesturing with a tiny arm. "Come on!"

Glad to be getting out of the crowd, Mario and Benji followed his lead as they headed toward the east bell tower at the end of the street. It was apparently on the very corner of the plaza, and its height towered so high even above the other buildings that one could barely make out the steeple high above.

Trying to avoid the villagers' often scrutinizing looks, Mario slipped by the last fruit stall and after the two toadstools, searching for signs of the princess. As he did, he spoke up to the machine on his back, who had been silent for some time.

"Hey Fludd, why so quiet?"

With an immediate movement, the pump came to action. "I try not to intrude when not spoken to," he said. "Or at least when others are speaking. I can go into a kind of temporary sleep mode if not used for a few moments, so as not to be a bother."

Mario shook his head. "It's no bother-

Just then he was cut short by a familiar voice up ahead, calling his name.

"Oh, Mario!"

For a second Mario halted in surprise, then looked up to the direction from whence it came. There, standing just up ahead beside Toadsworth beneath the small overhang at the base of the bell tower, was Princess Peach. Almost before he noticed her she broke away from the butler's side and rushed forward in excitement; and before the young man knew what was happening, he was enveloped in a dainty hug, accompanied by the sweet smell of lavender perfume.

"You're okay after all," she gushed with relief, quickly pulling away out of slight embarrassment. "I just knew you would be."

Mario, almost frozen stiff for a moment out of surprise, blinked. Peach looked him over for a second and let out a little giggle, seeing the shock apparent on his face. Despite the night in jail, he still looked pretty much the same, if not a bit musty. Seeing that he was still a bit slow, and the smile hadn't entirely returned to his eyes, she asked in slight concern, "Are you doing alright?"

The young man looked up at her and did a double take. The princess was as lovely as always, especially after the bleak colors of prison, but this time he was taken aback by something he had never seen before: she had put up her hair. Mario had never seen Peach do anything different with her hair, but now it was tied up in a regal ponytail with a blue band that matched her eyes, exposing her bare shoulders to the sun. For a second he had to fight not to stare in an obvious way.

Woah. Realizing she had asked him a question, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm doing fine," he said, not wanting to dwell on it. "Pretty good, now that I'm finally out, I guess. Are you all okay?"

"Oh, thank goodness. Yes, we're all fine, just worried about you! I mean... well, I hoped you'd be alright. Was... was the prison very bad?"

"No, it was fine," Mario said with a shrug. "Pretty boring, but... well, at least now I can walk around town and get despised by people. It's more interesting."

Peach sighed, something like anger touching her pretty features. "I tried to reason with them Mario, I really did," she said apologetically. "I'm so sorry about all of this, and the trial..." She shook her head. "It all happened so fast, and I didn't know what to do... Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm not letting it bother me too much," Mario replied, trying to keep his voice light. "I'm just trying to get on with it, you know?"

She nodded sympathetically, not seeming as eager as he was to drop it. "That was the most quick, unfair case I've ever seen! These people have no idea who they're dealing with."

"Yeah, you can say that again!" Alexander spoke up. "Didja hear the judge? Talk about snooty!"

Benji nodded beside them. "And we think Mario's being framed!"

Peach raised her eyebrows and looked back and forth between them. "Framed? Do you think so?"

"Well, I don't know yet," Mario answered. "But we'll figure it out." Changing gears, he asked, "How long have you been here?"

"Oh, only for a little while. They told us you'd be released first thing in the morning, so of course we came!" Peach flashed him a smile, but it seemed burdened.

"How was the hotel?" Mario wanted to know.

Peach looked surprised. "Oh... that. Well, if it makes you feel any better, you might have been better off sleeping in jail. Apparently there was some accident which prevented access to the hotel for one reason or another, so we actually spent the night on the plane, if you can believe it."

The toadstools around her nodded. "Yeah, and the Toad Express isn't exactly built for sleeping!" Benji said.

Mario was silent for a second, frowning as he tried not to think about the 'fun' he'd missed out on. "That's strange," he said. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry about all of this, princess."

"It's not your fault," she replied. She sighed and twirled the pink sun parasol she held over one shoulder. "At least I've got this new parasol."

"Where'd you get it?" Mario asked politely.

"Toadsworth bought it for me," she replied. "At one of the shops. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be of much use right now," she added, holding it away from her head to glance at the foggy sky. "And why is the sky so dark, huh? It's not sun-drenched in the least!"

Oscar, the purple toadstool, suddenly came up to them from seemingly nowhere. "Yeah, Mario, what's up with the weather? Is it because the shine sprites are missing?"

Abruptly Fludd activated on Mario's back and turned around to answer him. "Affirmative. The strange weather is a direct side effect of the shine sprites' absence," he explained.

"Oh, Fludd! How are you doing?" Peach asked in surprise, noticing him for the first time. "I completely forgot about him!"

"I am doing well, princess. I trust you are as well?" the machine replied.

She smiled, but it soon turned rather dismal. "Yes, I'm doing fine... I just don't understand why things have gone so terribly wrong. This is hardly my idea of a relaxing vacation, Mario," she said, turning again to his owner. The sudden sadness that descended over her made Mario feel pretty crummy, even if it wasn't his fault.

"I... I want to go home right now!" she pouted, looking around at the unfamiliar town.

That was the first thing Mario had hoped she wouldn't say. Not that he didn't understand her frustration, but he wasn't ready to give up just yet. And besides, now, he was prohibited from leaving by law!

Looking at her broken face, he was almost surprised. She wasn't... going to cry, was she?

He sincerely hoped not. He hated to see her sad, and worse, he really didn't know what to do when girls cried. It seemed like whatever comfort he could come up with wouldn't be sensitive enough.

Luckily, at that moment Toadsworth came to his rescue. Coming up beside the princess, he laid a hand on her arm, snapping her out of her thoughts. "There, your Highness, it's alright. Master Mario, it's wonderful to see you, boy! You're not looking bad at all."

Mario nodded a hello. "Thanks," he said. "It sure feels good to be out!"

Toadsworth chuckled. "I'd imagine so. Well, I'm pleased to see you're safe. I must tell you, we were walking around town earlier, and... it seems the area near the Shine Gate is still quite bright," he said, indicating towards the north with his cane. "Perhaps you should check it out."

"Hm," Mario said thoughtfully. "That's where the shine sprites gather, right? Maybe there's still some left."

"Correct. We should go have a look sometime to appraise the situation," Fludd spoke up.

Toadsworth nearly jumped, then put a hand to his chest. "Ah, so you've still got your pump," he said, glancing at the talkative machine. "Well, good to see they didn't give you too much trouble about it. Speaking of, how exactly did you get him, anyway? I don't believe you ever had the chance to share."

Mario chuckled. "It's kind of a long story, but basically Professor Gadd sent him here for me."

Peach frowned in interest. "Professor Gadd? You mean the inventor who..."

Mario nodded quickly. "Yeah, it was a gift from him. A handy coincidence, huh?"

Toadsworth chuckled thoughtfully. "Indeed, it is odd. I suppose he'll be invaluable with all this cleaning you've got to do, eh?"

"Yeah," Mario replied with a small grin, glancing back towards Fludd. "They actually sent me to clean a mess in Bianco Square; do you know where that is?"

"It's this open plaza right here, my boy," Toadsworth said, pointing to the right. "It's like a swamp out there, so do be careful!"

"Oh yeah! It's mad!" Oscar spoke up. "Come on, I'll show you!"

Mario started to go with the little toadstool and then paused. "Oh... I've got to go do some work now, princess," he said apologetically. "You know. I don't know how long I'll be, but I've gotta go."

She nodded. "Just be careful, Mario. You take care of him, Fludd, alright?" she added. "And we've already agreed that we won't do anything fun without you. For the most part," she giggled.

A glimmer of Mario's old mischievous smile came across his face as he turned and headed away after the eager purple toadstool. That was his princess – stubborn, but not too stubborn.

As they headed off, Fludd raised his head up. "Mario, there is an incoming D.E.B.S. transmission," he informed.

Mario frowned and glanced at Oscar. "Transmission?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"An incoming message from the Delfino Emergency Broadcast System. I can pick them up from the radio tower and relay them to you," the pump explained.

Still Fludd doesn't cease to surprise, Mario thought. "Ah, okay... what does it say?"

"It seems several people have gone missing near the Grand Pianta Statue in Bianco Square," he replied.

Mario and Oscar were silent a second. "But isn't that... here?" Mario asked.

Oscar took a deep breath. "Oh yeah, that's not good. They need your help, Mario," he said, indicating the open stretch before them.

Mario widened his eyes as he took in the shocking sight. It was like some sort of public pool... except there was no water here to be found.

"Well, here we are," Oscar announced. "Bianco Square. What'd I tell ya, huh?"

"More like Marrone Square," Mario said, staring at the waves of brown sludge before them. "This place is... well, like a swamp!"

Stretching for yards and yards ahead and around them, a giant mess even bigger than the one on the airstrip covered the once-white ground of the square. It shimmered different shades of brown, like some sort of enchanted mud or maybe chocolate. It didn't look so much like vandalism as a giant paint accident, or an enormous pig's playpen.

"Bianco Square," Fludd narrated. "This main center of Delfino Plaza is on the very southernmost tip of the dolphin's snout, home to the Grand Pianta Statue. The building to your right is the town hall. To the left, the ocean. Right now passing through is mostly prohibited by all this pollution."

"Yeah," Oscar agreed, just taking it all in. "Pretty incredible, right? And they think you did it! How could one person even cause so much mess, huh? It looks like... sewer sludge."

"That's the nice term for it," Mario grinned mischievously. "I highly doubt that's the case, though. I wonder how long it's been here," he commented, crouching down to inspect it closer. "No one's even bothered to try cleaning it up? It doesn't seem dangerous..."

"Dangerous? Are you kidding?" a voice interrupted. "Buddy, this thing just swallowed up that guy alive!"

Mario turned to the man who'd spoken. It was a yellow pianta in a straw hat, hovering over the pool's edge nearby and staring at the bubbling surface with fascination. Like most passersby, he had easily been hooked.

"This is so amazing, isn't it? Where are the tv cameras?" he asked in excitement.

Mario came up to his side. "You mean, where are the missing people?"

The pianta turned to him and pointed. "They're all in there, man. Don't get too close or you end up like them... in the sludge."

In something like horror, Oscar stared at the rippling surface. "Oh my gosh... Mario, you gotta do something!"

The hero didn't need to be told twice. Grabbing Fludd's handles, he turned to the enormous swamp before him and immediately set to work, dousing the ground with a powerful spray. The overly excited pianta beside them tried to talk to Oscar over the noise.

"So were the cameras already here? Did I miss something, huh?"

"I don't know," the little toadstool said loudly. "Doesn't seem to be a huge concern."

As more feet of solid ground began to appear, Mario advanced forward, pushing his way through the goop. It was quite amazing, really; did Fludd ever run out of water? He could certainly hold more than one would think. Seemingly gallons and gallons mingled with the goop, turning to liquid before washing away. Mario found that it was quite nice to just focus on cleaning a mess and play with Fludd's jets. There was something rather satisfying about it.

Soon a small crowd of townsfolk had gathered around all sides of the pool to gawk at the spectacle.

"Oh good, they hired a janitor," a pianta lady commented to her husband. "It's about time. We come all the way here from Pianta Village on vacation..."

Her husband sighed. "Yes, yes, and this is just awful," he finished, already knowing what she was going to say.

"I guess all cities really ARE dirty," the woman went on, hardly hearing him.

"This is the place," her husband confirmed, looking at a brochure. "The guidebook says there's a statue of the Grand Pianta..." Pausing, he glanced up at the muddy pool being power washed by a short human with a water pump.

"So, where'd it go?" he asked.

The 'janitor' finally hit the deepest center of the pool, where the paint quaked like jelly upon impact. Then for half a second the air was abruptly filled with a slight ominous rumbling, as a volcano about to blow; and then it erupted.

Just like on the airstrip before, a giant muddy piranha suddenly emerged from the goo like a bird from an egg, shrieking not unlike a newborn. Flinging brown goo, it tossed up its head and faced the one who had dared disturb its sleep, towering over him menacingly.

"Well, you officially are the worst navigator ever," the lady said. Then she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

It wasn't long before several other bystanders joined in, staring at the terrifying monstrosity which had appeared right in the middle of the town square. The man responsible, seemingly unconcerned, only gripped his machine and stepped forward.

Ignoring the people's frightened cries, Mario stood firm and immediately attacked with water. Keeping a careful distance, he aimed for the mouth, just like last time.

"Are these things sleeping under all these pools or what?" he asked with a grunt, not expecting an answer.

Oscar, who had somehow heard him from further back, called, "I don't know, but be careful! You got this, Mario! No problem!"

For all the townsfolks' horror, they couldn't seem to be able to leave. Not one of them moved a muscle until a moment later, surprisingly quickly and easily, the monster hissed and sagged under Mario's merciless spray, then liquidized back into the puddle from which it came.

Satisfied and a bit breathless, Mario finally loosened his grip on Fludd, who surely had to be tired of spitting water by now. As the goop began to dissipate, a couple of piantas, who looked like nothing more than a couple of smaller glop monsters, emerged as well. Dirty and dripping, but alive!

And then it was over. As a relative peace came over the square, a few surrounding piantas slowly began to clap. Now that was something you didn't just see every day!

"Yay, Mario! Great job!" Oscar said.

The yellow pianta, who was still standing by, exclaimed, "Wow, that was incredible! Was anyone taping?"

Mario shook his head and chuckled. Just as he was about to turn away to get the last little puddles, something moved that made him stop.

A small vibration in the ground – faint at first, but definitely there and growing louder. Confused, the piantas glanced at each other in dread.

Oh no, there's not another one, is there? Mario wondered.

If there was, it was much larger than the one before it. The steady rumbling grew ever stronger...

"Mario..." Fludd said, but the rest was lost in the loud vibrations. Slowly backing up, Mario stared at the place where the piranha had been. It was as if the entire town was suddenly seized by an earthquake.

Oscar fell back even more, now joined by Jonathan, the green toadstool, who had seemingly also been trapped in the goo as he was covered with the brown substance. With gasps of horror, they stood back and stared.

Princess Peach and Toadsworth, who were standing by the bell tower watching, widened their eyes as they saw the whole thing in the square, finally giving way to the violent rumblings which were becoming rather strong now. For a second everything seemed to hold still. Then it emerged.

It was something, at least; but what 'it' was was hard to say. With strange bubbles and beams of light, something began to appear from the ground up, rising in ominous ripples from the stones below. It slowly formed amidst the rising mist, surrounded by a strange coalescing substance; and then, only feet away from where Mario stood before it, the giant statue appeared as if from nowhere.

Mario's breath nearly left him as he slowly looked up its enormous figure of stone; a huge pianta clad in a cape and wearing some sort of shine sprite medallion about his neck. It was like a rising monument to some old superhero; the Grand Pianta Statue.

The pianta couple still standing nearby blinked. "There it is," the man pointed. "Wow, talk about a dramatic entrance!"

His wife just shrugged. "What's so great about it? It's just... a rock."

Fludd, observing the whole thing from his silent owner's back, exclaimed, "You did it! The Grand Pianta Statue was held hostage beneath the graffiti, it seems."

Still Mario said nothing. He was gaping up at the very top, where he had spotted something a moment before; something that moved. As the tremor at last began to die down, Toadsworth suddenly cried out.

"Princess, look!" he pointed. "On the statue's head!"

The girl beside him followed his gaze to the top, where she stopped and frowned. "...What?" she breathed. Slowly, she shook her head in disbelief. Oh no... it's... it's him!

In an instant the statue at last stopped moving and another peace fell over the square. However, it only lasted for about two seconds before yet another revelation occurred.

As Toadsworth had spotted, a figure was standing on the statue's head. It was difficult for anyone to see clearly from below; but the princess recognized him instantly. A horror lodged in her stomach. A short human in blue... she couldn't tell what exactly it was that he was holding, but she did distinctly catch the glowing red eyes from beneath the hat.

"Mario?" she asked in disbelief, gripping her parasol as if it might protect her. For a second her gaze flitted to the one who stood at the base of the statue, staring up. No. That was her hero, and the other one was...

The blue figure turned. All in the square could only stare and gasp as in one shocking bound, he suddenly leapt from the statue straight to the plaza below, not even stuttering upon the landing. Then, like a man on a mission, he instantly darted for the bell tower.

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

For about half an awful second Peach saw the shadowy man coming toward her. But in that short moment, there was nothing she could do.

"Princess!" Toadsworth cried in horror as the man snatched her up in one bound. Then, as if she didn't weigh an ounce, he ran for the Market Street, carrying her over his shoulder like an afterthought he'd picked up at the store. Weaving around startled shoppers, he quickly began to disappear within the crowd.

"Mario! Help!" the frightened girl cried as she was carried off, off her feet and gone in an instant.

The second the princess was taken the young man sprang to action. Darting forward with a surprising burst of speed, he hurtled past Toadsworth in a second and onto Market Street amidst ravenous stares, instantly giving chase.

"Mario! A kidnapping!" Fludd cried from his back. "Stop the criminal in his tracks with some water!"

Without slowing down, Mario held on to his handles and pressed forward in hot pursuit. Ignoring everyone's shocked screams and questions, he shoved his way, albeit a bit forcefully, through the crowd.

"I heard another scream! What is it now?" a pianta woman behind the nearest booth exclaimed. Toadsworth, who had begun to run but quickly given it up to Mario, picked up the pink parasol that had fallen to the ground and panted, coming to stop beside her.

"The princess has been kidnapped by Master Mario! I mean... oh, I don't know what's going on!"

Frightened villagers quickly dove out of the way as a shady man in blue with a screaming girl slung over his shoulder sped down the street, another with a water pump hurtling close after him. Whatever was going on, it looked exciting; a chase in the plaza!

As the road quickly cleared, the man behind suddenly opened fire, releasing a torrent of water onto the apparent kidnapper. Somehow managing to miss the girl entirely, he gained a little ground and soon overtook the runner. Tumbling to the ground, he and the stolen girl rolled to the pavement.

"Ow ow ow OW!" the kidnapper cried, squirming as if allergic to water. Rolling over, he quickly sat up and glanced around, then froze when he noticed his attacker running for him.

Sliding at last to a stop beside the fallen thief, Mario just managed to avoid falling over on top of him. The water pump hung over his shoulder, as if eager to see the action for itself.

Breath coming quick, Mario demanded, "Who are you? What are you doing?"

The shadowy man shook his head and chuckled, a strange, high-pitched chuckle that almost reminded Mario of a child. A bratty child.

"You shouldn't be allowed to use tools like that," he complained. "No fair!"

Mario frowned and stared at the man, trying to see his hidden face. Already he was utterly confused by the wavering appearance; the man was shadowy and transparent, like water. He seemed almost like a hologram, but...

"Later!" In a flash the bandit darted up and pushed past him, shoving Mario aside in an attempt to get away. Startled, Mario stared as he ran back up the street, to the great surprise of the bystanders.

"He's trying to get away!" someone yelled.

Torn, Mario turned back to Princess Peach, who had been sitting on the ground catching her breath from the ordeal. Rising with her hands to her chest, she looked at Mario wildly.

"Mario, I'm sure I saw that person out on the airstrip!" she cried. "I'm positive he's responsible for all this! Chase him!"

Surprised, Mario blinked. "Are you –

"I'm fine, and yes I'm sure! Go!"

"He is heading for the square! Go get him!" Fludd cried.

Still confused but not one to waste time, Mario turned and sped away back up the street which they'd come down only seconds earlier. Taking a deep breath, Princess Peach fixed her bangs and slowly followed after him, watching him go.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" a pianta nearby asked, coming to her side. "Do you know that man?"

"Oh, not the one in blue," she said. "I don't know, I think he's a criminal. I'm fine, thank you," she said politely, glancing up the road where the chase had disappeared around the corner.

Mario had taken it all in stride as usual. There he was off again; in some sort of hubbub as always. Despite the seriousness of the situation she couldn't help a small smile.

In Bianco Square, Oscar and Jonathan were standing near the Grand Pianta Statue when suddenly there arose another scream, and suddenly the blue shadow man who had kidnapped the princess appeared around the corner, carrying what looked like a huge paintbrush. Instantly following him came Mario.

Gasping in fear, they jumped aside as the criminal passed only inches away from them, heading around again to the front of the pianta statue. Mario whizzed by them almost too fast to process.

"Stop!" he cried. In a second's exasperation he thought, Where are the police?!

The thief did stop, but only for a moment. With the giant staff he carried, he quickly traced what looked like a crude 'M' on the front base of the statue with what appeared to be swirling rainbow paint. Then, with a tiny chuckle to himself, he stepped forward, dematerialized, and vanished into its wavy depths.

The startled bystanders gasped as if they had witnessed a horrific magic trick. He had completely disappeared!

Mario, who had seen the whole thing with his own eyes, didn't even slow down. Heading straight for it, he glanced back at Fludd with only half a second's hesitation.

"He escaped into the graffiti! Try spraying it with water!"

Right before he would have run head-on into the stone, Mario did as Fludd told. The shimmering surface began to sparkle, almost like a mirror; but then, staring right into its surface, he could have sworn he saw images: green, rolling hills, a small little town.

He didn't have time to think about what any of it meant. In another second he had touched its smooth surface and felt himself lost to a bright light; a warm tingle surrounded him as he fell forward into the portal and was gone.