A robust breeze picked up over the hill, accompanied by a moment's morning peace. It seemed to carry with it a fresh taste of the sea, usually unheard of in these parts. The welcome smells from far below wafted over the stone wall like a pleasant river.

Looking up, the dawn sky was not extremely bright; but then, in some places the sun still managed to shine through, casting a yellowish light upon the grass. It was as lovely a morning as one could currently hope for in Bianco Hills.

With a tired sigh, the blue pianta reclined by the path against the palm tree as he had been doing before. Sure, there were things in the village to worry about, problems that needed solving; but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. Better to just ignore it all, and try to get a moment of repose.

   He had just closed his eyes when yet another sound came to his ears. A strange, slippery splash just like before, followed by a gurgling sound, as of something bubbling. The pianta knew without even looking what it was: that rainbow paint again.

   I knew it was too good to be true, he thought, getting up yet again from his attempted rest and staring at the start of the path. What is it now?

Sure enough, he was right: the mysterious colorful marking on the far wall was swirling once again, giving forth that strange light. He watched expectantly as the paint globules appeared to gather from its wavering surface and coalesced in air, forming yet another shape. Then, the young human materialized and tumbled to the ground with a rather sickening thud.

With a sigh, the pianta rose and headed forward to question him, hoping to maybe have better luck this time. Here we go again.

Picking himself up quickly, the young man glanced around with lively blue eyes, panting a little as he took in his surroundings within just a few seconds. He briefly adjusted his red hat, then turned to the big water tank strapped to his back.

"Where'd he go?"

"My scanners indicate that he is somewhere up ahead," the machine responded mechanically. "There is nowhere far he can escape to out here, so I believe he may hide. There are also some readings of shine sprites in the vicinity, so we should keep an eye out."

"And...uh, where exactly are we?"

"We appear to have landed in the outermost edges of Bianco Hills, deep in the hills of Isle Delfino. It is located in the near center of the island, to the northwest of Delfino Plaza. We are approximately one thousand feet above sea level. Up ahead is Windmill Village, residence of the countryside piantas. It appears our perpetrator can conjure up portals for transportation."

"That would explain how he gets around so quickly," the human realized aloud, glancing at the shimmering portal from which he'd just come.

Staring at the strangers as if they had multiple heads, the pianta frowned and cautiously approached. First there was the slime, then the odd portal, and then the strange man who kept running around and seemed to appear from nowhere. Things just seemed to get weirder and weirder.

"Hey, um... can I help you?" he called. "You seemed like you were in such a hurry last time." Raising his eyebrows, he looked the man over, hoping for an explanation for all this.

The young man turned, seemingly noticing him for the first time, and frowned. "Last time?" he asked curiously.

The pianta nodded. "Yeah, you know, when you went running through here a second ago," he clarified. "And that strange portal there on the wall – is that yours? Because –

"Oh no, I didn't create that," the man interrupted, glancing back at the other-worldly shape on the wall behind him. "And I've never – "

He broke off abruptly and stared at him, his face stricken with alarm. Then the man with the water pump widened his eyes and shifted his gaze beyond him, up the path.

"The magic paintbrush," he breathed aloud, having forgotten the pianta entirely. "He's the one – "

And then the human sped off down the path toward the village.

Utterly confused, the pianta man turned and watched him go with a furrowed brow. "Uh, there was a pretty big tremor a minute ago," he called warningly after him. "I wouldn't go over there if I were you!"

But of course, the flighty young human was already gone.

With a shake of his head and a shrug of his shoulders, the pianta turned and once again reclined beside the palm tree. He never could completely understand humans anyway; and whatever was going on, he didn't want to be a part of it.

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

Running up the white-washed path, Mario's thoughts moved as quickly as his feet as he took in the new landscape around him. Delfino Plaza seemed like a distant memory: one instant in the hubbub of town, the next seemingly thrown into a blooming countryside. On either side the lush grass waved in the breeze beneath neatly-spaced palm trees, which reached almost up to the top edges of the surrounding walls. Past the peak, the stone path sloped down a slight hill, leading right up to a small river at the base. Across from there a little village opened up on the plain before him: tucked busily between a towering grassy hill and a great stone wall on the right, quaint houses – all with seemingly two or three small stories – were packed together. Lazily spinning windmills were attached to almost every roof and tower; this must have been Windmill Village. It was as if through the rainbow portal they had found a whole new world.

Taking everything two steps at a time, the young adventurer scurried up the path almost blindly until he reached the highest peak overlooking the rest of the landscape beyond. At this point Mario finally came to a stop, breathless, looking over it all with searching eyes; and for a moment he stretched, trying to see over the wall. "What's beyond there?" he asked hurriedly.

"The east part of town is home to the big windmill and Bianco Lake," Fludd replied, turning his head in its direction. "The perpetrator likely went that way, but it seems to be blocked off. He seems to have lost us."

Mario stared, but he didn't bolt again. Fludd was right: there was no sign of the mystery man. With a frown, Mario slowly relaxed. Where could he have disappeared to?

Finally deciding to give the chase a rest, he tried to gather his thoughts. Shaking his head, he breathed, "Can you believe it?"

"Well, my calculations are usually correct," Fludd said.

Mario let out a breathless chuckle. "No, I mean, can you believe that guy? Who is he?"

"It would appear he is the one behind the island's calamities. The special paintbrush he carries matches the description of the one carried by the wanted man – believed to be you – and meanwhile he has successfully evaded the police," Fludd said.

"Hey, I could have evaded the police if I really needed to," Mario said indignantly, flashing a sly grin. "But if that's him... does he really look like me?"

"From the brief view I did get of him, he does seem to have your facial features, even the same physique," the water pump supplied. "It is as I feared."

Mario tried to glance back at him. "What's that?" he asked.

"That you are being framed by this look-alike."

"But didn't you see the weird way he looked?" Mario asked, staring again over the wall as if he might catch another glimpse of him. "He was all shrouded, like..."

"A shadow," Fludd confirmed. "He has cast some sort of disguise upon himself – it could even be a herself – to take on your appearance. They are then using your image to commit all these crimes."

"Are you sure?"

"Almost certainly. The odds of this being just a big misunderstanding are very low at this point," Fludd pointed out.

"But why did he grab the princess?" Mario asked, voicing one of the biggest concerns on his mind. "If this is the same guy who's wanted for the graffiti, then what does she have to do with it?"

"I do not know," Fludd answered. "Perhaps you can ask the princess herself when we return to the plaza. She herself seemed to recognize him, did she not?"

Mario frowned as he suddenly recalled her final words to him. "She said she'd seen the person out on the airstrip," he said slowly, thinking. "But if they'd already been here at work for a week... and they've been using my identity... they must know who we are!"

Fludd seemed to nod. "Then it is our top priority to find out who is doing this and why."

Mario shook his head, almost muttering under his breath. "Then it really is all a conspiracy," he said. "Maybe they're trying to ruin my name – and I'll bet it's also aimed at the princess as well!"

"She did seem to be the main target back at the plaza," Fludd agreed.

Mario blinked and glanced back at him in alarm. "But then she might be in danger right now!"

"There is always a possibility, but right now I think it wisest for us to take a look around here," Fludd said. "We want to find this mysterious impersonator, after all."

For a moment Mario wanted to argue, but he soon gave in. If they could confront the criminal here, it might do more good than hanging around waiting for him to appear and attack the princess again. "Alright," he relented. "But we should try not to take too long."

As he started forward down the path again, calmer but nonetheless determined, Fludd rotated his head slowly back near Mario's ear. After a silent moment, he spoke up again.

"So you are a close friend of the princess," he said.

A little surprised, Mario nodded. "Yeah, we came here on vacation. You already know all this, don't you?"

"You did not brief me on our mission very much, but I gathered."

Mario gave a lopsided smile. "Well, you already seem to know so much that it's hard to know what you don't know."

"Indeed, it is difficult to know what you don't know," Fludd replied as Mario came towards the bottom of the hill. There, on either side of the path, sprinklers arced gracefully over the road and covered it with water, making the surface surprisingly slick. Mario paused and stared down the steep climb, where it ended by giving way into the river which flowed through a grate in the big wall. It was like some sort of water slide at an amusement park.

Mario, already getting pretty hot, didn't waste any time to think of an action plan. Grinning, he turned to Fludd. "Hold on."

Without waiting for a response, he suddenly dove forward onto the stones, landing on the road in a belly flop that quickly gave way to the running water. Instantly rejuvenated by the cold, they slid down the path headfirst and finally landed in the water with a solid splash!

The river wasn't too deep or too cold but it was slightly murky. Reemerging with a toss of his head, Mario waded to the other side, hauling Fludd on his back unharmed. Climbing out onto the grass with a grunt, he chuckled and quickly got to his feet, water still pouring off him in sheets.

"Well that was fun," he snickered, shaking himself almost like a dog. "You feel really weird in the water!"

Fludd, still a bit surprised, remarked, "I was able to get a refill. Tell me, do you always do crazy things like that?"

Mario laughed as he adjusted his glove and drew an arm across his wet face. "You have no idea."

Seeming none deterred by now being soaking wet, Mario hurried on, leaving Fludd to shake his head in amusement behind.

The gentle breezes powered the wooden windmills overhead as Mario and Fludd entered the small village, unable to look anywhere but up at the tall buildings. Ropes, almost like clotheslines, hung almost between every single corner, stretching across the paths below. Weaving among them, Mario cocked his eyebrow.

"It's almost like you're supposed to climb around up there," he remarked.

Fludd followed his gaze to the relatively flat rooftops above. "You are not considering what I perceive you are, are you?"

"Well, didn't you say access to the east part of town is blocked off right now?" Mario asked pointedly.

"The gate is currently closed to protect the villagers from the goop," Fludd replied, "but –

"Well then let's go over!" Mario said, running forward in excitement to look for a good way up. As he rounded a corner he nearly collided with an older pianta taking a stroll.

"Whoa there, sonny!" he said as the two just managed to stop. Looking the young man over for a second, he gave a friendly smile.

"Sorry," Mario said, backing up a step. At least he's not yelling at me.

"Wow, that's a nice little squirt-tank you got there," he remarked, attention drawn to the machine on his back. "Why don't you water the flowers a bit? They sure need it!"

Mario followed his gesture to the pink-dotted hillside behind the buildings, where a couple of pianta children were playing. Surprised, Mario stepped aside to let him pass, glancing up at Fludd by his shoulder.

"Well, you heard him," Fludd said after he was gone. "Get watering!"

Mario couldn't tell if he was joking or not. With a chuckle, he turned to the colorful hillside and took Fludd's handles to give the nearest flowers a shower. It was nice and peaceful back here; beyond the town the world seemed to give way to endless green. Further back up the open hill he could see some natural steps in the rock, and what looked like another flat plain above. The air was so fresh they could have been on top of the world.

"It sure is better out here in all this open space," Mario remarked, his face to the wind as he worked. "First the prison, then the plaza. I was almost starting to get a little choked by it all."

"Indeed, it is quite spacious and lovely up here," Fludd agreed.

They glanced up then as the two young pianta children, a boy and a girl, came running by in a heated game of tag. However, it quickly came to a halt when they spotted the young man with a jetpack nearby.

"Hey, old-timer! What's that weird thing you've got on your back?" the girl asked, gaping up at him unashamedly. She couldn't have been more than five or six years old.

Surprised, Mario raised his eyebrows and chuckled. Old timer?

Before he could respond, the boy stopped beside her and said, "D'ya need something, mustache man?"

"Oh no, thanks," Mario said politely. It was always funny talking to little kids; they were always so unafraid to speak their mind. Even I must look pretty old to them, he thought in amusement. After all, these are the first piantas I've met who are shorter than me.

"Are you new around here, mister, or just one of those tourists?" the girl asked curiously. "You're all wet from playing in the water," she added with a giggle. "Don'tcha have a bathing suit?"

"Priscilla! Nathan! Get over here!" a woman's voice interjected sharply from nearby. The three looked up to see a red pianta woman in an orange skirt and bathing suit top rushing towards them. Taking the two kids' hands, she stared at Mario as if he was holding a weapon.

"You! You're the one who's been writing all over our village," she accused, looking him up and down with disdain. "You might have fooled the others, but I see right through you, buster. We don't need you poisoning the children's minds with crazy ideas!" With an indignant huff, she pulled the kids aside and began to lead them away. Then, as an afterthought, she paused and turned back, landing a swift but solid slap across his face. The three then proceeded without a backward glance.

The young man, too surprised to get a word in, stood there in shock. Slowly, he raised a hand to his smarting cheek, but snatched it back in anger before he could make it there. For a minute it was silent as the wind swirled about them, as if his surroundings reflected the resentment stirring inside.

"Well, apparently it does not take much for things to get complicated around here," Fludd spoke up when they were again alone.

Mario finally snorted indignantly. "I've gotta say, the sooner we expose the real villain, the better." He seemed rather rigid.

"There can be no denying now the resemblance," Fludd said. "All the people here already believe you are the man with the paintbrush. If that is not proof of his similar appearance, what else is?"

Mario set his brow gravely. "I know. But how... how could they mistake me for that thing?"

Fludd shook his head. "I believe strange work is afoot here," he replied, unusually vague.

Mario, not having an answer, turned his attention back to his former task: finding a way up and over. Just ignore it all, he told himself repeatedly. They're the ones who've been fooled. Circling around the back of the nearest tower, he eyed the second story balcony.

"I believe someone lives there," Fludd informed him.

But either it was too late or it didn't matter: Mario had already jumped onto the railing and hoisted himself up. Holding on to a vertical post, he stood precariously on the edge for a second, before promptly grabbing for one of the overhanging clotheslines and swinging up. Then, with the ease of a circus performer, he jumped to the circular roof.

"Does anyone live up here?" Mario asked pointedly.

"I do not believe so. I suppose the rooftops are yours," Fludd answered sincerely.

Mario chuckled and came to stand on the very edge. From here the top of the big white wall was only a few buildings away.

"Alright, hang on," Mario said. "I think there's lines connecting the buildings all the way to the end. I should be able to tightrope over."

"Not to argue against your plan, but we are almost thirty feet up and it would be rather painful to fall," Fludd answered.

Mario could only smile. "Then let's make sure not to fall!"

Without waiting for approval, he stepped out onto the nearest cable fastened to the corner of the roof, stretching over the path below. With a quick deftness that looked almost impossible, he left the roof entirely, keeping his gaze trained on the rope ahead of him. In a short matter of seconds he had successfully crossed to the next building.

"Most impressive," Fludd commented, moving his head around. "I did not want to distract you, but you already seem to have this art mastered."

Mario grinned. "Like I said, you have no idea."

Continuing on, they encountered little difficulty crossing the next two, even with Fludd weighing on his back. When they reached the last rooftop nearest the great wall, Mario stopped.

"It appears to be too far to jump," Fludd observed, looking across at the top of the wall.

"If I could just land there we might find a way down on the other side," Mario mused, glancing over at the closed gates below. Towards the back of the wall there was also another opening for a small riverbed which flowed through, where a huge waterwheel seemed to rotate on its own. Unfortunately, it was rotating in the wrong direction and wouldn't be easily ridden down.

"I believe my hover nozzle can be of use here," Fludd spoke up. "Remember how to use it: toggle the button and liftoff. Just make sure there's no one below!"

"Hover nozzle?" Mario had completely forgotten about that. "Wait, that's right... You can propel me over!" he said, switching it as Fludd instructed. In an instant, his big nozzle retracted into the tank and was replaced by a pair of two smaller nozzles, aimed downward as thrusters. Glancing back at him, Mario tried to see.

"Are you set?"

"Yes, whenever you are!" the machine replied. Mario was almost taken aback for a second as he was answered by not one, but two identical voices. He realized with a start that it was coming one from each nozzle.

"So you have two heads now," Mario chuckled in amusement.

"I suppose you could say so," Fludd replied. "Just push over and gradually release pressure once on the other side to land. It is simple, I promise."

Gripping the handles firmly, Mario did as he was told. But sure enough, this time, instead of unleashing a torrent of water over his head, he felt a rush of air beneath him as he was suddenly lifted into the air, off his feet and propelled forward above twin jets of water. Quickly over the gap and beyond the edge of the wall, Mario could suddenly see the entire rest of the landscape beyond.

A wide, open field lay before him, coated almost entirely in a familiar brown sludge. It stretched all the way to the riverbank beyond, where a big body of water – he assumed Bianco Lake – extended to the edges of the surrounding rock wall. Up on a narrow hill to the left rose a single, enormous windmill, surrounded almost entirely by water. If it weren't for the pollution, it would have been lovely.

Carefully easing on the water pressure, Mario came to a landing on the grass just inside the wall and the water engines died behind him. When his feet safely hit the ground and he let it go, he turned to the machine on his back with a rush of delight.

"That's great!" he exclaimed. "How come you never told me to use that before?"

"I did," Fludd replied. "We just never needed it until now."

"Well that'll be more than handy," Mario said enthusiastically. "Now we can fly!"

"But remember it can only last for a few seconds," Fludd warned. "Even if there is water in the tank, I am not strong enough to maintain you very long. You will have to land between bursts."

"Ah, it's doable," Mario replied, hardly caring. It seemed like Fludd only got more and more amazing by the hour – Mario had a feeling he was really going to like this thing!

"Anyway, we seem to have a job on our hands, don't we?" Fludd asked, bringing his attention back to the goop at present.

Mario giggled, switching Fludd's nozzle back. "Yeah, better get to work!" 

Once again taking up his original form, Fludd and his owner began to move forward – slowly but surely – into the broad swampland. As the grass began to clear of the slippery goo it became apparent that not only was the ground covered, but entire palm trees had been trapped beneath the pollution. Just like the pianta statue before, as more and more area was cleared they began to appear from below, rising up in a misty eruption as they were freed from the gunk. Soon about half a dozen had emerged and once again shaded the uneven hillside.

"It's really odd," Mario remarked as he made his way towards the big hill with the windmill. "You never know what you might uncover under all this stuff."

"Clearly this paint has strange, even magic properties," Fludd observed as they worked. "We must do our best to reverse its effects. As you have seen, entire enormous objects can become trapped within the pools."

As if on cue, the goop before them suddenly erupted with a muddy splash, and before Mario had a chance to reply he found himself faced once again with a giant muddy piranha. With a garbled cry, it rose from the goop and hovered over him, flailing like a newborn and dripping with the filth.

"And speaking of things in the pools," Mario commented, grabbing Fludd's handles and preparing to fight once again. It didn't seem any more difficult than any of the others, and after those two this one went easily down. Mario wondered how many more he might find before his job was over.

"Are those guys trapped too, or are they just created by the paint?" he wanted to know as the creature sank again into the murky depths and vanished.

"I do not know, but they do not seem to be live piranhas in the same sense as normal ones," Fludd said.

Stepping forward, Mario quickly washed away the remains of the mess from the concrete path. His boots up to his ankles had gotten a bit dirty with the mud, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. He realized he'd probably be getting a lot dirtier once he'd gotten to cleaning all over the island, so best to make peace with it now.

He chuckled. "They don't seem so tough." Pausing, he added, "Although they're terribly bad at bathing!"

"I do not believe they know what bathing is, until you introduce to them the concept," Fludd said.

Mario smiled wider. "Yeah, but I'm definitely gonna need a bath after this one," he said matter-of-factly, shaking his head. "All this mess and I'm just swimming in it!"

"You already jumped in that murky river," Fludd pointed out. "Does the mess really bother you?"

Mario grinned in amusement. "Not really."

He was just about to step forward on the path to the big windmill when suddenly the ground gave out a slight rumble, and Mario paused. He was just about to reach for Fludd's handles again when suddenly it erupted, a burst of light from the stones where the piranha had been; and he immediately rushed forward in surprise. A shine sprite!

"Hey, look!" he said in delight, carefully reaching out towards it with a hand. He liked the way they didn't hit the ground; instead they always hovered, levitating a few inches above it as if by some force all its own. It seemed the same as the one he still carried, but nevertheless magical and powerful-looking. Sparkling golden, he carefully took it in his hand and held it over for Fludd to see.

"Well done! It must have been trapped beneath the goop as well," his machine replied.

"So should we go back?" Mario asked, the question still nagging in the back of his mind.

"I think we should continue on a little longer," Fludd said, turning his head towards him. "See, the road to the big windmill is still dirty."

Following his gaze, Mario glanced up at the path ahead, where a short bridge led over a stretch of the lake and up a narrow hill at the base of the windmill. From there, the small path wound precariously up around the entire circular building and appeared to lead almost to the very top high above. Even from here he could see the brown, goopy path, covered almost entirely the whole way up the sloping climb.

"It's almost like something was dumping paint as it ascended the windmill," Mario commented in amazement as he headed forward, pocketing the shine. "How could the whole path be covered?"

"I believe it may be more than just a paint bucket," Fludd said in suspicion, but he didn't say anything further. Silently, Mario kept moving ahead.

As he came to the short bridge, another problem immediately presented itself.

"Danger! The bridge is out!" Fludd cried, almost as Mario was about to step right into the open gap above the water below. They weren't too high up at this point, but falling still wasn't desirable. Just catching himself, Mario grabbed one of the wooden posts that was all that remained of the bridge's framework. The poles still stretched across to the path on the other side, but the actual platform was long gone.

"I think I can cross on the poles," Mario said, undeterred. He was just about to step onto one of them when Fludd interjected.

"I think it would be easier to use my hover nozzle," he said. "After all, it is for crossing small gaps such as these."

"Oh yeah, good idea!" Mario said, agreeably switching over. Not requiring any second briefings, he quickly and skillfully used it to hover across. The powerful water splashed into the lake below, but they were up high enough that it didn't so much as touch them. Once on the other side, he promptly switched it back.

"Now what did I say? That's gonna be a handy jetpack."

"It is nothing really, but I am glad you think so," Fludd replied as Mario eagerly dashed off up the path.

The winding road to the big windmill wasn't extremely long, but it certainly was dirty. Keeping to a slow walking pace, Mario found it best to keep Fludd activated at all times, cleansing the path ahead of him as he moved. It winded left around some hedges, and then right, and then left again for a long time as he ascended around the exterior of the windmill. The climb wasn't particularly difficult, but occasionally a huge rolling gob of brown paint would come their way, presumably from the top, leaving Mario to quickly dodge or risk being completely coated. He attacked them the best he could.

"Well, it certainly is a big windmill," he remarked as they neared the top. "Mama mia, what do they do with this thing?"

"Actually, it does not really serve a huge purpose right now," Fludd answered. "It is just the big windmill. Before the shine sprites, I believe it used to generate electricity. Now, it is just the famous Bianco Hills landmark."

"What's up here?" Mario asked wonderingly as he glanced out at the lake which was quickly growing far below. From up here he could see it all more clearly, and its entirety stretching far around the windmill on all sides was almost breathtaking. In some areas the hedges were planted beside the path, to discourage falling off; but in others it was absent, making a plummet to the lake from the steep path very possible.

He could tell that Bianco Lake was contained in the hills like a cup, and the enormous rock walls that surrounded the entire village formed the basin. It became all the more apparent the higher one got, but even from here, he could see strange, spider-like creatures skittering like bugs along its still surface far below. He wondered briefly what they were.

"I am not sure, but it must be something messy," Fludd replied. "Perhaps the perpetrator is hiding out up here."

"Oh, that's right!" Mario exclaimed, having almost completely forgotten about their mysterious villain. "Where else could he have gone to?"

Keeping a hand to the rocky moss-covered wall of the windmill itself, Mario stuck to the safest part of the path as he could for most of the climb. Just as it seemed that he was nearing the very top, he at last came to the path's end, which was little more than a small ledge beneath the windmill's overhanging roof. There weren't even any doors or anything up here, just a small lookout platform that almost touched the rotating windmill's enormous blades above.

There, unexpectedly, he also found a pianta.

"Hey, someone finally came!" the man exclaimed when Mario appeared. "I was beginning to think it was useless!"

"What was useless?" Mario asked in surprise, coming over. He was a purple pianta, dressed in a less-than-stylish orange beret and baggy shirt. Despite it all, he didn't seem to recognize Mario as a criminal.

"Waiting here for someone to come help," the man explained to his visitor. "You know, with the big-headed creature up there."

"Big-headed creature?" Mario asked skeptically. "I didn't hear anything about that!"

"Oh... really? He's the one who's, you know, spitting up the entire hillside with this gunk."

"Oh... so it wasn't a man in blue?" Mario asked, admittedly a little disappointed for not finding his trail. But if this mess wasn't the strange man, then what on earth was causing it?

"No, not that I've seen," the man replied. "That thing is still up there having a party on the roof. Do you think you could handle it? I mean you've already got the gear for the job," he said, indicating Fludd who had remained tactfully silent. "I know it's a pain, but you're about the only one I can ask right now."

Mario, a bit confused but not one to turn down a job, nodded. "Sure," he agreed. "Just how can I get up there?"

"Oh, you just ride the windmill! See these small wooden platforms at the end of each blade? The windmill's going slow enough that you can just hop on when it passes and hitch a ride to the top!"

Mario followed his gaze to the huge wheel rotating gently in the breeze. The man appeared to be right; the seemingly mile-long blades passed so close to the platform where they stood he could easily have jumped on. It was no place to be playing around – even the birds were mostly flying a good distance below them from up here. But Mario barely batted an eye.

"Okay, I'll take a look!" Without a backward glance he walked up to the platform's edge, then stood in wait for a moment as the enormous wheel slowly made its way around. As one of the blades began to draw near, he went up to the small platform and quickly hopped on as it passed, letting it sweep him off. It was a little wobbly and of course extremely dangerous, but it held. As safely aboard as he could be, the windmill kept moving in the wind and easily began to carry him up and away.

"So I take it you are not afraid of heights either?" Fludd asked when they were safely out of the pianta's earshot.

Mario chuckled, lifting his face to the strong wind as the windmill's white sails caught and raised them ever higher. This was the highest point yet he had been; probably hundreds of feet even above the village. Suddenly he could see it all laid out below him in its beautiful splendor: the shimmering lake and plain below, and on the opposite side of the now insignificant wall was the village, seemingly tiny buildings nestled among the surrounding hills and small river that went beyond and out of sight. From here he could see seemingly everything, including the great wide ocean farther off. It ultimately surrounded them in all directions forever, past the unseen shores of Isle Delfino below.

Swept up by the wonderful feeling, Mario spread an arm across it all. "Just look at the view!"

"Yes, we are at one of the highest points in Isle Delfino, aside from the mountain," Fludd said, indicating the huge, brown rock that still towered above them a good distance to their left, behind the green hills beyond. "Somewhere far below is Delfino plaza, and behind us is located Noki Bay, on the back of the dolphin. It is quite out of the way."

Mario followed his gaze, but there wasn't much to see behind the windmill but seemingly endless hill. Turning to Bianco Hills before him, the view was even better than riding a ferris wheel. Being up here, quite suddenly he realized one thing: with all his heart, he wanted to bring the princess up here to see it all too.

The great windmill continued its wide circle around, coming at last to the tallest height it would reach. From there Mario had to turn back to the task at hand: the roof was just a few feet's jump below.

But it was then, that they finally came above it and saw what waited at the very top, that for a second he paused and stared in surprise.

"What's that?"

Fludd turned his head to see and immediately answered, knowledgeable as always. "My, would you look at that! It is Petey Pirahna, the giant of the hills of Delfino!"

Giving the beast a sidelong glance, Mario stepped forward to the edge of the rumbling platform. It would soon be out of reach, and he didn't have time to be letting the windmill go all the way around again. Gathering himself for just a second, he launched himself forward and jumped to the shingles below.

Landing hard but still on his feet, Mario straightened to face the roof-prowling troublemaker. It was certainly a beast – though what kind Mario wasn't entirely sure. He looked admittedly like a piranha plant, though nothing like the goopy ones he'd encountered previously. This one was very much alive, and had unusual yellow petals that grew vibrantly as a flower around his head. As all normal piranhas, he had red 'skin' with white spots across, and no eyes on the oversized head.

Any other resemblances ended there. This piranha had enormous sharp teeth behind a big, green mouth, and even two big petal-like leaves as arms. That was the main glaring thing: this piranha was not exactly a plant. He was not tethered to the ground like all the others; instead he had two small, stubby legs, and even appeared to be wearing a small red-and-white pair of pants. It was the funniest looking piranha Mario had ever seen.

   A mutant? He thought, briefly, as he stared at the thing prancing around as if it owned the rooftop. It was several good feet above his own head. But before he could think about saying a word, the beast naturally saw him and threw up its head, giant gaping mouth skyward in a terrible echoing RAAAAAAAAWWWR!

It carried on the air and traveled throughout the entire valley, even reaching the sleepy Windmill Village further away. If anyone had been oblivious to its presence, they weren't now. For a moment all stood still as Bianco Hills seemed to echo with its enormous sound.

Mario, standing mere feet away from the noisy thing, squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hands to his ears as tightly as he could, standing his ground and almost expecting the force to blow him away. This roof was entirely too small for the both of them, that was for sure.

When the initial shock was over, Mario looked back up to the piranha and let his hands fall. At first he kept still, on the alert in case he needed to use Fludd. The beast looked down at him and regarded him for a moment, leafy arms and petals fluttering in the breeze. It was always hard to tell when a piranha was looking at you – they didn't exactly have visible eyes, so of course it was difficult. But this was one of those times when Mario could be pretty sure.

Before either of them could move, another sound suddenly came to their ears; a smaller one that somehow seemed a lot bigger. A solid, sharp crack, followed by another low crumbling sound. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was.

A gaping fissure appeared in the roof below the piranha's feet, reaching out to the edge near where the trespasser stood. It was quickly joined by a few more, and a sickening rumbling from below as the roof began to buckle on itself beneath the weight. All the monster's jumping and screeching must have finally taken its toll.

Simultaneously, man and beast started and glanced around cautiously at the floor below them. For a second everything froze, and not even Fludd dared make a sound for fear of what might happen. For a moment time seemed suspended.

In a second a thought of warning flashed across Mario's mind. Not good.

Then it cracked again. Huge and glaring this time, the clay shingles abruptly smashed beneath their feet, almost as if hit by something; and the gaps in the roof's surface became far too large and numerous for comfort. They were standing on a ticking time bomb.

Suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation, and knowing full well how high up they were, the two slowly looked up at each other in silent dread. For a long moment their gazes met, and everything seemed to hold; but they both knew of the unavoidable impending doom.

A great, ominous crash echoed throughout the valley and down into Windmill Village as the top of the big windmill gave way, crumbling pieces of shingle and sheet rock collapsing onto itself from above. None saw the two figures atop it far away fall amid the caving rubble; the beast Petey Piranha and a strange man with a water pump plummeting to the open windmill below.