It was a beautiful day in the Mushroom Kingdom. The flowers were blooming, the Cheep-Cheeps chirping, and the horizon clear of danger.

The Mario brothers and their princess; Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, and most of the Toads, the somewhat annoying Toadsworth, Peach's right-hand man, included, all agreed to have a picnic in the palace courtyard.

The Mario brothers brought a lot of mushrooms. As usual, Peach and Toadsworth brought a mushroom-shaped cake, and Wario and Waluigi brought...
Something...

When Mario saw Wario toting around a strange stone engraved with an "X," he felt compelled to comment, "Uh, Wario? What is, uh... That?" He asked, pointing.

Wario shrugged with a supreme indifference. "To be honest with you, I don't really know. Some guy with a lab coat and weird glasses gave it to me and just said 'Keep it safe.'"

Perking up at the description of the character, Luigi came upon a thought. "Did he happen to look like a little kid, but, y'know... Not a kid?" He questioned, gesturing furiously with gloved hands.

Waluigi raised an eyebrow. "If you mean short and old, than, yeah, why?"

"I know him," Luigi exclaimed in response. "Professor E-Gadd! Remember when I had to rescue you from King Boo and his army of ghosts, Mario," Luigi asked his brother.

"Yes, but why?" Peach, Daisy, and Toadsworth, wondering what all the commotion was all about, decided to join the conversation. Of course, Toadsworth decided to speak first, the words in Peach's throat dying abruptly. "My, my, what an odd stone... Best be careful not to get too close princesses," he said.

The stone grew a crack, then another, leaving a semi-bright light on the surface of the strange object as it fractured.

"What the..." Wario muttered before the stone shattered, leaving in its place a blue black hole-like  portal that pulled the party in, disappearing  afterwards, along with the remains of the stone.

The rest of the Toads sat and stood stock-still, unsure of what to do.