Psyche Out!

Mondays: "Get out of here Sunday, because anyone in the know is aware that the 'big M' is a real call for the game called LIFE.-

-I miss him already, even if he ate my neighbor yesterday.. Maybe that explains why I'm running from the-

-Madam, you've always been my favorite, even if your castle lies miles over the Rogueport seas, oui?

-Who left that lava-powered oven on again?! Someone's grounded!

-But don't let life's timer hit zero! Even if you have to slow to a crawl, just get out there!"

Mario sprung out of bed sweating. Maybe whatever that was about was due to something he'd eaten last night, so he got over it in seconds. It was a new day for the Mushroom Kingdom's favorite plumber and on-demand hero. He cut on the lamp, inviting a warm glow to his and Luigi's cramped bedroom. Smells of fresh waffles, bacon, and fruit was in the air and his little brother's bed was empty and nicely made up.

"(Which to get? Blast it, Luigi. You always wait until the day of something big..)"

Mario checked his back. That was his brother speaking no doubt but it sounded off. Of course, Mario forgot the oddity when he later got a look at all those bacon strips waiting for him in a pan.

He sat down with his plate. "You know, I offered to help you yesterday with the gift but you refused."

Luigi dropped the thick newspaper he held with one eyebrow raised. "Hmm?"

"I heard you all the way from the bedroom." Mario sipped on some crisp cold orange juice. What a great start for a day dedicated to two things: doing chores at Peach's Castle and later meeting up for Daisy's surprise pyramid anniversary costume party. It only came once a year since the princess didn't get out much due to the travel distance.

"(But I swear I said nothing before Mario woke up. Am I crazy?)"

Juice spray out of Mario's mouth like a jet stream. The table, the newspaper and Luigi's lap got soaked.

"Bro! What's wrong with you?!"

Mario coughed before asking, "How did you speak without opening your mouth?"

Luigi scooted his chair backward abruptly and got up. "Lay off the late night snacking."

He left the room while Mario wiped the table with a cloth. From the open door leading to the den, Mario could see their little television set nestled among their videogames. Luigi smacked it a new times as the Chanel 64 broadcast was on air but all that was shown was an empty chair and the backdrop.

"Did you know we're live?" said a young voice off screen on tv. "I don't know how to cut to a commercial break because the normal Lakitu who does this quit after he said he heard your thoughts about the size of his wife's cloud."

"Hush! The mics are live!" a deeper voice hissed before the famous anchorman Steve the Bullet Bill sped on camera like the missile he was, note cards scattering in the wind.

"Ah hem. Sorry for the delay folks. Now, er, move over other programs because this is Toad Town News on the one and only Chanel 64! We advise all of the public watching to no longer trust the banks, your neighbors, or your family because of a terrible epidemic that has according to reports affected the entire planet," the mustached projectile explained gravely. The backdrop changed to a Thunder Lakitu in an epic battle with an Angry Sun and the anchorman's mood did an 180.

"BUT! Don't let the nice blue, er unexpectedly greenish looking skies fool you because I have exciting news… of terrible storms!" The backdrop switched to a group of Chargin Chucks playing in a field.

"AND more exciting news! The sports at six still haven't been canceled." Steve winked at the camera. "That's your stories. Remember, trust no one!"

The set cut to static as Mario felt drips on his toes. The sink was overfilling with his head turned.

"Bro," Luigi groaned, returning to the kitchen while Mario mopped the second mess he'd made. "What's with you today?"

"Me? What's with those sensationalists like Steve today?..." Mario turned around all of a sudden. "...I didn't know you were saving up for that!"

"For what?"

"A ring."

Luigi stared at Mario like he was an alien life form in blue overalls. "...You- you freaking read my diary!"

Mario dropped his mop. "N-no, you just now said out loud that you were going to get something unique for Daisy's party! I swear on the plumber's oath I heard your thoughts!"

Luigi felt a tingle under his skin and heard an unintelligible whisper coming from Mario's head. Shuddering he stumbled backwards on the wet kitchen flooring. Mario tried to help him up but he fled out of the house completely.

Toad dropped the packet of letters into the box outside the post office in the bright aquamarine sky. He wished to get off the streets quickly, face to face interaction with strangers was now even more risky than it already was for him since anyone could pick up a Mushroom Kingdom ID number or anything else from your mind. Most people resort to clearing their minds and stumbling around with an empty expression that would be right at home during a zombie apocalypse. Toad was bumped around by everyone and driving was deadly. After getting accidentally beat up a ton, Toad reached a residential area with multiple mushroom shaped houses.

"How'd it get to this?" Toad wondered. With the banks down he was annoyed he wouldn't be getting a check Thursday until he remembered that Princess Peach didn't pay toads anyway…

"(The truth is, humanity from greatest to least have been given an equality never before had or imagined due to our new ability to, not always of our own volition yet with enough potential to be an ever present danger, tap into the 'Community Mind Bank', a cloud of consciousness of sorts from everyone. Will society cope or will we be forced to start over in a world where secrets can no longer exist?"

The house in the yard Toad stood in front of had a huge empty flower pot in the yard. The blinds in the window crept up. Curiously the house next to it had a 'For sale' sign on it. "But the inside news is that our top scientists are working on it right now, by boogity!"

"… Toadbert?! Could you repeat all that?" Toad scratched his head dumbly. "You said something about community service?"

"Shhh! Funny you should mention that, considering that may be where you'll find me for a while. Tell the Princess I might be going away due to an 'accident' with the late Mr. Sharptooth."

Toad went to the castle where no one was really around because all the toads irritated each other before the castle's breakfast session was over, even people Toadette or Toadsworth had some sort of falling out and took a day off due to sharing things they shouldn't. As the last toad around, Toad would have to clean the roof for cleaning day and he couldn't task some younger person like yellow or blue toad to do it instead. When he came back around front with the ladder he saw Mario running up before falling face forward in the front yard, into a bunch of white flowers. Peach standing on the porch sprinted to him.

"Mario? Mario?" She bent down in the grass and turned him over. Mario's chest rose up and down rapidly.

"So.. much.. noise..." he muttered in a strained tone.

"(They'll never know I cheated through Mushroom College with a Bowser phone 3GS.)"

"(Why don't anyone play my enemy spam custom levels?)"

"(So XX stock down 40%… MASQ up 76%… N64..20%..)"

"(MAKE ME A TOAD RESCUE MEMBER ALREADY. MY FORMS WERE TURNED IN A WEEK AGO AND I EVEN DID YOUR 'SPECIAL' FAVORS!)"

"(Oh, this is too many items in my shopping cart. Better put back- Wait, eww! I heard that last guy!)"

"(I DID NOT MEAN IT LIKE THAT.)"

"(Yeah right. Lying doesn't exist anymore, gosh!)"

"(TELL THAT TO YOUR ONLINE DATE MISS '36-24-36'. MORE LIKE 100-500-200, SWEETHEART!)"

"(Grrr. I'm locking the darn brats up in their rooms from now own. Where's my flipping remote? Did Junior leave it in the airship again?!)"

Peach gingerly cupped Mario's head. "Dear, try blocking out those brainwaves. Clear your mind!"

His eyes fluttered open, locking on to her sapphire blue eyes. There were no intrusions ether; what a proper lady! He slowly leaned up. "Sorry…. It was rough getting here, especially since Luigi normally drives."

In the distance, Toad screamed as his ladder slipped and he plummeted into the completely drained moat. Mario and Peach lean over the railing to find the mushroom retainer nearly embedded in the concrete.

"I'm alright," Toad assured them, smiling with a missing tooth. "I tried to send a message that I was gonna take a dive."

"I didn't get it," Mario said.

"And you know that I am immune entirely, dear."

Mario turned to Peach in surprise. "You don't have the telepathy thing?"

"No, but other odd occurrences have made up for it since I swapped player character cards with Daisy a while ago. Strange mail comes, I get random calls that sound like computers answering, and lights in the sky at night. I really should get my own back but I digress. What are you bringing for her party later?"

"It's a surprise."

"Same here," the princess replied deviously.

"I'm bringing colorful socks, a confetti gun, and bob-ombs that release sprinkles!" Toad announced loudly.

Peach and Mario shared an apprehensive glance, then-

("HELP I'M SLIPPING! OHMYGOD I'M GONNA FALL HELP ME!)" came Toad's telepathic message out of nowhere, just now becoming audible due to brain wave jet lag. The Community Mind Bank that permeated every inch of the city truly was dense.

On Star Hill sat a motorized science research trailer, a mere speck on one of many high peaks reaching into the dark clouds. This isolated spot was where discoveries were to be made, especially since it broke down in that 'convenient' spot. Lightning flashed as someone tap the shoulder of Professor E. Gadd who was just outside the shelter holding two twelve-foot-long poles upward.

"Careful doctor. You cannot reach any conclusions if dead." Dr. Toad held his steaming tea close to himself with the strong gusts.

Prof E Gadd glanced over his shoulder with a dry chuckle. "That is what you think."

Dr. Toad smiled back. "Ah, right. I forgot what kind of 'expert' you were."

Then the white hairs on Prof Gadd's head stood up. ZAP! The millions of volts spike off the poles to the metal roof of the trailer with an explosion that flung both scientists ten feet away and off the edge of the cliff! Down they tumbled into the brambles below while their research trailer took on a sudden glowing green hue, the same as the sky...

…

Dr. Toad was embarrassed of two things: first Prof. Gadd out paced him climbing back up by at least a minute despite Dr. Toad being half his age. Second, he hadn't gotten injured any more than a spring in his left foot. He'd never get recognition from the other older colleges if he couldn't even get injured properly in the name of science like a true mad genius! He froze at the sight of the trailer's green flashing lights within then limped to the door quickly and knocked. It opened with a pure green backdrop and there was a small black silhouette standing in the middle. It was like he'd opened a portal to another world but just as quickly the smoke cleared.

"Come in doctor. I've made some changes," Dr. Goom, a blueish goomba from 'Underground', or at least that's what his associate card stated as home town, spoke with an anomaly in his usual gruff voice.

Dr. Toad stepped inside, ignoring the pain. His station had various textbooks from sources like Dr. Toadley, a local journalist Mitch Toadstool, an interview from a 'spy', and even notes from Dr. Toad's own brother, but he'd rather not get sidetracked. Prof Gadd's was in the rear and consisted only of a table where he endlessly tinkered with some sort of vacuum, and last Dr. Goom's was near the vehicle controls, which unfortunately was how their steering wheel got melted off by his failed chemical cure. Completely normal. But- wait- HIS BOARD WAS CHANGED!

Dr Toad hopped over to the white board on the wall as quickly as he could. All of his mad experiments were erased and replaced with 'Find the immunity and examine her. Forcebly.' He whipped back to Dr. Goom. They had a face-off, goomba and toad, natural rivals yet genetic cousins. "Who told you to touch this?"

"No one. Let us try my idea Doctor...Toad. Yes, Dr. Toad."

Dr. Toad tried to read him but only got static. The clever little goomba still had some telepathic presence within him yet he was blocking the toad out. He must have learned the trick while away on that very long bathroom break he was on while Dr. Toad and Gadd were outside before the lightning strike.

"Agreed?"

Dr. Toad huffed with his back turned. "And how are we going to search exactly with an immobile station?"

"That is covered," Dr. Goom replied with some emotion returning to his voice. That flashing green light returned to the inside of the room and next Dr. Toad knew he could tell they were moving..

Mario dusted millions of little trinkets, snow globes containing snow-toads, and vintage village art for a few hours in Peach's basement. Being alone and undisturbed was unsurprisingly normal since there was no one's thoughts of pick up on. Mario predicted a lonely future for many if these new strange powers weren't a one-day fluke of the great Stars above. He shook the dust off his himself and returned upstairs. At least there were about five friends he still had, with his brother included he hoped. Looking out a window he didn't see the Mach bike so Luigi never showed up for his part of the work. Realizing he was late he rushed to the closet he had his silver retro space suit in, complete with a round helmet. He walked back into the main lobby and right into seemingly himself.

"There you are." Yoshi pulled Mario into a hug automatically.

"Buddy! Nice outfit," Mario replied, greatly amused. Yoshi had a replica of his red shirt, blue overalls, white gloves, his hat, even his smell, the latter of which was most impressive!

"I bathed in pasta this morning to get it just right," the dino mentioned perspicaciously in his ear then leaned back. "Why didn't your brother show up? I didn't read your mind that time, I can just tell you did all the work."

"He'll show up, I know it. Did you get the party car?"

Yoshi swung the keys around his fingers. "Anything for Daisy and her celebration I've never heard of. Maybe we'll finally learn if she just made it up."

Mario shoved him lightly. "Yoshi!"

He shrugged. "Just kidding!"

"Ready," sang Peach waltzing down the stairs in her pink cat suit with a little bell around the collar. Toad was behind her with a realistic goomba mask covering his body except for his feet. He also dragged behind him something large under a tarp that sounded like a piano tumbling down steps.

"(They both used a power up rather than get a costume. How lazy.)" Yoshi thought.

Mario ignored it just hoping his brother was alright where ever he was. He was startled by the sound of Toad shoving his extra 'gift' into the kart Yoshi rented to drive them to their destination. It reminded Mario of something used in Mario Party 9, except Yoshi would be the only driver. One would have to be crazy to deal with any metro Toad Town area today but of course, that's what Yoshi kind of was.

"I heard that, Mario." Now Yoshi could prod him. Yoshi got behind the wheel and adjusted the mirrors. Mario got in the backseat with Toad and put on his seat belt. He could use multiple.

Toad Town's terrible weather as forecast was in full force when Daisy strolled out of the airport. Rain gushed from the sky and Daisy's umbrella didn't stand a chance, but she was still ecstatic she made the overseas journey since her flight was the last. Public transport ceased the moment her plane landed because incidents were impossible to avoid when a group tight together could also hear each other's thoughts. She ran to the end of the sidewalk and waved down a taxi. It skidded to a stop and splashed the princess entirely but she still felt pumped.

The cabbie, a goomba with a ball cap and Dark Land accent, opened his door. "I stopped for you because I could tell you weren't annoying, gal. Where to?"

"Thanks. Just this field down so and so in Toad Town. Could ya load this?" Daisy held up a heavy brown luggage bag.

The cabbie loaded it in the trunk, but it weighed the cab down so that the bumper nearly dragged the street.

"What's in there and what's on your head?"

"I packed lotsa stuff 'cause it might be a while till I make it back home. The thing on my head is my shielding. What am I thinking? You don't know!" She replied, tapping the reflective cone-shaped hat she wore. She couldn't believe she was the only person who'd thought of such, but she was always into science fiction so it seemed obvious.

The cabbie nodded. "Dang! You selling some of them?"

"This is an original, sorry. I'm kind of in a rush."

"Hang tight, girlie."

Daisy got inside the cab and out of the rain. She braced herself during the ride since they swerved several times avoiding absent or completely empty-minded drivers. He pulled up at the entrance to Toad Town park. Its iron gate with mushroom symbols and tall hedge fence surrounding the outside seemed ominous now in the storm, especially with a person standing in the middle of the entrance waiting. Watching. For her?

"That'll be twenty coins, miss."

Daisy tore her eyes from the figure long enough to dig in her purse for whatever money she could find. "Keep the change. Uh, would you stick around for a second? I'm supposed to be meeting others here but I don't see anyone I know."

The cabbie took a knowing glance at the mysterious person from the front seat. "Sure 'bout that? Take care." And with that Daisy was left on the curb with only her bag. Worse yet, her umbrella was left in the car. She faced that person again, a tall adult in a green raincoat.

"Daisy," they said, pulling off their hood. It was Luigi but with his brown hair grown down to his shoulders, his mustache bushy and untrimmed, and stubble on his cheeks, yet his eyes gleamed with all the youthfulness of before as he held a shoe-sized box. "Come on already!"

Daisy dropped her bag and ran up to hug him. "Luigi? What happened to you?"

"I traveled to the ends of the Earth, past BeanBean, past Mt Teapot, even past Flipside to keep this a secret from everyone."

Daisy's hands remain around his shoulders. "Wait.. so this is happening all over?"

He nodded as he pulled the ribbon that held the box closed. Inside was a rainbow jewel on a monstrous-sized ring, large enough to fit over Daisy's head which indeed it did.

"L-luigi-" she sputter.

"I only wanted to give you the best."

She pulled him in for a kiss just as from somewhere inside the park, a bang of glitter and confetti went off in the sky. In short, it ruined their moment.

Luigi sighed. "Let's find them. That sounds like something Toad might do."

Peach, Mario, Toad, and Yoshi were under the group of friend's favorite tree in the park, gifts in hand. The cart they used to get there, now banged up and flooded with water was to the right and Toad's glitter cannon that had blown off several tree limbs was to the left.

"HAPPY PYRAMID DAY!" the four shout. Daisy left Luigi's arms and ran to them.

"I flipping love you guys!" the brunette cried.

"Glad you made it brother," the 'astronaut' told the 'gritty world traveler'. Heck, Luigi figured after all of this trouble he might as well make his current appearance a costume and Mario agreed. "Nice costume too," the older brother mentioned with a wink.

"Luigi gave you his gift first? Lame," the 'goomba' groan. Toad's gift was under one hundred layers of wrapping. "They're custom made, princess."

Daisy ripped it open to reveal rainbow socks long enough to touch the muddy ground. "..Thanks, bud. What was the sizing reference?"

"Umm, I guess I got the human-to-toad size conversion screwed up (I blame that hot seamstress for distracting me)," Toad mutter sheepishly.

Space Man Mario presented his gift in a capsule or orb, half transparent. It opened up to reveal a brown miracle seed, a sight truly out of Mario's known world.

"Very cool," Daisy replied.

The impostor Mario who looked a lot like Yoshi held a heavy brown bag tied with rope. He untied it with an audible gleaming noise.

Daisy peeked inside. "Get outta town!" she said, which made Yoshi smile slyly.

"They're from home," the dinosaur explained. His gifts were about a dozen fine jewels collected from Yoshi Island caves.

"The ancients will love it. Thanks Yoshi, or 'Mario'." Daisy paused for a moment. "… I really appreciate it but you know these gifts aren't for me, right?" Her friends had never gone with such expensive and heartfelt gifts. She was almost afraid to find out what the pink cat had in that little plain white box.

"Oh, we understand perfectly, dear. Even if the entire planet has woken up with an ability that has changed life forever, we didn't want to let anything get in the way of your special day," Peach spoke up, knowing Daisy's expressions so well.

Daisy received a palm-sized replica of a red koopa shell with spikes. The scales had an iridescent nature and the underside of it seemed hand-carved.

"Whoa!" Daisy and the others gasp.

"It was a gift from a Dark Land politician during last month's peace meeting."

"Dark Land has politicians other than Bowser?" Mario asked.

"Well...they did until Bowser found out one gave me a gift and became jealous," Peach answered in a lower tone, "but anyway we reached an agreement regardless. After all, has Bowser attacked lately?"

"Oh yeah. Good point," Toad replied, starting to get hot and stuffy under that full-body Goomba mask. Also bored. "Can I fire the cannon again?"

"No!" Yoshi warned too late. The dinosaur got knocked backward by the second blast of the bill blaster. It shot another specialty bomb through the tree, knocking down limbs and branches, and into the rainy sky where another sparkly explosion occurred, visible easily across Toad Town's entire skyline.

Yoshi's palm hit his face. "TOAD?!"

"It's alright. I love all of this you've done," Daisy said, holding the items dearly close. "But.. I have a confession. The annual pyramid offerings that I invite you guys to, well-"

Her voice was then drowned out by a whooshing noise getting closer. A bright green glow appeared above the clouds before a floating but mundane looking science trailer descended to the empty field nearby. Mario and co silently gawked, like it was some part of their imagination when the spaceship's door opened, allowing Prof E Gadd to casually stroll out into the soggy ground.

"Professor?" Luigi shout.

"Ah. Luigi? Excellent. (Is that a newfangled makeover? Eek!)"

"(I actually had a rough trip, thanks for noticing)," Luigi replied sarcastically, making the older professor become flustered as the next person left the ship, a young toad doctor with a limp in one leg.

"I am Dr. Toad Ph.D. of the International Medical University of Special World. We are the scientists that will solve everything," Dr. Toad announced in his most authoritative tone. "Who of you have an immunity?"

"Drew," Yoshi cut in. "You don't mean well. You're as transparent as Sluggy the Unshaven, plus you're ruining Daisy's party!"

Dr. Toad's fists balled, his face turned red, and he seemed like he wanted to wring the green dino's neck. "IT'S DOCTOR TOAD TO YOU!"

Yoshi froze up. "W-what?"

"Bring the 'one' here..." said a deep voice from inside the trailer, the third unseen doctor.

"You'll never touch the cat!" Toad blurt out. "….Oops."

"Perfect..." A hand-like form materialized from the glowing aura around the spaceship and surrounded Peach.

"Mario!" Peach shriek. She was hauled by the force all the way into the ship and through the sunroof.

Dr. Toad spun back to the shocked friends. "I didn't know we could do that. Oh well. Good job, Dr. Goom!"

"Thank you, human scum- uh fellow scientist...heh heh..." the voice replied from the ship.

"Stop!" Mario started, running ahead but the doctors were already backpedaling quicker than him.

"Too late (fatso)!" Dr. Toad teased behind his back.

"Don't worry, it's only for science! Take care!" Prof. Gadd cheerfully added, giggling all the way back to the ship.

"Where are you going?" Luigi asked him frantically.

"To the mountain top again!"

"Don't tell him that!" the voice growled, making the ground rumble even.

Professor Gadd shrugged with a genuine smile. By now everyone, even Daisy, were rushing towards the trailer a second too late as it lifted into the sky again and zoomed away. They blankly stood in the spot of flattened grass where it just lay.

"What.. the heck just.. happened?" Yoshi exclaimed, his words having trouble leaving his lips.

Luigi noticed Mario dialing a number on his phone. His brother swiftly brought it to his ear as it rang. "Hello? No not that, someone kidnapped Peach and it wasn't you!" Mario brought it away from his ear and didn't say anything else but Luigi was distracted anyway by Daisy dropping to her knees suddenly.

"Daisy." Luigi crouched with her. She turned to him.

"I can't believe it."

"I can. We attract trouble," Toad said. Yoshi gave him a glare that didn't take mind reading to interpret. Toad then shut up.

"It really can't..." Daisy leaned on one hand with her head down. Finally, she tore off the tin foil hat on her head, letting her hair stick out frizzy-like. "The pyramid celebration? I made it all up!"

Everyone was silent. Daisy stood up.

"I just wanted an excuse to get us all together so I made it up one time, but I kind of forgot holidays have to happen every year so I had to keep doing it. I didn't mean to trick you guys into giving me gifts. Normally I'd only get small little things and I'd just donate them to the poor. I never expected all of this priceless stuff and I never expected to get Peach kidnapped!" There was silence except for the pattering of the falling rain as Daisy waited for a reaction.

"Eldstar, I… I was just joking earlier," Yoshi said, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Daisy, we're going to get her back regardless." Everyone turned to Mario who seemed unshaken. "In fact, our ride is just about here."

"ATTENTION MARIO LOSERS. GET IN HERE NOW!" spoke yet another deep voice from above, though this one was instantly recognizable as Bowser's. The drone of the airship reverberated in the clouds and a long chain dropped down a few yards away from them. Daisy still couldn't believe how the day went wrong and with her helmet off, her feelings of dread were all out there.

Back on Star Hill, the trailer returned with a remarkably soft landing. Dr. Toad still spilled his tea, but only because Peach kicked him in the face while she was restrained in the back. He didn't get what her fuss was about, they'd placed her near a window for a great interstellar view. Anyway, they'd finally found the one thanks to Dr. Goom as their test subject had zero telepathic presence. Very interesting. Dr. Toad rubbed his hands together.

"You are creepy," Prof Gadd remarked serenely. "Nonetheless, it's time for science after I visit the boy's room. I will not take as long as Dr. Goom did."

Dr. Goom spun away from the controls smirking. "Uh.. Huh? Oh, I mean I do remember that..."

Dr. Toad tuned all of that out and he rewrote ideas on the board. He had a list of about ten things to try from experiments involving needles to nipper plant therapy.

Peach caught a glimpse and squirm in the chair she was tied to, prompting the goomba doctor to waddle her way and stop at her feet. "Ignore that simpleton's scribbles. I have a special experiment for you.. involving my attractions," he whispered.

Peach frowned up, hoping she'd imagined that. "Excuse me?"

"No excuse me. I heard that!" Dr. Toad crushed the chalk in his hand to powder.

"You are wasting my time," Dr. Goom hiss, eyes flaring at Dr. Toad. "My ship has powered up and you are no longer needed. Get out."

Peach could already feel in her bones something was wrong, even aside from the mad scientists arguing and treating her like a lab rat.

"What? I'm the leader. You get out!" the toad spat back.

Once again the two had a visceral faceoff, only for the goomba to cut it off with a low chuckle. "Than you shall be done away with, human scum!"

Dr. Toad could only blink before a green glow surrounded him. His body was lifted up and then the force shoved him completely out of the front windshield, shattering the glass and sending him out. The entire trailer began to rumble as the green glow spread completely throughout. Peach was blinded temporarily by the vividness of the colors but when she opened her eyes, no longer was there a goomba before her, but instead a six-foot-tall space alien with purple skin, full battle armor, and deep black eyes. He bent down to her level and Peach cringed.

"Darling, why so sad?" as alien asked.

"W-who are you?" She screamed and shifted her head away when he attempted to touch a strand of her hair.

"You know me, my queen. That is a mighty convincing costume of yours."

"T-the catsuit?"

"No! The Princess Peach one. I know that you are my future queen Daisy. I can sense that id badge!"

The princess felt a pit in her stomach. "...You've made a mistake."

The alien laughed and she could feel the bass in his voice. "I did, my queen. It seemed my brainwave signals made the entire planet enlightened except you when I meant it the other way. Oh well, this technology is always hard to figure out. Enjoy my ship by the way." He leaned away to her relief but she was terrified all over again when the green glow subsided and she could see that she was in an entirely different location. The walls were silver and a visor was before them showing the outside weather.

She was in his spaceship! Her abductor took a seat at the control panel filled with hundreds of buttons and pulled a switch. She felt movement upwards. Her heart beat as she struggled with what to do. This alien thought she was Daisy and she was still tied down in a chair. She then saw a shadow of something coming up ahead which made the alien beat his fist against the radar.

"Enemies have locked on to us!"

Could it possibly get worse, the princess wondered? They rocked to the side after being hit by a cannonball and the room they were in flashed red. Their attacker pulled up right next to them and Peach was now staring at a Bowser Doomship. The alien hissed and pulled another lever making them turn in another direction. There was a light tap on the roof but Peach barely heard.

"We will lose those lower lift forms soon enough," the alien said through his sharp gritted teeth.

"Who are you again?"

His neck slowly craned over with his lips curled right as another alert went off. The alien whipped back to the control panel just as Bowser's ship rammed the smaller spacecraft. Orange sparks flew in the late evening sky. A door Peach hadn't noticed was kicked open and someone dashed into the room with a furious battle cry.

"Daisy?!" she and the alien gasped.

Daisy charged forward with a large flower pot. She slung it at the alien who dodged out of the way. The pot shattered on impact and dirt flew along with the plant that was in it all along. A spotted little piranha plant sprung up from the dirt pile and took a big bite out of the nearest thing which was Tatanga. The alien flicked it off, distracted enough for Daisy to run up and sock him in the face.

"You followed me here, so you're gonna get buried here!"

Mario and Luigi rolled in. "Careful!" Luigi warned as Tatanga knocked Daisy back easily. She landed on top of Luigi while Mario noticed that they seemed to be flying over water now.

"Yoshi, untie her." Then Mario tackled Tatanga. The two rolled around and even onto the dashboard in their struggle, accidentally pressing all sorts of buttons.

Peach was surprised by Yoshi behind her. "Relax," her old friend said, snipping the rope easily.

Daisy rubbed her head, annoyed. "Let's ditch this freak."

'THRUST PADS DISABLED' The cockpit had a continuous red light, making the water they were heading towards look a lot like another unfortunate liquid.

Mario stepped back from Tatanga with the switch he'd just broken in his hand. "..That was bad?"

Tatanga snarled while picking himself up, appearing completely unharmed. "Despicable human, you think?! If I shall perish right now, all of your pathetic lives shall!"

"I don't think so, dear."

As one last surprise, Peach was holding an extra glitter bomb from Toad. She threw it at the ground and it burst, clouding up the enclosed space immediately. One of her friends grabbed her arm and led her only a short way before there was fresh air coming from an open hatch with the terrifying view of them about out crash straight into a deep blue lake. She screamed before she was grabbed yet again and hauled over the side of Bowser's ship by Toad's herculean effort. Bowser's ship immediately pulled upwards to scrape the ocean while Tatanga's ship splashed in the water, creating an explosion as they safely got away. Slowly the green hue in the sky began to fade before it was just a normal dark blue sky.

Prof E Gadd and Dr. Toad even could see the lingering smoke from the hill. The professor turned to the toad. "I'm glad this boring project is over. AM radio said that the problem went away on its own."

"The great Stars above do like to play their tricks," Dr. Goom, who walked up to them with toilet paper stuck under his shoe said. "What happened to the trailer, by the way?"

The other two scientists looked at the goomba like he an apparition.

Dr. Toad tugged on Gadd's white jacket. "This really is a job for you! He should be dead yet he is standing here!"

"Perfect. Stand still." Prof Gadd pulled from out of nowhere a handheld vacuum that didn't look safe at all.

"Is this what I get for taking five hours in the bathroom?!" Dr. Goom screamed as they began to chase him downhill.

...

Peach collapsed flat on the deck of the airship, finally catching her breath. Everyone was there while the airship headed back to town.

"Sorry sis. My made-up holiday led to this," Daisy told her right away. She presented Peach's gift and everyone else's. "I can't take this."

Peach pushed hers back. "Yes you can. Oh, and thank you all… Even Bowser.." Peach gingerly shook the Koopa King's hand.

Bowser, who was standing around like the awkward frenemy tag-along he was, kept his head up high to hide his blushing. "My eight brats and even Kamek all left the castle by noon, everyone in my army effectively quit, and I'd already guillotined my politicians so they were no help. You're all I got, hotness. It was the least I could do."

"Keep mine too. It was always your gift." Luigi put an arm around Daisy.

"And mine," Yoshi said. Mario nodded.

"I want mine back though," Toad said. He got his socks back and mentioned something else in his head, but no one really reacted.

Peach gave a start as she remembered. "Oh, I have something else for you. Please just take this back and let's never swap again! Ever!"

"Uh, what?" Daisy replied, hesitantly accepting the ID card back. "We only swapped cause of that lady's night thing and… I can't read anyone's mind!"

She made everyone else have to check for a second, except for Peach, whom it tickled greatly.

"That space alien caused it all because, oh never mind. Just know that we're normal now I suppose!"

It was a good thing too because the world was just a few minutes away from starting World War 3 but it got off easy and the next morning the general public would be okay provided they changed all of their old passwords and other sensitive info. Many relationships were damaged but they do not call the period after a war or almost war 'reconstruction' for nothing, do they?

The END..

Tuesdays: "Get out of here, Monday, no one ever liked you. Even your mother! When Tuesday has come around you already know what's up. It's in the grove, ready to make a move but are you?.."

Mario cut off the TV, annoyed as usual at that Steve the Bullet Bill news person and his koans. For today, he, Luigi, the princess, and a few toads were going to eat at a diner they didn't typically go to, called Club Gamecube for a breakfast special. Relations needed to be repaired and something wild and new was how to do it. It was crowded inside but the portions were fine, even though Toadette claimed her pancake moved and Toadsworth swore that his orange juice could switch between solid and liquid at will. The Mario Bros thought everything tasted kind of funny. The manager, a talking Gamecube console was nice enough, however. Wait...

Later that day nothing else really happened, Bowser still wasn't attacking as agreed and the castle was dusted down. That night Mario was reading the newspaper in bed when his scalp itch. It was no issue, he simply scratched with that new third arm of his that sprouted from under his left one!