Vol. 3, Ch. 1. - The Wallflower.

     "Why doesn't anything exciting ever happen around here?" complained Princess Daisy as she sat on her castle veranda.

     "I think there's plenty to be excited about," replied an attendant.  "The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, it's a beautiful day!"

     "But nothing's happening out there!" cried the Princess.  An excitable tomboy and princess of Sarasaland, Daisy preferred action to politics, but seeing as how her kingdom had few foreign contacts and little major industry, there was little action to be seen.  Politics had never been Daisy's first priority, which was just as well since her blunt, competitive way of working with people would not have gained her many political friends.  She did have administrative gifts, though, and Sarasaland had done fairly well under her rather hands-off approach to leadership.  It wasn't that she hated being a Princess...she just hated being bored, and there wasn't a whole lot in her kingdom to keep her busy.

     "You could work on the castle's garden.  The daisies appear to need a little attention."

     "I see what you did there,"  she said, smiling.  She did have a green thumb, and if there was any quiet activity she enjoyed, it was gardening.  The castle grounds boasted the finest flowers for miles around.  "I guess I'll take a look around," she said.  "There's probably something out there that needs maintenance."

     As she walked around the garden with her sprayer she began thinking out loud.

     "I wonder what would happen if I traveled for a while?  It feels like I just got back, but I'm getting tired of being here already.  I guess it's the garden that keeps me from just staying away forever.  After all, Sarasaland doesn't need me looking over its shoulder all the time.  Hey, what's that?"

     She walked towards a flower that looked a great deal like a pansy.  It had all the wrong colors, however, and was slightly misshapen.

     "I didn't plant this.  Must be an unwelcome guest.  Kind of pretty, though.  Wonder what it's called?  It couldn't be from around here- I'd recognize it.  Attendants!" she shouted, "bring me the Planter's Almanac, please!"

     A Toad brought her the book, and she scanned its pages, looking for the unusual flower.

     "There it is.  Vanishing plant.  'This pansy-like flower has an unusual name for it's unusual appearance.  No one is sure where it comes from, but legends say it has the power to remain unnoticed in a garden for years.  Of course, such a claim seems ridiculous, but, on the other hand, no one has ever disproved it.'  Brother...mystery mulch.  Well, better get rid of it."

     She walked over to the flower.  "You're very pretty and all, but if there's anything I'm picky about, it's a stable garden.  That means no mysteries, so you'll have to go.  She tugged the plant out of the ground and, to her surprise, it vanished!  It wasn't just invisible, but completely gone!

     "Ummmm...attendants?"  There was no response, and she sighed.  "I should consider hiring a few more people.  No one ever seems to be close enough to hear me.  She walked back into the castle.  "Anyone there?" she called.  Looking to her right, she saw a guard by her chamber.

     "Hey there.  Would you mind finding me an attendant?  I need some help searching the garden for a flower I think I dropped somewhere and need to get rid of."

     The guard didn't respond.

     "Hey!" Daisy raised her voice just a little.  "Could you get me an attendant?"

     Still no response.

     "You're being very rude!  Why don't you answer my question?"

     No response.

     Suddenly a Toad came rushing to the guard.  "Come quick!" he cried.  "Princess Daisy has disappeared!"

     "I'm right here!" cried Daisy, but both the guard and attendant ignored her and dashed towards the castle garden.

     "Why didn't they notice me?"  Daisy opened the door to her chamber and went inside.  Along the wall she had a standing mirror that she usually used for making shadow puppets on the wall.  "I guess now's as good a time as any to make sure my crown's on straight," she said.

     When she looked into the mirror though, there was no reflection.

     "Okay...now I'm more than a little concerned."

     She dashed back into the castle's greeting chamber where another mirror had been placed.  No reflection was presented to her, even after she wiped it with her glove.  She turned around and looked at the ground.  It was 5 pm on a sunny day- and she had no shadow.

     "Well," she said with a wry smile, "I guess something's officially happened around here."

Continued this week.

Vol. 2, Ch. 7. - The Doctor's Yoshis.

Author's Note:  Sorry I'm so late!  Life got a little busy this last week and I didn't really get the time to update.  This isn't going to be a regular thing, honest!  I will start posting more consistently, and soon!

     With that the Pink Yoshi disappeared.

     "What did she mean, 'not the only creatures who regenerate?'" asked The Doctor.

     "No time to answer that right now, Doctor," interrupted Amy.  "Right now we need to stop these Daleks.  A minute ago you were about to do something crazy.  Don't let us stop you."

     "I didn't actually have a plan."

     "They didn't know that.  Besides, you're The Doctor."

     At this the Blue one piped in.  "You're a Time Lord.  I actually believe that means you know what you're doing."

     The Doctor smiled. "Well!" he said, "If I'm going to do something crazy, I might as well extend to the Daleks their last chance."

     "AND WHAT IS THAT, DOC-TOR?" asked the Dalek, which, with its compatriots, had backed away a few feet after seeing the new companions and the strange Pink Yoshi.

     "Run."

     "DALEKS DO NOT RUN!"

      "Really?  In that case allow me to explain why this time you really should.  Each of these stars has the power to make someone invincible due to their unbreakable regenerative energy field.  If you gain them you will be impervious to even the most sophisticated of weapons.  However, I haven't yet tried reversing the polarity of something- and I'm about to do it now."

     "WHAT PURPOSE WILL THAT ACCOMPLISH?"

     "Imagine a star's energy, reversed by a sonic pulse.  It would cause the whole star's chemical makeup to change so that rather than being made of regenerative elements it would quickly become made of destructive ones.  And futhermore," he continued, "the gravitational elemental attraction of the star would reverse."

     "MEANING?"

     "A couple thousand dark stars would chase you to the edge of the universe.  You'd never escape, and they would destroy you."

     "YOU WOULD DESTROY US AS YOU DESTROYED OTHER DALEKS?"

     "You would destroy yourself.  You don't need this power, but your insatiable desire to rule the universe causes you to seek it at the cost of others' lives.  I am The Doctor, and you know our little routine.  You attack, and I stop you.  So then, if you really think you can get past me, do something smart for a change.  Let someone else go first."

     "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!" yelled the three Daleks as they simultaneously blasted the Doctor.  The screwdriver fell to the ground, landing in Mario's hand.

     "You there!" cried Rory to the Daleks.  "You forgot something!"

     "ENOUGH WITH YOUR STALL-ING! EX-TER-MIN-"

     Before they could finish their sentence Mario was standing, screwdriver in hand.  "Here we go!" he shouted, and, aiming the screwdriver at the stars, pushed the button.

     "Everybody duck!" cried Amy as a cloud of dark stars began flooding out of the chamber.

     Almost everyone ducked.  There was no time for the Daleks to escape, and they disappeared almost as suddenly as they had appeared.  The stars that hit them disappeared too.

     "Now push it again!" shouted Rory.

     Mario did so, causing the stars to return to their normal color and flood back into the vault.  When it was all over, the two companions/Yoshis stared at Mario, and he at them.

     "I promise not all Yoshis are fake," said Rory to Mario's questioning look.

     "Well then!" said the Doctor, springing up from the ground as everyone else did the same.  "You've all performed wonderfully!  I'm very impressed by your acting, Princess Peach.  Those 'last words' almost made me cry!  How many of you knew you would make it through?"

     "We all did, Doctor," said the Princess, "but we thought it best to let the Daleks believe we were gone.  That way if the worst came to the worst we could come to your assistance."

     "I appreciate that, Princess.  It looks like Amy and Rory had a similar idea.  How did you get here, anyway?"

     "Don't be daft, Doctor!" cried Amy.  "Didn't you see the Pink Yoshi?"

     "There was a Pink one?  I didn't see her."

     "She was right there!" Rory protested.

     "I saw her," said Clara.

     "Me too!" said Red.

      Mario nodded.

      "Well," said The Doctor, a little uneasily, "I must have just missed her.  Where is she now?"

     "...She disappeared, Doctor.  In fact, pretty soon Rory and I will too.  We can't stay, you know."

     "Why not?  The TARDIS is right outside and..."

     "You know why not.  You have a new companion now, and it's time you went on a new journey, don't you think?  He's been waiting a long time."

     With that, the Blue and White Yoshis changed forms, just for a second.  The Doctor saw his friends as they really were, as he'd known them, and then they disappeared.

     "Doctor," said Peach, "Is it always this dangerous with you?"

     "Usually."

     "Will those Daleks come back, you think?"

     "I doubt it.  They're already halfway across the solar system running from the stars that aren't chasing them."

     "That was pretty clever, you know."

     "Well, Mario used the screwdriver.  I just calibrated it."

     Mario smiled.

     "I have to leave, too, Doctor," said Clara a little sadly.  "I'm sure we'll meet soon enough.

     "Thank you, Clara.  I hope it is soon."

     As Clara walked away in one direction and Mario and Peach headed another, The Doctor looked at Red.

     "Well then!  Thank you for bringing me back!  Where to next?"

     Red grinned, but before he could say a word-

     "YOOOOOOOOOSHI!"

     Yoshi jolted straight up in bed.  He looked at the window.  Sunlight filtered in through the curtains, but it was evident that he'd been asleep most of the day.

     "Come on, Yoshi!" said Luigi.  "It's time to watch Doctor Who!  Have you been asleep all this time?"

     "I must have been," Yoshi replied.  "Sorry, I just had the strangest dream."

      "Really?  What about?"

     "Hmm...maybe I'd better tell you another time."

     He looked towards the side of his bed.  There was no dresser- there never had been, but suddenly he noticed a letter left where the dresser, had it been real, would have been.

     "I'll see you guys in the living room," he said to his friends.

     They began walking and he looked at the letter.  He opened it up and to his surprise a small watch fell out, with a note-

      "Thank you for the adventure!  I know it didn't last very long, but it was fun, wasn't it?"

The Doctor

A new story will begin this weekend.

Vol. 2, Ch. 6. - Starlight, Star Fight.

     "So this is the star vault," said the Doctor.  "Not very secure."

     "Of course it is!" protested the Princess.  "The finest locksmiths in the Mushroom King-"

     "Her sentence was cut short as The Doctor pushed the door open.  "Sonic screwdriver- opens the doors on anything."

     "All of a sudden the last 200 years of star protection feel a lot less secure."

     "Well!  If this isn't a beautiful collection than there probably aren't any!" he replied.  "Lots of power, then...right.  Well, I can't imagine a more tempting place to put them.  Under a castle, in the middle of a kingdom.  If I didn't know better I'd think the Dalek's were being invited!"

     "Doctor, if the Daleks get through..." began Clara.

     "There is no "if", Clara.  If a giant turtle with bad breath can break into these walls they certainly won't stop a Dalek.  Mario, this castle normally relies on you for defense?"

     Mario nodded.

     "More specifically, he's the last line of defense," said Red.  If something gets in the castle Mario is the one who rescues everyone.  You probably know that, though."

     "I do.  The reason I wanted to be sure is because if I know that then the Daleks should have too.  They didn't though- which must be the reason they tried to kill him the second they saw him.  Not a proper Dalek protocol to just shoot authority figures, so why is Mario hidden?"

     "Well, to be fair, Yoshi, er, Doctor," said Peach, "You're one out of three people in the Mushroom Kingdom who owns a computer.  The other two are a mad scientist and that giant turtle, er, Koopa, you were talking about.  So maybe the Daleks don't know about him."

     "If that's true we might be able to take advantage of it," said Red.  "They wouldn't see him coming or expect a fight from him."

     "Would that help?" asked Clara.  "You saw how they managed to bring him down to size, but it did take a while."

     "I think a direct attack is unwanted.  If anything we need to get these stars as far away from the Daleks as possible."

     "THEN YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE LED US TO THEM, DOC-TOR!"

     They spun around and saw one Dalek standing behind them.

     "Oh, ho, ho!  You're clever!" cried the Doctor.  "Naturally you realized I knew what you were up to and you predicted my next action, which was to visit the star vault, so you followed the TARDIS.  I think you forgot something, though."

     "WE DID NOT FORGET ANYTHING!"

     "How about the fact that I'm not alone?  Every person here is ready to defend these things against you by every means necessary.  Even if it means emptying the star bank to keep you from having them."

     "WHAT THEN, DOC-TOR?  YOU ELIMINATE YOUR ONLY HOPE OF DEFENSE AND LEAVE THE DALEKS WITHOUT THEIR OBJECTIVE.  YOU WILL BE EX-TER-MIN-ATE-D!"

     "You keep saying that!  I'm a Yoshi, you thick Dalek!  You can't shoot me and just be done with it!  I will regenerate like a Yoshi does, and, frankly, they're much faster about it!"

     "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"

     The Doctor watched in horror as the Dalek blasted Princess Peach.  She cried out as she fell and Mario caught her before she hit the ground.

     "What good did that do you?!" roared the Doctor.  "She never meant anything to you!"

     "YET SHE MEANT A GREAT DEAL TO YOU, DOC-TOR!  IT IS LIKE OUR LAST ENCOUNTER!"

     "Don't you dare bring that up!" cried Red.

     "DALEKS DO NOT TAKE ORDERS.  YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS, AS YOU HAVE TRIED BEFORE TO GIVE THEM TO US!"

     "Stop it.  Stop it right now!  The Doctor and I had nothing to do with your disaster.  There was nothing we could do."

     "THE DOC-TOR SHOWS COMPASSION FOR EVERY RACE, BUT TO THE DALEK HE YELLS 'EX-TER-MIN-ATE!'  WHEN WE HAD LOST OUR LAST BATTLE AND ONLY HE COULD SAVE OUR PEOPLE, HE TURNED HIS BACK.  YOU CALL HIM HERO, BUT THE DOC-TOR ONLY SAVES THOSE HE FAVORS.  WE ARE THE SAME.  THE DALEKS MUST CONTINUE, AS THE DOC-TOR BELIEVES HIS COMPANIONS MUST.  THE ENEMY OF THE DALEKS WOULD HAVE MADE A VERY GOOD ONE."

     "I couldn't do anything!" cried The Doctor with tears in his eyes.  "I tried, really, I tried, but there was nothing I could do!  Nothing!  NOTHING!  A screwdriver, time machine, and the best of friends and there was nothing left that I could do.  I couldn't save you!"

     "YOU WOULD NOT SAVE US!  YOU WILL NOT SAVE YOUR COMPANIONS!" with which words the Dalek blasted everyone but the Doctor.

     "NO!" he cried.

     "Doctor..." Peach whispered.  "Whatever you've done, whatever happens to us, don't give up."

     The Doctor turned to the Dalek, which now had a small squad of Daleks with it.  "Well done.  You've done what no Dalek has ever done to me before.  You've left me with nothing.  I'm a man with nothing to lose.  And furthermore," he said, his large eyes becoming suddenly dark, "you know that when I'm alone I tend to go a little crazy.  All my friends are gone.  They won't be the only thing that is when this is over."

      "Really?" came a voice from behind the Daleks.  "You sure you have nothing left at all?"

      "Who are..."

     "Good to see you again, Doctor," said a White Yoshi.

     "I...don't recall you."

     "Don't be daft.  You traveled all over with me.  Me and Rory, of course," said Amy, jerking her thumb at the blue Yoshi next to her.  "You didn't really believe you were alone, did ya Doctor?"

     "How did you?  You can't be here!"

     "Funny how that works, isn't it?  Don't worry about us, though, Daleks.  It's the Pink one you really need to be concerned about.  You might not process the words "Bad Yoshi", but perhaps "Bad Wolf is a little clearer, hm?"

     "Oh, they won't need me," said a pink Yoshi.  "I just wanted to say hello.  You've changed quite a bit again, Doctor.  Don't worry about your friends, though.  Yoshis aren't the only creatures in this planet who regenerate!"

Continued this week.

Vol. 2, Ch. 5. - Together Again.

     "A very thick bunch, you Daleks!" cried Red.  "What makes you think I'm afraid of you?"

     "DALEKS HAVE NO CONCEPT OF FEAR."

     "Right.  Excuse me for forgetting."

     "DALEKS DO NOT ACCEPT APOLOGIES."

     "Right.  Well then, what is it you will accept?"

     "INFORMATION!"

     "Of what sort?"

     "ALL INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE RULERS OF THESE KINGDOMS AND THE LOCATIONS OF THEIR DEFENSES, THEIR STARS, AND OF THE DOCTOR."

     "You hardly needed to capture me for that.  You know The Doctor is dead."

     "INCORRECT.  THE DOCTOR REMAINS."

     "Don't lie to me.  You'll get nothing that way."

     "DALEKS HAVE NO CONCEPT OF DISHONESTY."

     "Yeah, I know.  Sorry I forgot again."

     "DALEKS DO NOT ACCEPT APOLOGIES."

     "A thick bunch, indeed," Red muttered.  "So, what will you do if I tell you what you want to know?"

     "DALEKS DO NOT ANSWER--"

     "Shush!  If you expect to hear anything from me, you will answer my questions!"

     "YOUR STUBBORNNESS IS INEFFICIENT.  WE WILL GAIN THE INFORMATION WE DEMAND.  KNEEL!"

     Red shuddered as the Daleks approached.  Not really the end of the adventure he'd hoped for, and yet, if the Daleks spoke truth, The Doctor was still out there.  He only had one chance to meet him now, and it was a long shot.  Still, he had to try.

     "Emergency physics shift!" he cried, popping into an egg, which then disappeared.  A second later, the TARDIS appeared where he'd vanished.

     Inside, The Doctor was trying to pilot the TARDIS away from where he'd just landed it.  "This isn't right!  Red was just here, and he disappeared!  What happened?"

     "It's a Yoshi thing, Doctor," replied Peach.  "Yoshis can disappear anytime they like.  Only problem is they can't control where they reappear."

     "Unless we try really hard!" called Red.

     No one was more surprised to see him than The Doctor.  "Red!" he cried, jumping up and down in a less-than-dignified fashion.

     "Doctor!  I thought you were lost!"

     "Nah, it takes more than a Dalek to kill me!" he said as he hugged Red.

     "I assume everyone here has met you?"

     "Yes.  In fact, someone here already knew who I was.  Turns out you weren't the only one."

     "Really?"

     "Really.  Clara, meet Red.  Clara isn't actually a Yoshi either, and she comes from a different planet.  Although she's changed forms more than I have she's technically human."

     "Is there any such thing as a REAL Yoshi?" asked Peach.

     "Don't be daft.  Red's real."

     "Oh, good.  I was beginning to think dinosaurs were extinct."

     "Absolutely not.  This isn't even the first time I've had dinosaurs on a spaceship."

     "Where next?" asked Red.

     "Nowhere, yet.  The Daleks saw me coming and put a nice little temporal field around the TARDIS,  She's been time locked."

     "So we can't move?  At all?" asked Peach.

     "No.  I wouldn't worry, though.  We won't be alone long.  They just didn't want me to go without saying goodbye."

     "DOC-TOR!  COME HERE!"

     "Oh, all right!" he called back.  "I'm coming."  Turning to Mario, he whispered "Will you come with me?"

     "Yes."

     "Then bring every mushroom you have."

     The two stepped out of the TARDIS and were immediately surrounded by Daleks.

     "YOUR EXISTENCE IS UNNECESSARY," said a Dalek, motioning towards Mario.  "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"

     "Well, before you do that, don't you think you'd better look at what he's holding?"

     "HIS POSSESSIONS ARE IRRELEVANT!"

     "Ah, but are they?  He's holding mega mushrooms."

     "EXPLAIN!"

     "Highly volatile, these mushrooms.  Not at all the sort of thing you want to shoot at.  They have enough destructive force to blow up the TARDIS, not to mention this little shack that you call a base.  I'm not threatening, but if he doesn't eat them, there won't be much left of any of us."

     "CONSUME THE MUSHROOMS OR YOU WILL BE EX-TER-MIN-ATE-D!"

     "Okey-dokey!"

     Seconds later the ceiling was caving in.  As the Daleks rolled around shouting they began firing at both Mario and The Doctor, but Mario had picked up Doctor and TARDIS and was striding away.  The shots hit hard, though, and they were only a dozen meters away when he shrank back to normal size.

     "Into the TARDIS, now!"

     "Let's a-go!"

     A few minutes later they were at Peach's castle.

     "Show me your star vault," said the Doctor.

     "With pleasure.  I showed it to Yoshi a dozen-" she broke off, then turned and faced him.  "Can you ever go back?"

     "Yes."

     "Will you?"

     "No."

Continued next week.

Vol. 2, Ch. 4. - Let's a-go!

     "It seems unlikely," said Princess Peach as she strolled through the castle courtyard with Mario, "that truth could be stranger than fiction.  Don't you agree?"

     Mario nodded.

     "For example," she continued, "the reality we face every day is full of ordinary things.  Except for occasional disturbances, the order of things remains about the same.  Few things ever really change.  Then we go and watch fantastic stories about time travel and genius detectives.  In reality, it's all consistent.  In fact, I can't imagine anything more commonplace than our everyday- good heavens, what's that?"

     Her monologue had been interrupted by the sight of what looked a little like a solar-powered trash can with a plunger approaching them both on a set of wheels.

     "YOU ARE THE PRINCESS OF THIS PLANET?" it demanded.

     "Incorrect," replied Peach, a little startled.  "I am ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, and technically, it's more of a regency."

     "NONETHELESS, YOU ARE A PERSON OF AUTHORITY?"

     "Yes."

     "THEN YOU WILL ACCOMPANY ME!"

     "Why?  Where are you going?"

     "DALEKS DO NOT ANSWER HUMAN QUESTIONS.  YOU WILL COME NOW!"

     "I won't budge until you explain a little more about yourself.  Who are you and what are you doing here?"

     Mario had watched the conversation with concern.  Peach's diplomatic approach obviously wouldn't last long.  He quickly consumed a Fire Flower, but apparently not fast enough, because the creature saw him do it and appeared to become enraged.

     "YOU WILL COME WITH ME IMMEDIATELY!  YOUR COMPANION IS UNNECESSARY. EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"

     Before it could do anything, however, it was interrupted by a strange sound.  Mario and Peach wheeled around and stood stunned as something like a police phone box they'd seen in old 50s movies appeared, apparently out of nowhere.

     "THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!" cried the creature.  "EXPLAIN!  EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN!"

     Suddenly Yoshi sprang from the box "They don't recognize it anymore than you do!" he cried.  "You two! RUN!"

     They didn't need to be told twice.  Mario and Peach dashed towards the box with all the speed they could muster.  The creature began firing out of what looked like a laser gun, but its shock at seeing the blue box had delayed its response time, and the shots never came close.  A few seconds later they were all inside, and Yoshi slammed the door shut.

     "My goodness, Yoshi!" Peach said.  "Thank you for coming in the blink of time!  But how did you..." her words were stopped short as she realized the vastness of the room she'd stepped into.  It was nothing near the size it had been- it was bigger on the inside!

    Mario, as usual, was unperturbed.

    "This is impossible!" she cried.  "Yoshi, what- oh, there's two of you.  Sorry."

    "Don't worry about it," interrupted the Purple Yoshi.  "We have different names anyway.  I'm Clara, that's The Doctor."

     "What?  Did you Yoshis decide to start changing your names?"

     "I don't have time to explain," said Yoshi.  "Clara, give them the short version."

     "All right then.  Mario, Peach, first I need to tell you the hard part.  Yoshi isn't Yoshi at all.  He usually goes by The Doctor, and he's from a planet very far away.  You're inside his ship, the TARDIS, which, as you noticed, is bigger on the inside.  The Doctor has been living as a Yoshi since you've been babies, and that's because-"

     "Not that part!" interrupted the Doctor in a pained voice.

     "Sorry.  Anyways, Yoshi is actually a Time Lord, an alien from outer space.  He came to this planet years ago and turned himself into a Yoshi, including his memories.  He quickly befriended everyone on the island, and then in the Mushroom Kingdom.  He even served as your sidekick, Mario, which is an unusual role for him.  Please, don't think he's been deceiving you on purpose.  He had decided to live the rest of his life as a Yoshi, and he believed he was one just as much as you did.  One of his friends, however, knew the truth, and, using a device The Doctor had hidden, made him realize who he was again.  Yoshi is a myth, The Doctor is real.  I explained to him who you were, and he came to rescue you from the creature that just accosted you."

     "That can't be true...can it?" asked Peach, her voice quavering.

     The Doctor looked at the group, and immediately wished he hadn't.  Peach looked shocked, but he recognized on Mario's face something he had seen on himself far too many times - the look of a man who just lost his closest friend forever.  He walked up to both of them.

     "I'm so sorry," he said.

     "...Yoshi?" was all Mario whispered.  Peach started to say something, then stopped short.

     "Your world is in danger.  A race more terrible than anything you've ever battled is invading, and they will stop at nothing to make this planet into their version of an ideal place."

     "What kind of place?" asked Peach.

     "A place where they're the only things alive."

     "There's no time to worry," Clara interrupted.

     "Right, then!"  The Doctor dashed up to the console.  "Well, it looks like you're the only kingdom with visitors, at least for now.  Why, though?  That's not very much like Daleks, to wait when they could attack in full force...unless they can't!  Oh, oh, oh, I see it now!  They can't really attack after our last encounter- it left them too weak.  No, they can't budge until they get their hands on something, but what?  What would power a Dalek attack?"

     He dashed up to Peach.  "What makes this kingdom different from any other kingdom?  What's your favorite possession?"

     "Stars."

     "Who directs them?"

     "Almost anyone in the kingdom can, but most of the ones we keep are in my castle."

     "No.  No...no, no, no, no!"  The Doctor began pacing frantically.

     "Doctor, what is it?" asked Clara.

     "Stars!  Big, flaming, balls of luminous gas with megatons and gigatons of energy- but not here.  Here they mean something else.  They make people invincible, don't they?

     "It's a waste of their power, but yes," replied Peach.  "How did you know?"

     "Clara explained, but it doesn't matter!  Daleks have no concept of waste," cried the Doctor.  "They'll harness every star in the Mushroom Kingdom by harvesting them from every place and every person.  They'll black it all out, take out every star."

     "It doesn't stop there, Doctor," Clara said sadly.  "There's a race of creatures that transform into stars when they become mature.  What's more, they're even more populous than the stars themselves, and, as Mario can testify, they're easy to catch."

     "Lumas?" Peach asked incredulously.

     "Invincible Daleks," muttered The Doctor.  "The end of every single planet's freedom, life, and happiness."  Well!  Not happening while I'm around!  They took Red, though.  Why?"

     "Red was your companion, and he knows everything about Mario, Peach, and everyone else of major import in the Mushroom Kingdom.  They want him for information.  He'll know where to find and how to find the stars. Plus...he'll keep you busy.  The more time you spend rescuing him, the more they can do without your interference."

     "They haven't started yet," said the Doctor.  "Red's putting up more of a fight than they expected.  They won't kill him unless they get what they want from him."

     "Our first priority is rescuing him, then!" said Peach.

     "On that we can both agree.  I've got the Dalek's coordinates, but I should let you all off before I go."

     "We're not going anywhere, Doctor," said Clara.

     "Absolutely not!" added Peach.  "If the kingdom's in trouble, it's my responsibility to help."

     "It's too dangerous."

     "Right.  We totally care about that."

     "You won't be able to leave them behind, Doctor," said Clara.

     The Doctor looked at Mario.  "What about you, old friend?"

     Mario smiled, a little sadly.  "Let's a-go."

     "Oh...so that's where it came from."

Continued next week (or the day afterwards).