"Thank you, Professor," replied Peach. "See you soon."
"Great...just great!" Yoshi complained to himself. "Daisy's locked up, I'm trapped, and Bowser's probably gloating gleefully all over Sarasaland! Why on earth did I come here? She probably would have been fine in a few hours- now we're both in trouble!"
"I wouldn't say it's as bad as all that," said a familiar Italian voice.
"Luigi!"
"Shh....I don't need everyone to know I'm here. I'm about to let you out, then I'm a-going to jump on your back. You won't be able to see me, okay?"
"You mean-"
"No time for questions. We need to find Daisy. Bowser wants to start a fight. We're trying to avoid one."
"Gotcha. Oh! That's much less cramped. Thank you."
"Ala-ways a pleasure. Peach and Mario are searching the upstairs dungeon. We'll head downstairs."
Yoshi nodded and they began their search. It didn't take long to reach the door to the dungeon, but the key was nowhere in sight.
"This is no good," Luigi said. "How are we supposed to get in to the dungeon if the guard took the key?"
"Perhaps you don't need to get in at all!" said Daisy from the other side of the door.
"So you are in there! Thank goodness we found you!"
"Good to hear you too, Yoshi. Don't blame yourself, by the way...I know you were, and it's not your fault. We were both a little careless. Uh, Luigi, you're a little hard to see"
"You can say that aga-" began Yoshi.
"But not here!" Luigi interrupted, as the steps of a Koopa Kid sounded louder and louder on the stair and it's complaining voice became louder and louder.
"'Check the dungeon', he said! 'I'm sure I heard something', he said! Bah! There's nothing to see he-yeow! How did you-"
He didn't get to finish the sentence as Yoshi snagged him with his tongue, but the noise from inside Yoshi's mouth was still formidable.
"It won't take long for them to send some troops after him," said Daisy. If we're going to get out we've gotta do it now."
"We'll have to drop the subtle approach, then. Stand clear, Princess. Yoshi...now!"
"They've found someone! Or been found!" cried Peach as she and Mario both heard the sound of heavy clanging and Goombas rushing downstairs. The duo hurried after them and found Yoshi standing beside a severely damaged yet still intact door surrounded by Goombas.
"Not a moment to lose, Mario!"
"Yahoo!"
If the noise didn't frighten the Goombas, than the invisible attacks from Cat Mario and Peach certainly did. In the midst of the confusion Yoshi and Luigi wrenched the door free, and as Daisy came out, Yoshi spat the Koopa Kid in. They made their retreat as the Goombas scrambled to reorganize, and by the time things had quieted down, they were on the castle courtyard dashing to the nearest Warp Pipe.
"I must be dreaming," said Daisy. "First I'm invisible, now my friends are! Is this ever going to stop?"
"Sure it is!" said Peach, becoming visible as she said it. "There wasn't much longer to wait at all, apparently. Let's finish talking about it when we reach my house though, okay?"
Twenty minutes later they were back in Peach's foyer. Mario and Luigi relaxed with pasta while Yoshi munched a fruit salad and the two Princesses enjoyed some coffee. The Professor looked on disapprovingly- "It was supposed to last much longer!" he kept muttering.
"So that's the story, then?" asked Luigi after Daisy had finished recounting the day's events from her perspective.
"Pretty much, yeah." replied Daisy.
"Not exactly something that happens all the time."
"Thank goodness for that! All because I got bored! For heaven's sake, if you ever catch me even starting, don't, under any circumstances, let me say "I wish something would ha-"
"Stop!" cried out Yoshi in mock desperation, and they all broke down laughing.
"Of course," added Peach, "Bowser's probably infuriated."
"Yes." replied Mario with a nod.
"You don't sound worried."
"No."
"Come now, Mario! Doesn't any of this stuff ever bother you? You sometimes act like it's all just a game!"
"You do seem pretty unconcerned. Almost like you know everything will work out every time," remarked Daisy.
"Well," said Luigi, "He does have a pretty solid precedent. Eh, Bro?"
Mario took off his hat and smiled. "Thank you so much for playing my game."
An hour later, everyone had gone to the courtyard for a stroll, but Mario and Yoshi stayed behind.
"Mario?"
"Yes?"
"You never answered the question. How come you always seem so calm? I know you care about what happens, but you never seem to be concerned until something actually does? Why?"
Mario shrugged. "It's not that I don't care, Yoshi. I'm just not worried. I see so many people who worry all the time, but I've realized that if I talk little and worry less, things usually work out. Besides," he smiled, "I have a few friends who hear me talk a little more, right?"
Yoshi glanced affectionately at the plumber. "Yeah, you're right. Still, it's nice to hear you say it. Let's go outside, huh?"
"Okey-dokey."
A new story will begin this week.
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