There was no way of telling how long it had been. She had drifted off at one point, though she couldn't tell she had fallen asleep until she was awoken by a soft voice looming over her.

"Hey, Peach. Can you hear me?" a young man's voice seemed to say. She didn't recognize the tone, though he sounded slightly wistful and light, like he was almost whispering.

His voice was gentle. It almost made her want to fall back into that dark, cold void of sleepiness... 

After the overwhelming amount of light, she could use some time in the dark... she hadn't noticed how smooth and cold the marble flooring of the wedding altar was, probably because she was busy focusing on being forced to get married to Prince Mario.

That didn't count as an actual wedding, right?

No, it couldn't have. It was all wrong. She didn't get to propose, choose a dress, or be a part of the wedding planning. She didn't want it, so it didn't count. Weddings were supposed to be happy, not forced.

"Peach?" the voice repeated. "I hate to sound pushy, but it's time to wake up... we're all waiting for you."

We? Who was we?

Peach shifted slightly, then allowed her eyes to slowly flutter open. The sky was just as bright as she remembered. She wished she could just close her eyes again and allow the darkness to comfort her, but whoever was talking to her was right. It was time to fix whatever mess had been made.

After a few seconds of adjustment, a small floating creature came into focus. It was fluttering above her, looking down at her like a puppy waiting for its owner to wake in the morning. She didn't recognize it, though. Was it the thing talking to her? How did it know her name?

It looked strange, too. Its head looked like a white tophat with a monocle situated on it. Its body almost resembled a cloak, but much more two-dimensional. It stared down at her with wide eyes (or eye. It seemed a little monocle completely covered one eye.)

"You're awake!" it chimed, though it had no mouth. His(?) voice echoed slightly and his body glowed as he spoke. He was primarily made up of white and blue colors with a hint of red.

"What the..." Peach muttered under her breath, unsure what it was she was looking at. Was he some kind of fairy? A machine, perhaps?

She felt her stomach drop slightly. Had she been drugged in her sleep? Was she seeing and hearing things now?

"Quickly, this way!" he chimed. "We haven't a moment to lose."

Peach, used to hearing that phrase, immediately stood herself up and brushed herself off. She was never one to sit and waste time. Sometimes, adventures required her to act first and demand answers later. Besides, she could tell he at least knew a little bit about what was going on. Maybe he wasn't trustworthy enough for her to let her guard down completely, but he seemed somewhat genuine when he spoke. She'd have to find out if she was drugged later. 

"Cool beans, this way!" he chimed. "I'll get us to my home!"

"To huh?" Peach asked when the wind picked up around her. She held her hands up in front of her face and pressed her eyes shut as the air around her seemed to shift.

"Open your eyes," he smiled, his voice kind. It was a different kind of kindness as opposed to Countess Tippi's. His kindness seemed far more genuine. It wasn't being used to mask something far more sinister.

Peach slowly opened her eyes, then gasped at the sight before her. They were atop a tall tower, high up in the sky. She slowly walked to the edge, looking down upon the world she had been transported to. The streets were fairly gray and dark, but the people were colorful and lively. She could smell the sweet scent of baked bread and brewed coffee. It was different from the overwhelming floral scent she came from.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked. "Welcome to Flopside!"

"To Flop-hmm?" Peach asked, turning her gaze back to the strange being.

"Flopside," he repeated. "A city built between dimensions. This tower holds the doorways to many worlds, and our city is built to welcome people from all kinds of places. It's a safe haven for people who... well... don't have any place left to fit in. Like me! Don't worry, he'll explain it to you in more depth."

"He?" Peach asked, when there was an elevator ding.

The heroine flinched slightly, then looked to the side as two large elevator doors opened, revealing a tall, thin man whose face was masked with a shadow cast over his face by his red hooded cloak.

Peach felt her heart practically stop as he stepped out of the elevator and brushed himself off. His dress shoes clicked with each step he took.

She remained silent as he continued fixing himself up until his practically glowing blue eyes met hers.

"Dear Jaydes," he whispered, freezing in place

Peach was about to speak when he suddenly appeared in front of her and grasped her hand, shaking it frantically. His hands were shockingly cold.

"I know you!" he exclaimed. "You're her! You're the one we've been waiting for! My goodness, it's such a pleasure to meet you! You have no idea how long we've been anticipating this day. Are you hungry? Tired? Whatever you need, just say the word and consider it yours!"

"Um, I need some answers," Peach muttered, taking her hand back and wiping it off on her shirt.

"Answers! Yes, of course! Bleck, you didn't already introduce us?" the man asked, turning his attention to the flying thing, who must have been Bleck.

"Right! I'm sorry! Let me get on that," Bleck said. He seemed to clear his throat, (if he even had one,) then floated up next to the cloaked man. "Hello! My name is Bleck! I'm a pixl! So... I'm kind of like a helping hand. I'm tasked with guiding you on your journey to defeat Countess Tippi and keep all worlds in a safe, balanced state!"

Peach remained still, blinking a few times. 

That was a lot to take in all at once.

"Right..." Peach muttered. "And who would that be?"

She pointed at the cloaked man.

"Oh! He's no one important!" Bleck chimed cheerfully, earning a joking scoff from the man.

"Oh, nonsense! I'm Pierre!" the cloaked man chimed, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling through his eyes. He seemed to rock back and forth on his heels.

"Right. And... who are you, Pierre? Some kind of cultist? What's with the outfit?"

"Cultist? Oh, no, no, I'm the guardian of the Dark Prognosticus!" the red-cloaked man chimed.

Peach quickly paled and stepped back. What was the Dark Prognosticus?! Anything with the title "dark" in it had to be evil, right?

"Oh, no, no, no! It's not what it sounds like!" Pierre quickly exclaimed upon seeing her slightly fearful expression. He quickly held his hands out in front of himself. "I'm not evil or anything! See?"

He quickly took his hood off, revealing his slender face, gray skin, messy black hair, and a soft smile.

"See? Just a guy," he assured her. "Not scary, I promise."

Peach allowed her shoulders to relax slightly, but she refused to completely lower her guard. She still had no idea who these guys really were.

"Um... Pierre's the ancient in charge of town," Bleck explained, slightly awkward now.

"Oh, yes! Yeah, that!" Pierre exclaimed, putting his hood back on and hiding his face once again. "Sorry, a standard ancient protocol is to keep our faces hidden for the most part. A rule I still sometimes have trouble following... anyway! Yes! I am that!"

"Okay... and what are ancients?" Peach asked. "Does that just mean you're old, or...?"

She briefly looked him up and down. He didn't look like he could be much older than twenty.

"Well... a little, I suppose. I'm the last one left, though. It basically means I'm in charge of studying musty old textbooks and prophecies to make sure the universe doesn't implode or something."

He chuckled slightly, though there was this energetic, almost nervous aura surrounding him.

Prophecies... Peach remembered Countess Tippi talking about those. If he studied prophecies, then did that mean he and the countess were working together?

"Are you with her, then?" Peach asked. "The one who stole my friends. Countess Tippi—"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, of course not," Bleck interrupted. "We're the ones trying to stop her!"

Peach briefly let out a sigh of relief.

"Exactly!" Pierre chimed, stepping forward and taking one of Peach's hands in both of his. "And you, my dear, are the legendary heroine prophesized to put a stop to her and save the world from imbalance! Wait, wait, I've practiced for this moment! Now, if you would please turn your attention to the sky."

Pierre let go of her hand and gestured up, speaking as if he was giving a middle-school-level presentation. Peach did as he said, though she had to shield her eyes from the overwhelmingly bright gash that had seemingly torn its way across the horizon. It was far brighter than the sun.

"That there is a void ripped into the very fabric of our worlds, created by unleashing the Purity Heart's power," Bleck explained.

Peach furrowed her eyebrows slightly. For being something "pure," it sure seemed to be causing a lot of problems.

"It's a complex story," Pierre explained. "The world is made up of light and dark. One can't live without the other. Chaos and purity together create balance. But... Countess Tippi aims to abuse the Purity Heart's power and use it to banish all darkness across the dimensions. With all darkness gone, goes the balance of our very foundation, and all worlds will fall into ruin."

"Right," Peach muttered. That sure didn't sound good... "So, how do we stop it?"

"Oh, that's the fun part!" Pierre chimed, taking her shoulder and gesturing to the dimensional doors situated on top of the tower. "Long ago, there was one thing that could keep the Purity Heart in check. The power of the Chaos Heart kept it in balance. But... many years ago, it was broken and the pieces were scattered across the dimensions for safekeeping."

"Okay... Why don't you get them, then?" Peach asked.

"It has been written that one day, a noble and brave heroine with golden hair would restore the heart and use it to bring peace to us all," Bleck stated. "Besides... Pierre's already tried."

"Yeah, that didn't go well," Pierre muttered, looking away and quietly laughing to himself.

"He had to stop because of scary rocks," Bleck laughed.

"They were big rocks," Pierre corrected. "Imagine a big rock rolling through a scary cave while you run for your life. I lost my second favorite hat that day..."

"We had a funeral for it," Bleck chimed.

"Again, it was a sad day," Pierre breathed. "But it's all for the best. Besides... I don't think it's wise to allow ancients like myself to deal with such powerful objects. We don't want the power going to my head like it did with Countess Tippi."

Peach slowly nodded, unsure whether she believed these two strangers or not. They were talking about things that could affect the very fabric of the world... but they were also talking about holding funerals for hats. She wasn't sure if she was being pranked or not.

"Okay... and where is it written that I have to do this?" Peach questioned while crossing her arms.

"Oh, an old book passed down from other ancients!" Pierre explained. "The Dark Prognosticus. Don't ask to read it, we have to keep it safe and secure. Just as the light of the Light Prognosticus pushed Countess Tippi too far, the darkness has the potential to do the very same, so I'm charged with keeping it guarded."

"But you can read it?" Peach asked.

"He's an ancient," Bleck chimed. "He's been trained to handle the book's contents."

"But not the Chaos Heart's power," Pierre added. "That must be handled by a legendary heroine, such as yourself."

Peach nodded, though she couldn't hide the slightly pale look on her face.

Pierre's bright blue eyes seemed to soften for a moment as he realized how overwhelming this must have been, even for a professional hero like Peach.

"Of course, you can say no," he assured her. "I mean... if you do, who knows what will happen, but I won't force you to do anything—"

"Oh no, I'm in," Peach breathed. "It's just... a lot, you know?"

"Believe me, I do," Pierre chuckled. "Bleck and I will do whatever we can to make it as easy as possible for you, though!"

"Right. Thank you," Peach breathed. "And... is Bleck your pet, or...?"

Bleck immediately burst out into laughter while Pierre fell silent, looking as if he had just seen a puppy shot and killed in front of him.

"No! No, of course not!" Pierre exclaimed as Bleck continued laughing. "He's just my... helper, I suppose?"

"I'm his pixl," Bleck corrected. "I think we're considered more like friends. Not pets."

The pixl continued laughing as Pierre looked away, clearing his throat.

"Anyway, pixls are not pets. Glad we got that established. Moving on. You need to find seven more Chaos Heart fragments. We already have one here, so you don't have to worry about that one. It's been put away and taken care of by yours truly."

"I thought you couldn't handle the hearts," Peach pointed out.

"He can't," Bleck said. "It's been here for years. Someone else helped him get it. I don't remember who, it's been so long."

"Oh," Peach shrugged. 

Seemed sketchy, but legit enough for her.

"Bleck will be accompanying you on your journey," Pierre continued. "So... when you're ready, you can proceed through the first-dimensional door. Of course, if you'd like to explore town, you most certainly may, but there will be time for that later, and we're on a bit of a rushed schedule. I do apologize for that... heh... um, but yeah. I think... that's it for now."

He awkwardly rocked back and forth on his heels as Bleck seemed to nod, then led Peach forward.

"Come along!" Bleck chimed. "We've got worlds to save!"