Water splashed noisily into the canal below as Mario's group stood at the base of the Shine Gate, gazing upwards at the golden beams that were dancing in every direction from its summit. All across Delfino Harbor, the lilting sound of content shine sprites carried on the air, filling the plaza with a hopeful ring.

"Wow, they sure are noisy," Oscar remarked from where he stood beside their human counterpart.

   "That's part of their magic, I guess," Freddy replied, nodding. "Who knew sunshine was so sparkly?"

   Mario chuckled under his breath. "Whatever power stars have, these guys have it times five," he offered.

   He couldn't find any other way to explain the fondness he had for the so-called sun guardians. They reminded him very much of the five-pointed beauties he was more familiar with back home, but there was something a little different about these that was captivating... as if they had a special purpose or aura all their own.

   Getting to brush with the shines was probably one of the things he liked about his task most, but seeing them returned to their rightful place was reward as well. Now, gazing up at the large bunch he'd just released to the sky, it almost appeared as if they were greeting one another before the gate's giant face.

   "What I don't get is how their power exactly works," Oscar said, still preoccupied. "Like, what even are they? What do they do at night?"

   "Didn't we already talk about this?" Freddy asked. "They bring light to the island!"

   "Doesn't the sun do that?"

   "The importance of the shine sprites is a reality we have yet to fully understand," Fludd broke in. "They have been here longer than people have — it is only the Shine Gate that is new, which attracts and harnesses the shine sprites' power. It appears to concentrate sunlight here in the plaza in particular, and of course also keeps the shines organized. At night, they remain here inside the gate and provide the citizens power, but the sun goes down, of course."

Surprised at this information, the toadstools nodded slowly. "Well... I guess that makes sense," Freddy said. "How many shine sprites are there, anyway?"

"The exact number is not known, but the shine scholars seem to say there are over a hundred on Isle Delfino. Here right now, I am not sure."

"It looks to be about two dozen," Toadsworth squinted at the moving objects above.

"But what about Corona Mountain, Fludd?" Mario asked now. "How many more until I can get inside?"

"That is also difficult to say," Fludd answered. "Perhaps a couple dozen more?"

At this Mario fell silent, raising his head with a sigh. Gazing up towards the chalky wall of red and gray rock that stacked high above the plaza and the Shine Gate itself, he twisted his face into a skeptical expression.

"Then is that what you're doing?" Toadsworth asked. "They took the princess up there??"

Mario nodded. "Inside the volcano somewhere — or something. I've got to get in."

"There is still no way to do so right now," Fludd said. "There — to the left of the tower. Do you see those ledges up behind the buildings there?"

"Oh, past the restaurant? Yeah," the human agreed, gazing at the familiar umbrellas where they had sat across the water for lunch that afternoon. Just tucked in between the Shine Gate and the rock wall was a small grassy incline and path, leading up to an unseen area behind the gate. From where they stood, he could just make out a tall fence nestled into the hill.

"It is secured to keep people from entering the volcano," Fludd went on as they looked. "The hot spring at the foot of the mountain is relaxing, but the lava caves, which open on the plaza, are forbidden for public safety. That is part of why the gate was installed by law enforcement quite some time ago."

Slightly ruffled at the mention of enforcement, Mario straightened and said, "Well how do you open it?"

"As I have said: only the power of enough shine sprites can override the lock."

   He really did think of everything, Mario thought grimly, remembering the true face of his imposter. Clever kid...

   "Wait, so you're telling me that thing is still active?" Alexander's voice broke into his musing.

   "If you mean as far as eruptions go, there is little worry for that," Fludd said quickly, seeming none too bothered by the Q and A. "Corona hasn't had a recorded eruption to date. There are still lava pools and dangerous locales near the base, however."

   "Which makes it the perfect spot for Bowser to hide." Mario's sudden statement of surety surprised the toadstools around him, and they all looked up to see him standing, slightly rigid, by the edge overlooking the water. Glancing back at them for just a brief second, he breathed, "I've gotta get to Sirena Beach."

Toadsworth planted his cane on the ground and nodded his approval. "Then by all means, hurry, Master Mario."

   "Good luck! See you —

   Jonathan didn't even finish his sentence as the human turned and scurried off across the port towards the west part of town. Within a moment he had slipped around a building with his knowledgeable machine and was gone.

   "...later?" Alexander offered, juggling the oversized yoshi egg in his arms.

~

   The gentle calm on the western boardwalk was an odd contrast to the way Mario remembered it from the last time he'd been there.

   It was just a lovely view of the wide oceanfront, with a completely ordinary-looking boathouse hut and a dock for receiving ferries; this time, there were no running kidnappers, no goopy piranha monsters, and no real foot traffic at all. Colorful birds of green and blue flitted about on the overhanging power lines and low thatch roofs, as if to assure that all was well now.

   As the police had mentioned earlier, Mario might have been able to take a boat to Sirena Beach — but he didn't exactly know how to hitch a ride on the ones down in the port. So logically, their next course of action was to check out the boathouse again on the far edge of town.

   The ride he'd taken back from Pinna Park had dropped him off closer to Bianco Square, so Mario hadn't actually been back here since he'd fired himself out of the cannon. There it was now on the far wall... and there was the place Junior had sat with his getaway boat when —

   Anyway, we'd better get moving.

   Still, as Mario entered the whitewashed boathouse standing just above the water's surface, he suddenly remembered the slightly odd feeling he'd gotten here earlier when he had seen it for the first time. Not that it looked suspicious... but there had been something about the owner —

   The said creature behind the counter recognized Mario immediately on his entrance. "Ah, sir, welcome!" exclaimed the raccoon-like animal right away, tugging at his yellow bandana. "Our savior returns!"

   Mario frowned for half a second before he remembered how he had freed the hut from being trapped in the black goop there earlier. Brushing it off, he tilted his head and stepped forward, crossing the woven carpet of the oddly circular room.

   "Yeah... I'm —

   "Oh, of course!" the creature exclaimed now. "You're here on business, yes?"

   "Uh... yeah?" Mario asked. Up close at the counter, he studied the man more closely. He wasn't a hundred percent sure, but this guy looked an awful lot like a tanooki. He had chestnut brown fur, rounded ears sticking from underneath a sun hat, and a pair of large eyes masked by darker brown fur. His enormous fluffy tail nearly concealed the smaller raccoon boy who huddled behind him, peering curiously at their customer.

   They weren't suspicious in themselves — Mario knew what tanookis were — but it was their odd mannerism that threw him off; and the giant statue of a shine sprite behind the desk didn't help either. And why did he get a strange feeling from the quiet emptiness here?

   Now, the tanooki man grinned with his bear-like snout and chuckled, "Perfect, perfect! So I suppose you're here for THAT, hm? Yes, very good."

   Mario just stared at him. "Yes? How much does a boat —

   "That means I will require ten blue coins from you," the raccoon interrupted. "Our policy."

   "Blue coins?" the human repeated. "Blue coins... you mean like this?" Digging suddenly into his deeper pocket, he produced a handful of colorful money and quickly began sorting out the different coins in his hand. Before long he had amassed a small pile of blue change on the counter — the strange ones he'd gotten as rewards from various people so far. So maybe it is useful after all.

   "Yes, of course," the raccoon replied, coming to scoop it up. "We simply cannot sell for lower prices. I'm sure you understand..."

   "Sell?" Mario asked skeptically. How much are those coins worth??

   "All I want is a ride —

   "One moment, I know it's here," the man said now, stopping to dig beneath the table. "You're lucky we have any — got this one in just a few days ago... Someone found it and brought it in. You drive a hard bargain!"

   Not falling for his innocent routine, Mario watched with growing skepticism as the tanooki pulled a small box out and discreetly began to open it. Before he had even pulled forth the mystery item Mario had supposedly purchased, he realized what it was.

   "A shine sprite!" he cried, staring in disbelief as the shimmering thing was released from its holding cell. Gripping the edge of the counter, Mario hardened his stare. "What's your name? What are you doing with that?"

   "Giving it to you, of course!" the man replied, lifting it across the counter and blatantly dodging his question. Startled nearly speechless, Mario snatched it protectively.

   "That... that's a rare thing on this island, you know! You can't just keep them!" he exclaimed.

"Why, of course. That is why they are valuable... we cannot let everyone know when they are on the market!" The man seemed not at all ruffled by the human's irritation.

Mario pocketed the shine and turned now to him disapprovingly. "Do you have any more? How long have you been doing this??"

"Oh, just for a little while... only more recently when they went up in value. They are not easy to come by, you know." The tanooki replaced the box and began digging in something else on the desk absentmindedly.

I know that alright! Still disbelieving at his calm about it all, Mario said, "Don't you know that these belong at the Shine Gate — they're vital to restoring power to the island!"

"And that is why it is good business. I am not a native to the island, good sir," the man went on, as if that hadn't been obvious from the outset. "But some natives appreciate the quieter sales."

Aghast at this news, Mario rocked himself backwards and adjusted his hat, eyeing the raccoon distrustfully. At the same time, he almost seemed to nudge Fludd with his elbow.

"Well, if that's your last one, you've gotta promise to keep it that way," he said firmly. "There's a real crisis going on here and the police have sent me to take care of it. I need all shine sprites returned to the gate as soon as possible — and they're not finders keepers!"

Now the tanooki widened his large white eyes. "You don't mean to say you're reporting us??"

Mario frowned and shook his head. "No — but no more hoarding shines! They belong to everybody." Pausing to let it sink into the foreigner, though unsure if it did, he finally went on. "And speaking of the police, I need a ride down to a Sirena Beach immediately. They've sent me to check out a problem."

The tanooki, slightly relieved at being reprieved, nodded quickly at the prospect of more business. "Yes, of course, you want a boat! ...Oh, but wait a moment, sir," he said, glancing over some paper. "I have not been authorized to run any boats down there for the past couple of days."

"Yeah, but this is the first! I told you, the police sent me. I've gotta get down there." Mario was stubborn.

"Uh, yes, yes. Well, I do have a small low profile boat that returned to port recently... if you give me a few minutes, I'll see if I can get it for you. Would you perhaps like to wait down in the harbor until it arrives?"

Still suspicious, the young man raised an eyebrow and considered. "How much?" he asked at last.

"Oh, uh... well, usually we charge ten coins, but... for you, no charge! Please, just await till we disembark..."

Shine sprite in pocket, Mario chuckled and turned for the door. "Yeah, that's what I thought!"

~

Sitting out on the edge of the concrete wall in the lower level of the port, Mario swung his feet back and forth impatiently as he gazed up at the Shine Gate overhead. Just below him, nestled into the wall before the loading docks, was a large stone fountain in the shape of a dolphin. For a brief second he wondered why it wasn't running. It was obvious he was a little bored — he was tempted to spit over the wall for fun, but decided it wouldn't be a good idea.

   The shine sprites he had released not long ago still sang joyously far above him, keeping him company of sorts as he waited in the comparatively empty Delfino Harbor. Glancing about again, he spotted a few piantas standing about who looked like sailors — and that was about it. What was he supposed to be looking for, anyway?

He sometimes had intuitions that told him when something was important; and he was pleased to see he had been right about the boathouse. Fludd didn't seem as alarmed as Mario did for once at learning the truth; he was merely pleased that they had found another shine sprite. Mario was too, of course — but it got him thinking. How many other shines might there be hidden among Delfino's common citizens? Didn't people realize that they were all in this together — they couldn't pin it all on one man?

   At any rate, he knew he wasn't getting any closer to his goal the longer he sat here... or at least it felt like it. He was probably supposed to be grateful for the minute of rest, but now all he could think about were the shines on Sirena Beach. How did he even know he could trust that tanooki guy?

   He soon became so preoccupied with his thoughts that he nearly had to be yelled at to notice the pianta man now standing expectantly below him.

   "Hey!! Are you Mario?"

   Surprised, the small human jolted up. "Me? Yeah! Are you here to take me to Sirena Beach?"

   The pianta nodded. "Yup, boss's orders. We're right down here, if you're ready to shove off...?" Backing up, he gestured to the small covered ferry boat that was now docked by the boardwalk.

   "Yeah!" The human pushed himself down from the wall and almost bounced across to the waiting ride. Standing aside eagerly as the man untied a rope nearby, he asked, "What exactly did your boss say?"

   The sailor shrugged. "Just to make sure you were safely delivered and had all your needs met. He assured me you were uh... a special passenger? Oh, and thanks for choosing Tanooki Boat Rental." Stepping aside, he gestured politely for Mario to step aboard.

   "Make yourself comfortable — just don't fall off if you can help it and we'll be there in a jiff. You bringing anyone with you?"

   "Nope," Mario replied, glancing around the harbor as he sat on a bench by the rail. He didn't see the toadstools anywhere — he figured they must have left the harbor some time ago.

   "Alright, hang on!" The pianta sailor perched himself now behind the small wheel and controls at the front. "Sirena Beach!"

   Mario sat back and felt his stomach turn with excitement as the boat's rumbling engine beneath them began to pick up, sending them lurching forward. Snapping his head to the rear of the boat, where water was churning in the boat's engine behind them like a tail, he looked up once more at the Shine Gate above. As they slowly started to turn the corner into the canal, a thought struck him and he jumped up.

   Fludd, who was keeping quiet for the benefit of their driver, seemed to realize what it was anyway. Quickly, Mario dug into his pocket, producing his last shine. Twisting around as the boat just began to creep under the shade of an overhanging building that arched across the water, he reached over the rail and held the shine sprite upwards.

   "Go on!" he whispered, lifting it higher towards the Shine Gate. "Be free!"

   The golden treasure rang with a sparkling louder than the water around them as it left his hand and took to the skies, surging far out of reach of any who might catch it. As the departing boat grew farther away from the monument, the single tiny human left aboard watched their radiant display — and grinned.

   His just deed done, Mario turned now to face the front; and as he did, his breath was nearly taken on a fresh sea breeze. Emerging from beneath the overarching building, the boat floated straight out of the canal where it merged into the ocean beyond, opening up to the wide stretch of blue before them. Before a minute had passed they had entirely left the vicinity of Delfino Plaza, turning it into an impressive view of rustic buildings on the skyline behind them. To the right, the green hills of the landmass rose high enough to provide shade during the first part of the trip.

   Relaxing now against the railing, Mario tilted so he could see ahead easily enough. They were only going to skirt the island until they arrived at their beach destination, he knew, but the view to the left was still quite a sight. It was really just a wide nothingness: endless blues that comprised of the expanse of miles they'd crossed to get here. He could see an occasional boat out in the distance, and an airplane streaking across the wide sky and leaving its trail; but it still left a very secluded feel to the island now as a whole. Suddenly the stretch of it all made Mario feel very small again: the sky was one thing, but together with the sea it was almost too much at once.

   Turning to observe the island, he stared with some interest as they soon passed Ricco Harbor built into the outer rock walls past the plaza. Now numerous large ships were docked beneath the metal catwalks he remembered, and even from here he could make out the moving cranes and faint voices shouting to move the cargo and fresh catches. Not a sign of any ink, either!

   As they sailed further along his boat captain soon struck up a conversation. "Ever been to Sirena?"

   "No," Mario replied. "I'm pretty new here. I'm actually... helping out with some trouble I heard they were having, so if it's looking bad you can just drop me off on shore."

   The pianta snorted. "Sure thing. I was gonna mention there hasn't been much word from there lately."

   "So what's it like?" the human asked curiously. "What's there?"

   "Well it's a nice resort facility... normally it's pretty much nothing but the hotel," the man said, glancing at the next locale they were passing. A distance away on shore, they could now see the glowing sphere of the Shine Tower and the huts of Gelato Beach. Whoa... there it is! Scanning the familiar view a bit eagerly, Mario laughed and waved to shore.

   "So the problem is with the hotel?" he asked.

   The sailor shrugged. "Dunno. It might make sense why they're keeping people out. Four-star hotel might not be up to par, y'know?"

   Mario considered. "So you don't have anything else there, like mermaids?" he teased.

   "Mermaids?" The man laughed. "I'm afraid we got nothing like that around here... why do you ask?"

   Perching his elbow atop the railing, the passenger lifted his head to face the fresh wind. "Because that's what it is... sirena means mermaid. My mama used to tell stories about sirene sometimes... I don't really remember them though."

   "Huh, I never knew that!" the pianta said.

   For a moment it fell quiet again on the boat, Mario lost in his suddenly distant thoughts until a ray of particularly piercing sunlight hit his eye. Gazing up, he was amazed to see the dark silhouetted outline of an amusement park on a landmass ahead, sleek shapes of rollercoaster tracks and gently spinning blades of a Ferris wheel standing black against a yellowing sky. Over the sea to their left was suddenly the great wavering ball of the sun, hanging low above gathering layers of purple clouds on the horizon. Struck with sudden awe, Mario realized it was beginning to set.

   ...Which meant the sun was going down, which meant it was getting later...

   Which meant he needed to hurry if he was going to save the princess from a night of bad.

   Staring at the sharp golden sphere across the water that sank like impending doom, Mario took a deep breath and almost subconsciously slid his hand around Fludd's handle. Here we go.

   "Sir?"

   The human jumped at the voice that intruded into his thoughts. Turning around, Mario realized with surprise that the boat had stopped, floating gently on the small breakers that rolled into the neighboring sand. Gesturing politely, his pianta captain indicated the door and the beachscape beyond.

   "Sirena Beach," he announced. "Doesn't even look chaotic!"

   Stepping forward expectantly, Mario stared out from where they had stopped short of the shore. He was right: there was the quiet open beach, and what looked like a large courtyard beyond where he could see figures strolling along peacefully. It didn't exactly look like much... but it was a welcome change.

   "A great time for it, too," the pianta went on now. "The sunsets here last so long they almost feel perpetual. Aside from the incredibly starry skies... Mark my words, if there's one thing you gotta do, it's get yourself a romantic dinner out here. Find yourself a blind date, it's worth it."

   "Uh..."

   "Well, I hope you clear things up here, or whatever it was you had going on," the sailor said, settling back down in front of the wheel now as his passenger jumped down to the sand. "Consider choosing us again... and have a nice day!"

   Mario waved for just a minute as the boat began to churn the waters beneath it. "Thank you so much! Buonasera!" he called after it.

   And another minute and Mario stood alone on yet another unfamiliar shore.

   Well, here we are.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Turning around to get a proper first look at his new assignment, the tourist found himself slightly underwhelmed at first. Taking his first steps forward, he was actually a bit surprised by how little there was to see.

   Around him, the sand on which he stood extended inland from the sea's edge for a good little distance, maybe twenty or so yards, and then it met the stone wall and courtyard he had seen: a small raised concrete plaza, accentuated throughout with an occasional neatly-groomed flower bed or small pool. From here he could tell that it was all quite symmetrical, with a large grass-covered hut on either side of the central staircase leading straight ahead to a large open clearing. Closer to the beach, lounge chairs were arranged amidst a few palm trees. Overall, it looked like a cute little beachside park with a few pedestrians frolicking pleasantly about. It was nice...

   And that was about it. Taking it in as a whole, Mario realized that there couldn't be much else that he wasn't seeing; the entire beach was contained within a small rocky cove, a half-bowl cut into the shore similar to Gelato Beach. The walls rose up on both sides of him until the rocks crashed into the sea, making the beach no longer than maybe seventy five yards wide.

   What was so special about this?

   "Sirena Beach at last," Fludd said, taking in the view from Mario's back. "Home of the four-star Hotel Delfino and the finest sunset on the island."

   At that, Mario briefly turned around again to look at the sea behind him; and right away he understood Fludd's meaning.

   He had seen the sunset briefly from the boat, but now, on the ground from this angle, it appeared as something majestic transformed. One instant had him immediately lost in a visage of amber and violet clouds over distant rolling waves. There before him beyond the water was a gargantuan expanse of evening sky, stretching out aflame with dozens of hues of the setting sun. From where he now stood, it almost seemed close enough to touch. He wasn't absolutely positive, but that might just have been the most incredible sunset he'd ever seen. Certainly enough to make some cry... and others to believe in the design of a supreme Artist.

   Whoa... it really is —

   No. There was no time for this; he had work to do! Turning his back to the fabulous display in the heavens, Mario took a deep breath and set his brow. "I don't get it, Fludd," he said. "Where... Where's the hotel?"

   "That is a good question," the machine replied. "I am not sure myself, but I do get multiple readings of shine sprites nearby. We seem to have hit a mine here."

   Encouraged by this, his owner started forward across the beach. Time to work. Time to work and not mess around. Spotting some nearby people laughing on the east end of the beach, he decided to start there.

   "What are you going to do?" Fludd asked.

   "Ask around," Mario replied. "Figure out where the hotel is." As he grew closer, he soon heard the accompanying lilt of guitar strums and a male voice singing. Looking again, he soon realized that the group was none other than the Doot Doot Sisters and their guitarist, performing for a tiny gathering of nokis by the shore. Hey... how'd they get here?

   Walking tentatively over, Mario attempted to insert himself with a pair of dancing nokis who were clearly enjoying themselves. Not wanting to be entirely rude, he stood for a moment and waited until their song was done, which took a little bit longer than he would have liked.

   The singer, Tommy, plucked his little ukulele and droned, "Laugh... when you feel like crying... Laugh... when you feel like screaming... Doot Doot de doo!"

   Tilting his head a little at the odd lyrics, Mario allowed a half grin. They actually weren't bad, and in better circumstances he might have parked himself there to enjoy the mood. But this was not the time for fun on the beach.

   Finally, he stepped forward near Louise, the purple dancer if he remembered correctly. Well, how could he forget the one who hadn't been rude to him!

   "Excuse me... do you know where the hotel is?" he asked quietly so as not to distract their adoring audience.

   "Huh? Oh, it's supposed to be over there," she murmured, never ceasing her swaying as she nodded towards the plaza. "But they're having some weird problem right now."

   His attempt to be non-disruptive failed immediately. As if he'd said their music was flat the others instantly stopped their song, looking over to the human who had just walked in.

   Tommy recognized him. "Oh, hey there... you. Come out to Sirena to catch us?"

   Mario glanced around. "Uhh, well, actually I came to find the hotel," he said skeptically. "Do you all know what's going on?"

   A noki girl who looked giddy with excitement shrugged. "Who cares? The music! The sunset! It's all too much!" With a squeal of pleasure, she threw herself in a hug onto the noki guy next to her.

   "Heh... yeah, they weren't letting people inside... but now we get to have the Doot Doot Sisters all to ourselves! I just want to dance FOREVER!" With nearly reckless abandon, he grabbed the girl's hand and spun her careening off several feet.

   "COULD WE BE ANY HAPPIER?!" she shrieked, startling Mario for a moment when Fludd jolted in response to the noise.

   Irony? "Uhh... so what are you all doing here?" he asked now, turning back to the band.

   "Catering to fans. What else?" The yellow one, Vanessa, never stopped dancing. "When they're done listening, we're done dancing."

   "Yeah, but almost nobody will notice us dancing over here," her sister Louise replied. "This is the worst crowd ever."

   Sensing some sort of resentment, Mario put his hands in his pockets and nodded pleasantly. "Well, okay... see you around!"

   As he was walking off for the plaza beyond, Tommy called after him, "See ya later, little dude!"

   Watching his departing back, Louise commented, "I don't get him."

   Vanessa shrugged. "He's a human tourist who's not interested in huge sensations. What's not to get?"

   "Just give him time, he'll come around," Tommy assured, adjusting a knob on his instrument. "Seems pretty okay to me."

   Before they could speak further, the noki girl was in front of them again. "Hey! More music!!"

~

The fading hum of gentle notes drifted in and out on the humid air as Mario walked onto the peaceful concourse a minute later.

   "There, see?" he told his machine as he jerked back towards the group. "Kind of stuck up."

   "I do not know why you dislike the Doot Doot Sisters, given that they are even less famous than you are," Fludd replied.

   "I'm not saying I dislike them," Mario answered quickly. "I just... I don't know." Not wanting to talk on it any further, he suddenly approached a noki couple sitting in lounge chairs near the edge of the wall.

   "Excuse me, do either of you know where the hotel is?"

   The girl, a cute green noki with yellow shells in her hair, looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I don't! Not yet. We just got here recently."

   "Okay... So no idea what's wrong?" Mario asked.

   "I wasn't aware of anything wrong!" she replied innocently. "I just heard this was a great hotel and I can't wait to see my room!"

   The guy sitting next to her, a pale noki with glasses, leaned over to peer past Mario. "Yeah, what a cool-looking sunset. Spectacular!"

   "How romantic," the girl giggled.

   Mario, though slightly interested at the thought of an intimate moment on the beach, quickly cleared his throat in embarrassment. "So, have you actually been to the hotel yet?"

   "No... I guess it's about time we check in," the guy said.

   "Oh, but we can't, remember? They told us to wait," the girl replied.

   "That's what some others were saying," Mario said. "How come?"

   "Excuse me, but if you stand there, I can't see the sunset," the noki guy spoke up, but they didn't hear him.

   "Oh, I don't know!" the girl said now. "But it's alright. I'm so happy we came! How beautiful," she remarked, gazing out to the sea ahead. "This sunset is just about the prettiest thing I've ever seen!"

   "It's really tough to appreciate it through your noggin," the boy added, but Mario still didn't notice.

   "It is nice," he agreed. "Well, thanks!" Waving, he and the girl said goodbye.

   Annoyed, her boyfriend finally turned to her. "Are you about done??"

   As he headed on, Mario began to feel oddly light and cheerful moving along. He was starting to get tired, but there was something about the calm atmosphere here and ocean air that seemed to reinvigorate him in the evening light. Somehow, none of it seemed so demanding... Could he have really found a place without cares?

   He soon came upon a small splashing fountain in the center of the path, where nearby an older pianta man lounged by a small oasis, seemingly asleep in a beach chair. Grinning, he nodded at another pianta who he passed, apparently out on a leisurely stroll.

   If only I was actually doing the same, Mario thought absentmindedly. Soon enough he came to the twin bungalows, one of which turned out to be a smoothie hut as he could easily tell in passing.

   "Sorry, we're all out. These are just samples," the pianta lady behind the counter was trying to appease a small cranky gathering.

   "The guy in front of me got the last one... I'm so unlucky!!" a noki hollered.

   "I'm so thirsty... don't you have any water? Juice?" someone else complained.

   "We're really sold out, honest! Sorry..."

   One guy, standing nearest Mario at the edge of the sidewalk, shook his head to himself. "I think this lady is hiding something from me..."

   Stifling a laugh, Mario continued along. Past two large matching flower beds filled with vibrant sunflowers, he finally came to the large, open courtyard at the rear of the little plaza, where a great open area was entirely cleared out as if for a sports arena or construction site. Wonder what this is for. Curious, he stepped forward to a pair of uniformed piantas he saw scrubbing the ground with brooms nearby.

   "Excuse me, do you guys know where I can find the hotel?"

   At this the two stopped and looked up at him with incredulous gazes. For a moment Mario squinted. Was that greenish-yellow slime on their clothes?

"You're joking, right?" asked a purple one.

   "No?"

The two glanced at each other now in surprise. "Just blow in? Wow, I didn't think they were still letting people over here... listen, you're just going to have to wait out here until we figure something out," the janitor replied, leaning on his broomstick. "It's... a mess, to put it lightly."

Mario shook his head stubbornly. "No, I'm here to help," he replied. "The police sent me, what's actually going on here?"

"Help?" The other pianta, a blue guy with obvious smudges on his perfect white uniform, glanced him over again doubtfully. "Yeah, look, let me put it this way: I don't know if we're ever gonna set foot in the hotel again."

"Hey, my other pants were in my locker," his coworker complained. "Now I'm never gonna get them back!"

His counterpart snorted. "Guess I'd better start looking for a new job, huh?"

Making a face, Mario shook his head at their nonchalance. What is going on? "Is there a manager around or something?"

Now the piantas turned a bit more serious. "He's over there," the blue one said, nodding, "but—

"Excellent!" Turning, the little human marched off in the direction they indicated, leaving the workers staring in confusion after him.

"Do you get any specific shine locations now, Fludd?" Mario murmured to his machine. He soon spotted the telltale signs of someone in charge: a trio of piantas who were having a rather loud and heated conversation on the platform nearby. Bingo. Squaring his shoulders in determination, he headed straight for them.

"It is still a bit nondescript," Fludd replied. "As if they are well hidden."

"Well, hang on." Slowing a few feet away, Mario observed as a pianta couple had nearly cornered an older man who appeared to be sweating profusely. If his bow tie and prim corduroy business jacket were any indication, that was probably the man they were looking for.

"Wha... what? WHAT?" the younger pianta said, scratching his head. "How does that work??"

He was thoroughly ignored by the woman next to him who must have been his wife, clutching a large sunhat to her head while screaming senselessly at the older man in front of them. "I demand to know what's the meaning of this nonsense!" she declared.

"The hotel's vanished? What does that mean??" her husband added behind her, but nobody heeded him.

"I assure you, we're doing everything we can!" the anxious man told them placatingly, but it was obvious he was having no effect. Exasperated, the woman threw up her hands and whirled around.

"Can no one make sense?? How hard is it to find a decent stay around here??" Suddenly, her flashing eyes caught sight of the small scruffy human standing a bit too close to be inconspicuous. Beyond all pleasantries, she frowned. "You! Fix it! Now!" she barked.

A warning like sirens began flashing in Mario's head. Beware angry pianta women.

"Uh..." Creeping forward, he addressed his words to the supposed manager. "Are you in charge here?"

"Maybe... not really!" the man cried.

"Mr. Important here is trying to tell me that the whole hotel is gone!" the angry woman said, putting her hands on her hips. "As if that's logical!"

"Yeah, how can a building just get destroyed?" her husband asked.

Easily, Mario realized, widening his eyes. Uh oh. Stepping forward, he focused on the manager.

He was an older man, if his delicate wire-frames and neat pale mustache said anything; and now Mario could see a name tag pinned to the right shoulder of his coat that read Mr. Romano — Manager. His faded pink skin was almost a bit like a plum that had been warmed by the sun, making him seem to fit in with his surroundings perfectly.

"What exactly happened?" Mario asked carefully, hoping to coax the man out of nervousness. Observing him now, Mr. Romano almost looked like he'd seen a ghost.

   "It's... oh, how to explain?? I need someone to work magic!"

   Not wanting to boast, Mario coughed and clasped his hands, waiting for him to go on.

   With a sigh, Mr. Romano rubbed his forehead and glanced in the direction of the distant sunset. "Listen... it all started around noon," he began waveringly. "This giant manta-shaped... thing showed up. It was this paper-thin... floating silhouette."

   The pianta lady snorted and rolled her eyes. Mario crossed his arms and frowned, but didn't interrupt.

   "It came and covered the hotel grounds in this electric goop... like the kind we've been having all over the island recently," Mr. Romano went on. "Only this stuff was worse. It was all electrified and harmful to touch... We'd actually been having several surprise attacks like this all week, but today... today was the first time we saw it.

   "Then... oh, the horror! My beautiful hotel! My poor building!" he cried, turning away to face the empty courtyard before them. "It sank in the middle of that awful ooze! ...POOF!"

   Following his gaze, Mario widened his eyes as he realized what the man was saying. No. It's too big... isn't it? Then the hotel... Oh.

   It was here!

   Taking a step back in alarm, Mario turned to Mr. Romano, who had sunk to his knees and trembled on the ground. "Why me? WHY??"

   Could Junior have pulled off something like this? Or did he have help? Thinking quickly, Mario stepped forward and took the man's shoulder, raising him to his feet.

   "I tried to get word to Delfino Plaza, and they said they were sending someone to help... but we've been unable to reestablish contact since then," Mr. Romano moaned. "Now, I've got the remaining staff cleaning up, but where's my hotel?? What about the poor people trapped inside? What am I supposed to do, I can't just sit back and...?" He trailed off, at a loss for words.

   "The police said they were sending help?" Mario asked in surprise. As in, me?

   Mr. Romano nodded. "But it hasn't showed up, and now I'm just hoping we don't have to deal with any more of this shining stuff!"

   Mario was confused. "Shining?"

   "The goop," the manager clarified. "Ever since it started appearing with its electric nonsense, we've been seeing — and for that matter, hearing, shine sprites and other weird lights and sounds around here. Some people thought the electricity was shorting our power in the hotel, but I'm not entirely convinced. And every time it happens... something bad follows."

   "Oh, please," the fussy pianta woman groaned now. "This is a load of baloney!"

   Mario was riveted. Electrically charged goop? Sounds dangerous... "Shine sprites? So you do have them?"

   "Well, not exactly, per se... it's hard to tell where they are." Mr. Romano scratched his head and took a deep breath. "Oh, please just tell me my nightmare is over! I don't know what's causing this, and I don't know how to fix it, I swear!" Pausing from his fit of despair, he finally seemed to stop and look the young man over for the first time. "Uh... who are you, anyway? Nice jet pack there."

   "Oh, I'm Mario," the boy replied, shaking his hand now. "And I think —

   "Wait a minute!" the manager interrupted. "You can save me!"

   There was a moment's awkward pause. "Oh, yeah?" Mario asked, though he was trying to withhold a smile.

   Mr. Romano nodded again eagerly. "Yes! I don't know why, but you just look... very capable to me."

   Mario perched his hands on his hips as the watching pianta couple stared in odd silence. You could say that...

   "Alright, listen," the manager said, leaning closer. "If you can get to the bottom of this, I'll make it worth your trouble. You can take all the shine sprites you find on the job!"

   Mario grinned. Now he didn't even have to ask.

   But before anyone could say another word, a sudden gust of wind, rather sharp for the norm, swept through the clearing. His breath faltering, Mr. Romano raised his eyes upwards to the sea. Mario could nearly see the color fall from his face as he stared out at the setting sun.

   "AAIIIIIGHHH!! It's back!! That gossamer ghoul! ...Do something!!" he shrieked, grabbing Mario's shoulders and spinning him around. Jumping backwards in a manner rather unbefitting of a man however old he was, the manager wrung his wrists and stood quivering like one near death.

   Startled, the young human lifted his head to the abruptly fell wind. Its sharp sting rose up to meet him, almost chilling his face in an unusual moment of cold. Squinting suspiciously towards the horizon as the pianta had done, he soon spotted what he thought was a faint movement on the far water.

   "I can't make it out," he said, but it fell on deaf ears: no one was listening. Slowly, in the kind of slow motion from bad dreams, a small glistening golden light began to shimmer on the ocean's surface. Straightening up, Mario frowned.

   Shining?

   That could have just been a reflection of the burning sun; but no, it couldn't have been. This was materializing, fluctuating like a creature made of gelatin... And now the tide air struck again, threatening to make off with the young man's hat and tousle his hair into a damp mess.

   For a moment all held still across the beach, as if it was holding its breath. Then Mario thought he saw a huge shape issue, blotting out the blues and purples of the water beneath it. For a moment it appeared to stretch out, like a great beam of light extending over the ocean, until none could any longer dismiss its presence as a trick of the eyes. And then, almost as if the wind had caught it, the long shining shadow slowly started to creep along the waves towards the shore.