Mario and Wario had been knocked unconscious after the blast. But when they woke up, they could obviously tell that something was... different. It took mere seconds to figure out that they hadn't made it back to the Kingdom.
Wario: What-a happened? One second, we're being blasted off a flying castle. Now, we're on some kinda hunk of rock with buildings! How do I always wind up in these situations?
Suddenly, the two creatures that the princesses held appear in front of our protagonists, and turn into bunnies.
Bunny 1: Hey, you're okay! I had a feeling you two had a lot of spunk!
Bunny 2: Believe it or not, we rescued you. Now, follow us!
The two bunnies run away. Curious, the two 'arios' follow them into a small clearing where they, as well as a third bunny, are waiting.
Bunny 3: Now that the three of us are reunited, let's play tag!
The three bunnies quickly run in seperate directions. Wario looks quite calm, while Mario is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Mario: NO! I thought I gave up wascally wabbits back during that painting incident!
Wario: Oh, get over it. It looks like we won't be getting out of here unless they're nabbed. And since you have experience, you can go after two, while I look for the last one.
Mario takes a few deep breaths, and then agrees to the idea. First, he runs towards an area with very tiny, springy trees. The first bunny is looping around them, until Mario manages to catch up with him.
Bunny 1: Oh... I should've hid in that hole!
Now with a good clue where to go next, Mario finds a nearby hole and jumped through it. He is quite spooked when he comes out on the other side of the planet, but he has chased a bunny out, so he catches it before returning to Wario, who is exactly where Mario had left him.
Mario: You know, I'm starting to think we're not even on our PLANET, let alone the kingdom... Wait, why aren't you doing anything?
Wario: Great fortune comes to those who wait, y'know.
A few minutes pass, with neither Mario nor Wario moving. Then, the third bunny runs up to the yellow plumber, agitated at being forgotten.
Bunny 3: Hey! Why aren't you-
With lightning reflexes, Wario grabs the rabbit by its ears.
Wario: Ha! That was easy!
Bunny 3: ... Cheap! But either way, you two won, so I'll tell you anything you want to know!
Mario: Let's start with the obvious... WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE WE?!
Bunny 3: You're at the Gateway, a small series of planets in the same galaxy as your own, that lead to the depths of space. This is Mama's favorite place in the whole cosmos!
Wario: ... Mama? Who's this "Mama"?
Bunny 3: *gasp* You haven't met Mama?! Well, I'll introduce you to her!
The bunny leads them to a fancy structure that covers one whole side of the planet. When they reach the top, the plumbers see a woman with blonde hair and a green dress.
Wario: Great! We've already found Peach! Now all that's left is the brunette broad before I can-
Peach Lookalike: Oh, silly plumber. Your princesses are in another galaxy! I am Rosalina, guardian of the universe. It appears that the force that has stolen my observatory's Grand Stars also kidnapped your special someones. And, as only true heroes would do something as stupid as to hitch a ride to a flying castle, I will grant you two special spinning Lumas so you can save the cosmos.
The two other bunnies appear, turn into their original forms, and dive under the plumbers' hats before anyone can protest.
Rosalina: Now, you two can spin into your foes whenever you want... unless your Luma gets tired. Now, break that giant icicle in the corner to reveal a Launch Star, which will take you to the next planetoid in the Gateway Galaxy.
Rosalina vanishes into thin air. Wario blinks. Mario, being used to this style of adventure many times before, breaks the ice with his spin powers and reveals a floating, red star. He jumps into it, and spins once more to fly off to a new planetoid. Wario blinks again, and then decides to follow him. On the next planetoid, the two plumbers find tiny triangles that look like points of the Launch Star they just used. After finding all five, they combine to form a full Launch Star that they use to land on yet another planetoid. This one has a trapped Luma.
Caged Luma: Hey! I'm trapped in this thing! Look! That Goomba has the key! Listen! Free me, and I'll transform into a Launch Star for you!
Wario: ... Mario, let's ditch this thing. It's starting to creep me out.
Mario: No! The two of us have gotten into this mess, and it looks like we'll have to work together to fix things!
Wario frowns, and then chases the key-toting Goomba into a stream of green electricity. Making sure the key won't electrocute him, the yellow-capped man picks it up and uses it to free the Luma, which is true to its word and turns into a Launch Star.
On the next planet, there is a Giant Goomba. Big surprise, seeing as all the common enemies in this stage are Goombas, isn't it? Anyways, Mario tries to spin the beast over himself, but can't. Wario refuses to help more than once a day, but after Mario pays him a few coins, the two of them use combined spin power to topple the foe, which they then squish into a pancake. A nearby Luma then makes a warp pipe appear as a thank you for eliminating the pest, and warns the two that there is something going on inside the planet. Deciding to take their chances, the protagonists decide to take the pipe inside, where they see a large machine, many electric currents, some spiky platforms, a few floor switches, and Tatanga talking to a few Goombas.
Tatanga: Remember, don't step on all those switches, or you'll activate the emergency self-destruct feature that's mandatory on all these new-fangled machines of doom. And we need the power this thing drains in order to power our coffee machines, so protecting it is of upmost importance! Now, if you excuse me, I've got to see a Koopa about my paycheck.
The purple alien teleports out of there. As soon as he does, the two plumbers get to work, spinning away Goombas and stepping on floor switches, while avoiding the other perils. Soon, the machine is blown to smithereens, leaving behind a Grand Star.
Wario: Mamamia! That's the second-biggest five-pointed object I've ever seen!
Mario: Stop what you're obviously thinking about, Wario. This thing probably belongs to Rosalina. We should really return it.
Wario: ... Fine. Be a goody two-shoes. But if I have to go on a whole stinkin' quest with you, then I demand a service fee after every Star we get!
Before Mario can
object, the Grand Star acts as though it has a mind of its own, and starts
to hover away. Mario and Wario quickly grab on before they are left in
the dust, and are pulled with it towards a very large, very dark observatory
in a far corner of space...