It was a dark night in The Mushroom Kingdom. The towers were black silhouettes across the landscape, and the Mushroom Hills and light shade of grey. In downtown, a figure shot through the streets, followed by another larger figure. As the first figure shot under a streetlight, a flash of green appeared. The second figure showed red.
The first figure quickly outran the other, who seemed to shake its fist in revenge. The figure shot down the street to a Mushroom house, to find one light still on.
It grabbed its keys, unlocked the door, and slowly walked inside to the living room. It was dark, except for a singular night light.
Meanwhile, Blue Toad was talking to Yellow Toad in his bedroom. The light was still on, but the rest were off. Except, that is, for a night light downstairs.
"Where's Yoshi?" asked Blue Toad. "He's always out so late, and it's dangerous out there."
"Beats me," replied his brother, who was reading a novel. "He's a fighter; he'll be alright."
Just then, they heard the door creak open downstairs.
"Now, that better be Yoshi," sighed Yellow sleepily as he flicked the hallway light on.
He trudged down the stairs and heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.
"Yeah, that's Yoshi," he thought to himself.
Yellow Toad turned the light on to find Yoshi's large nose buried in the refrigerator.
"Well, if it isn't Yoshi," commented Yellow. Yoshi quickly looked up, then down again.
"Uh…h-hi Yellow Toad," he said nervously, still peering into the food.
"Are you hiding something?"
"N-no," replied the dinosaur. "Why?"
"You won't even look at me," replied the Toad. "Seriously, what's up?"
Yoshi sighed, and then turned his head to Yellow Toad. He gasped as he saw Yoshi's face covered with bruises and some blood.
"What the-
"It's okay," he reassured. Yellow Toad had a sense to overreact to minor injuries. But this wasn't minor.
"W-who?" Yellow Toad sputtered.
"No one, I just fell down a few times in downtown," replied Yoshi.
Yellow Toad wasn't convinced.
"I know you're lying, Yoshi."
"What? I'm not."
"You're twitching around a lot. Does it have something to do with you staying out there so late?" Yellow asked.
"Of course not. I'm just visiting a fellow Yoshi, that's all."
"Is that Yoshi beating you up or what?"
"No."
Yellow Toad sighed. He knew he wouldn't get anything out of Yoshi, so he just shrugged it off.
"Well, it's late. Let's all go to sleep, okay?" he asked. He walked upstairs with Yoshi following.
Yellow Toad had a hard time sleeping. He wondered what happened to his green friend.
Yoshi couldn't sleep. He wondered how to explain everything to his yellow friend.
Blue Toad was sound asleep, so he had nothing to worry about yet.
Next morning, Yellow Toad got up early to make breakfast when someone knocked at the door. Since last time, the Toads had gotten a stool so they could reach the peephole. All he could see was a large red circle. He opened the door the find a Red Yoshi.
"Hello," he said.
"Hi," said the Yoshi. His voice was gruff and he had clenched fists. "Is Yoshi home?"
Yellow Toad looked at the fists and knew it wasn't for good reason. Plus, the Yoshi looked pretty angry.
"Er, sorry. Did you want to tell him something?" Yellow Toad lied.
"Just tell him Red's gonna visit him in downtown this afternoon," replied the Yoshi.
"Okie dokie, I will. Ba-bye!" Yellow Toad said, slamming the door shut.
"Who IS that?"
Yellow Toad climbed upstairs and shook Yoshi awake.
"Psst!"
Yoshi didn't wake up.
"Hello?"
Yoshi still didn't wake up.
"He's out good," thought Yellow Toad. Then he remembered something he bought a few years back after Yoshi had an "accident" on the carpet. He got a box out from his drawer. The box contained a whistle, and Yellow Toad blew it as hard as he could.
"AAAUUGGGHHH!" yelped Yoshi. "IT'S GOT ME!"
"What?" asked Yellow Toad, still grasping the whistle.
"Oh, uh, hey," Yoshi said. He looked at the whistle.
"Oh, you used that thing."
"Yeah," said Yellow Toad. "Yoshi, some red guy wanted to meet you in downtown this afternoon."
Yoshi's countenance was uneasy. "Uh, okay. Thanks, Yellow."