Disclaimer: A Game of Mafia Mario Themed belongs to Megaman1998
Toad Town. A peaceful capital in the Mushroom Kingdom.
So you'd think.
Every day, Princess Peach would wake up, stretch her limbs, and prepare herself for the day ahead of her. There wasn't much trouble in the kingdom lately. The crime rate was dropping, unemployment rates decreased, taxpayer dollars were being put to good work (health care, roads and highways, underpaid teachers). Peach was proud of the way she'd acted through all of this. Fighting for her kingdom was something she did every day, and she didn't care what people thought of her. She knew what was right for her people.
Peach was still asleep when Toadsworth busted through her bedroom doors, not even bothering to give proper courtesy when addressing a princess. "P-P-Princess! Oh, the h-horrors of it all!"
"Master Toadsworth! What...what's the matter? Are you having an anxiety attack? You know, you really should go see the doctor-"
"NO! IT'S THE...KINGDOM! THE PEOPLE...THEY'RE FLEEING!"
Peach gasped. "Wait, what do you mean they're 'fleeing'?"
"I mean EXACTLY that! Look outside!"
The princess ran to her window, ripping apart her puffy curtains to see the shock outside. Cannonballs were being hurled towards houses, as Toads ran in every direction imaginable. An armada fleet sailed towards the castle, as a loud speaker came out from the main ship.
"THE MAFIA HAVE INVADED! THE MAFIA HAVE INVADED! THE MAFIA HAVE INVADED! EVERYBODY HURRY!"
Peach's eyes widened with fear. Screaming, she closed her window and ran down the numerous flight of stairs until she was in her castle gardens. Toadsworth tumbled along behind her, as she quickly made a phone call to a particular scientist to see if he could build something to help them and build something FAST.
E. Gadd picked up on the other end, but couldn't understand the princess through her spasms of shock and screams. E. Gadd hung up and immediately flew on his jet pack to the Mushroom Castle. The ships had already sailed away, but the devastation of the kingdom laid in front of her. Toadsworth and Toad both hid behind her dress. Peach tried her best to concentrate, sending a wish to the stars above to help her in this time of struggle.
The stars answered her. Eleven other people suddenly appeared in front of them, making fifteen in total. Peach was informed that four of these people were the dreadful mafia, who had sent her citizens in an uproar, and one of these people didn't care for the people, but only for themselves. With her wish granted, Peach called all of them together.
"Okay, listen up people. These so-called 'mafia' folk have swarmed through our precious kingdom and have caused mass destruction. It is our job to figure out who these traitors among us are and make sure they do not harm anything else. Understood?" Everyone nodded in various ways. "Good. Now, let's meet back later this morning. See if you can find any clues pointing to the perpetrators."
E. Gadd pulled out his own megaphone and tested to see if it worked. "Testing testing...ug, 1 2 3 hoo ha-"
"HOO HA!" shouted Princess Peach and Toadsworth, nearly deafening the scientist next to them.
"I wasn't ready yet!...okay, hoo ha. Good, it works. OKAY EVERYBODY! THE DAY HAS STARTED! LET'S FIND THOSE SCUMBAGS!"
"HOO HA!"
E. Gadd facepalmed. "...you don't have to keep saying that you know..."
Toadsworth clutched his cane. "So...how exactly do we start this?"
The professor sighed. "Well...we can't really suspect each other since we haven't really DONE anything yet..."
Princess Peach nodded. "I don't really have any foes right now since most of us are all friends...this is hard!"
"It WAS your decision..." mumbled E. Gadd.
Peach tolerated E. Gadd's remark. "Where IS everyone? I mean, they all know that this started..."
"Where's Luigi?" wondered E. Gadd. "I mean, you know how hard he usually tries to be up in the buzz about things. Trying to look 'brave' and everything..."
"Yikes!" thought Toadsworth. "What if he's a mafia trying to forumlate a plan to kill us?" The three of them grew a deathly silent, realizing that they were just as vulnerable to the mafia as everyone else was.
"What if we target a random person...never mind," Peach stated, realizing how choosing randomly who to kill could bring about wrong results.
Suddenly, a figure in a hat popped up out of nowhere. "Well, this seems to be going quite slowly. THE CHUCK QUIZNO WILL BE BACK LATER!" With that, the game show host left in the blink of an eye.
"That was...odd..."
Toadsworth suddenly had an idea. "What if we choose not to kill anybody today? I mean, that way we don't risk taking out someone who's actually innocent?"
"Well, at first I was interested in that idea, but I like the idea of randomly accusing somebody better. MR. E. GADD, I ACCUSE YOU OF BEING A MAFIA!"
The three gasped as Bowser rounded the corner, pointing a finger at E. Gadd dramatically like some astounding defense attorney. Toadsworth stepped in front of Princess Peach, nearly trying to impale the villain with his cane.
"E. Gadd is NOT a mafia!" Peach outbursted. "I doubt he's even the neutral. How do we know that YOU, the biggest villain in this entire KINGDOM, isn't a mafia?"
Bowser nodded contently. "True, true...but I was thinking, you gave everyone time to strategize this morning, right, my fair damsel?" Peach had a baby barf. "Logically, they would be strategizing right now on how to blend in. It would certainly explain why people such as Mario and Luigi aren't here!"
Meanwhile, inside a house at the edge of Toad Town, two plumbers dawning red and green sat in their bunkbeds dozing away peacefully...
In realization of what was going on, Toadsworth excused himself for a while. He summoned the castle's troops to gather together to deliver a speech. Deciding that the citizens needed help, he ordered for them to go out and protect them from danger. Suddenly, he saw a reflection of himself in a castle pond. He wigged out and began to fear that his troops could be protecting the guilty. Immediately, he reordered for them to serve as his bodyguard that day.
During his absence, Yoshi, Mini-Mario, and Toad began to show up at the castle courtyards. Bowser was pacing back and forth as Princess Peach quivered behind E. Gadd.
"You know, I just thought of something. Perhaps Toadsworth left to go and chat...WITH HIS FELLOW MAFIA!"
Peach gasped. "You don't mean to suggest-"
"Oh yes, my sweets. I'm not afraid to say that 2 and 2 are adding up to equal four. The four mafia, in this case. Toadsworth must obviously be talking to his lurking comrade, LUIGI!"
"MAMMA MIA! WHA-WHA-WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? AM I LATE?"
At the sound of his own name actually being stated correctly, Luigi sprung from behind a bush still getting dressed into his overalls. "Um...uh...heh heh...what's up?"
Bowser shook his finger in disbelief. "Excellent timing on your part. The rest of us were just discussing how you and Toadsworth are most likely mafia in cahoots!" E. Gadd and Mini-Mario were suddenly influenced and began growing more suspicious of Toadsworth.
"N-no, you have it all wrong!" Luigi pleaded. "See, I woke up, and my brother was still sleeping. I was gonna come here when I realized it's FATHER'S DAY coming up and had to go out shopping for his present since Mario's too lazy to think about doing that so I did that and then I passed by a diner and their pancakes were 50%-"
Toadsworth returned abruptly, followed close behind by a Goomba. The Goomba fell flat on his face as Chuck Quizno also appeared in the swish of his hat.
"Speak of the devil, does your comrade return or no?" Bowser smirked as Toad gasped.
"No no no, see, I was just talking to someone...er...gulp. You know what I mean...right...old...chap...? I mean, talking if I were a mafia, I would have lied to you about that, wouldn't I?"
Toad slammed his hands on his legs. "That'd be stupid, because the person you were talking to would call you out on the lie."
"Personally, I think Luigi is suspicious," Yoshi claimed, trying to have an innocent look on his face.
Princess Peach nearly pulled her hair out as everyone continued their quarrelling. "I...I think my vote on the mafia will go between Luigi, since Bowser's theory could be true, or Bowser, since he could just be using us." Everyone looked downer than ever in realization that they were getting nowhere in no time.
Meanwhile, Mini-Mario was hiding behind a bush. He threw a berry at E. Gadd's head and began to look lifeless.
"Wow! I gotta play with that! Lemme fix it!" the scientist hallucinated eagerly. He began fiddling with the robots gears and gizmos until Mini-Mario had been fully upgraded. He smiled at his work and set him down. Mini-Mario grinned as he walked off, new and improved.
E. Gadd returned to his new device, only to be saddened at it's disappearance. Suddenly, Bowser's shadow covered his figure.
"You. Help. Me. Now." the Koopa King threatened. E. Gadd gulped as he checked his medical cabinets to see what he could do.
Luigi, on the other hand, began to panic when people started doubting him. He snuck off into the distance when he noticed Toad standing at the end of a dark alley, sitting on a bench. The green plumber let out a deep sigh. "I can't be a wimp...I gotta at least TRY and help!"
As Toadsworth continued defending his actions, the group became less skeptical of him. Just as they were ready to split up for a few minutes to think things through, Luigi came tumbling back in. "I...have...news...HEY LISTEN TO ME PEOPLE!"
"Whoa, no need to shout, lurky boy. Mafia under stress, perhaps?" Bowser suggested.
"THE Chuck Quizno believes that Luigi's actions are indeed VERY suspicious!" you-know-who retorted.
Luigi began sweating profusely. "Hey hey hey, let's not jump to conclusions people! I mean, E. Gadd hasn't said anything in a while, either! Um...Toad, you know...isn't doing much...HA! YOSHI'S NOT DOING ANYTHING! Trying to stay out of the limelight! There!"
Bowser shook his head. "Okay, this is ridiculous. Luigi's my number one suspect at this point. Showing up late, disappearing, and blaming every person for minor details. Couldn't be any simpler than that."
"Maybe, maybe not." Mini-Mario stated. E. Gadd cheered quietly at the idea that he might have made his new toy talk when it already could in the first place...
"GAH! Fine! Just listen to me, okay? I...I spied on someone. Toad. He was standing there...and I was watching him...and..."
Toad was on the edge of his seat. "And...?"
"And Toad's innocent! I saw him! He was doing nothing, and didn't have the tattoo! He's innocent, and I am too!" This outbreak took everyone by surprise as Luigi's brother Mario begrudgingly showed up in the garden.
"Morning...?"
Goomba passed out on the lawn. Peach was covering her hand over her mouth. Yoshi's eyes widened. Toad, however, was the happiest, jumping up and down repeatedly. "HA! TAKE THAT PEOPLE! I'm innocent! WOOT! GET SOME!"
"YOU FOOL! YOU FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!" Bowser roared. Everyone quited down as Bowser caught his breath.
"Now the mafia are gonna be ALL OVER YOU tonight whether or not you even ARE telling the truth because for the first time in your life you're a THREAT!"
Luigi had a heart attack. "W-w-w-wait! DON'T SUSPECT ME FOR WHAT I SAID! I mean, where's your PROOF that I DID spy on Toad?"
"Because you proved me innocent, dude!" Toad cheered. "Now I truly believe you're a townie!"
"He wasn't ACCUSING you, Luigi," Goomba stated. "He's probably just worried that your game is over now. I personally don't think Luigi should be trusted. Coming out with something like that? Too risky, if you ask me."
"You know, maybe the two of them are mafia working together?" Mini-Mario pondered.
"THE Chuck Quizno believes the best bet is to split Luigi and Toad up." the quiz host suggested. Toad began to sweat along with Luigi now.
"I DON'T KNOW WHO TO GO FOR!" Peach screamed, almost ripping her hair out completely. "There's so many different roads to go down, but which one's the right one?"
Mario blinked. "Um...I take it I came at a wrong time...I'll be going now..."
"Dudes, I ain't a mafia! Luigi's right, I'm telling you!" Toad pleaded.
Luigi tried to remain brave. "You know Bowser, you've been calling the shots all day long. How do we know YOU aren't a mafia just trying to persuade everyone into voting me out?" Bowser remained mute for a long time.
Toadsworth was the first to break the silence. "Princess Peach...how old are you?" Princess Peach looked at her steward with the strangest look ever recorded in human kind. "What was THAT all about?"
"It was just a conversation starter, that's all..." Toadsworth trailed. "You know what, I have an idea. We don't have much information to make an accurate conjecture yet. How about we just end this day without bloodshed? Just continue finding any possible clues for the rest of the evening, hm?"
Luigi snapped his fingers to make two thumbs up. "That's a brilliant idea Toadsworth. I'm all for it."
Goomba and Yoshi weren't too phased. "You've still been pointing fingers at people, Luigi. I'm fine with you, too," Goomba remarked. Luigi's adam apple jumped.
An invisible light bulb popped up above Chuck Quizno's head. "Fine. THE Chuck Quizno agrees to go with no one. An innocent is probably going tonight anyways. No use risking another one."
E. Gadd turned to Bowser. "Well? What's YOUR intake on this?"
Bowser rubbed his chin. "Actually, that's not such a terrible idea. Might as well spend the day studying up the facts, huh? I'm down with it."
Eventually, E. Gadd, Mini-Mario and Goomba agreed to go with nobody. Toad didn't want to, since he wanted to nab a mafioso if possible. Koopa suddenly swirled in on the back of his shell after nearly everyone had dispersed to find possible clues. E. Gadd explained the situation to him, and he too went along with it.
Peach was the only one left to make a decision. She was hesitant at first, but finally caved and chose to end the day with everybody still alive.
Just before everyone headed off to bed, Mini-Mario sprung into action. After E. Gadd tinkered around with his engineering, he gained a new power. He directed this power back to the very scientist who had helped him earlier. With that, everybody went to bed.
But just what exactly was the deal? Only 12 out of the 15 citizens even showed up to the declared meeting. Where were Rosalina, Bowser Jr., and Waluigi during this time? And for the people that DID attend, who was actually telling the truth? But more importantly: who were these four villainous creatures plotting their first scheme this very night?
While the townies thought all was well, that was definitely not true. The full moon lit up the night sky. The four mafia members met together at the godfather's house.
"Heh heh heh...foolish innocents. They suspect us of absolutely NOTHING!"
"Zip it you twirp! You're gonna blow our cover!"
"Well? We don't have much time before the rooster crows, after all..."
"Wait...what did THEY ever do? OW, OW!"
"You'll learn to accept and follow my orders, okay? Now good. The three of you head back to your homes. I'm...I'm gonna do it. For real."
The godfather headed to the Castle, not caring that he was doing his job alone that night. He let out a deep sigh before busting down the door.
"Princess Peach! Where AAAAAAARE YOOOOOOOOOOU?"
Instead of the royal pink dress, the godfather stood face-to-face with a mushroom-capped fellow brandishing a pipe.
"HIYA!" Toad charged, knocking the godfather over the head. The godfather growled and rubbed his head. In a quick change of plans, he swiped out Toad, sending his feeble form falling to the ground. He quickly ran out of town, looking back with a searing rage. "Well, HE'LL be incapitated for a while...I'll be back for you, Princess. Just you wait."
Princess Peach woke up from her slumber the next morning, yawning softly. Every day, Princess Peach would wake up, stretch her limbs, and prepare herself for the day ahead of her.
"What a horrible dream...the entire kingdom was getting bombed, and we all ended up meeting up having to decide a person to KILL, and then when we went away, someone called out my voice, and there was a loud noise...ug."
She threw her fluffy pink robe on, brushing aside her bedroom doors on her way to the kitchen for a simple breakfast. As she made it down the staircase, she glanced at the main castle doors.
Her scream at seeing Toad's head seperated from his body woke everyone in Toad Town.
Luigi spit out his oatmeal. "HOLY SHNIKES! TOAD'S...HE'S DEAD!"
The group gathered around the mushroom corpse, saddened at the tragic loss. Princess Peach couldn't feel too comfortable in the realization of how accurate this 'dream' of hers was.
Suddenly, Luigi gained a happier mood. See right there? Toldja I was legit. Toad WAS innocent!"
"THE Chuck Quizno feels bad for accusing the poor guy of being guilty. Luigi, too." Quizno tipped his hat apologetically as Mini-Mario continued staring at the body.
"Okay, we have GOT to get a mafia today!" Luigi remarked. Everyone nodded in solemn agreement as they headed back towards the courtyards to resume their discussion from the previous day.
Mini-Mario took a detour along the way though by E. Gadd's office. The professor was blowing into a tissue, sick as a dog. Mini-Mario grinned as he fell at the engineer's feet.
"Sniffle...OMG LIEK NO WAIZ ITZ BACK!1!11ONE! Er...ooh, let's see what else I can help this guy with...ACHOO!"
Luigi trodded behind the group at a slower pace, glad to be seen as the innocent guy he was in the eyes of the townies. He whistled joyfully with his hands in his pockets.
Suddenly, a large fireball hit him directly from behind. Luigi screamed in pained as he was engulfed in flames. He sprinted to the nearest pond and jumped inside, hoping to douse himself. When he came out, however, his weak body was burnt to a crisp.
"My goodness! Luigi, what on earth?" Princess Peach gasped as Bowser took his place back in the meeting.
"I...don't...know..." Luigi muttered, collapsing on the fresh patch of ground. The others tried propping him upright as best as they could.
"Whoever did this to him is obviously a mafia," Bowser declared. The group began to wonder who could have done such a thing as Mini-Mario slipped away again.
The cold, heartless machine was on a roll. He had managed to get E. Gadd to play with him again, and now he had even more powers than before. He used these new abilities to spy on the elderly steward Toadsworth, who was currently thanking the soldiers for sticking with his old bones during the entire night. Mini-Mario scurried off and hid behind Luigi's disabled frame. He kicked Luigi on the cheek, sending nerves down Luigi's spine. In no time, Luigi felt new and improved, though he wasn't fully recovered just yet.
"Whoa...um, I feel...weird..."
"Luigi! You're okay!" Peach cheered as Luigi managed to stand up successfully. "How are you feeling?"
"Better than I was, that's for sure," he commented. "Now step aside. There's someone I need to spy on." He limped his way around the hedge and began hobbling down the path. Bowser bit his lip nervously as the group just watched and waited.
Luigi pressed on through the pain until he reached the same dark alley he was at the day before. This time, he noticed a certain player talking to another person. He couldn't see one of them at all, but he could make out the other person partially.
"...I know man...failed...he's dead instead...tonight we should...the kill..."
The plumber's jaw dropped as his hands slapped his cheeks. He ran back to the group with the most important news all game.
"BINGO PEOPLE! I JUST SAW KOOPA! HE'S A MAFIA! HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW THE INTENDED KILL LAST NIGHT HAD FAILED! LET'S GET HIM!"
Chuck Quizno and Peach gasped as they immediately began to take down their perpetrator. Suddenly, Koopa ran around the corner.
"Wait, wha WHA? I'm not even a mafia member! Honest!" the turtle pleaded desperately. "Why...why do you guys all believe what ONE person says? We're all one-sourced people. ANYONE can say ANYTHING that's not true!"
"Sorry Koopa...but it's basically a done deal..." Mini-Mario smirked.
Bowser's face turned a shade of white as he sprung into action. "Wait, are you SURE you weren't just thinking about what you heard?"
"Dead sure...wait..." Luigi's voice faded. "I...didn't quite hear ALL of it..."
"There you go," Bowser scoffed. "We can't be certain he's a mafia unless you succesfully got all the important details."
Gears began rotating in Peach's head. "Well...he said that Koopa was talking about how the intended kill failed...whoever got saved by Toad last night should come forward."
"I don't know, honestly..." Luigi sighed. "It seems like any one of us could be a traitor. That Mini-Mario device over there might actually be a townie for all I know!" Mini-Mario perked up at the sound of his name as Chuck Quizno disappeared for a moment.
The game show host repeated Luigi's statement over and over again. He was a questioning kind of guy. What Luigi just said was something he figured he could process. He just needed confirmation. He made a quick wish to the Star Spirits at Star Haven, hoping for an answer to 'That Mini-Mario device over there might actually be a townie.'
His response came in clear: he might actually NOT be.
Peach, on the other hand, was waiting for an answer to HER statement. "Well? Anyone want to come forward about being spared last night?" The group remained silent as Chuck Quizno returned.
"THE Chuck Quizno no longer trusts that screwdriver machine in the corner!" Mini-Mario looked puzzled, just like everyone else.
"Care to elaborate on that a bit...?"
"THE Chuck Quizno just got confirmation from the stars way way way way way WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY above our heads! They answered to Luigi's comment about the screwdriver machine, and the results were that might might actually NOT be a townie! TAKE THAT!"
Koopa breathed a sigh of relief as the suspicion turned from him to Mini-Mario. The toy just shrugged and continued its sitting stance to the surprise of the others.
"...okay then. Um, and I'm sorry for being a bit 'snapy' earlier. Got here late yesterday, and not sure just what to do." the shelled creature addressed.
"Speaking of getting here late, I am SO sory for my absence," Rosalina apologized, appearing out of thin air. "Lumas...can't live with them, can't live without them." Rosalina was ignored by Peach as the Mushroom Kingdom princess continued urging everybody else to reveal what they had gathered from yesterday's investigations.
Just as Bowser was about to remark about his findings, his son swooped in, paintbrush in hand. "Hi dad! Sorry for missing out OH HI EVERYBODY! HI HI HI HI HI! That's my daddy right there! Say, wait a minute...MAMA PEACHY!"
Peach's mouth hit the ground. "Oh, PLEASE no..."
"Shut up or you'll be punished, okay?" Bowser scolded his son for his outburst in behavior. "Anyways, I wasn't able to conduct anything in my searches."
"Nothing else that I've told you so far," Luigi replied.
"Nope." Mini-Mario stated abruptly.
Peach rolled her eyes. "Well, SOMEBODY here knows SOMETHING the rest of us don't know! Whoever thinks they were the intended kill should come clean! NOW!"
"...and I just can't believe how you guys are all going for me based on what ONE person says..." Koopa continues ranting.
"Dude!" Luigi interrupted. "Why should I NOT be gunning for you? I found out that you're one of the mafia members!...although...it...it wasn't...complete..."
"Exactly! It's not even full proof! From what I myself hear, you and Chuck Quizno are ganging up against everyone!"
"THE Chuck Quizno objects-"
"I just had a thought," Bowser stated, pushing his son aside for a moment. "What if the person who hurled that fireball at Luigi was the same guy to suddenly give him a boost back? I mean, then he intended Luigi would go find stuff out while he could, and perhaps left a FAULTY VOICE RECORDING?" The others were stunned at this idea.
Peach resumed her rant. "Hey, can anyone give ME a boost so I can find out who the mafia's target was?"
"Whoa there...Peach, I think you're confused. I'm not sure you're able to do something like that..." Luigi replied, rubbing his scalded neck.
Rosalina craned her neck. "From what I've gathered, Peach seems pretty desperate to find out who was killed last night. Is it at all possible she has a prior knowledge about the intended victim?"
"Yeah, Mama Peach! What's the deal here?" Bowser Jr. nagged.
Peach sighed. "If I tell you...will you guys PLEASE lay off me?" The others hesitantly agreed.
"Okay...last night, I thought all of yesterday had been a bad dream. I heard the door break down, then some fighting and a scream. I...I was the intended victim."
Bowser began to chuckle a little. "Riddle me this, princess. How do WE know that Toad wasn't just a ploy in YOUR plan to get him killed, huh? Exactly. I think Koopa's just an innocent bystander now. I say we go for the princess."
"I'm POSITIVE that you're a mafia now, Bowser! Trying to go for innocent little me, huh? Nobody here is gonna buy it," Peach snapped, grinning from ear to ear. Both Peach and Bowser turned to the others, who remained as motionless as all get out.
"...THE Chuck Quizno thinks Peach is guilty." The princess looked horrified as one by one, Koopa, Bowser Jr., Bowser, Rosalina, and even Luigi began to turn on her. Tears came pouring out of her eyes as she excused herself for a while. She knew that she was innocent, but nobody believed her now. She figured that Mario would trust her, since she herself knew internally that the kingdom's greatest superhero would stay innocent, too. It was at this moment in time, too, that the confused Mario walked in at the wrong time once again. Confused, he left to figure out what all was happening.
"Fleeing from the group to get advice. Such an obvious pick as mafia," Bowser implicated. The others nodded in agreement as they dispersed themselves, leaving only Mini-Mario, Chuck Quizno, and Luigi.
"...THE Chuck Quizno needs a coffee."
As the host took a quick break, the robot stared Luigi dead in the eyes with the expression that Luigi's original thoughts were correct. Luigi picked up on this, but continued to recover in his position. Suddenly, his brain realized something crucial to the investigation. He ran off to tell the others as Mini-Mario began to take a quick snooze.
"Guys! Wait! Up!" Luigi panted, collapsing onto the flowery patch of ground. "I am such a gullible IDIOT!"
Koopa and Bowser Jr. had already gone in their own seperate directions, but Bowser and Rosalina were still in the vicinity. Mini-Mario ran in a little ways behind Luigi.
"I know I heard what I heard. I KNOW I did. And just because I was injured but now I'm gradually recovering DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACTS! Koopa is a mafia! I swear it!"
Bowser groaned. "Look, Peach had a major reaction to being suspected. I can't be sure about Koopa, but Peach is highly suspicious in my book."
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Bowser, Luigi..." Rosalina trailed.
"That's not the point! Koopa's smart! He reacted to being suspected TOO, you know!..."
Mario returned with a burrito. "Hey Luigi!"
"...plotting it word by word, oh hey bro, and managed to pull it off thanks to other people like YOU!" Mario stared into space with an irritated expression.
"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The group of five paused as a slender shadow laid on the ground in front of them. The frame only belonged to one person: Luigi's archnemisis, Waluigi.
"Ahem. One should always formally adress his fellow party when he enters an area. Shows his manliness HOLY COW IT'S A WORM!" The others looked at him dumbfoundedly.
"...hey, would you looky here. If it isn't my old enemy...Mario," Bowser smirked. Waluigi began to wonder if he was invisilbe as Mario knew how he felt.
"Um...do you two have anything you want to comment on? It's between Koopa and Peach now, but it's more lenient towards Peach," Rosalina remarked.
Bowser Jr. popped his head back in and succesfully stole Mario's burrito. "Yeah! Yeah! Go for Mama Peach! She can't defend herself! She's guilty!"
"Well, me and my manliness are all for killing the guilty. She's probably mafia since she's probably jealous that she's not as pretty as Daisy-"
"YOU LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS DISCUSSION!" Luigi roared, almost breaking Bowser's record.
"...but it'd stupidity to rush it just yet. After all, Koopa's easily as suspectible, too," Waluigi finished.
Bowser groaned at how long this was taking. "Look. She steps forward as the 'intended victim' after asking everyone else who it is. Then when we confront her about this she blows up and runs away. Tell me how THAT'S not guilty.
"Oh, is that so? Fine. Cool. No probs," Waluigi replied cooly. Luigi had given up trying to press Koopa and began to wonder where Princess Peach had run off to.
Rosalina shrugged. "So...all that's left is to find her now, right?"
Peach held her face in her hands as she let her tears flow rapidly. Nobody trusted her. If she showed her face again, she'd be dead. She just wished that somebody would trust her.
A piece of paper floated through the wind and landed on Peach's lap. Wiping away her tears, she picked it up delicately and began reading it to herself.
Her mind was too distressed to fully comprehend all of it, but it said something about how this person was on the townie's side and how they were somehow certain E. Gadd and Toadsworth were innocent. When she read on, her hands began shaking.
The note was written by Mini-Mario.
"If only I could use this to my advantage somehow..." she encouraged herself, crumpling the note up. She finally decided it would be best to get rid of the note as it could easily be faulty information. She just needed to find Mario and gain his trust, since he had hers completely.
The bushes behind her began to crumple. Peach gasped, desperately looking for a place to hide from her angry mob. When it turned out to be Yoshi, Toadsworth, and Chuck Quizno, who either had no knowledge about earlier or trusted her to some extent, she breathed a sigh of relief.
After explaining everything to the three of them, they all unanimously decided to join up to oust Koopa. Luigi's discovery couldn't have been faulty from any angle they looked at it.
In a twist of events, the two mobs met up in the castle courtyards.
"Well well well...if it isn't miss Princess Peach," Bowser taunted, ready to take her down.
"Not so fast, BOWSER," Peach retorted. "I just wanted to say that, even though how much you're overthinking everything, I don't suspect you anymore."
"Huh. That's nice to know. Well, I'm not as comfortable saying you're clear."
"Fine then. But the numbers are currently against Koopa right now, so I suggest you reconsider before allowing two kills to take place."
Goomba randomly popped out of a hole in the ground. "I, uh, agree with Bowser." Peach glared at the creature before kicking it to the side. Poor Goomba...
Peach bit her lip as her body began shaking. It was do or die at this point. She decided to pull the note out of her pocket.
"Mini-Mario wrote this. It flew into my lap, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't coincidental."
Bowser Jr. tried reading the note. "Uh...papa? It says that Toadsworth and E. Gadd...are innocent? And look! Mini here DID write it!"
Bowser's eyes looked over the paper at a rapid speed. "Unbelievable...suddenly, I'm certain Mini-Mario's trying to pull a ploy on us. He's a mafia, trying to make his comrades seem innocent. Get him!"
"THE Chuck Quizno just wants to remind everybody about how yesterday I uncovered that Mini-Mario MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO BE TRUSTED!"
Mini-Mario shrugged. "Go for me all you want. I know I'm clean. Something you yourself can't prove."
"Hold up Princess, how do you know this note isn't just a red herring?" Toadsworth asked.
"I...don't...I guess this is helpful. Only towards Mini-Mario, and not Koopa," Peach responded, glaring at the miniature robot intently.
"What. Did. I. Do. Wrong." Mini-Mario pleaded in a mechanical style.
Mario and Luigi, who had been the two people in the middle argument, were now facing a change in suspects. Luigi was too weak to go along with anything, but Mario agreed on his little stalker too.
Majority had suddenly shifted from Koopa to Peach to Mini-Mario all within one day.
Luigi quickly spoke up. "Hey, where the heck is the confirmation that Mini-Mario wrote that, let alone is it even relevant to proving him a mafia?"
Bowser began to breathe heavily. "That's what the strategy aims to find out, okay? If Mini-Mario IS actually guilty, then that might just confirm Toadsworth and E. Gadd is guilty, too. If he's actually INNOCENT, then Peach could be guilty for forging that piece of evidence.
Luigi was in disbelief. "That. Doesn't. Prove. Anything. Besides, I found out that Koopa is a mafia. Why is it that none of you believe me?"
"...I'm going for Koopa," Toadsworth nodded. "I've gone through many years to know when someone is being legit about their beliefs."
"You're making a huge gamble over your ears, Luigi," Bowser snapped. "Koopa's the victim of an unlucky accident, okay? Mini-Mario isn't to be trusted."
"NEITHER IS KOOPA FREAKIN' TROOPA PEOPLE!"
As an argument broke out, Toadsworth called forth his militants. "Go forth. I don't need protection today...Mini-Mario does."
The group was divided. The sun, on the other hand, was starting to set. They didn't have much time, so if they wanted to make a decision, they'd have to do it now.
"Wait."
Everyone's attention turned to Mini-Mario, who picked himself up part by part.
"Think about Toad. He was the one killed. Fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Peach claims to have been the intended target that night. Luigi then overhears that the mafia failed to kill their intended target. The location is the most important detail. It happened at Peach's Castle. REMEMBER? Their stories add up. The mafia injured Luigi in hopes that he wouldn't ruin their plans. Instead, Luigi recovered, and was able to find it out. Luigi was right about Toad before. Why wouldn't he be right now?"
Had E. Gadd been there, he would have fainted at his gadget's vast speech.
"...well, if we're not gonna go for Mini-Mario, I'm going back to Peach again," Bowser stated. Goomba, who had finally waddled himself back to the others, agreed with Bowser.
Peach suddenly turned and looked at Mario. "You know I'm innocent. I know you are."
Mario shook in his boots as his eyes met Peach's. Determined in his choice, he decided to go for Koopa. With only moments from the creature being assaulted...he showed up.
"Heh heh heh...I get a say too, right? Okay then. Kill me. Take your best shot. I'll be waitng at my house. Catch me if you can!"
With the sudden confirmation on Koopa, the group charged after him. Arriving at the house, Mario banged on the aforementioned's door. "Come on out and give up!"
"Ooh! Comiiiiiiiiiing!" Koopa replied in a sing-song voice. He unlocked the door, with no tool of self-defense in his hands. This would be easy...
Mario looked at the gang, shrugged, and punched Koopa in the stomach. Koopa laughed hysterically as he got in his shell and began spinning around like crazy. He knocked Mario over like he was a bowling ball and began a rampage on everyone.
"GYAGH!" "BUH!" "DYAHHH!"
Finally, Koopa crashed into an oak tree, cracking his spine permanently. Everyone groaned painfully as the ones who weren't hit pretended to be injured as well.
All sunlight faded as night 2 began. Nobody would be recovering from THIS blow any time soon. At least, not the townies.
The mafia made their decision quicker that night. Of course, the two underlings were more willing to help now that they realized how surreal this was.
"I'm...scared-"
"Get over it, dude. There's no turning back now, okay? Let's do what we came here to do!"
"Um...sir yes sir?"
The godfather, with his two cronies with him, smashed down the door of his target's extravagent house. He stomped over to his victim, relieved to discover he was snoozing heavily on the sofa. One of the underlings accidentally made the floor creak, causing Chuck Quizno to wake up.
"GO AHEAD!" The godfather called out as the other underling proceeded to bash Quizno's head in.
"THE CHUCK QUIZ-..."
When the mafia performed their heinous act quickly, it was a little TOO quick. They headed back to the field where all the townies were piled up, heads spinning, and resumed similar stance.
As the sun began shining over the field, the group slowly began recovering from their daze.
Luigi and Peach were the first to rise, but were still incredibly dizzy. Peach was horrified to realize that Chuck Quizno had died that night, and that she was actually still alive.
"Why are you so upset about still being ALIVE?" Luigi asked her concernedly.
"It's just so...terrible. Three people have died already, and I witnessed all their deaths...I just want this to END..."
Luigi looked her in the eyes. "Don't say that. Be lucky that you're still alive, okay? Say...nobody else is awake but us, right?"
"Right..."
"As soon as I feel a little better, I'm gonna go spy on Bowser. He defended Koopa WAY too much yesterday. Hopefully I won't get clobbered by a giant fireball this time."
"Oooooooooh...I don't feel too good," Goomba groaned as he tumbled over to the two earlybirds.
Peach began questioning Quizno's death. "Why did they choose to kill him of all people?"
"I was wondering the same thing. He was a good strategist, and his plans, if laid out, might have threatened to get rid of him," Luigi reasoned.
Goomba sighed. "Wow. Nobody in this world pays me any attention...but yeah, hopefully Luigi will feel better so he can spy on Bowser."
"AAAAAAAAAAAIEE!" E. Gadd escapaded, swooping into the gardens. "Curse you colds-you-catch-from-robots ailness!"
"Morning E. Gadd," Peach sighed. "Nothing much going on today..."
"You acknowledge HIS presence and not MINE?" Goomba whined.
"I'm just thinking to see if I have everything straight," E. Gadd informed.
"Personally, I think that most of the mafia went for me yesterday," Peach explained. "So, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Rosalina, those people."
E. Gadd nodded intelligently. "Indeed, the mafia would not go against one of their own unless it was just to remain unsuspicious. That rules me out since I wasn't here-"
"Um, that doesn't exactly confirm you as innocent just yet. You could still be a mafia since you didn't vote...WHOO-EE!" Luigi jumped to his feet. "This is the best I've felt in DAYS! Be right back, I'm gonna go see what Bowser really knows."
"Er...'WHOO-EE?'"
As Luigi was leaving, Toadsworth arrived with an ice pack to his forehead. "Oof...elderly folk like me shouldn't be tossed around like play toys..."
"So now we just play the waiting game until Luigi gets back?" Princess Peach asked. Goomba just shrugged and hopped on a hedge. "Hey E. Gadd, do you know what Mini-Mario meant about you being some sort of 'tinker'?"
"He's apparently indicating that E. Gadd's both skilled and unskilled..." Toadsworth pointed out from a dictionary. "And I also find it strange that Luigi is still with us. He proved one player mafia, but the mafia don't take him out?"
Goomba rolled off the hedge and belly flooped onto the ground. "I want a cake. A virtual cake."
"With virtual icing," E. Gadd exclaimed.
"And a virtual party!" Peach cheered.
"A virtual million coins!" Toadsworth beamed.
"A virtual...VIRTUAL," E. Gadd suggested.
"And maybe...a virtual balloon!" Goomba prodded.
"A virtual mafia beating?" Toadsworth wondered.
Peach sighed. "All we have are virtual mind cramps...and virtual...fear..."
Suddenly, Yoshi popped up around the corner. "Hi guys! Yay! We got a mafia yesterday!" The others wondered how Yoshi could maintain to be so happy during times like these. "Anyways, who do you guys think the mafia are? And I think I know something...should I reveal?"
"Only if you're confident about it...that was my mistake yesterday-"
"GUYS! GUYS! GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYS!I GOT BOWSER! IN HIS SLEEP, HE REVEALED HIS BIGGEST CONFESSION! HE'S THE GODFATHER OF THE MAFIA! HE WAS THE ONE WHO SENT THAT FIREBALL TOWARDS ME! HA HA! TAKE THAT!"
Luigi came running in with the widest smile on his face. The others immediately perked up at the finding of a mafia and darted behind Luigi to kill him once and for all.
"Oh, this is great. Two times in a ROW baby!" Luigi cheered, racing on to the field.
"You are pretty lucky, son," Toadsworth praised.
"HEY! WAIT UP FOR ME PEOPLE!" Goomba yelled, hobbling far behind the others.
"That mean, cruel, jerkface is going to pay for EVERYTHING he did! To Toad, to Chuck Quizno...to ALL of us!" Yoshi fantasized.
When they arrived at the field, they were shocked to see Bowser was no longer there. Instead, the godfather of the mafia had climbed atop the roof of a local building.
"FOOLS! YOU DARE DEFY ME? AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR YOU SQUIRMING MAGGOTS? WHATEVER. BUT, JUST AS A WARNING, THERE IS NOUGHT YOU CAN DO TO ELIMINATE MY TOTAL CONTROL OVER ALL OF YOU. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"HOLY COW! WHAT HAPPENED?" Goomba asked, rushing in later than ever. Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toadsworth, and E. Gadd were frozen stuck to the ground as a shadowy figure leapt in front of Bowser.
"That looks...vaguely familiar..." Peach proclaimed. Sure enough, she'd seen Shadow Mario before. Shadow Mario took his paintbrush and began brushing the Koopa King. Soon, Bowser was covered in a thick goop, completely inpenetrable to the attempts of everyone else. Peach fainted on the spot.
Rosalina suddenly appeared from the heavens, trying to comfort the others. "He's been caught, and he confirmed it by admitting his sin. But we can't ignore what just happened...is there some sort of side effect to trying to kill this wretched monster?" Nobody had the answer to this.
Toadsworth knew something bad was coming. With Bowser on the loose, he commanded for the troops to guard the town's most crucial lifeline: Luigi.
Mini-Mario, on the other hand, went back to his normal habits. E. Gadd noticed him again, but this time knew he wasn't just a toy. Winding his gear up, he refurbished Mini-Mario. The robot went on strike, practically. He decided to spy on Yoshi, whom he suddenly gained powers from. He then chased after Bowser, somehow swallowed him, and spat him back up. Bowser was weakened. Maybe it would work to some degree. Then, both he and his tinkerer E. Gadd chose to send their skills to Luigi.
Luigi, now even MORE improved, decided to spy on Toadsworth when he wasn't learning. He overheard him talking about protecting himself, which made Luigi smile with relief at a townie and a safety.
The group of seven rejoined.
"We might as WELL kill him, since we can't afford killing a townie by mistake," Rosalina suggeseted.
E. Gadd gasped. "What if Shadow Mario's protecting Bowser? Then we can't reach him AT ALL!"
"DARN YOU BOWSER! DARN YOU TO HECK! GRR...DIE ALREADY!" Luigi shouted angrily.
"Hold it. Rosalina, Yoshi, and Goomba...they were the non-confirmeds here right before the shadow striked. Why don't we go for one of them instead?" Toadsworth considered.
Over a megaphone speaker from somewhere, Bowser's voice could be heard loud and clear. "Oh yes. Rosalina is definitely a townie. DO NOT KILL HER."
"We can't believe a single THING you say anymore you mafia!" replied Luigi, even angrier than before.
"Let's ignore him," suggested Yoshi.
E. Gadd nodded. "How are we supposed to trust HIM, the GODFATHER?"
"Some sort of reverse psychology, I'll bet," Toadsworth remarked.
"Or reverse-reverse psychology..."
"Or reverse-reverse-reverse psychology..."
"OR REVERSE-REVERSE-REVERSE-REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY! I CAN PLAY THOSE GAMES TOO, YOU KNOW!" Bowser mocked from who knew where. "Bah, I don't need you now anyways. You were a stitch in my side last night anyways. I'm telling you folks, loud and clear: YOSHI IS A MAFIA."
"Wh-what?" Yoshi panicked, trying to defend himself as best as possible. "HE'S LYING! DON'T TRUST HIM! I-I'M INNOCENT! I CAN SWALLOW SOMEONE AND SPIT THEM OUT INTO AN EGG! BUT THAT'S HELPFUL! PLEASE!"
Mini-Mario suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "We never DID trust him in the first place..."
"This is getting intense if you ask me...TOO intense..." exclaimed an exhausted Goomba.
"I just hate feeling so hopeless..." Luigi sighed.
Rosalina inhaled deeply. "Well, we have to TRY...right?"
"Whether we make a mistake or not and Wimpzilla can chortle in his own little corner, it's worth a shot to try," E. Gadd agreed.
"IDIOTS! YOU'RE SO HESITANT TO LYNCH SOMEONE WHEN IT'S OBVIOUS THEY'RE MAFIA! GOOD GRAVY, AND I MANAGED TO KEEP YOU GUYS ON THE ROPES FOREVER NOW!"
...Mario appeared from around the corner at the perfect timing for the zillionth time.
"Um...you...rang?"
"Mario! We're taking Bowser down! Once and for all bro!" Luigi spattered.
"LET'S DO THIS!" Yoshi cheered. With that, the group of seven plus an unconscious Peach charged. They began a grid-iron search to find Bowser's location...but they couldn't find him! It was almost as if Bowser had turned invisible or something!
"No...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Bowser decided he would take the kill into his own hands. He was a dead man the next day either way, so why waste time? As his barrier wore off, Bowser headed to the Mario Bros. Residency. He grinned fiendishly as he knocked down the door and banged Luigi in the back of the head. The plumber collapsed, but Toadsworth's soldiers quickly chased Bowser out.
While Bowser was still at large, Luigi began the struggle for his life...
As soon as the rooster crowed to annouce day time, the townies pounced.
"GET HIM!" Mini-Mario shouted.
"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" Mario roared.
"FINISH THE FIEND!" Toadsworth encouraged.
"CRUSH HIM!" Goomba declared.
"KILL! KILL!" Waluigi ordered.
"YOOOOOOOOSHIIIIIIIII!" Yoshi...communicated?
Bowser surrendered with his hands up high. "If I'm kicking the bucket, it's on my own free will," he announced. The townies pummeled the Koopa King to the ground, satisfied with their success.
"Say...where's Luigi?" Mario realized. "You don't think..."
The group spent the rest of the day in somber sympathy for Luigi.
Luigi was on the floor of his own house as Toadsworth's soldiers tried their best to resuscitate the plumber. They went to all resorts to bring him back to life. Finally, after forcing a 1-Up Mushroom down Luigi's throat, he bounced back with nothing but a mere headache.
Bowser's ghost, however, still had some business to take care of. Sure, he was dead. Currently immoral. He still had one final obligation to make: to complete the kill from the previous night.
Instead of the Mario Bros. Residency, Bowser's ghost headed to Mushroom Castle. Toadsworth was snoozing in his bed when the spirit woke him up. Terrified, Toadsworth became the victim to a wrench in the back of the head. Bowser smiled, his soul vanishing to the Underwhere for all eternity.
His two underlings, however, had business for Night 4 to take care of. Since Luigi was still being supervised by a ton of soldiers, killing him would be a no go. Instead, the two of them chose to avenge their godfather by heading to the house of the person their godfather had first wanted to kill: Princess Peach.
The princess, however, had no Toad to save her. He'd died saving her once before, but wasn't here to save her again.
"Urk..." Peach groaned as the rookie godfather performed the deed successfully. He still had a ways to go, but he could do it. For Bowser, he could perservere until all of the townies were dead.
The group sighed at the corpses of Princess Peach and Toadsworth. Their beloved kingdom no longer had a ruler in charge of it.
"Eight of us left," Waluigi hissed, nervous about the new ratio.
"Make that nine," a voice rang out from behind them.
"Wait...LUIGI? We thought you were DEAD!" Rosalina cheered as Luigi strolled up to the group weerily.
He collapsed. "Dang...Bowser's fireball, my head getting bashed...I'm one lucky guy. And now, I'm gonna go spy on someone before someone chucks a boulder at me."
"Who are you going to choose?" Mini-Mario asked nervously. As if my magic, a note suddenly fell from the sky and landed on the edge of a fountain. Goomba snatched it and began to read it out loud to the group:
I made a poor decision in the second night's strategy, and for that I take the fall. But I wouldn't celebrate just yet townies, you may have taken me out but the Godfather will never die. The person taking my place is far more cunning and ruthless than I, and to my amazement has the full trust of every townie. It's going to be a long time before you get the new godfather, until then I'll watch the seeds of my strategy bloom into your demise. It was fun getting to toy with you all one last time.
-The former Godfather.
The group remained motionless for a minute beffore Luigi sprung up. "The new godfather is apparently smart, right? Well, E. Gadd's smart, and has gained trust for the most part. I'm gonna spy on him."
E. Gadd snoozed heavily on his bed, sniffling as his previous cold symptoms were coming back. Luigi tiptoed inside his laboratory and began inspecting the professor's desk for any sign of evidence pointing to his alliance. He picked up a note talking about how he'd been improving other people the past few days, hoping that they were all townies just like him. Luigi nodded satisfactorily and tiptoed his way back out.
Meanwhile, Mini-Mario leapt into the Professor's garage. Unbeknownst to anyone else, the previous day E. Gadd toyed around with him some more. He was perhaps the greatest invention created at this point. Yesterday, he stole something from Toadsworth to give him access to the Mushroom army. He also spied on Rosalina as she was laying down the law on Bowser's head.
Still, today was yet another day. He made a beeping sound, causing the scientist to fall out of bed. E. Gadd was miserable, but decided to tinker around with his invention anyway. The little stalker. Maybe he could go back to sleep by helping the little dude. Mini-Mario immediately set out to redirect this energy towards Goomba. He gained his powers, and began walking on his way to find Waluigi. Just as he had succesfully spied on him, Waluigi sprung into action.
"Wa ha!" he shouted, jumping in front of the device. His mustache twitched, causing Mini-Mario to go into panic mode and crash into a wall. Waluigi grinned as he headed back to the group.
"E. Gadd's the tinker, a townie," Luigi informed. Goomba frowned since a mafia hadn't been caught.
"Wait...you said he's a TINKER, right?" Rosalina asked. Luigi nodded while raising an eyebrow.
"Can't he find some way to improve you so you can spy on someone again without getting caught?" she wondered. Luigi snapped his finger in realization.
Mini-Mario, who was malfunctioning on the ground, tried to speak up. "Well...where...he..."
"URG! E. GADD! A guy could REALLY get some help right now!" Luigi shouted.
Rosalina adjusted her dress. "Well...in the meantime, maybe we should question everybody that's not a confirmed townie. I don't think we should trust Bowser. He's playing us like a piano."
Luigi speculated this intently. "You know, how can you be so certain, Rosalina? I mean, maybe Bowser was frustrated with his other mafia. Maybe he turned good before he died? Besides, if I recall, YOU were one to go along with him in trying to take out Peach. Why shouldn't we suspect YOU?"
"Rosalina isn't the mafia," Mini-Mario spoke up. The others were taken aback by this.
"How can you be so SURE, Mini-Mario? I don't trust you..." Goomba muttered.
Luigi did a 180 flip and faced the creature. "You know, you were ALSO someone to be following along with Bowser's actions!"
Goomba shrugged. "I was just confused, that's all. I didn't know who to trust. And besides, when you were disabled, you claimed that your info might not be 100% accurate. And I also went against Bowser, you know..."
"What about Waluigi and Mario?" Rosalina wondered. "They really haven't been around much...same thing can be said about Yoshi and Bowser Jr. though..."
"And Mini-Mario...you've done QUITE a lot lately," Luigi continued. "How can we be certain that you're trustworthy?"
Mini-Mario pointed at Goomba. "Because he's someone that's trustworthy, and Bowser's note..."
"Okay, let's face facts," Rosalina indicated. "We know that myself, Luigi, Waluigi, Mario, Mini-Mario, Goomba, and Yoshi are all still in this game."
Waluigi appeared from around the corner. "You forgot Bowser Jr. and E. Gadd."
"Waluigi, how nice of you to coincidentally JOIN us all of a sudden..." Luigi glared at his nemesis, who simply tipped his hat at everyone.
"I was working on a novel I'm writing. I'm not even at Chapter 4 yet, so I wanted to catch up on that, 'tis all."
"I'm sorry, Waluigi, but that's way too suspicious. It seems like you were here the entire time and jumped up to correct the facts.
Goomba had a proposition. "Maybe if we wait for everyone to show up, we can get somewhere."
"And speaking of getting somewhere, WHERE IS E. GADD? I need help! NOW!" Luigi outbursted, pulling at his hair in despair. "Well, I might as well go now, since we're getting nowhere until he shows up." With that, he departed from the group, followed in suit by Waluigi and Goomba.
"SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE YET TODAY!" the previously mentioned scientist stated, running up to the group. "Would have been on earlier if it weren't for this...ACHOOOOO!...cold."
"No problem, guvnah," Mini-Mario declared. "And FYI, you're name has been cleared."
Rosalina gasped. "Oh shoot, Luigi JUST now left! Professor! We need you to help give him some sort of boost NOW!"
"Oh...oh no! I...I need to find him at once!" the professor insisted, running off from the group. At the same time, Luigi was running back toward the group. The two collided into each other. Thrilled to see each other, E. Gadd began taking tools out of his pocket when suddenly...
Something began stumbling around randomly, managing to smash into random citizens! "GARGH!" "GACK!"
"What just happened?" Mini-Mario asked as the group caught up with each other. "Are you guys okay?"
Luigi moaned, clutching his forehead in agony. "Why does this always happen to MEEEEEEEEE?"
"E. Gadd! D-do something!" Rosalina insisted. E. Gadd tried standing up, but fell back to the ground like a drunken person.
The astrological princess plopped herself on a bench. "Well...this is great. A mafia member must have gotten to them and...yeah...now we just have to go on hunches..."
"Speaking of hunches, I suspect Bowser Jr. and that Shadow freak that protected Bowser," Mini-Mario suggested, all the while being dizzy himself.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the Shadow guy was actually Bowser Jr. in disguise. I remember the Isle Delfino trip." Mario popped his head in from around the corner, almost at another coincidental time.
"I'm back too," Goomba addressed, bumbling his way back in. "What the heck happened?"
E. Gadd spoke up. "You know...maybe Rosalina was the one to do this to us. She was sort of eager for something to happen, and now look...oh my aching back."
Rosalina bit her lip. "If you guys really want...I can come clean about what I can do..."
"Well then," Luigi chuckled. "What CAN you do? Some sort of galatic thing with the universe and rebirth and life and stuff? Can it help us find a mafia?"
"Now now, just...just wait a minute..." Rosalina said, her voice softening with every word. The group remained completely silent until suddenly Rosalina began some sort of inner channeling. She flew up into the sky where she had a perfect view of everyone in Toad Town below her.
Nobody said anything for the longest time.
"...so...what does that mean?"
"Hush!" Rosalina scolded. "I'm watching everything intently!"
"...er...okay then..." Goomba hesitated.
"What I mean is, if someone does something to someone, I find out. I can change their target with my powers."
Luigi moaned. "You couldn't have done that BEFORE WE WERE HIT?"
"I'm starting to think you used it at the wrong time..." Mini-Mario sighed. Rosalina ignored the group's whining and resumed her position in the sky.
"Well, now what do we do? I'd say we're pretty screwed right now..." E. Gadd sighed, trying to rub the pain in his neck away.
"We need to get some mafia person. Like, now," Rosalina insisted. "We all need to agree on one person."
Mini-Mario nodded. "I kinda think it's Goomba. First, you didn't really join the group much, but now here you are. And also Waluigi, since he only tends to pop in once in a great while..."
"Let's go figure out the unconfirmed and confirm them!" Luigi said bravely. Mini-Mario wondered if that was his lifetime motto.
"Speaking of which, what can YOU do, Goomba?" Rosalina questioned.
"Um...I can...swallow someone?"
Luigi gasped. "HOLD IT!...SWALLOW someone? That's a major contradiction. Either you or Yoshi is LYING!"
Goomba's eyes widened. "Hey whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Let's not jump to conclusions here-"
"Can you explain what this 'swallowing' does?" E. Gadd insisted.
"Well, why should I tell YOU people? You guys aren't going to believe me anyways..."
"We're gonna quesetion Yoshi about it too, okay? I just highly, HIGHLY doubt you're some sort of 'swallower'," Luigi pressured.
"I know that I'M not lying, because I'M actually here!"
E. Gadd shook his head. "Just because Yoshi's not here right now doesn't make him guilty and you innocent! Tell us! What does this swallowing do, if you aren't lying?"
"I'm not lying! If you guys kill me, it'll be a loss to the townies!" Goomba pleaded.
"Well, prove that you CAN swallow then! And that it doesn't harm the townies!" Mini-Mario accused.
Goomba was almost crying. "I don't want to use it because a mafia might be here and they might kill me tonight-"
"That's no excuse! The mafia are most certainly going to kill either me, E. Gadd, or Rosalina tonight, becasue we're all innocent!" Luigi declared.
"Then don't use it! Just say what the side effect of it are!" Rosalina suggested.
"Only if you guys are sure a mafia won't get me!" Goomba bargained. "And why is it that you guys aren't asking what Yoshi can do?"
E. Gadd began hyperventilating. "Because...he's...not...here! Highly defensive, aren't you..."
"...and another thing that weirds me out is that throughout the whole ordeal you guys wouldn't suspect me but has been for everyone else. Now I am suspect? Ph. You're making a mistake!"
Rosalina gave up. "You seem to no longer be answering us. You're stalling for time now. One simple question, and you can't answer."
"I'm, like, 90% sure Goomba's a mafia," Luigi added.
"Fine then. Kill me. You'll just be losing another innocent person."
"You know, I think Yoshi's right about being able to swallow. Especially since I went up to him and...um...tongue sticking out to...eek..." Mini-Mario was lucky that the group was ignoring him and going against Goomba.
Luigi rememberd something. "The previous two mafia basically suicided by coming clean. 96% sure."
E. Gadd was frustrated. "You can just reveal the effects, and we'll back down!"
"Naw, it'd be pointless since you all would just kill me anyways."
Luigi nodded solemnly. "You've had more than one chance to prove yourself, and you over and over again you can't. I'm 99.% sure that you're a mafia."
Goomba growled. "Grr...fine then. I won't 'suicide'. I know I'm innocent."
Mario busted through the courtyard doors. "You guys need some help? Well, here I am. I'm going for Goomba."
"It's either now or never, Goomba," Rosalina cautioned, as the others prepared to beat him up.
"...I confess. I'm the new godfather, and I was the person who injured E. Gadd and Luigi. Now go ahead! Kill me! I had fun while my life lasted. Hope you guys aren't too mad at me."
They were mad at him. After confessing that he was indeed guilty, the group charged. Grabbing him by his head and two limbs, they tied him up and threw him out of town into the ocean.
There was only one more mafia left. Could the town figure the final perpetrator out? Could the final underling actually succeed? Or was there somebody that appeared innocent...when in actuality...wasn't.
He performed his duty rather swiftly that night. Fearing that he would be caught, he had to stay golden. Gulping, he made a daring leap into his victim's window. He unlatched the lock and hopped inside the house.
"Wha?" Luigi wondered, rubbing his eyes drowsily. The new godfather smirked and kicked Luigi in the side of the head, this time making sure he was lifeless. He left the house, beaming proudly at himself. He had successfully managed to terminate the mafia's biggest threat on his own. Now, he just had to survive until the rest of the townies were deceased.
With the confirmation of Luigi's lifeless pulse, the townies mourned his death. He had been of a great help the past days. In honor of his memory, they were determined to bring down the last mafia.
"We've got to be EXTRA careful," E. Gadd insisted. "The final mafia could be ANYONE at this point!"
"I honestly think it's between Waluigi, Bowser Jr., and Mini-Mario at this point," Mario reasoned. "Waluigi's easily a shady figure. Mini-Mario has been way too powerful. And Bowser Jr. could easily be fulfilling his father's legacy."
"You know what? I think it's Mini-Mario!" Rosalina exclaimed. "First, he leaves that note. Then, he goes out and does all these powerful things to everyone. We need to stop him!"
E. Gadd had different thoughts. "Actually...I honestly could care less about that toy right now. I think the final mafia member is Bowser Jr. He's Shadow Mario! HE'S the one who protected his dad!"
"And amazingly, neither of them are here..." Mario pointed out. The threesome looked at each other nervously, wondering who they could really trust.
"Hm...I'm pretty sure that Yoshi's innocent since Goomba ended up lying," Rosalina considered.
"Waluigi has appeared quite suspicious though, only joining the conversation when he feels like it," claimed the professor.
Rosalina sighed. "I'm sorry I wasted my powers yesterday...they proved to be of no good whatsoever...anyways, should we go for someone?"
Mario shook his head. "I don't want to rush it. We have all day to figure out who the final mafia member is."
"I...I just don't want to end up dying here..." Rosalina spattered. Mario tried consoling her as her eyes began watering up.
"It's hard to imagine...a few days ago, there were fifteen of us...now that number has dwindled in half..." E. Gadd realized.
"Let's think. The three of us plus Yoshi are innocent, right? So, who's the final mafia member? Bowser, Waluigi, or Mini-Mario?"
"Wait a second! I think I'm on to something! Remember when I was going to use my powers? I said that I had a perfect view of everything going on that day...Mini-Mario encouraged me to use it then! Waluigi somehow weakened Mini-Mario, so if I wasted it then, he wouldn't have to worry about being redirected!"
"You possess a point!" E. Gadd proclaimed. "But...I think Mini-Mario's more of a townie now that I realize it."
Mario pondered. "Waluigi does seem to be the one that's gathering the most suspicious activity...it's pretty much trial and error at this point until we get some more incriminating evidence."
"But if we go wrong and kill an innocent player, then the mafia is more likely to succeed in killing all of us!"
Rosalina sighed. "I don't know what to do..."
Suddenly, the sky darkened. Mini-Mario appeared to the group. "Bowser's Jr.'s the mafia."
Mario looked perplexed. "Er...could you elaborate as to WHY?"
"Why shouldn't we suspect YOU?" E. Gadd added.
"Because. I. Am. Awesome." Mini-Mario stated. His facial expression didn't change at all; he appeared to be nothing more than a cold, heartless machine...
"...there's absolutely no defense in that whatsoever. And how could you POSSIBLY know anything about what Bowser Jr. could POSSIBLY do unless you have some POSSIBLE way of knowing that?"
"That's my reason. My reason is that she's a mafia."
Rosalina looked confused. "Wait...you're the godfather, aren't you, Mini-Mario? You've managed to figure out info on all of us because of your 'special skills,' am I right?"
Mini-Mario sighed. "Do you guys really want to know the WHOLE story?"
"YES!" "TELL US!" "NOW!"
The robot smiled sheepishly. "All right...here goes...I'd just like to say I'm not a mafia...but neither am I a townie."
Mini-Mario began telling the story from earlier that day. *INSERT FLASHBACK HERE*
The amazing little Mini-Mario nudged the professor's leg. E. Gadd bent down and observed the toy. He could almost crush it in his hands right then and there...but it was just a toy. HIS toy. HE could do what he wanted with it. No harm, no foul?
E. Gadd improved the machine's wiring to see what would happen. Mini-Mario nodded appreciatively as he marched out of the garage.
He then proceeded to run to the icon he was based off of: Mario. He took his powers and directed them at Mario, suddenly stealing his fame. Mini-Mario suddenly had a realization.
Mario's fame was well known throughout the entire Mushroom Kingdom. During the day time, when he was out and about, absolutely nobody could lay a finger on him. You couldn't! I mean, he was MARIO, after all!
So, when Mini-Mario stole his famous icon, he was practically invincible. Throughout the daytime hours, nobody could go after him. The only person who COULD was the final mafia.
At this point in time, Mini-Mario had gone on a tangent. He knew the alliances of everyone and what they could do except for two people: Waluigi, and Bowser Jr.
He had stolen powers to spy from Luigi earlier in the week. Still having the ability to do so, Mini-Mario peeked in on Waluigi. The results he discovered? Waluigi was a townie.
At this point, Bowser Jr. was confirmed the mafia. Mini-Mario's success plan was almost complete.
"Wait...how can you not be innocent or guilty?" Rosalina wondered.
"Simple. I am of my own mind. I was born a cold, heartless machine. I do not pick sides; I am simply one with my decisions. Should I succeed in my plan, the entire Mushroom Kingdom will be mine, and ONLY mine. I do not share, and I do not mean harm. It's just the way it is. As soon as Bowser Jr. comes in here, you'll know everything."
Mario, Rosalina, and E. Gadd began to sweat bullets. Especially E. Gadd, since he had been the one to give him these powers to apparently 'steal.'
Mini-Mario ran up to the center of town, sending out a signal to Bowser Jr. that he wanted to die. The hiding godfather peeked out the window of an abandoned building.
"He wants to die, huh?" Bowser Jr. smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I'll show him! Stupid little toy!"
Bowser Jr. ran into town, Mini-Mario staring at him expressionlessly. Bowser Jr. roared and ran forward, clawing at Mini-Mario. A beeping sound suddenly began to play. It clicked ten times before suddenly, Mini-Mario exploded in Bowser Jr.'s face. Sparks flew everywhere as Bowser Jr. screeched, burnt quite badly. By the time the explosion was over, the godfather was dead.
Mario, Yoshi, Waluigi, Rosalina, and E. Gadd all darted to the scene. Mini-Mario floated back to the ground, all in one piece.
"He's been causing trouble for all of us!" Mario accused. "Let's get him!"
However, for some strange reason, none of them could hurt Mini-Mario. They were powerless against him. The five remaining townies all came to a realization.
"He's defeated the last mafia for us, yup, he has!" E. Gadd praised. "He deserves rewards!"
Happy that the threat of the mafia was gone, the five townies lifted the toy into the air. The robot suddenly felt a twinge of happiness.
The happiness of the townies, however, wasn't long.
Toad Town. A peaceful capital in the Mushroom Kingdom.
So you'd think.
Since the fall of the mafia, citizens began returning to their beloved home. When they reached the gate, however, they were mortified at the name of the city: Mini-Ville.
Every shop in the town carried endless stocks of Mini-Mario toys, accessories, and other household goods. The Toads were under the power of these robots, and continued their daily lives under their rule.
In the castle, meanwhile, Mini-Mario woke up, his gadgets pounding with joy. He was now the successful dictator of the entire Mushroom Kingdom, all because he blew up in the mafia's face. His newfound servants, Mario, Yoshi, Waluigi, Rosalina, and E. Gadd, waited on his hand and foot every day, every week, every month, and every year.
The Mushroom Kingdom soon became the mega-sized 'Mini Kingdom.' Mini-Mario was announced the new king due to the princess's death.
And so, the residents lived...NOT so happily ever after.