One got too close to his foot.

Nearly tripping, Wario dodged the enemy's bullets as best he could as he ran out onto the airport runway. His plane had arrived, his preparations made complete. While he did not expect the fighting to break out as early as it did, they were too disorganized and...distracted to form any resistance against him. His phone rang.

"Yes yes, I'm running to it right now!"

"I transferred your funds to the location you told me earlier."

As Wario reached the steps to the plane, a large explosion made him turn around. In the distance, he could see a large ball of fire rise from the WarioWare district headquarters. Hundreds of people were also beginning to move into the airport with guns and explosives. More explosions could be seen within the airport terminals.

Wario sighed to himself. "You know, it was a good run. Really was."

"I'd get on the plane."

"Yeah yeah." He walked to the top of the steps and took one last look at his now warring kingdom before entering the plane.

"Welcome, you made it." said the pilot, a lakitu. "We'll take off in a few moments."

Wario simply nodded. "Where's everyone else then?" he said into his phone as he headed towards the cabin.

"I'm right here." Wario pulled back a curtain and found himself with familiar people with such unfamiliar luxury. Sitting there on a leather sofa were Mario and Luigi, surrounded by bowls of pasta. They did not seem to notice him, too busy slurping on their forks. On another sofa was Mona with a cell to her ear. She smiled at him as she put it away.

Although, suffice to say, he was far more distrated at the number of laptops, cigar cases, sofa's, and liquor bottles in the room.

"It's gonna be a long flight." he muttered to himself as he put his cell away and dropped his behind next to Mona's.

Mario looked up. "Oh, hi Wario! We did not expect you to arrive this early. Then again, there's been a lot going on today and time passes by."

"Tell me about it. WarioWare ceases to exist and we're all planning our getaway now."

"Yeah. After what happened at the castle, I decided to sell my toy factory." said Mario, slurping on more spaghetti.

"So that's why Miss Pretty in Pink isn't here? Heh-heh."

Mario cast him a glare. "The castle airport was blocked off by protestors. She would've been the first pickup, but we're gonna catch her at a junction in Birabuto."

Wario laid back. No flight would've been far worse, and then he'd hoped to actually catch Orbulon's ride. The plane finally began to ascend into the air.

"Hey," he said, turning to Mona. "How did the rest of them do?"

"Well, some of them 'borrowed' your car to make it out of the city."

"What?!"

"Then I heard some protestors blew it up."

"WHAT?!"

"And that was when Orbulon hooked them up and took them off to..."

"What about the bike?"

"Don't worry, your bike made it to the destination in one piece."

He sighed in relief, grabbing a bottle of Morgan's next to him. "Yeah. That's all I need. Plus a little something. Heh-heh. Do you want some?"

"Not this early, Jesus."

"Yeah you do." He poured her a glass, but not before Luigi glared at him.

"Hey Wario, please don't waste all the Morgan's this time."

Wario chuckled to himself. "If its the end of the world, I'm gonna be trying everything!"

"Alright." Luigi thought to himself. "You know, that's probably a good idea."

"Do you have any...cloves of garlic?" asked Wario, looking rather hungry.

"We have foods catered to each guest for this...event." said Mario, who pointed to his butler. "Wario wants his garlic now." He nodded and disappeared behind a curtain.

"But anyway, Peach was supposed to be the first guest. But unfortunetly, the truth got out in her kingdom first, and people went insane. Many of them clogged the airport there and Peach was forced to use the jet she keeps inside the castle.

So I talked with her and she said that she's headed to Daisy's Castle in Sarasaland, and that they'll both be at a secret base in Birabuto in a few hours."

"Where are we going now?" asked Luigi.

Mario thought to himself. "Well, Yoshi wanted to stay with his people, along with the Kong's, so that means the Koopa's are next."

"Mama-mia..." said Luigi. "I think that drinking early thing is a good idea..."

"Don't worry Wiigii, Bowser's not the first one, only because he didn't give a percise time to meet him."

"I didn't know the Koopa's kept time schedules."

"Well, his children do, at least. You remember his oldest son? The one with the blue hair?"

"Yeesh." Luigi grabbed a random bottle and poured himself something. "I could never defeat Ludwig, no matter how many times I tried."

Mario chuckled, remembering the many different ways Luigi died in those fights. "Well, Ludwig gave me instructions to meet him at Koopa City at 12:44 PM precisely, which tells me he has something up his sleeve."

"Wait, he's coming here?" Luigi shuddered.

"Yes, along with all the other Koopalings."

"That's why there's so many seats in the back." muttered Luigi. Drinking early was a VERY good idea now.

Black-Suited Koopa's with sunglasses trailed the oldest offspring of Bowser, Ludwig Von Koopa as they quickly walked to the plane. He took out his video phone.

"How much longer before the inevitable disclosure?"

"About 2 minutes."

"Excellent work, Kylie. Morton has arranged for you a private charter to his safe location. It will launch from Terminal D within half an hour."

"I'm already there."

Ludwig smirked before he hung up his phone and put it back in his shell. He walked up the steps to the plane, happy that he could finally get away from a people he didnt care about, and who didn't care about him in return.

Ludwig brushed back the curtain covering the cabin enterance, but his phone chirpped before he could say anything. "Broadcast started." it said before going silent once more.

"Greetings Mario," said Ludwig. "We must move quickly. The official disclosure in the Koopa Kingdom has just begun to broadcast."

"Welcome aboard, Ludwig," said Mario, finally looking up from his spaghetti. "We'll be taking off in a few minutes."

"We will be leaving immediately," corrected Ludwig, looking anxious. "for the safety of this aircraft."

As if on cue, a loud sound was heard towards the airport. Many looked and saw that part of the airport had exploded in a ball of flame. Screams and shots were now everywhere, ad infinitum. More rockets seemed to be coming from the radio tower and exploding around the airport.

"Terminal D..." muttered Ludwig as if expected.

Mario promptly got up from his seat and headed to the cockpit. Within a moment or two, the plane's engines turned on and they were shooting down the runway. There were several moments of silence as the passengers re-seated themselves and accomodated themselves to what the plane had to offer.

"Hey wait a sec..." Luigi rubbed his moustache. "Bowser ordered a permamnent coverup-"

"And you are correct. Not even unto the end of the world shall they hear the official doctrination spearheaded by yours truly. Left to fend for their own, this was dad's plan, to leave them unaware as he polished his claws and pounced his mitts on the safest locations in the world, all for his own and no one elses. Isn't that a tad selfish?"

"Uh, sure." said Luigi, slightly confused.

"But," Ludwig continued, finally taking a seat across from Luigi, "I haven't been in his jurisdiction for some time now. The oldest earns privilidges once he/she has been entitled, one of which is controlling the distribution of information."

"Uh-huh..."

"And for those who know my person, well, they know that I am not nearly as selfish as the self proclaimed king of koopas."

Mario walked back into the room, promptly sitting back down to his pasta. "What about Ludwig proclaiming his dad as king of the mushroom world?"

"He has conquered me with words, Mario." said Luigi. "That's so humiliating." He then opened a bottle and proceeded to drink of its contents rather mirthfully.

Mario sighed. "It's not my fault that I got the linguini and you didn't."

Ludwig eyed one of the cigar boxes. "Say, are those Hoyo de Montoya's?"

"Indeed they are." said Mario. "I heard they were expensive."

"Of course they are, they're the most expensive cigar in this world for a reason." Ludwig got up and looked for the best looking cigar in the box.

"Well anyway, what koopa rhetoric were you torturing Luigi with?"

"The fact that the truth has been disclosed to the Koopa populace by yours truely. Her majesty is quite an inspiring example you know, defying all threats of personal safety for the sake of her people." He cut off a tip of the cigar through the cutter. "It is the outcome on both fronts that many have privately hoped for." Ludwig looked around. "She does not appear to be present."

"She had to make a detour." said Mario, taking a drink. "The riots made it to her airport first, unfortunetly. We're going to pick her up in a few hours, but right now we're on our way to Bowser's Castle."

"Wrong." proclaimed Ludwig. Mario looked annoyed. "The plan to meet at the castle has been forfeited. While I do not have official confirmations, there have been reports of castle-wide mutinies and revolts. I imagine there was a leak within the ranks, but regardless I suspect Bowser has fled the castle, as I have been unable to contact him."

Mario said nothing, but he did take a bottle of Dewars next to him. This was going to be a long flight.