The whole Mushroom Kingdom was beyond delighted to hear the news of the arrival of the three heroes. For several endless days, that terrible Void floated high among the heavens, growing larger every day, its energy growing more and more powerful by the hour. Toads everywhere hid deep inside the castle and in their homes, for they were too frightened to even come out. Nighttime was no better, as the Void's purple hues were still visible among the moonlight.

All this time, Toadsworth watched the whole thing unfold from the castle window. He wondered with a heavy heart where his dear princess was, and if she would ever return. But he also had to reassure the Toads daily, for they were losing hope rapidly. He gave daily speeches on the adventure that the Mario brothers and Princess Peach had embarked on. They had gone to battle King Bowser (surely he was one that caused all this) and take down the Void. They would be successful.

Just keep your heads up, Toads! The heroes will surely find a way to end all this.

Don't give up hope!

Toadsworth kept in constant contact with Sarasaland and the BeanBean Kingdom. They, too, were being heavily affected by the Void. Every citizen stayed indoors or underground, refusing to come out. The royals were strictly confined to their palaces.

Then one day, it happened.

The Void grew so large that it nearly covered the entire length of the skies. Dark light pulsated from the center a few times, and then the Void opened its mouth. It began sucking in everything closest to it, starting with Toad Town. Trees and Warp Pipes were uprooted. Some buildings swayed as bricks and roof tiles were broken, while some buildings were taken away completely. Families screamed as some of their loved ones were whisked away into the Void. Many things were taken into the deadly purple portal, and the remaining Toads feared that they might not ever be seen again.

But amazingly, just as Toadsworth was giving out the order to abandon the village and castle, the Void stopped eating. More light pulsated from it, beaming brighter and brighter, until it gave a low, hollow shriek. The Void then gradually shrunk and disappeared from sight, giving out one last blinding flash.

As the weary Toads rubbed their eyes and looked around, they were greatly amazed. Everything that had been sucked up had been restored completely. Even the few citizens who were lost in the Void were back in the village, most sprawled out on the ground. Some were dizzy and confused, but they were alright. Teary reunions soon ensued throughout the streets as the families found their missing family members.

Everyone wanted to celebrate, but Toadsworth negated the thought. It would best to wait until the princess and the brothers had returned, for he knew in his heart that they had stopped the Void.

Meanwhile, the Toads got busy setting up the village and streets for the heroes' arrival. Banners and streamers were hung up, and a great banquet of food was prepared. Then, once everything was all set up, the citizens all waited eagerly for the guests of honor.

In the late afternoon, while waiting, some Toads heard the sounds of an Airship approaching. By instinct, everyone panicked, for they recognized the Airships of Bowser all too well. They all ran and hid behind the decorations, watching with fearful eyes.

In a matter of minutes, the single Airship landed quietly in the clearing adjacent to the castle. Interestingly, no one attacked or fired a single Bullet Bill. Toadsworth made his way to the front of the surrounding crowd to see what was going on. When the hatch finally unlocked and opened, all the citizens held their breath in anticipation and fear.

Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser all walked out of the Airship. They looked tired and worn-out, but what was most perplexing was that they all shared the same grim face of solemnness. Clearly, the battle to beat the Void must have been a difficult one.

The Toads did not seem to take this to heart, because they starting cheering happily, thanking the heroes incessantly for saving the very dimension from destruction.

Peach smiled a little as she went over to Toadsworth, who started bawling tears of joy, all while fussing over her. He was very worried about the scratches on her face and her dusty clothing, but she told him not to mind. She hugged him dearly, then went on to greet the rest of her subjects, smiling gratefully. She didn't talk much, though, for her mind was elsewhere.

Bowser, on the other hand, looked very peeved, not speaking a word as he kept his arms crossed. All the Toads were nervous, for they didn't know why he was there with the heroes, so they praised him vigorously, and that's when he opened up and smiled smugly to himself. He definitely liked being the center of attention. He went on to brag how victorious he was in the battles he had fought. He went as far to show off his bulky muscles and ferocious teeth. Truthfully, the Toads had little interest, but they made sure to keep him pleased with their appraisal.

Mario and Luigi, however, revealed no expression at all. They didn't look mad or uninterested, just empty and flat. Neither of them openly accepted the compliments showered down upon them, only nodded and shook the occasional hand. It was clear their thoughts were elsewhere.

Once everyone had settled down, Toadsworth hurried to the front of the crowd and conducted the starting of the welcoming ceremony with teary, yet joyful eyes.

Thus, the feast commenced.

Of course, Bowser, being the largest, had the biggest helping, at least five times as big as anyone else's. He gorged down endless plates while the onlooking Toads watched with big eyes. The meat was his favorite dish; he snarfed down many chicken drumsticks and juicy steaks, complete with Goomba's Soy Sauce. Then he moved right along to dessert. He managed to eat five bowls of Boo Ice Cream before leaning back on his chair, finally feeling full. And since it was Bowser, he kept talking and chewing with his mouth open, still going on about his many victories.

Peach ate with Toadsworth, though he noticed that her appetite had been reduced. She didn't eat much, nor did she talk as often, either. All she really ate was a small Chicken Caesar salad with a bowl of peach ice cream. And even then, she was picking at it. If her messed-up, raggedy clothes bothered Toadsworth, then seeing her meager appetite really did a number on him. He kept trying to make conversation with her, to get her to open up, but Peach still didn't say much. She was polite and gave answer to small talk, but no more than that. She seemed quite absentminded.

Mario's appetite was even smaller than hers. He did serve himself a plate, but he only took a few bites from it. He made no effort to talk with anyone. He kept looking up at the night sky, where the Void had resided just a few hours ago. He thought endlessly about Tippi and Luvbi and the Count Bleck gang and everyone else he encountered between dimensions. Some of these images haunted his mind.

Luigi did not eat anything. He was very quiet and withdrawn as he sat next to his brother. He kept wincing and looking away from the light, since he was having a large headache and the bright fluorescent lights didn't exactly help the situation. The constant pounding in his head never ceased, which greatly displeased him. He felt weak and disoriented, and at one point, he put his head down and closed his eyes.

Luigi also was plagued with images of the past. He remembered crashing Peach's "wedding", trying to escape Count Bleck's castle, and getting trapped by Nastasia and Dimentio.

Then darkness for long periods of time...then suddenly being revived by Mario at the bottom of the River Twygz. Dimentio had drowned him.

He whimpered softly as these images flashed through his thoughts, causing his head to throb even more. He rubbed the top of his head, where the pain was most severe.