Mario finished his story by fishing a piece of paper out of his sock. He unfolded it and presented it to the princess, who took it with trembling hands.
"Those poor Toads," Daisy whispered.
"You didn't have a choice," Luigi said reassuringly, patting his brother's shoulder. "It was… there wasn't anything…"
"I know," Mario whispered. "I didn't want them to lose their lives, but I didn't want them to suffer at the hands of the soldiers."
"You couldn't have saved them," said Yoshi.
"Waluigi is… alive?" Wario asked in disbelief. "He's been alive all this time?"
"We're sorry for misleading you, Wario," said Peach quickly, sensing Wario getting upset. "We couldn't let anyone know."
"We didn't know he was alive," Mario added.
"You didn't tell me that he sacrificed his life for you!" Wario shouted. "What secret could be so important that you'd keep something like that from me!"
"He's alive! That's all that should matter!" said Mario.
"He's alive trapped with those soldiers who were planning on attacking us!" Wario shouted accusingly. "For all we know, your bomb could've killed him!"
"Don't say that," Peach said sadly. "We have to trust that he's okay. He survived for so long amongst the enemy; he will survive this."
"Will we ever see him again?" Wario asked. "Are we going to help him?"
"No," Mario said quickly and sternly. "I can't emphasize enough how large and powerful the enemy is. I've seen so much of it myself. We can't help him now. The only thing we can do is run."
There was a pause as everyone absorbed this new information. They had taken Mario's claims of needing to evacuate as hyperbole, but hearing about the things he had seen on the other side made them seriously consider his claims. They didn't want to run from their homes, but they respected Mario and Peach so much that they couldn't ignore their opinions.
"I'm with you, brother," Luigi said as bravely as he could muster. "Wherever you go, I'm following."
That was the tipping point of their decision; one-by-one the others consented to evacuating. Finally, Wario gave a half-hearted nod, and Mario breathed a sigh of relief.
"The villagers have already started toward the Southern tunnel," said Peach, looking out the window. The audience that had gathered at the town square had started to slowly move. She gave a small wave in case anyone was looking at her for guidance. "We should follow them."
"You go with them," said Mario. "All I wanted was for all of you to agree to leave. You should all follow the toads; Captain Toad is leading them."
"They're following that spas?" Wario snorted. "I'm following you and you alone. I'm not moving for anyone else."
"Where could you possibly be going?" Dry Bones asked.
Before Mario could open his mouth, Peach let out a scream. The others turned to see her with her hands covering her mouth in shock. Their momentary confusion was answered by the sound of a distant explosion. They all rushed to the windows and saw a thin column of grey smoke rising from the southern edge of town.
"They're here," Mario whispered. "They broke through the tunnel!"
"But I thought you blew it up," said Hammer Bro. "How could they get through?"
"Those tunnels are invulnerable," Mario shook his head. "The rubble wouldn't block them for long; they had the tools. They're here. The soldiers are here!"
The group at the castle could do nothing but watch as the crowd of Toads walked south toward danger. Mario wanted to shout at the crowd to move away, to circle around the tunnel, but they were too far away for his voice to carry. Despite the clear signs of danger, they continued forward.
"Is there anything we could use to talk to them?" Luigi asked in a panic. "They need to get away, right?"
"Yoshi, how fast could you get to them?" Mario asked.
"Pretty fast. What should I tell them?"
"Tell them to circle around town and avoid the smoke."
Yoshi nodded once, and then he leapt out of the window, fluttered for a bit to slow his descent, and landed on the ground. He sprinted across the garden and jumped over the gates. The Toad guards shouted at him, but he ignored them. He reached the town square before the gunfire began.
The soldiers had entered the Mushroom Kingdom, and they had taken position just outside the tunnel. They opened fire on the crowd of defenseless citizens, killing several before the crowd was able to react. When they realized there was a wall of death in front of them, they screeched and scattered in a desperate panic.
Yoshi froze in horror as he saw the chaos. A stray bullet ricocheted off the statue beside him. He flinched from the sound, and when he looked at the hole he saw that it had broken completely through the stone. He knew right then and there that Mario's warnings of the power of the enemies' weapons weren't exaggeration; they had the power to kill everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom.
He didn't even hesitate. He ran straight at the crowd of Toads. He needed to save as many as possible. He picked Toadette out of the crowd; she was holding onto her boyfriend's hand and looking around in confusion, shouting something with fear on her face. Yoshi pushed his way to the crowd and grabbed the pair of Toads.
"Yoshi!" Toadette screamed, half in relief and half in panic. "I'm scared! What's going on?"
"Where's my family?" Her boyfriend shouted. "We lost them!"
"We need to get out of here!" Yoshi shouted.
He lifted them onto his back and turned to escape. Another wave of bullets was fired into the panicked swarm, and Toads to their right were hit. He felt something sticky and wet splash over his legs, but he ignored it in fear of what he'd see. He managed to climb out of the major clump and ran back to the castle.
"But wait!" Toadette shouted. "We can't just leave them!"
"We can't abandon my family!"
He ignored them. He shouted at the guards to open the gate. They did so without hesitation, their expressions the same horror that Yoshi knew his own face betrayed.
"What should we do?" One Toad guard asked.
"Keep them open for any Toads who follow me," Yoshi commanded. "If anything but a Toad tries to enter, lock the gate and run inside the castle."
The Toads nodded, and Yoshi ran into the castle. Nobody had moved from the windows by the time he reached Peach's room. They rushed over to the Toads to comfort them, and Birdo gave Yoshi a close hug.
"It was horrible," Yoshi whispered. "I don't know what was happening, but so many Toads were falling to the ground…"
"You have something on your legs," noted Dry Bones.
Yoshi lifted his leg up and saw that his entire boot was covered in blood. His heart stopped. He looked behind him and saw that he'd carried bloodied footprints the entire time. He had no idea there was so much. He opened his mouth to scream, but Birdo immediately dug into his chest and whispered that everything was okay.
"We need to escape now," Mario declared.
"What about the Toads?" Daisy asked, pointing out the window. "We can't just leave them!"
"We can't save them," said Mario. He couldn't look her in the eyes. He hated the words he was saying. He wanted to do whatever he could for them despite the risk of death, but he had more important things to do. He had to survive.
"You're really saying that?" Toadette asked. "There are so many of them out there!"
"We can't stay," Mario reiterated. "We have to escape. We can't go south, so we have to go east."
"We're not leaving," said Birdo as if it was a ridiculous situation. "We're staying and defending our home."
"No," Yoshi grabbed Birdo's head and shook his own. "We can't fight against that."
"Where could we possibly go?" asked Wario. "You said they have ships? They have cars? How could we run on foot?"
"Where we'll go, their ships and cars won't find us," said Mario. "Please, trust that I know what I'm doing. We have to leave now."
Toadsworth ran into the room in a panic. "Princess!" He shouted. "Thank heavens you're alright! I saw the Toads. I saw Yoshi running toward them." He turned toward the dinosaur. "Yoshi! You're bleeding!"
Yoshi shook his head. "It's not… mine…"
"Good heavens…" Toadsworth gasped. "All of that on your feet… was that from the townsfolk?"
Yoshi slowly nodded, and Toadsworth looked close to fainting. "How could this happen?" He asked. "Has the enemy come so soon?"
"They have," answered Peach. "Please, Toadsworth. We are going to leave as soon as we can. You must come with us."
Toadsworth considered her for a moment, then he gave her a sad smile. "Princess, you know my stance on the matter."
"Toadsworth," Peach's eyes began to water. "Please…"
"You're not coming?" asked Luigi.
"The enemy will rush to the castle," Toadsworth said quickly. "You must leave before that happens. Use the secret passage."
"Yes, of course Toadsworth," Peach nodded. "But you will join us. As my royal servant, you must… obey…"
Toadsworth walked up to Peach and gave her a tight hug. "Unfortunately, Princess, this will the one and only order I cannot obey. I have spent my life in your family's court. I have lived in this castle, and I will be proud to fall in this castle."
There was another explosion somewhere in the town. Those in Peach's room couldn't help but automatically turn toward the sound. It had torn down a pair of houses. The entire town was in chaos; houses were on fire or half-destroyed, bodies were scattered throughout, injured citizens huddled together for slight protection.
The soldiers had started to take form. They were too far away during the initial barrage, but now that the crowd had been dispersed or killed the humans that stood several feet taller were clearly visible. They moved in formation covering the entirety of the main street. Whenever they reached an alley or a branching street, a small group moved down that with weapons aimed high. They were moving throughout the town, taking down any citizens they saw.
"They're terrifying," Peach whispered. "Please, Toadsworth, you can't stay here!"
"There's nothing that you could say to convince me to go, princess," Toadsworth said quietly. "Please leave so that I may defend my home with what little strength I can muster."
That seemed to be that; they couldn't convince the old Toad to change his mind. One by one, they said their goodbyes. Toadsworth promised to send as many citizens as possible after them. He would keep the passage open until the last possible second.
"What passage-" Wario began, before he was interrupted by Mario pressing a lever next to an unlit fireplace. The inside of the fireplace slid downward, revealing the aforementioned passage.
"I'll never forget you," Peach whispered as she gave her great friend one last hug.
"As will I, princess. You were the light that got us all through our darkest time. I know you will continue in the future." He stepped back to the door. "Now go, all of you."
Mario ushered most everyone through the passage. Each one gave Toadsworth one last lingering look before disappearing into the darkness. This continued until only one other person remained in the room.
"Hammer Bro?" Mario said, taking a glance out the window. He could barely see anything from the angle, but he didn't believe that there was much time before the enemy had reached the castle. "What are you doing?"
Hammer Bro had barely moved. He was standing in the corner rubbing the flat end of his hammer in thought. He looked up as Mario repeated his name.
"What am I to you?" He asked. Mario blinked, taken aback by the question. "To you, I'm a simple Hammer Bro. One of a thousand. Why are you helping me escape?"
"Because otherwise the Hammer Bro species will be extinct," Mario answered. "Those soldiers won't stop until they hunt down everyone!"
"And what makes you sure they'll get the chance?"
"Because they're far more powerful than you could ever imagine."
"Please, Mister Hammer Bro, you don't understand what you're saying," Toadsworth said. "Follow Mario to safety. You have no reason to stay."
Hammer Bro stepped forward, smirking. "Sorry, Toadsworth, but I do. I'm the leader of the Hammer Bros; I represent the entire species. If I abandon my home at the first sign of trouble, then what does that say about us all?"
"You listen to reason," Toadsworth replied.
"Call me hard-headed, then," Hammer Bro replied. He turned to Mario and shrugged. "Don't wait for me. I'm staying and defending this castle. I'll be waiting when you return."
Mario opened his mouth to argue, but he decided against it when a stray bullet hit a vase above his head and shattered it. He ducked slightly, nodded, and ran into the passage. Hammer Bro and Toadsworth flinched in response to the shattered vase, and momentarily the pair realized that they had made a terrible decision.
"Very well," Toadsworth muttered, recovering quickly. "If you insist on staying, you will fight. The castle soldiers are gathering in the main hall as we speak. Let's quickly join them!"
The pair kept their heads low as they ran through the halls and down the stairs to the main foyer. Two dozen Toad guards were equipped with large helmets and spears, and all of them were staring at the open doors with fear. They could see the army slowly approaching the castle, just outside the gates. The two guard Toads had already run into the castle, although they were nowhere to be seen amongst the remaining Toads.
"Toads!" Toadsworth shouted, and all attention was solely on him. He raised his fist in the air. "The princess is counting on us to defend this castle! This is our own purpose! Are we all ready!"
"We're ready!" The Toads shouted in unison, raising their fists.
"Blockade the doors," Toadsworth commanded. "Find anything you can, big or small." As the Toads began to close the giant front doors, Toadsworth turned to Hammer Bro and handed him a key ring. "Go down into the dungeons. Release the prisoners. Give them a chance to escape."
"Prisoners?" Hammer Bro repeated, taking the keys. "Who cares about them at a time like this? They won't help us."
"Explain the situation to them, quickly. Let them know-" Toadsworth suddenly stopped, recoiling in pain. Hammer Bro stared at him in shock as he collapsed.
"Toadsworth!" A Toad from below shouted. The Toads managed to get the front door closed and started to pile furniture in front of it. A pair ran up the stairs to Toadsworth and Hammer Bro and lifted the fallen Toad to his feet.
Toadsworth had taken a bullet to the chest. It had gone completely through his body, and he was bleeding out of both holes. He coughed and sputtered, spitting a glob onto the ground. Hammer Bro tossed the keys aside, his sole focus on getting Toadsworth to safety.
"Where's the hospital here?" He asked the Toads. They pointed to a door nearby, and Hammer Bro lifted Toadsworth onto his shoulder and ran to the door.
"Put me down," Toadsworth said as he vainly attempted to push himself away.
Hammer Bro ignored him, opening the door and running to a clearly labeled medicine room. He set Toadsworth on a cot and moved to the closet, rifling through the supplies until he found a gauze. He turned around and saw that Toadsworth had fallen to the ground.
"Get on the bed you old man," Hammer Bro muttered in annoyance. "You're going to bleed to death! You know how bad your body already is without you trying to hurt it more?"
"Don't worry about me. I may be an old geezer, but I still have strength left in me." Toadsworth could barely whisper the words. His face was pale, and his clothes were darkened. He looked like he had no strength left.
Hammer Bro forced Toadsworth to lie down and wrapped the gauze around his waist. The blood soaked through the gauze immediately, and Hammer Bro swore to himself.
"Please, Hammer Bro, you must get to the front gate while you can. Help the Toads…"
"I'm not letting you out of my sight," Hammer Bro muttered, silently wondering why he was even bothering with helping this hardheaded old man with a death wish. He relented, however, and picked Toadsworth up again. "Fine. If you want to bleed to death, let's bleed with your men."
"Thank you," Toadsworth sighed in relief.
Hammer Bro kicked the door open and ran into the main hall. The Toads had stacked a large pile of furniture that completely covered the main doors. Many of the soldiers were standing in a semicircle around the door, while a couple were glancing out of the windows.
"They're almost here!" One of said Toads shouted. The remaining Toads readied their spears.
"Toadsworth!" A Toad from below gasped. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, fine," Toadsworth whispered. Nobody could hear him, so Hammer Bro repeated his words.
"We need to get him to a doctor!" The same Toad said.
"I helped him as best as I could," Hammer Bro said. "But he refuses to go anywhere."
"That's just like him!" The Toad from the window said, smiling and getting to his feet. "I remember when-"
The window shattered and sent glass everywhere. The Toad was dead before he hit the ground; the back of his head was covered in holes. The others stepped back and stared at him in horror.
"Oh no!" A Toad cried. "They killed him!"
"Get away from the windows!" Hammer Bro commanded, and the Toads did so without hesitation. They kept as far away from the body as they could. Their resolve was wavering; their spears were shaking violently and they were searching for a quick escape.
"Stand your ground!" Toadsworth managed to shout. He motioned to be put down, and he leaned on the railing for support, looking down on his men. "We cannot run from this castle! We must wait for the princess to return!"
But the moment the Toads appeared to have calmed down, the soldiers had reached the front door. They rammed against it, only for it to barely move an inch. They rammed again and again, but the blockade was too great.
"We did it!" A Toad shouted. "They won't get through!"
A metal cylinder was thrown through the window. The Toads stared at it in confusion as it bounced once, twice, and then the entire room went bright white.
"I can't see!" Toads cried. "Where is everyone?"
"Ow! Who is that? Who ran into me?"
"Am I going to be blind forever?"
Hammer Bro hadn't been hit by the full effect of the flashbang, and his vision returned quickly. He saw the Toads running around in a blind panic, completely unaware of the second strange object that had just been thrown through the broken window. The Toads slowed to a stop, blinking in relief now that their vision was returning.
"I can see again!"
"Hooray!"
"They can't stop us!"
"They through something else!" Hammer Bro shouted. "Run away!"
The Toads reacted instantly, running in every direction. They scrambled against the walls, into nearby passageways, up the stairs. After a few seconds of nothing happening, one Toad searched the ground for whatever was thrown. He found it, and suddenly smiled, leaned down and picked it up.
"It was just a rock!" The Toad laughed in relief, holding it in the air. "Just a rock from the garden."
"Get back into position!" Hammer Bro shouted.
But the rock was the distraction the soldiers needed. In the confusion, they had brought over something heavy to deal with the door. They heaved it against it, sending furniture forward several inches. The Toads scrambled to push everything back against the door, with many abandoning their spears on the ground, but they didn't have the strength to combat the battering ram.
The second swing sent several pieces toppling to the ground. A vase crashed into a Toad, knocking him unconscious. The others pulled him away and gave the blockade one desperate push. Then they ran to their weapons and hoped that they had enough time.
The third swing broke the hinges and sent half of the door falling to the ground. The soldiers had broken through, and the first large bulking intimidating man climbed over the fallen door with his weapon in the air. The Toad nearest him thrust his spear forward, catching him under the neck. The soldier shouted in agony and collapsed to the ground, but the Toad lost his grip and wasn't able to pry his weapon loose.
"Get up here!" Hammer Bro commanded. "We need a better place to defend!"
The Toads crawled up the stairs as Hammer Bro carried Toadsworth inside the hallway that led to Peach's room. He hid behind the door to the foyer, ushering Toads as they ran one-by-one inside. He had to duck his head as the soldiers began to climb over the barricade and fire at the remaining Toads. They weren't able to see him, but he could do nothing but watch as they shot each and every Toad they could see, even the ones who had already fallen.
There were a few seconds without a Toad in sight, so Hammer Bro slowly closed the door. He locked it and pushed a nearby small chair below the doorknob, then he sprinted as fast as he could down the hallway. He closed each and every set of doors he passed, passing empty hallway and empty room. It took him minutes to reach Peach's room, but when he shut that set of doors he saw that there were only five other Toads.
"Where are the others?" One of the Toads asked.
Hammer Bro shook his head, setting Toadsworth down on a chair and trying to catch his breath.
"They're all gone? Oh no…"
"We have to leave," Hammer Bro whispered.
That got Toadsworth to chuckle, and that chuckle cost him a bit of blood. "I see you changed your mind."
"I have," Hammer Bro conceded. "I made a terrible decision in staying. Those people are terrifying, dangerous, and merciless. I should've gone when I got the chance. I only hope we can find Mario before he disappears."
"I will not go with you," Toadsworth sighed. "I will block the passage when you all leave. I only hope to take one down with me."
"We won't leave you, Toadsworth," a Toad dropped to his knee and caressed Toadsworth's hand. "You're a father to us all!"
"We'll defend this castle with our lives," another Toad agreed. "We can't let it fall!"
"This is suicide," Hammer Bro reminded them. "I know this castle is important, but you should run and fight another day!"
"There may not be another day," Toadsworth countered. "I know far more than you about the nature of the enemy. They very well may overwhelm us all, and we may never have another chance to fight for this Kingdom. I will not take that risk; I will fight while I still have the strength to do so. I do not expect you to understand."
"I understand completely," Hammer Bro replied. "I would sacrifice my life to protect my home." He sighed. He wasn't going to convince them, but he didn't want to abandon them to their deaths. "Please, just one of you come with me."
The Toads all shook their heads, their sole attention on Toadsworth. Toadsworth managed a weak smile.
"Thank you all. We will rise to the Overthere together. Hammer Bro, thank you for your help. You helped me get this far, but this is when we say goodbye."
Hammer Bro gave one last nod. "Good luck, you insane old man." He waved once, and then ducked into the passage.
"Close it," Toadsworth grunted. "Give me my cane."
One Toad pushed the lever, closing the seal on the secret passage, while the others scrambled to his cane set forgotten beside the bed. Toadsworth stared at the brown and white mushroom head and smiled, remembering all of the good times he'd had in the castle, all of the friends he had made and enemies he had fought, remembering Mario and Luigi and most of all Princess Peach.
"Remember, everyone, that we are fighting not for glory or for victory. We are fighting for our love of this Kingdom, this castle, and our princess." Toadsworth struggled to his feet. The sounds of footsteps were echoing down the hall. The soldiers were approaching.
"For Princess Peach!" Toadsworth shouted, and he and the Toads charged at the doors as they burst open.