Mario and Bowser: Frenemies Forever

We're gonna take you back to the past (Chapter 10)

Completed 3/14/17

Disclaimer: Mario and Co belong to Nintendo.

Author note: Now you get a flash back of the (so far) untold story of what happened between Toad and Daisy! This is slightly short, but I had a writing bug and this was the result!

In the hospital

"Since your airship dropped you off, how were you planning to get home?" Mario casually asked Bowser as he and the rest headed away from room 444.

"Your car."

"I came by bus."

"Well shoot. I was looking forward to arguing with you all the way home." Bowser smiled.

Mario pretended it ignore it and shrugged. "We could argue in a taxi."

"Well whatever, but you'd better split the bill RIGHT this time."

"Bowser, the charge was an odd number. And I paid a coin more than you!"

"Yes, but it's the principle that counts. What, you think I can't afford to pay the larger bill?"

"But I was just being nice-"

"This is going to take some getting used to," Luigi thought out loud.

"TELL ME ABOUT IT," Peach blurted out, but in an instant she was back to herself. "I mean, oh dear. We'd better hurry!" She marched ahead of the others in an obviously uncomfortable way but stopped suddenly around the corner.

"What's wrong Princess?" Mario asked.

The beds could not fit though the normal sized lobby doors, and so the MKDCU agents hadn't left the hospital yet and looked quite foolish.

"Why didn't you tell us to use the over size emergency exit in the first place!" Jimmy M. complained to someone on the phone. His companions continued to stand behind Toad and Daisy's beds.

"Need any help?" Mario asked as he and the gang caught up with Peach in the lobby. Jimmy M. looked his way begrudgingly.

"Uh, no sir. We gots this under control. It's just a matter or wheeling the patients to the over size emergency entrance which is..." The mole trailed off as he squinted at a map of the hospital.

"On the other side of the hospital," Peach chipped in.

"Yes. Very well, thank you," Jimmy thanked her cordially though his face revealed his annoyance. "Wiggletron, exactly how far is that?"

"The Mushroom Hospital East over size emergency entrance is appropriately 1.5 miles away from our current location. Destination will be reached in 3000 steps, sir," the Wiggler explained mechanically.

Jimmy groaned. "Let's get to it then-"

"Wait!" Luigi shouted. Everyone looked to him.

"Er, uh. I have an idea?"

"What, Weegee?" Mario asked.

"Well...Boo!" Luigi called.

"Yes, bae?" Boo addressed him.

"Your powers. Maybe you can-"

"Teleport you guys out of the building! Why didn't I think of this? Luigi, you remember my powers better than I do!" Boo blushed. Luigi blushed back, but before anything interesting could happen, Jimmy put his foot down.

"Hold up, we are prohibited by...Parabilly, what's that protocol again?"

"Mushroom Kingdom Disease Control Unit Law Protocol #103. You can't be sendin' patients under the care of us MKDCU through no dimension tamperin', sir!" the Koopa Paratroopa explained in a thick drawl. "And that includes teleportin'!"

"Yes, that. Thems just the rules you see? Now step aside and-"

"What's up with them now?" Yoshi asked. The rest of the gang took a closer look at their unfortunate friends and noticed a change.

No longer did Toad and Daisy look peacefully asleep for the most part. Now, they looked like they were having a very bad dream. A bad dream that involved them both clutching their tennis rackets!

"Hey, since when did they even have those?" Mario asked no one in particular.

"Hmm. Yeah that's weird- MOVE OUT!" Jimmy ordered his companions. They obeyed readily and wheeled the beds around.

"Hang on!" Mario protested. "Didn't you hear? Something weird is going on here because they didn't look like that before. Shouldn't we check this out?"

"Yeah, I thought you guys were on our side," Luigi added.

The MKDCU ignored their rants and continued down the hall. Bowser started to follow, catching the attention of Peach immediately.

"Bowser!" she called out, "No more brutish behavior, remember?"

Bowser looked back and smiled condescendingly. "Princess, no offense, you know I like ya but- I don't take orders from you! I agreed to help y'all out and I'm going to do so. MY way!" Bowser continued to steadily walk towards the departing agents.

"But brute force isn't the way- Mario! Stop him!" Peach plead, turning her attention to Mario.

Mario contemplated for a moment and then turned to Luigi suddenly. "Bro, please get everyone to the castle safely. I'll meet you guys there."

"But-" Luigi and Peach started.

"Do it!" Mario commanded as he ran after Bowser. Within seconds he had disappeared around the corner.

Peach stared down the hallway they'd just been in as did Luigi. Peach was feeling abandoned and helpless, Luigi, a burning rage.

Mario had abandoned them for Bowser.

Again.

Peach's Castle

"Dear Eldstar!" Toadsworth exclaimed as he pace back and forth. "The Princess is not back, I know she is supposedly with Master Mario but-"

"Whoa," Buckenberry said. The blue capped Toad was viewing something from his Facebook feed. "I have to tell Peach!"

"Tell her WHAT, young man?"

"Didn't you see? Someone posted that they thought the saw a Chain-Chomp mixed with a Ptooie at MK East hospital!"

"I do not trust what those doohickeys say. Our Princess is out looking after a dear friend and our lead advisor. You will not disturb her with silly internet stories!" Toadsworth warned.

"Yeah, whatever," Buckenberry said as exited the throne room. He stood by his post in the hallway and texted his girlfriend, Toadette.

"Toadette, hey baby. What's up?"

She responded: "Writing my college thesis. *book emoji*"

Buckenberry and Toadette would normally be on hall duty together, partly as their job and also as a date. Recently however, her studying for college was interfering with this, and the Nsmb veteran was on hallway duty alone.

She continued: "MKDCU is at *hospital emoji*. Their bus driver just posted about it on Instagram."

"Sounds serious. You think this has to do with before?"

She replied: "What?"

"At the tennis match, Daisy and Toad collapsed and the game was canceled. And so I think they are there. That's why Peach left."

She replied: "What? Toad? Which Toad?"

"Toad Toad. You know...your ex..."

She replied: "OMG I had no idea he was Daisy's tennis partner. I thought they hated each other. I'm heading right over to the castle!"

Buckenberry frowned, feeling slightly jealous. Despite his recent escapades with the Mario Bros as a backup hero, he'd still never compare to the illustrious Toad Toad.

Flashback

Toad and Daisy were in their locker rooms before the much anticipated match between them and Mario and Bowser.

"What up, my homegirl Daisy!" Toad greeted though his megaphone. (Yep it's back!)

Daisy rolled her eyes. "So, I hear you've recently broken up with Toadette?" Daisy asked in an attempt to converse normally.

"Uh huh," Toad said winking. "I'm back on the market, baby."

So much for conversation Daisy thought. "Okay, game plan: you stay in the back and I make the shots."

"No way. I've been training! And...I might have gotten genetically enhanced a while back by a thunder cloud. But still, I can do this."

"No, Toad," Daisy grumbled. "I can't have my record ruined by a speed character!"

"Excuse me, you Peach clone!-" Toad stuck his tongue out.

"Oh no you didn't, you little-"

Someone knocked on the locker room door.

"Ooh, must be a fan of mine!" Toad said.

"How do you know it's not one of my fans?" Daisy asked defensively.

"Don't kid yourself," Toad replied with a smirk. Before Daisy could smack him, he opened the door to reveal two lime green sodas that had been left on the floor.

"FungusUp?" Toad asked, picking up the drinks.

"The only drink that springs up overnight?" Toad and Daisy said, quoting the infamous slogan. They looked at each other surprisingly.

"Daisy, I thought I was the only one that remembered these! I would binge on a ton of em during overnight watches at Peach's place."

"Me too, Toad. I remember when they were discontinued and we couldn't import them anymore to Sarasaland. I never thought I'd see one again!"

"You think-" Toad started, "Someone really is a fan of us both. How would they know about our favorite discontinued drink?"

"Maybe so. Either way, hand mine over!" Daisy said, reaching for one of the cans. She glanced nostalgically at the cheesy logo but then noticed the expiration date.

"Umm, maybe we shouldn't-"

"Daisy come on! I saw the date too, but I eat expired stuff all of the time. Here goes nothing!"

Toad popped the can. The carbonated drink hissed appealingly. Toad wasted no time and took a big gulp.

"Whooo hooo!" he yelled, sounding almost like his MK64 self again. "Come on, try it. It tastes just like before!"

Daisy stared at the icy cold can in her hand.

"Come on, or...are you gonna be like Peach?" Toad teased.

"Excuse me?!"

"Sorry, but no one knows Peach like I do, and she wouldn't dare drink FungusUp. She was always too afraid of what the caffeine might do."

"I ain't afraid of nothing! Look here!" Daisy popped the can open and tried to chug it down. The moment the soda hit her tongue, the memories of her rambunctious past came back vividly. The sneaking in the royal kitchen at midnight...The street fights she'd secretly get in while on a caffeine trip...The soda caps she'd collect in a vain effort to get "free" prizes...Proudly wearing FungusUp branded t-shirts to the dismay of her royal family...

Then, the memories faded... She'd finished the whole thing.

"Ha ha! Well?" Toad asked, observing Daisy who stood looking totally lost. "Good right?"

"YEEEAAAHHH DAISY!" She did a triple backflip which resulted in her hair band falling off. She immediately regained her composure.

"Uh, sorry about that. That drink sent me...out of this world...Anyway you'd better finish yours soon, Toad. It's almost time!"

"Yeah yeah," Toad said. "Want me to hang on to that hair accessory thing? It's bound to fall off with your crazy antics!"

Daisy ignored the insult. "Sure, Mushroom head. Now hurry up!"

To be continued...

Life lessons/ Fun facts...

-FungusUp is from a Nintendo Adventure Book #12: Brain Drain. The slogan came from that too!

-Before getting a job at Peach's Castle, Buckenberry worked as a Mouser exterminator. He didn't like it. His training from that however is how he made the cut for New Super Mario Bros Wii.

-With Bowser there is no good cop, bad cop. Only bad cop..and he isn't really a cop either. More like a guy that comes around and gets what he wants.