But the Fates Aren't Done With Me Yet
Chapter 2
Toadwood Forest, 2005
(Uploaded on April 15, 2021)
Summary: The second of ten scenes, covering the horrors of the invasion lost to time.
Notes: This chapter is the first of two, detailing events pulled from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
For the purposes of this fic, assume that the Mario universe runs on Comic-Book Time. More details on that in the endnotes.
Warnings: This chapter depicts a character being drained of their life energy in a very slow fashion. Reader discretion is advised (if that's a problem for you).
December 2, 19XX (2005) – Afternoon
Toadwood Forest
Outer Area
It was safe to say that Mario had absolutely no idea what was going on.
Well, okay, that was kind of exaggerating. The basic concept wasn't that hard to understand: there was an alien invasion, and it was happening several decades in the past. Short and simple, as it was—
—minus the fact that all of this should've been an impossibility.
My memory isn't picture perfect or anything, but I'm pretty sure I'd remember a childhood event like this, he thought. And the rest of the kingdom would, too, given the scope of this threat.
There's no way anyone—or for that matter, any conspiracy—could ever hide this!
I mean, everyone here's seen it at this point!
…but no matter how much he wanted to deny it, that wouldn't change the reality in front of him now.
The Shroobs had arrived, ready to rain down hell—
—and everywhere they went, the Mushroom Kingdom burned.
The jingle bells were ringing; the gentle snow was falling.
Mario couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A horde of miniature UFOs blanketed the sky, sending concentrated fire down through blasters attached to the underside of their craft. Plasma bolt after plasma bolt struck Hollijolli Village with impunity, leaving behind craters and infernos wherever they landed.
"No, p-please… g-g-g-get away from me!"
"I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!"
"HEEEEELLLLLPPPP USSSSSSSS!"
Poking their eyes out from their frantically improvised hiding spot—a bushy set of trees, close by to the entrance—Mario and Luigi watched in horror as the Toads ran about, flailing their arms around as they screamed their lungs out.
The former's voice was breathless. "Oh, dear Stars…"
"Mama mia-a-a-a—!" Luigi chattered.
They cried for help. They begged for mercy.
But their pleas would go unheard.
One by one, the invaders silenced the villagers' voices. Their bodies laid unconscious on the snowy floor, their faces locked into a state of fear—and then they were lifted up into the air, courtesy of the UFOs' bright tractor beams.
Soon enough, the devastated village was left completely lifeless…
…and there was nothing the bros. could do to stop it.
Mario closed his eyes.
What a way to kick off December, he ruminated. Peach is lost in the timestream; Time Holes are popping up all over the castle—
He spared a glance toward Luigi, and the time-displaced version of him hoisted on his shoulders.
—and if that wasn't enough, our baby selves have been tossed into the mix, too.
(Stars, I feel old…)
"Goo goo!"
On his own back, Baby Mario cheered as the now-quartet marched through the unsettling woodland. Mario could feel the joy radiating off of him – literally, given that his and Luigi's twin bond was apparently open to their younger selves, too.
"Urahaha, hahahaha, hahahaha!" Baby Luigi cheered with him.
A sigh exited Mario's mouth. "Dang, you're excitable… even back then, being an adventurer was in my genes. No wonder I've been dragged into this twice over."
It was… kind of melancholic, seeing him in this situation. He was brave and courageous, same as his future self—but he was still so very young. Regardless of how capable he knew they were… Mario had plenty of reservations about bringing him and his brother into this.
But there was nowhere for them to run, and there was no way they'd just sit down and hide.
So I've just gotta live with it.
"Can't say I'm surprised, honestly," Luigi groused. "I've got it a different way: I thought I'd be more scared as a baby, not less! What kind of sense does that make!?"
"Maybe it's the universe trying to tell you something," the other plumber snickered. "Like 'you need to step up your game', or 'you're getting outclassed by yourself."
"Ah, shaddup," Luigi replied, exasperated.
As they continued onward, Mario couldn't help but take a few glimpses at the trees dotting the forest.
They seemed ordinary, aside from the swirly texture the bark and leaves sported—but some of them featured a… rather concerning addition. Namely, the pale figure of a Toad, harshly embedded into the trunk.
Or at least, he hoped it was just a figure.
Because while it would be easy to just dismiss it as a decoration, when he remembered the current circumstances, plus the attack on Hollijolli Village…
…
"Hey, Mario! Are you okay?"
Mario jolted up at Luigi's innocuous question.
"Y-Yeah!" he said, brought back into reality. "I'm… I'm good. Let's-a keep going."
Still, though…
I've got a bad feeling about this…
Outer Area – Clearing
Eventually, the Mario Bros. times two managed to reach a relatively open clearing.
Unlike the previous areas, it appeared devoid of any and all enemies. In fact, there wasn't much to be found in the area at all. The most prominent attraction here was a single swirly tree in the center, kept company by only a single large hollow tree trunk to its left.
…there was also a broken Mushroom Car in the corner, but Mario had no idea what that was about.
"Looks like there's-a nothing here," Luigi remarked, somewhat nervously. "That's never a good sign…"
Mario shook his head. "You're telling me… hopefully, this doesn't mean we're gonna get blindsided by something."
However, before they could take another step…
"…a…ri…o…"
The former Star Child froze.
"Did you… Did you hear that?" he asked.
"Mis…"
The two of them let their baby selves descend as they looked around in confusion.
"It's faint, but… that's gotta be somebody's voice," Luigi said. "But… where are they?"
"Ma…io…"
As their heads swiveled about the area, their two gazes inevitably landed on the lone tree standing in the clearing.
The tree that, curiously, had a pink mushroom perched against its front.
Cautiously, they began to walk on up to it.
One pair of steps…
Two pairs of steps…
"Please don't be a ghost, please don't be a ghost…" the green-clad hero prayed.
Three pairs of steps…
Four pairs of steps…
"Careful, now… careful…" he muttered. "Don't let your guard down…"
Whatever this is, we have to be ready…!
Five pairs of steps…
Six pairs of steps—
"Mister Mario!"
The mushroom lifted its head and uttered two words from its dry lips.
"WAAAAAH!"
Luigi and the babies yelped in fright, instinctively making a run for it.
Mario, meanwhile, was staring at the figure with his jaw to the floor.
"T-Toadiko…? Is that… you?"
Indeed, that wasn't a mushroom: a pink-capped Toad, wearing yellow earrings and a nice pink vest, lay strapped to the tree as if she were a sap machine. He recognized her as one of Peach's aides; she had been sent on the time travel excursion with her.
"Mister Mario…" she weakly called. "You're here…"
Mario stared in disbelief.
"You're… You're supposed to be with Peach," he breathed. "What are you doing here?"
"We were… attacked," she haltingly said. "As… As soon as we arrived… These Shroobs… they came out of nowhere…"
As Toadiko relayed her haunting tale, Mario couldn't help but be ever more horrified with each word.
Peach, Toadiko, Toadbert—
They had landed in the old Peach's Castle—the throne room, during the initial attack.
They had been minutes too late to go along with Prince Bowser's evacuation force.
They had no defenses, no means of fighting back.
They had, essentially, been sent into the gaping maw of an entire army.
This is our fault, Mario thought. We didn't do any research; take any precautions—
We just let Peach warp in to hand her off on a silver platter.
…what have we done?
By this point, Luigi and the babies had come back around, the former becoming just as alarmed as his older brother in no time.
"Princess Peach was… taken by the Shroobs…" she continued. "Toadbert managed to escape, but… I was sent here… to the trees of Toadwood Forest…"
A light bulb went off in Mario's head.
"Wait—those Toad statues I saw…" He looked back the way they'd come from, remembering the oddities he had mentally highlighted. "…they're not actually statues, are they?"
Toadiko nodded solemnly.
"All Toads are sent here…" she confirmed. "Whoever they capture on their conquest… they're all sent… to be hooked up here. These trees… they're designed to… siphon away our mushroom power… The lifeblood of us Toads… our vim."
"No way…!" Luigi gawked. "Does that mean… they're trying to take your souls!?"
"I don't know… if that's the case, but… that's certainly… what it feels like…"
His limbs started shivering. "Holy crap…"
"The pure vim… then flows… through the roots of the trees… deep, deep underground…" she heaved. "…until it reaches the Shroob Vim Factory… at the heart of the forest. Rumor has it… that our mushroom power… is somehow changed there… Mixed with awful chemicals… to become the fuel for… the Shroobs' flying saucers…"
"Then we've gotta get you out!" Mario said, hands erupting in flames. "Trees are flammable, so a good dose of fire should—!"
"Don't!" she interrupted him. "They'll know… Anyone who tries to escape… gets a security force… sent after them. You can't… risk that."
The flames went out, and Mario's face became wrapped in despair.
"But—But if it's to save you—"
She shook her head. "Mario… You have to leave me… Hasten to… the Vim Factory… You have to… shut it down… Shut it down… for all of our sakes…"
The elder red-green duo traded looks.
Luigi, we—we can't just leave her! Mario communicated to his brother. Even if they send a security force after us, we can take care of them… right!?
I, I, I—I don't know, Luigi replied. But who knows how long that'll take! If what she said is true, th-then… wouldn't it be better to do as she said first; save all the Toads here at once?
Mario grit his teeth.
By the time that happens, she might be dead!
"Eh?" Baby Mario and Baby Luigi tilted their heads, completely oblivious to what their adult selves had been discussing.
Luigi grimaced. I don't like it any more than you do, Mario, but… I don't think we really have a choice here. We have Baby You and Baby Me to think about, too. If we get caught—or worse—and they have to fend for themselves…
Mario knew he had a point, but it still stung.
Even then, I…!
"There's one more thing… I have to tell you…" Toadiko added. "The Cobalt Star… and Princess Peach…"
"The shard… that they have, in that factory… you—you can't—!"
But that was as far as she got, for their conversation was soon interrupted by a very alarming noise: the swirling sound of approaching Shroob UFOs.
Luigi paled. "Oh no…! RUN!"
The quartet of heroes scrambled to dodge the sudden torrent of plasma bolts. Around and around they ran, the blaster shots missing them by a hair each time—
BLAM!
(WOOP-WOOP!)
…
…and then, as abruptly as it had started, the assault ended.
Luigi came to a stop, his form slouched and his breath heavy.
"Is it—Is it over?" he asked.
"I… I think so…" Mario said. "But… what about Toadiko?"
The two went back to the poor Toad's tree—only to find that she had been transmogrified by the Shroobs. A purple mushroom—the same shade as the invaders—was all that was left of her, and a bottomless pit immediately opened up in Mario's stomach.
"No…" he exhaled.
One last whisper came from the now barely-sapient vegetation.
"The shards… g-gather…"
And then… she fell silent.
No longer able to move; no longer able to interact with the world.
She was dead, for all intents and purposes.
…and Mario didn't know if she could ever come back.
He stared at Toadiko's not-corpse for what felt like several minutes.
…this is their fault.
This is the Shroobs' fault—all of this.
And for what?
To power their technology that might as well be worthless?
To deny us any solace while they reap our happiness?
…
…
…
"…Mario?" Luigi tentatively called.
…
Mario's hands clenched into fists.
"…we can't let them get away with this," he said.
He adjusted the cap on his head, his face stone cold and lacking all of its warmth.
"This Vim Factory… we need to shut it down. Whatever we do, we can't allow it to exist any longer. Luigi. Are you ready to go?"
Luigi looked startled for about five seconds, before he shook himself back to his senses. "Y-Yep! I'm ready! I'm totally ready, no doubt!"
"Good," Mario said.
So, the Shroobs want a war, do they?
Okay, then…
Let's give them a war.
"…it was… vicious."
"One of the worst things I've ever had the displeasure of seeing."
In sharp contrast to his post-mortem on Rogueport, Mario looked very harrowed this time around. His eyes appeared as haunted as a war veteran, and his frown was making deep creases into his lush cheeks.
"The Shroobs… they weren't interested in co-existing peacefully with us, or even letting us go out with any trace of dignity."
"That day, in Toadwood Forest, I learned one thing: the Shroobs were cruel, selfish, and completely dedicated to making everyone suffer."
"They're evil. No doubt about it. Capital-E evil, and that's being generous."
"They didn't have to hook up all those Toads to this twisted energy-generating network. They didn't have to send Yoob to try and turn all the Yoshis into mindless monsters."
"They didn't have to trample all over us in their pursuit for a new home—but they did so anyway."
"…and Stars know how many other planets they went through before us."
His eyes flitted away from the camera.
"Do you know how many Toads we had to rescue, once all was said and done?" he asked rhetorically.
After a brief moment of silence, he gave his answer:
"…300,000."
"We found at least 300,000 Toads, all strapped to the energy-sapping trees – some on the verge of death from how long they'd been up there."
"Yeah, you better bet it was horrifying. They were emaciated, in constant pain, hallucinating badly… and some of them had their voices hoarse from all the fruitless screaming they did, to try and get somebody to do something."
"And I haven't even touched upon the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom's population—the Goombas, the Koopas, the Bob-ombs… the Toads may have been the worst off, but the Shroobs were pretty equal in how they treated people. The scope and depth of this invasion… it was just ludicrous."
"Honestly, we're lucky the casualty count ended up being so low, even given how short we cut the Shroobs' reign of terror."
"Any other day, any other time… and it might've been too late to save anyone."
"…hell, we might've been too late anyway."
"Toadiko…"
His voice tapered off as he recalled more and more the devastation that had been wrought.
His face got darker and darker with every passing second—a rarity, for someone as normally jovial as him.
"I've never felt so much anger at somebody before. Or a group of people, for that matter."
"The Shroobs were devoid of any kind of sympathy. Everything they did was to further their own lot in life, and damn the responsibility for whoever's life they stole from to make that happen. They deserve everything that happened to them, no exaggeration."
"…I only wish we didn't have to go through so much pain before they kicked the bucket."
And so, the horror kicks off for real.
Y'know, back in the day, it never occurred to me just how dark Partners in Time was.
Like, the Shroobs' ruthless offensive; their using of Toads as fuel; their factories, conversions, literal executions—somehow, it all completely passed by my head as a child.
It's so far into left field for the Mario franchise, and I think that's why a lot of us like it. Mario RPGs back then weren't afraid to delve into some dark territory. Or have an actual plot, for that matter.
I will never forgive Color Splash for pretending it had depth and never actually exploring any of its cooler concepts.
As stated before, this is actually the first of two chapters centered around Partners in Time. The game may arguably be the worst of the Mario & Luigi series, but given how major of an event it is in-universe, I feel like it deserves this little bit more coverage. And since Toadiko's Info Dump is the first proper glimpse you get of the Shroobs' atrocities, it gets to be the focus of this chapter.
Also, much like the Make a Friend 'verse (and rarsneezes' Mario headcanons), the Mario cast is 'vaguely immortal and experience time/game releases at the same rate we do'. There's no real other way to justify the rate of adventures/sports spin-offs otherwise, so I hope you can bear with me on this. Just chalk it up to the magic surrounding the Mushroom Kingdom, or something.
Personally, I think it's good for highlighting how much of a veteran Mario is. Thirty-five years (or twenty, at this point) is a long time to be doing this kind of thing, after all. I know he's supposed to be in his early 20s, but that never really gelled with me—his 'stache and overall portliness just scream otherwise, in my opinion.
Well, that's all for now! Next time: the second chapter for Partners in Time, featuring the monstrous Big Bad herself. See you around!