Author's note:Finally! I know it's taken me a really long time to update, but here it is! I'm going to have to skip a couple courses, because 1 or 2 courses per chapter would be a little too much. Plus I need to build up the plot and to get to the main battle a little bit faster. I've already skipped Mario Circuit and Mushroom Bridge, but Daisy Cruiser and Waluigi Stadium will be in it. If you have any suggestions for courses that should not be left out, please tell me in your reviews. Anyway, enough of my ranting. Here's the fourth chapter!

Chapter four!

The Heat of Race

"No, YOU'RE LAME!" Waluigi yelled at Wario. "No, YOU ARE!" Wario snapped back. Daisy groaned in annoyance. They had been going on like this for hours. It was 1:00 A.M. now! "Do you two EVER shut up?!" Peach demanded, coming out of the bathroom with a green facial mask on. Everyone screamed as they saw Peach. "Whether or not you two are shutting up, I'd like to get some rest so I can win this next race." Daisy anounced. She walked into her room and shut the door. She walked over to her bed and plopped down. She stared out the window into the night. She wished she hadn't joined this thing. But what you begin, you must finish. Daisy smiled. She stood up. She was determined to win. "I will....win!" She shouted confidently. Back in the Lounge, everyone heard Daisy's confident shout. "She's gone mad with power!" Waluigi commented. "Sounds like her." Mario grumbled.

"Daisy? Daisy." Someone was nudging Daisy's shoulder. "Mmmmfff...." Daisy mumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow. "Daisy! Get up." The voice commanded. "I don't WANNA!" Daisy complained. Whoever it was tore the blankets off Daisy and opened the curtains, letting the bright Sun light in. "Hey!!" Daisy complained, sitting up. "Don't ever do that again, Peach!" Peach was standing in the light of the window with her hands on her hips. She was wearing her pink bath robe and hair curlers. A smile crept across the Mushroom Princess's face. "It's 9:05 A.M.! Rise and shine!" She anounced. Daisy groaned in annoyance and got to her feet.

She suddenly realized something. "SHOOT! THE RACE IS TAKING PLACE IN TEN MINUTES! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!!" Daisy ran into the bathroom as quick as a flash. She washed her face and threw on her yellow dress. She brushed her hair and ran into the Lounge. She put on her shoes and yelled for Peach. "Hurry UP!" The time was now 9:10. They had five minutes to get there! Peach walked out into the Lounge, smiling. "You still have your hair curlers in!!" Daisy shouted in annoyance. Peach grinned even larger. "They moved the race to 9:30. We have twenty minutes and the race is right outside." She anounced. Daisy was frozen for a moment. "THEN WHY'D YOU WAKE ME UP SO EARLY?!" She shrieked angrily. "And since when was the Racers' Lounge in the middle of Dry Dry Desert?" Peach stopped smiling and raised her eye brows. "Since they had a helicopter to pick it up and move it last night." She explained. "Dry Dry Desert is the hottest and driest desert in the world. Thus the name." Daisy raised her eye brows to match Peach's expression. "But doesn't 'desert' MEAN dry?" She asked. Peach nodded. "That's what makes the name so creative." She said sarcastically.

The two Princesses walked out of the Racers' Lounge a minute later. "'Bout time you got here!" Mario commented. "Where were you?" Peach glances over at Daisy. "What?!" Daisy demanded. Peach smirked. "You handle this. I'll go warm up the Bloom Coach." She said. Daisy glared. "Well, Daisy? Where were you?" Mario inquired. Daisy didn't know what else to do, so she replied. "Why should I waste my time out here like a loser, like you, Mario, when I could be making my morning worth while?" She asked, a triumphant smile on her face. Mario didn't know how to reply, so he walked away and towards Red Fire. Daisy walked over to examine the Sphynx, when her arm was grabbed. "Let me g---!" Daisy was cut off as a hand was put over her mouth to silence her. She opened her eyes....

"I don't know WHY you're pestering me," Daisy began, annoyed as the hand was taken away from her mouth and she was allowed to speak. "because I can't see what you need help with, Luigi."

(Hah. Thought it was gonna be Bowser, didn't you?)

"Daisy, I just can't believe you would ally yourself with a jerk like Bowser!" Luigi said. "Keep your voice down!" Daisy hissed angrily. "Bowser keeps pestering me now. He won't give me a break until I help him. My last attempt to get rid of him failed, you saw that. So what am I supposed to do?" Luigi looked around for a moment, as if searching for an answer. "I don't have a plan yet, but we will fix this." He told Daisy. Daisy rolled her eyes. "I'd better get back to the track. The absence of the both of us'll probably raise suspicions." She grumbled, heading back towards the Bloom Coach.

However, on her way to the Bloom Coach, she had to pass by Bowser and Bowser Jr. polishing the Koopa King. Daisy closed her eyes tightly. She passed by without looking at the two Koopas, but she could sense them watching her. Peach looked confused. "Daisy, what's wrong?" She asked. "Nothing." Daisy lied, jumping into the front. "I saw you talking to Luigi." Peach revealed. "What were you two talking about?" Daisy looked around for a distraction. "Everyone, get ready!" Lakitu commanded. "The race is about to begin!" The perfect distraction. Daisy thought. Peach climbed onto the back platform.

"3....2....1....GO!!" Lakitu shouted. Daisy took off with a flash. This speed was different than the usual Rocket Start. "Double Dash!!" Peach shouted. Daisy smirked. "That's it." She said. "It isn't just because they have two people. There's such a thing as a Double Dash." The Bl;oom Coach returned to its normal speed and the race really began. Bowser hurled a Bowser's Shell at the Kart. Like Luigi said, Daisy thought. We'll fix this. She dodged the Bowser Shell. A Bob-omb suddenly flew infront of them. Daisy shrieked and swerved out of the way. Bowser didn't see the Bob-omb until it was too late. The Koopa King crashed into the Bob-omb and Waluigi shouted out triumphantly. Peach grabbed Hearts from the Item Box. "Switch." Daisy commanded. The lordly ladies swapped places. Daisy grabbed a Fake Item Box and turned around to face Bowser, who managed to pass up the two Wario Bros.. "Hey, Bowser! Eat THIS!" She shouted. She hurled the Fake Item Box infront of Bowser, causing his kart to be electricuted. "Then EAT MY DUST!"

Peach took a left around the quick sand pit. But the path was narrow and the kart suddenly began heading towards the center of the pit. A giant Piranha Plant opened up its mouth and swallowed the kart whole. "Shoot! What're we going to do NOW?!" Peach demanded. "Lakitu'll save us." Daisy assured her. Sure enough, the yellow cloud-dweller pulled Daisy and Peach out of the Piranha Plant's mouth and set them back on the course. Peach checked the dash board. "4TH PLACE?!" She screamed in horror. "We can't lose this one!" Daisy grabbed a Spiny Shell from the Item Box. She hurled it and the shell gained altitude with its wings and flew, quick as a flash, towards the two people in first:Bowser and Bowser Jr.! Daisy cheered out as the Spiny Shell collided with the Koopa King.

"Lap 2!" Lakitu told them. Peach smiled. "Switch!" She commanded just as they passed Wario and Waluigi. "3rd place!" Daisy anounced. Peach grabbed a Triple Mushroom and used it to dash three times in a row. The third Mushroom caused the Bloom Coach to slam into the Red Fire. Mario's Item, a Fire Ball, flew up in the air and Peach caught it. She waited, then hurled it at Bowser. The Koopa King spun out and caused them to go off the course and slow down. The Bloom Coach sped up and passed by the Koopa King. The crowd began cheering. as the Bloom Cooch barely missed getting sucked into a tornado. The Koopa King was gaining on them, however. "Switch!" Daisy said. The sisters swapped places. Daisy grabbed a Green Shell from the Item Box and hurled it backwards at the Koopa King, casuing it to crash. "I am NOT putting up with this anymore!" Bowser growled. He grabbed a Spiny Shell from the Item Box and hurled it towards the Bloom Coach.

Daisy grabbed a Fake Item Box and dropped it on the course. Then, she saw the Spiny Shell heading for the Kart. She gasped and was about to tell Peach to speed up, but she knew that they couldn't avoid getting hurt by the shell. Suddenly, the Kart ran over a Star and became Invincible. The Shell hit the Kart, but the shield that the Star created protected the princesses from the blast. "Final Lap!" Lakitu told them as they passed the checkered line. Daisy used a Green Shell to destroy the Banana in their path. The Bloom Coach went around the pit of quick sand and ran over a Mushroom, causing them to speed up. "Switch!" Peach said. They changed places. Daisy's gloved hands, damp with sweat, gripped the steering wheel tightly. Daisy gritted her teeth as they neared the finish line. She heard the Koopa King's engine reving. She pressed her foot onto the gas pedal even harder until she couldn't press it any more. She closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, Lakitu was waving his checkered flag. "Oh yeah! Alright! Lucky me!" Peach exclaimed. "Yahoo! Woohoo!" Daisy cried out, waving to the crowd.

Daisy stretched out on the plush chair in the Drivers' Lounge. "So, where to t'morrow?" She asked, smiling contently. Peach pressed a button on the wall and a map dropped from the ceiling, completely surprising. "Tomorrow," Peach began, pointing a hikory stick at a point on the map. "We are going to have the Award Ceremony for the Mushroom Cup and receive the Mushroom Trophy. After that, we will immediately be shipped to this area." Peach pointed at the Mushroom Bridge location. "We will be racing on the Mushroom Bridge, which is one of the Mushroom Kingdom's finest land marks. I just hope that it isn't damaged in any way during the race. Any questions?" Daisy was silent for a moment, then she raised her hand. "Um, yeah. How long has that been there?" She asked, pointing at the map. "Since this was built for the Super Mario Kart Grand Prix race." Peach explained. "Which came first? Super Circuit or Super Mario Kart?" Daisy asked. Peach rolled her eyes. "Super Circuit was the same as Super Mario Kart, it's just that the courses had things moved around." She explained. "It's true." Mario said, popping out of nowhere. "Ah!" Peach gasped. "Where the hell did you come from?!" Mario grinned. "Nowhere. It doesn't have to make sense." He said. Then he frowned. "And Princesses shouldn't swear." Peach glared. "I'm a bloody Princess! I can do whatever I want!" She snapped. Mario grinned.

"Now, where was I?" Peach asked Daisy. Daisy shrugged. Mario took the seat next to Daisy. "Mario! I didn't give you permission to sit down!" Peach snapped. Mario grinned. "Stop that grinning!" Daisy snapped. Mario lowered his gaze to the floor. Then Luigi burst in. "Everyone's late for this meeting." He complained. "You're late too." Peach said. "We need Bowser and Bowser Jr. to get here before we can begin the Award Ceremony at my Beach." Daisy rolled her eyes. "Man, I wish Bowser wasn't in EVERY Mario Kart Grand Prix." Mario said. Peach glared angrily. "It's YOUR fault. You made it so that ANYONE could enroll." She said. "Remember that problem that we had when Donkey Kong Jr. was driving?" Peach shuddered. Mario rolled his eyes. "What?" Daisy asked. "Roll the clips, Joe!" Mario shouted to.....someone....somewhere. The map flipped over and it was a TV screen on the other side. A projector started.

DK Jr. was driving on the Peach Circuit. "Duh....huh huh.....me drive!" CRASH! BANG! "HELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP!!!" "AIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!" "OWOWOWOWOWOW!!!" "Duhhh....sorry....huh...." The clip ended.

Daisy's eyes were wide. "See what we mean?" Peach asked. Daisy nodded. Peach smiled. "Good." She said. "Afterwards I beat Donkey Kong Jr. half way to Hell for messing up my Circuit. No one ever messed with the courses after that." Daisy, Mario and Luigi were shocked. Peach looked a little ashamed. "Actually, there's also a reason why Koopa disappeared for a while....And Donkey Kong Jr. never came back." She confessed. Everyone is frozen with fear. "Damn straight! You SHOULD fear me! I am the all-mighty Pe--AHHH!" Peach was hit as the door swung open and Bowser entered the room with his son.

"Well, sorry we're late." He cackled. Bowser Jr. giggled impishly. Daisy felt like she was going to pass out. She didn't know what was happening to her. "Daisy? You look pale." Peach informed her. "Are you okay?" Daisy nodded. No, she wasn't, though. She tried thinking back. What could make her sick? It might be Bowser, but it couldn't be. What did I eat? I ate a salad for lunch and pancakes for breakfast. Daisy shook her head. The Chef would never poison me. But nevertheless, I should speak with him. "I'm going to speak with the Chef." Daisy anounced. She walked towards the kitchen. She felt Bowser watching her. She quickened her pace and opened the swinging kitchen doors. She saw something. "Oh my god..." Daisy gasped. "Is that what I think it is...?" She stared at the Chef. He was on the floor with claw marks across his back. His shoes were burned off of his feet. His hands were charred. He was dead. Daisy let out a shrill scream. Luigi, Mario and Peach dashed in. "Oh my god!!" Peach screamed. "Chef! He's dead!!" Mario patted Peach on the shoulder to comfort her. Daisy passed out.

"Daisy?" Peach asked. Her face was all that Daisy could see. "DAISY! I'm so glad you're awake!" Luigi shouted, running over to her. "You passed out. Probably from shock of seeing Chef dead like that." Daisy's face went pale again. "Oops." Luigi said. "Luigi, you moron!" Peach scolded him. "Don't MENTION that!" Luigi looked ashamed. "Maybe she shouldn't go to the Award Ceremony." Mario said. Peach and Luigi glared. "Shut up!" They both commanded. "Well, we should head over to the beach." Peach sighed, calming down. "Hey, are we going to get a chance to swim afterwards?" Daisy asked. Peach shook her head. "Damn!" Daisy cursed.