WARNING: EXTREME OOC AHEAD. CONTAINS MUCH SWEARING.

As much as Mario and Merlux didn't want to, the two adventurers decided that it was best if they hid the injured citizens where they were unlikely to be found by others who preyed upon the weak, but it wasn't without parting with some of their groceries first to ensure that the pair would have something to sustain themselves with. After bidding a temporary farewell to the two alley cats, Mario and Merlux set out to track Snatchelle down and retrieve the goods she had stolen. The problem, however, was finding her in the first place; the two of them weren't exactly keen on keeping tabs on the she-bandit when they first met her, and even though she was hardly unnoticeable she likely didn't stick around one area for long.

"Alright Merlux, here's what we're going to do," Mario began saying, "We're going to locate the local authorities first and see if they've had any run-ins with Snatchelle. That way, we can get an idea of when and where this bandit likes to strike."

"Okay," Merlux responded with perfect understanding. "We'll catch this mean lady and give the stuff she stole back to their owners!" Mario found it adorable how brave and determined the child was despite how young and inexperienced she was. She actually reminded him of himself back when he was around her age; he wondered whether that was why he had gotten attached to her so easily in such a short amount of time.

'One day when I get kids, I hope they turn out like her,' Mario thought with a smile. Knowing what to do, Mario and Merlux explored the City of Angels looking for any authority figure they could find. For the first hour they had no luck, instead running into multiple hostile, outer-ring gangsters intent on robbing and murdering the duo. Even without his hammer, Mario put up many a good fight to defend himself and Merlux, and said shaman was very helpful in using her magic for support. The routine of running into hooligans was getting very tiring, though, and the adventurers were just about ready to give up the search for the time being; that was until the two of them had heard distant shouts and explosions going off in the distance.

Theme: SURVIVAL ON THE STREET OF INSINCERITY

"That sounds like fighting!" Merlux exclaimed. "Mister Mario, should we go see what that is? There might be people in danger!"

"One step ahead of you kiddo!" Mario replied shortly before hoisting the girl onto his back and running toward the sounds of combat. When he reached the source of the noise, Mario finally bore witness to what Goombella had described as "a pretty nasty clash between the upper-class and everyone else below them": further up ahead on one side of the street was a wide assortment of impoverished people wearing street clothes standing behind a makeshift barricade, on side opposite to them was an equally-sized police force armored and armed with rifles and riot shields, and on both sides of the street were dead bodies and bombs of all sorts being tossed before exploding.

"Holy Hell…" Mario muttered too low for anyone else but Merlux to hear. "It's a goddamned war-zone up there…" The plumber was considering turning back to avoid getting dragged into the conflict, but Merlux—being the innocent, loving child she was—wanted to get both sides to stop fighting.

"We have to make them stop Mister Mario!" Merlux said. "We can't let them hurt each other like this!"

"Trust me, letting them kill each other is the last thing I want, but we can't just charge in there like this; we could likely end up getting ourselves killed being caught in the crossfire. We have to think this out and—"

"You there!" a stranger's voice said addressing the pair. "What are you two doing outside of the inner-circle?!" Mario turned to look at the speaker and saw that it was another police officer just arriving on the scene with others behind him. The forefront police officer looked as though he was a veteran military personnel leading the much younger policemen behind him. "You shouldn't be out here without proper protection! Davis, Jarvis, escort these two citizens to safety!"

"Sir yes sir!" the two officers responded with a salute. Before the men got near Mario threw his hands up in defense.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're not in any danger here, we can handle ourselves just fine!"

"I would like to believe that sir," the man named Davis said, "but regardless we have our orders to carry out." "Now if you would kindly come with us…" Jarvis requested.

"H-Hey, hold up!"

"But…we can use magic!" Merlux said. "Look!" To prove her point the girl took her staff and held it up high; in seconds Mario was coated in a shimmering cloak of fire, causing the police officers to jump back on instinct. They drew their weapons and took aim at the human torch, but Merlux hurriedly erected a magic barrier to shield them both from the gunfire. It didn't come, though, and in a short moment the weapons had been lowered as their wielders simply stared in awe at the magic at work.

"What…what are you two…?" the commanding officer asked in surprise.

"We're Team Super Mario!" Merlux replied without a shred of fear. "We're on a mission to save the world from evil!" The statement had caused all three officers to lower their guard considerably.

"Did you say…'Super Mario'? As in, the famous plumber and hero of the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Yup!" This didn't completely convince the commanding officer, prompting him to perform a closer inspection.

"I'll have to verify this. Sir, may I inspect your I.D. for a moment?"

"Sure thing." Mario had began digging through his pockets expecting his wallet to be in there; reality caught up with him and he simply gave a nervous chuckle. "Whoops, I forgot about that. Look, I know this sounds typical, but I don't have it. It was destroyed in my fight against Bowser." The explanation did Mario no favors as the officers remained wary of him and Merlux.

"If that is the case, then I'm afraid that we can't confirm that you are in fact the famous Super Mario. Davis, Jarvis, could you—"

"Wait, hang on a second, I do know how to prove that I'm the real deal! Check this out!" Mario outstretched his arms to signal that he needed space. Once the officers gave him a wide berth, the plumber crouched down for approximately three seconds before leaping into the air, rising high up and performing many a flip, twist, and spin while in midair. When it came to landing Mario was just as flashy, nailing it as if it was second nature. The display of acrobatics impressed the officers greatly.

"My word…Not a single soul could jump that high and execute such flawless stunts but Mario himself."

"Actually—" Mario was about to bring up Luigi being a better jumper than him but stopped himself, seeing how it wouldn't get him anywhere. "I could show you a lot more than this if you want."

"No need. That alone was enough proof for your claims. Well met, Mr. Gonzales. May I ask what brings you out to these badlands?"

"We were chasing after a diamond-armed bandit named 'Snatchelle' who's stolen quite a lot of others' goods, including a really important artifact that we really need."

"You've encountered that treacherous tramp? We've been trying to bring her to justice forever yet she eludes us at every turn. Perhaps with our combined talents we may finally be able to put her behind bars for good."

"I hope so. By the way, what's going on over there? It looks pretty rough." Mario was referencing the battle going on between the police and the thugs.

"Oh, that? It is one of our daily skirmishes with these natives of the outer-ring. Every day they try to break through the great gate and sow discord in our fair inner-circle. We repel them of course but they simply keep coming back, bolstering their numbers every day to make up for what they had lost during the previous incursion. Try as we might we cannot intimidate them or stamp them out enough to put an end to this bloody conflict."

"I see…"

"Mr. Gonzales, I understand that you are in the middle of a very important mission, but I must ask if you are able to provide us assistance in this matter. We will be sure to provide you proper protection and adequately compensate your time spent here." Mario really didn't like the way things were headed: already he's gotten himself involved in a riot, and while he didn't want to piss off the already inflamed crowd of people he felt that the authorities had a better chance of helping him locate Snatchelle. And maybe while he was at it, he could find out about the severe, unequal wealth distribution going on.

"You know what, I'll lend you a hand or two."

"Much obliged Mr. Gonzales. Now, it doesn't seem as if we've been spotted yet; we'll grant you cover and close in on the mob while you take them out. I assume that you are able to use protective magic?"

"Yuh-huh!" Merlux replied. "If Mister Mario gets hurt, I can make him feel all better!"

"A very useful technique to have young lady." Merlux found herself smiling and blushing at the officer's compliment, though Mario was concerned about getting pelted at by the other officers.

"You guys think you can call the others off from firing so I can get in there safely? I'd hate to get blasted with tear gas and flash grenades and all."

"Worry not Mr. Gonzales; I have some anti-flash bang and anti-tear gas equipment on me right now. You may borrow them for this mission and keep you safe."

"Thanks, but what about Merlux?"

"Don't worry Mister Mario! My magic will protect me from the smoke and lights!"

"Are you certain this young lady should be engaging the enemy so close?"

"Don't worry about it, she's pretty tough and survived close calls before." 'Mostly because I was around to keep her from getting into really close calls.' "You ready Merlux?"

"Yeah!" Mario took the mask handed to him by the officer and placed it on him while Merlux surrounded herself in a magic down. Once the pair was ready they followed closely behind the shielded officers. The group of five had managed to get so close as to not be in the immediate range of the opposing sides' projectiles, and right when the mob had began taking notice of the incoming group, Mario and Merlux leapt from behind the officers to waylay the thugs. Mario trip kicked one rioter and caught them by their legs, swinging them around as if they were Bowser. Using the person's body as a battering ram he knocked several other rioters down. A few attempted to punch or stomp him out but he countered their attacks with little issues being an experienced fighter. Merlux used her staff to shield Mario's back with magic to keep him from being attacked from behind, occasionally healing the man whenever he was seriously injured from the front. And yet, with all his experience, there were simply too many people crowding him for him to adequately dodge attacks, and Merlux was starting to feel exhausted from having to use her magic so much.

"How're you holding up little buddy?" Mario asked Merlux.

"I'm feeling a little tired," Merlux said honestly, "but I can do this!"

"Now!" came the voice of the commanding officer, issuing the rest of his men to storm the mob now that it was occupied with Mario and Merlux. The mob had realized it too late and many of its members were starting to hightail it out of the area, abandoning their fallen to escape with their lives. This time around there were no "survivors" so to speak: having been occupied with Mario and Merlux for so long allowed the police to close in and take down the dissenters with little issue. Handcuffed and with no where else to go, the mob had been taken down quickly and with no more blood being shed. That fact had not made it more comfortable for Mario and Merlux to look at the hapless youths being tackled down and restrained so roughly, and the commanding officer simply watched on with a look of solemn pity.

Theme:

"If only they hadn't put up a fight we could have let them go peacefully," the man remarked. "Alas, this is the fate they have chosen for themselves. All we can do is simply be there when they decide to strike and hopefully keep them from stirring up too much chaos." Even with that being said the three of them didn't like to see the determined and proud faces give way to despair and humiliation Where they would end up they didn't know, and whether they ever saw their close ones again was up in the air. "Well then, now that this little incursion has been neutralized, I do believe a proper thank you is in order. Return to the inner-circle with us, and we shall ensure that you have the proper resources to locate and apprehend Snatchelle."

"Gee, thanks man!"

"It is my pleasure Mr. Gonzales. Now, this way if you will." The policeman directed them to the great gate who's sign read "ENTRANCE TO THE INNER-CIRCLE OF THE CITY OF ANGELS". The gate was opened by the attendants who had valiantly remained during the entire battle, allowing Mario, Merlux, and the rest of the inner-circle's police force pass through unimpeded. When passing through, though, Mario and Merlux failed to notice some familiar faces silently watching them go inside.

Mario and Merlux found it staggering to see how completely opposite the inner-circle was to the outer-ring; everything looked pristine new as if it was constantly being renewed and maintained. People wore clean clothes and showed no signs of physical misfortune unlike their outer-ring counterparts. All in all, it looked like pure paradise, but Mario couldn't see himself smiling despite it all.

"Wow…this place is beautiful!" Merlux exclaimed.

"It is, isn't it?" the officer remarked. "It is not easy to maintain such beauty, but we manage to do so."

'How is it that all of this is holed up in here instead of being everywhere for everyone to enjoy?' Mario thought. 'Something's just not right about it all…'

"Is something the matter, Mr. Gonzales?" the officer asked, bringing Mario out of his thoughts.

"Oh, er, I was just thinking about how bad it would be if all of this splendor just went up in smoke and end up like the outer-ring."

"A terrifying thought indeed. I shudder to think of the living conditions of those living in the outer-ring."

'Then why isn't anything being done about it?' Mario mentally asked. 'I gotta find out who owns this place 'cause I've got a boatload of questions to ask them.' "Say, would you happen to know who runs the inner-ring? I feel like I should ask them if they have anything that'll help in tracking Snatchelle down."

"Ah, yes, the President. I am very certain that he will provide you with what you seek. As a matter of fact, his office is where we are headed this very moment."

"Oh, okay then. Say, mind if I speak with Merlux in private for a bit? Just a few reminders that I feel she doesn't want anyone else to hear about."

"Certainly. I will wait right here until you are finished."

"Neat. Thanks sir." Merlux was about to ask Mario what reminders she needed to hear but the plumber shushed the girl and pulled her aside to the fountain where no one else was standing. When he felt like no one would be eavesdropping on the conversation, he spoke in a whisper.

"Something about this whole place just feels…really off…I have a hunch that this place is owned by Wario or something, but I doubt he'd have the entire outer-ring of a city in perpetual poverty. The guys' a greedy bastard but he's not that rotten."

"I'm worried about those people who were taken away…" Merlux said. "I don't think that they're bad people…"

"I feel like that too. I'mma figure out where those people are being taken and what's gonna happen to them. That and I really need to speak to this President guy about the whole poor outer-ring and the rich inner-circle. I just really got the outer-ring fixed up soon."

"What about that bandit lady and the Essence of the Goddess?"

"That's still our top priority, but I don't feel like we should bring up the Essence of the Goddess around this parts. Something's telling me that this President guy might be very interested in it if we mention it, so let's keep tight lipped about this okay?"

"Okay." With their conversation done and their agenda set, Mario and Merlux returned to the officer, allowing him to resume escorting them to the President. The building said man was located in wasn't hard to find: it was a great tower with what looked like a hundred floors, and if Mario had to guess (which the commanding officer would later prove right) the President was at the very top of the skyscraper. Much to everyone's relief, the elevator was a thing and took them straight to the highest floor with little issue. The trio walked up to a large golden door and the commanding officer knocked to signal his arrival.

"Excuse me, President Sir," the elderly man announced, "do I have permission to enter?"

"Who's that out there?" a somewhat strained voice came from inside. Mario could have sworn that he heard other voices inside besides the one who answered.

"It is I, Police Chief Jefferson."

"Oh, it's just you. Sure, come on in." Before Jefferson entered he turned to give Mario a word of advice.

"You may wish to shield the little one's eyes." Mario most certainly didn't like the sound of that and felt compelled to ask why, but the doors already came open and the plumber wished he had just listened to the officer.

Inside the room was the President alright, a man of average stature and build with short, graying blonde hair, but he wasn't alone like Mario had correctly assumed: flanking either side of the President were two rather attractive women too busy servicing the man with their functionally nude bodies to notice the entrants. Mario damn-near had himself a heart-attack at the sight, not because he hadn't seen his fair share of promiscuity but rather because he had what was most certainly a prepubescent girl with him. Granted, said girl was familiar with what a penis was but this was still something he'd rather not expose the girl to yet. Merlux herself didn't need to be told what was going on thanks to having accidentally walked in on such a scene back home, and with a beet-red face she quickly looked away from the scene with shock. Jefferson silently added a "told you so" while clearing out his throat, alerting the President to his presence.

"Oh, hello there Jefferson," the President said having taken a break from the make out session. "I hadn't noticed that you came in already."

"I can see that much," the officer dryly responded. "I have brought two individuals to you who have come seeking aid in tracking down Snatchelle."

"Jefferson, what have I told you about bringing strangers into my office without notifying me first?" Mario already knew he wouldn't like this guy from the way he regarded his chief policeman and how nonchalant he was about doing what he was doing. "Aw, whatever. Who are they?"

"Mario from the Mushroom Kingdom and a young girl accompanying him have arrived." It was then that the President's eyes went wide with surprise, quickly shooing the women out of his office rather rudely with no time to clothe themselves while he straightened his own appearance.

'Yep. Definitely don't like this guy.' Mario thought.

"Sorry about that Mr. Mario," the President said adopting a polite tone. "Sometimes women just don't understand when a man says 'business comes before pleasure'."

'The Hell? This guy was shamelessly indulging himself and now he wants to say that? Holy mother of fucking GOD I don't like this guy.'

"In case you haven't already been informed, I'm the president of this fair inner-circle of the City of Angels. I am known as President Vincent Kingsley, a rather fitting name don't you agree?"

"Yeah, it's pretty fitting," Mario answered with a tone betraying his true exasperation.

"I heard you need my help in bringing that harlot Snatchelle to justice? I'd be ore than happy to put her in her place." For a while the President had described just how much of a pain Snatchelle was for his police force to handle, and while Mario couldn't disagree that Snatchelle was rotten he couldn't stop himself from internally screeching from the man's blatant sexism. "We've been keeping track on her movements throughout the outer-ring but the problem is we don't have enough man-power to actually hold her down. Sure, we have more than enough hard-working officers to keep an eye on this little lady, but it's a tad embarrassing that all the men I've got can't handle one woman." Jefferson was long used to the President's antics but Mario was immensely regretting ever wanting to meet the man.

"I can see why," the plumber merely responded, choosing to reference said bandit being a one woman army rather than the male dominance the President was implying. "I feel like the two of us can handle her just fine as long as we know where she is."

"I don't doubt you for a second Mr. Mario, which is why I'm more than willing to help you out since we share a common enemy in Snatchelle. While the police force mostly deals with the unruly natives of the outer-ring, my elite SWAT unit is responsible for keeping tabs on the most notorious criminals that have eluded the law for too long. These boys outta help you out really well." With a snap of his fingers a group of geared up military soldiers had walked in seemingly from nowhere. Mario could tell that they were highly trained soldiers from the very impersonal look coming from their eyes, the only visible part of their body.

"They look scary," Merlux admitted.

"Don't you worry your head about them little missy," the President said. "These big boys should keep you real safe from the dangers of the harsh world. Why, I—" The President looked from her to Mario who at that point stopped hiding the disdain on his face, silently warning the man not to say anything outrageous to the girl. "Ah, I've been keeping you here long enough. I understand that you're a busy man so I'mma let you get on out there and finally catch this no-good thief. Jefferson, I'mma need you to hang back for a minute."

"As you wish Mr. President Sir."

"We can't thank you enough for this cooperation President."

"Oh no, don't thank me. Thank you for coming to me with this. If it wasn't for you, I would have given up on this woman. Now hurry on then; time is money dear boy, and we've wasted enough on her already. My SWAT unit will be with you shortly. I gotta address them about a few more things."

"Alright then. I guess we'll be seeing you soon."

"You will be seeing me real soon should you catch Snatchelle; I'll have a real nice reward in store for you."

"Really?!" Merlux asked in excitement.

"C'mon Merlux," Mario said while grabbing the girl by her hand. Jefferson bid the two adventurers a polite farewell as they passed him by to the elevator. Outside of the President's office were the same two women from before who had been waiting outside the entire time, quickly walking back inside as the doors were being closed. Mario and Merlux took the elevator all the way down the tower and made their way outside once they made it to the first floor. That was when Mario finally let loose all the pent up emotions he had held in him during his meeting with the President.

"WHAT. THE FUCK. WHAT THAT?!" the man shouted, drawing the attention of everyone around him and spooking poor Merlux. "I mean, my GOD, what is with this guy?! Does he have something against women and poor people because HOLY HELL he talks so much shit it's like his mouth has fucking diarrhea! I swear to God I don't even—" The plumber had gone into a no-beats-skipped rant charged full of expletives that it would have scared off even Wario. It was about a minute long and the plumber could feel all the wind taken from his sails afterwards, ending the whole thing with a cluster of f-bombs. He looked to Merlux whose bug-eyed expression told him that he had outdone himself at having a potty mouth that sailors could only dream of attaining.

"Should I—Should I get some soap for your mouth Mister Mario?" Merlux asked in her rattled disposition. "If…If Grandmaster Merlin heard you he'd—"

"We don't have to tell him about this, I'm just…I'll be fine." 'Man, Goombario was right; since when did I start swearing this much…?' He didn't get much more time to think as the SWAT unit had come through the door, ready to begin their hunt of the she-bandit.

"Mr. Mario, we are ready to commence with the search and detainment of 'Wild Outlaw Number One-Two-Eight'." The leader of the SWAT unit announced.

"You mean 'Snatchelle' right?" Mario asked, a rather stupid question in hindsight. "Alright then, let's get a move on."

The President wasn't kidding when he said that the SWAT unit would be immensely helpful; not only had the military personnel memorized Snatchelle's favorite hot-spots to loot some booty, many of said hot-spots were blocked off with barricades and occupied by the SWAT unit, leaving the bandit little places to strike. This would narrow down when and where Snatchelle would appear, and with Mario and Merlux on the move they were more likely to run into her now with the bait they were given. Just in case one of the soldiers had cornered Snatchelle, all were equipped with telecommunication devices to bring the entire group in, Mario and Merlux included.

"Mister Mario," Merlux asked, "Do you think these poor people are okay?"

"I dunno kiddo," Mario pointed out. "I get the strange feeling that the President has something to do with this. I seriously need to get to the bottom of this whole poverty issue so I can—whoa!" Mario had just barely noticed it in time, but he was able to dodge a mechanical hand aimed at his face. Looking up to where the hand was fired, he was met with the sight of his target staring him down.

"What's happenin' short stuff?" Snatchelle spoke. "Miss me already?"

"Cut the crap you crook. Hand over your stolen goods and we won't beat your ass into the ground."

"Who'd you think you are, the police?"

"You'll wish it just the police if you keep this up."

"Really now. Well, I've got a proposition for you too." Snatchelle extended her diamond arm and lifter up her forearm, revealing the bombs she had in her bicep chamber. "You have over the girlie's magic necklace and stick, and I won't blow you both to smithereens. Y'all ain't got all day so make it quick."

Theme: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE—TKO (INSTRUMENTAL)

Mario was the first to attack, jumping at the bandit with a boot aimed at her face; Snatchelle blocked the attack with little effort using her mechanical arm and flung him aside. Before Mario could find proper footing Snatchelle shot her hand out at the man, but he saw the move coming and evaded the fist in midair, grabbing on to the cable with the hopes of yanking the bandit to him. Once he found the ground Mario kept tugging at the bandit but she wouldn't budge, instead opening up her bicep cavity and firing off bombs. Mario wasn't about to let go of Snatchelle now that he had her, but to his fortune Merlux came and blocked the explosions with her magic.

"Not falling for that again!" Mario declared, pulling Snatchelle toward him with as much force as he could muster. This time the bandit found herself face down in front of Mario but she wasn't out of the fight just yet; she swung her arm out in a wide arc hoping to catch Mario or Merlux by their legs. Both adventurers evaded the move but this gave time for Snatchelle to back away for an attack.

"Not this time!" Mario shouted. The moment Snatchelle launched her next round of bombs Mario had deflected them all back to her. "Ha! Take that you—" Unfortunately for Mario, Snatchelle was smarter than most others he had battled in the past, deflecting the bombs back to him right when they would blow, forcing him and Merlux to duck for cover.

'Geez, should've thought that one through…' Mario thought. Again he heard Snatchelle's hand shoot out at him and he rolled out of the way. Growing tired of her antics the plumber got to his feet and closed the distance between the two of them. Snatchelle raised her arm to block the man but he went for a powerful dropkick instead of a punch like she thought, throwing the bandit off balance for him to tackle to the ground.

"What?! The Fuck?!" Snatchelle snarled. "Ain't no way you're this strong!"

"You really don't know who you're messing with do you?" Mario pointed out. "Here's a hint: the name's Mario and I am not in a good mood today." The plumber felt a small sense of satisfaction at the bandit's eyes going wide at the revelation, letting her know that she was way in over her head; at least that's what he was hoping would happen. What actually happened was a sudden flare of hate coming to life in Snatchelle's eyes right before Mario found himself viciously jettisoned from above the downed bandit. "I'm guessing you're not a big fan of me are you?"

"Gee whiz, I wonder what gave you that impression?"

"Yeah actually. I just got here and I'm wondering what I could have possibly done to you to get you to hate me."

"More like what you didn't do. Look at us; we're all out here scraping the godforsaken streets for anything to survive, and then there's you and the rest of those inner-circle jackasses."

"Whoa, whoa, don't lump me with those people so quickly. I know I'm a rich guy but I've been spending that money to patch up messed-up places you know?"

"Oh yeah? How come the City of Angels wasn't on your list?"

"I've literally never heard of the place until today."

"Sure you haven't." Knowing who her enemy was, Snatchelle flipped out her switchblade and rushed at the man with it, wanting to decorate his body with vivid reds. Without his hammer Mario was effectively on the evasive, managing to dodge each strike aimed at him. That was when Merlux had cast one of her defensive spells on him, granting him iron-tough skin against the knife.

"Don't worry Mister Mario!" Merlux announced. "I made you much stronger against that lady!"

"Thanks kiddo!" Mario replied. Having the advantage the plumber proceeded to lay into the bandit with all his might, pushing her into a defensive stance.

'That little pest…!' Snatchelle thought. 'That's it; kid or no kid, that brat is toast!' In an abrupt display of power Snatchelle forced Mario off of her for a moment and took aim at Merlux. The little girl hadn't seen the attack coming fast enough to put up a good enough shield, having it shatter on her and taking some of the damage of the explosion.

"Merlux!" Mario ran straight over to the girl to ensure that she was okay only to take a bomb to his back. Snatchelle was at the end of her patience with the pair and was ready to finish them both off.

"Night-night for you suckers!" the bandit said as she readied another round of bombs to hurl the downed pair's way. Much to her ire, however, there were no more bombs to hurl; this didn't mean too much for her since she had more in her satchel, but just as she was about to reach for them she heard a most unholy howl of fury.

"YOU BITCH!" came Mario's nearly unrecognizable voice. He was now barreling toward Snatchelle with nary a shred of mercy; this hadn't fazed Snatchelle in the slightest, but when she fired her hand at Mario all he did was jump over it, flying toward the bandit's face with both legs poised for a kick. The move had sent the woman reeling worse than anything she had been dealt before, not getting a chance to straighten her stance when a fist came hurtling toward the back of her head full tilt. For the second time that day she was face down on the ground, but for the first time in a long time she found herself completely unable to defend herself from Mario's wrath.

"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Mario yelled out, though Snatchelle couldn't hear him over her head being repeatedly punched deeper into the ground. "ARE YOU THAT MUCH OF A DISGUSTING RAT THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO MURDER CHILDREN!?" Mario hadn't noticed it, but Merlux had managed to get herself up in time to witness him unleash pure hatred into the bandit.

"Mister Mario, please stop!" Merlux cried out, but the man was too absorbed in his haze of rage to hear her. By then some of the SWAT unit had finally tracked Mario and Merlux down to find Snatchelle at the complete mercy of the plumber. The men were trained to kill, but even a few of them had to admit that Mario was far too excessive in his brutality.

"Mr. Mario, we need Snatchelle alive for this mission's completion!" the SWAT commander called out. "Desist or we may be forced to neutralize you!" Again he couldn't hear anyone, but Merlux wasn't going to let Mario kill anyone.

"Please, stop hurting her! You don't have to be like that mean turtle monster who beat you up!"

Theme:

It seemed that the little mage had finally gotten through to the man, stopping his fist-flurry at the sentence. The implications of her words had hit him harder than what Bowser had done to Luigi and Daisy, and he knew she was right in a sense. Just as Bowser had murdered his brother and friend in cold blood, here he was about to do the same to a complete stranger. It took him a minute but he had finally calmed himself down, sighing heavily from how things had escalated.

'God…What the Hell am I turning into?' Mario didn't want to, but he turned to look Merlux in her eyes to see just how badly he had scared her: as expected she was crying but didn't look the least bit fearful, rather pleading that he didn't destroy himself like this. Feeling that he had finally gotten the bandit down Mario simply trudged over to Merlux, pulling her into a deep hug that was immediately reciprocated. "I am so, so sorry about that kid. I was just so mad that she was trying to hurt you bad, it just…reminded me too much of what Bowser did to Luigi and Daisy…Thank you so much for saving me from turning into that kind of monster. I hope you don't hate me too much."

"I-I don't hate you…" Merlux assured. "I don't w-want to see you so mad a-and hurt people like that again. Can you promise me not to…do that again? Pretty please?"

"You don't even have to ask kiddo. I promise." Mario had to think how if it was anyone else who had seen him, they'd have thought he lost his mind, feeling immensely grateful that his friends weren't there to see what he had almost become. Maybe it was because Merlux was an innocent child, but she didn't show any sign of recoiling from him despite how horrible his beat down of Snatchelle was. She didn't think that the bandit deserved it but she still held Mario in high esteem whereas many others would have seen him in a different light.

'Everyone has a bad day, and this is one of them,' Mario recalled from earlier, reminding himself that he was simply not having a good day. A certain someone was about to make it much worse for him; distracted with Hugging Merlux tight to him, Mario didn't see Snatchelle rise to her feet, and he wouldn't be able to move out of the way when she fired her diamond duster at him with the switchblade out. Merlux could feel a small splatter of blood on her forehead from Mario spitting up a little, doing the same when she felt the blade pierce her stomach. She tried reaching for her staff but couldn't find enough strength in her to use it, slowly slipping out of consciousness. The SWAT commander finally snapped out of his daze and took out his stun gun, aiming the weapon at a very much pissed-off Snatchelle and gave her a severe voltage to force her off of the pair. While Snatchelle had collapsed, the other members of the SWAT team had surrounded Mario and Merlux, pulling out bandages and medicines to treat the pair with.

"Mister Mario and his assistant, we will ask you to stay with us for as long as you can," one of the SWAT units commanded. The commander meanwhile had somehow finally gotten Snatchelle bound in chains; he didn't know how long they would last while the bandit still had her mechanical arm, but with her out cold from the shock he could afford some more time until they reached the President.

"Mr. President Sir, do you copy?" the commander spoke through his wrist-communication device. "The outlaw Snatchelle has finally been apprehended."

"Whazzat?" The President responded back, apparently distracted with some women in the room. "You caught that no-good vixen? Well what're you doing standing there for? Get your asses back to my office pronto!" The commander could hear what sounded like the President shooing some people out and cut the communication. Slinging Snatchelle over his shoulder and with Mario and merlux able to stand, the commander was ready to lead everyone back to the President.

"The mission was a success due in no small part to Mr. Mario and his assistant. With Snatchelle out of the streets we can finally return to the outer-ring safely and re-establish prior operations."

"That's…good to hear…" Mario said, too drained to manage an upbeat tone. "Hey…would you mind if we…took a sneak peek in Snatchelle's bag? She stole somethin' from us and—"

"Apologies, but we must first get to the President first. He will reward you and allow you to leave with your belongings."

"Alright then…lead the way…"

"I can't believe it," the President exclaimed in shock. "You actually managed to take her down like nothing, a feat I'm sure is to impress with the rest of the city."

"Thanks," Mario said. "Now, I'd really hate to rush you Mr. President, but—"

"I know, I know, but first, a toast to the Mushroom Kingdom's finest heroes! Now, if you would be so kind, could I have you stand right under the paining on the ceiling for a quick moment?"

"Uh, sure, I guess?" Mario and Merlux did what they were asked, finding themselves a fair distance away from the President. Before they could ask what was going on, the President spoke again.

"I'm real sorry about this," the President said, "but I'm afraid we ain't got much to repay you with. I just have this one little thing and I do hope you graciously accept it."

"Uh…okay?" Mario didn't understand what was going on, shifting from his spot in confusion and impatience. Then he felt something off; he tested the floor he was standing on and felt that it was different from when he was standing right in front of the President's desk.

"It was real nice of you to help us out take down that bandit," the President spoke. "You may be wondering where we took her and the rest of the hooligans you helped take down earlier. Well, you're about to find out." Mario had this awful feeling he knew what would happen next but didn't react fast enough; the floor beneath him had given way to a trap door, nearly sending him and Merlux plummeting below, With one hand he held on to the frightened child and with the other he clung to the edge.

"Hey, what gives?!" Mario asked. "We didn't come out here to rope Snatchelle up for you to be paid back like this!"

"I know," the President chuckled. "It was real convenient of you to come along today, now I can kill two birds with one stone; the last person stopping me from tearing down the outer-ring is locked up real tight, and the one person stopping me from taking over this mudball will be outta the picture too."

"Are you serious?!" Mario already hated the guy but now he was so ready to tear him a new one. "I can't believe you rotten people tricked us like this!"

"I can't believe it either. Oh well, I'll be sure to send the Princess my condolences in due time. I've got myself an Essence of the Goddess to collect."

"What…? How-how did you—" Mario found his grasp steadily slipping and the President walking up to him, still sporting the same polite look on his face.

"Some blue-mohawked mutant turtle kid came by a few weeks ago asking if I could get him that sparkly thing back for him, promising to hand me the Princess and the Mushroom Kingdom if I helped him out. Now, as entertaining as the other ladies are, I'm a man of high tastes, and you can't get any higher than Princess Toadstool herself. If your little kid there's lucky, she might just walk out of imprisonment and come to work for me, and I'll make sure she properly learns how to treat a man."

"Larry!" the plumber said in realization. "I don't know why you think he's going to hand the Princess over, but you're setting yourself up a backstabbing, and that's if I don't get to you first!"

"You mean like how you set yourself up? I reckon I'm a tad smarter than that. Anyways, I don't think we'll be seeing each other again after this, so let me just thank you one more time for…lending a hand." His heel stomped down hard on Mario's hand holding on to the floor, causing him to let go and fall down the hole with Merlux.

"What's gonna happen to us?!" Merlux screamed. "I'm scared!"

"Hang on tight, don't let go, and close your eyes tight kid!" Mario instructed. The girl clung to him as hard as she could while he did the same, rotating their bodies so that if they hit solid ground he'd take the brunt of the fall. "We'll make it outta this alright?! Just stay calm!" Mario, if he was being honest with himself, didn't know how they'd get themselves out of the mess they had gotten into, but he had to hold on to hope. He had made it through tough situations, and if it killed him then he would make it out of this one too for everyone's sakes. Eventually he hit the ground, almost blacking out instantly from the impact. The last thing he heard was Merlux crying out to him to wake up and not leave her alone; try as he might he couldn't do it, slipping out of consciousness more and more until everything faded away.