Hello once again! Sorry about the long wait again, but you know by now that me and schedules just don't go together. But it's also because my life s kinda hectic right now, but I'll explain at the end. In the meantime, enjoy the revised chapter 5!

Chapter 5: Meet Mallow, the Fluffy Frog

The dirt path underneath the feet of the Eds and Mario slowly began to disappear as it was replaced with a path of stone. Mario smiled as the Toad Town buildings that once seemed far away now towered over them from a close distance.

"Eds," Mario said, gaining the attention of the three. "Welcome to Toad Town."

The Eds then looked in front of them at the town. The castle was a short distance away from them. A sign in the shape of a mushroom was next to the group on their right that read, 'Toad Town'. Also to their right was a building that seemed to be a shop. A few toad children on their left were running about and playing tag as their parents watched.

"Wow!" Ed said with a grin on his face. "This is so cool!"

Double D nodded in agreement. "This is certainly much different then what we are accustomed to on our world," he said.

Eddy looked around him with a touch less enthusiasm. "The buildings around look kinda old," he said eyeing one of the houses nearby. They were built with a dark brick and had large wooden doors.

"This is an older section of Toad Town. It's been around here a long time," Mario said, then pointed to a path in front of them that was blocked off. "They're doing construction over there. They should be done in about a year or so."

"How long is 'a long time', Mario?" Double D asked.

Mario shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. The princess has mentioned it once or twice, but I can't remember off the top of my head. I never was that great at history."

"I'm really good at history!" Ed said with a hand raised in the air.

"Really?"

Ed nodded happily. "Yeah! Canada was formed by the moose people from the planet Antarctica flying in on the land in their high tech space ships. They had to escape the evil penguins and their polar bear masters!" The others all simply stared at Ed as his explanation concluded.

"Canadians, man. They're weird," Eddy said in a completely serious tone.

"Well," Mario said deciding to change the topic, "regardless of your opinions on Canada, we should probably get to the castle."

"Race ya, Eddy!" Ed said. Without wasting a second, he took off toward the castle in a fast sprint.

Eddy quickly gave chase. "Not fair!" he said. Mario and Double D watched as the two ran ahead and dashed toward the large castle.

Mario couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "We'd better follow them." he said, then began walking towards the castle with Double D. As Double D looked around, he saw many people that looked similar to Toad. There were some variations. Some were taller, some were younger, and many had different colored spots on their mushroom cap. Some of the younger Toads were staring at the two, likely looking directly Mario, in complete awe. Noticing this, Mario looked at the group of children and gave a small wave. All the faces in the group lit up with happiness, then began shouting excitedly at one another about things that Double D could not properly hear.

Outside of the castles front doors, there were two Toad guards, both of which saluted at Mario as he came into view on the stairs. In front of the door was Ed and Eddy, the latter of which was breathing heavily. Eddy was sending a scowl in Ed's direction. He opened his mouth to speak up.

"Welcome, Mario and Co.," the first guard said. Eddy let out a growl and folded his arms.

"The Chancellor is waiting for you inside," the second guard said. Mario gave a nod to them both, then opened the large wooden doors.

Mushroom Castle was not nearly as large as Bowser's Keep, but it had a much nicer and more pleasant feel to it. The floors of the castle were blue in color, and paths leading to the doors scattered throughout the room were covered by a long red carpet.

Toad was standing a small ways away from the door, pacing back and forth, muttering to himself with a worried expression on his face. He looked over at the door, seeming slightly surprised to see Mario and the Eds. "You've arrived!" he said. "I'll inform the Chancellor at once!" He sped off towards the doors at the end of the hall.

Eddy looked around the castle as they walked with a grin on his face. "Two castles in one day. We're moving up in the world!" he said with a joking tone. Ed looked up at the ceiling. Eddy shook his head with a irritated look. "Not what I meant this time, big guy."

The group continued forward until they reached a room with five more guards. Behind the guards were large windows that let large amounts of light into the room. There was a Toad at the end of the room that was taller than average, and had green spots on his cap. Toad scooted to a halt in front of him as Mario and the Eds entered. "Sir! Mario and his friends have arrived!" Toad then ran over to an empty spot on the left.

The Chancellor nodded at the group. "Mario, it is good to see you and your friends again," he said, but then tilted his head. "Actually, now that I think about it, I don't believe I've met your friends. Who might you three be?"

"Hello, sir. My name is Eddward, but most everyone calls me Double D," he said.

"I am Ed! Master of Canadians!" he said. The Chancellor and the guards all gave him an unsure expression at his introduction.

Eddy snickered a bit, then said, "Don't mind big Ed here. We've been trying to figure him out for years. Name's Eddy, by the way."

The Chancellor then nodded at the three. "Well, any friend of Mario is a friend we can trust," he said, then frowned. "However, onto more pressing concerns. We heard an explosion, or something like one, over at Bowser's Keep. It was so loud, I nearly dropped my spores!"

Eddy frowned upon hearing this, thinking about it. I have no idea what those are, and I know I never wanna find out.

The Chancellor looked around the room in confusion. "Er, where is the princess? She departed for your house hours ago."

"Um...about that," Mario said, rubbing the back of his neck.

The Chancellor became alarmed at this statement. "I fear the worst! Could Bowser somehow be behind this?"

Mario nodded. "Yes. I can explain, but doing so through action has always been easier for me." He began flailing his arms above his ahead as he pretended to be the princess as she called out for help. The Eds could only stare in response to this action.

As Mario then began to act like Bowser as he kidnapped the princess, Eddy looked at one of the Toads and asked, "Has this guy lost it or something?"

The Toad shook his head, "Mario's always preferred explaining through actions rather than words," the guard said, smiling. "In fact, most of us believed he was mute for awhile."

The Chancellor gasped. "Spores alive!" he said, catching the attentions of the Eds once more. "You mean to tell me that Bowser has kidnapped the princess again!?" He then let out a frustrated sigh as Mario confirmed this with a nod of his head. "No matter. It will be up to you to enter the keep and rescue Princess Toadstool." At this, Mario shook his head. Taking a familiar fighting stance, Mario then swung at the air in front of him to mimic the fight with Bowser. After the Koopa Kings defeat, Mario then reenacted the moment in which he nearly saved the princess, but was then flung out. The act ended as Mario returned to the keep, only to then find it impossible to get in. "The keep is unassailable!?" The Chancellor then paced back and forth, unsure of what to do next. He sighed, then turned his head to them. "Mario, Eds, her life is in your hands. Please save our dear princess."

Ed looked around with a confused expression. "It is? I don't see it," he said, which Eddy rolled his eyes.

Mario and the others turned as they prepared to leave. "Wait!" The Chancellor pulled a map out of his pocket and handed it to Mario. "It may not help you, but take this."

Mario took the map and smiled gratefully at him. "I'm sure it'll be a big help," he said. "Thanks." He and the Eds all turned to leave once more. They reached the stairs, only for the Chancellor to once again call out to them. Taken by surprise, Mario lost his footing and desperately tried to regain his balance. It was a vain attempt, as Mario went tumbling down the stairs, bringing the Eds down with him. They all moaned in pain.

Eddy growled as his voice was heard. "Aw, come on!" he said.

The Chancellor grimaced at the sight. "Forgive me," he said, "but I can't stop worrying about the princess. Go to the cellar and prepare for your journey. The vault guard shall assist you." Everyone quickly scurried out of the room before they could be interrupted again.

"Geez, that could that old guy talk for any longer?"

"He's just worried, Eddy," Mario said. "You would be too if someone close to you was missing."

"Mario," Double D said, "you wouldn't happen to know where the cellar is, would you? I don't believe the Chancellor mentioned where it was located."

Mario nodded. "I know this place like the back of my hand."

"But you wear gloves," Ed said. Mario merely chuckled as he motioned for the Eds to follow him.

They entered the doors to their left, which led them to a hall with two more rooms at its end. One of the doors was being guarded by another Toad. "Mario! The Chancellor has filled me in! Let me show you around," the guard said, then turned and unlocked the cellar doors. Inside the cellar were three more floating chests, a sight which Eddy beamed at.

"Sweet!" Eddy said, then rushed over to the chest on his right. He jumped up to give it a quick hit and grinned as a large coin fell out. As he picked it up, he noted the larger size of it, then recalled what Mario had told him earlier. He eagerly stuffed the coin into his pocket.

Ed ran toward the chest in the middle. Double D cringed as he watched Ed hit the chest with his head, silently thanking the fact that Ed was still wearing the helmet he had taken from the Hammer Bros. fight. Inside the chest was another flower. Ed attempted to eat it, but when it became crushed an orange wisp shot out and went inside Mario.

Double D then made his way to the last remaining chest. He hopped up and lightly hit the block with the palm of his hand. A mushroom popped out, which he was prepared to catch. He was caught off guard when the mushroom instead vanished in a green glow. When the light faded, all of the groups injuries were healed.

"Some of the mushrooms in boxes are special," Mario said, seeing Double D's confused expression. "You don't get to keep them, but they'll heal you up when you find them."

The guard then motioned for them to follow him again as he led the four out of the room. "Good luck in finding the princess, you guys," he said. "I'm sure you'll do great!"

Mario nodded. "Thanks." The plumber looked at the Eds as they approached the castle's front door. "So, I was thinking that we should go hit the shop before we leave Toad Town. You three need something better to defend yourselves with."

"That sounds like a good plan, Mario," Double D agreed with a nod of his head. Mario pushed open the large doors, intent on going back to the entrance of the kingdom. What he saw though, he hadn't at all been expecting go see.

"Hey! Get back here!" an angry voice said. The group all looked to their left to see a purple reptile wearing a bright orange top hat sprinting away from where the voice had shouted. Lagging behind the crocodile, was a much shorter person eho seemed to be made of clouds. "Get back here!" The croc quickly hopped up onto a higher platform. The cloud tried to repeat the action, but barely went a few inches of the ground before he hit the wall. The crocodile laughed before zooming away. "Oh no! That reptile stole my Grandpa's coin!" The cloud had tears forming in its eyes. It began to sniffle. "I can't cry. Big boys don't cry, but it's just not fair! Wahhhh!" Just as he began crying, it started raining. The sudden rainstorm caused the many Toads walking around the street to all run for cover.

Having seen all of what happened, the group of four all looked at one another with slightly perplexed expressions. "What the heck just happened? And why is it raining?" Eddy asked.

"Summer rains. You can never-" Double D said, then noticed Eddy giving him a rather nasty glare. "Er, in any case, the rain seemed to have started when that person began crying. Perhaps we should try to console them?"

Mario said nothing as he walked ahead of the Eds. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked the cloud being.

"Huh?" the cloud said, seeing the four. "Oh g-gee, you guys are soaking wet, aren't you?"

"Gee, what gave that away?" Eddy muttered to himself sarcastically. Ignoring him, Mario nodded at the boy. The cloud wiped away his tears and the rain stopped instantly.

"I'm all right now. There's nothing like a good cry." He smiled. The group was able to get a better look at him now. He was very short, even more so than Eddy. He wore a pair of sky blue and white striped pants with a brown belt and dark gold buckle. A small amount of pink hair was on top of his head. He then had a confused expression on his face. "But...why was I crying in the first place...?" Everyone smacked their foreheads except for Ed. "There was some reason... My grandpa asked me to buy some things for him here. When I walked in, that croc stopped me!" He gasped. "Oh yeah! He stole my coin! I tried to chase him, but he's way too fast."

"Mario!" a Toad girl said. "Let's see how you're going to take care of Bowser!" Mario gave a smirk before he jumped into the air. The girl grinned as he landed. "Wow! He doesn't stand a chance!"

The cloud boy however, was completely shocked at the revelation. "Wow! You're THE Mario!? I know all about you! You've got more jump in you than a box of frogs!"

"Well, at least now you know my name. What's yours?" Mario asked.

"Oh, right. I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Mallow from Tadpole Pond. I'm a frog."

Double D gave him a strange look. "You're...a frog?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I can't jump. Embarrassing, huh?" Double D only responded by continuing to stare. "How about it, Mario? Will you help me catch that filthy thief?"

"Sure thing!" Mario answered.

"Great! Thanks so much!"

"Of course, Mallow. But do you mind if my friends and I buy some equipment real fast? After that, we'll help you track down the thief."

"Ok, sounds good to me!" Mario rose from where he had been and began leading them all to the shop. "By the way, who are you three?"

"My name is Eddward, but almost everyone calls me Double D," he said.

"My name's Ed!" he said.

"I'm Eddy," he said.

"Really? You all have the same name? That's weird!" Mallow said, laughing. "But it's nice to meet you three."

The shopkeeper looked up from his when the door opened. His eyes almost instantly fell onto Mallow. "Mallow! What kept you? I was starting to worry," the shopkeeper said. He began to rummage for a few items under the bench.

"Well, you see..."

"Yes, yes I know-"

"The coin was kinda stolen."

The shopkeeper stopped to look up at him. "Stolen? Then I'm afraid we can't trade."

"Yeah, but Mario and his friends are helping me out!" Mallow pointed at them.

"Ah, I see. In that case, that coin will be back with you before you know it!" The shopkeeper smiled before turning his attention towards Mario and the Eds. "Now, how can I help you all today?"

"We're just looking for some better equipment is all," Mario replied.

The shopkeeper nodded at him before pulling out some items. "Yes, yes, of course you are. Please, you and your friends can take your time!"

Double D saw something that caught his eye. It was a small silver wand with a blue jewel on the top. "Excuse me, sir, but what is that?" he asked.

"That is a staff that lets the wielder use powerful magic. I suppose if you're desperate though, you could just whack someone with it,"

"I suppose I'll take then, along with a backpack if you have one." Double D paid the amount the two items cost and picked them up.

Eddy looked down at the items scattered on the counter with little interest. Nothing was catching his eye until he noticed a wooden slingshot sitting near him. Next to it was a red cape that also interested him. "How much for these two things?" he asked.

"10 Coins," the shopkeeper replied. Eddy pulled the large coin he received earlier and reluctantly handed it to him.

"Eddy looks like a superhero!" Ed said as Eddy clasped on his cape. Grinning, Eddy place his hands on his hips and stuck a confident pose, earning laughter from everyone in the room.

Mario himself picked up a pair of new shoes and paid the amount for them. "I've been meaning to get these for a while now. I've just been forgetting," he said to the Eds as he pulled the new shoes on. He nodded at the shopkeeper. "Thanks for the gear. I'm sure it'll be-" The sound of yelling came from outside. He and the others rushed out of the shop to see what was going on.

One of the Toad guards was hopping frantically and yelling for someone to come back. "Mario!" he said. "I have something to report, sir! I saw him! He's here somewhere! He just zoomed past me a few seconds ago! Did you see him?"

"It'd help if you told us who he is," Eddy said, frowning.

"Did he look something...like... this?" Mallow asked as he looked at Ed. Ed spun around for a few seconds before he looked almost identical to the reptile from earlier.

"Why, yes! Exactly!" the guard replied.

"He's the one who took my coin!" Mallow gritted and narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you stop him!?"

"Because I forgot my bazooka at home! Sheesh... Give me a break, here!" The five fell down from the guard's reason.

"Stop! Thief!" a Toad from behind them said as they all looked over. The purple crocodile was running much quicker than the Toads trying to chase after him.

The thief laughed. "Youse mugs'll never catch me!" he said. "A snail could outrun you morons! Later!" He ran past all five, causing them to become dizzy. Mario was the slowest to recover from it.

"That's him!" Mallow said. "Hurry, Mario, let's get him!" He stomped the ground to snap Mario out of his daze.

"It looks like he's heading east of here," Double D said.

"It makes sense. That's where Bandit's Way is," Mario said.

"Hurry! Before he gets away!" Mallow said. The five took off in the direction of the crocodile.

So, I'm moving in a few weeks. Yes, again, I know, but it's not my choice. But it'll be easier this time. We're moving back to where we had lived before coming here. Still, life's kinda hectic right now.

I have to take my finals a week early so we can leave quickly. I'm hoping to get all these done before spring of 2016, but I make no promises. I'll see you guys next time.

REMINDER: ALL CHAPTERS BEYOND THIS POINT HAVE YET TO BE REVISED.