Toad ran through the town, looking into the windows of the buildings, hoping to find somebody, before he remembered Phyllis and Franky told him that Koopa made them all slaves. He would have tried to go free them, but he didn't have a way to do that.
"Maybe I should just run to the next town," he said, running towards the woods behind the governor's mansion. "I don't know how long that's going to take, but it's better than standing here doing nothing! And potentially getting caught by Koopa Stoopa and his equally Stoopa Troopas!"
Toad ran down the path where he and the others first met Phyllis and Franky, not paying any attention to anything, except finding someone to help him, and his friends. He suddenly stopped when he heard rustling in the bushes.
"Huh?" he asked, looking around. "What's that?"
The rustling continued. Toad began to get nervous. Anything could have been hiding in the bushes.
"O-o-o-k-k-kay . . . ." he said, trying to sound tough. "I know you're in there! Come out if you know what's good for ya!"
All that Toad heard was the rustling. Finally, something white jumped out at him, and tackled him to the ground.
"Aaaahhhh!" he shouted. "A Flurry! Get off of me!"
The Flurry (or what Toad thought was a Flurry) didn't get off. As a matter of fact, it started licking Toad in the face.
"Ew! Yuck!" he shouted. "Help! This Flurry's . . . . licking me? Wait a minute! Flurries don't lick! Come to think of it, Flurries are only found in places where it's really, really cold! This ain't no Flurry!"
Toad looked, and indeed, the creature that tackled him was not a Flurry. It was Puffball. But Toad was not happy to see her.
"Get offa me, fuzz face!" he shouted, pushing the cat off him. "And don't ever lick me like that again! I don't know where that tongue has been, and I don't even think I want to know! Yuck!"
"Meow!" Puffball shouted. She began pawing at Toad, but he pushed her away again.
"Knock it off!" he shouted. "I'm supposed to get help! You ran away, like a scaredy cat, so you're no help at all! Now get outta my way!"
Puffball meowed again, and grabbed Toad's vest in her mouth. She tried to get him to follow her, but the little mushroom refused.
"Hey, quit it!" he shouted, pulling his vest out of Puffball's mouth. "You're gonna get teethmarks in my vest, you overgrown hairball! Why dontcha go chase a mouse, or do something useful for a change? Stupid cat."
Puffball growled, pounced, grabbed Toad by the back collar of his vest, picked him up, and began running back toward Portobello Port with him.
"Hey! Put me down!" he shouted, squirming. "I mean it! Put me down, you big, fluffy snowball! I knew you were working for Koopa! Why else would you be taking me back to town?! Let go! Help! I'm being cat-napped!"
Puffball ignored Toad's shouting. Once they reached Portobello Port, Puffball surveyed the area, and then darted to the mansion. The Koopa Troopas were changing the guards. Puffball waited for an opening, and then took it just as the first set of guards went inside the mansion, but before the next set could come out (and before someone could close the front gate, too). Immediately, she dove into the shrubbery next to the mansion, finally putting Toad down.
"Hey!" Toad shouted. Puffball covered the mushroom's mouth with her paw.
"Meow!" she scolded.
Before Toad could say anything more, Koopa walked out of the mansion, and headed for the backyard. Once more, Puffball picked up Toad by the back of his vest, and followed the giant reptile.
"Hey, I have feet, ya know!" Toad hissed, so Koopa wouldn't hear him. Puffball ignored him.
The cat quietly crept behind the mansion, where Koopa had stopped. He was now watching several of his minions building some kind of strange wooden platform, twirling a set of keys on a ring around his finger.
"Hurry up!" he shouted. "I want this thing finished before sunrise!"
"We're doing the best we can, your meanness!" Mouser shouted.
"Apparently, your best is not good enough! Put some muscle into it!"
"Yes, sir. But you have to understand, Rome wasn't built in a day."
"I didn't ask you to build Rome, you revolting rodent! I asked you to build a gallows! I want those pesky plumbers executed at dawn! And I want to make sure Princess Toadstool and Blondie are watching. If she was upset because we made them all think she was on our side, wait until we string up Luigi! And he and Mario will think she arranged it! I can't believe they'd be so stupid as to believe she's working for me! One of my best lies yet, and those drips fell for it!"
"And what about Blondie's bratty brother?"
"Let him rot in the jail for now. I may need him later. Now stop yakking and keep working! Speed it up!"
"Yes, oh mighty impatient one!"
As the Koopa Pack began working double time, Koopa went back inside the mansion. Puffball pressed herself against the wall, so she and Toad wouldn't be seen. Once Koopa was out of sight, Puffball finally put Toad down.
"I can't believe it," he said. "They're gonna hang Mario and Luigi! And Phyllis isn't on his side after all, and neither are you. I'm sorry, Puffball. Do you forgive me?"
"Hmmm . . . ." Puffball said, pretending to think it over. Then she smiled, and began to lick Toad's face with her rough, pink tongue.
"Okay, okay!" he shouted, pushing the cat away from him. "You forgive me! Cut it out already! Ugh, cat slobber! Yecchhhh! Come on! We've got to get the keys before Stoopa Koopa's stooges finishes the gallows!"
"Meow!" Puffball agreed, and she led Toad to the back door of the mansion. The door was locked, and there was no way to get inside.
"Looks like we're too late to sneak inside," Toad said. "How do we get in now?"
"Meow," Puffball said, and she pushed a panel on the bottom corner of the door with her paw. It swung open.
"Hey, a pet door!" Toad shouted. "Great!"
Puffball stood back. She had a feeling it would be better to let Toad go in first, and her instinct was right. Because he was a bit on the round, chubby side, Toad got stuck halfway through the door. He grunted and groaned, as he tried to pull himself through, but to no avail.
"Hey, Puffball!" he called. "Give me a hand . . . . errr, paw! I'm stuck."
"Me-yeesh," Puffball grumbled. She pretended to roll up her sleeves, and started pushing Toad's bottom as hard as she could, but that didn't work.
"Better try something else, Puff," Toad said. "And better hurry!"
Puffball contemplated the problem, and then snapped her "fingers." She crawled off the back porch, and went as far as the back gate. Then she crouched down, wiggled her rump, and ran straight for Toad, giving him a head butt in his bottom hard enough to push him through the pet door. Unfortunately, her calculations were a bit off, and she wound up butting Toad too hard, so not only did he get through the pet door, but he also sailed across the room.
"Whoooaaaaa!" Toad cried as he flew, and crashed right into the wall.
WHAM!
"Meeee-yowww," Puffball groaned, smacking her paw over her eyes. Then she crawled through the door herself, and walked over to Toad, nudging him with her nose.
"Thanks," Toad said, sarcastically. "I didn't need that! Now come on! We've got to find Koopa and get the keys!"
Puffball meowed in agreement, and motioned for Toad to follow her. Toad nodded, and the two of them ran toward the mansion's staircase. Puffball led the way to the governor's bedroom, where Koopa was sleeping soundly, and snoring loudly.
"Boy, he's really sawing logs, isn't he?" Toad asked, covering his ears.
"Me-yeah!" Puffball agreed, covering her own ears. The snoring was practically deafening. Then she tapped Toad's shoulder with her paw, and pointed to Koopa's hand. Clenched in his fist was the key ring.
Toad ran over, grabbed the key ring, and tried to pull it out of Koopa's grip, but the royal reptile's grip was too tight.
"Great," he groaned. "What do we do now?"
"Meow!" Puffball cried. She jumped onto Koopa's stomach, taking great care not to wake him up. Then she waved her tail along Koopa's snout. Koopa began giggling a little, loosening his grip on the keys. Toad immediately grabbed them, and pulled, but he still couldn't wrench them from Koopa's grip.
"Great idea, Puffball," he said. "He's sure to let go of these if you keep tickling him! Way to go, kitty dude!"
"Meow!" Puffball shouted, sounding offended. She gave Toad an annoyed look.
"Oh, sorry," Toad said, realizing his mistake. "I meant kitty dudette."
Puffball nodded, and continued to wave her tail along Koopa's nose, hopefully tickling it enough so he'd let go of the keys. Toad grabbed the ring and held onto it, so it wouldn't fall to the floor once Koopa let go. He didn't want the noise to wake Koopa up. Unfortunately, their plan was about to blow up.
"Aaahhhh . . . . . aaaahhhhhh . . . ." Koopa said, building up a sneeze.
"Uh oh . . . ." Toad said. "He's gonna blow!"
"Meow!" Puffball shouted, and she jumped off Koopa just in time.
"Aahhh-chooo!" Koopa sneezed, ultimately letting go of his key ring. Unfortunately, he also woke up.
"What the . . . ." he said, looking around the room. Then he spotted Puffball and Toad sitting on the floor, holding his keyring. Both of them gave Koopa big, toothy grins.
"Heh, heh, heh," Toad said, nervously. "Would you believe we're part of a dream?"
"No," Koopa said. "Would you believe I'm gonna make your lives a nightmare?"
"Let's get outta here!" Toad shouted, grabbing the keys, and racing out of the room as fast as he could.
"Me-yeah!" Puffball agreed, and shot out after Toad.
"Come back here, you little runts!" Koopa shouted, and he began chasing after the two heroes.
Toad and Puffball ran down the hall to the stairs with Koopa hot on their heels. They jumped onto the banister and slid down.
"Toaderonimo!" Toad called out.
"Meow!" Puffball cried (because she couldn't yell out "Geronimo" in English).
"You're not out of the woods yet, fungus face!" Koopa shouted. "I can pull that trick off, too!"
With that, Koopa climbed onto the banister, and began sliding down after Toad and Puffball. About halfway down, however, Koopa lost his balance, fell off the banister, and tumbled down the rest of the stairs. Toad and Puffball, who made it to the bottom of the stairs without any trouble, watched, and cringed. When Koopa landed at the bottom of the stairs, he was knocked unconscious, for the time being, anyway.
"Oooh, I'll bet he's gonna feel that tomorrow morning!" Toad shouted.
"Me-yeeesh!" Puffball shouted, with a grimace.
Toad and Puffball then ran back up the stairs, taking advantage of Koopa's unconsciousness. They were going to get up to the attic first. They figured it would be easier to free the Princess and Phyllis first, rather than trying to sneak back into the mansion later. Of course, it was a pretty rough climb, since the attic was right above the third story of the mansion.
"Whew, that's a tough climb!" Toad shouted.
"Meow," Puffball agreed. Then she stood up on her hind legs, leaning against the door. Then she looked at Toad, expectantly.
"Oh yeah," Toad said. He took the key ring, and then climbed onto Puffball's shoulders, because neither of them were tall enough to reach the keyhole.
It took a couple of tries, but Toad finally found the correct key to the attic door, and unlocked it. When Princess Toadstool and Phyllis heard the lock click, they began to get nervous, thinking it was Koopa, but were immediately relieved when they saw Toad and Puffball.
"Somebody order a rescue service?" Toad asked.
"Oh Toad!" the Princess shouted, giving the mushroom a hug. "I'm so glad to see you! You too, Puffball!"
"Where are the boys?" Phyllis asked, picking up Puffball, and giving her a well deserved cuddle.
"Still in the jailhouse," Toad said. "And we'd better hurry and get them out or else they're goners! Koopa's gonna have Mario and Luigi hanged at dawn!"
"Me-yeah!" Puffball shouted. Then she pretended to hold her neck in a noose, crossed her eyes, and stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth.
"Glaaakkkk!" she shouted.
"Oh no!" the Princess shouted.
"And that ain't the worst of it!" Toad continued. "Koopa's gonna tell 'em Phyllis arranged it all!"
"We've got to get out there fast!" Phyllis shouted.
"I don't know," the Princess said. "We still have to go down four flights of stairs. And it's almost dawn now!"
Suddenly, Puffball began meowing frantically, and pointing to the window. The Princess, Toad, and Phyllis ran to the other windows to look. There was Mouser and the Troopas wheeling Koopa's gallows toward the jailhouse, and Koopa was right behind him.
"Well, at least there's one thing in our favor," Toad said. "He won't be able to unlock the jail cell without the keys, and we've got 'em!"
"Guess again," Phyllis said, pointing. Toad looked, and saw that Koopa was twirling another key ring around one of his claws. He looked up at the attic, and gave the quartet an annoyingly smug smirk.
"So how was I to know he had a spare set?" Toad asked.
"We'll never be able to get down there in time," Phyllis said.
"Oh yes we will!" Toad shouted, and he ran down the attic stairs, with the others hot on his heels. Once he got to the third floor staircase, he hopped onto the banister.
"Going down!" he shouted, and began sliding. "Wheeeeee!"
"Meeeeooooooowwwwww!" Puffball called out, following Toad's lead. Phyllis and the Princess looked at each other, shrugged, climbed onto the banister, and began sliding down themselves after Toad and Puffball.
"This isn't very lady like," Phyllis said.
"No, but it sure is fun!" Toad shouted.
It didn't take long for the foursome to reach the ground floor by sliding down the banisters, but they still had to hurry. By the time they reached the jailhouse, Koopa had let Mario and Luigi out of the cell, and had his Troopas tie them up. Now they were being led to the gallows.
"You can't do this!" Franky shouted from the cell window. "Pop did away with hanging criminals years ago!"
"It's just been reinstated," Koopa said. "Your sister insisted on it!"
"She wouldn't do that!" Franky argued. "I know she wouldn't!"
"It's no use, kiddo," Luigi sighed. "I don't think there's any way out of this for any of us."
"Don't give up yet, Luigi!" Mario shouted. "Remember, Toad's still out there! He's sure to be back with help soon!"
"Forget it, Mario," Luigi said. "It's too late."
"It certainly is," Koopa said, with evil glee. "All right, tall, green, and ugly! You're first!"
Two Troopas marched Luigi up to the platform. Koopa slipped a noose over his head and around his neck, snickering as he did. Mario couldn't stand it. He tried to run up to the platform, but two Troopas held him back.
"No! Wait!" he shouted. "Please, Koopa, if you're gonna kill us, please let me be the first one to go! I don't want to see my little brother go before I do!"
"You shoulda thought of that before you butted into my business for the umpteen millionth time, Mario!" Koopa shouted. Then he turned to Luigi. "Any last words, pipe-squeak?"
"Yeah, actually," Luigi said. "In the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln, fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth . . . . ."
"Nice try, sewer scum!" Koopa interrupted.
"Well, ya can't blame a guy for trying," Luigi said, shrugging.
"Don't worry about a thing," Koopa said. "It'll all be over with quickly. Maybe."
Koopa chuckled evilly, and walked over to the lever which would open the trap door Luigi was standing on.