"No, Toad… I d-don't... see… we c-couldn't…" Toadsworth stuttered in his office as Toad demanded to hear the status of the championship race. It seemed as if the whole world was speechless after the time bomb dropped.

"D-didn't you hear… the whole world…"

"I don't care about that! Why cancel the race? What good would that do for anyone?"

"Mr. Toad, sir, we c-couldn't. The race i-is a huge event, not j-just a small c-competition."

"And your point is?"

"The answer i-is no. We c-can't."

Toad and Toadsworth argued for nearly an hour, but Toad couldn't convince him. The world was coming to an end, and the race was canceled.

During the days that followed, the whole world seemed to tremble before the menacing time bomb, which grew bigger as the timer counted down.

The factories and offices were abandoned. No one could speak to another without bursting into tears. All activities and events were canceled and considered pointless. The world's last ten days were filled with moments of chaos, uncertainty, and fear.

Even Toad eventually succumbed to this disease of fear. He sat in his house, shaking uncontrollably, and waiting for the inevitable.

And Mario was still nowhere to be found. The world had fallen weak, and all the people waited as their daily life came to a standstill.


On the final day of life on Earth, Toad finally left his house. The time bomb was visible from every point on the planet. Toad got into his kart, and drove straight to Yoshi Falls. Attempts had been made to ferry people out into space, but these attempts were rushed, and they failed. The streets were empty and silent, and no human life could be found. Toad arrived in Yoshi Falls a few minutes later.

Toad parked his kart on the side of the road next to the finish line, and got out of his kart. He stood for a few moments, and then walked around the race track he knew so well. Every spot around him was nearly in complete darkness, shadowed by the enormous time bomb.

Before Toad could walk to the first turn, he fell to his knees.

"Why does this have to happen? Mario, where are you? Somebody, anybody, SAVE US!"

Lightning struck above Toad. He looked up and saw dark clouds swirling all around him, like a whirlpool. From this swirl of clouds descended Count Bleck, appearing for the first time since the day the time bomb dropped.

"Mario has been here, you fool, and even he gave up! Just like the rest of this pathetic world!" Count Bleck laughed insanely as Toad jumped to his feet.

"How could you do this? Don't you know you'll be dead, too? And where is Mario?"

"Oh, don't worry; it will all be worth it. I once gave my life to see this world fall, and my plans failed. But no one can stop me now!" Count Bleck cackled crazily. "And Mario was here. Yes, he was here alright. The weak little plumber tried to stop me, but I defeated him. He is now imprisoned, struggling to save his poor, defenseless people."

"Where is he?"

"Let me show you," Count Bleck laughed once again, and started to rise into the clouds.

Then, Toad started to rise, too. He was carried into the clouds, where everything was completely dark. He floated about for a few moments in the dark clouds. Suddenly, he fell. He wasn't falling fast, but he still couldn't see where he was going.

Toad eventually landed in a patch of grass, where light was shining. As he glanced around, he found himself in a small forest, enclosed and sealed by a wall of crystals. He looked around the trees, examining this strange place where he had fallen to.

And there, in the heart of the forest, sat Mario, tied to a tree, alarmed at the sight of Toad in front of him.