A/N: Hi again Readers! Sorry it took so long to update this story :( I just want to clarify a few things about the universe i'm writing this in: in my mind although they are twins Mario was born first which makes him the older brother. Secondly, Toadsworth is Peach's stepdad. Okay, anyways enjoy and R&R if you can!

Disclaimer: I am not Shigeru Miyamoto, nor do I ever want to randomly dress up and pretend to be him just so I can get a bunch of money for this story.

Toad was the first to notice that the Mario Brothers were missing.

He had waited all day at home for Luigi to come knocking on his door at 1am, as he usually did. Strangely, the tall green man did not come, and this greatly pissed Toad off. When he still hadn't come by 3 in the afternoon the irritated fungus had had enough; he left the comfort of his couch and headed straight for the Mario residence, carrying as carefully as he could, using his ridiculously small arms, the usual eight pack of Coronas beer.

However, it was to the tiny man's horror that he arrived to see the cottage lying in tatters. It was quite clear that someone had broken in. Almost all of the windows had been smashed; the garden looked as if someone had purposely destroyed it; the delicate little flowers Daisy had planted on the windowsill for Luigi's birthday had been ripped out from the root.

Even more alarming, there was no sign of either plumber within the wreckage.

Toad let the beer fall onto the ground in front of him and smash, the broken glass scattering over what was left of the brother's front porch as he turned and bolted back to the town, heading as fast as he could to Peach's castle.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Princess Peach Toadstool, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, was standing in her throne room surrounded by her Toad attendants, eyeing her guardian and mentor Toadsworth with annoyance. She was decked out in her "fanciest and most royal" attire; a bulging, billowing ball gown coloured in a revolting shade of pink and decked with about a thousand individual pearls which threatened to weigh her down onto the floor. She wore her white gloves on her hands, and her sparkling crown lay delicately on top of her heavily styled and permed blonde hair. She looked the perfect fairy tale princess; that is at least, to anyone but herself.

"Your Highness, please. Give these honourable men a chance."

She tried to hide the disgusted frown that she could feel forming on her child like face, which she knew from quickly glancing in the mirror that morning was also manicured and painted to perfection. She slowly scrutinised the day's line-up of young available bachelors from many different kingdoms seeking her hand, and let out an inaudible groan. Why Toadsworth wanted her to get married so badly was a mystery to her; if anything she didn't want to spend her life wearing stupid dresses and trying to impress some stuck up idiot who only wanted a new accessory to add to his collection. The bright shades of greens and yellows all of her suitors wore made her want to throw up, but as her loving stepfather had taught her, she stood stock still and didn't let her revulsion ruin her pretty features. She smiled politely as her first prince of the day stepped up to the play.

She saw him nervously whisper to Toadsworth, and in full regal etiquette the old man rose to attention and loudly announced the man's presence.

"Presenting himself to our royal Highness, Prince Peasely!"

"Oh no," thought Peach, "Not again."

Prince Peasley, heir to the infamous Beanbean Kingdom, had sought out the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom countless times already, and it didn't look like he was going to stop now. However, to be honest, who the hell's attracted to a scrawny, nose less, green faced freak with hair almost reaching his shoulders? Certainly not Peach, and she knew that if she accepted his offer she would still never be.

The Prince gave her what she supposed was meant to be a cheeky grin, but it ended up slightly overdone and made him look like a freakish clone of King Wart.

"Hi!" he chirped cheerfully.

The Princess smiled sympathetically. "Look, Peasley, you're a really nice guy, but I just don't feel that way about you."

"Are you sure, my dear?" Peach growled under her breath as Toadsworth decided to butt into their conversation, once again trying to land his step daughter with an engagement, "Peasley comes from a very rich and influential family…"

"Look, I'm sure." These words came out a lot more coldly than she thought they would, causing her guardian to tut disapprovingly and her suitor to turn away, wearing a rather downcast look on his face. It always hurt when she had to reject someone like that, but Peach knew in her heart that the one thing she would never do was marry somebody she didn't love. Which was a shame since the only man she ever did love was always too preoccupied with rescuing her from Bowser to notice her feelings.

Toadsworth picked up his checklist from where he had deposited it on the Princesses' throne and flicked over the list, ignoring his ward's apologetic gaze as he once again began to read out the list of bachelors he had written down for her.

"In that case," he said stiffly, "Our next suitor is…"

"Stop! Hold everything! Mayday! Mayday!"

Both Toadsworth and the Princess jumped backwards in surprise as a muddy and ragged Toad burst unceremoniously into the throne room, gasping rapidly and panting for breath. He staggered towards them, clutching his chest as if his heart was going to burst out of it at any second. He had to bring himself to wait for a few seconds, before finally he was able to speak.

"Went looking for Luigi –gasp! - found the house destroyed –gasp! – long story short the Mario brothers have disappeared!"

Almost everyone in the room stared at Toad in horror, and then started panicking instantly. The Toad attendants began frantically running around and screaming, all of the Princesses' suitors (including Peasley) suddenly muttered thanks and high tailed it out of the castle, and in less than a minute the entire castle was in chaos.

"Silence!"

Everyone in the throne room stopped and turned to look at a now bright red and smoking mad Toadsworth, who had just wrenched a Dictaphone from the hands of a passing Toadette and yelled feverously into it. An awkward silence followed as a bedraggled Peach had a chance to get up off of the floor where she had been pushed over by the frightened mob, her own eyes wide with fear. Was it possible that Mario had gone? It had seemed impossible only this morning that the red plumber could ever leave the people of the Mushroom Kingdom in such a vulnerable state, but now she had no way of doubting the fact that he had. What had happened to him?

Being preoccupied with her thoughts, she let Toadsworth take charge as he began to speak again.

"Now then, that's much better. Even if what this here little 'un says is true…" Toad gave the restless audience an annoyed grimace at being called small, but this seemed to go unnoticed by the speaker himself, "What's the worst that's going to happen? It's not as if Bowser's gonna crash through the roof right this second."

Much to Toadsworth's disbelief right that second Bowser Koopa crashed through the roof in his ClownKopter, sending the residents of the castle into utter panic, again. He jumped out of the vehicle, creating a vibration that knocked many unfortunate attendants off their feet, and roared loudly. The remaining citizens tried unsuccessfully to leave the throne room by the main doors, pushing and shoving everyone else in their way as they did so. It was in this inferno that the Princess, due to the fancy posh heels that she had been forced to wear being entirely unsuitable for running in, tripped up and fell right into the gargantuan turtle's scaly arms.

Peach swore under her breath for what felt like the umpteenth time that morning. She felt the King of the Dark Lands lift her off her feet by the hem of her dress, his horrible laugh echoing through her ears. He dumped her roughly into the ClownKopter before taking off and flying through the stained glass window, travelling speedily away from the palace.

Peach collapsed onto the cold floor beneath her and sighed. This was really beginning to feel like a bad day.