Author's Note: Another short and wimpy chapter, but the last episode for today!

Super Mario Sunshine Adventure

Episode 8: The Red Coins of the Lake

Sonic and Mario had arrived back at Bianco Square, but there was nobody around and it was currently in deep evening. So, the two guys decided to take a little stroll, hoping to run into everyone else. However, they found a place where they could smash boxes at…which was kind of strange. There was a male Pianta in there and he was the one in charge of everything.

"So what do we do here?" Sonic questioned the Pianta wonderingly.

"Break all of the crates within 30 seconds to win a prize," the Pianta responded with a large grin. "Want to give it a try or not? It's fun!"

Sonic and Mario both exchanged glances before mentally agreeing. "Sure, why not?"

"Okay. You've got 30 seconds…GO!"

Sonic used his insane speed to race around the whole room, crashing and breaking into any crates that came into his view. Before Mario could even move, Sonic had completed breaking all of the crates before 30 seconds even started counting down! Yes, he was THAT fast!

"H-Holy cow!" the Pianta dude exclaimed, completely flabbergasted and amazed by how fast Sonic finished breaking all of the crates. "The timer didn't even reach 29 seconds yet! Goodness!"

Sonic chuckled and struck a pose. "What can I say? I am the fastest thing alive," he boasted.

Mario rolled his eyes and then held out his hands for the prize. The Pianta guy noticed the plumber and then shrugged. "Oh yeah. Here's your prize," the guy pulled out a Shine Sprite and handed it to Mario.

"What?! You had a Shine Sprite this entire time?!" Mario howled.

"Yep."

Mario blinked a few times before putting the Shine Sprite away. "Okay. Well, you should've put the Shine Sprite back where you found it…"

"Yep."

"Come on, Mario. Let's skedaddle! I feel like we need to get back to Bianco Hills!" announced Sonic as he grabbed Mario's wrist.

Before Mario could even say anything, Sonic had dashed out of the place with Mario right behind him. They were at the Grand Pianta Statue in less than five seconds. Without any more talking or anything, the two males transferred themselves back to Bianco Hills.

When they got back, there was no trouble at all, but they found that there were Red Coins decorating the lake that was now clean thanks to them. Sonic stared at the lake, eyes looking ready to pop right out of his head. He sure as heck wasn't getting in there! No way!

"Come on, Sonic," commented Mario, tugging on the hedgehog's arm.

"No…"

"Come on, stop acting like a baby!"

"No."

"Let's go!"

"No."

"What is WRONG with you?! Let's just hurry up and get this over with! I'm hungry!"

"No!"

"Sonic-"

"NO!"

Mario yanked on Sonic's arm one last time before giving up. Grumbling something nasty under his breath, the red plumber removed himself from the hedgehog's side and approached the lake, hopping onto one of the floating lily pads in the water. After that, Mario used FLUDD to navigate around the lake, collecting all of the Red Coins that were hanging over the lake. It took a long time because Mario didn't have Sonic's assistance, but he got the job done, collecting all eight Red Coins and receiving a Shine Sprite in the end, which he took gladly.

Arriving back in Bianco Square, Mario was currently engaged in an argument with Sonic about why he didn't help and why he didn't help because he was afraid of water. However, their argument stopped shortly because Toadsworth came running towards them with a panicked expression decorating his features.

"M-M-Master Mario! Master Sonic! The p-p-princess! A-Amy! The babies!" Toadsworth looked ready to faint.

"Wait, what?!" Mario was starting to panic himself.

"Horrible! Horrible! Princess Peach has been kidnapped!" Purple Toad blurted out urgently, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Amy has also been kidnapped, and the babies too!"

That was when Sonic and Mario and everyone else on Delfino Plaza heard the emergency broadcast…

"D.E.B.S. ALERT…Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom has apparently been kidnapped…AGAIN. The suspect was last seen escaping to the west, with the princess and her friends in tow…"

"Oh no!" Sonic and Mario simultaneously burst out, eyes going wide. While they had been busy doing their own thing, the girls and the babies had been taken by that fiend! How could they have been so careless?!

Without saying anything more, the two males dashed off to the location the broadcast gave out. When they got there, they saw a motorboat machine with Shadow Mario standing on top of it. Peach, Amy, and the babies were standing behind him, looking a little frightened.

"Mario!" wailed Peach, scared.

"Peach!" Mario exclaimed.

"SONIC!" screamed Amy, holding tightly to the crying babies' hands.

Sonic stepped forward, growling. "Let them go!" he yelled at Shadow Mario.

An amused expression colored Shadow Mario's features and he stared at them for a very long moment, unafraid. Then, without any kind of warning whatsoever, he opened his mouth and pushed out a very, very long tongue that was just disgusting and just…TOO long!

Mario and Sonic both recoiled back, appalled by the fiend's actions. Next, Shadow Mario pulled his slimy tongue back into his mouth and then jumped backwards, landing on his awesome boat machine thingamajig. Peach, Amy, and the babies descended down into the thing and so did the imposter. Right after that, the speed boat took off at an alarming rate across the water, heading towards a giant amusement park in the distance. As this happened, a huge amount of water splashed viciously into Mario and Sonic, almost knocking them down.

Then they were gone…

"I can't believe he got away!" Sonic shouted, frustrated with himself that Shadow Mario had successfully kidnapped the girls. "He was right there and we let him get away!"

Mario breathed out a solemn sigh. "It doesn't matter. We'll get them back somehow!"

"Yeah…" mumbled Sonic.

"That is Pinna Island," FLUDD talked suddenly, grabbing the two's attention. "The villain's secret hideout must be there! We have to find some way to get over there…"

Sonic eyed FLUDD on Mario's back. "But how?! I don't see anything that would get us over there and we don't even have a boat or anything!"

"He's right," Mario said.

Toadsworth suddenly arrived, still looking ready to pass out at any moment. "I can't imagine what the poor princess is going through…" he moaned. "Mario! Sonic! Please save her!"

"That's what we intend to do, Toadsworth. That's what we intend to do…" Mario murmured in deep rumination, eyes going back to the island in the distance where Shadow Mario had taken the girls.

Will Mario and Sonic be able to save them?!