Disclaimer: All assets of the Mario Movie belong to Nintendo and Illumination.

Chapter 16: Sacrifice

Luigi emerged from the pipe and stared at his surroundings. This seemed like any ordinary town with fungi-like creatures of many colors intermingling with each other, but the big question was if this was the Mushroom Kingdom. Well, only one way to find out. He walked to a random creature. "Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me where I am?"

"You don't know? Toad Town, of course! Not from this neck of the woods?"

"Kinda. I was hoping to know where Princess Peach is."

"She went to the Jungle Kingdom two days ago to recruit the Kong Army to stop Bowser. Who knows when she'll return, but if you stay around, she's bound to pop up soon."

"OK. Thank you, sir!" He walked away, sighing with relief. Thank goodness. He made it to the Mushroom Kingdom. Now, all he had to do was to wait for the princess, and sooner rather than later considering Bowser was on his way here.

Peach zoomed on Rainbow Road, trying to quickly reach the Mushroom Kingdom before Bowser came. He probably wouldn't make a move without her, but she couldn't take any more chances. She already had one destroyed right in front of her. Mario. Strong and stubborn Mario. He truly was gone. Peach couldn't believe it. She planned on striking Bowser before he did, but ultimately, it was the other way around. Bowser had won the invasion while killing off Mario in the process. Mario made so many promises. He promised to stop Bowser, to save his brother, and one day return. Why did he have to make those promises?! Now, he was gone for good, and Peach would never see him again, and the worst part, she only started to develop feelings for him. She didn't even say that she loved him. "I'm sorry, princess." Toad sighed. "It's all my fault. I wasn't fast or strong enough to save him. Heck, when the road was destroyed, you had to come save me. I never did truly take this as seriously as I should've. All I did was ship you two, hoping for some sort of love spark between you two, and now Mario's dead. Killed by the same one that killed my parents." He sniffled. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad."

Peach shook her head. Feeling self-doubtful about his death wasn't gonna help with saving her kingdom. Sometimes being stubborn wasn't a bad thing. After all, she did learn that from him. Mario never gave up. From what he told her, he fended off so many people all for his brother's sake. Peach had done that many times too for her people when Bowser struck like now, so she couldn't give up. She vowed to stop that monster, so she would. "It's not your fault, Toad. I should've been more prepared, but Mario wouldn't want us to give up when he's done so much for them. He truly was a hero till the end, and I'll continue in his footsteps and end this once and for all."

"But, princess, what are you gonna do about the Super Star? He's gonna use it one way or another. He knows how you are. How are you gonna stop him?" That was a good point, but Peach knew him. He would only use it if she said no. That was why he got the Super Star in the first place, to use it as blackmail because that was who he was. Well, one step at a time. She flew across the ocean as the sun started to rise. It was daybreak already? Bowser was gonna be here any second by that omen, which meant she had to evacuate the town. She drove through the Mushroom Forest, sighing with relief at no sign of the Koopa. Well, she shouldn't jinx herself. He could appear at any moment. She zoomed over a hill and landed in Toad Town's Plaza.

"Attention, everyone! Code Red! I repeat, Code Red! Evacuate the city at once!" That was enough to cause a scramble as the Toads ran in different directions, gathering what they could. "Head to the forest!" She drove through the town, giving the same message until she drove through the castle, catching Toadsworth and the others off guard with her abrupt entrance.

"Princess?" the elderly Toad said. "What's going on? Why are you back so early?"

She sighed. "The plan failed. We lost the Kong Army, and Mario is gone." That caused many shocked looks and glances.

"What?! Inconceivable!"

"It's true. I saw it with my own eyes. He's gone, Toadsworth. I'm so sorry."

"Come now." He rubbed her shoulders. "Let's keep it together, dear. That must mean Bowser's on his way." Peach nodded. "Then we need to get everyone out of here. Guards! Tell everyone to retreat to the forest at once! Get everyone as far away from here as possible! But a couple stay. I will not let the princess be unoccupied."

"There's no need." She walked over and stomped on a halberd, the weapon twirling in her hands. "It's time I end this."

"What?" Toadsworth scoffed. "You can't stop him. He has the Super Star! Please, Princess! We must get you away from-"

"I'm done running away! That's all I've ever done, Toadsworth! No more! I'm ending this here and now!"

"And she won't be alone." Toad walked forward, whipping out a pan. "Because I'm going with her."

"This is just absurd! You can't even protect her, Toad! The only logical solution is to get far away from here!"

"And then what?" Peach hissed. "Have the cycle continue?! Is that what you want?! Have my people constantly die for me when all I do is run away from my problems?! Hell no! No freaking more! We're done having this conversation!" She turned and walked away, ignoring Toadsworth's protests.

"That was kinda harsh," Toad said.

"Well, running away has always been the go-to solution whenever something went wrong. That's how it's always been, just constant running, and I'm done. I'm ending this here and now." Toad didn't say anything else. As they walked, Peach could see Bowser's huge landmass already starting to approach, but a green man caught her eye, running to her as he huffed for breath.

"Princess!"

"Hey!" Toad pointed his pan at him. "Stay away, you fiend!"

"Toad, stop. This guy's not affiliated with him." Peach walked to him. "Who are you, human?"

"I'm-a Luigi." She gasped. Why did that name sound familiar? Wait a sec.

"Are you Mario's brother?"

"Yeah. I am."

"But how did you manage to escape?"

He sighed. "Cranky Kong offered to help me. He bought me enough time to escape. He was willing to sacrifice himself for me, and now, Bowser's on his way. I've wanted to look for you so I can help stop Bowser. I'm done being a coward."

Peach sighed. "Luigi, I'm sorry about-"

"Mario's not dead." She blinked. "I don't believe that for a second. Besides, even if that were true, I would still keep on fighting. I know that's what my bro would want me to do." Peach smiled. "And speak of the devil." He pointed to the landmass as it started to descend, crashing into the ground as wind blew in the trio's faces. As the wind subsided, the gate opened, and Bowser's troops quickly surrounded them as Bowser walked out with Kamek by his side.

"Princess Peach," he said. "Brave as ever." He glanced at Luigi. "And Green 'Stache. We meet again after only a few moments. I always knew you wouldn't stray too far from me, but I'll get my revenge on you later." His eyes reverted to Peach. "I'm after someone much more special."

"I don't want anything to do with you," she growled. "You know I'll say no to your dumb proposal, so why bother coming here in the first place?"

Bowser cleared his throat. "Peaches, I don't think I've been truly honest with you. Just allow me to lay my true feelings for you. That's all I ask."

"No! All you've done is cause terror for my people, and I'm done! Get the heck out of my kingdom now!" The Koopa Troopas pointed their spears at her as she thrusted hers at him.

"Peach. It's only a few words, nothing more. Please." All she wanted to do was stab him in the eye or whatever body part because she was done. Did she really have to spell out the word for him? She scoffed. Why should she bother? He was always stubborn. But she knew him. What kind of other feelings was he hiding underneath that thick shell of his? For all she knew, this was just another way of appeasing to her heart with fake words. He had done it before, and he would certainly do it again. She eyed the Super Star that floated behind him. She was halfway tempted to use it just so he couldn't. Did he have any idea of how to harness its power? Well, Peach had some sort of idea, and she wasn't gonna be fooled by another one of his tricks.

"Give me one reason why I should let you talk."

"Well, you aren't in a position to negotiate. My guards are watching your every move, and they will retaliate if you attack me. And if there's one thing I can promise, is that this isn't a trick. Just one last time. That's all I ask."

She growled. There wasn't much she could do. Bowser's minions have been known to attack her, even if it was against Bowser's will, but they never did so to the point of death. That was something she had over him. She could end this here and now if she wanted to. All she had to do was get her hands on the Super Star and hope for the best. Though it seemed like someone else had a plan of their own as Toad slowly fetched something from his backpack. What was he cooking up? Well, despite the unknowns, she had to play along, which meant stalling for time. "What makes you think I won't retaliate right now? I know you want me alive, but you're also right about what you said. They aren't afraid to attack me. But what makes you think I won't retaliate right now?"

"Clearly, you're forgetting I have the advantage. I have the Super Star. I will not hesitate to use it if necessary. Don't test my patience, Peach. I just came to have one more civil discussion, one last time to change your mind about marrying me."

"And what if I say no? Let me guess. You're still gonna use the Super Star. Like I said, coming here was pointless. I don't care about your other feelings. Just get the heck out now!"

"Oh! I understand what this is about. This is about Mario, isn't it?"

She scoffed. "What? No. I'm angry that you killed him, but this isn't what this is about."

"Oh, really? I'll have you know I'm very good at reading your face. You made some sort of connection between you and him, but now that he's gone, you're angry at me for killing the love of your life."

"This is about the safety of my people!"

"Whatever you say. Oh well. I still have other ways of communicating how I feel. I didn't want to come to this, but you gave me no choice." He approached the Super Star. Peach glanced at Toad as he held Ice and Fire Flowers in his hands. He took a bite of both, transforming between a mixture of his fire and ice form, which Peach was impressed by. She had never seen someone use two Power-ups simultaneously before, so it was impressive as Toad charged one of each ball in his hand before they grew into a respectable size. He jumped, though he didn't get too much height from his stubby legs, but he threw the ice ball at Bowser's feet, freezing him as the Koopa glared at him before Toad threw the fire ball, exploding upon impact as the Koopa flew into his castle with a giant crash. Toad immediately grabbed her hand, causing her to drop the halberd, and just booked it as the three took off. "No!" He glanced at his minions. "Don't just stand there! After them!" The minions nodded and charged after them with various screams as they brandished their weapons. He slowly stood up. "The princess is mine." He took off in a different direction with the Super Star in tow.

"Toad!" Peach yelled, struggling to retain a steady running speed as Toad dragged her along with Luigi trailing behind, "Slow down!"

He stopped as he caught his breath. He glanced at Luigi. "Green Man. I have a special task for you."

"It's Luigi but go on."

"I want you to get the princess as far away from here as possible." He threw him a Boomerang Flower. "Here. Eat it and you'll get the ability to throw boomerangs. Quickly!" Luigi didn't question it and quickly gorged it as his body changed into a shell with a green helmet as a boomerang popped into his hand.

He gasped. "Whoa! This is cool!"

"Fantasize about it later. Just get her out of here."

Peach tentatively glanced at Toad. "Toad, what are you doing?"

"Princess, for too long, I didn't care one bit about the war. I made a misery of your guards' lives for my own self amusement, and I was stupid for it. I should've confronted my own feelings sooner. Only then would I have actually contributed something to the war besides creating mischief and mayhem. I acted stupid." He charged fire and ice balls in each of his hands. "But not anymore."

"What? Toad, you know you can't handle that many of them at once. You can't, so just stop. Please." She sniffled. "Don't throw away your life for me. Please."

"No, princess! I'm done running away from my problems! I need to do something to help end this war. Mario did so much for me, and standing on the sidelines goes against everything he taught me! No more!"

"But if you fight them, then you'll die! Please, Toad! Don't do it! I can't take another having to sacrifice for my safety! I-"

"I'm not giving you a choice!" He sighed. "If I go out fighting, then that's fine by me. At least I will die knowing I did something my parents and Mario could be proud of in the end. Now, go!"

"You heard him," Luigi said. "Go!"

"No! Not you, too, Luigi!"

"I'm staying beside him." He took his place beside Toad as he brandished his boomerang. "Like him, I'm also done running from my problems. It's about time I did some protecting of my own. That's what Mario did for me, and that's what I'm gonna do here right now." Toad nodded, not bothering to change his mind as they braced for Bowser's minions.

Peach couldn't bring herself to run. Similar images of her former soldiers flashed through her mind. She had seen her soldiers do the same thing under the guise of her protection, but that was just nothing but words. Sure, she might've survived each time, but they would end up dead. It happened over and over, and now two more were about to die, and she hated it. She hated all of it! Why did they have to risk their lives over and over for her when they knew it was pointless?! Bowser's army was always too strong for them, so why? Why?! Even Mario sacrificed everything for her, and he died, just like everyone else. Truth be told, she knew the reason why. She was too weak to save herself because they had to sacrifice themselves for her. They had to do all the weight while her legs just thumped along the ground. She sometimes didn't even bother looking back because she knew they were gonna die. And to think she did so much training over the years to have her own people die for her. Was she always this weak? In the end, was any of the training she did even worth it?

"Peach, understand this." She glanced at Toad once more as the minions got closer, his head slightly tilted towards her. "I can understand how you're feeling. You probably think of yourself as weak, having to run away while another soldier dies for you. But must you forget that it was you who started all this? You know my parents died when the war started. I've been around for quite a while, so you know I've seen you take charge since the war started. It was you who built that course and trained the army. You did everything for them when they were too scared. They died for you because you inspired them. You're the very reason why they want to die for you, because you took charge. You aren't weak just because your soldiers die for you. You're an inspiration." He turned his gaze towards the minions once more. "Never forget that."

She blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected that from him, but he was right. She was the first to rise against Bowser when her people were scared. She solidified that trust with her people when she showed them that they didn't have to be scared. She took the first step, and that set the ball rolling. How could she forget that? It wasn't because she was weak, but because she lacked faith. That was the main thing. She lacked the faith that they would make it through, and the feelings of weakness would soon follow through. She smiled. Toad was right. She wasn't weak. She just needed to trust that they would make it through, no matter the circumstances. "You're right. You're absolutely right."

"And I can promise you this," Luigi said. "We'll both make it through. You haven't seen the last of us."

"And here." Toad handed her an Ice Flower. "Just in case."

She nodded and placed it in her back pocket. "OK. I'm counting on you both. Don't you dare die on me." She began to run. "You hear me?!" There wasn't a response, only their screams as they charged into battle, just like any soldier, but Peach couldn't think like that. Not anymore. She had to have faith and focus on the next task at hand. Knowing the ins and outs of the Super Star, she could theoretically use it to stop Bowser, but the biggest problem was getting it away from his vile hands. He was gonna most likely use it, and if so, she needed to get as far away as possible from her people beforehand. It was a good thing they already evacuated to the forest. She just needed to stay away from there and Toad Town.

She ran down the streets of Toad Town, glancing at all the emptiness that lay around her. Very rarely were these thriving streets ever abandoned, but it couldn't be helped, especially since Bowser had come, but hopefully she could draw him away from them. "Peaches!" She jumped at his voice, highly reverberated through the echo it created. It didn't take long for them to meet face-to-face again as the Koopa crash-landed in front of her, though the force was enough to launch her back. "Thank goodness I found you. I was worried I had lost you." She sat up and glanced at him, though a small, thin rainbow-like aura had surrounded his body. She glanced at the Super Star, which maintained its glow, meaning he only used a smidge to catch up with her, but even then, less was more in this case. "Though I will say what your friend did was unexpected for his species. Normally, his kind just cowers away, but he happened to be the exemption. It's no wonder Mario's philosophy got etched into that Toad's brain along with Green 'Stache, but they're being dealt with as we speak. That just leaves us. As you can see, I've already started to use the Super Star's power. I will ask one more time or else you will give me no choice but to destroy your kingdom. I'll do it myself; I have no need for my minions right now, even if they weren't preoccupied. You saw what a smidge of its power could do just by that crater I created with my jump. Do you really want to see this whole kingdom ablaze? If not, then say yes. It's that simple."

Peach scoffed. "To think that you'll just resort to blackmail when things don't go your way. You really haven't changed at all!" She darted towards the Super Star, but Bowser was quick to stop her as he jumped in front of her and grabbed her, squeezing her just enough to keep her under control. Pain seized throughout her body. She knew Bowser's grip was strong but add in the Super Star, and he suddenly was on a whole different level. "I'm sorry for hurting you, but clearly you aren't listening to my words. Fine. I'll show you what I mean." He jumped toward where the fighting took place and landed with extreme precision just a few feet away from the battle. "That's enough!" The fighting stopped as they parted, revealing an injured Toad and Luigi, deprived of their Power-ups as all sorts of bruises, cuts, and scrapes covered their entire bodies. Luigi looked more beat up than Toad with most of his clothes ripped as he heaved on the ground. "Don't you see the kind of power you're up against, princess? My army toppled over them like the worthless weaklings they were. They weren't meant to survive this fight had I decided to let it continue. So, let's cut to the chase, shall we? You will agree to marry me or else my advisor will kill them himself." Kamek chanted before thrusting his wand, zapping the two with his magic causing them to scream. "You only have a few seconds. Make your decision." What should she do? Should she say yes and give in to his commands? Well, getting the Super Star was pointless since she tried that earlier, and that didn't work. What now? "They don't have long left till they're dead! Give me an answer now!" She hyperventilated. She didn't want to do it. She didn't, but she had no choice. They were gonna die if she didn't say yes, so at this point, she had to.

"OK! I'll marry you! Just stop!" Bowser nodded to Kamek who released his spell, causing the two to pant as they collapsed on the ground. "I'll marry you, just don't hurt any more of my people."

"You have my word. Guards, capture those two! We have a wedding to get to!" He laughed as he climbed on his fortress. Peach sighed as she glanced at Toad and Luigi, who were grabbed by the guards as they were hauled on the ship.

"Hey." She turned to a Koopa. "Time to go. Get moving, please." She slowly nodded and entered the fortress as the mouth closed behind her. Why couldn't Mario be here now? Now, her kingdom was doomed.

Thanks to CapitalClassShip and LiamFitz for favoriting/following this story!

Thanks for reading and a couple of things to say. I was quite surprised with the lack of backlash from Mario and Donkey Kong's deaths. While there is a bit, the movie didn't go as far as I wanted it to. In the movie, one thing I do like that they did for Toad was establish a motive for wanting to go on the adventure besides being that kind of guy. In the movie, he said he would protect her, but it didn't go far enough with his character besides giving her a bouquet of flowers, so I wanted to expand upon this motive and have him take some action, so I hope you enjoyed these changes and additions. Next time, we catch up with our next duo, who don't have the kindest words to say to one another.