Chapter Twenty-Eight:

Freedom For Mario At Last

He squirmed in the chair, whimpering and becoming more hysterical by the second. Mario had been alone, cuff-bound, in the dark for several hours. He was hungry, tired, and unable to think of anything else. His eyes were wide with dark circles under them as a couple tear streaks went down his face. Plus, his mustache was a little unkempt, and his overalls had gotten dusty.

"SOMEONE, PLEASE!" He screamed, "MARIO CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER! I'M-A SO HUNGRY, I CAN BARELY THINK... MAMA MIA!"

Mario's wails settled as he heard the sound of a door opening, followed by grunting and footsteps. Seconds later, to the fat Italian's surprise, Wario entered the room, and as soon as he laid his eyes upon him, he was just as shocked as Mario.

"Wario, is that you?!" Mario exclaimed, "Mama Mia!"

"How did you end up here?" Wario asked with disbelief.

"I was left here by your brother. Waluigi's gone cuckoo crazy!" Mario told him.

"Eh, not that I care about him..." Wario shrugged and walked off, then his face lit up, and he turned back to face Mario with more surprise, "You saw Waluigi?! He was here?!"

"Yes!" Mario gasped, "And, as I just said, he's gone cuckoo crazy now! Really, really cuckoo crazy! He tricked me and Luigi into coming to a party that wasn't actually happening, put us through twisted games, sent Luigi to the sewers, and left me cuffed to this chair. What time is it? What day of the week is it? HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN HERE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Wario had come over to the red-clad plumber's side and had plunged his hands into the pockets of his overalls, likely looking for money. However, he clearly didn't find what he was looking for since he brought out a couple plates of spaghetti a moment later.

"Ugh, you have spaghetti in your pockets?!" Wario exclaimed, "You really are obsessed with that!"

"Get me out of here, get me out of here, GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Mario pleaded, "Please! I have places to be, I'm so hungry, AND MY BUTT ITCHES SO BADLY! AH, MY ASS, IT BURNS! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. I'VE HAD NOBODY ELSE TO TALK TO, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO LUIGI! WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY COME LOOKING FOR MARIO?!"

-Meanwhile-

In the shadows of his hideout, Waluigi watched with all-seeing dark-blue eyes as Mario squirmed in his chair and wailed, seemingly becoming more "coo-coo crazy" after hours of being left to rot. His staff sat in the palm of his hand with Waluigi holding it firmly as he knelt on the floor, cross-legged, while he used his powers to observe all that happened in the world.

"Your pain, discomfort, and anxiety all please me, you dim-witted fool..." Waluigi sneered, "...and you don't even know that I can see everything, everywhere, all at once. In fact, since my powers have increased thanks to you, I can see beyond this world.

"Not only can I see people enduring times of pain or peace on other planets, but I can see beyond the great barriers of our reality, and I can see the multiverse with many infinite versions of you going through similar scenarios like yours. Ah, I can see many of my counterparts bringing terror to their worlds as well, and thanks to our increasing powers, we can connect!

"Through dreams, through our growing powers, we can make contact and share our many plans for the great apocalypse that we will unleash or, in the case of some, have already unleashed.

"I can see the mighty Wah-Emperor Waluigi I in one universe right now, sitting on his throne in the place that was once Peach's Castle, surrounded by T-Pose zombies. And, thanks to me, he can see the torment you're enduring that his Mario already endured... BEFORE HE RETURNED TO MAKE HIM A T-POSER!

"Enjoy the final days of uncertain peace, Mario. Soon, you'll see me again as the full might of my power is unleashed. Now..." Waluigi stood and picked up a purple mushroom with a "T" symbol on it, "...I have matters to attend to."

-Back with Mario-

Wario was already tired of listening to Mario whimpering and screaming for help. He told him to shut up, then said he would gladly help the fat Italian and added that he just had an idea. Then, he left the room and headed outside before he heard the fat Italian scream with fear, proclaiming that Wario was abandoning him and that he was a jerk.

Jerks didn't help, not unless they had a heart of gold. Wario waved to a passing pick-up truck, and the driver halted. Wario ripped open the door, grabbed the man, and tossed him out of the truck and over a bridge. With the driver taken care of, he climbed into the truck and drove into the building where Mario was still cuffed to the chair.

The fat Italian got nervous when Wario drove up, then the latter grabbed the hook and chain, reeled it towards Mario's chair, and attached the hook to the back of it.

Wario grabbed a hammer from the back of his stolen truck and hacked at the cuffs around Mario's wrists until they broke. Then he grabbed some rope and tied Mario to the chair as tightly as possible.

"MAMA MIA!" The spaghetti-loving Italian exclaimed, "Wario, what are you...?"

"You'd make a great scamming partner!" Wario sneered aloud.

"What?!" Mario protested, "I didn't agree to tha... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!"

Wario slammed on the gas and drove the truck with the chair hooked up.

Given how tight Wario's work had been, the chair Mario was tied to was ripped from its spot in the ground and dragged through the city streets as Wario drove like a madman through Mushroom City. Wario laughed and looked at the rearview mirror, checking on how Mario was handling the matter.

And sure enough, not only was Mario along for the ride, but he was yelping with fear as his chair shook. He was tossed around as Wario's "borrowed" truck drove at 85 MPH, going so fast to the point where it could have plowed through a cement truck without turning into a battered wreck.

The fat Italian burped, trying not to get sick, and found himself getting dizzy very fast. Wherever Wario took him, it was unlikely Mario would be able to make a getaway once the ride was over...