Disclaimer: I don't own Mario.


"Noooooooooooo!"

Bowser roared in defeat as Mario knocked him out of the nearby window. There was nothing the King Koopa could do as he plunged down from the tower. He fell all the way towards the burning hot lava surrounding his castle - before landing with a crash onto a flat slab of stone which prevented him from burning to a crisp.

"Mario number one!"

The Italian Plumber cheered triumphantly as he jumped up and punched the air. He had succeeded to defeat his arch nemesis again. Beating the King Koopa had been no trouble for the legendary hero. Now he only had one thing left to do before his latest adventure was over.

"All I have-a to do," Mario told himself, "is a-rescue the princess!"

"Uh, yeah… About that, Mario…"

The bright smile on Mario's face vanished. He recognised that voice which had spoken to him from. He swung around to face the person who had addressed him. His eyes widened to see he was joined in Bowser's castle by none other than-

"Toad?!"

Mario's jaw hung open. He couldn't hide how shocked he was to find Toad in Bowser's castle. He'd travelled all this way to rescue Peach from the Koopa King's clutches. He'd been expecting to find a pretty princess in pink being held captive here, not a red and white mushroom all fine and dandy.

"So you're here to save the princess, are you?" Toad inquired.

Mario said nothing. He just stared at the small mushroom.

"Well there's something I need to tell you…"

Mario suddenly tensed up. He had a horrible feeling he knew what Toad was going to say. His moustache twitched in dread. It wasn't something he wanted to hear after all the trouble he had gone through of journeying to Bowser's lair to fight the evil Koopa King.

"No!" Mario cried. "Don't a-say it! Please don't a-say it, Toad!

"I'm sorry, Mario…"

Toad smiled apologetically at the aghast Italian as he let out the very words he didn't want to hear…

"Your princess is in another castle!"

At once, something inside Mario snapped. His gloved hands clenched into fists as a glare crossed his features. His face turned as red as his hat. He was outraged to hear those very words he'd told Toad not to tell him. Being informed that Peach wasn't in the castle he'd journeyed to so as to rescue her from Bowser had set the normally mild-mannered hero off.

Somebody was going to suffer his anger - and it was going to be the very person who'd enraged him.

Without warning, Mario suddenly grabbed Toad and lifted him off his feet.

"Mario!" Toad exclaimed, alarmed and beginning to panic over being picked up by what the triggered plumber. "What are you doing?!"

Mario didn't answer. He just laughed manically. He held the triggered mushroom firmly in his grip as he carried him over to the window he'd knocked Bowser out of during their battle.

"So my princess is a-no in this castle?!" Mario asked insanely. "That's a-okay! At least there's a-no annoying mushrooms here too!"

"Mario, no!" Toad hollered, kicking and flailing as he realised what the mad moustached man was going to do. "Noooooooooooo!"

"Buh-bye, Toad!"

With all his strength and rage combined, Mario threw Toad out of the window. The small mushroom screamed as he fell down from the tower. It was a long fall for the little guy. Straight towards the burning hot lava he went. Down, down, down…

THUMP!

Toad stopped screaming. He had landed on something soft. It had cushioned his fall and prevented him from landing in the lava. How fortunate he was to have been saved from becoming a fried mushroom.

Up in the tower, Mario shot an irked look through the window down towards where Toad had landed. He let off a grunt before preparing to leave the castle to go find Peach - wherever she was.

"Hmph!" Mario huffed. "Mamma Mia!"

"I'm alive! I'm alive! I'm alive! I'm-"

Toad stopped celebrating over surviving his fall as his face turned white with horror upon in horror where he had landed.

He was on Bowser's tummy. The enormous Koopa King was lying on his back from falling onto the flat slab of stone which had prevented him from falling into the lava. He'd been unable to jump back onto his feet, but that no longer mattered as he was now looking at Toad with a hungry gaze. He licked his lips at the appetising thought of chopped grilled mushroom for lunch.

"Uh oh…" Toad muttered, realizing he had nowhere to run. "I'm dead…"


THE END