Chapter 8 Hateful Eyes

Running after Luigi was surprisingly difficult for Mario. It seemed that he ran out of breath much quicker, which shocked him due to the fact that he really wasn't running that fast. Maybe it had something to do with the weight of his new shell? Possibly. Actually, not just possibly; probably. Having that thing on his back felt almost like he was carrying a writing desk on him, or possibly an anvil. Mario couldn't even begin to imagine how any koopa could run while carrying such a burden.

Well, thankfully, Mario managed to somewhat keep up with Luigi, at least for a little bit. Every once in a while, the youngest Mario brother would look over his shoulder. When he saw Mario, still hot on his trail and still not feeling any desire to relent, he shrieked and put on a burst of speed. This happened every single time, all without fail. It kind of broke Mario's heart a little bit.

"Luigi, please!" Mario called out.

Luigi didn't stop. He just continued running, going straight into the heart of Toad Town. When at the town square, Mario suddenly and unfortunately tripped. Cursing his new, cumbersome koopa feet, he lifted himself up. He felt a very strong desire to swear when he saw that Luigi was gone. No matter which way Mario turned his head, his little brother was still nowhere to be seen.

"Darn it!" Mario exclaimed. He pounded his fist into the dirt, feeling like the whole universe was suddenly against him. Seriously, he needed Luigi's help! He needed Luigi to come with him into the Koopa Kingdom! The fact that his brother disappeared meant that any likelihood of Mario getting his help disappeared with him. Mario pounded his fist into the dirt one more time, gritting his teeth as he felt a burning sensation building in his throat.

It took a minute for Mario to lift his head. As he did, he looked around. Toad Town was more or less quiet, mostly because it was still relatively early in the morning. No Toads were wandering around, which came as a relief to the Mushroom Kingdom Hero as that meant nobody else was around to see him in this abysmally awful state. The quiet was also good too, as it allowed Mario to think. He needed to formulate some kind of plan.

So, formulate a plan he did. He decided right then and there that going up to Peach's Castle wouldn't be wise, as the guards would go after him if they saw a koopa trying to approach the the royal abode (especially considering the very disastrous and horrific kidnapping that had occurred less than twenty four hours before).. But if he couldn't go to Peach's Castle, where could he go?

Honestly, thinking about the different options available to him made Mario feel a little sick, as they were very few and very undesirable. After a little bit, he decided that his best bet would probably be to find Toad. If Luigi couldn't accompany him on his journey into the Koopa Kingdom… well, there was nothing wrong with going for the next best option, now was there?

With a grunt, Mario rose to his feet. He sprinted in the direction of Toad's house, traversing this well worn path without ever once stopping. He got there in no time at all, and actually breathed a sigh of relief when he stood on Toad's front stoop. Sure, there was a possibility that Toad wouldn't want to see a koopa standing behind his door…

Mario shook his head. It'd be much better for everyone involved if he tried to think positively about this (it was the only thing he could really do at this point). So, holding firmly onto the hope that Toad would be willing to hear him out, he knocked on the door. Unfortunately, the wait for Toad to open it was one of the most unbearable experiences he had had in a while. He sweat bullets (huh, kind of weird that a reptilian body would be capable of sweating),and his entire form shook. He prayed to every god he knew that Toad wouldn't have too explosive a reaction when the Mushroomer laid eyes on him.

Eventually, Toad did manage to come to the door. As the door creaked open, he covered his mouth and let out a yawn. The night cap resting on his mushroom head told Mario that he had interrupted his friend at a very inopportune time. Regardless, Mario was desperate, so he wasn't going to think too hard about that.

"Listen, Toad." Toad opened his eyes, freezing when he saw Mario. "Look, I know this looks bad, but I need your…"

"KOOPA!" Toad shrieked. The high volume coupled with his naturally shrill voice actually prompted Mario to cover his ears (or at least, the spot where his ears used to be). Toad looked at him, shaking like a dry bones and looking as scared as a boo.

"Toad, please!" Mario exclaimed. He took a step forward, causing Toad to shake even more. "I'm not a koopa. I'm Mario! I'm your best friend! I'm your…"

He didn't even get to finish, as Toad pushed him away. Mario as he landed right on his new shell. Panic filled him when he discovered how difficult getting up was with that bad boy on his back. It was difficult that Mario struggled with it for about five whole minutes.

And, unfortunately, Toad had gone back into the house to get a fire flower in that time frame. Mario's heart rate sped up as the power up activation noise rang through the area. "No! Toad, please don't! I promise you I'm…!"

Toad wasn't willing to listen, as displayed by the barrage of fireballs he aimed at the plumber. Mario shrieked, the pain possibly the worst that he had ever felt. The only small mercy that he got to experience was that, thanks to Toad's fireballs pushing him, he finally managed to stand upright again. And when he did, he took the opportunity to run from the Toad turned pyromaniac.

"Yeah, you better run!" Toad called out. "Don't you dare come near me or anyone else in the Mushroom Kingdom again!"

As if to add one more pinch of salt on top of this stinging wound, Toad then slammed the door extra hard. The sound echoed in Mario's ears, causing him to let out a tiny whimper. Great. His hope and confidence that he would be able to overcome this curse were waning faster than the moon. He put his head in his hands, doing his best to try to get his emotions back in check. What could he do about this? If Toad wasn't willing to help him in this body, if Luigi wasn't willing to help him in this body, then… who would?

That question caused Mario's stomach to squirm. Not so much because the question itself was daunting, but more so because the answers was daunting. Because yes, Mario already knew the answer. Only an idiot with less than ten brain cells wouldn't realize what the answer was.

Shaking his head, Mario decided that he needed to do something. He didn't know what that something was, but he needed to do it now. Staying here wasn't an option. Heck, staying pretty much anywhere in the Mushroom Kingdom wasn't an option. More Toads would possibly fire fireballs at him, or maybe do something even worse. Sure, Mario couldn't think of anything off the top of his head that would be worse than being burned alive, but…

He whimpered again. Regardless of that, he still needed to vanish. So, turning on his heel, he ran for the outskirts of Toad Town.

And, unfortunately for him, now was the time where the residents of Toad Town were waking up. Mario heard windows and doors opening, Toads talking and laughing with their friends, family, and neighbors. This made his stomach churn like butter, his new body sweat like he was on the surface of the sun. No no no, please don't let anyone see him like this! Please don't let anything bad happen to him or anyone else!

Unfortunately, when he heard the first person scream, he knew that he was in for quite the rough ride.

He shook his head, tilting his worried head to the ground as more and more Toads spotted him. He didn't even need to look at them to know that they were staring at him. Staring at him with worried and hateful eyes. Mario tried not to let it bother him, but that task was very difficult. Especially when he considered that these were the same Toads who had cheered because he rescued the princess from Bowser literally just the day before.

"KOOPA!" One Toad yelled.

"THERE'S A KOOPA IN TOAD TOWN!" shrieked another.

The amount of fear in these Toads' voices actually caused Mario to tear up. Sure, he wasn't usually one to get damp eyes, and he certainly wasn't one who ever cried. But now? Well, what else could he do?

"Please," he said to the Toads he passed, his tears coming down in streams. "Please, don't look at me!" His voice sounded like it was going to break into a million pieces. No way would the Toads respect his wishes if he couldn't even speak loudly or confidently enough to be heard.

This whole debacle was only made even worse when something hit Mario's face. When this happened, Mario actually came to a stop. He raised his shaking hand to his cheek, cringing when he felt sticky juice. Pulling his hand away and holding it to his face told him that it was a peach that had hit him, a ripe peach that now would never be eaten.

"GO BACK TO THE DARK LANDS, KOOPA!"

Mario's eyes stung. More and more frightened Toads pelted fruits and even vegetables at him. It didn't matter how many times he got hit; being pelted never got easier. And, unfortunately for Mario, the pelting slowed down his pace considerably. He didn't stop, didn't dare stop for even a single second. But even still, he didn't move nearly fast enough.

"KOOPA SCUM!" One Toad exclaimed as they threw a rotten pear.

"MONSTER!" One screamed as they pelted him with an apple core.

"PRINCESS KIDNAPPER!" This Toad actually shot an iceball at him while power up, which Mario only barely managed to dodge.

"GET YOUR ROTTEN REPTILE BUTT OUT OF HERE!"

It was horrid. Each insult and jeer that was laid on top of the Mushroom Kingdom's hero was worse than the last. And sure, did he really blame the Toads? No. In all honesty, he would probably do the same thing they were doing if the roles were reversed. But even still, it wasn't easy being pelted and verbally beaten like this.

It seemed like a miracle when Mario finally managed to exit Toad Town. He stood in place, catching his breath while wiping off any of the juice and slime the produce he had been hit with left. As he did this, he tried to wrap his mind around everything. It seemed like a bad dream. It seemed too horrible to be real. This whole thing was really Mario's darkest and most horrific nightmare come to life.

And the worst part was that he had absolutely nobody to support him in this trying time.

When he had that thought, the tears came at full force. Nothing he did or thought managed to stop them. There was no help here. Everyone who he had ever loved either hated him or was afraid of him. There was no way that anybody would listen to him as a koopa. What was the point of holding onto any semblance of hope in this scenario? There was literally nothing he could do to make this whole thing better. His life was completely and utterly over.

Mario's tears picked up some more. Sobs even escaped from his mouth, something that had never happened to him before. Moving as slowly as the turtle he now looked like, he moved away from Toad Town. He had no idea where he could go. All he knew was that he needed to get out of here.