AN: Hey everyone! Been a while since I updated this story, huh? Sorry about that; I grew more interested in some of my other ideas. I hope to get back into updating this one, because just based on what I've seen, a lot of people seem to like it.

Anyway, on with the show!

Chapter 13 I Can't Fight Them!

Smoke and debris rose up around Mario and the others. He coughed, trying his best to see through the haze. Oh, were Luigi and Peach okay? He was so worried about them that he completely forgot about the bill blaster, just leaving it there on the ground as he rushed forward. He blinked multiple times, hoping he would see his brother and the princess.

"G…G…" He tried to speak, but that turned out to be impossible. The haze was just too strong, too smoky. He coughed again, feeling around in the dark. When his hands came into contact with something solid, he smiled. Oh thank goodness; they were okay! They were actually okay!

Unfortunately, Mario's relief turned out to be short-lived. When the smoke cleared, he came face-first with his younger brother, whose arm he now had a firm hold on. Terror flashed through the young plumber's eyes, and he pulled back with lightning-quick speed. He and the princess gawked at Mario, giving him the same kind of face people would give a ferocious monster who wanted to devour them whole.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Luigi screamed.

Mario cringed, pulling away. "I… uh…" he tried to speak but had the hardest time doing so. He had never seen Luigi give him this look. He never felt so guilty for an accident in his entire life.

"YOU TRIED TO KILL US!" Peach shouted, having the same decibel level as Luigi.

Mario wanted to cry. He truly, honestly wanted to cry, to get down on his knees and beg the two people he loved most in the entire world for forgiveness. He knew that this looked bad to them, and he didn't really blame them. If a Koopa shot a homing bill right at his face, he would probably have the exact same reaction.

"Guys…" he tried to say more, but his voice caught in his throat. He knew he couldn't say anything. Not after what happened, not after the fact that he almost killed them. He wanted to sink into the ground. He wanted to dig a six-foot hole and crawl in there for the rest of eternity.

He was only barely aware of the sound of Luigi reaching into his pocket. "We need to teach you a lesson," he said. "You do not aim a bullet bill at the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom." He pulled out a fire flower. A power-up that used to mean a world of good to Mario now filled him with terror.

"Or the brother of the Mushroom Kingdom's hero," Peach said. She too pulled out a fire flower, and Mario's heartbeat picked up a considerable degree. When their clothes changed colors and the power-up activation noise rang out all through the surrounding area, Mario feared for his life in a way that he never had before.

"Guys, please, you don't understand…!"

His voice fell on deaf ears. Luigi and Peach spammed fireballs at him, making a direct hit. The sensation was like a sunburn turned up to a billion, like touching a hot stove when it was turned up to unearthly temperatures. He shrieked, deciding that he needed to run if he wished to lived. He turned around and bolted, not even bothering to pick up the bill blaster. He panted and heaved, his adrenaline and fear reaching jaw-dropping levels. Please don't let them follow me, he thought to himself. Tears sprang up in his eyes and he gritted his teeth. Please don't let them follow me!

Mario's prayers were in vain. When he looked backward, he saw that Luigi and Peach were chasing after him. They both had fireballs glowing in their hands, fireballs that could easily melt his skin. He picked up the pace, but unfortunately, he couldn't run at speeds he was familiar with. The humongous shell on his back was like a dead weight, and it dragged him down significantly. And the worst part was that it was permanently stuck to his back, so he had no choice but to deal with it as he tried to escape from Luigi and Peach.

The Great Super Mario was running from the people whom he loved and had helped. That was sick; honest to goodness sick.

"EEK!" Mario's hands went flying down to his tail as another fireball made direct contact with it. It stung, and if he hadn't known any better, he would've thought a bullet had lodged itself right underneath his skin. The tears fell at a much faster rate. He almost collapsed right then and there, not so much from exhaustion but from his ever-climbing, horrible despair.

"Please," he muttered under his breath. He knew he couldn't keep this up for long. Sooner or later, Luigi and Peach were gonna catch up with him, and then it'd be pretty much over. Maybe… maybe if he tried to tell them what had happened, things would be okay. Maybe he could tell them that it was him and that he needed their help. Sure, they might not be willing to listen to him after being shot at… actually, they DEFINITELY wouldn't want to listen to him after being shot at. The thought that they would be was childish, borderline stupid.

But what choice did he have?

Seconds before his stamina gave out, he came to a stop. He let out a breath and turned to his friends, holding up his hands as a sign of surrender. "Guys!" He ran toward them. "Guys, please listen! It's me! It's…"

BONK!

Before he had even fully grasped what was going on, Luigi had bounced into the air and stomped on his head. "OWW!" He hadn't expected anything to be as painful as the fireballs, but this was somehow unbearable. It felt like a crack had formed in his skull, that his body was going to break into two pieces right down the middle. He put his hand to his head, battling this ungodly pain. "Guys…"

Next, it was Peach's turn. She sprung into the air and hit him too. This hit was even worse than the last one, mostly because Peach was wearing high heels. They dug into Mario's head, feeling like the stingers of two very oversized murder hornets. He stumbled backward, all at once feeling like he was in a daze. He knew that, if he wanted to prevent himself from getting the third, final, and fatal stomp, he was going to have to fight…

Mario stopped himself before he could even finish the thought. No! He couldn't fight them! He just couldn't! The mere thought of having to deal blows to his brother and his beloved made his whole body seize up. It made him feel physically sick, made him feel like the most unclean of unclean creatures. He just couldn't!

But… but he couldn't run either. The weighty shell wasn't anywhere close to going away, and his stamina was pretty much nonexistent right now. He couldn't run.

And he couldn't fight either. So, his options were definitely limited.

"Guys," He said, his voice wobbly. He even wheezed, noticing that he was growing more hoarse and more disoriented with each passing second. "Please. It's… it's-a-me…"

BONK!

With that came the final blow, dealt out by none other than Luigi. Mario crashed to the ground, unable to stand up, protest, or fight back. It felt as though the sky was falling right on top of him. He couldn't move his arms, his legs… he could barely even breathe. All he could do was lie there. Lie there while experiencing the worst, most unbearable pain in the world. There wasn't a single part of his new reptilian body that didn't feel like it was broken.

"Okay," Luigi said, letting out a breath. Mario, while he couldn't move, could see his brother standing over him with a furrowed brow. "I honestly feel a little bad for doing that."

"I know," Peach said. She paused for a minute. "But he shot a bullet bill at us. If he could do that, there's no telling what else he would've done."

"Hmm…" Luigi hesitated. "So… I guess a fight was really the only option…" He stepped closer. "Still, this fight felt… wrong…"

Mario groaned. He wanted to yell his identity at the top of his voice, tell Luigi what was really happening and who he really was. Unfortunately, he couldn't. He had no hope of moving, let alone speaking up.

"Come on, Luigi," Peach said. Mario saw her taking Luigi's hand. "Let's continue with the search for Mario."

That line felt like the biggest slap in the face of all. NO! Mario screamed at the top volume in his head. Guys, I am Mario! Your search is over! He tried to speak up, but his voice was so incredibly hoarse.

"Guys… guys…"

Peach and Luigi walked away, completely unaware of their hurting hero/brother. Tears came down again, hot tears that only made Mario's aching head hurt even more. He tried to breathe, tried to battle it. But… it was too much to bear.

With a heavy sigh, Mario collapsed onto the ground. He looked up into the sky, thinking about the life he had managed to live. He had saved Peach so many times, and he had fought even more Koopas. Every koopa who stood in the way of Peach's safety, from the smallest Lemmy to the largest Bowser, didn't stand a chance against the Great Super Mario. No matter how many skills or abilities they believed they had, he defeated them all in a one-on-one fight. Mario vs Koopa fights couldn't even be called that, as the name almost implied the possibility that the Koopa had a chance of actually winning.

How funny was it? How ironic was it? To think that Super Mario had fallen in the same way countless other Koopas had fallen; getting beaten in a one-on-one fight with a hero. Was this karma? Was this the universe's way of making Mario pay, making him realize the error of his ways? Cause if it was…

Well, mission accomplished. Mario sniffled and cried some more, all while a volcano erupted. As the sky grew darker, so did his despair. It seemed to be over for him, over in the worst way possible.

"Bowser," he said, "I hope you feel proud." He closed his eyes. "You did it. You beat me." He paused. "You broke me…"

He closed his eyes, hoping that he could just die so that the pain would stop.

AN: And… that's the end! Thank you guys so much for reading, it was very nice to write…

(Snicker) I'm kidding! I'm kidding; the story's not over. There's still more to this whole debacle. But still, what a way to end a chapter, am I right?

I hope you guys look forward to the next chapter!