11/5/2024: Well, once again it's been a few years since a new chapter of this has been uploaded and in the interim we got an awesome new Super Mario RPG remake! Playing through it made me want to work on this again, and so finally here is the long awaited chapter 18! Thanks to any and all who have read or continue to be interested in this story. As I have said in previous updates, this is very much a side project and something I do intend to finish, although it might take the rest of my adult life at this point! XD Either way, I hope you all enjoy this one and look forward to forthcoming chapters! (Hopefully not years from now…)

Chapter 18: Strange Alliances

Princess Daisy frowned as she looked down at the unconscious figure lying on the makeshift wooden cot. Peach lay there, chest slowly rising and falling, face calm and serene as she slept. Peach still wore her pink tennis outfit, now little more than rags after the events of last night. The medical team had done their best to clean her up in a haste but treating her wounds had taken precedence over everything. Her clothes were still stained in dirt, soot and blood from the night before, her delicate features occasionally contorting from bouts of pain, like little jolts of electric shock.

By the Star Spirits was that only last night? It feels like a different lifetime. Daisy thought.

Daisy winced at the thought as her eyes drifted towards Peach's left shoulder. The entire left sleeve of her shirt had been ripped off hastily to bandage the nasty wound from where the arrow creature had impaled her. Fortunately, the wound had not hit a vital organ and, all things considered, would heal up rather quickly. Peach had lost a lot of blood however, and the medic, Doc T. had indicated that Daisy had brought the princess to him just in time to avoid any permanent damage. Unfortunately, it was unknown how long Peach would be out for, but the doctor seemed to be of the opinion that the more rest the princess got, the better.

Daisy sighed, kneeled down to where her friend lay and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Rest easy, Peachy," She whispered. "I'll take care of things here until you get better."

She stood up, frowned down at her unconscious friend, and exited the tent from which Princess Peach lay. Mash and General Spore-a blue spotted Toad with a thick, black mustache wearing plate and mail with a stiff military bearing-were conversing just a few feet away outside the tent, surveying their camp. Rows of tents littered a large hill, cook fires burned and people bustled about doing various tasks or tending the wounded. The camp sat several miles out from Princess Peach's castle and Toad Town. The castle was barely a speck on the horizon, with the large, protruding sword at its very zenith and Daisy found herself staring off into the distance, deep in thought.

After the invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom the previous night and the subsequent battle-more like a massacre, really. she thought darkly- the Mushroom Kingdom's army had fallen back with all of the surviving citizens they could gather. Daisy, Mash and Captain Spore led everyone into the hills, and although the weapons had at first pursued them they had ultimately fallen back to the castle and Toad Town to continue their looting, killing and burning. It had hurt Daisy to abandon the Mushroom Kingdom to these disgusting, evil creatures, but the weapons were too powerful and far outnumbered the army. Fortunately however, all was not lost and Mario's advice to the princess to prepare the Kingdom for an incoming attack had not been in vain. The invading force had surely overwhelmed them, but Daisy shuddered to think what the outcome would have been had they been caught completely off guard.

Everyone would have died. She thought. Oh, Peach and I may have been spared to become slaves or tortured or worse, but the devastation would have been absolute and final.

Not for the first time Daisy shuddered at the thought. It all seemed so overwhelming and hopeless to her. She had barely been able to grapple with the fact that her own kingdom had been taken over and conquered the night before last, and a mere twenty-four hours later, it seemed that the entire world was being taken over by these horrible monsters.

No. I will not give in to despair. I will not let them win. She scolded herself.

She straightened her back, put on her most determined looking face and marched over to where Mash and Spore conversed. Both Toads saluted her as she approached.

"Captain. General." She nodded to both of them in turn. "How are we looking?"

General Spore spat and scowled.

"Well, aside from the funging spore sucking toadies stealing the castle, burning the town and sending us running with our tails between our legs, I'd say we're doing pretty badly. At least the army is intact though."

Daisy nodded. Spore was rough around the edges, but there was not a hint of sarcasm or malice in the general's voice. He told it like it was and didn't sugar coat the facts. She supposed that was why Peach put up with the general's foul language and rough baring. He was, after all, the best commander the Mushroom Kingdom had.

"Forty injured. Five are soldiers, the rest civilian. Three dead who were in rough shape when we got to them." Mash added. "As Spore said, nearly the entire army managed to escape, but at great cost."

"Had we stayed, we might have lost the whole funging army to those motherless, shroom kissing monsters!" Spore spat through a gap in his front teeth, then grinned. "We nipped a few of the bastards though. Their hides might be made of funging diamond but connected by soft fleshy necks and joints. One well-placed slice..." He drew his long sword and grinned, making a slicing motion in the air "...and they die just as easily as any other fungus sucking beast I've ever seen."

Daisy nodded in agreement and frowned at the pair.

"Any word on Princess Toadstool's retainers or the Mario Brothers?" She asked.

"Sorry, your highness." Mash replied with a frown. "Not hide nor hat of the brothers or the Toads. I know Toad left the castle well before the attack, so it's unlikely he was in the castle when it was taken. I can't say the same for Toadsworth and the Chancellor, however."

"Haven't seen Mario since his briefing yesterday." Spore added. He looked Daisy up and down. "Without the Mario Brothers or any of the palace officials, seems to me you'd be our best choice as leader here, Princess."

Daisy almost nodded in agreement, but tapped a finger to her chin as she regarded the grizzled general.

"With Peach and the other officials out of commission, wouldn't you be the best choice to lead this army, general? The Mushroom Kingdom is not mine to rule."

The general scowled and spat again through his gapped teeth.

"Aye, not much of a funging kingdom left to rule as it were," He spat again. "No princess, there's really nobody else for the job. I'm a soldier not a politician."

"The people need a leader, your highness" Mash added. He lifted his spear, his sweeping gesture seeming to encompass the entire camp. "Now more than ever. They need hope."

Daisy's gaze wandered for a moment around the camp. She saw Peach's soldiers marching around, some helping civilians still in shock over the attack, some standing guard or training with weapons. She saw a Toad with a pink spotted head, crying with a small child in her arms. Daisy felt saddened by the thought of where the child's father was. One large tent in the center of the camp housed the wounded, and Daisy could see a few of them at the front opening being tended to. Some moaning in agony, others asleep. A small hill to the east, with a handful of muddy brown mounds where some people who died that night had been buried, one blue spotted Toad on his knees, sobbing. Daisy sighed. Could she do this? No, there was no choice. She HAD to do this. But seeing this much devastation in such a short time had more than frazzled her. She felt like a woman hanging off of a cliff, nails embedded in the dirt but slowly slipping towards oblivion...

She flinched as Spore suddenly blurted out:

"Bah! To the Seven Shells with hope." Spore spat. "Give me more troops! And an effective way to fight these mother licking sons of spores! Yes, they have weak points, but they're hard to hit and that damn armor of theirs is impenetrable. Even to our best power-ups."

"I agree with your assessment, general." Daisy replied patiently. Spore was of course correct. She had seen what those monsters had done both in her castle and in Toad Town as they raped and pillaged. They were tremendously aggressive and strong and even fireballs and star power were no match for them. What on earth could make them so resilient in battle?

"For now, I'm afraid we are going to have to lick our wounds and try to strategize a way to beat them." She found herself saying.

"We'll want to be careful, your highness." Mash cautioned. "Now that those weapons have captured the castle and Toad Town, we're going to be sitting Goombas if we stay here too long."

"Aye. We're stretched thin as it is." Spore agreed. "If they show up now we'll give the Spore suckers a run for their money, but I have to admit it will seriously deplete our resources."

Daisy nodded. "Best we get a move on then. We need a place to fall back to in the meantime."

"Princess Daisy!" A voice suddenly shouted-one of the guards, a green spotted Toad-from its vantage point on the hilltop. "Someone is approaching the camp!"

Daisy ran towards the hill, but she got only a few steps before Mash grabbed her left arm.

"Allow me to go on ahead, m'lady," He said. He motioned the general forward, and the two Toads drew their weapons. Daisy rolled her eyes and followed closely on their heels. Yes, she was most certainly the "Flower Princess of Sarasaland" but Daisy was getting tired of being treated as though she were as delicate as a flower. Perhaps maybe that wasn't fair and the pair were just doing their jobs, but it frustrated her a bit nonetheless. She thought of Luigi then. How he never condescended her, how he was thoughtful and kind, and never judged her for her position or anything else for that matter. She hoped he was okay.

No time for that now. She thought.

As Daisy crested the hill, a small gathering, comprising mostly of soldiers, Captain Mash, General Spore and herself as well as a few Yoshis (There were a handful of Yoshis in their camp, some visitors to Toad Town who picked a bad time for a visit and even a few who were part of the army) looked on at a lone figure coming up fast across the open plain. It left a long trail of smoke behind it, but Daisy was sure it was not one of the weapon creatures. Who could it be? The figure was coming up fast, and soon Daisy realized it was a person riding on some kind of motorized vehicle. Who on earth could be riding something like that through an open, hilly field? Her surprise turned to utter bewilderment a few moments later, when the lone rider crested the nearest hill and she saw the face of the figure, riding on a yellow and purple motorcycle.

"Wario?!" Daisy exclaimed, her mouth dropping open.

"Shall I have the guards detain him your highness?" Spore asked, turning towards her.

Daisy just stood staring for another half minute or so, mouth agape, before answering.

"No, let him in. This should be interesting..."

As he crested the top of the hill, Wario grit his teeth against the wind; his unruly mustache dancing along his wide face. Though largely hidden by the hills ahead of him, Wario knew that a fairly large encampment lay nestled amongst them: The last vestiges of what had been Toad Town. Wario gave the bike a bit of gas, (and let out some of his own) leaving a long trail of exhaust pluming behind him like some enormous, fluffy tail. He thought back on the last twenty-four hours, and ground his teeth together in frustration.

After the invasion of his castle, things had not gone well for Wario. He had sped off quickly, unaware that the knife creature, Mack, had dispensed a few underlings to pursue him. He had first stopped at a small riverside to clean up after the fight and was immediately ambushed by a pair of Shy Ways (small Shy Guys with wings) who wielded long, sharp spears and carrying a pair of those weapon creatures (a sword and an axe). While Wario could normally handle a few rather small toadies like these with no issue, he had been caught off guard, fatigued from fighting and the dying light of the evening had just given away to twilight. Had Wario not turned from washing at the river when he did, one of the creatures could have surely ran him through with their spear, or in the case of the two translucent weapons, their own bodies. The Shy Ways had dropped the weapons not three feet behind him, and Wario had reacted immediately, throwing himself at the axe creature while the sword slashed at him. It had cut his stomach in several places, leaving slashes in his shirt, the yellow fabric now dyed a bright crimson where the shallow cuts were made onto his large, soft belly. Wario had wasted no time, barely acknowledging the pain and wrestling the axe as he hefted the creature up by its handle and swung it down directly onto the sword. Sparks flew as the translucent metal met metal, knocking the sword into the river which immediately proceeded to sink to the bottom.

Wario roared in triumph, and gripped the axe firmly with both hands.

"All right!" He roared at the sky. "Who's Next?!"

The two Shy Ways each flew in an arch high above his head, crossing each other at the invisible

arch's zenith, their spears pointed outward, then swinging downward to the left and right of Wario. Had Wario not been so stretched thin and worked up in the heat of the fight, he might normally have stepped aside and let the two crash into each other. Instead, he turned and swung the axe in a great whirling sweep. It immediately cut the Shy Way on the left in two, the two pieces flying in different directions as the spear dropped. However, the swing was not fast enough for the second Shy Way, whose spear immediately imbedded itself into Wario's behind.

Pain shot through Wario's entire backside and he screamed, flailing his arms around and running in circles as the Shy Way tried desperately to cling onto the spear as Wario ran.

"WAH WA WA WA! HOLY MAMMA THAT HURTS! WAAAAAHHHH!" He shouted.

After about a half minute of this, the Shy Way lost its grip on the spear just as Wario let out an enormous fart that sent the creature flying in a dazed spiral over the trees. After another minute or so, Wario calmed down, drew a heavy sigh, and reached behind and pulled the spear free. He threw it in the river and exhaled deeply. He could feel where the hole in his left ass cheek was now leaking blood into the back of his overalls and he winced in pain.

"Mwa ha ha! The pain you're in now is nothing to what you'll feel when the master Smithy gets ahold of you!" The axe creature, still in his hand suddenly snickered. "Maybe if you're lucky, the master will give you a quick death, but he does love to watch his enemies grovel before he kills them."

Wario glared down at the axe in his hands, that weird translucent skin, the sharp teeth and red eyes...

"And you're just a useless tool." Wario replied. He gave the creature his darkest grin. "And what do we do with a useless, broken tool?"

Before the creature could respond, Wario slammed it on a nearby boulder, its head smashing on the rock. He did it several times, sparks exploding from the haft of its head then Wario spun around quickly and hurled it high into the air, where it landed into the middle of the river and sank.

Wario then sagged and flopped down on the ground. He immediately regretted this decision as an intense shot of pain tore through his whole backside causing him to spring up and scream again.

"WAH WAH WAAAAHHHH!" He screamed as he flailed in pain.

About an hour later, after cleaning and bandaging his wounds with the torn remains of his shirt which he replaced with an identical one from a bag on his bike, Wario decided to investigate the chaos surrounding Peach's Castle and Toad Town. He put the bike in low gear and drove with the lights off. As he slowly approached, he started to smell the acrid smoke from the fires alight all over the town, and could vaguely hear screaming and shouting in the distance. It largely unphased him, although the ominous, crimson glow of Princess Peach's castle in the distance with that massive sword protruding from its roof like some giant arrow pointed toward the sky sent a shiver down his spine. He let out a decent fart, then ducked down and parked the bike behind a bush as a couple of those translucent weapon creatures-a large knife and arrow-passed by him.

Toad Town was completely unrecognizable. Almost none of the buildings in sight still stood, most piles of soot and blackened char burnt down to their foundations. Scores of baddies, monsters and those translucent weapon creatures roamed the streets in patrols, piling bodies of dead Toads and other citizens, burning, looting goods from the few buildings still intact. They laughed with glee, fought with each other and reveled in the chaos. Many small fires still smoldered throughout town, and in some areas smoke still rose in thick plumes to the sky.

What are they? Wario thought.

He buried the bike deeper into the bush and crept along the outskirts of the town on foot; hiding behind buildings, avoiding patrols, until he was near the center at a large, now torched black statue of the princess set in a small town square. The stump where her head should have been was easily three or four feet above Wario's own head, and he kept to the shadows, not yet fully knowing why he was surveying the town, but knowing in the back of his mind that this reconnaissance may prove useful later. He nearly dashed out of his hiding spot in the shadows when two figures walked by. One, a tall figure all in black with, was that purple skin? And another creature, a weapon like those translucent creatures but much larger walking beside him. Was that a spear for a head?

"...can try to plead our case for an alliance." The purple skinned creature was saying as they approached Wario's hiding place. Wario froze and backed very slowly into the dark shadows, keeping his eyes on the pair. They stopped at the statue talking as the large weapon creature spoke.

"Do you think this Bowser will be amenable to such an agreement? I have faced him before, and his anger at the master was a... passionate one."

Bowser? Was he involved in this? Well, of course he would have to be. Wario thought.

"Bah, it was years ago." The purple skinned creature said. "Once he sees the power Master Smithy can offer him, he won't be able to resist. I hear he is both vain and power hungry. Both qualities I can work with."

"It wasn't that long ago." The weapon creature retorted. "Some wounds aren't so easily mended. That one is dangerous. Use caution, Tatanga."

"We shall see." The purple creature (Tatanga, was it?) replied. He turned fully toward the decapitated statue of Princess Peach and took a few steps forward, grinning up at the headless depiction. Wario felt himself tense with the anxious thrill of a confrontation but held back. Despite Tatanga's close proximity to him, he still didn't seem to notice Wario there, hiding in the shadows. He felt a fart coming on then. Not a small one either. He knew this fart could rival a bag of Bob-ombs being set off on Festival Day. Unfortunately, Wario was not used to holding his bowels for any long length of time either, so the next minute or so was pure agony and concentration for him.

"Mwa Ha Ha!" Tatanga laughed at the statue. "Look at it, Yarid! This kingdom practically rolled out the red carpet for our invasion! And this is just the beginning! Soon we'll have Nimbus Land, the Kongo Jungle, the Islands, far far off to the east and west! We'll even take this Bowser's kingdom if he doesn't bend the knee! You, me, the Master Smithy... we shall OWN this world!"

Tatanga abruptly turned around and clapped the weapon on its arm, laughing. At that moment, Wario could not hold it in any longer and let out one of the loudest, stinkiest farts of his life. It reverberated through the small town square like the sound of a cannon being fired. Wario barely had time to revel in the physical relief as he stood alert, ready for an attack.

"By the void and stars, you didn't need to put such fine a point on your little speech there. I got the gist." The weapon creature said, waving its large arm across its face.

Tatanga stood in stunned silence for a second looking around. "That wasn't me! was it..."

Just then, a very large, red Ribbite, a big frog looking creature walked by, and the pair looked at each other shaking their heads and strolled off. Wario breathed a sigh of relief and slowly made his way back to the bush where his bike was concealed. The whole ride away from Toad Town and the castle, Wario contemplated the situation at hand. This Smithy creep had clearly planned his attack well and recruited a massive army of baddies to do his bidding. As he thought about it, Wario's own castle seemed almost an afterthought compared to the grand scale of conquest that this Smithy Gang was trying to achieve. A small casualty in a much larger war. While Wario could admire the ambition of any man lusting after power and control, he felt furious at how he had been treated by that Mack creature as some small nuisance to be dealt with, merely a rat to be trapped and eliminated. Wario thought of his own kingdom and riches. He could give two farts and a clove of garlic about the Mushroom Kingdom, the princess or even the whole damn world, but his castle, his treasure and yes, even his idiot brother... well taking these things from Wario was like stripping him away from his dignity, and he could not allow that to go unchallenged.

What had they said about Bowser? He thought. They wanted to recruit him?

Wario wondered, knowing Bowser, how badly that would go down. "Hey, we captured and destroyed in one night the kingdom you have been trying to conquer for years, you should join us now!" Wario chuckled.

"Good luck with that, you fools." He said aloud, laughing to himself.

This line of thought brought Wario to the present where he now approached another army in broad day light, encamped on a hill barely in eye shot of the pathetic remains of a town he had infiltrated only the night before. Was this the right move? He didn't know, but if he was going to get his own property and, he hated to admit, dignity back, this was apparently his only option on the table at present.

I hate rooting for the good guys though. he thought. Let alone joining them!

What is he up to? Were Daisy's first thoughts upon the arrival of Wario. She knew him and his brother, Waluigi, to be a mischievous pair that would often infiltrate the various parties, sporting events and other get togethers hosted in the Mushroom Kingdom. They were often pulling pranks or cheating in a fair game. To their frustration however, the Mario brothers bested the dastardly duo easily nine times out of ten, though when Wario and Waluigi did on occasion win a game or have the upper hand, their boasting and mean spirited jabbing made it seem as if they won every time. Daisy had often wondered what had happened to those two that made them so mean spirited. Though their origins were murky, she knew Mario, Luigi, Wario and Waluigi's complicated dynamic went back many years to their respective childhoods.

Regardless, the present turmoil in the Mushroom Kingdom and imminent danger lurking just a few short miles away, put Daisy on alert. On the other hand, her current position was not one of strength: army stretched thin, wounded and dying needing tending and of course Princess Peach incapacitated healing from her own wounds. Additionally, she felt that Wario, while still being a conniving, glutinous greedy trickster had displayed a less confrontational approach in recent times, and would show tolerance or even joke around with some of the others. She had even personally had a civil chat with the man once or twice during various parties. Waluigi however, always made Daisy uneasy. The lanky, purple clad man seemed to grow only darker in his brooding and more quick to anger as time wore on. He was vain, arrogant, and clearly very jealous of Luigi. It also wasn't lost on Daisy Waluigi's less than subtle interest in her. The borderline lude and inappropriate comments, the leering gaze that seemed to pierce through her... Daisy shivered thinking about it.

No, if it had been Waluigi, there's no way I would have let him in. She thought.

A half circle of guards with Captain Mash and General Spore in the middle met Wario as the large motorcycle he rode slowed to a stop, the plumes of exhaust dissipating behind him. Wario threw himself off the bike, strode towards the center of the guard and abruptly farted. He shoved a finger up his right nostril as he spoke to Mash.

"Who's in charge of this sad looking lot?" He asked with a smirk, still digging for gold.

"You are addressing General Spore. General of the funging army of the Mushroom Kingdom." Spore spat. He jerked a thumb toward Mash. "That's Captain of the Queen's Guard of Sarasaland, Captain Mash." Mash very slightly bowed his head. "Would you take your spore sucking finger out of your funging nose you slob?" Spore swore suddenly.

Wario, surprised by this reaction grinned, shrugged and proceeded to fling the contents of his nose away. He grabbed his overall straps and laughed. "I like you Spore, gotta admit. Now who's in charge?"

"And who's asking?" Mash replied with a piercing look.

"You don't know?" Wario asked, genuinely surprised. "I'm-a-Wario! Delighted for you to make my acquaintance! Wah ha ha!" He did a short jig then, and his wide mouth somehow managed to grin even wider.

Daisy sighed and stepped forward. "What do you want, Wario?" she said flatly.

Wario turned toward her, his grin turning into a sly smile. "Ah, yes, the lovely Flower Princess. So you're the one leading this sad little band?"

Daisy stiffened then grunted. She placed her hands on her hips then gave him a wry look. "Are you just going to stand there and insult me or are you going to get to the point already? What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" She clipped each word to drive her point home.

Wario wilted just slightly then, and for a moment didn't say anything and just let his eyes wander around the camp. He turned his back to them then, his muscular arms crossed behind his back, as if uncertain as to where to proceed. Finally, he turned his head back towards them and for the first time Daisy saw a weariness there that she never would have expected from Wario. He sighed and, fully facing them once again spoke up.

"We may have a common enemy..." He began.

He explained everything to them then: Mack invading his castle, Waluigi's capture, his encounter with the translucent weapons at the river, and finally is infiltration of Toad Town and the conversation he overheard. Daisy found her eyes widening as the tale unfolded, and was surprised to see genuine remorse from Wario. It was spoiled a bit as Wario concluded his story.

"...they humiliated me and took my treasures! No one gets away with robbing and insulting the great Wario! I will take back what's mine!" He growled.

Daisy rolled her eyes at the last part, but gave Wario a quizzical stare.

"So why tell us?" She said.

Wario's reaction was as if she slapped him. "Wah...?" He began.

"If you're so big and great, why don't you just take back what they stole from you instead of standing here boasting to us about it?" She said crossing her arms.

Wario's face turned redder than Mario's hat then, and as he stepped toward her, Mash and Spore stepped forward, crossing their weapons in front of him to block him from her. He grabbed his yellow hat then, tossing it on the ground in frustration as Daisy stood her ground.

He's not as big and tough as he presents himself. She thought.

"Why you little..." Wario bit off, pointing a gloved finger at Daisy. He planted his fist in his palm and turned to leave, but as he was about to mount his bike he paused, looked off into the distance and grit his teeth. He stalked back over to Daisy, blocked once again by Mash and Spore.

"That's as far as you go." Mash said sternly.

"Another step and I'll gut ya like a fungus lickin' cheep cheep." Spore spat.

"It's alright, stand down men." Daisy said. Wario snorted as Mash and Spore shrugged, removing their weapons. Wario stalked right up to Daisy and although maybe twice as large as her in girth, she actually had to look down into Wario's wide, ugly face as his eyes pierced though hers.

"I will get back what's mine, Princess!" He growled. He hesitated briefly and then thrust his gloved hand out toward her. Daisy looked down, surprised by his fervor and self-control in the moment.

"An alliance?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Aye. You going to make me grovel?" Wario growled again. "We both know this is bigger than all of us. Yes, even me." The last part of his statement seemed to pain him the most.

Daisy put a finger to her chin in thought for a moment. She looked Wario up and down. She had known the man at least peripherally for years, and while her opinion of him had never been very high, she had to admit he could make for a strong ally. He had fought his way out of the castle, and seemingly all the way here if he were to be believed. Could she trust him? Probably not, but she really didn't believe he was the type of man to show any sort of humility unless under immense pressure. Despite his rough appearance, greedy nature and extreme arrogance, the man was a force to be reckoned with. She also had to admit that he could be very useful to their cause in other ways. His mischievous and sneaky ways could prove very useful. Daisy herself never liked that approach, but she learned long ago that to survive both conflict and politics, having someone to do all of the dirty work wasn't just an asset, it was a necessity.

She took his large hand with as firm a grip as her small one could manage and nodded.

"Until the Smithy Gang is defeated?" Daisy said.

Wario returned the nod. "He'll pay for what he's done to..." Wario paused, grimacing. "He'll pay..."

Wario's words were interrupted as a young, yellow spotted Toad ran up to the congregation.

"Your highness, your highness!" She cried, pushing past soldiers. "Come quickly!"

"What is it?" Daisy asked with a frown.

"It's the princess!" The Toad cried. "She's awake!"