Update: 1/21/15: Hellooooo to any and all of you LOTSS fans who may still be out there! At long last the long overdue Chapter 14 is finally here! My deepest apologies to any of you who have been waiting for this. As previously stated in my last update, this is very much a side project, and with so much of well, life going on and such, I have found increasingly little time to actually work on this story. That being said, I still plan on finishing it, and I still have a long way to go, but please realize that it will take time. Although my overall amount of writing time has been few and far between as of late, I refuse to let my lack of time dilute the actual story, as I am still striving to make it as rich with beautiful descriptions, engrossing drama, and epic adventure as possible for all to enjoy! I promise that at the very least, the next few chapters will be coming relatively soon, so keep an eye out for them! I would still very much love to give proper revisions to the first several chapters, but that might be a while. (In a way, I sort of enjoy looking back on some of the first few chapters, and seeing how far the story/my writing has progressed since I started this project, so that is also something I'm struggling with.) Please, if you have any comments, critiques, questions, or whatever else, please feel free to send me a PM or write a review. I try my best to work really hard on this story, and I like knowing my work is appreciated. Thanks everyone for reading, and I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 14: A Mischievous Stench

The bright evening glow of sunset peaked through the stained glass windows of Wario's castle as he sat upon a throne of pure gold. The multi-colored beams of warm light shimmered in an array of hues that sparkled upon the rich, elaborate décor that decorated his throne room. Figurines, statues, and gold framed portraits of himself glimmered at its touch, and in the corner of the room, a large pile of gemstones sparkled in a rainbow of colors. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and more all glistened in different hues ranging from bright, white diamonds to deep opals. The walls of the room, like the rest of the castle, were of a dark purple stone brick, each elaborately decorated with intricate gold designs that sparkled in the light. Even the floor was richly decorated, and appeared to be one solid sheet of gold that stretched the entire length of the room.

Wario grabbed another large garlic clove from the huge plate resting upon a golden table next to him, scarfed it down in one bite, and gave a long, satisfying belch. Shifting himself on the golden throne, he lifted one leg up and quickly farted as he grabbed another large clove of garlic from the plate. He crossed his short, stubby legs, resting them on the right side of the arm rest, and after gulping down the second clove, belched again and shoved one gloved finger up his right nostril. He grinned a toothy yellow grin as he let out another fart, this one much louder than the previous one. It echoed down the main hall directly facing the throne.

"Yes, that should do." He said in a satisfied tone between belches. "I believe this is the best crop of garlic I have ever raised up. I am just so incredible at everything I do!"

As he continued to dig for another kind of gold, Wario grabbed a small, diamond studded mirror from the table and admired his own reflection for a moment. He wore a bright yellow hat with a large, blue "W" in the center. It topped his curly brown hair, the brim meeting his long, pointy ears. Beneath his large, bulbous pink nose in the center of his wide face, a thin mustache zigzagged from ear to ear. He moved his finger from his nose to his wide mouth as he picked a small piece of garlic from his teeth. He then bellowed a deep chuckle at the sight of his own reflection that echoed down the hall.

"Wah ha ha!" He laughed as he slapped his monstrously large belly. "Looking positively dashing as always I see! How can someone possibly be so talented, smart, and good looking all at the same time? It even amazes me, sometimes."

Another loud fart echoed through the room as Wario laughed even harder. How good it felt for him to be alive, to be himself. He had just returned from another one of his big adventures not two hours ago, and had brought back with him a huge haul of gold, jewels and other riches to add to his ever growing collection, and nothing in the world made him happier.

"That fool woman thought she could get the best of me? Wa ha ha ha!" He laughed aloud. "Nobody gets the best of Wario! The dumb bimbo didn't know what she was dealing with!"

Captain Syrup was a pirate, a woman who Wario had to admit was cunning, strong, and had almost as strong of a love of gold as he did. The two had been rivals for years, competing against each other for various different riches. Sometimes Syrup would best him, and take his gold, but in the end, he always recovered what was his and then some. It annoyed Wario to no end, these little tricks and games she would play with him, but he had to admit it was extremely satisfying always coming out on top.

Stupid woman has no clue who she's dealing with. He thought. A pity, she'd make for a pretty wife, were she not so naïve. A waste, but she couldn't handle Wario anyway.

"Eh, home already?" A nasally voice suddenly echoed. It was Waluigi, Wario's younger brother walking down the hall towards him. As usual, he wore a scowl upon his long, almost skeletal-like face. His brow slick with sweat, he swung his purple tennis racket at the air, as if still playing a match against an unseen opponent. "I thought so. I could smell you from the tennis courts outside. Not to mention hear your insolent boasting from Bowser's castle!"

"Oh, cheer up bro!" Wario replied, still laughing. "Why the long face? Well, I guess it always looks like that, and ugly. But hey, not all of us can look this perfect."

Wario once again admired himself in the mirror for a few seconds, and gave his little brother his most winning smile.

"Phaw!" Waluigi scowled again as he stopped right before the small stairway below the throne, crossing his arms. "If a fat, gluttonous blob of lard is your idea of perfect, it might be time for some glasses brother."

Wario once again burst out laughing as he let out another loud, stinky fart. Waluigi quickly covered his long nose in response, cursing him as he gave him a dark look.

"And something to cure that!" He shouted. " It smells like you're rotting from the inside!"

"What can I say?" Wario replied jovially. "I am a rotten guy! Wa ha ha ha! A rotten, rich guy!"

"I trust... that the adventure... was a success then... blech!" Waluigi muttered between gasps. He waved his long arms in the air, as if to fan the stench away from himself.

"Wah ha ha!" He bellowed. "What a haul! The pirate bimbo is slipping! She might as well just start personally delivering the gold to me, it would make it easier for her!"

Waluigi shook his head as he gasped for air, a look of relief on his face as the smell started to clear. He leaned on his tennis racket as if it were a walking stick, and crossed his leg. Wario leaned back further in his chair, grabbing another clove of garlic as his brother spoke up.

"We need to start practicing for the next tennis tournament soon." He said in a stern voice. "Your game is slipping, which we can't afford if we plan on beating those rat plumbers."

Wario shoved the garlic in his mouth and shrugged. His brother's obsession with besting the Mario brothers was starting to get tiresome. Sure, he was no fan of theirs, but he had reached a point where he really could care less about what they did, let alone trying to beat them in a straight competition. Wario did not like playing fair, and at this point was so preoccupied by his own affairs, that he did not really have the time, nor care to make time for them. Sure, he and Waluigi had had great fun together causing mischief and torment to Mario, Luigi and all of their other little goody two shoe friends in the past, but Wario found little joy in it nowadays.

"Wah, who cares about them anyway?" He replied nonchalantly. "I have much more important things to worry about than some stupid tennis game. That gold won't count itself you know."

Waluigi jumped at that, and scowled at his brother, clearly outraged.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "Nothing is more important than beating those two damned rats!"

Wario belched in response, and Waluigi quickly covered his nose.

"Will you please, for five minutes, take control of your bowels?!" Waluigi shouted angrily.

"Look bro," Wario said, sitting up in his throne. "You know I'm no fan of the Mario brothers, but I'm afraid that I could really care less about them right now. We've pulled pranks on them since we were kids in Brooklyn, and it's starting to get old. Do you see this?" Wario stood up and gestured around the room, his brother's gaze following him. "Gold, lots and lots of precious gold and riches from all over the world! This castle, your home, my home. This is all the fruits of my own labor. Ever since I steered my focus away from trying to make Mario's life miserable, I have found my own happiness! Wah ha ha! I have made my own path, and it's lined with gold! Precious gold!"

Wario gave his brother a wide, toothy grin as he marveled at his riches. His brother just shook his head in response, and gave him another dark look.

"Gold, gold, gold!" He scowled at him. "Is that all you think about? That, and stuffing your fat, bloated gut with garlic? Where does gold and diamonds and treasure get you in the end? Nowhere. In the end, it doesn't matter. Glory is what I seek. You have lost your vision, brother. To humiliate the two..." he paused. "That rat, Luigi! Nothing is more important! He has shamed Waluigi too much for me to just shrug it off for gold! And to think... the nerve of that little mushroom to ask me about him... that little rat. I'll make him a..."

"Mushroom?" Wario belched. "What mushroom?"

"Eh?" Waluigi replied, giving Wario a confused look, as if forgetting what he had said.

"You said a mushroom asked about Luigi?" Wario asked. "Did you leave my treasures unguarded?!"

Waluigi sighed and shook his head.

"No, you idiot!" He replied angrily. "That little mushroom that always follows around those morons... Toad, I think his name is. I don't know, they all look the same. Anyway, he came by here, knocking on our door asking for Luigi! Luigi! Can you believe the nerve?"

"Why would he think Luigi is here?" Wario replied curiously.

"How in the seven shells should I know?!" Waluigi replied, clearly annoyed. "I slammed the door in his face and told him to go away!"

Wario sat back on his throne and pondered to himself for a moment. He found it odd that Toad would come by here, the last place on earth Luigi would ever be (Well, aside maybe from Bowser's castle.) to ask about him. Was he missing? If that were the case, perhaps Toad was not the only one looking for him. Maybe the castle was left unguarded by Mario, and the royal vault...

Wario grinned a wide smile at his brother, and laughed again.

"Wah ha ha ha!" He bellowed. "You wanna really get under the Mario brother's skin, little bro?"

Waluigi perked up slightly at that, and swung his tennis racket through the air.

"I'm listening." His brother replied.

"If Luigi's missing, then perhaps we..."

Wario was interrupted by a rumbling sound that started to shake the entire castle. The force of the tremors caused him to topple from his throne, landing on his back.

"What the…!" He cried, as the rumbling proceeded to get louder. He looked at his brother, who appeared to be trying very hard to stay on his feet, giving him a shocked look. After a few moments, the rumbling ceased, and he stood up.

"What was that?!" Wario exclaimed.

"Eh, must have been some kind of earthquake." His brother replied, hesitantly removing his hand from the wall he was balancing himself on. "Odd, I don't remember there ever being any earthquakes around here."

Suddenly the tremors resumed, only this time more powerful. Wario watched helplessly as a few of his precious portraits and valuables started falling off the walls. He looked up to see small pieces of the stone ceiling start to give way, and as he tried to take a step forward, he tumbled down the small staircase, right into his brother who tried in vain to dodge. Both brothers rolled into the nearby wall in a heap, and as the tremors quickly escalated, they had no choice but to lie there, tangled as they waited for them to subside.

As the second earthquake finally stopped, the pair hesitantly stood up, Wario pushing an arm against the wall, while Waluigi stood up and brushed himself off. He stuck a pointed finger in Wario's face and scowled.

"Way to go, you fat klutz!" He complained. "I feel like I just got ran over by a giant bowling ball!"

Wario gave Waluigi a dark look, and brushed his brother's long, lanky arm aside easily.

"Stick your finger in my face again, and I'll break it off!" He shouted angrily. "Now is not the time for this! We need to figure out what is going on!"

As if in response, Wario was interrupted by the sound of the large, steel doors of his castle slamming open. He ran to the hallway, Waluigi on his toes, and as he looked down the long corridor, he could see a large number of creatures rushing through the entrance. They appeared to be living weapons with translucent skin and red eyes. Within seconds, the creatures ran for them, and Wario stopped dead in his tracks. He looked behind him at his brother, and the two nodded sharing confused looks.

Wario waited for the large group of creatures to fill the hallway and rolled up his long, yellow sleeves, revealing his burly muscles. He waited until the creatures were mere feet in front of them, and then charged, arm first at them. Wario possessed a tremendous amount of strength and girth, and he plowed through the creatures, mowing them down as if they were weeds in his garden. He could hear the loud cracking sound of his brother's tennis racket behind him, taking out the few stragglers that he missed.

"What are these things?" Waluigi shouted from behind.

"Just keep choppin'!" Wario retorted as he plowed through the creatures. They tried unsuccessfully to fight back, just toppling over each other and slamming into the hard stone walls of the hallway as Wario continued to charge through them. One sword-like creature tried to stab at him, and he grabbed it by the hilt, or what Wario guessed was its neck, and hurled it across the castle. It smashed against the stone wall at the entrance, and Wario grinned.

"Nobody is taking my treasures! My castle!" He shouted confidently. "I'll show what happens when you mess with Wario! Wah ha ha ha!"

As he reached the main foyer of his castle, Wario momentarily turned his head. Behind him, he left a trail of battered and beaten creatures littered throughout the entire corridor. He saw Waluigi a few feet down the hall, bashing at what appeared to be an axe-like creature's head with his tennis racket furiously. He could see a cold, dark look in his brother's eyes as he relentlessly smashed the creature's head in.

That one has some serious issues. He thought.

"Impressive, I must say!" A distorted, almost mechanical-like voice declared from behind him. He turned around quickly and looked up at a huge, knife-shaped creature with big, dark eyes standing in the doorway before him. Atop of its hilt, a masked figure wearing a long, red cape bounced up and down in the air. Its mask was also of a deep crimson color, had an almost jack-o lantern face and long, red horns. It laughed insanely as it continued to bounce up and down on the large knife, as its long cape flapped in the wind. Behind it, a group of about a half dozen red Shy Guys bouncing atop of what appeared to be pogo sticks all chuckled in unison.

"So, I guess you're the one who commands these guys?" Wario gestured at the large group of bodies littering the golden floor of his castle. "They now understand what happens when you mess with Wario!"

Wario could hear the sound of his brothers footsteps racing up behind him. His brother scowled at him, and gave the creatures a dark look.

"…And don't forget, the great Waluigi!" He declared with a smirk. He swung his tennis racket in the air and crossed his arms.

Wario rolled his eyes at his brother, and proceeded to cross his arms.

"Who dares to try and siege my castle?!" Wario demanded angrily.

The creature just laughed harder then, continuing to bounce up and down on the hilt of the giant knife. The Shy Guys followed suit, and the party burst through the doors. Wario braced himself for a fight, and slammed a balled fist into his palm. He could feel his anger boiling over now. How dare this creature bust into his home and insult him.

Suddenly, a third, and even more violent tremor started to shake the castle. The mechanical sound of the creature's laughter grew louder and louder as the walls started to shake. Wario could feel small pieces of debris starting to fall on his head, and watched as his brother just barely managed to dodge a large piece of stone that smashed into the ground where he was standing. It shattered into pieces, pelting Wario in the face. Wario moved to attack the creature, but the violent tremor caused him to once again fall over. The creatures continued to bounce up and down, appearing to be unaffected by the earthquake.

"The name's Mack," The creature announced suddenly in that distorted, mechanical voice. "Mack the Knife. I now declare this castle as my new home, along with my Shysters here."

He gestured at the Shy Guys behind him who gleefully hopped up and down in response, giggling.

"This castle, this world, is now ours! In the name of the Smithy Gang!" Mack declared with a dark smirk.

"All hail Master Smithy! Woo hoo!" The Shysters echoed in unison.

Wario laid on his back now, virtually immobilized by the earthquake. He tried to stand up, but each time lost his balance and fell back over. Frustrated, and mad with rage, he pointed a gloved finger at the creature and shouted.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" He bellowed.

Mack just continued to bounce on that wretched knife of his, and gave Wario a cold, dark smile as he jumped high into the air.

"That's the point!" He laughed, the Shysters joining in as he shot back down from the air, the large blade aimed straight for Wario's chest. Wario managed to roll out of the way at the last second, and Mack's pointed blade stuck into the floor. Suddenly, Waluigi was on the creature in a flash, smashing his tennis racket into his face.

"DIE!" His brother screamed. "DIE! DIE DIE!"

By this time, the tremors had once again subsided, and the Shysters bombarded Waluigi in an instant. Wario picked himself back up to help his brother, but slipped on a small stone on the floor, this time falling flat on his face. He looked back up to see his brother, trying in vain to fend off the Shysters. He smacked at them all with his tennis racket, punching, kicking and shouting as they overwhelmed him, bouncing on top of him with their pogo sticks.

By this time, Mack had managed to pull his blade from out of the floor, and once again bounced high into the air. Waluigi squirmed and shouted, a look of terror and hatred in his eyes as Mack's blade ascended down towards his torso. He flailed his long, lanky arms and legs that the Shysters had pinned down in an attempt to escape, but it was useless. The Shysters laughed in pure bliss as Mack shot back down to the floor, aiming to impale his brother.

Wario was on Mack in an instant, throwing his full strength at him, knocking him off of his huge knife onto the floor. He pinned the creature down, and as if half insane, threw a flurry of punches at the creature's jack-o lantern face. Mack was much large than him, but Wario was undoubtedly stronger. It flailed and tried to escape, but Wario kept throwing fist after fist at him. He grit his teeth as he felt the adrenaline running through him. He would kill this wretched creature, and make him pay for the torment he was causing him.

Soon, he could feel some tugging on his overalls, and looked back as the Shysters all grabbed hold of him at once. He grabbed for them, but they all bounced around him, throwing him off. He would try and grab one, and it was gone, another smacking him in the head from behind. Another, pulling back the straps of his purple overalls and then snapping them back against his belly. Another, bouncing off of his head. It drove him mad with rage. He punched, kicked, and cursed at the air, and did not notice when Mack suddenly got up, grabbing him and hurling him across the room.

"Waaaaaahhhh!" He shouted as he was thrown into a giant portrait of himself.

He smashed through it, though luckily for him, it concealed a secret passageway, and not hard stone brick. The wooden frame exploded into pieces, and he stuck, head first into the likeness of his own head. He hung there for a moment, dazed and slightly suspended above the hard, brick stone floor of the passageway. As he hung there, falling in and out of consciousness, he could hear the faint sound of laughter behind him as he watched his yellow hat slowly drift to the floor.

Wario didn't know how much time had passed then. He only knew that now, he had no choice but to recover as quickly as possible, before Mack and the Shysters moved to attack him again. He could hear the sound of his stomach rumbling, and the creature's bouncing getting closer and closer. Not able to see behind him, but aware of their coming approach, he did the only thing he could do at that moment.

He farted.

The force of the fart propelled him through the rest of the portrait, and he could hear the horrified shouts of the creatures behind him as he hit the floor. He quickly grabbed his hat, placing it back on his head and stood up. He ran to the large opening he had been hurled through, and watched with horror as a plethora of those weapon-like creatures filled the main foyer. Mack had recovered, bouncing on that giant knife of his and glared at Wario. Mack's mask had been smashed in by Wario's relentless punching, and as he looked down, he could see the Shysters littering the floor in front of the painting, gasping for air and coughing. Wario took a long whiff of the air and grinned.

"Oooh… Garlic. Wah ha ha!" He chuckled.

As Wario moved to jump back through the portrait, he noticed the large group of weapons marching and staring death at him. He frantically searched for Waluigi but could see no trace of his brother anywhere. As the weapons raced towards him, the realization hit him that he was outnumbered, and that he had no choice but to flee for now.

"Sorry, bro." He said aloud, despairingly. "There are just too many. DAMN IT!"

Wario punched the side of the wall, punching a hole through the stone brick and shouting at the top of his lungs in frustration as he ran down the passageway. Luckily for him, it led to the garage…

Later, Wario sat on his large, yellow motorcycle. He had parked on a hill, overlooking his home and the Mushroom Kingdom. It was full dark now, and the entire night sky was lit up with the fires of war. Devastation had befallen the Mushroom Kingdom, and he had not been exempt from it. As he stuffed his finger into his nose, he looked on in despair at his glorious castle, now being ravaged and occupied by a gang of thugs. His treasures, his precious treasures. Everything he had ever worked for was gone, now in the hands of this wretched Mack. His brother was more than likely dead, too. All because of Mack and…

Wait, didn't he mention another name? Wario suddenly remembered. Smithy, was it?

Smithy. Smithy, Mack, The Shysters. They would all pay for this. He would see to it that every bloody creature in this entire army would pay for the shame that they had brought him. He looked on past his castle, to Toad Town, the home of Princess Peach and Mario. He had seen with his own eyes the giant sword descend from the sky, piercing the walls of the grand castle, the walls of Toad Town breached, the fires burning in the night. There was little love lost between him and Mario, but Wario could not help but feel almost sorry for the guy. Sure, the goody two shoes had defeated Bowser countless times and rescued Princess Peach, but never had so much devastation and death hit the Mushroom Kingdom before.

Looks like we have a common enemy now. Wario thought.

He revved the engine of his bike loudly as he took one last look at his castle. He shook his head as he hit the gas, racing off into the night.

The cells of the castle dungeon were cold, dark, and damp as Toadsworth sat shivering in the darkness.

My land, it's cold! He thought despairingly. I'll have to think twice before sending anyone here. That is, if I ever see the light of day again.

He was terrified. No, terrified was not a strong enough word to describe it. He was absolutely horrified, shaken to his core. He knew it was cold down in the dungeon of Princess Toadstool's castle, but that was not why he was shivering. He was afraid, petrified. Not just for his own life, but for all of the other prisoners of the castle. Even more than them however, he feared the worst for the Princess.

She wasn't in the castle. The thought kept creeping in on him. She was outside, in all of the chaos, the death. Oh, so much death.

He could feel the tears flowing down his face, dampening his thick mustache and dripping onto the floor of the cell. He was filled with regret. Regret for not seeing this coming, regret for not being equipped for the situation at hand. He couldn't stop thinking about the Princess, how he failed her, how she was probably dead.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! NOOOOO!" A voice screamed in agony.

Toadsworth quickly covered his ears at the horrifying sound. He hummed to himself to try and drown it out, but it was no use. The ear piercing screams were torture. Every hour since the attack and takeover of the castle, another prisoner was tortured. Some to death, but those who were kept alive envied the dead.

"No! NO!" He shouted.

Not again. Poor Fungi. Oh, please, I beg the Stars. He pleaded in his mind. Stop this madness!

He curled up in the corner of his cell, alone. Fungi had been his sole companion, up until about a half hour ago, when those dreadful creatures took him. The feeling of despair was overwhelming. Fungi may have stood a better chance of escaping had he not run into the castle, warning everyone about the impending attack. He had said that Princess Peach and Daisy had been at the tennis courts at the time, but the stars only knew what had happened to them.

Captain Mash set out to retrieve them. He thought. With all luck, they are safe, but more than likely they're all dead now.

Fungi had tried to keep his spirits up. He would reassure Toadsworth that the two princesses stood a much better chance outside of the castle's walls than in. Toadsworth had seen the devastation with his own eyes outside the window of his study before he was caught and thrown into this cell, and as much as he tried, he could not convince himself that it was the truth.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! AAAGGHHH!" The scream echoed through the chamber.

Toadsworth felt his heart jump, his brow slick with sweat. He tried to tune the screams out, but it was impossible. He laid down on the cold, hard floor and tried to fall asleep. It was the only escape he could find, although it was limited at best. He was often too afraid to fall asleep, horrified by what he might encounter when he awoke.

After several minutes (Which felt like hours to Toadsworth.) passed, Fungi's tortured screams finally stopped, and Toadsworth jumped up to his feet at the sound of footsteps approaching the cell. Likewise, it felt like his heart was jumping up into his throat as he saw a large, burly axe-like creature walk up to the cell door. He grabbed a key, unlocking the door, and tossed a small body onto the stone floor. As the door slammed shut, the creature laughed maniacally in that distorted, almost mechanical sounding voice, and glared at Toadsworth with a smirk.

"One hour. You old man!" It taunted, laughing. "Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!"

Toadsworth jumped as he felt a bolt of fear go through him. He tried to speak, but found that he was too petrified to even move. Virtually paralyzed by fear, he could only gape at the creature, wide-eyed and shocked. As it vanished down the dark corridor, Toadsworth could only stand there, shaken to his core in fear of what kind of torture he was going to have to endure.

After a few moments, he looked down at the floor and gasped in horror as he truly noticed Fungi for the first time. His left hand had been completely severed off, and was gushing dark, red blood on the floor from a soaked bandage wrapped around the stump. His right eye had also been gouged out, and he had a makeshift eye patch of bandages wrapped around his large head. His yellow vest torn and tattered, his whole body bared the scars of what looked like hundreds of lashes, the cuts still sore and dripping blood. Fungi was in really bad shape, but as Toadsworth knelt down and pressed his ear against his chest, he could hear a faint heartbeat, and feel his slow, laborious breathing.

My land! They beat the poor child nearly to death! Toadsworth thought despairingly. He's a tough little Toad, but he'll be dead soon if I can't find a way to stop the bleeding.

Suddenly, Toadsworth could hear a door slam from down the corridor, and the sound of footsteps once again approaching the cell. He quickly backed away from Fungi, and was about to panic when he suddenly heard a loud, nasally voice start to yell.

"Let me go!" The voice protested angrily. "Do you rats have any idea who you're messing with? You'll pay for this!"

It was a voice that Toadsworth recognized, but couldn't pinpoint exactly. The footsteps finally stopped at his cell, and he could see at least four of those weapon creatures struggling to hold down a tall, lanky figure squirming in their grasps throwing punches, kicking and cursing. As one of the guards quickly opened the door of Toadsworth's cell, the other three tossed the prisoner into it, quickly locking the door behind them. The prisoner crashed into the hard, stone wall of the cell and fell to the ground. As Toadsworth slowly took a few steps forward, he could just make out the prisoner's long face, pointed mustaches and purple hat.

"Waluigi?" Toadsworth suddenly blurted out. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Waluigi soon looked up, glaring at the guards on the other side of the cell. Toadsworth was sure that for a half a second, he saw Waluigi's dark eyes glow purple as he quickly got up and charged at the cell door. He reached his long arms through the bars of the cell, and managed to grab one of the creatures by the throat.

"DIE!" Waluigi shouted madly. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

The creature flailed its arms wildly, and tried to grab at Waluigi, the other three grabbing at him, trying to stop him, but Waluigi would not relent on his grip. One of the guards quickly opened the door, shoving at him only to receive a swift kick in the face. The creature flew against the back wall of the cell, and soon the other two ran in to try and take him down. By this time, Waluigi had finally let loose on the other creature's neck, who collapsed, lifeless. Waluigi turned and glared at the other two weapons, both exchanging panicked looks as they quickly retreated from the cell, locking the doors behind them.

"Let me OUT!" Waluigi screamed madly. "Let me out you COWARDS! DAMN YOU!"

Waluigi punched at the cell door madly as the two creatures gave him dark looks.

"You'll pay for that, bean pole!" One of them-a sword- threatened. "Just wait until Master Smithy hears about this!"

"We'll be sure you're the next prisoner tortured!" The other-an arrow- said maniacally. "Consider yourself a dead man!"

"Open this cell door, and I'll show you who will be the dead one!" Waluigi retorted as he gestured at the creature on the floor whom he strangled.. "Like your buddy here."

Waluigi then rushed over to the side of the cell where the other weapon creature whom he had kicked laid unconscious, and proceeded to kick it in the face profusely. After what Toadsworth guessed was over twenty kicks to the face, the creature's body jerked, and fell lifeless.

"And this one!" Waluigi shouted spitting on the dead corpse as he glared back at them, giving them a dark smirk.

"You'll pay for this!" The sword shouted.

"Yes, pay!" The other added as they both ran down the corridor. Toadsworth heard the door slam behind them as they exited the dungeon.

Toadsworth ducked back into the corner of the cell. His gaze shifting to each of the dead weapons, Fungi, and then back to Waluigi who cursed and proceeded to sit down on the cold stone floor. He was at a loss for words, and now even more frightened that he may be sharing a cell with a mad man. Toadsworth had known Waluigi for a long time, and knew that he was not the most honorable man in the Mushroom Kingdom, but never had he seen such a dark, evil look in the man's eyes.

"Eh, what are you starin' at?" Waluigi scowled, as if noticing Toadsworth for the first time.

"Oh, gracious!" Toadsworth replied, flinching. "Umm… well… oh, nothing!" He stumbled.

Waluigi then turned his head slightly, squinting his eyes as he stared at Toadsworth for a moment. He blinked and shook his head.

"You're that old fogy that follows the Princess around like a lost puppy!" Waluigi exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Couldn't run out the door fast enough I guess, eh?"

"W… W…" Toadsworth stuttered.

Waluigi rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Calm down, old coot." Waluigi shrugged. "You're safe for now. Well, at least from me. You're not the fool dead man who threw me into this hole. Unlike these two idiots here." He gestured to the two dead bodies on the floor and smirked devilishly. "I would have had the other two dirty rats too, had they not been such cowards and fled."

Toadsworth took a few deep breaths, taking a few steps towards him. Waluigi was easily three, maybe four times taller than Toadsworth. In the daylight Waluigi had a very unpleasant look, but in the darkness of the castle dungeon, Waluigi's tall, dark figure was downright sinister.

"What… that is, if I may ask…" Toadsworth said sheepishly. "What on earth are you, of all people doing down here, Master Waluigi?"

"Master Waluigi?" Waluigi repeated, perplexed but looking somewhat satisfied. "Has a nice ring to it! Eh, it's none of your business, old coot. I should be asking you the same question. Shouldn't you be halfway up Princess Peach's dress right now, worrying about how she might hurt her dainty little self while she's sitting on the royal bathroom throne?"

"Oh, dear me, how crude." Toadsworth replied, perplexed. "No, No… I was caught by one of those dreadful guards and thrown into this cell upon the castle's siege."

"Eh, who cares?" Waluigi said nonchalantly, rolling his eyes. "It won't matter when I get out of here, because I'm gonna destroy this entire army, and when I get my hands on this Smithy creep…"

"Uggghhhhhh…" A faint voice suddenly moaned. Toadsworth immediately affixed his gaze on Fungi's small figure on the floor. The boy seemed to be stirring.

"Eh, what's this?" Waluigi said curiously, kneeling down and examining Fungi.

"They tortured the poor boy." Toadsworth replied solemnly. "If the bleeding in his arm doesn't stop soon, he'll be dead."

"Poor idiot wasn't smart enough to die." Waluigi retorted sarcastically. "His will be a slow and painful death."

Toadsworth started at that, and found himself getting angry. Waluigi was far worse than crude, rather just a downright cold-hearted, cruel man himself.

"That's quite rude and uncalled for, Master Waluigi." He found himself saying aloud. "If we just leave the boy to die without at least trying to do something, what makes us any better than those creatures that captured us?"

A soon as the words left his mouth, Toadsworth wanted to take them back. Waluigi was on him in a second, waving a long, pointed finger in his face.

"How dare you compare the great Waluigi to these rats!" He shouted furiously. "You think I'm no better than them? What have you done to save the kid?! Just squirmed around like a little worm, wriggling in fear in your little corner? What do you think I am a doctor? And even if I were, I'd have no way of saving him stuck in this hole. Here's a diagnosis you stupid old coot: That wound needs to be cauterized, fast, or the kid is dead. Probably better off if you ask me. You need something pretty hot to do that, and this damned hole is so cold and damp, you'd have a better chance of flying a plane underwater than finding some kind of heat source!"

"There!" Toadsworth suddenly blurted out, pointing behind Waluigi.

At the end of the cell, just a few feet outside of the bars, a lone fire flower peaked through a small crack in the stone floor. Its pedals glowed a faint, yet bright orange as a tiny beam of sunlight peaking through a crack in the wall on the other side dimly lit it. The pair stared at it for a moment, and exchanged looks.

"Your reach is far superior to mine, Master Waluigi." Toadsworth said nodding with a grin. "If you can grab it, we might be able to both save the boy, and use its power to break us out of here. Everyone wins."

Waluigi gave Toadsworth another devilish grin, and stroked his long mustache.

"Well played, old coot." He replied. "You gotta deal! Leave this to Waluigi! Wah ha ha ha!"

Waluigi ran over to the other side of the cell and knelt down, sticking his right arm through the bars. His arm was more than long enough to reach the fire flower and he quickly plucked it. As he walked back over to Toadsworth, he ingested it and instantly his black overalls and purple hat turned white.

"Hold the kid down, old man." He said with a smirk. "This is gonna sting."

Toadsworth swallowed hard as he knelt down, delicately unraveling the bandage over the stump that had been Fungi's left hand. Instantly, the wound started to gush even more blood, and Toadsworth felt himself start to shake. A knot formed in his belly, and he had to avert his eyes.

"Please, for the love of the stars, do it quickly!" He pleaded.

Waluigi nodded as he knelt down, grabbing the boy's arm. Having averted his eyes, Toadsworth could not see what Waluigi was doing, but could feel the heat of the flame emanating from Waluigi's hand. Suddenly, Fungi's eyes jolted open, his whole body jerking as he screamed in agony.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed.

"Pin him DOWN, old man!" Waluigi suddenly shouted. "It's almost finished!"

Toadsworth threw his whole weight against him, and as the boy screamed in agony, he did his best to comfort him.

"Hold still boy, hold still." He said softly. "It's almost done."

"It's done." Waluigi finally said after what felt like an eternity to Toadsworth. "If you want the boy to live, we'd better have a look at that eye too. If it gets infected, he's dead."

"No… NOOOOOOO!" Fungi once again started to flail and scream.

My land… Toadsworth thought. Will this madness ever end?

Several minutes later, after taking care of the eye and laying the now unconscious Fungi on the tiny cot in the corner of the room, Toadsworth sat beside him, giving him the last of the water from their meager ration. Waluigi stood over him, crossing his arms, and snorted.

"If you want out of here old man, you might need to start thinking about what you plan on doing with him." He suddenly blurted out, gesturing at Fungi.

"What are you talking about?" Toadsworth asked, looking back at him.

"I can't afford any liabilities." Waluigi said in a serious tone. "I'm going after this rat Smithy. The boy is alive, I owe you nothing. But when I bust out of here, I'm willing to lead you out. You won't be able to follow with him dragging you down."

"You're saying leave the boy?" Toadsworth replied, shocked. "How could you be so cold-hearted? You, who helped save his life."

"The kid means nothing to me." Waluigi said bluntly, giving Toadsworth that same dark, cruel look.

Suddenly, the sound of the main door slamming open echoed down the corridor. Several footsteps could be heard approaching the cell, and Toadsworth felt another chill go down his spine.

"Better start thinking fast." Waluigi whispered.

A group of at least a dozen weapons stood in front of the cell door. The large, burly axe, the sword and arrow from before, and several others all glared at them and smirked. Toadsworth froze, looking over at Waluigi who gave him a small nod. Waluigi moved to attack, but stopped when suddenly the large, burly axe spoke up.

"The Master Smithy wants to see you." It screeched in that high-pitched, almost mechanical-like voice. "Both of you."

Toadsworth felt a horrible shockwave of terror go down his spine as the large, axe creature's gaze pierced through him.