Road To Nowhere

[Latias]

Here it is!

Chapter 1.

Camera...
Speed...
Lights...
And... Action!

-Duh Duh Duh DUH! Duh DUH Duh!-

“Good evening, and welcome to Mushroom City 4 O’clock News at 9. I’m your anchor Boo T, and this is my attractive co-anchor, Tee T. Tee T, what’s our top story for tonight?”
“Well Boo T, we have an excellent story for all of you at home! The Mario Kart: Double Dash racing team has just won an award for being the safest professional kart racing team in the kingdom!”
“Is that so? Well, that’s saying a lot, because they are the ONLY professional kart racing team in the kingdom! Hehe, I’m witty... Now then, we have reporter Virginia T at the scene right now. Virginia?”

“Thank you, Boo! I am here at the Double Dash headquarters where all the business takes place that keeps the Double Dash league running as smoothly as it does! Oh my! Here comes Toad! TOAD!! It’s me, Virginia T, from the Mushroom City News Team! Please, COME OVER HERE!!”
“Ugh... Goddammit... Look, I’m a busy guy, and I hate talking to the press. Can I just go to work now?”
“Now that you’ve said that, no!”
“Urgh... Alright, fine. What do you want?”
“So Toad, Mario has been the President of every other Mario Kart class so far, but how is it that YOU managed to snag the position of President of the Double Dash Division?”
“Well, uh... It’s a long story. When Mario had us all in for a press conference on what the big innovation of the next Mario Kart title should be, I came up with the idea that maybe we could have two riders in one kart. Mario liked the idea, so he made me President.”
“Fascinating! So what exactly do you do as President?”
“I do, umm... all the things that a President would be expected to do 0o."
“I see. And, if you don’t mind me asking, is there a Vice President as well?”
“Ehh, there IS, but... no one really knows who he is. Real mysterious guy. Even I haven’t seen his face. All we know is he goes by the name Mr V...”
“Hm, how interesting! Any chance we can score a conversation with this Mr V, Toad? Um, Toad? Toad?! Oh, he’s gone already... Damn. Well, I guess we can just cut that conversation out of the final take...”

“Umm, Virginia...”
“What, Boo?”
“We’re LIVE.”
“Huh? Oh, crap! Oh, I-I mean, uhh... Oh, goodness me! I guess we better find someone else to talk to then. Hmm... Oh, yes! There’s Mario! The man we’ve been looking for! Hey Mario! MARIOOO!!”

“Huh? Oh, hey! It’s that woman from the news! What’s up?
“What’s up, Mario, is that you are ON the news!”
“Oh really? For what?”
“Why, for winning that safety award, of course. And you, being the Chief Safety Inspector of the Double Dash team, I’d say that’s mostly YOUR responsibility, yes?
“Hehe, yup. I guess so.”
“Now, I hear that since Double Dash’s launch, this has been your third completely accident-free year, am I not correct?”
“Umm, we’re comin’ up on three years. Yeah.”
“Wonderful! How does it feel to know that this great honor is all your doing?”
“Well, it’s not all MY doing. I mean, Toad’s a great President. Wario’s a hard-working member of the Safety Committee just like myself. Waluigi’s been doing good as the Items Commissioner. King Boo knows his special effects. Koopa and Paratroopa are excellent automechanics... Ya know, I think it’s cuz of all of us working together that we managed to win this award!”

“...You’re boring.”
“Bite me.”
“Umm... OK! So long Mario! I’m a big fan! Aaaand... he’s gone. Well, I’m tired of this place. Back to you, Boo!”

“Thank you, Virginia T! My Tee T, what a great honor for the Mario Kart team, eh?”
“Sure is, Boo T! Let’s hope they can continue that fantastic run of theirs!”
“Let’s hope so, Tee T. Let’s hope so...”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“CALL 911! CALL 911!!”

A standard race on Wario Colosseum was in an uproar. None of the racers knew what the trouble was until they drove up to the site themselves.
“Mario, what’s happening?”
“I don’t know, Peach. I think it happened just up there, after that last jump before the finish line.”
“OK, I’ll get us there pronto!”

Peach drove the Red Fire along the stretch, over the jump, and slammed on the brakes upon landing. They examined the scene before them.
“Oh my God...” Mario said under his breath.
“What... What on earth happened here, Mario?”“I don’t know, Peach. I don’t know...”

Mario, Peach, and all the other racers stopped at that very spot to observe the scene around them. They could only stare as the Colosseum became filled with the lights and sirens of approaching ambulances...


Ehhh, don't mind the taste in humor I had back then.

[Latias]

Sorry for the long wait, here is chapter 2. Enjoy!


Day 1

7 Days Remain...

--

Toad stood over Yoshi's hospital bed with sad eyes, his head hung low. Yoshi, who'd once been such a happy, free spirit, was now trapped in a prison of wires and tubes. Although the doctor had said he was alive, it was hard to perceive just by looking. He just looked so...

A white-garbed Ratooey walked in a second later, holding a clipboard. Toad immediately approached and stopped him. "Doctor..."
The doctor could tell from Toad's eyes what his question was. "Please, Toad. I already told you he's alive."
"But for how much longer? What's his condition?"
"Please, sir. Calm yourself. He'll be perfectly OK, but not until after a pretty long recovery."
"Well, what's his condition?"
"I was just about to get to that," the doctor said, checking his clipboard. "When the car crashed, Yoshi was thrown from the back of the vehicle and his body collided with the rail. He flipped over the rail and fell nearly thirty feet onto another section of track below. He's suffered from five broken ribs, a fracture in his skull, and his left foot was nearly twisted all the way around."
"I can tell that by looking, thanks."
"Um, yes, of course. In any case, we're doing all we can for him to make his recovery as fast and painless as possible. It'll still take several weeks, however."
"Any brain damage?"
"He's a dinosaur, sir. His brain's probably only the size of a walnut. If there's any brain damage, we don't know about it."
"Oh, what the HELL did you just say?!" Toad asked, balling his hands into fists.
"I can tell your upset, sir. However, your main concern should be the other victim of the accident..."
Toad's body suddenly felt numb. He looked at the doctor with a worried expression. "...Diddy Kong?"

"Yes..." the doctor said, examining the paper on his clipboard. "He suffered from many injuries, but there's one in particular that we're very concerned about. You see, he was driving the vehicle, and when the car crashed, it flipped over and-"
"I don't wanna hear the details of the crash, Doctor!" Toad demanded. "Just tell me his condition! Will he be OK?"
The doctor sighed heavily. "He's suffering from a fatal amount of internal bleeding in his head. I'm gonna be honest with you, Toad... We don't know if he's gonna make it."

Toad's already remorseful face drooped even more. Diddy Kong... dead? He couldn't imagine it. How would Donkey Kong react...?
Well, Diddy wasn't dead yet. All Toad could do was pray that everything would be OK. He would only give the news of the accident victims when the news was final. All that would matter was if they would both live. And it was confirmed that Yoshi would. Diddy Kong, however...

Before becoming too lost in sad thoughts, Toad shook his head and sighed. "Thank you Doctor."
"We're doing all we can," the doctor replied. "We'll let you know the news about Diddy Kong as soon as we can."
"Give me a call at the office when you do, OK?"
"Will do. Take it easy Toad."
"You too, Doc..."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toad had been sitting at his desk for a long time. The fact that he was sitting in the President's office had always made him feel kinda special, but not today. He was supposed to be making the preparations for the Mushroom Bridge race that was meant to take place the very next day, but he just could not bring himself to. All he found himself doing was sitting in his chair, and glancing at the red telephone on his desk, just waiting to hear the news.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Come on in, Mario!" Toad called out.

The door opened and in walked Mario. He took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. "Good evening Mr President. You called for me?"
Toad sighed. "Mario, we've been over this. Call me Toad."
"Oh, of course Mr President... Toad... sir, ma'am. I mean, ma'am."
"JUST...be quiet..." Toad had to calm himself down. "Yes, I called for you."
Mario nodded. "So, was there something you wanted me to do for you?"
"Well, obviously," Toad remarked, sitting back in his chair. "I assume the accident that happened last night is still fresh in your mind?"
"You'd be right, sir."
"Toad."
"...You'd be right, Toad."
"Good. And according to my knowledge, YOU are the Chief Safety Inspector of the Double Dash division of the Mario Kart Team, am I not correct?"
"Yes."

"Oh, so I'm not correct!"
"No, I mean you ARE correct!"
"But you said 'YES'."
"Well fine then, no."
"Oh, so now you're saying NO, huh?"
"Well, if YES isn't right, then I just figured, umm... What was I saying?"
Toad felt like he was ready to rip his spores out. "Are you the Chief Safety Inspector or not?!"
Mario looked down at his lap. "Yes, I am."
"Then can you please explain to me why one of our vehicles crashed, and the two racers suffered terrible injuries?"
Mario then appeared struck with nervousness. "...Injuries? How bad?"
"Yoshi broke some ribs, fractured his skull, and twisted his goddamn foot! Diddy Kong... I'm not sure about him, but I know he's bleeding like a mother fucker in his head, and that he might not even make it!"

All the tension in the room suddenly converted into pure grief, which didn't make the room any happier a place to be in. Toad had to take a few breaths and blink back a few tears. He then looked up at Mario again. "Mario, please explain to me the guidelines you follow as a Safety Inspector. What exactly is it that you do that has kept Double Dash completely accident-free for nearly 3 years?"
Mario had to think about that for a second. There were so many things he'd done to keep the racetrack safe. "Well... For one thing, the karts we have built are done so specifically to have 6-star safety ratings. They can handle high-speed collisions from the front, back, or sides. Rollover risk is nigh zero, and the tires are equipped with shock absorbers to, umm... absorb shock. Tires are changed before every race, and... yeah. Basically, we're talking about perfect vehicles."

"And what about items and stuff?" Toad asked. "And other things, like Thwomps and boulders. Explain the safety procedures concerned with those."
"Well," Mario continued, "Banana Peels aren't hazardous in the least, so I can skip those. Green and Red Shells are designed to strike all of our karts with just the right amount of force so that the kart does a perfect somersault, taking the target's mass and current velocity in mind, thereby causing the kart to land precisely on its wheels again. So long as the rear player ducks his head down during the attack as he's been trained, both racers shall emerge unscathed, losing only a few seconds in the race. Blue Shells and Bob-omb explosions are really just concentrated blasts of air that, again, are designed to burst with just the right amount of force so that the kart does a single backflip before landing on its wheels perfectly again. The explosions themselves, as well as things like lightning bolts and Thwomps and boulders, are just special effects designed by King Boo, the Special Effects Guy."

"Yes, I know King Boo is the Special Effects Guy," Toad said. “Now what about the rear driver. He's clearly in a dangerous spot. What keeps him safe?"
"C'mon Toad," Mario said. "You've been a rear driver before. You know what keeps you safe."
"Just tell me," Toad demanded.
Mario sighed, and continued. "Every racer in the league undergoes 2 weeks of nothing but training on how to be backseat passenger. They're taught how to move with the kart as to not fall off while handling their items at the same time. Plus, every racer has a clear tether tied around the wrist of their indominate hand, lest they ever lose their grip on the handlebars. Plus, every racers equipped with kneepads in case they ever fall from the back and are dragged behind the kart. Even the guys with no clothes on, who's kneepads are the same color as their skin in order to make them blend in."
"Why would you wanna do that?"
"I dunno. Just makes the races seem a little more thrilling, ya know?"

Toad shook his head and sighed again. "Alright, that's enough. Now tell me - Do you swear to me you did your job before that race?"
"Yes sir. I inspected every kart and everything. Everyone else was doing their jobs as well..."
"Did you inspect the busted vehicle after it crashed?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what caused the crash?!"
"Yes sir..."
"What was it?!"
"A tire broke loose..."

Toad slammed his hands on his desk. "A tire broke loose??"
"Yes," Mario said shamefully. "The front left tire of the Turbo Yoshi... just broke off."
"And what the hell could've made THAT happen??"
"Looked to be loosened bolts..."
“And what about the tether that was supposed to be tied around Yoshi's wrist?! Last I heard, he went FLYING out of the car when it crashed!!"
"It appeared to be cut, sir. Any strong tug could've broken it. Diddy's tether was cut, too..."

Toad sat back in his chair and stared coldly at Mario. "Well Mr Safety Inspector, sounds like you didn't do your job so well."
Mario shook his head. "Please Toad, it was only my responsibility to check on Koopa and Paratroopa to see if they were working on prepping the karts for the race. Last I saw, they were tinkering with one of the Turbo Yoshis."
"Oh," Toad said suspiciously. "So you think Koopa and Paratroopa did something wrong, now do you?"
Mario scratched his chin. "I could never imagine them making mistakes like that, but... I dunno."
"Well Mario," Toad said, standing up, "I'm making it your job TO know! I want you to ask them if they were doing their job and what the hell went wrong out there!"
"Yes sir..."
"TOAD!!"
"Yes, Toad..."
Toad was just about to show Mario out the door when the red telephone on Toad's desk began to ring. The sound of the ringing phone pierced Toad's heart and his tiny chest swelled with anxiety and fear...

Toad stared at the telephone for a few seconds, as though he didn't know what the hell kind of noise it was making. It suddenly rang again, causing him come to immediately.
"Umm... better answer that, Toad," Mario acknowledged.
"Yeah..." Toad said. He swallowed heavily and reached for the phone with a shaking hand. He was about to lift it off the hook when he looked at Mario again. "Mario, we're done here. You can go now."
Without any objections, Mario quickly nodded and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Once Mario was gone, Toad steadily picked up the phone and put it to his ear.

"H-hello?" he said weakly.
"Toad, it's me."
"Oh, D-doctor? What's-"
"I'm afraid there's nothing left we can do, Toad."
Toad felt his heart well up in his chest. "Diddy. He's...?"
"He'll be in a better place, soon."
Toad nodded, then realized the doctor couldn't see him nodding. "Um, yes. Thank you, Doctor..."
"I'm sorry, Toad."
Toad didn't bother to hear or say anymore. He hung up.

Struggling to force down the wave of grief that was sweeping over him, Toad staggered back to his chair and plopped down. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, but no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to fight back the two or three tears that managed to squeeze out of his tightly shut eyes.
He opened one eye carefully and looked at the documents on his desk. Forms that would need to be completed in order to prepare for the Mushroom Bridge Race that would happen the next day.
No way. No way in hell they were doing a race the next day. Not after what had happened...

BR-R-R-RING!!

The sudden ring of the phone almost made Toad jump out of his skin. He was really losing it here. He quickly reached over for the receiver and picked it up. "Hello?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
"Good afternoon, Toad."

When Toad heard the voice on the other line, his heart seemed to stop. "Mr V?"
"You'd be correct, Mr President," replied the deep, cold voice from within the speaker. "Just calling to ask about the little tragedy that happened last night..."
"Shut up, Mr V. You know what happened."
"Heh... Yes, of course. I know everything that happened..."

The sound of his voice just made Toad cringe with nervousness. He spoke in such a dark tone that it made one's blood run ice cold.
"You know," Mr V continued, "I really do feel bad for Yoshi and Diddy Kong..."
"I bet you do," Toad replied roughly. "Diddy Kong... He's..."
"He's died?" Mr V inquired without hesitation. The word 'died' made Toad's heart heavy with sorrow. "Well... that's a shame..."
"Yeah, like you can talk," Toad grumbled. "You don't even know anyone on the team, and you're the frickin' Vice President, for God's sake!"

Mr V gave an exasperated sigh. "Toad, you knew this was going to happen eventually. But to whom it would happen was never known. We just never know on who's door cruel fate will come knocking on next, do we...?"
"You still haven't told me why you called," Toad said, who was starting to feel very scared.
"Think on the bright side, Toad..."
"WHAT bright side?! How can there be a bright side to this?!"
"Please Toad. This accident... This accident may be a tragedy to everyone else, but its publicity for you. Isn't that what you've always wanted, Toad? Publicity...?"

Toad hesitantly glanced at the computer screen next to him.
Following the accident, Double Dash's ratings had gone up. Tremendously.
Toad quickly turned his head away and gripped his forehead with his hand. "You still haven't told me why you called!"
"Seven days, Toad..." came Mr V's ominous reply.
"Seven days? WTF?! You pullin' some kinda Ring bullshit on me?" Toad asked angrily.
"The Ring? No, that movie was dumb. I mean, don't you forget what's coming up in seven days..."

Toad glanced at a large poster tacked up on the bulletin board...

--

RAINBOW WORLD CUP!
2 of the Best Racing Teams in the World
Will Compete for the Greatest Honor
Achievable in Racing - The Rainbow World Cup!
Sign Your Racing Team Up Today!

--

Toad nodded after reading the poster. "Yeah, The Rainbow World Cup. What about it?"
"It's in one week, Toad, and we're one of the final 2 teams going for the gold..."
"I'm aware of that, Mr V. Now for what reason have you called me?!"
"If we're gonna enter that race, Toad, we'd better begin preparing now..."
"I've already begun preparing!" Toad assured him. "Now please, tell me why you called me!!"
"Don't you have a Mushroom Bridge race to schedule for tomorrow...?"
Toad had totally lost it now. "GOOD-BYE, MR V!!"
And with that, Toad slammed the receiver down. He slammed it so hard that for a second he thought he'd broken the phone in two.

Toad sat back in his chair again, but he still didn't feel very comfortable. Man, that Mr V was a weird guy. All he seemed to care about was that Rainbow World Cup... It was all he'd really talked about for the past few months. How the hell he'd even gotten the position of Vice President was beyond Toad... as far as he knew, no one had ever even seen the guy's face.
And sure, the Rainbow World Cup WAS a big deal. It was the most coveted trophy in the world - the cup every racing team hoped to get their hands on at least once in their lifetime. It truly was an honor that the Double Dash team even had a chance at achieving it. In just seven days, they would be just one race away from winning that cup... It really was hard to believe. Toad could almost envision sitting on his mantelpiece, sparkling in all its radiant beauty. He’d been dreaming of that day since the very first time he entered the kart-racing world...

But that didn't seem important at the moment.
No, not important at all...

Diddy Kong... He was just an innocent little monkey. He didn't deserve to die. And DK certainly didn't deserve this either. No one knew the news yet, but they would eventually. Toad wondered how he could possibly get the word out to his team that the team was now tragically two members short... and one of them permanently...

[Latias]

Oh man, I neglected this didnt I?

Double chapters for you! Here's 3 and 4.

Day 2

6 Days Remain...

--

The next morning, Mario walked into the Double Dash Garage, or the DDG as it was called. Upon entering, he saw the team's army of Repair Guys working on the several karts available for racing in the Grand Prix. Mario had come in looking for Koopa and Paratroopa, just like Toad had asked him to do the previous night. He didn't see them, so he asked one of the Repair Guys next to him who was replacing the spark plugs of one of the Toad Karts.
"Excuse me," Mario asked. "Do you know where Koopa and Paratroopa are?"
The Repair Guy looked at him, and even through his white mask, you could tell he looked confused. "Cómo?" he replied.
"Umm... Sabes dónde están Koopa y Paratroopa?"
"Oh, sí," the Repair Guy replied. "Están... allá." He pointed to a door on the far end of the garage.
"Gracias," Mario said graciously. He headed for the door.

Upon opening the door, Mario looked into the large room and saw Koopa and Paratroopa working on building another Barrel Train, since demand for it was so high. When Mario walked in, they looked up at him. Koopa made some barking sounds.
"Um, yeah. Hey fellas," Mario said casually. "Um, listen... You guys remember the accident that happened two nights ago, right? The one with Yoshi and Diddy Kong in the Turbo Yoshi?"
Paratroopa nodded and made some barking noises of his own.
"Right. Well, I remember you two were working on the Turbo Yoshi before the race. And I remember examining the car after the accident happened, and I found out it had crashed because a tire had broken off, and that Yoshi flew out because his tether wasn't secure..."
Koopa and Paratroopa looked at one another. They both appeared confused. Koopa barked a question.
"Well," Mario recalled, "It looked like the bolts around the tire had been loosened, and the tether had been cut. You know, cut just a little bit so that it could snap if pulled hard enough..."

Koopa and Paratroopa looked at one another again. They spoke amongst themselves for a few seconds, then Paratroopa turned to Mario and responded in a few barks.
"So... You claim the Turbo Yoshi you were working on prior to the race wasn't the one that Yoshi and Diddy were riding in?"
Koopa nodded.
"Oh, OK then. But... Then who WAS working on that Turbo Yoshi before the race, then?"
Paratroopa shrugged, but responded in a very nervous-sounding series of barks.
"Yeah..." Mario said. "It definitely does seem that way... But who on earth would do something like that?"
Koopa and Paratroopa looked at one another again and shrugged. It was clear they were both very scared and upset, though.

Just then, the main garage door opened. There was Toad. His head was hug low and his body was quivering uncontrollably. He looked up and saw Mario, Koopa and Paratroopa through the door.
"Mario... Koopa and Paratroopa... I have an announcement to make. An announcement for the entire team. Please come outside..." With that, he walked out.
Mario, Koopa and Paratroopa could tell by Toad's behavior that he had some very bad news. Reluctantly, they all walked out of the room and out of the garage into the sunlight.

Upon leaving the garage, the trio could see the entire Double Dash team crowded nearby. Everyone except for Yoshi and Diddy Kong, of course. Birdo and DK were both conspicuously solo, and they both had looks on their faces that said they knew this news was about their partners. How worried they must've been...
Mario, Koopa and Paratroopa joined the crowd. Mario pushed his way through a bit and went up to Peach. "Hey Peach," Mario asked. "What's happening?"
Peach appeared very shaken up. "Mario, I think... I think this is about Yoshi and Diddy Kong. Oh. I hope they're OK..."

"Me too, Peach. Me too..." Mario said, trying to comfort her by holding her hand.
Toad then appeared seemingly out of nowhere and stepped in front of the crowd. He raised his hands, ordering for silence. All conversation stopped immediately.

Toad had to inhale and exhale deeply before he could begin talking. He was clearly fighting to keep his emotions down. "Everyone..." he announced in a weak voice. "I assume you all remember the... terrible accident that happened two nights ago."
Everyone responded in different variations of 'yes'.
"Well," Toad forced himself to continue, "I'm afraid I have some... bad news concerning the two victims of that accident..."
It was noticed that Birdo and DK looked at one another and shifted nervously when he said this.

"I will start by explaining Yoshi's condition. Yoshi suffered from some broken ribs, a fracture in the head, and a twisted foot. But thankfully... he's alive, and the Doctor says he’ll recover."
The crowd went up in a quiet chorus of relieved voices. Birdo appeared especially relieved. She cupped her hands together and closed her eyes, as though giving thanks. After a few seconds, Toad rose his hands again, urging for silence.

"As for Diddy Kong..." Toad murmured.
The team waited for him to continue, but he didn't even raise his head. It was as though he couldn't bare to utter the next words. And as much as Toad prayed he didn't have to say anymore, his morose behavior was beginning to make the crowd worry evermore. Many of them had already guessed what the announcement was. DK, however, hadn't. He was growing impatient with Toad, and was ready to smash his cap in if he didn't give him the news regarding his nephew.
Toad finally looked up, his eyes pouty and red. He looked straight at DK. "Donkey Kong..." he almost whispered. "Please... come over here into the garage with me. I think it'd be best if I tell this only to you..."

Upon hearing this, the entire crowd immediately knew what the news was. Peach was already in tears, and many of the rest felt them coming.
DK, however, was still oblivious. He eagerly ran up to Toad, and the two walked into the garage together. The crowd didn't move from its spot, but they could see through one of the windows. Toad stopped to clear all the Repair Guys from the room, then allowed DK in. DK stood across from Toad and waited to hear the news. Although the crowd couldn't hear what Toad was saying, they could see his lips moving.

They saw him utter a short sentence...
And then they saw DK's face suddenly swell with sorrow and rage.
He howled loud enough for everyone outside to hear, and then grab a nearby Heart Coach, lifted it off the ground, and threw it with all his might across the garage. He went on a loud and torturesome rampage, smashing karts, throwing them across the room, breaking them into pieces... All the while howling and screaming while Toad made a futile effort to calm him down. And, as loud as the tantrum may have been, it came out only muffled and silent to the remorseful crowd outside...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, I guess the Mushroom Bridge race today is off then?" Luigi said.

Some time had passed since the announcements, and after DK had calmed down a bit (though he was still filled with grief), the entire team had met up in the Resting Quarters to settle down and relieve some stress.
"Well no kidding, Luigi!" Daisy remarked, nudging him. "I'm surprised Toad is still willing to have us all race for that Rainbow World Cup this week. After what happened..."
"Hey, The Rainbow World Cup is important," Wario assured. "I'm sure Yoshi must feel pretty crappy - he's gonna miss that race, and he's alive to know it, too!"
"Shut up, Wario!" Mario nearly screamed. "You never make anything better, even if you try!"
"Hey, I'm a Safety Inspector too!" Wario argued.
"Yeah, big waste of your life, tubby! No one would trust their life in your hands!"
"Hey, you need to shut up!" Wario grumbled, approaching Mario menacingly.
"Make me!" Mario snarled while standing up to confront him.
"Mario! Wario! Please, stop! You're scaring the babies!" Peach pleaded, cradling Baby Mario in her hands, trying to calm him down. Daisy was doing the same with Baby Luigi.

The door suddenly burst open, and in walked Toad. Everyone immediately sat down as he entered.
"OK, listen up everyone!" Toad called out. He held up some papers in his hand. "I'm just gonna read off some changes I've made to, umm... some stuff!"
Toad cleared his throat and looked at his papers. "First of all, DK and Birdo are now a team, and will be a team come the Rainbow World Cup. They shall remain a duo until Yoshi completely heals, in which case DK will get a new partner. Is that clear, you two?"
Birdo nodded and walked over to DK's side, who nodded slowly.
"Very good," Toad continued. "Secondly, we obviously aren't going to do our scheduled race on Mushroom Bridge today like we were meant to. That will instead be postponed until tomorrow. Today, I say we take a day off to reflect upon what we've lost... and to appreciate what he have..."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Right," Toad said, "Now, I'm... I'm not sure what you guys are going to want to do. Especially you, DK... I was thinking maybe we could hold a little ceremony or something for Diddy Kong. Otherwise, we don't have to anything special. Just relax today... Maybe have a few drinks. I dunno. Whatever you guys wanna do..."

Toad waited for a reply from someone. Anyone. It didn't matter. He would go with whoever spoke first. The waiting was just about to drive him insane.
"Well, any ideas?" he tried to ask as calmly as possible.
DK raised his head and looked up at Toad. "We say good-bye to Diddy..."
Most everyone in the room either nodded or commented in agreement.
Bowser just snorted. "Pssh! What's the point of making Diddy's death such a solemn occasion? It's not like it'd mean anything to him - he's dead! May as well use our day off for a little partyin' or something. Ain't that right, Jr?"
"Hellz yeah, papa!" Bowser Jr exclaimed, giving his dad a high-five.

"Bowser, when you and your son die, the whole world will be partying!" Mario cracked.
"I'm rubber, you're glue! Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!" Bowser Jr yelled triumphantly.
"Oh, PWN'D!!" Bowser laughed, giving his son another high-five.
"Ugh..." Daisy whispered to Peach. "I'd think those two were cute together if they weren't so repulsive and dumb."

"Bowser, if I hear one more remark out of your goddamn mouth, I will rip out your spine and beat you with it!! You understand me?!" Toad shouted.
Bowser grumbled and sulked back down. Bowser Jr chuckled.
"Same goes for you, Jr!" Toad snapped. "It's kids like you that make God regret inventing heredity!"
"Yo!" Bowser roared. "Nobody talks to MY son that way!!"
"Well... that was actually more of an insult to you than your son, but whatever. It seems as though the majority of us wish to hold a small ceremony for Diddy Kong?"
Everyone replied yes. Bowser and Bowser Jr did too, even though they didn't really care.
"Alright then," Toad said, putting away his papers. "Meet me outside Mario Circuit in about 2 hours. A service will be held there in Diddy's honor. See all of you then..."
With that, Toad quickly bowed his head down and walked out of the Resting Quarters, leaving everyone else to do little else but wait for the ceremony...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Friends of the Mario Kart: Double Dash Team... We've gathered here today to say good-bye to one of our youngest and latest team members, Diddy Kong. May his journey to a better life be a safe one."

The two hours proceeding the funeral had seemed like an eternity, and yet now here they all were. Toad had arranged for the body to be taken out of the hospital and placed in a closed casket, which was currently on display near Peach's Castle by Mario Circuit. It was to be lowered into the hole and buried once everyone gave their final words. The only one who was unable to go was Yoshi, for he was still in his hospital bed. He'd now miraculously regained consciousness, however, and was told the sad news.

Toad was standing near the casket now, giving a short speech in commemoration of the poor little monkey. He felt bad, because he and Diddy had never really even known each other, so he didn't have much to say.
"Now then," he said aloud, "I suppose my words aren't of the utmost significance. Therefore... Donkey Kong, is there anything you'd like to say?"

DK looked up at Toad, then closed his eyes and nodded. He walked slowly on all fours up towards the casket, then put his hand on it. For a second, everyone was half-expecting him to go on another rampage and tear the casket apart, but he didn't. He merely looked into the crowd and bit his lip.

"Diddy Kong DK's favorite nephew. He like the son DK never had. It make me sad that he gone now... It also make me scared that same thing could happen to me. He die driving car... We drive car everyday. What race be our last? I no know. Maybe I want die so I be with Diddy again, but he no want that. He want me to live. He want us to live. We live for him, and he happy. I know he happy..."
DK couldn't speak anymore. He gently placed his humongous hand on the casket once more and made his way back to the crowd. It was so odd for them all to see the normally rough and tough DK so sorrowful. Seemed the strongest muscle in his body was his heart after all...

"Thank you, DK," Toad said graciously. "Does anyone else have anything they'd like to say before the burial?"
Mario forced his way through the crowd of team members up to the front. "I have something I'd like to say," he said.
Toad nodded and motioned for the casket. Mario walked up, turned to the rest of the team, cleared his throat and began.
"Everybody, I have some disturbing news... You all may have seen this disaster as a terrible accident, but I have evidence that says that this tragedy wasn't an accident at all..."
A slur of silent and confused conversation broke up among the team. Wario and Waluigi looked at one another, perplexed. King Boo and Petey felt themselves about to utter some sort of protest.

Toad seemed to know what was coming, and he didn't want Mario to finish. "Alright Mario, that's enough. The service is over. Go back to the Resting Quarters right away, all of you."
"But I wasn't finished yet, Toad!" Mario protested.
"You've said enough Mario. Now all of you, go! We've got a race to prepare for tomorrow, and a Rainbow World Cup coming up in just 6 days! We can't spend all night here! Move it! Move it!!"
"What about Diddy?" DK asked sorrowfully.
"He'll be buried just fine!" Toad assured him. "Now hurry up! All of you! Resting Quarters. RIGHT NOW!!"

Within a few minutes, Toad had cleared the field of the rest of the team, and was standing along with Diddy's casket. It was suspended over the hole, ready to be lowered in.
Just as DK had done, Toad placed a gentle hand on the casket's lid. He felt his heart grow heavy.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered.

And with that, he released the chains, thereby causing Diddy Kong's casket to slowly sink into his grave. After several seconds, he heard the sound of the heavy box hitting the dirt. Toad then removed the chains, grabbed a nearby shovel, and began to scoop the dirt back into the hole, over the casket. All the while, he could hardly keep the tears from escaping the corners of his eyes...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun had set and stars had begun to poke their light through the night sky. Toadette was walking a few paces behind the rest of the team, her hands in her pockets and her head low. She allowed her braids to hang down in front of her face. No one really seemed to notice that she was falling behind, but it was only natural. Her outing in Double Dash was the first real social thing she'd done with the Mario gang. Being younger than her brother Toad, she'd always seen him racing in the Mario Kart Grand Prix in the past, and when he welcomed her into the world of Double Dash, she was ecstatic. Her time spent with the Double Dash team had been her happiest yet, and she owed it all to him.

Toadette stopped walking altogether, and allowed the rest of the team to carry on without here. She looked back at the field several yards behind her and saw Toad lowering Diddy Kong's casket into the hole. He looked so morbidly depressed that it almost made her want to cry. She really did look up to Toad, but she sometimes wished he didn't take his work so seriously. A great and fun guy most of the time, but a real stickler when it came to business. Having the title of President of the Double Dash Division didn't help much. This accident had really taken a toll on him...
But perhaps it wasn't the business portion of it that made him so depressed. Perhaps it was the fact that he'd just lost one of his friends...

Toadette didn't really know. Again, she was still a little new to the whole Mario world.
Looking back at the team as they disappeared over the horizon, Toadette decided to turn around and talk to Toad. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to...

Toadette could see Toad shovelling dirt into the hole as she walked up to him. His back was turned to her, and he didn't even seem to notice when she was right behind him. Thinking maybe she could lighten the mood up a bit, she stood toward his right side and tapped his left shoulder.
Toad yelped and dropped the shovel, then looked over his left shoulder. When he saw no one there, he looked like he was about to panic. However, he caught a glimpse of Toadette out of the corner of his eye. He quickly turned around and faced her. His face was twisted with annoyance and confusion.
"Toadette!" he complained, "You scared the crap outta me!"
Toadette couldn't help but giggle to herself. "That's OK. You wear a diaper!"
"Ugh... Toadette, we've gone over this. These are specialized pants designed for Toads to support our nonexistent legs along with our abnormally huge hips and asses. You're a Toad! You know that!"
"Well, yeah! But I don't wear a white one like you!"
Toad rolled his eyes. "You're so annoying."
Toadette just laughed."What are little sisters for?"

Toad went back to shovelling. "Well, I guess in YOUR case, they're to serve as a partner for me in Double Dash, cuz I ain't got no one else!"
Toad said that a lot, and whether he really meant it or not, it always kind of hurt her feelings. It was partially true, though. "Yeah. Cuz ya know, I'm completely worthless otherwise."
Toad stopped shovelling and looked at her. All the nervousness seemed to have left him now, and he smiled. "Aw, c'mon. Don’t say that. Your career with the Mario team is just getting started. You'll be considered a full-fledged member of the team in no time."
"Aw, thanks Toad!" she exclaimed, hugging him from behind. She wasn't as young as she looked, but she still always felt kind of little around her big brother.

Toad stopped shovelling again as his sister hugged him. It made him remember why he'd even suggested the idea of two riders in one kart in the first place. He'd wanted Toadette to share the fun he and his friends had always had in the Mario Kart team. It was because of that idea that he'd even managed to become president of the Double Dash Division. It was hard to tell whether he owed her more or if she owed him more, but one thing was for sure - they both did owe each other a lot.

Toadette loosened her hug and backed away a bit. Toad turned to look at her, and saw her face wasn't as bright and happy as usual. "Toad...?" she asked. "Have you been feeling OK lately?"
Toad looked down at the shovel in his hands, then back up at her. "Umm... Yeah. I've been fine. Why?"
"You just seem... I dunno... Ever since that accident happened, you've been acting all nervous and stuff..."
The anxiety that she was speaking about was beginning to return to Toad's face. However, it quickly subsided, and Toad gave her a reassuring, if somewhat sad, smile.
"Naw... You don't have to worry about anything, Toadette. It's just... It's really hard knowing one of my best friends is in the hospital, and another friend's nephew is dead... Plus, this whole thing means a lot of work for me, ya know? Not that the work is the real problem, but... You know what I mean."

Toadette kinda cocked her head to the side. "So... You're just sad then?"
"Yeah..." Toad assured her. "Just a little sad. That's all..."
"But Toad," she said, "Everyone else is sad too, but they don't seem all nervous and fidgety like you. Are you sure that's all?"
Toad just stared at her with a blank expression for several seconds, as though reading her.
He finally turned around and resumed shovelling dirt over Diddy's grave.

"Toad?" asked Toadette, somewhat worried.
Toad didn't answer. He merely went on shovelling.
"Toad??" Toadette asked a little more forcefully.
Still no reply.
"Toad?? What's wrong?" Toadette pleaded. Seeing Toad this upset frustrated and scared her.
Toad stopped shovelling for a second. "Go back to the Resting Quarters with the rest of the team," he said quietly. "I'll see you there when I'm done."
With a sad face, Toadette silently obeyed. She turned around and began to head to the Resting Quarters. As she walked, she didn't turn back.
She wondered if maybe he would turn back either...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toadette made her way back to the Resting Quarters, where everyone had already settled in. She looked over and saw Daisy cradling Baby Luigi to sleep. Luigi was sitting nearby and watching.
"He looks just like his daddy..." Daisy said quietly.
"Yeah... Better warn the neighborhood!" Luigi joked.
Daisy laughed and shoved him playfully. He wasn't really sure why, since he'd really just made fun of himself.
Indeed, not many people knew, but Baby Luigi was actually Daisy and Luigi's son. Yup, the two were married and had raised a child. Not too big a surprise, yeah? They'd even named him Luigi after his dad. By the same token, Baby Mario was Mario and Peach's son. Incidentally, Baby Mario was a year older than Baby Luigi - the same age difference between Mario and Luigi. It was strange how fate worked out that way. Stranger still was the fact that Mario and Luigi allowed their sons to race in the Double Dash Grand Prix without supervision. Even stranger was the fact that Peach and Daisy allowed it. Ah well, best not to question one's parenting, eh?

Toadette walked over to where Mario was sitting. He had his head propped lazily up against the wall. Toadette sat down on the bed beside him. When Mario saw her, he smiled and sat up. "Hey Toadette. How ya doin'?"
"Ehhh... I could be better, to tell you the truth."
"Heh, yeah..." Mario said, looking around. "I think all of us could be better. I haven't seen everyone this depressed since the time Bowser stole the Star Rod and Kirby sued us."
"Yeah... That accident was really bad, wasn't it?"
"Sure was. I'm still totally surprised that it actually happened. It's gonna take a while before I can accept the fact that Diddy's dead..."

"Hey, Mario?" Toadette asked.
"Yeah?" Mario replied.
"My brother doesn't seem to be feeling very good lately. Have you noticed? He's been acting kinda funny."
"Hell, who hasn't noticed?" Mario asked. "The guy's going insane over this. Being the President, I would imagine it's a lot of work for him."
"But Mario, you were about to say something at Diddy's funeral before my brother stopped you and told everyone to go away. What were you gonna say?"
Mario gave Toadette a rather serious look. "You heard the beginning of my speech, right? About how I have reason to believe that the accident may not have been an accident at all?"
The idea filled Toadette with a feeling of impending fear, but she was still deathly curious. "Yes, I remember. What reasons do you have?"

Mario looked around the room, making sure no one was too close by, then leaned in close and spoke quietly.
"The kart crashed because the front left wheel broke off. But the wheel only broke off because the bolts holding it in place had been loosened, and not by natural causes either... And Yoshi's tether that should've kept him in the kart? It was cut. Cut just enough so that if he went flying, it would break... Now, I have no idea who would do something like that, and God only knows why, but..."
Toadette couldn't believe what she was hearing. What Mario spoke of was murder! Someone had actually wanted the accident to happen?! This was crazy! She found herself wanting to believe that the kart had crashed solely on account of natural causes. However, she couldn't really deny what Mario said. He was the Safety Inspector after all. It was his job to know these things...

Toadette looked at Mario with a worried expression. "...Who would do something like that? To Yoshi and Diddy, especially? They must've had a pretty damn good reason if it was worth killing someone over!"
"I have no idea," Mario said apologetically. "Seriously though, if the crash really was planned and organized, what could the organizer possibly get?"
"Revenge, maybe?" Toadette shrugged, just pulling an idea out of the air.
"Well, like you said, against Yoshi and Diddy? What have they ever done to hurt anybody?"
"Yeah..." Toadette thought. "Well... Let's think - Who actually has access to the karts before the race?"
"As far as I know, only Koopa, Paratroopa, and the Repair Guys. But... The Repair Guys wouldn't do something like that. They can't hold a grudge against us - half of 'em don't even speak English! I also talked to Koopa and Paratroopa about it. They're the only ones besides us and Toad who know the cause of the accident. The short answer is, they don't know who did it either..."
"Hmm... Well theoretically, don't all of us have access to the vehicles in the DDG before the race?"
"Theoretically, yeah."
"So theoretically, it could've been anybody."
"Theoretically... yeah."
Mario and Toadette began to eye everyone in the room. They must've had some pretty odd stares on their faces, because many eyes around the room had met theirs.

Could the accident really been an act of murder? Could the supposed murderer really have wanted both Diddy and Yoshi dead?
If so, they'd done away with Diddy, but what about Yoshi? He was still alive, albeit in a hospital bed. Completely defenseless. If there really was a murderer, he'd have no trouble finishing Yoshi off right then and there...
But perhaps the perpetrator's motive wasn't revenge? But what else could possess someone to rig a vehicle and cause it to crash badly enough to kill someone? It made no sense...

But the most burning question of all...
The only people who have access to the vehicles in the DDG before any race - or at any time at all - were the staff and racers of the Double Dash team...
So who did it...?

Mario and Toadette knew the same questions were running through both their heads. In fact, the more they thought, the more they began to wonder if the very person they were staring at could be trusted...

Mario turned his head towards the rest of the gang in the room. "...Should we tell everyone?" he whispered.
Toadette thought for a second, then quickly shook her head. "No... Mario, if the person who did it is really one of the racers, we probably shouldn't..."
"And why not?" Mario asked. "If it's really someone in this room, then they'll probably lay low and back off once they know we're on their tail."
"But then we'll never find out who it is!" Toadette argued. "You don't want the person who hurt Yoshi and killed Diddy to just get away with it, do you? You're Super Mario! Justice is your middle name!"
"Actually, it's 'Mario'..."
"Ugh, you know what I mean! Look, I think we should keep this to ourselves..."
"Well I think we should tell everyone..."

“Well I think we shouldn’t! Think about what I’m saying, Mario!”

Mario looked around the room once more. As he did, he thought about what Toadette had said. Did he really want to risk the culprit getting away with it? Sure, if he and Toadette said something, it might scare the culprit into laying low, but then he or she would get away with what they'd done...
Mario didn't want that. He was a man of justice. Justice may as well have been his middle name!

Mario turned to Toadette and sighed. "Alright. Let's keep this between us."
"And Koopa and Paratroopa, too." Toadette agreed. "You said they know, right? Who else does?"
"Your brother," Mario replied looking out the window.
"Right, of course..." Toadette replied.

After a little while of silence, Toadette spoke again. "So, all the people that know the true cause of the accident... We can assume none of them did it, right?"

Mario raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? It doesn't matter who knows and who doesn't."
"No, just hear me out. OK, Koopa and Paratroopa told you they didn't do it, right?"
"Yeah, they told me they didn't, but that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't..."
"So you think Koopa and Paratroopa are the bad guys?"
"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that they very well could be. In fact, Toad and I were thinking they'd be the only real logical suspects, seeing as they are the head automechanics..."
"Right, well off that subject for now. We know Toad didn't do it, right?"
"Why would he kill one of the racers of his own league? He's overworked as it is. Plus, he and Yoshi are tight friends. I highly doubt Toad had any part."
"And us two? I know you couldn't have done it, Mario."
"Yeah. I don't see why you would do something like that either... But really, why narrow the list down according to who knows what caused the accident? I'm telling you - all that's important is that the culprit himself knows what caused it, because... HE caused it!"
"Or she..."
"Or she. Whatever. Look, I don't really wanna talk about this..."
"Are you sure maybe there's no one else that knows?"
"Toadette, can we please drop it? At least for now?"
"What about that Mr V guy? You know, the Vice President? Maybe he knows..."

"Toadette, PLEASE!!"

Mario hadn't intended to shout, but he did. And quite loudly. Everyone in the Resting Quarters had all but shut up and were just staring at him.
"Umm... Sorry everyone," Mario apologized. "It's nothing to be concerned about. Go back to whatever it is you were... doing..."
After a few moments of awkward silence, everyone had begun to talk amongst themselves again. Mario looked back at Toadette with a frown. "Sorry about that. I just... I've known Diddy and Yoshi for a pretty long time and it really just kills me to think about them right now. So, if you wanna know about Mr V or whoever, ask Toad. I'm sure he's acquainted with him."
"OK..." Toadette replied quietly. She was still a little shaken by Mario's outburst. "I’m sorry. I didn't realize you were so upset..."
"I already said it's OK. Don't worry about it."
"OK. Thanks Mario."
"No problem," Mario said with a smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think Peach needs a hand over there with Mario Jr. Talk to you later."

“Yeah, you too.”
With that, Mario stood up and walked over to the bed where Peach was sitting, rocking Baby Mario in her arms.

Toadette stayed on the bed, but did nothing but stare at the floor. Had Mario not started that speech at the funeral, she'd have probably just allowed the whole accident issue to slide past her and get on with life. But now that she believed there was someone to blame, she felt this tragedy was now something that couldn't just be forgotten like that - not until the perpetrator was found...

She eyed her fellow racers around the room...
Some of them seemed terribly upset by the accident, namely DK and Birdo. However, others seemed rather indifferent about it. A few even seemed like they were having fun, as though there was nothing to be upset about. Weren't any of them besides her interested in Mario's interrupted speech?

Or maybe she just had it all wrong... Maybe they were all just trying to forget. Hell, maybe they were all still in denial. Yeah... All those smiles and laughs couldn't be genuine...
However, she knew deep down that one smile in the room was for real... Who's it was, she didn't know. But it was there...

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to the Resting Quarters opened roughly. Everyone in the building quieted down right away as Toad stepped it. He was completely covered in dirt.
"Everyone," he saluted, "I apologize for cutting Diddy's service short this evening. I did so because the security around Peach's Castle could only rent out the castle's field for the funeral for so long, and since we started late due to certain chain and shovel complications, we inadvertently ran out of time. Again, I apologize. However, Diddy's casket is now buried and marked, and the castle security has allowed visiting rights to the grave. Feel free to visit as you wish..."

Toad cleared his throat and continued. "Now then. On a different subject... We do have a race scheduled tomorrow, which will take place on Mushroom Bridge at 10 am. We have to start kind of early, since the race was originally scheduled for today. Also, after the race is done, please consider asking the Cheep-Cheep Blimp pilot to take you and your team member up to any one of the five versions of Rainbow Road in order to start practicing for the Rainbow World Cup. Remember, you'll wanna practice on all 5 if you can because the Rainbow World Cup spans every single one of 'em. Just 6 more days, folks! That'll be all. Now, it's past the designated hour, so it's Lights Out. Be up and ready at 8:30 tomorrow morning. ‘Night everybody."
Toad reached for the light switch and turned out the lights, sinking the whole interior of the building into blackness. In the dark, they heard the sound of the door closing, and Toad's tiny footsteps walking away.

After a few seconds, the sound of Toad's footsteps echoed off into the distance.
It was dark and silent in the Resting Quarters...
That is, until a voice shouted, "YEAH! COAST IS CLEAR!"

A flashlight beam shone across the room. It was from Bowser's bed and, coincidentally enough, from Bowser's hand. Bowser Jr leapt up from his bed and turned on his own flashlight, running over to join his dad. Wario, Waluigi, Petey, King Boo, Mario, Daisy, and a somewhat heavy-hearted Birdo also gathered around Bowser’s bed. Bowser and Bowser Jr helped pull up a cooler from beneath the bed. They opened it up, and inside was a wide assortment of liquors, wines, vodkas, and rums... even some wine coolers (for the ladies, of course). Conversing quietly, they all helped themselves to a drink of their choice.

"Hey papa!' Bowser Jr said, "Can I have some of what you're drinking?"
"No no son," Bowser reasoned, shaking a finger. "I'm drinking Brandy, and you're too young to drink it. If you want some, mix it with some Coca-Cola or something."

"Hey Mario, how goes it?" Daisy asked, popping open a Wine Cooler.
"Ehh... Not great, considering the obvious, but good enough. You?"
"Oh, I guess I'm alright. But yeah, could certainly be better."

"Aw... Come on guys, do you have to do this TONIGHT, too?!" Luigi called from his bed. "Isn't it bad enough you did it the night of the accident?!"
"SHHH!!" Wario scolded, "Toad'll hear you, and then we'll get in trouble for not being in bed!"
"No," Peach explained from her bed, "You'll get in trouble for having alcohol stronger than regular beer! You know the rules - we're only allowed to drink beer on our days off. Anything stronger than that can get you in serious trouble. There're kids here too, you know."
"So?" Bowser asked, mixing a Brandy/Coca-Cola for his son.
"Please guys," Luigi moaned, "You honestly think Toad doesn't know you have these stupid drinking parties after Lights Out?"
"Oh c'mon, he doesn't know!" Waluigi argued. "That's what makes it so fun! And if he DID know, he would've said something by now!"
"He's probably just biting his tongue cuz he knows you'd probably continue to do it anyway, even if you get caught and get in trouble for it," Peach suggested. "And Mario, put that bottle back. All that drinking isn't setting a good example for our son."
"Aw, c'mon honey. He's asleep! He can't see me drinkin'..."
"Now, Mario!"
"Yes, dear..."

"Hey Daisy,” Luigi said, “You're not setting a good example for our son either!"
"He'll be fine, Luigi. Now go to bed."
"Yes, dear..."

King Boo lapped up a glass of wine with his big tongue. "DK, you didn't join us last night. Are you ready to tonight?"
DK didn't answer. He was already asleep.
"Guess not..." King Boo said to himself, looking at Petey. Petey just shrugged and ate a bottle of Heineken.

"Poor DK..." Daisy said quietly, her statement directed at Mario. "I hope he feels better soon..."
"Yeah, I sure hope so," Mario said. "There's not much we can do, though. Except hope and make him feel better. When he's awake of course."
"Yeah... Hey, you ever compare Luigi's fathering skills to your own?" Daisy asked, changing the subject.
Mario thought a bit. "Ehh... not really. Of course, I always kinda thought he'd make a good mother." Mario chuckled a bit at himself.
Daisy laughed too. "Yeah... I do love him a lot, but man, I sometimes think there's a little gender confusion goin' on here!"
Mario and Daisy continued to laugh while they drank together.

"Hey everybody..." Bowser said, putting his flashlight up to his chin. "Who wants to tell scary stories?" The light illuminated his face in a frightening way.
"Aw, c'mon Bowser! You're already ugly enough!" cracked a voice from the dark. Probably Wario’s.
"Hey! You can talk to my son that way, but not ME!"
"You tell him Papa!... Hey, wait!"
Waluigi's laughter was heard. "Alright, who's got a good scary story? Toadette?"

Toadette was still over in her bed, and to be frank, she was in no mood for story-telling. She knew if she responded at all, they'd pester her to tell a story, so she merely said nothing and pretended to be asleep.
"How about you, Birdo?" King Boo asked.
Birdo responded in a few nasally sounds.
"Huh? What do you mean 'the people reading the story won't understand you'? You're a weird... whatever you are."
"Hey!" Daisy suggested, "Anyone ever heard of the Vice President? Mr V?"

All sound and motion in the room stopped. It was as though the very mention of the mysterious name had sucked the life right out of the whole room.
Things remained silent and still for a few seconds...
Until they heard Wario whispering something to Bowser Jr.
The next thing they knew, they were looking into Wario's freaky illuminated face.

"I've heard about Mr V..." Wario said in a scary voice. "They say no one's ever seen him in person, and that he only chooses to contact others via telephone. I've heard that, despite the fact that he's Vice President of the Double Dash team, the Vice President's office is always vacant. You could even walk in there while you’re talking to him on the phone, and you still won't see anyone. However, it's known that he does indeed punch in and out of work everyday, but he's just never, ever seen..."
Koopa and Paratroopa made several loud barks in protest from their beds.
"Shut up, you two! And watch your mouths! Besides, everything I'm saying is true! No one can even explain HOW he became the Vice President. Not even Toad... As for me, I personally think he's the ghost of a fallen racer who hopes to lead us all to our DEATHS!"
Daisy took Bowser's flashlight and shone it on her own face. "I once heard Mr V was such a mysterious and secluded guy as a child that he actually turned invisible as he grew up..."
Waluigi took Wario's flashlight. "I heard that's he's a shape-shifter who takes the form of a spider during the day to avoid detection... and then takes the form of a wolf at night to eat people!"
King Boo then took Daisy's flashlight. "I heard that if you enter his office while you're talking to him on the phone, you'll see what he truly is. However, no one knows what he looks like, because anyone who's seen him has never been seen AGAIN!"
"That's impossible!" Wario shouted. "I just said that if you do that, you'll just see that the office is empty! You're lying!"
"Well, maybe YOU'RE lying!"

"Go to sleep! All of you!"

Everyone froze when the unrecognizable voice ordered them all to go to sleep.
After a short while of silence, Petey nudged Wario playfully. He said something in Pirahna talk.

“You stupid weed!" Wario whispered loudly. "I didn't say that!"
"Well who did then?" Bowser questioned.

"Mr V said it," the voice came again. "Now go to sleep. All of you. You have a race tomorrow."

Bowser Jr was shaking. "Papa...?"
Bowser snarled. "Alright, this isn't funny! Which one of you's pretendin' to be Mr V?"
He grabbed the flashlight from Waluigi's hand and shone it on everyone's face, one by one. When the light was shone upon each person, those who were awake shrugged and shook their heads. Those who were asleep didn't move at all.

"As your Vice President, I'm telling you all to go to sleep..." came the dark voice once again. It sounded as though the very darkness that surrounded them all was the one speaking, threatening them to fall asleep or die...

"M-Mr V? Where are you...?" Mario asked. It was noticed that Daisy was clutching his arm tightly.

"Well, I'm gone now..." Whispered the voice.

SLAM!


The sound of the door slamming shut made the girls yelp and many of them jump. Terrified, Bowser and King Boo aimed their flashlights at the door.
It was closed.

This was way more than enough for them all to handle. They quickly put away their drinks, scurried over to their respective beds, and fell asleep as best they could. It was time to call it a night...


On secodn thought, 3 was too big to have chapter 4 go along with it, ch4 in next post.

[Latias]

Day 3

5 Days Remain...

--

"I hope you all enjoyed your day off yesterday. Today we're racing on Mushroom Bridge, so... yeah, you know the drill. Go ahead and pair up, head to the DDG to pick your kart, then drive it over to Mushroom Bridge so we can get started. We start in one hour, so let's get goin'."
Shortly after Toad finished talking, everyone in the Resting Quarters immediately broke out in conversation, deciding who they wished to be paired up with for the coming race.

"Mario, want me to be your partner?" Peach asked.
Mario laughed a little. "Aw, honey. We were partners last time! And the time before that even! I think maybe we should broaden our horizons a little and race with some different people."
"Ohhh... I get it. You just don't LOVE me anymore!"
Peach's little j ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ ✔oke made Mario laugh again. "Don't worry about a thing. It'll be fine."
"OK. So who are you gonna race with then?"
Mario did a sweep of the room. "Umm... Waluigi looks like he doesn't have a partner at the moment. Maybe I'll fancy a go with him. I hear he's pretty fun to race with."
"Hmm..." thought Peach, looking around. As she did, she saw a scene happening on the other side of the room. It looked as though Paratroopa had teamed up with King Boo and Koopa was left partnerless at the moment. She thought maybe his Triple Shells would come in handy.
"I think I'll go ask Koopa before someone else," she said.
Mario nodded. "Alright. Be quick, though. The Koopas are pretty popular."
"OK!" Peach said, jumping up. "See you on the racetrack Mario!"
"You too Peach!" Mario called out.

Mario then walked over and picked up Baby Mario. "Hey little man! You wanna race with your cousin, don't ya?"
Baby Mario cooed.
"I thought so. Here you go!"
Mario placed Baby Mario on the ground near Baby Luigi. The two high-fived each other and were the first team to start heading out to the DDG.

Within ten minutes, the teams had been decided - Mario and Waluigi, Peach and Koopa, Wario and Petey, Bowser and Bowser Jr, Luigi and Daisy, Toad and Toadette, King Boo and Paratroopa, and DK and Birdo. By that point, they were all heading to the DDG to pick out their karts and drive them over to Mushroom Bridge so they could start the race. Mario, Koopa and Paratroopa had gotten up extra early and headed to the DDG to do some extra work and inspection on each and every kart. After the accident that had happened 3 days ago, they were now aware of how dangerous - and lethal - these races could be, even when they appeared 100 safe on the outside. The three had inspected every nook and cranny of the kart armada. No loose tire bolts. No cut tethers. All the karts were in tip-top shape. On top of that, they'd paid a particular Repair Guy extra money to get up early and keep an eye on the garage, lest anyone try to sneak in and tamper with any vehicles. They had really taken all the precautions necessary to make sure something so terrible wouldn't happen again...

When Mario and Waluigi arrived at the DDG, Mario immediately went over to the Repair Guy who was keeping watch.
"Perdon seZor," Mario said to him. "Viste a alquien?"
"No, nadie entró," the Repair Guy responded.
"Está bien. Gracias," Mario said. He then walked back over to Waluigi, who looked at Mario all confused.
"What the hell were you talking to that guy about?" Waluigi asked.
"Nothing."
"Oh, come on! You were obviously talking about something!"
"Why's it any of your business?"
"I dunno, but I want to know anyway!"
"Let's just say I'm doing my job."
"What? You're being a Safety Inspector?"
"Yes. I'm doing what I can to make sure we don't have another accident like the one 3 days ago."
Waluigi gave Mario a rather odd look, but then just shook his head. "Bleh, let's just go pick our kart already. I say we take the Waluigi Kart!"
"Whatever..." Mario said with a groan.
As Mario was helping Waluigi to roll the Waluigi Kart out of the garage, he happened to look over and see Peach and Koopa hopping into one of the available Turbo Yoshis. Seeing her get into that particular vehicle made him feel a bit uneasy... Of course, because it was the kart Diddy had been driving that crashed... and also, staring at the face on the front of the car reminded him of Yoshi. He'd still yet to go visit him in the hospital, but he wondered if he really wanted to...
Mario had to close his eyes and scold himself. He didn't want these bad memories to be surfacing. At least not right then. He was about to do a race, and he needed to be pumped and ready for it. Once he saw they had now gotten the kart outside, and once he saw Waluigi jump into the driver's seat, Mario jumped into the backseat. They then sped off towards the racetrack.

As they were driving, Toad and Toadette pulled up alongside them in the Toadette Kart. Toad stood up in the backseat and called over. "Hey Waluigi!"
"What do you want?" Waluigi shouted back.
"I forgot to ask - did you remember to restock all the items!"
"Yeah! I'm the Items Commissioner, baby! It's my job! 100 Green Shells, 100 Red Shells, 20 Blue Shells, and a crapload of bananas for every race! I remembered! Don't worry about it!"
"What about the Special Items and stuff?"
"It's all taken care of Toad! Relax!"
"OK, just making sure! Oh, and does King Boo have all the special effects ready?"
"How the hell should I know? Go ask him!"
"Umm... Ah whatever! I'm sure he's got in all under control!"
The Waluigi Kart and Toadette Kart drove side by side to each other all the way to Mushroom Bridge, where the race would commence shortly...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within the hour, all racers had lined up at the starting line for the race around Mushroom Bridge. Mario and Waluigi started the race in first place, while it was noticed that Bowser and Bowser Jr, who were driving the Koopa King, were starting in 8th. Everyone had their engines revved up and were waiting for Lakitu to drop down with the signal light that would start the race...

"Hey Mario!" Luigi called out from the Bloom Coach.
"What's up Luigi?!" Mario answered back.
"50 coins say Daisy and I beat you and Waluigi!"
"Why not make it 100?!" Waluigi cracked.

"Deal!"
Daisy looked up at Luigi from the driver's seat. "Luigi! What did I tell you about gambling? These are family friendly races! Besides, you're setting a bad example for our son..." She pointed at Baby Luigi, who was sitting in the driver's seat of a Barrel Train with Baby Mario.
"I'm setting a bad example? What about you and your drinking?"
"A glass of wine a day is good for you."
"Yeah but, you drink wine coolers... by the bottle."
"That's good enough. Now be quiet, the race is gonna start soon."

"Yes dear..."

Indeed, Daisy was right. Not a second later, Lakitu lowered himself down above the passengers, holding the signal light by the end of his fishing pole.
This moment before every race always felt the same, yet it never felt old. It was like the calm before a storm... A tangible aura of anxiety, excitement, and adrenaline surrounding the racers... It was as though their hearts had stopped, and the only thing that would get them beating again was the flash of the green light...

Lakitu began the countdown...

3...2...1.....

START!!


At that moment, the squeal of tires was heard all around as every driver stomped on their accelerator.
ZOOOOOOOOOM!!
Nearly every team had pulled off a double dash and were already speeding around the first curve. The only ones who had failed to pull it off were Bowser and Bowser Jr.
"C'mon Papa!" Bowser Jr whined. "Get driving already!"
"I'm trying! But it won't go!"
"It's the pedal on the right, Papa!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!"
"You've been driving for HOW long again?"
"Be quiet and get ready to Mini-Turbo!"

Up further ahead on the racetrack, Waluigi and Mario were neck and neck with Daisy and Luigi, driving through the second tunnel. In their desperate attempts to pass one another, they didn't notice they were both about to rear-end a Wiggler Bus. Waluigi turned sharply to the left to avoid, and he did so with only a couple inches to spare. Daisy had tried to turn around it the other way, but she turned too late and accidentally brushed the side of the bus, causing her to spin out. Waluigi laughed with wicked pleasure.
"Yo Mario, I just drove us through an item box a few yards back. What've you got?"
"A Green Shell!"
"Nice! Wait 'til my signal then throw it backwards!"
"Uhh... Sure, OK!"

Waluigi drove them across Mushroom Bridge and to the finish line, putting them in the 2nd lap. Waluigi still hadn't signalled for Mario to throw the shell yet. Mario was getting nervous, because it looked like Daisy and Luigi had recovered from their previous mishap and were catching up quickly. It was only a matter of time before they got a Red Shell or something that would knock he and Waluigi out of first place.
Mario turned around to look at the racetrack ahead. They were almost out of the first tunnel now, and all there was a Bob-Omb car on the road ahead.
"Hey Waluigi!" Mario shouted against the wind, "Daisy and Luigi are catching up! When should I throw the shell back?!"
"Just one second!"

Waluigi drove in close to the Bob-omb Car, then quickly steered left to the side of it, then right again, cutting it off. Daisy and Luigi, who were so close that Mario could make out their competitive faces, were just about to do the same.
"NOW!"

Mario chucked the Green Shell backwards. It struck the Bob-Omb Car, causing it to explode. Daisy and Luigi were caught in the explosion and were sent skyward, doing a backflip and landing on their tires once again. Waluigi and Mario managed to speed ahead a great distance. They had entered the second tunnel by the time Daisy and Luigi were just rounding the bend. All they had to do was retain this excellent lead for another trip across the bridge and one more lap and the race would be theirs!

And indeed, Mario and Waluigi managed to keep their lead for another whole lap. They were now about to enter the second tunnel, so all they had to do was drive through it, and over the bridge to win! Daisy and Luigi were so preoccupied with Wario and Petey, who were in 3rd place, that they couldn't catch up. Waluigi and Mario were gonna win for sure!

Mario was thinking about the victory so much that he didn't even notice their kart slowing down. Waluigi had to shout it for him to even notice.
"Hey Mario, what the hell's up with my kart?"
"Huh?" Mario asked, "Why? What's happening?"
"It just stopped working! I can't get it to accelerate! It's like the engine's dead!"
"What? No way! We inspected the vehicles extra carefully this morning! And the one Repair Guy said no one was in the DDG all morning, either! What's going on?!"
"I don't know, but at this rate, we won't reach the finish line in the kart."
"Fine! Let's get out and run!"
"Run?!"
"Yeah! It's allowed! But we both have to cross the finish line for it to count!"
"Umm... OK. Let's go already!"
With that, Mario and Waluigi abandoned their vehicle and ran out the tunnel, ready to cross Mushroom Bridge to the finish line. They couldn't win, surely. It was only a matter of time before Daisy and Luigi sped by them to take the gold. They could try, though. They could certainly try.

Meanwhile, Bowser and Bowser Jr were just now zipping through the first tunnel on their 3rd lap, and they were undoubtedly in 8th place. Bowser Jr had now taken over the wheel, for it was then certain that he was a better driver. However, Bowser wasn't doing so hot as the item handler either.
"Hey Jr?! What's this thing again?! I forget!"
"What thing? I can't look back there, ya know!"
"Um, right. It's all blue and has wings and spikes and stuff..."
"Oh, Papa! That's a Spiny Shell! Hurry! Throw it! THROW IT!!"
"Throw it? Throw it at what?!"
"Just throw it forward! It'll fly on it's own! You know that!"
"Um... Of course I do..." Bowser mumbled. "But wait, what's this red thing tied to the bottom of it...?"
"Who cares! Just THROW IT!!"
"Umm... alright!" Bowser said, chucking the Spiny Shell forward. It opened its wings and flew ahead at high speed, leaving a blue trail in the air.
"Whoa! That thing can FLY!"
"Be quiet and get ready to Mini-Turbo!!"

Mario and Waluigi were only about halfway across the bridge, but they were running so hard they had worn themselves out, and they wondered if they could even make it. Waluigi suddenly stopped for air, and Mario, knowing he couldn't win without Waluigi, stopped and waited. Not a second later, Daisy and Luigi zoomed by, making cutting remarks as they did. Just another half of the bridge for them to go and they would win...

Suddenly, a familiar whooshing sound caught Mario's ear. He looked behind him and saw something incredible - a Spiny Shell! Homing in on Daisy and Luigi! And it was gonna hit them while they were still on the bridge! If he and Waluigi ran their absolute hardest, they might reach the finish line while Daisy and Luigi are still recovering from the blast! If they had a chance, they'd have to start running now!
"Waluigi!" Mario shouted, "Look! A Spiny Shell! It's gonna hit them, so if we run now, we might make it!"
Waluigi looked up and saw the Spiny Shell zoom right over their heads, flying straight for Daisy and Luigi. It was strange, but Mario thought he saw something red on the bottom of it as it passed over. Whatever it was, though, he quickly let it slip from his mind. "C'mon Waluigi! Let's go!!"

But Waluigi was staring at the Spiny Shell as it travelled, as though he didn't want to even risk getting near the explosion. Did he not know that the explosions in the races were simply blasts of concentrated air? He must have! He was the Items Commissioner for goodness sake!
But no... Waluigi watched the Spiny Shell with a much more serious look than Mario would've expected. He wasn't sure what Waluigi was thinking about, but it couldn't be good.

Mario felt himself about to take another step, but he looked back at Waluigi once more, who was staring at that shell as though in a trance. He clearly wasn’t going to move on his own, but if Mario had to coax him, they weren't gonna win. Mario decided he'd just have to eat the loss. However, he didn't want to get any worse than 3rd, so he ran back to try and make Waluigi get started running...

Daisy and Luigi had just exited the second tunnel and were turning onto Mushroom Bridge for the 3rd and final time. As they sped along the traffic-infested bridge, they happened to notice Mario and Waluigi running towards the finish line. Running? But why? Daisy did seem to remember seeing a Waluigi Kart just sitting in the second tunnel. Possibly theirs. Had it broken down, maybe? That was strange... These karts never had a history of breakdowns in the past. It seemed odd, especially after that accident that had happened just 3 days before...
But Daisy didn’t really care. If those two were left to run, there was no way they could win. She and Luigi would win, no matter what!
“We’re gonna win, Luigi! We’re gonna win!” Daisy shouted excitedly as she zoomed past the unfortunate pair of runners. The finish line was coming up fast.
“Yeah!” Luigi hollered. “We win the race AND 100 coins from Mario! This is awesome!”

However, Luigi’s voice suddenly sounded concerned. “Oh no... Daisy! Spiny Shell alert!”
Daisy looked into her rearview mirror and groaned. “Will it hit us before we reach the finish line?”
Luigi had to take a second to think, but he didn’t have long, since the Spiny Shell was zipping through the air above the road towards them extremely fast. It would make impact in a matter of seconds. “I think so!”
“Who else is on the bridge?”
“Petey and Wario, and Peach and Koopa are just getting on!”
Daisy looked ahead and saw they were still a good 50 feet or so from the finish line. “We can’t take the blow! We gotta dodge it!”
“Dodge it?!” Luigi asked in desperation. He looked back and saw the Spiny Shell was but a few yards from them. He even thought he could see something red attached to the bottom of it. “How!?”
“Mini-Turbo!”
With that, Daisy started drifting off to the left, and Luigi used his backhand steering mechanism to ready a Mini-Turbo as fast as he could. As he did, he didn’t take his eyes off the Spiny Shell behind him. Just as the sparks on their tires turned blue, it began to home in and prepare for the strike...

At that moment, Daisy stopped drifting and released the Mini-Turbo, causing the kart to boost off to the left and the Spiny Shell to go haywire and veer off to the right in indecision. Daisy reached back and Luigi gave her a high-five as they were just about to cross the finish line.
Looking behind, they watched the Spiny Shell suddenly flop, drop, and collide with the ground...

KABOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

An absolutely enormous explosion rocked the bridge! The massive red and yellow fireball that engulfed a huge section of the bridge was certainly not that of a standard Spiny Shell. Mario and Waluigi were blown backwards several feet and landed hard on their behinds. Seconds later, a sedan that had been driving on the bridge came hurtling from within the explosion, completely engulfed in flames. It landed with a CRASH! mere feet from Waluigi and barrel-rolled a few times before colliding with a truck in a huge mess of fiery debris.
After Mario sat up, he only stared at the blast as it disappeared into a huge cloud of black, rising smoke. Then, all of a sudden, a thought struck him like a bullet.
“LUIGI!!” he screamed, standing up and running in the direction of the smoke cloud. “DAISY!!”

Waluigi watched as Mario ran. The Spiny Shell had veered off to the right before it exploded, he remembered, and peering through the smoke, Waluigi could vaguely make out the damage that the explosion had done. It looked as though a huge, fiery giant had just taken a monstrous bite out of the right side of the end of the bridge with big, flaming teeth. Only the far left traffic lane had been spared, and he could see Mario running across it in a panic as he disappeared into the smoke. Several vehicles had been thrown off course or were overturned. Many were even on fire, and he knew for sure that some of them had fallen through the gaping hole into the water below. It was a good thing the vehicles that drove around Mushroom Bridge on race days were merely robots made for the Mario Kart Grand Prix, so there no one was getting hurt. Well, except possibly Luigi and Daisy...

Just as Waluigi stood up to go after Mario, Peach and Koopa in their Turbo Yoshi zoomed past him on his right side. Waluigi was about to yell to them that they were driving straight into danger, but thankfully, they already knew something was wrong and stopped right before the sight of the explosion. Peach immediately jumped out of her kart and ran back across the bridge towards Waluigi.
“Waluigi!” she asked. “You were racing with Mario, right? Where is he?!”
“Peach, a Spiny Shell was going after Daisy and Luigi. They dodged it, but when it hit the ground, it made this HUUUGE explosion! We think Luigi and Daisy might have gotten hurt, so Mario ran up there to go see!”
“Oh my goodness... Luigi and Daisy?!” she asked, wide-eyed.
“Yeah! I was gonna go follow him! You gonna come to? It looks kinda dangerous, so I don't think you should!"

Peach stared at the site of the explosion and bit her nails under her glove. It scared her to death that the man she loved was in there, plus the fact that his brother and her own best friend might've been hurt, or even killed. However, it did look really dangerous. There was fire everywhere, and seeing as that section of the bridge only had one lane being held up, she wondered how stable the bridge actually was at that point...
Looking over, she saw Petey and Wario setting up an emergency roadblock to stop all the other racers in the Grand Prix from getting on the bridge. Koopa was still standing next to the Turbo Yoshi, staring at the carnage in awe.

"...I'll go with you," Peach said to Waluigi, "And let's bring Koopa too."
"Sure thing," Waluigi replied. "I'll run ahead. You get Koopa and meet me up there, alright?"
"Alright," Peach answered.
The two then split. Waluigi ran into the smoke across the single lane and Peach ran towards Koopa, who still wasn't doing much.

Peach grabbed him by the shoulder, and he quickly came to and turned to face her. He barked loudly.
"I don't know! Waluigi said that a Spiny Shell was going after Daisy and Luigi, and that it made this big explosion that blew up this whole chunk of the bridge!"
Koopa went wide-eyed and barked a few more times.
"Waluigi says they dodged it, but they could still be hurt! Mario and Waluigi have already run ahead to help them! Come on, we're going too!"

Koopa barked excitedly and undid the tether around his wrist. They then began to run into the smoky cloud towards the only lane that hadn't been blown up. The smoke was so thick it was hard to see, so they could easily take a wrong step and go hurtling into the water below. There were whirlpools down there too, so that wouldn't be good to get caught and swallowed up by one...

Peach's line of thought was interrupted by an ear-splitting sound that made her stop. Koopa must've heard it, because he stopped running too. It sounded like a metal girder being snapped in half...
Suddenly, the sound came again. Louder this time. And a wave of fear swept over the two as it was accompanied by a massive jolt that shook the entire bridge. In the thick smoke, Peach and Koopa couldn't see much but each other, but they swore they heard the sound of something big landing in the water with a huge SPLASH!!

Suddenly, another loud sound rang through the air, and the bridge began to groan incessantly.
Koopa barked nervously.
"I don't know..." Peach muttered. She had a feeling in her gut, though, that something was very, very wrong...

CRRRACK!!

The road beneath Peach's feet suddenly gave way. She screamed and stumbled backwards, hearing the sound of many chunks of gravel splashing into the water.

Another loud CRRRRRACK!!

And then, the unthinkable happened...

Peach and Koopa suddenly felt the ground beneath them fall several feet, and when they landed after being airborne for a second, they felt the entire road beneath them was sloped at an angle! A loud SPLASH!!complimented the sudden drop.
Peach and Koopa found themselves rolling down the sloped ground beneath them. They realized now that their worst fears had come true... The half of the bridge they were on was collapsing. It had snapped loose and was sloped right into the ocean below. If they allowed themselves to roll down anymore, they would be swimming with the fishes. They tried desperately to dig their palms into the gravel to stop themselves.
"MARIO!!" Peach shouted. "MARIO!! HELP!!"
Koopa barked loudly, hoping maybe someone would hear his cries, too.

By this point, the smoke was beginning to clear up. However, not before Koopa heard the sound of metal scraping against concrete. He looked up and saw an overturned truck sliding down the slope on the other side of the road. It slid and dropped into the hole that had been created by the explosion, where it fell a few feet into the ocean with a big splash.
Suddenly, he and Peach both heard the sound of more and more vehicles beginning to slide down into the churning sea as the slope of the bridge became steeper and steeper. Peach and Koopa found it more and more difficult to hold on. If they had any hopes of surviving, they would have to run up the slope to the end of the bridge that was still intact. It would be dangerous, but they had no choice.

Peach got on all fours and started crawling up the slanting bridge. A Wiggler Bus tumbled down mere inches from her, and she watched as it crashed into the roaring ocean several yards back. In desperation, she increased her efforts to climb up.
Koopa saw what Peach was doing and decided it wad the best option. He began to crawl up too. Peach looked back to make sure Koopa was holding up OK before continuing to climb up. However, when she turned around, her heart stopped when she saw a mushroom car rolling right towards her. She screamed and leapt to the side.
But too late. It's heavy frame landed right on her left leg. She could hear the bones inside being crushed. The pain was so intense she at first couldn't even make a sound. A few seconds later and she was screaming and crying for her life. Koopa climbed up quickly in attempt to help her, but there was little he could do. He instead barked extra loud with hopes that maybe Mario or Waluigi, or even Luigi and Daisy if they were OK, would hear him.

Mario and Waluigi's faces suddenly came into view. Koopa waved to them and called for their assistance. Mario bravely leapt over the crack onto the sloping bridge that was sinking quicker than ever into the water. He slid down in a cool pose until he reached Peach.
"Thanks Koopa," Mario uttered as he hoisting the crying Peach up onto his back. "Keep pullin' up! I'll be back for you!"
Koopa nodded and continued to try and pull himself up towards safety. He was glad to see Mario had eventually been able to get Peach to safety, but still... The angle of the bridge must've been 45 degrees at that point, and was getting closer to vertical by the second. By now, all the vehicles in the danger zone had slid into the water already, so they were no longer a threat. However, he was still in danger of being swallowed by the sea and the vortexes within. He prayed and continued to pull himself up.

Koopa was delighted to see Mario once again show his face from up where it was safe. He must've been just about 20 feet away. Koopa was hopeful now that he would be able to make it...

However, just as Mario stepped over the crack, an ear-splitting SNAP! was heard. The noise struck Koopa's heart with fear. What was about to happen...?

Another SNAP!!, and the ground beneath Koopa suddenly swung into a completely vertical slope! He struggling to hold onto the concrete, but there was nothing to hold onto. He tumbled back and fell nearly thirty feet into the ocean, landing directly on his head.
He was disoriented at first, not knowing which direction the surface was, but he finally managed to poke his head out of the water. He looked up the vertical stone wall at Mario and Waluigi, and even saw Luigi and Daisy standing next to them! Seeing them alive made him feel better...

Fear filled his chest again when he noticed the crowd on the bridge going into a panic. Koopa himself began to panic as he saw the stone wall before him suddenly begin to break loose and fall over... Right on top of him! Koopa barked fearfully and attempted to dive under in order to escape the concrete's blow.
However, he wasn't fast enough. He had gotten a few feet under when he felt an unbelievably strong force smash against his shell. It struck so hard that he felt his shell crack under its power.
He saw the corpses of many sunken cars at the bottom of the sea, many of which were being pulled in by the force of the vortexes nearby.
It was the last thing Koopa ever saw before his vision faded to black...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peach lay in her hospital bed, her left leg held up in a cast. She had just regained consciousness and saw all the members of the Double Dash team standing around her bed. Everyone sighed with relief when she woke up.
"Ugghhh..." she moaned. "When did I get here?"

The Ratooey doctor who had taken care of her was nearby. "Do you remember Peach? According to Mario, a mushroom car came tumbling towards you when the midsection of Mushroom Bridge collapsed. It crushed your left leg and broke it in three different places. In fact, it crushed your leg so badly it even broke the skin, and you were bleeding quite badly. You passed out from the pain as well as from blood loss, but you needn't worry - you'll be fine."
"Can I still race?" she asked.
"Not for a few days. You've lost a lot of blood, so you'll need a blood transfusion if you're to do much of anything from here on out. We've got a shipment of donated blood coming in tomorrow morning, so until then, expect to feel a bit woozy. After that’s taken care of, however, it’s possible that you can race after letting your leg heal for a few days."
"Oh, OK..." Peach replied.
"At least be thankful you managed to get out of your situation alive..."
Peach's eyes then shot open. "Koopa! He was with me when the bridge started to collapse! Is he OK too?"

Mario shook his head. "No Peach... I didn't get to him fast enough. The bridge fell so fast, and Koopa fell into the water. He could've made it, but the road suddenly fell over right on top of him. We couldn’t see what happened, but Search and Rescue never found him. They said he must’ve got caught in the pull of one of the vortexes and... He's gone, Peach. He's gone."
Peach looked over at Paratroopa, who nodded with a sorrowful face. Poor thing must not have been able to believe that his lifelong partner was just a memory now.

"Oh, Poor Koopa... At least everyone else made it out, right? Luigi? Daisy?"
Luigi and Daisy showed themselves. "Yup," Daisy explained. "We managed to dodge that Spiny with a well-timed Mini-Turbo. Good thing, too - that thing would've blown us to pieces."
"Seriously!" added Luigi. "Funny though... The force of the explosion behind us actually propelled us over the finish line. So, umm... We won the race! AND won 100 coins! Umm... well, not that it matters now."

Indeed, none of that DID matter now. Koopa was now the second member of the Mario Kart Double Dash team to be killed in a freak accident... and Peach was the second to be seriously injured. All this in two races right in a row! Madness!
Peach then looked at the doctor. "Doctor? How's Yoshi doing?"
The Ratooey smiled and moved aside, revealing Yoshi in the bed next to her. He was fully conscious, and sure looked happy to see everyone, despite his evident pain. Of course, seeing Peach in her hospital bed made him frown again.
"Yoshi?" he asked.
"Oh... It's terrible, I know," Peach said over to him. "Looks like it'll be just you and me in here for a little while."
Yoshi forced a smile and nodded, though that just seemed to make his head hurt, for he promptly stopped and plopped his head back on the pillow with a painful squeal. The Ratooey doctor shook his head. "Yoshi, What have I told you about nodding? You have a fracture in your frickin' skull. It's common sense!"

Peach turned back to the group around her. "I appreciate you all coming to visit me here. Especially you, Mario. Thank you for saving me out there..."
Mario smiled and nodded. "No problem. Saving you is just what I do!"
Everyone laughed a little. However, Peach soon realized that someone in the crowd was missing. Of course, Diddy and Koopa couldn't be there... and neither could Yoshi. Someone besides them... Who was it?"
Peach then thought she knew. "Hey Toadette?" she asked.
"Yeah Peach?" Toadette replied.
"Where's your brother?"

Everyone looked at Toadette and expected an answer. They, too, were wondering where Toad had gone during such an urgent time. "I dunno..." she said. "He's probably back at the office. This whole thing has just created a boatload more work for him. I mean, we have to consider that Mushroom Bridge is one of the Mushroom Kingdom's most famous landmarks (as stated in the MK:DD Instruction Manuel), so the costs to repair the damage done to it must be crazy high!"
"Oh yeah, that's right," Wario recalled, "That was the bridge that General Franklin D Koopsevelt had built so that people could get over to Mushroom Island and cross over Mushroom Bay, which flows in from Mushroom Ocean..."
"Right," Toadette said. "In any case, don't worry Peach. I'm sure Toad will visit you once all that stuff is sorted out!"

Peach then began to drift into deep thought. "...What do you think it is that made the bridge explode anyway?"
Everyone looked at one another and mumbled, not sure what to think. From what they'd heard of eyewitness accounts - namely from Mario, Waluigi, Luigi, and Daisy - a Spiny Shell had crashed and blown up the bridge. But... just a normal Spiny Shell? It couldn't have been...
"King Boo!" Luigi asked. "You're in charge of the special effects, right? Did you have anything to do with it?"
King Boo's face grew tense. "Are you fuggin' KIDDING me?! I deal in visual effects only! That explosion couldn't have come from any of my equipment! Stop trying to put the blame on me!"
"Does anyone remember throwing a Blue Shell near the end of the race?"
"I do," Bowser said. "I don't know if it was the one that blew up the bridge though. I do remember seeing something kinda red at the bottom of it..."
Mario and Waluigi remembered seeing something red on the Spiny Shell's underside as it passed over as well, plus Luigi saw it as it was coming in for the strike. Could this 'red thing' on the bottom of it had aided in the explosion?

"Bowser, do you remember what the red thing looked like?"
Bowser grumbled. "How the hell should I remember?! Jr and I were in last place! We were desperate to do something, so I just kinda chucked the shell really fast! I don't remember a thing. Sorry! And even if it WAS the thing that blew up the bridge, it's not like it's MY fault! It just came to me through the Item Roulette! That's all! I swear!"
"It's true!" Bowser Jr cried, trying to chime in.
"Well fine then, who handles the item distribution during the races then...?"

Waluigi suddenly changed the subject. "Oh, and you guys know something else? My kart's engine stalled right in the tunnel before the bridge, so we had to get out and run! I think whoever was supposed to examine the karts before the races wasn't doing a very good job..."

Everyone suddenly found themselves looking at Mario. Mario shot Waluigi an angry look, then threw his hands up. "Hey, I swear to you all! Koopa, Paratroopa and I made sure every kart was in top condition! Hell, we even paid a Repair Guy to stay and guard the place! I don't know what went wrong with our kart, Waluigi, but you can't blame me for that! Honest! We did the best we could. I did the best I could! Besides, who cares about what happened to our kart? What does that have to do with Mushroom Bridge blowing up and Koopa getting killed, huh!?"

Waluigi was about to say something in protest when Peach finally screamed. "STOP IT! STOP ARGUING! ALL OF YOU!!"

Peach's outburst was enough to make everyone sulk back and be quiet.
"I appreciate you all coming to visit me, but come on - if the accident’s all you wanna talk about, don't do it around me. I already have bad enough memories of that bridge falling down with me on it, so... Just go. All of you. I wanna be alone now."
Everyone simply nodded and began to slowly leave the hospital room. Birdo stopped by Yoshi's bed and said something to him in nasally Birdo talk before leaving herself. DK and Paratroopa were the last ones out of the room...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Paratroopa and Bowser Jr were dropped off on the Super Mario Kart edition of Rainbow road by the Cheep-Cheep blimp. After wheeling the Parade Kart out from the blimp's cargo hold, it immediately departed. Bowser Jr waved good-bye as it flew away. "Be back for us in an hour, alright?!" he called out to the pilot.

Once the blimp was out of sight, Bowser Jr hopped into the Parade Kart's driver seat. He then looked and saw Paratroopa simply standing and staring out at the starry night. He seemed as though he'd totally forgotten the reason why he was up there. Bowser Jr was growing impatient and saw fit to remind him. "Hellooo?! Paratroopa?! You agreed to come up here to help me practice for the Rainbow World Cup! It's in, like, 5 days! Did you completely forget or what?!"

Paratroopa looked back at Bowser Jr with sad eyes. He then barked in a tone that matched his mood.
Bowser Jr just grunted. "Yeah, so Koopa's dead. Mario's killed tons of Koopas in the past. I don't see why THAT one was so important!"
Paratroopa just shook his head. He wasn't sure why, but he found himself climbing up into the Parade Kart's backseat behind Bowser Jr. He barked as though he was ready to begin practicing.
"Alright!" Bowser Jr yelled excitedly, revving up the kart's engine. "Let's start off driving kinda slow, since I don't really know this course too well. It was made before I was even born, I think."
Bowser Jr stepped on the gas pedal slightly and began to cruise along at a steady pace. He hoped to learn the course's layout before he went attempting any Time Trials.

Since they weren't doing anything to rigorous, Bowser Jr decided to strike up a conversation. "So... The Rainbow World Cup. You excited about it?"

Paratroopa had to think about that for a second, but then finally decided to nod. Bowser Jr saw in his rearview mirror. "Cool. Me too! I'm totally psyched about it!! Wonder what team we're going against? I haven't heard anything about that..."
Paratroopa simply shrugged. He clearly wasn't in a talking mood.
Bowser Jr braked as he was approaching a group of flashing Thwomps. He waited for one to crash onto the ground, then as it was rising up, he cruised right under and continued to drive at a brisk pace. He was probably about a third of the way done with one lap.
"So..." Bowser Jr then said, "We've had two big accidents in four days. Can you believe it? Kinda scary, huh?"
Paratroopa made a brief bark and nodded. This was kind of a touchy issue for him. However, Bowser Jr didn't even seem to notice. "Yeah," he continued, "I still hadn't even gotten over the first one, and BOOM! Mushroom Bridge just blows up like that! And they were blaming my dad because he was the one that threw the Spiny Shell that blew the bridge up! Can you believe that?!"
Paratroopa made a few low barks.
"Oh..." Bowser Jr replied. "You don't wanna talk about that?"
Paratroopa shook his head.
"Hmm... Alright, fine. What about the first accident, then? You know, the one with Yoshi and Diddy? That one was pretty crazy, eh?"

Paratroopa looked from side to side, his expression kind of uneasy. It was clear that he didn't want to talk about that accident either. Strangely enough, his reaction after being reminded of this one was far different than the other. Bowser Jr didn't even notice, though.
"It's weird, cuz their kart’s wheel broke off. I've done a bit of auto work with my dad before, and I always thought these karts we ride were built like tanks! You know, like, totally unbreakable! You're the head automechanic, right? And Koopa was, too? Didn't you check to see if the wheel was on right?"

Paratroopa quickly shook his head and barked in a rather harsh manner.
"Whoa, easy there! I didn't say that!"
Koopa uttered a disgusted sound.
"Look, all I'm saying is that the wheel falling off the Turbo Yoshi doesn't seem like just an accident. I was talking to my dad about it, and he agreed with me. Someone did that on purpose to hurt Yoshi and Diddy..."
Paratroopa barked a quick reply.
"OK, OK! You've already told me, like, a thousand times that you didn't do it! I believe you, man! Settle down!"

Bowser Jr braked for yet another group of flashing Thwomps and waited until it was safe to pass under. He was almost done with one lap.
Paratroopa put his hand to his chin and barked a question.
"Yeah... that whole 'Spiny Shell blowing up Mushroom Bridge' thing is weird, too. Now THAT one was definitely no accident..."
Paratroopa barked accusingly.
"Hey! I already told you, my dad had nothing to do with it! He just happened to get that Spiny Shell from the Item Roulette thingy, so just be quiet! It's not his fault!"
Parakarry made another sneer.
"Hey, how come I'm not allowed to accuse you of messing with the Turbo Yoshi's tires, but you can accuse my dad of blowing up the bridge?! That's not fair!"
Paratroopa thought about that for a second, then realized Bowser Jr was making a good point. He barked a quick apology.
"Thanks. I still wonder, though...That Spiny Shell... It was in the Item Roulette, yeah? Someone must've stashed it in the item supply for that race so that someone would blow up! Another attempted murder, maybe?"

Paratroopa scratched his chin and barked a thought out loud.
"Hmm... Yeah. It was going after Luigi and Daisy... Think that's who the target of the killer was?"
Paratroopa shook his head and barked a rebuttal.
"Oh, that's true. That Spiny Shell could've been gotten by anyone at anytime. ANYONE could've been in first place when that Spiny Shell was obtained. Does that mean the killer didn't really care who got blown up?"

Paratroopa shrugged. Thinking back to the Turbo Yoshi accident, he barked a few times.
"Hey yeah... Maybe the one who set up the Turbo Yoshi and the Spiny Shell Bomb are the same guy!"
Paratroopa then barked a comment.
"Hmm... good point. The first accident seemed set up so that Yoshi and Diddy only would get killed, but the second one was set up so that it didn't really matter who would get killed. That's weird... Unless maybe the killer screwed with the Turbo Yoshi's tires before anyone even picked their kart for the race. In that case, both accidents were set up so that it didn't matter who would get killed. But that's even weirder... Who would just kill like that for no reason?”
Paratroopa didn’t believe that the murderer had no reason for doing what he/she was doing, though it did strike him as odd that they supposedly had no idea of who was going to fall into their wicked designs. Murderers usually have a target, don't they...?

Nonetheless, Paratroopa barked a good bit of insight.
"Hmm... That's true, huh? Whoever's setting up these accidents is obviously in the Mario Kart team. Does that mean that one of the people we race with is the killer?"
Paratroopa shrugged, but agreed it was very possible.
"Damn... Well, whoever it is, I'm gonna find 'em and RIP THEIR BALLS OFF!!"
Paratroopa laughed and barked something.
"Umm... right. If it's a guy."

Bowser Jr had finally finished his one lap and braked at the finish line. "Hmm... the course layout's pretty standard. Those shiny Thwomps might cause some trouble though..."
Bowser Jr then turned around to look at Paratroopa. "Ya know, I just thought of something. That Spiny Shell was going after Luigi and Daisy, but in the end, it was Koopa that had to die..."
Paratroopa looked away out into the starry night again. He made a low bark.
"I know. It IS unfair. Stupid killer person... It's not like Koopa did anything to deserve that, ya know?"

Paratroopa just looked at Bowser Jr with a serious face. He looked so depressed, but it seemed to Bowser Jr that Koopa's death wasn't the only thing saddening him at the moment...

Paratroopa then closed his eyes and shook his head. He pointed down the road and made a somewhat enthusiastic bark.
"You wanna go for a full-speed lap around SNES Rainbow Road now?"
Paratroopa nodded.
"Yeah, you're right. We DID come up here to practice for the Rainbow World Cup. One slow lap ain't gonna help us prepare! We gotta master 'em ALL!!" He was about to stomp on the accelerator, but then stopped himself.
All this talk about car accidents and people dying made him feel really uneasy. If the killer truly didn't care about who his/her victims were, was it possible that they were watching Bowser Jr and Paratroopa at that moment? Could they have already set up an elaborate death trap on SNES Rainbow Road that might hurt or kill the first unlucky driver to speed right into it? The thought gave him chills.
He looked up at Paratroopa, who seemed to be more or less thinking the same thing...

Bowser Jr had his foot on the pedal, not sure whether to go nuts and floor it or take it slow and easy again. Not knowing what to do, he looked up at Paratroopa.
"Yo Paratroopa? Sure you wanna go for a time trial? Or just do another practice lap?"
Paratroopa was still a little uneasy about driving fast, considering what they had just been discussing. He barked a quick question.
Bowser Jr looked around. "Hmm... That's a good question. I don't see him anywhere... But hey, I told Toad we were coming up here to practice. I don''t see why Toad would forget to send him up here for us. This track IS about 3 miles above the Earth..."
Paratroopa thought of something and barked it out.
"That's true... Lakitu could've saved Peach and Koopa from Mushroom Bridge while it was collapsing, couldn't he? I wonder where he was when it happened? I mean, he was there at the beginning of the race when he did the signal light, but I didn't see him after that..."
Paratroopa shrugged. He had no idea.
Bowser Jr then turned to look up at Paratroopa. "Ya know, you can fly... YOU could've flown over and saved Koopa."
Paratroopa stared down at Bowser Jr with a cold stare and barked an angry-sounding rant. Bowser Jr was taken aback.
"OK! OK! Chill man! Chill! I know, I know... You're an automechanic, not a rescue worker. And yes, I know King Boo and Petey can fly too, and that all of you stayed back on the other side of the bridge to set up the roadblock and all that junk. I didn't mean to sound accusing. Really..."
Paratroopa just uttered a groan and drooped his head.
"Though, I gotta wonder... King Boo can't die. He's already dead! He'd have had nothing to lose if he'd just jumped in to save Koopa. Why didn't he-?"
Paratroopa barked loudly, shook his head, and motioned for Bowser Jr to start driving. Bowser Jr could tell Paratroopa was kind of upset and did just that.

Bowser Jr drove slowly and steadily. A good 10 mph or so faster than last time, but still on the lookout for any devious traps that their 'killer' might have set up. Bowser Jr kept an eye out for a while until he was about halfway done with this lap. Feeling a wee bit more confident, he began to talk again.
"Ya know, I was just thinking back to Diddy's funeral..."

Paratroopa didn't make any moves to try and shut Bowser Jr up, so he continued. "Mario got up on the podium and was gonna start saying something about how the accident at Wario Colosseum wasn't really an accident... Do you remember?"
Paratroopa made a low bark. Despite the fact that his partner had died during the Mushroom Bridge catastrophe, it seemed to Bowser Jr that the Wario Colosseum accident was a touchier subject for him. It struck Bowser Jr as odd, but he continued nonetheless. "Yeah, well... I remember Mario was gonna talk, but then Toad stopped him and told everyone to go away. My dad and I thought it was pretty weird... Don't you think so, too?"
Paratroopa shrugged and said nothing.
"Yeah. Toad's been acting funny lately. Mario says its because he's just busy prepping for the Rainbow World Cup... plus, these two crazy ass accidents have created a lot of work for him. Of course, my dad and I know better than to believe what Mario says! But still... I kinda wanna talk to Toad one day and just see what's up, ya know?"
Paratroopa nodded in agreement, but again said nothing.

"Oh, and what about that Mr V guy?" Bowser Jr asked, a hint of nervous enthusiasm in his voice. "He's a weird one, eh?"
Paratroopa barked as though saying "Hellz yeah..."
Bowser Jr laughed, but then felt himself grow a wee bit tense. "Yeah... Remember last night when we were all drinking and stuff? Mr V's voice was like, coming out of nowhere? I swear to God, I think that guy's a ghost or something."
Paratroopa laughed and barked a reply. He seemed a little more sociable now that they were off the subject of the Wario Colosseum accident.
Bowser Jr nodded with a chuckle as he braked for a group of shiny Thwomps while waiting to drive through an opening. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to see if that legend is true... While you're talking to him on the phone, open his office door and look in. Then you see what he truly is. But then he kills you, right?"
Paratroopa shrugged, but was feeling curious about that himself.
"Well, whoever the hell that guy is, he's without a doubt involved in this whole accident thing. I can tell you that!"
Paratroopa nodded with a frown, reminded of the fact that his partner had been killed by one of those accidents only earlier that day...

Bowser Jr stopped at the finish line. Having completed a second slow practice lap, he was confident that this course was yet untouched by the killer's designs. However, it still bothered him that Lakitu was nowhere to be seen...
Bowser Jr looked off the edge of the road. It was so dark he couldn't even see the Earth below. Only stars shining all around. He imagined that if he fell, it would be forever...
Bowser Jr seriously needed to know if Lakitu was really there. Toad had said he would send Lakitu up there for them... Hadn't he? He couldn't remember. But even if he hadn't, come on - it's Lakitu! Mr Dependable! Well, he hadn't been so dependable when Mushroom Bridge was collapsing... Aye, so much going on...

Bowser Jr almost considered just driving right off the edge and seeing if Lakitu would come pick them up. It may have seemed like a crazy idea, but in truth, it was no more crazy than flooring it and going for a high speed time trial lap, which he now felt more than ready to do. He was bound to fall off at least once, seeing as he'd only done two slow practice laps on this particular course.

Bowser Jr figured by now, it was clear he was going to fall off the track no matter what he did. Was it worth the risk? Was it worth it to see if Lakitu would come to their rescue? Alternatively, he could've just called for the Cheep Cheep Blimp to come pick them up right then, but Bowser Jr was still curious...

Bowser Jr looked up at Paratroopa. “Hey pal, whaddya think? A, B, or C?”
Paratroopa thought for a second, then barked his answer.
Bowser Jr was thoroughly surprised. “Really? You choose A? You wanna drive off the edge and see if Lakitu’ll come and get us?”
Paratroopa nodded. Bowser Jr nodded accordingly and got ready to stomp on the gas, but suddenly stopped.
“Ya know, Paratroopa... when you think about it, we’re really taking a big risk here. Is it really worth it if it’ll only mean we’ll have a shot at mastering this course?”
Paratroopa didn’t have to think long before simply nodding. He looked out into the starry sky again.

Koopa... Wherever he was, Paratroopa was just glad he’d now endured the sweet embrace of death. Paratroopa actually kind of hoped Lakitu didn’t come to save them. If he didn't, Paratroopa would just let his wings relax and plummet all the way down to Earth. Wherever Koopa was now, Paratroopa hoped to go there one day soon as well, and escape the hellhole that Double Dash had become...

Bowser Jr gritted his teeth, gripped the wheel, rose his foot, and stomped on the gas. The Parade Kart sped forward at full speed.
Bowser Jr then took a sharp left...
And the kart skidded through a tight turn...
And before they knew it, the Rainbow ground had all but left them!

The Trophy Kart was launched out into space. A feeling of weightlessness overcame the two riders. For some reason, this was way cooler than any of the other 20 bazillion times either one had driven off any course.
Bowser Jr threw his arms up. “BOOOYAAAHAHAHA!!” he exclaimed.
Paratroopa just let his wings go slack and stared out into the starlit sky. A feeling of fear and anxiety in his chest...

The Kart and its riders fell for a long time...
Until Bowser Jr finally looked over the edge at the Earth below. He could see the ground now. They were falling right above Mario Circuit, sort of near Peach’s Castle, where he remember Diddy was buried.
It then suddenly occurred to him...
Lakitu hadn’t come to rescue them.
They were falling and falling... but their usual salvation was nowhere to be found. Bowser Jr looked around the night sky in worry, but saw no Lakitu! Where was he?!

Bowser Jr suddenly started to feel very scared, a feeling of impending doom filling up in his gut like a balloon. Terrified, he turned to Paratroopa. “Paratroopa!!” he shouted over the rushing upwind, “Where’s Lakitu!? Do you see him anywhere?!”
Paratroopa didn’t move. He looked at Bowser Jr, evidently acknowledging what he had said, but then merely continued to stare up at the stars. The look on his face... It almost looked like he was at peace. What the hell?! Did he not realize they were seconds from death?!
“Paratroopa!? Come on, man!! Start flying or something! Save us!!”
But Paratroopa didn’t move. It was almost like he was looking forward to the moment they crashed on the ground...

Bowser Jr was now getting frantic. The dot below that was Peach’s Castle was growing bigger by the second. In a fit of panic, Bowser Jr began to claw at the tether around his wrist. Deep down, he knew he’d die whether he was attached to the Kart or not, but he couldn’t think straight. He just felt trapped - and his only possible savior was sitting there behind him like a stone! What was he gonna do!?
By this point, they were only a couple hundred feet from impact. Bowser Jr was now crying hysterically. As he clawed relentlessly at his tether, he began to cry out. “HEEELP!! DADDY!! SOMEBODY!! HELP UUUS!!”
He quickly turned around and looked at Paratroopa with pleading eyes. “Paratroopa! PLEASE do something!!”

Paratroopa looked at Bowser Jr, his expression blank.
But not soon after, his eyes suddenly became softened with sadness... He returned Bowser Jr’s frightened glare, and realization came flowing through him.
As much as Paratroopa may have been willing to die, Bowser Jr was not. Paratroopa knew that, and even though Bowser Jr was the son of Bowser, the King of Evil, he was still just a kid. An innocent kid that didn’t deserve to die.
Paratroopa realized his death would come at the cost of another’s life. A life that didn’t want to be taken, nor deserved to be...

In that instant, Paratroopa’s face became tense. He grabbed the tether around his wrist and pulled it loose.
He then held out his hand towards Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr smiled wider than his own father had probably ever seen. Feeling a wave of hope, he was able to undo his tether. He then grabbed Paratroopa’s outstretched hands with both of his own.
Paratroopa began to flap his wings...
And almost majestically, he and Bowser Jr were lifted right out of their seats.
The two hovered in one spot and watched as the Parade Kart fell the mere remaining fifty feet or so onto the concrete road of Mario Circuit. It landed with a loud SMASH! and sent chunks of gold metal flying in all directions. They both knew it - had they been sitting in that vehicle when it landed, they’d have both been dead in an instant.

Still grasping Paratroopa’s hands, Bowser Jr had to take a moment to breathe after that terrifying experience. After several seconds, he opened his eyes and looked around. He found they were still hovering in the same spot. Only the sound of Paratroopa’s flapping wings filled the silent, night air.
Bowser Jr looked up. He saw Paratroopa staring out into the starry night, just as he’d been doing during the perilous plunge before he’d saved them. He wondered what Paratroopa saw when he looked up at those stars... Was there something he hoped to see?

Nonetheless, Bowser Jr tugged Paratroopa’s arm to get his attention. Paratroopa looked down at him.
“Thanks Paratroopa...” was all Bowser Jr managed to say.
Paratroopa looked down at the wrecked vehicle below them, back up into the sky, and let out a sigh. He then looked back down at Bowser Jr with a faint smile. He barked, as though saying “You’re welcome.”

Without another word, Paratroopa began to fly towards the Resting Quarters, hoping to get there before Lights Out. He and Bowser Jr had had enough excitement that day...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mario was tucking Baby Mario into bed. Baby Mario had been crying a lot ever since he saw his mother get hurt during the collapse of the Mushroom Bridge. His crying had tired him out a lot, and Mario was tucking him in like any good father.
"Don't you worry about a thing," Mario told his son, "Mommy's not hurt too bad. She just hurt her leg. Just a little boo-boo. She'll be OK soon."
Baby Mario cooed as though he understood.
Mario then leaned in a little closer. "This is just between you and me, but it's been forever since she and I have made love. I was thinkin' about doing it tonight but... Damn, I guess not, huh?"

Baby Mario laughed. Mario laughed too.
"Alright, I guess you didn't need to hear that... Whatever, go to bed now, little man. See you in the morning."
Baby Mario nodded and got ready to drift off to sleep.
Mario turned around and began to walk over to his own bed. As he did, he looked down. "Ugh... I was all prepped for it, too. Guess I'll just have to stroke meh monkey tonight..." he muttered to himself.
Once he did, he heard Baby Mario laugh again.

Mario sat down on his bed. A second later, a very depressed-looking Toadette sat down next to him. "Hi Mario," she said.

Mario looked over at her. "Hey Toadette. Something wrong?"
Toadette looked up at him as though asking why the hell he was asking that. Of course, he already knew more or less what was wrong.
"Another accident..." she said quietly. "Another racer... dead. Can you believe it?"
Mario shook his head. "No... I thought Diddy's death was a huge deal, but I never thought I'd see Mushroom Bridge blow up right in front of me..."

Toadette gave Mario a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about Peach."
Mario looked as though he really had to try hard to force his emotions down when she said that. "Thanks... I'm just grateful she didn't die. I feel terrible about Koopa, though. I could've saved him... If only I'd acted a second sooner. He was probably only about twenty feet away. I was so close to saving him..." He closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I can't imagine how Paratroopa must feel."
"Don't worry. I'm sure he'd understand if you just told him you tried. He can't possibly blame you for that."
"Yeah, that's true..." Mario moaned, though he didn't lift his head.

Toadette had to think hard about whether or not she should ask her next question. Mario was already upset enough as it was, it seemed. However, deep in her gut, she knew she had to.
"Hey Mario? You think maybe... that explosion was another... not so accidental accident?"
Mario looked up at her, his face cold as stone. "I know it was."
Toadette felt her stomach creep up her throat. "...You think the same person who set up Yoshi and Diddy's accident is responsible?"
"I would imagine," Mario thought aloud.
"Well, lemme think... Bowser claims to have gotten that particular Spiny Shell from the Item Roulette, that Spiny Shell that he said had something red on the bottom?"
"Yeah," Mario remembered. "I saw something red on the bottom of the Spiny Shell when it flew over me and Waluigi."
"...A bomb?"
Mario looked at her. "I think most of us have figured THAT out by now..."
Toadette rolled her eyes. "Ugh, well of course! I'm just thinking, that Spiny Shell must've been smuggled into the Item Supply for that race so that someone would end up using it, and thus, someone would end up getting blown up!"

Mario scratched his chin. "So now this person wants to kill Luigi and Daisy..."
"Yeah..." Toadette moaned, "But looks like they ended up getting Peach and Koopa instead..."
"I don't get it, though," reasoned Mario, "Anyone could've been in 1st place when