Mario leaped over Bowser and reached for the lever.
Bowsers eyes widened in terror and he tried to jump off the bridge, but Mario pulled the lever faster than Bowser could jump. The bridge collapsed under Bowsers feet and he only managed to grab the ledge with his hands.
“Why did you come to save her?”, Bowser screamed, his voice trembling with terror.
Mario watched Bowser in silence. He had saved Peach from Bowser before, over and over again.
“I just… wanted her to see things how I see them.” Bowsers voice was nothing but a whisper at this point. A tear fell down from his eye the moment his hand slipped and he fell down into the pool of lava below.
It was finally over for Bowser. Mario looked down from the ledge for a while, then turned around and walked away. He had fought Bowser so many times it was difficult to believe it was finally over. Could he have saved Bowser? Should he have done it?
His steps echoed in the empty hall. The only other sound was the squeaking of the chains holding up Princess Peach’s cage. Mario pulled another lever to bring the cage down. As it reached the floor and the door opened, Peach leaped out and hugged Mario. Her long, blonde hair had a flowery scent.
“I knew you’d come and save me. My hero!”
“Bowser is finally dead.”
Mario felt how Peach froze when she heard those words. Life would be so much easier now… simpler.
No more fear of the gigantic turtle-like monster and his army of koopas and goombas.
Peach sighed deeply, still hugging Mario.
“Finally…”
Mario and Peach returned to the castle of Princess Peach.
Toads celebrated as Mario and Peach entered. They were throwing flower petals over them as the Princess walked to her throne. When she sat down on the white marble throne, Mario stood beside her.
The hall seemed like nothing but a waving mass of toads, creatures which looked like colorful mushrooms.
The chanting stopped. Luigi, brother of Mario, stepped forward from the mass of toads. His head was hanging low and he kneeled in front of Peach.
“I’m happy Mario was able to rescue you, my princess.”
“So am I. Without him, I would surely have been doomed… especially since you failed to save me - again. I’m very happy Mario succeeded, as he usually does.”
Luigi shivered and lowered his head even more.
“I’m very sorry princess, I will not disappoint you again.”
“Of course you won’t.” Peach turned to Mario and waved her hand, commanding him to get to his brother.
“As Bowser is gone now, we’ll need to address the issue of Wario and Waluigi. They are up to no good and I need you both to handle them once and for all. Mario, make sure you won’t fail.”
Mario nodded.
“Of course, my princess.”
He grabbed his brother at his forearm and pulled him onto his feet. Then they both walked through the castle hall. All the toads were silent and watched them go, Mario held his head up in pride while Luigi was holding his head low.
He was crying in shame and tried to pull his hat deeper in his face to hide it.
“Open the door!”
Mario was banging against the door with his hand. Nobody opened.
“Luigi! Get in the back to ensure they won’t escape from the backdoor.”
Giving Mario a short nod, Luigi ran to the back. Mario heard how Luigi softly knocked on the other door.
There were no lights inside, but Wario and Waluigi should have been home, at least according to their neighbors.
When Mario tried to peek through the windows, the door finally opened. Both Wario and Waluigi stepped out.
Mario stepped away from the window and called out for his brother.
“Get back here Luigi, they’re here!”
Wario gave Mario an angry look.
“What do you want from us, Mario?”
“We were sent by the Princess. It’s about you two and your crimes towards the Mushroom Kingdom.”
Luigi appeared behind Wario and Waluigi, and Mario took a step towards them.
Waluigi shot a long glance at Luigi before replying to Mario.
“What crimes? We’re just brothers living together, just like you and Luigi.”
“You’re not brothers like us. We’ve found both your parents and can prove you’re not related. You’re violating the Mushroom Kingdom Law by living as illegal sodomites. This is against the laws and rules set by our ruler, Princess Peach. Luigi, arrest them.”
Luigi took out handcuffs and put them first on Wario, then on Waluigi.
Wario did his best to stay strong, but Waluigi had already started sobbing.
"But we have never harmed anyone! We just want to live in peace. Please, could you just leave us be?”
Listening to the sobbing Waluigi and seeing the frightened face of Wario, Luigi turned to his brother.
“Couldn’t we just let them live in peace and tell Peach we couldn’t find them?”
“No, brother. Remember, she told us not to fail. Now grab them and let’s take them to the castle where they’ll be put in the dungeon. That’s where they belong.”
Reluctantly Luigi attached a chain to the handcuffs and started to pull Wario and Waluigi after him. The neighbors had stepped out and watched how the two prisoners walked behind Mario and Luigi. Nobody spoke a word, as saying something against the throne was usually a grave mistake.
No parade was held when Mario and Luigi entered the castle. They pulled Wario and Waluigi towards the throne where Peach was sitting, discussing with the toads serving her.
“I told you to get rid of ALL the goombas! They can’t serve and they’re too filthy to be edible. Remember your role, Toad, if you won’t be able to serve me, you’ll be the next one to be served as my dinner. We need more space to breed your kind.”
Princess Peach put a hand on the toad’s cheek.
“Your only purpose is to by my servants and… my special cuisine. Now be a great servant and go finish the goombas and the Bowsers kind. We want a pure Mushroom Kingdom without inferior races, don’t we?”
Even from afar, Mario could see that the toad was mortified. He gave a small nod and quickly ran off, followed by a group of armed toads.
The sun shone through the windows behind Peach, making her hair glisten like gold. She looked like a goddess on the throne.
“I see you were successful in your quest to catch the filth. Congratulations to both of you for helping the Mushroom Kingdom.”
“We did”, Mario stated as he waved his arm towards captured Wario and Waluigi. “Will we now throw them into the dungeon?”
“Dungeon… no. They won’t have it that easy.” Peach stood up from her throne and a toad servant stepped closer. “They’ll have to serve as an example for what happens if you live against the laws of Mushroom kingdom. Toad, bring the axe!”
The servant toad walked calmly to the wall to pick up an executioner’s axe. It seemed large for the toad, but he was still able to carry it with ease. Wario and Waluigi had tears in their eyes as they gazed at each other. The hall filled with toads cheered loudly, excited about the execution.
“Please stop, Princess. They haven’t harmed anyone” Luigi’s voice stopped the cheering.
Mario seemed like he had been struck by lightning.
“Luigi, be silent! The princess…”
He stopped mid-sentence as Peach had lifted her arm.
“No. Let him speak his mind.”
Almost too afraid to answer, Luigi took his hat off and tried to beg.
“Please Princess, they have not lived according to the laws you have set, but they still haven’t harmed anyone. They did lie to protect themselves, but please have mercy and spare them. The dungeon is good enough for them. They do not deserve to die.”
“I see…”
She slowly walked towards Luigi.
“Now we have a new issue. I’m disappointed in you. And you promised to never disappoint me again.”
Suddenly Luigi was pulled up on his feet by a few toads. The toad holding the axe approached Luigi.
“Yes, you can start with him.”
“Please, Princess, spare my brother!”, Mario shouted as he realized what was happening. “Luigi, please beg forgiveness from…”
Once again, he didn’t have the time to finish his sentence.
A fast swing of the axe cut off Luigi’s head and the toads cheered.
“Well done sir toad, you’re doing an amazing job”, the Princess cheered from her throne. “But you still have more work to do, don’t you?”
The executioner moved towards Wario and Waluigi. However, all Mario could see was his brother’s corpse on the floor and the head on the floor beside his feet.
“If only you would have listened to me in time…”
Someone cried out in pain and the crowd cheered again. Mario was crying and all he could hear was how Peach was clapping her hands together.
“If only I had listened in time…”
Only Waluigi was alive and the executioner was preparing for another swing. Princess Peach had moved closer to see the final swing, shouting: “He’s the only filth standing in the way of a happy Mushroom Kingdom!”
The executioner swung the axe for the last time, but instead of joy, Peach felt pain.
She looked down her dress and it was slowly turning red, and the tip of a dagger was pointing out of her chest.
Mario was standing behind her, pushing the dagger deeper in.
“I’m sorry Princess. I have saved you, but I was too late to save everyone else.”
He let go of the dagger and turned Peach to face him.
“But… Mario?”
She coughed up blood and tried to breathe, but her lungs couldn’t fill with air. The moment Mario let go of her, she collapsed on the floor.
The toads couldn’t believe their eyes. The Princess was dead. Their purpose to live had been taken away.
Completely expressionless, Mario just stood there. He didn’t even flinch when the toads stabbed him with their swords.
He felt no pain from the swords, he had already lost everything.
He fell first onto his knees, then he collapsed between the corpses of his brother and Princess Peach, left to bleed to death and join them.
