Toadette's Story

Chapter 68 - A Festival in Ruins

I felt my heart jump out my chest as the fireball erupted from the surrounding buildings. Debris was flying everywhere, some of it heading straight for us. Then, out of nowhere, somebody came and pushed me flat on the ground. When I finally managed to open my eyes, I failed to stop the vomit from leaving my body.

There was a human there, her body severed in two. So many chunks of red and pink were splattered across the ground… She was dead. Beyond dead.

“My eyes!” Another guy! There were flames coming out of his eyes, and the poor dude was running like some headless chicken.

Then a second blast, a smaller one, sent me hurtling into one of the brick structures. Ow… I knew it knocked me out cold because when I woke up, it looked like the fires had minutes to grow into hellish levels. The only mild relief in this nightmare was the hand of a friendlier Toad.

“Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I think…” I tried to pull myself up, wincing. “Gah!”

“What?”

“Nothing,” I strained to say, holding my left arm. All he could do was look at me for a few seconds before squeezing it, causing me to scream.

“We’re getting you out of here, now.”

“But…” I frantically looked around. “Where’s Minh T.? Where’s—”

“Finding everyone is our job, not yours,” he said, remaining disturbingly calm among all this destruction. “Toadette, are you listening?”

I pointed my trembling finger towards the explosion’s epicentre, where a gigantic hole had opened, swallowing everything around it, including the still-raining star bits. As fire burst out of it, my muscles stiffened at the thought of the burning remains of… No, that was bad to think about. Either way, I had one mission, and he wasn’t gonna stop me.

“I have to find them!”

“Your arm is broken!”

“It’s just hurt, see?” I let out a soft cry, rotating my arm properly. “See?”

“I’m not playing games, dumbass!” He looked to another guard. “Zeta, you and another man need to get Toadette out of here before she gets herself— Toadette!”

I had already snatched a ragged piece of fabric off the ground and threw it on as I charged through the flames. Immediately afterwards, I leapt into the pit, landing on an unstable stone that was dangerously close to breaking. Amidst the crackling chaos down here, I could hear Captain Toad still screaming my name on the surface. What the actual hell? I just showed I was able to dive down here without any sort of fancy gear, and he was up there just scratching his ass?

Man, the pressure here was unreal. It was like someone had me on a grill and was pressing a spatula against my chest. And the smell…

“Is anybody down here?” I asked, tasting the specks of pulverised cobblestone on my tongue. “Hey! I asked if anyone is down— AAH!”

I lost my footing, a searing pain shooting through my left arm. Goddamn, this fight to not cry was a cruel joke, but emotions were only gonna hold me back. Simply the thought of the people I was trying to save kept me going, as I crab-walked my way down the slope. Didn’t think I’d be doing this technique after high school, yet here I was. The flames that lit up the upper part of the hole were now fewer, though the heavy heat still had me lightheaded.

“Gah!” I jumped back, scraping my head against some rock. Oh… My phone. Wait! My phone!? It was ringing! “Hello?”

“You are one big moron, you know that?” Captain Toad wasted no time to ask. “Make yourself useful and tell me what it’s like down there.”

“I can barely see, hold on. Really gotta upgrade my…” As I used my phone’s screen to illuminate my surroundings, I found myself wishing I hadn’t gone so deep.

To my left was the Koopa we’d faced off against in the balloon game, only now with his shell crushed and half of his face missing. I’d seen dead bodies before today, but mainly off scum who deserved it. Innocents, not so much.

“Toadette? Toadette, speak!”

“He’s gone…”

“Stand by.” His voice got more distant. “Someone get me an extra air pack and tie a rope somewhere. Once you get those flames—”

“Captain, we have shooters in the area! We need to get to protection!”

“Until that fire’s out, we’re not helping anybody! Take charge!”

The call then ended, leaving me in the suffocating heat. My body jerked every few seconds while all I could do was painfully cough. Minutes passed. Then, a rustling noise caused me to tremble, bracing for another bad thing to happen.

“It’s me,” he said, fixing a mask onto my face. “You okay?”

“Worry about everyone who’s not me, thank you.” In short time, he had me breathing clean oxygen. Although I knew it wouldn’t last long due to the small size. “Shouldn’t the Red Essence be protecting me?”

“It’s gotta be the only reason neither of us is burnt,” he groaned. “Real dumbass move running into that fire like a dry cloth was gonna protect you.”

“So why the mask?”

“Red Essence buffs your defences, but you’re still vulnerable to smoke inhalation.” He pointed a flashlight at the tunnel. “Always so destructive, those Bonzai Bills… You go first.”

“What!? But I’ll get stuck!”

“If it’s a dead end, I’ll have my guys pull us up.” He made me feel his waist. “Trust me.”

I kept my eyes locked on the tight passage ahead. “I’m scared.”

“You can still get out now. Don’t do this just to look tough.”

Shaking my head, I dove head-first into the hole, both arms in front of me. Captain Toad followed right behind.

“Credit where it’s due: you’ve gotta be real mentally special to be doing all this in heels.”

Didn’t get a laugh out of me, but it was the effort that counted. We descended for minutes, the tunnel gradually getting lit by chunks of star bits that continued to glow. The space eventually began to widen, and once it was wide enough, I landed face-first, with Captain Toad not far behind. I scrambled to grab him, pointing to the pile of burning debris in front of us.

“Watch your step,” he warned, carefully navigating the small flames. “Is anybody in here!? Make a noise if you can hear my voice!”

“You can’t survive that.” That was all I could muster, staring at my phone and seeing that no one made further attempts to contact me.

“It’s a rescue mission first, a recovery second. Keep that negative attitude somewhere else.”

“It’s not being negative, it’s being—” I went stiff. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

I shushed him, and against the flickering of the fire, that sound played again—the sound of somebody lightly banging against metal. At least, I hoped it was somebody and not the pile about to give way under our feet. Holding his breath, Captain Toad waited for another noise before finally spinning around.

“We hear you! Make a louder noise!”

“Help! Somebody! We’re stuck down here!”

It wasn’t just one voice we heard. No, there were many. But it was that first one that made a tear of hope slide down my cheek. Captain Toad adjusted the pile the best he could, immune to the pain as his skin scraped against the edges. Following his example, I assisted him in lifting one thin metal wall off the pile. We then found ourselves gazing into two dark eyes that stared back at us.

“Told you we’d find people,” he chuckled. “How you holding up down there, dummy?”

“I think my legs are broken…”

My eyes widened. “Both?”

“Hi-ya, Toadette.” Minh T. grinned, letting out a wheeze. “What happened, guys? Everything was so awesome…”

“Don’t go to sleep, whatever you do.” Captain Toad pulled a tiny flag from his pocket. Sensing my confusion, he began to explain himself. “We’re not getting them out now. All that fire on the surface has gotta die down, then we gotta get the Scapellis out of here.”

“I guess you weren’t expecting this kind of attack, huh?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t.” He let out a high-pitched scream as he punched a Bonzai Bill piece so hard that his knuckles bled. “We did exactly what she said! We took every measure! They never even hinted they’d launch this thing! How the hell did they even get the jump on us like this, Toadette!? How!?”

I stood still, letting him unleash his rage on the Bonzai Bill before he ended up hitting me.

“Sorry.”

“The hows can come later. Right now, I need you to take me back up to that surface.”

“Absolutely not.”

“What?” I cocked my head. “Are you serious?”

“It’s dangerous. Stay down here and keep Minh T. talking while I—”

“It might take you hours to clear those guys up there, and then what? I’m supposed to breathe in all this toxic stuff while this tiny air pack is empty?”

“You’re gonna stay here because it’s safe, Toadette. You don’t know what—”

“Enough!” I pushed him. “I’m not your little sister! You’ve seen firsthand that I can handle myself. It’s not like being here and sitting on my ass is gonna help one person, so let me help you guys out proper, or you’re gonna be the biggest idiot I’ve ever known.”

He waited for me to stop baring my teeth, not realising that we were wasting time with this stare-off. I looked over to the burning pile.

“Minh T., how many are down there with you? You know?”

“Lots. I can’t tell who’s still here with us or passed away. It’s… I don’t get it. Why today?”

“Is anybody specific down there?”

She paused. “I can’t tell you anything about your mom and brother, sorry.”

I felt such a tightness in my face. When I grabbed Captain Toad’s arms, he nodded, and together we rose to the top of the hole. Just before ascending through the flames, he handed me something.

“You’re gonna want this.”

“Wish I didn’t have to use this primitive thing,” I groaned. “Guns…”

“Six bullets, rookie.” He kissed me on the cheek. “Make every shot count.”

“And you?”

“I’m not leaving here until we find your little bro and your terrifying-but-well-meaning mom, ‘kay?” He flashed me a wide smile before shouting to his men. “Get these flames down, men!”

Now on the surface, I made my way through the narrow paths of this battlefield. Seeing so many people bleeding out on the ground wasn’t gonna stop me; it motivated me to keep running, especially as there had to be plenty like me who were still in commission.

It was a surreal sight, seeing all these star bits continue to drop onto us, along with comets lining the sky with their blue and white streaks. And contrasting such a heavenly sight was one that wouldn’t be out of place in a description of Hell.

I kept my Star Gun pointed ahead at all times, waiting for a Scapelli to cross my path.

“Stay where you are!” I yelled.

When someone finally did step in front of me, I was a hair’s length from squeezing the trigger. But then I saw it was a regular human carrying a Toad child. Gross… I told them to keep moving, feeling sickness in the pit of my stomach for even being close to shooting them. Remember, Toadette, every shot needs to count…

“Wait!” I screamed. “Have you seen a Toad boy? White cap, red spots, black headband, about my height.”

“Child, there are so many burnt Toads now, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.” The woman ran away, leaving me even more shaken.

“Don’t make a single move.”

Hmph! I immediately turned around, aiming straight at this person’s head.

“I said not to move!”

“You bastards ruined everything… You hurt my family,” I slowly said, muscles tensing.

“Blood for blood.”

Blood for blood? How could they have figured out that it was me in that building? As Minh T. had said, our people would’ve cleaned that place out if they were doing the investigating.

“Don’t worry. I’ll give you a chance to reunite with your loved ones.”

BANG!

“Took the words right out of my mouth.”

I felt nothing but adrenaline and elation in seeing the red liquid gush from his twisted face. But the gun’s recoil was something I needed to adjust to, as it packed one hell of a punch. Getting used to it was almost an impossibility, however, and it was thanks to my left arm stinging if it even so much as vibrated.

BOOM!

“Sniper fire! Get down!”

“Sniper?” I hid behind a wall, following a…a Shy Guy who ran past me. “You got advice?”

“Might as well be an instant game over if you’re hit.”

“I’m buffed.” I carefully squeezed the handle of the Star Gun, taking deep breaths. “I’ll rush him.”

“Don’t act like this is a game! We’re in a war right now, mushroom girl.”

“You got a better plan?”

“Indeed.” I couldn’t tell what face he had behind that mask, but his little body did a dance of joy as he whistled. “Form a Shy Stack of six men! Double time!”

In an instant, I was lifted into the air, with six Shy Guys under my feet. Balancing was hard enough in these heels, but the tower felt like it could fall over at any time.

“He’s on the roof,” he explained. “When he’s reloading, we’re gonna sprint out there, and you’re gonna jump like you were doing when fighting our boss.”

“Ah, you’ve still got that in your head, huh?”

“You left quite the impact.”

We counted the seconds until the next shot rang out. The moment the bullet struck something, a deafening explosion travelled through the air, along with the gargling scream of a person. With our anger shared, the Shy Guys ran out from cover at top speed, and I launched myself into the air.

BANG! BANG!

Two shots and with an unstable aim… I waited with bated breath, uncertain if my bullets even pierced him. Suddenly, a human came dropping in front of me, sounding like a bowling ball hitting concrete. That couldn’t have been any luckier.

Only three bullets left… This was a problem. How many Scapellis were planning on coming out of the woodwork?

“Mushroom, shoot! Shoot!” A Shy Guy was sent skidding into the wall with the sound of a boom. Then there came five more shots in rapid succession.

“I’m hit!”

“My foot!”

“Get to cover!”

Behind me! I fired another bullet, striking a fatter Scapelli in his chest. But as I turned around, a choking grip kept me from fighting. Damn it! I looked up, and suddenly the fight left my body as my blood chilled.

“Hello again.”

“It can’t be…” My attempts to pull the trigger were blocked by his finger.

It was him, the one whose penis I had the displeasure of forcing in my mouth. Leo Scapelli. The bastard snatched the gun from my hand, continuing to trap me in a suffocating headlock. I thrashed around, yet my efforts to free myself only led to whimpers as his grip tightened.

“I’d kill you where you stand, but I got orders to keep you breathing.”

“Excuse me?” I strained to say. “I was just at gunpoint by one of your goons.”

“He wouldn’t have killed you. Nah, he would’ve pulled something like this.”

A sudden crack overpowered all the noises around me. My eye twitched. Even under the influence of Red Essence, my left arm had such a radiating pain that had me unleash a bloodcurdling cry. Between the tears now streaming down my face and the heavy sniffling, I looked like an utter mess.

“And while I can’t take you out,” he continued to taunt while twisting my arm, “your pals won’t get a chance to say their goodbyes.”

“Let go!” I yelled, gasping from the stress as he was tearing my arm out of the socket. “Stop!”

“Some nerve trying to command me.” In one move, he snapped my left wrist. My poor arm was obliterated in every sense, and all I could do was cry and grit my teeth. “If that brother of yours is still kicking after the stomping I gave him, I will have you personally watch me rip him to pieces.”

“You…” I made one last attempt to elbow him. “You’re dead!”

“You talk far too much.” He then pulled on my hair. He pulled and pulled until I could feel some of it ripping out the roots from under my cap. My voice was nothing but a whisper at this point. “Now—”

BANG!

A hot substance poured onto my cap, and I hit the ground, my body paralysed. My gun coldly landed in front of me. Was I dead? Despite how much my senses failed to act, I could still feel the heat from my arm along with the endless flow of snot from my nose.

“And I thought I talked a lot.” The adult approached me, crouching as she rubbed my face. “You okay, baby?”

“I… I…”

“It’s okay, TT. Mommy’s here, come on.” She slowly lifted me, her grip softening as I screamed in pain. “Don’t cry. I know it hurts, baby, but you’re gonna be fine.”

“It hurts! Stop!”

“Breathe. I’m gonna get you outta here, then I’m coming back to look for DT.”

“That’s nice.”

BANG!

My world went silent. How far a distance did Mommy go flying? Far enough to where she left a trail of blood long enough for me to lie on. I was in too much pain to yell louder, or was I? It was only when I saw the face of the man wielding the shotgun that sound returned to my nightmare.

“Mother of the year. Congrats on raising two worthless brats.”

Mommy clutched her bleeding stomach, whispering while Illepacs held the shotgun at the back of her head, his foot firmly placed on her back.

“TT, run… TT!”

“Great, what’s she doing now?”

“TT, go find your brother! Go now!” Her words gradually got more choked up, another weight that tugged on my heart.

Blood leaking out my arm, I continued to step forward, hunched over and dragging my feet.

“Why can’t you kill me!? What’s this big order of yours preventing you from taking me out?”

“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. You’d be buried already if this were my decision.”

“You’ve got five seconds to get that gun off my mom.”

“You’re broken, what are you gonna do?” He cackled loudly. That was until I showed him my special surprise.

BANG!

The recoil sent me flying back, and landing on my left arm was the worst torture I’d felt in forever. But replacing Illepacs’ laughter was a chilling scream as he fell to his knees.

“Going for the head isn’t good enough for you,” I growled. “Way too nice.”

“Poor move.” Unbelievable! He still had the shotgun aimed at my chest.

“Get out the way, TT!”

BANG!

“DT!”

“My baby!”

“Well, well. Huh. Little bastard wanted a family reunion, I see.”

I didn’t even process what he was saying as I looked at my little brother’s spasming body in front of me, blood oozing from his throat. My mind was racing, torn between the horror of his choking breaths and the threatening sights of Illepacs, gun still aimed at me, a twisted grin on his face… And he was laughing. No matter how I injured him, this sadist just shot my brother, and he was laughing!

BANG!

My last bullet… In a flash, it tore off his scalp, firing straight into one of the bottles in the throwing game we’d begun the festival with.

I could only cry as I watched my only close family fading away. Mommy crawled over to DT’s body, so helpless that she couldn’t do more than simply try to comfort him with her presence. That was the most I could do as well, for both of them.

“I’m so sorry, DT,” I sobbed. “I didn’t want any of this!”

He looked like he was trying to say my name, but all I heard was the gargling of his leaking blood. But he reached out his hand to try and grab me, and so I completed the gesture.

Falling to my side was a pink star bit. Wishes were meant to be made on these, right? Groaning, writhing in total pain, I used my left hand to knock it to my side, and I shut my eyes…

Every time I blinked, it revealed a new blurry figure looming over me, like a demon ready to pull me into the depths. One had the traditional white-and-red cap of a Toad, and next to him were two tall humans, one in pink and one in orange. Across from them was a cloaked figure—that familiar cloak from when I was in the desert and toy box…

They continued to stare at me as I faded out of consciousness. Peach, however, was the only one to offer me the relief of a smile. A soft smile.

“You’ve helped us out a ton, Toadette. Now rest.”