Okay, first things seventh, I'd like to apologise that I took a while to upload. Truth be told, I wasn't even planning on uploading this yet. I'd another chapter before this, but for some reason I can't get it fine-tuned the way I want. It's nothing vital, just a follow-on for chapter 3's events, but it did contain some decent- though not necessary- exposition. I'll probably make it a bonus chapter at the end or something...

World 1- Grass Land

"Pick a box. Its contents will help you on your way."

Mario smiled appreciatively at the friendly Toad that had brought him into the Toad House. It was awfully generous of him to make a contribution, no matter how small, to assist Mario as he traversed across the worlds. The fate of the Mushroom Kingdom, and the Kings themselves, seemed just that extra bit brighter with a bit of kindness at hand.

But what chest to take? Hmm. They looked all the same, so it wasn't obvious what he'd be in for with either one. Yet... his plumber senses were tingling. The aura of the box in the centre... felt different. Good different? Apparently. It could be a Star, perhaps, something more otherworldly than a Mushroom or Fire Flower. As long as it wasn't a Frog Suit...

There was only one way to find out, hacks not included. Jumping smoothly over to the box, he grabbed both sides of its lid with care. The lid practically slid away from the base, letting in the light for the contents within. The plumber rubbed his gloved hands with glee, lowered them into the glistening box...

...an orange Mushroom cap? What sort of power-up was this? A disguise, maybe? He'd rather a Super Leaf or something, if he was being brutally honest... Could he have a return?, he wondered-

A hand burst out of the box in one swift movement, pale digits grasping for the hat and yanking it back in. Frozen for only a second, Mario leant back into the box, seeing its occupant for the first time. He sighed. Enough was enough, he was fed up with this nuisance parading around looking for him. He couldn't even bother to say who it was; he knew all too well and cared not a jot.

"Hiya! You found me!"

...then again, this might not be entirely useless after all...

Few would guess it from face-value, but one of Mario's most remarkable traits was his resourcefulness. The last time Mario had headed south in Grass Land, he discovered his route to the palace was cut off by a large, unyielding locked door. The grassy hills to either side were too tall, the slopes too steep for even the Kingdom's most renowned jumper to mount.

That's if he wanted to pass that way. This time, however, he had just what he needed right in his inventory. The nice thing about Bowser's forces, Mario reflected, was that whatever barrier they threw out to hold back Mario, the vast majority of them could be defeated through either one of two solutions. Either he could skip pass the problem using his wisdom, or, if equipped with a good item or two, could just-

WHAM!

-fling one problem at another. He chuckled heavily as he saw both door and Toad fall heavily to the ground. It's odd, it never struck him just how heavy those Mushroom caps were. No wonder Toads were so short, it'd feel like they had a small Mario standing on their head all their lives. Impractical headgear, but ever so good at knocking down barriers. Without a backward glance, he sprinted through to the rocky land beyond. The wind rushed through the newly exposed gap, the cloud of dust followed in its wake. Dolor staggered up and lunged towards his destiny, except his would lead him on the path to the palace. A red cap bobbed up and down in the distance, becoming a red dot and, finally, nothing.

"So... was I useful enough?"

World 2- Desert Hill

"Aww, Mario, you're so darn sweet!" chimed the young Toad. "It's like, we're really getting somewhere here, y'know?"

No response.

He giggled. "Yeah, getting to the middle of nowhere, that's where! There's not enough one-shots in the desert, what a shame!" His nostrils widened, taking in the warm arid air. "Like, who'd hitch up before a sunset on a beach? Lame!"

Mario was silent as a Boo. Aside from its childlike laughter, of course.

"I like hugging you like this, by the way. You're so rugged! I can feel the thorns in you, I can, but it doesn't matter to me..." His hug tightened. "If we can just be here forever, Lemmy's balls to the worlds, I'd be the happiest Toad alive. I'd make you happy, too, whatever you wish!"

The Pokey had several wishes, actually. It wished this perverted little Toad would get it hands off its lower torso, for a start.

It wished that these hallucinating hipsters would stop embarrassing it in front of its friends.

And most of all, it wished it could, for once in its life, just go and move faster. (A/N- sorry, I had to go there :p)

World 3- Ocean Side

Ah, there was Mario! He must have been missing Dolor since Grass Land, so no surprise to see him running so frantically in his direction.

"That's alright, Mario!" he cheered. "I'll always forgive ya, no matter what!" Dolor flung his stubby arms out, anticipating with relish the hug to come.

And pass.

And go. Hmm. Dolor wasn't the hugging expert or anything, but last he checked, this wasn't how a romantic embrace was meant to be done.

"Uh, hey Mario?" Why was Mario always busy going the other way? What a coincidence. "Maybe another time, if you'd like?"

The water splashed behind him, a large heavy splash that reminded Dolor of his big bulky cousin when she'd catapult into the pool on a warm summer's morning. Turning round, he was almost positive that was her swimming- swimming? That was a first, he thought- towards him, with her overdone scaly skin and large gaping mouth. Fins propelled her forward like she was cycling, full throttle, down a hill, and none of this speed was lost as she bounded out of the water at him.

Then it occurred to him that his cousin would have inundated him with language by now, commenting on his dress sense and the real nature of existence and, oh Grambi!, what was that maddening stench?!

Then it occurred to him that it probably wasn't his cousin's jaws that were closing in on his skull, and that he should've gotten that extra 1- Up when he had the chance.

World 4- Big Island

Let's see... you're a lovable little innocent. An innocent with great dress sense, charm and a degree in subtlety. Did you mention you can cook Mushroom Lasagna? Your favourite colour is brown, and you're surrounded by a dozen, none-too-friendly local Sledge Bros. that are fighting over who has the biggest hammer. You need to escape. They're distracted, so the right word could set you free. Get it wrong, and you'll be talking through a mouthful of iron. And not the sort that gets you to your RDA.

Most importantly, you need empathy. Interest. See the world as reflected in their hammers, as a beefed-up, loyal warrior for the Koopa cause. Be gentle, not prodding; you don't wish to cause offence. You're just a wanderer, neither side should mean the other any malice. So, whatever you speak about, it should be a testament to your innocence and purity. The sort of thing a friend, a universal friend, the definition of the word 'friend' might say to them. Something... relevant...

...aha! Of course!

"Wow!" Dolor exclaimed. "I never knew that Hammer Bros. could be so fat!"

Dolor's first- and last- words on Big Island.

World 5- Sky Land

It was the Sky Land. He was in a shoe. The Goombas were shuffling along like pros, and the clouds grinned happily- too happily- at them all.

"I love this world!"

World 6- Ice Land

Brr. An ice world. Why was there always an ice world? Or a water world? Technically that's cheating since ice is just frozen water, so actually you're getting two water levels for the price of one. The price of one being roughly 14 lives; but at least here, there wouldn't be any ravenous fish jumping out at him.

...would there? Dolor sighed and shivered. He really needed to hold down his imagination for once, he was feeding his paranoia too much…

He froze- not literally- when he noticed something before him in the mist. It was a Muncher, but the plant didn't seem to be moving. It was frozen- literally, this time- in a small block of ice underneath him, with its mouth held open to the chill of its surroundings. The Toad felt something small and fragile shatter on his shoe, and realised that was a frozen tear that had fallen. Another travelled down his face after it.

Even when it came to some of the most despised creatures in the worlds, Dolor always felt a sense of obligation for those that he found to be in peril or despair. When he was younger, his mum always protested at the brutality involved in the trading of shells- Nok Nok Shells, Shell Slacks and so on- which the markets tried to conceal. The Koopas may have been prisoners of war, but what had been done to them was abhorrent.

Thankfully, the powers in charge couldn't endure with the conflict and changed their ways. Since then, cleaner alternatives have been used, such as utilising shells that generous Koopas had donated or making artificial versions of the armour. Even though Dolor's mother hadn't gone out for a protest in years, the spirit of it remained in him. He wouldn't let suffering go on under his watch.

He strained his eyes in the mist, trying to find what he was looking for. He was in luck: there, just below a row of icicles, a ? block was suspended in the air. Running over to it, he punched it with the energy the cold had yet to strip off him, and picked up the Fire Flower that escaped from its snow-covered top. Moving back to the Muncher, he rubbed together a fireball in his palms which he flung at the block. It melted away in seconds, freeing the mini-Piranha Plant within. The creature twitched and moaned, but adjusting to the heat that the Toad had introduced, it gradually became more energised and its movements more fluid.

To Dolor, it may as well have been a baby chihuahua that had woken up. His eyes were lustrous orbs, there for the Muncher and the Muncher alone.

"There, there," he whispered, "you're safe now, little guy. I'm a friend. Friend." The Muncher stirred under a fresh burst of wind which danced on the snowy field. "This is no place for a… a Muncher like you."

He thought.

"I know. There's a palace just a few miles from here; they'll take you in, I'm sure."

The trouble was, how would it get there? He couldn't carry it on his back, it had nothing to hold on with, nothing but its mouth-

...its mouth.

Later on at the palace, Chutney the Toad burst into the throne room and bowed before the newly-recovered King. He- the Mushroom King's loyal servant- couldn't help but smile as he went in, glad that Mario had defeated the Koopaling that had turned the King into an animal and thus managed to revert him back to normal.

"Your majesty, there's somebody who wishes to-"

He cut off as he saw the wise King lying, trance-like, on his throne, completely oblivious to his presence.

"Er, your majesty, I'm afraid you're not a seal any more. You don't need to lie on your front like that..."

The King perked up at once. "Eh? Ah, right you are. Yes, you are quite correct indeed, though... why not, eh? Hurts like mad to be sitting up on here all the time, anyway. I do believe the seal has got the right idea, ho ho!" The Mushroom King finally seemed to register the urgency in his servant's eyes, as he withdrew his mirth away for the moment. "Do pardon me, what was it you wished to speak of?"

"Some Toad from another world arrived here a few minutes ago. He's wondering if your majesty could be so kind as to home a fragile plant he had uncovered in the snow."

The King paced from wall to wall, in apparent- faked- concentration. He didn't need to think twice about an issue like that, but one has to keep up appearances.

"I see. Well, I fail to find any danger in such a request... and I do like my flowers, you know... Very well. Show him in."

Chutney parted with a final bow, and Dolor soon shuffled with his eyes pointing to the ground.

"Welcome, young stranger! Please, do not worry about showing me the courtesies; speak with me as a fellow flower enthusiast!"

Dolor elevated his head to a degree so he would be seeing the Mushroom King's chest; nerves prevented him from trying eye contact.

."I, um, brought a plant to the palace, maybe you would-"

"Yes, yes I know. Anything's fine with me, my friend; I was more interested in seeing it, if I may?"

"It's right here, your majesty."

"...pardon? Your hands are empty, are they not?"

Dolor slowly turned to reveal his back to the King, who gasped in astonishment at the Muncher behind him. Its mouth was clamped onto the flesh, but unless the King was just imagining it- which he very much doubted- the Muncher was cooing.

Among the palace's collection of artwork, there was one painting that the King strived to cross every day. It was a fond favourite of his; he was there on the day it was finished, two years ago. But, oh, was that a fleck of dust? Not daring to rub his fingers on the canvas, he puffed out his cheeks and blew the dust off his treasure. Ah, that was better. He gave himself a minute just to look at it, the detail on the Toad and plant matching his impression of them, the day they arrived.

'Peace in the Pain', it was labelled. The artist wasn't great naming his works, it had to be said, but the title was never the focus. It was the innocence.

Finished admiring the painting, the Mushroom King reminded himself of the next stage of his routine. It wouldn't do to let his plants wait around for him...

"Coming, Munchie," he called, "never fear..."

World 7- Pipe Maze

Goomba: Hey, you heard about that Mario guy?

Koopa: Who? Him?

Goomba: You know, the one with the mushrooms!

Koopa: Yeah!

Goomba: The one pumpin' around in the pipes!

Koopa: Yeah, I know him! I know him!

Goomba: Okay? Hey, check this out.

~Super Mario-o Bro-thers Three

It is the only one (of three!) just for m-

Koopa: H-hey! You're slacking!

Goomba: …

Koopa: What's up with you? We rehearsed this all just this morning, how are you drying up?

Goomba: ...I don't know, Koopa…

Koopa: Don't know? Of course you don't know, you're a generic minion that gets about two seconds of screen time! You don't need to know anything!

Goomba: No, I mean like, this song, man. I don't know if it's gonna catch on, y'know?

Koopa: I don't know, I'm just on-screen for the four seconds and-

Goomba: Be serious, man. Koopa. Guy. I'm thinking… we should just lie low, wait for the spotlights to get a little brighter and stuff. We haven't got the right audience yet or anything.

Koopa: It's early days, you mean?

Goomba: Don't you know it, bro.

Koopa: I told you, I don't know-

Dolor: Why am I here again?

World 8- Dark Land

Footsteps. The sound of gravel crunching under heavy feet. He was coming.

For days now, Dolor had been tucked down inside this dusty pit he had found, like a soldier in the trenches waiting for gunfire to blare. He didn't bring any essentials with him, bar a few bottles of water he had filled up in the last world. Faint traces of a beard were beginning to form on his face, which he didn't notice having no reflections to judge from. His eyes were bloodshot: the roar of the Koopa Troop marching by endlessly kept him awake during the nights.

He had a cap full of dirt and sweat, which had to be taken off and shook empty every couple of hours. He would do so gently; not just to be delicate, but to compensate for the limbs which had grown stagnant with the inactivity. It was a struggle to climb out of the hole and peer at his hostile surroundings, and he began to suspect that when he did try to leave- if that ever came- he'd be caught within minutes, unable to flee quickly enough to avoid detection.

The green woollen jumper he had once adored was now an item he wanted to forget, seeing the tears and scorch marks that had made it almost unrecognisable. If not for the jagged rocks that could still slice against his skin, he would have gone bare-chested by now.

He was suffering, lightly put. But he'd make it an art, he vowed. He was suffering for Mario. If Mario could risk his life so much for the sake of peace and for unworthy Toads like himself, then Dolor was proud to endanger his very being, just to show Mario that he would always be appreciated for his kindness. Just that.

'BUT WHY'S HE TAKING FOREVER TO SEE IT?!' This was Dolor's most frequent query throughout these days, and the second thing to keep him awake at night. Unbeknownst to him, Mario had already finished his business in Dark Land and recovered the Princess by the time he had arrived and hid away in the pit. Mario would never meet him in the disarray he was now in, or be told about that daft little Toad that went camping out near an army. To everyone else, this would never have happened at all.

Unfortunately, Dolor didn't quite realise that yet, and holding on to the hope he had, the footsteps he could hear just above had to be those of Mister Mario, and Mister Mario alone.

Closer now. Right before the pit. He had only one chance, it was now or never. Inhale; exhale.

"M-mister Mario..." he coughed. "Mario..."

The footsteps stopped; they had at least heard the wreck of a voice he had. He could have pushed his vocal cords a bit harder, he knew, but in honesty he was hoping to rack up the sympathy votes some more.

"Please, Mario... come to me..."

There was the sound of feet leaping off the ground, and Dolor's heart leapt with it. He does care!

And it leapt again when Mario landed with a gargantuan thud beside him, except this time Dolor wasn't hallucinating or drunk or anything and clearly this, was not Mario.

The Sledge Bro. waved its hammer in the air, like a school bully does with its fist that is about to knock some poor souls lights out. Dolor had a sinking feeling this was not meant to be a coincidence.

"Err, um, hello there..?" He smiled innocently. "I guess you may remember me, huh?"

It remembered. And Dolor remembered his hammer. But just in case he forgot...