Luigi and the Eight Green Stars

The Adventure Begins

Luigi heard a buzzing sound. He opened his eyes, seeing his alarm clock going off. He reached his hand out from under the covers and fumbled to tap the 'off' button. After a minute, the alarm clock went quiet. It was still dark outside, probably because it was still 6:00 AM, just in time for Luigi to do his morning exercise. Luigi sat up and got out of bed. He looked at the bed adjacent to his. Mario was gone. He sighed. He got dressed and walked downstairs to make himself breakfast. The television came to life as Luigi pressed a button. "And in other news," the reporter said. "It appears as though Princess Peach is gone yet again. Where to, we may never know. Our hero Mario has left just hours ago to save her on another epic quest." Luigi frowned.

"He never takes me on adventures. Not since we went into space." Luigi sighed looking at a photo. "Those were great times. I wonder what those guys are doing right now." Luigi looked out the window. As he did, he saw a shooting star. He held his hands together and sat by the window. "I wish I could go on a great adventure like Mario." Luigi could have sworn he heard a woman giggle. He stood up and walked to the kitchen again. He continued to make his breakfast and listened to the news. He sat down at the kitchen table with a slice of toast and two eggs. He flipped through the channels for a few minutes. He finished his breakfast, placed the dishes in the sink, and walked outside.

Luigi jogged through town until he reached a cliff overlooking Koopa Cape. He smiled as he saw the sun rise. He sat down on a nearby bench and watched as the sun rose above the horizon. After a few minutes, when the sun had completely risen, Luigi stood up and jogged back to town. By the time he came back to Toad Town, it was 8:00. He walked around town, window-shopping. He came across a small Toad on the streets selling items. The Toad looked up at Luigi. "Hey there!" he said, full of energy. "Want to buy something?" Luigi looked at the items on the carpet.

"How much is that green star?" The Toad looked at the star Luigi was pointing at. He smiled.

"You have good taste. That is a rare item that I acquired just this morning." Luigi nodded.

"How rare is it?" The Toad pointed at the sky.

"It fell out of the sky this morning and hit me on the head. Normally, that doesn't happen. Therefore, this star must be very rare!" Luigi smiled.

"Alright. So how much is it?" The Toad thought out loud.

"Well, it's normally 500 coins, but I like you. For you, this star is only 50 coins." Luigi felt around his pockets. He frowned.

"I'm sorry, I must have left my wallet at home. Can I come back in a bit?" The Toad nodded.

"Most certainly. I'll hold it for you until you return." Luigi turned around and walked towards his house. He stopped, turned back to the Toad, and waved.

"Thank you!" Luigi turned and walked to his house. Ten minutes later, he opened the door and walked around the living room. He reached between the couch cushions and pulled out a wallet. "There it is." He opened it up and looked inside. "I just barely have enough." He closed the wallet. As he walked toward the door, he stopped by a photo of him, Mario, and Peach. He picked it up and smiled. He checked the wall clock, set the photo down, and walked outside. As he walked away, he stopped and looked at the house next to his. It was vacant. "I certainly hope no one crazy moves in next door." He walked through town and reached the market again. As he approached the Toad from before, he saw it was now hunched over. Luigi ran over to him.

"Luigi…" he said. "You're Luigi, aren't you? Mario's brother?" Luigi nodded.

"Yeah, that's me." The Toad coughed.

"I'm sorry, but someone took the star you wanted." Luigi looked around. He couldn't see anyone nearby.

"Do you remember what he looked like?" The Toad nodded.

"He was a short fellow, had a little tuft of red hair. He had one fang, a neckerchief that looks kind of like a mouth." Luigi frowned.

"I think I've got it. Do you want me to call a doctor?" The Toad shook his head.

"No, I'll be fine if I just get some rest." With that, the Toad fell asleep. Luigi stood up and ran though the town. He saw a small, cloaked figure duck into an alley. Luigi followed after him. He saw the figure hop into a small clown-faced hovercraft and fly onto the rooftops of the buildings. Luigi ran inside the building next to him. It was a restaurant of sorts. Luigi weaved in between tables, hearing mumbles from other people. He ran out back and climbed the fire escape onto the roof. He saw the clown-craft fly off a few yards away. He hopped over the air ducts to the edge of the building. He sighed and stepped back.

"I've made bigger jumps." He ran forward and leapt to the next building. He hopped over more air ducts and over to another building. As he got closer, the clown-craft went down into another alleyway. Luigi looked down the gap. It was at least a thirty-foot drop. He grabbed onto the ledge and slid down to the bottom. He jumped off of the wall and into a dumpster. He sighed angrily. "Yep. Just typical." He stepped out, pulled a banana peel off of his hat, and dusted himself off. He saw the clown-craft fly off to the other side of town. He took a deep breath and ran after it. Luigi pushed some Toads out of the way as he was running.

"Hey! Watch it!" one of them said. Luigi waved.

"Sorry about that!" He turned and looked ahead again. The clown-craft was nowhere to be seen. Luigi sat down on a box. "Oh, I can't do anything without Mario's help." Luigi felt someone nudge him. He turned to see a young Toad.

"'Scuse me, mister?" he said. "Are you that Mario fella?" Luigi shook his head.

"No, sorry." The Toad sighed.

"Aw, I thought you was." Luigi smiled.

"He's on an adventure. He'll be back in about a week." The kid smiled.

"Awesome! Thanks, mister!" The kid ran to his mother. Luigi looked back at the road, bustling with Toads.

"I wish I was back in Brooklyn." As he said that, he heard cackling. He looked above him and saw the clown-craft. It floated down next to Luigi. He looked closely at the figure under the cloak. "Fawful?" Bowser Jr. tore off the cloak, laughing.

"No, it's me! My Papa's busy dealing with your stupid brother, so I'm supposed to take care of you." Luigi smiled.

"Jr., I've taken care of you in the past without Mario's help. What makes you think you can take me down now?" Bowser Jr. pulled out a green star from the clown-craft.

"Because I have this!" Luigi's smile faded.

"So you beat up that poor Toad." Luigi readied himself for a fight. Bowser Jr. laughed again.

"You don't want to fight me, not yet at least." He pressed some buttons on the clown-craft. "We'll fight soon enough, don't you worry." The clown-craft lifted into the air. "We'll meet again, real soon!" With that, Bowser Jr. flew away. Luigi tried to run after him, but he was to fast. Luigi was out of breath, panting as he tried to run. He stopped and knelt down, breathing heavily.

"I'll… get you… soon!" Luigi stood up and walked to a nearby bench. He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes.