A Cold Reunion

Mario scratched his mustache and looked out the window with sad eyes as a band of Koopa Troops stormed the streets of what was once the peaceful Toad Town. A building across the street had recently caught on fire as Koopas raiding its residents and left them for dead for no apparent reason. These and many other violent acts are just a few of the deadly side effects of the recent takeover of the Mushroom Kingdom and the rest of the planet. The person in charge now? None other than the devil himself: the ruthless and unforgiving Bowser, former dictator of the Darklands, now the dictator of the entire world, except for maybe a few lucky areas, but that is just about all the freedom left in the world one could possibly get.

Mario, the once beloved hero and future king of the Mushroom Kingdom, was now in his late thirties and all alone in a state of depression, fighting for his life just like every other unlucky soul that had fallen victim to Bowser's evil political regime. In the world's most vital moment since the events that made him a hero in the first place, he had failed to live up to his lifelong promise to defeat the evil dictator for good. His fighting skills were now utterly useless, for Bowser has used up every last bit of star and mushroom power in the world for the creation of his empire and overpowering army of super Koopas. The thought of it only made Mario furious. He scratched his head and felt a single stand land on the palm of his hand: his first gray hair.

This is my entire fault. Mario thought as he started to tear up. I really thought I could beat him once and for all! But now, all I have left are the remains of what used to be a glorious life. My wife and children have since left me. Everyone else that I know, or used to know, has either been killed or has left the Kingdom altogether. And my brother...

Mario walked over to a nearby wall and found a crooked picture hanging next to the broken digital clock. It was a picture of him and Luigi taken back in 1991, just shortly after their adventure through Dinosaur Land. They were still wearing their trademark red and green, standing over their friend Yoshi with one of their trademark poses: brothers giving high-fives to each other. No matter where he looked in the picture, Mario's eyes kept glancing back to his brother, and every time they did, he became even more depressed. The times he had once shared with his brother have since ended long ago, and now Mario was just another one of Bowser's hopeless victims.

"It's been years since I've seen my brother." Mario said to himself. "I never meant to drive him away at the height of our popularity. I wish could just kick myself in the face a million times for taking all of the credit for protecting the Mushroom Kingdom. What the hell was I thinking?! Where could my twin brother be?!"

Ten years ago, Mario and Luigi were fighting back to back against Bowser in one of their many battles against the dictator, when tensions between the two brothers were already dangerously high. This was due to the unfortunate circumstance of Mario taking most, if not all, of the credit for protecting the Mushroom Kingdom after every battle they finished. It was during the brothers' last battle together when Bowser was about to pound Mario into the ground when Luigi risked his own life to protect his older brother from the fatal blow, by jumping out in front and shoving his brother to the side. He hoped that the Kingdom would once again recognize him as a vital factor for the protection of the Mushroom Kingdom for his courageous actions. However, Mario had once again unwittingly taken all of the credit for the battle, and the last words Mario ever heard from his younger brother were: "I'm tired of living in your shadow, Mario. I hope you're happy, because I am downright miserable and I never want to see you again!"

However, in spite of Luigi's fiery departure, Mario believed that his anger would not last very long and that he would soon return to once again help drive Bowser away. He continued fighting Bowser and rescuing his wife, the then Princess Peach, along with his two children from his evil grasp for the next five years until that one fateful day when Peach decided enough was enough. She, along with their two children, left Mario the day before Bowser defeated Mario in a duel, which little did he know, would determine the future of the world. He watched as Town Toad burned to the ground and saw Bowser and cronies march into the town as they formed their new world order right before his eyes. The once lovely and bright Toad Town was now literally darkened by the shadow of evil. The sky had since been blocked out by a large and expensive saucer-like structure that is supported in the center by a solitary, yet durable column structure. Above the saucer was a large monstrous city infested with Koopas and a central headquarters building where Bowser himself now calls home, since his old home was insufficient for his new power. The greenery that once ruled the city of Toad Town had since died out and the entire Toad region had become a large desert plain. Peach's once lovely castle had since fallen to ruin as well, only to serve as a sad reminder of how wonderful things had once been in the Mushroom Kingdom. The air was also severely polluted and the water supply was not any better. As a result, most of the thousands of people trapped underneath the saucer periodically fell victim to extensive sickness and disease. Death was also a common sight throughout the dirty crime-infested streets, while the buildings themselves were crumbling at their very foundations.

Mario set the picture down on the nearby coffee table and wiped the tears that were running down his face. He wanted to kill himself for everything that has happened to the kingdom and the rest of the world, yet at the same time he hoped that one day, there would be a miracle that would be powerful enough to wipe the evil away. Still, he did not hesitate to grab the large butcher knife from the kitchen drawer.

Suddenly, he heard a loud knock vibrate the front door of his apartment suite (or what was left of it). Mario jumped and immediately began to think of the worst.

It's the bill collector! Mario thought as dropped the knife to the floor. I haven't paid the rent since last month!

The door banged once more and Mario slowly walked towards the door to see who it was. He looked through the tiny lens in the door and saw a mysterious man dressed in dark colors and wearing a brown trench coat. His pants were black and his shirt was a dark gray, while his face, except for his cold blue eyes, was obscured by a black mask and the hood of his trench coat. On his back was a large sword blade attached to a leather strap which he had wrapped around his body for easy carrying and accessibility. Mario felt the door bang once again as he pulled his body away from the door.

"What do you want?!" Mario shouted. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Open the damned door!" said the man's deep, dark voice. "We have some unfinished business to attend to!"

"If this is about last month's payment, I can explain..." Mario begged.

"Screw the fucking payment! Just open the damned door!" said the mysterious man. "We need to talk Mr. Mario!"

Mario slowly opened the door with a shaky hand and felt his wrist being grabbed by the mysterious man. He pushed Mario back into the apartment and slammed the door behind him, shoving Mario against the wall.

"Now, allow me to reintroduce myself!" said the mysterious man.

"Do I know you?" Mario asked in a frightened tone.

The man eased his grip and removed the black mask that was covering his face revealing a full head of brown hair, a large nose, and a neatly cut mustache.

"Remember me, brother?" said the mysterious man, who was not so mysterious anymore and was giving a slight smile.

"I...It can't be!" Mario stuttered. "Luigi?! Is that really you?!"

"It's been a long time..." Luigi said. "How have you been?"

"G...good. I guess..." Mario said, still frightened by Luigi's sudden appearance.

"Sit down." Luigi said. "We need to talk..."