FYI: This was written by my younger sister and she doesn't take to criticism well. Leave any suggestions or corrections in your review, if you wish, but please try to keep it kind.

Erased (prologue)

"We have both clock hands now, so all that's left is to find the rotor. Then we'll be able to fix the Clock Tower Gate! The Parascope shows that the Dark Moon piece is still up there, but we've got to hurry. . ." E. Gadd stopped talking. He was too busy studying Luigi's reactions. But that was the problem. Luigi didn't react. Luigi showed no emotion, in fact.

"Keep going," a Producer whispered from the side.

Gadd ignored this. "I think we need to stop for a moment," he said while jumping down from his chair.

"Okay everybody," another Producer said, "that's a wrap for now. Let's all take five and work with whatever we got."

Everyone groaned. E. Gadd led Luigi around the corner to the green room.

The entire Mushroom Kingdom was already used to the idea of being in front of the camera to make games for people in the other world happy, so stage-fright wasn't a common thing around here. Something else had to be bothering Luigi, Gadd thought.

"Well, what is it?" Gadd said aloud.

Luigi looked up from the ground. "What is what?" His nasally nerd-like voice disappeared and he sounded completely different.

"What's the reason for all this moping and gloom?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Gadd crossed his arms. Luigi adjusted the shoulder strap of the Poltergust 5000. It was pretty heavy for a cheap prop.

"Why are you so upset all of the sudden?"

Luigi shrugged. "What does it matter to you?"

Gadd looked around. He closed the door and locked it, hoping that the room was sound proof.

"Tell me."

No response.

"What will I do to you? Do you think I would blackmail you? Do you think that I would mock you in front of this world and the other?"

"No. . ."

"Then tell me."

Luigi adjusted his cap and cleared his throat. "I've been, uh, seeing this girl."

"It's always the girls," Gadd mumbled to himself.

"And the Producers are thinking of letting her go."

Letting a character go? That would mean erasing them off the Data Base and never speaking of them again.

"Letting a character go, eh?"

Luigi shrugged again. "She doesn't know yet. In fact, I'm the only one who knows. I did some extra snooping around the Data Base, but that's beside the point. I just don't want her to get erased. Not now. Not ever."

Gadd looked around. "I'll be right back."

E. Gadd returned with something in his hands. "Before all this video game madness, I once had a love of some sort. Her name was Eliza, and she was everything that I was and more. Inventive, a genius, loving, and not to mention beautiful."

He opened the box. "She was erased, and I forgot her. All that was left was this box and her ring. The Producers wanted me to forget her completely, but I somehow remembered." The professor laughed warily. "Love is a funny thing that way. It just isn't easily forgotten. Who is the girl's name?"

"Daisy. Princess Daisy."

"Oh, I've seen her before. She's a very good actress. Wonderful personality. Why is she being let go?"

"She's only been in minor games. She's never been the damsel in distress other than that one time in 1989. She's only had a minor role, and they're thinking of letting her go because, and I quote, 'she has nothing else to give.'"

"That was written . . . in the files?"

Luigi gave a nod. Gadd was shocked that the Producers would say such a thing about a character. Nonetheless, it was the way things were.

"Well, Luigi, as strange as it may sound, you are like a son to me. I only want what's best for you and that princess." Gadd gave him the box.

"Are you saying I should . . .?"

"If she is erased, gods forbid it," Gadd knocked on wood, "she will at least have one last happy memory to go out with. I promise you Luigi, if you don't do this, you will regret it as long as you may live."

"Well, gee, when you put it like that."

Gadd smiled and pushed him out the door.

"There he is. Hey! Luigi! Get back here!"

Luigi ran out of the studio, throwing the Poltergust 5000 to the ground.

"HEY!" A Producer groaned. "Great, now what will I tell them at E3? Our main character just ran out the door."

"Just push back the release date, boys," E. Gadd said with a smirk. "He won't be long."

Greenies poked their heads out of the bushes in the woods. Their pupils grew back and their eyes were no longer pure white. "Where's he going?"

"He probably pissed his pants in fear."

The ghosts laughed.

"Hey, why don't we follow him? Maybe tease him a bit."

All six Greenies in the woods agreed and followed after the plumber.

Daisy headed towards Evershade Valley, hoping to catch a glimpse of the game-in-progress. She was wearing her signature dress and her head was down. Everyone in Peach's Castle was giving her looks of sympathy and sadness. She had no idea what was wrong, but she didn't bother asking Peach.

Two hands grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. Before she could even react, she was pulled into a kiss. When she pulled away, she finally saw who it was.

"Hello to you too, Luigi."

"Hello, darling," Luigi was smiling, and his smile was the only one she had seen all day.

"Aren't you supposed to be on set? I thought they were going to be recording late tonight."

"I asked for a break," He said, "they let me go this once."

"Oh," Daisy said curiously.

"But, tonight is all about you. Whatever you want to do, I'm up for it."

Daisy was even more curious. "Really?"

"Yes."

"You're not fibbing?"

"I would never."

Greenies poked their heads up from the bushes around the couple, but Daisy and Luigi were oblivious to them.

"Okay," Daisy chuckled, "What did you do this time?"

Luigi shook his head, "Nothing. Is it a crime to want to spend time with you?"

"No, but I've never seen you so," Daisy looked for the right word, "willing to do something with me."

"I am, though. Honest to the gods, I am."

She frowned and then he frowned.

"Why was everyone so upset around me?" Daisy became misty-eyed.

How did everyone else know? Did the Producers announce it while he was gone? Was her erasing really going to happen?

"Don't worry about it," Luigi put a hand on her shoulder.

"How can I not?" Daisy started to cry. "Something's going to happen to me, right? Oh jeez, am I going to be –"

"Will you marry me?"

" – Era. . . W-What?"

Luigi got down on one knee and repeated, "Will you marry me?"

Daisy put a hand over her mouth as he opened the box. She cried even harder, not able to say anything. She just nodded her head continuously until she got on her knees and hugged him, digging her head in his chest.

The Greenies surrounded them.

They pulled apart and looked around.

The Greenies started to cry hysterically, their tears coming out of their eyes like fountains. "THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!" One cried out.

Luigi and Daisy smiled, hugging and kissing each other once more.

But, Luigi knew that the worst was yet to come.

My little sister made this as a preview/prologue for another story I'm working on of the same name. It includes most of the elements here, except this never happens in the story, so I decided to make it a story on its own. This explains the cliff-hanger-like ending.

She was really proud of it and I actually almost cried, but being the wonderful grump I am, I didn't. I thought it had some sense of cruelty and darkness with romance and separate stories behind it to sort of go together, whatever that means. She insisted that I leave it the way it is when I posted it, so I didn't edit it, I only proofread it.

All reviews are welcome and appreciated.

- Great Mistake