Chapter Two: Abandoned

The crater was still there in the ruined Toad Town, although grass had by now overgrown it. The Koopa administration of the town had forbidden putting any monument there to mark the resting place of the fallen hero, but the townsfolk came their often, laying offerings of Fire Flowers and Super Leaves down upon the spot where Mario had taken his last breath. When even an armed force of guards around the spot had failed to deter them, Toad Town's chief administrator, a veteran Koopa Troop officer by the name of Boom Boom, had just given up. It wasn't doing any harm, really. Tears weren't going to bring Mario back.

Toad Town had never been rebuilt. While there had been a movement to fortify it and transform it into the capital of the Koopa-occupied Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser had ultimately ruled against it. Most suspected that there were too many painful memories associated with the place that he wanted to put behind. The main members of Mario's fighting force were arrested and carried away to who knew where, of course, but the ordinary inhabitants of Toad Town were generally allowed to stay in their old homes; if anything remained of them, of course. The once-vibrant Town was a sorry sight. Most of the Toad Houses were highly damaged, suffering caved-in roofs, cracked walls, and serious fire damage. Even the majestic palace that had once belonged to Princess Peach was a mere shell of it's former self. Nobody had bothered to repair it after Mario and Bowser's battle...or even put the fire out. There were massive holes in the walls and ceiling, and much of the white bricks had been stained black by the fire. The flag of the Koopa Empire flew from the tallest tower, although it was difficult for such a sad, dillapitated structure to look threatening. All thoughout the brown cobblestone streets were strewn the husks of Bowser's war machines which had been destroyed during the battle, ranging from overturned tanks to an entire downed airship which had crushed some houses in the eastern part of the town, it's central mast broken in two and it's hull steadily being covered by ivy. It was often said by the people of the Mushroom Kingdom that the Koopa Empire had left Toad Town in ruins on purpose, as a symbol of the beginning of a new era. The era of the Mario brothers and Princess Peach was over, none could deny that. This was the era of the Emperor Bowser.

If his old friend Professor E. Gadd had still been around, he would have told Luigi that he was a very lucky man. The younger brother had never thought the fact that nobody ever remembered him would come in handy. The vivid days following the death of Mario had been very hazy for Luigi. He had simply ran as far into the little forest that surrounded his house as he could, before simply collapsing into tears. It had been several days before he finally wandered back into Toad Town. By that time, Bowser and his family were long gone, along with most of their army. There was only a small detachment of Koopa Troop soldiers left to keep watch over the remaining Toads. Luigi had been extremely cautious for the first two years; not that he really had it in his heart to oppose Bowser, anyway. Eventually, he had simply starting wandering around the city as he had done in the more peaceful days. The Koopas knew about him, of course, but somehow nobody ever reported him even though he was sure he was an incredibly wanted man. They seemed to consider him a living museum artifact who could do no more harm then a sick Goomba. Luigi didn't bother correcting them; probably because they were right.

It had been twenty years since the terrible event which had come to be called the Battle of Toad Town. Ever since he'd gotten over his worries about the Koopas coming in and capturing him, he had never failed once in his daily visits to what passed for Mario's grave. In his forties, Luigi was not yet old...however he certainly felt like it. He walked with his head down, rarely meeting another person eye-to-eye. Much had changed in the Mushroom World since Luigi had last travelled it. While he didn't care to find out all of the details, he knew, undeniably, that there had been a great war, or perhaps a great many wars, but either way, Bowser's side had come out the victor. The Koopa King, after so long, had finally achieved his dream of world domination. From what he had heard, there was scarcely a place in the Mushroom Kingdom you could go without seeing a trace of the Koopa Empire's influence, although he wouldn't know himself. Luigi's travelling, Goomba-stomping, ghost-busting adventures were long over. There was nothing left of him now but a sad, broken, middle-aged man.

Wiping a tear out of one of his bright blue eyes, Luigi let loose an ice flower from his grip and let it fall into the centre of the crater, on the top of the small pile of offerings the other citizens of Toad Town had left. He knelt there for a moment, once again letting the memories of his wonderful days with Mario rush through his head; their childhood together, (where they had been raised in the castle due to their parents dying not too long after the whole Kamek abduction episode), Mario sticking up for him in plumbing school, the first time they had battled against Bowser to save the princess, the time they were reunited after he, for the first time, had been the one to save his brother against the forces of King Boo...he gave a long sigh, before standing up. Nothing was going to bring Mario back, no matter how much he wanted it.

As Luigi rose, he glanced up at the once-majestic structure of Peach's Castle. He could see two Koopa Troopas guarding the doors, watching him lazily. He paid them no attention however; as long as he left them alone, they'd leave him alone. Turning, he began to walk down Toad Town's main street. While the basic layout of Toad Town was the same, it seemed unrecognizable from the town of the past. Rather then being an idealistic haven where one could enjoy the simple pleasures of life, it now resembled a kind of shanty town...the sort of place that nobody would feel comfortable walking around in after dark unless they were looking for a fight. The yards of the Toad Houses were all overgrown, and it seemed as if at least half the houses were abandoned, their roofs caved in and their walls scorched black. The other half consisted of shoddily repaired dwellings, many of them patched up by chunks of debris, some from Bowser's weapons. Glancing down a rubble-strewn side street, he allowed a wave of memories to hit him. There it was...his favourite pizza parlour. Him and his bro used to eat their nearly every Sunday, when the Princess didn't have them over. It was larger then most of the Toad houses and painted a bright and appealing yellow. The delicious scents from the kitchen used to waft down the street, tempting him into spending his hard-earned coins for an extra bite to eat...nowadays, it was just somebody's house. The glass windows were all boarded up and there was a huge hole in the mushroom-shaped ceiling thanks to a stray bullet bill. It was just a small thing, really, but a clear reminder to Luigi that Toad Town had lost it's soul. It was still Toad Town in name, but this was not the town he had lived in with Mario.

Luigi still lived in his house in the forest next to Toad Town which he had lived in with Mario before. It was in surprisingly good condition, especially compared to the rest of the town. Luigi had always been tidy, and he found the working in the gardens, repainting the walls, or checking up on the plumbing was an excellent way to relieve himself of the repetitivity of day-to-day life. It made his home seem oddly empty without Mario's mess, though. When he didn't have anything to fix, Luigi spent most of his time at an establishment called Shroomer's. Shroomer's was a place that had not existed prior to the Battle of Toad Town. Luigi guessed it had sprung up around ten or so years ago.

Luigi came up towards the green Toad House, which still bore the Fire Flower sign hanging over the door signifying it as an item shop. It was on the corner of the main street and one of the side streets, and, like all buildings in Toad Town, clearly bore the scars of the battle. This was the place where Luigi, time and time again, had bought items with Mario to aid in their quests. These days though, it was a bar; and not exactly a classy one, either. It supposedly sold Chuckola Cola, although Luigi thought that claim dubious. There was something a little off about it...it wasn't quite sweet or bubbly enough, and it tasted a bit watered down. That wasn't surprising, really. From the vague bits of news he'd heard, the Beanbean Kingdom had been hit especially bad during the war. It didn't even sound like it had an active government anymore. Still...it tasted good enough to distract Luigi for a few moments, and it was cheap enough to be bought with a Block or two's worth of coins. Right now, however, Luigi wasn't very thirsty.

It was a strange day, one that seemed almost contradictory to Luigi's feelings. The sky was perfectly blue, with only a few white clouds lazily drifting above them. There was a pleasant smell in the air, the smell of blooming flowers in spring, and Luigi could hear the song of birds. They were chirping and tweeting to each other with just as much enthusiasm as they had before Mario had fallen. It seemed almost peaceful. Luigi went towards Shroomer's and sat down on the small bench next to the door, closing his eyes and letting the warm sun beat down on his face. For a moment...just one moment...he could imagine that things were back to the way they used to be. Mario was still alive, Princess Peach was in his castle and Bowser was nothing more then a rival who's antics more often led to humour then real peril. This lasted far too short for Luigi's liking; only two minutes after Luigi had closed his eyes, he was interupted by a gruff voice, coming from what sounded like the centre of the street.

"Who do yah think you are, you cocky brat, assaulting a soldier of the Koopa Empire? Know your place!" there was a heavy slap, followed by a painful grunt. Luigi opened his eyes. There, a few feet away from him, were two Koopa Troopas and one Chargin Chuck. The Chargin Chuck had grabbed a blue-colored Yoshi by the neck and was holding him tightly while the Koopa in front of him hit the captured dinosaur.

"Hey, you started it!" the Yoshi snarled. "It wasn't my fault you don't let anybody within ten meters of the castle!"

"We have the rule for a reason, punk." the Chargin' Chuck growled. "The boss doesn't want people like you coming and messing things up for him." The Yoshi glared at him, before abruptly kicking his captor in the chest. The Chargin' Chuck didn't seem at all affected. "You're going to have to hit a lot harder then that if you want to knock the wind outta my lungs, kid." he smirked. "Who do yah think you are...Mario?"

The Yoshi tightened his fists. "If I were Mario, do you think I'd just sit back and let you take me in?" he shouted defiantly. "Not a chance. I'm doing what he would have wanted me to do...I'm kicking your shells back to Bowser's Castle!"

The Koopa behind the Yoshi snickered. "You're doing a great job doing that, punk. I'm so scared!" he laughed, slapping the Yoshi hard on his blue head. Luigi looked away. Things like this happened all the time in Toad Town...kids would get reckless, and the Koopas would put them in their place. The Yoshi would go home (probably after a couple days in the cells), with a sore head, and would know not to trouble the Empire again. He'd seen it happen before. Suddenly, Luigi imagined Mario next to him. It was almost as if the plumber was standing in front of him, glaring at the scene occuring on the roads.

"Those cowards!" Mario exclaimed, glaring at the Koopas and tightening his fists. He turned to Luigi. "Luigi, we can't-a let them get away with this! Lets-a-go!" he turned around, rushing towards the enemies, slowing fading out of existance before he reached them. Luigi was alone...just as he had been the last twenty years.

"Mario..." Luigi said to himself, going over the thought in his head. Then, slowly, he rose.