Despite Mario's insistence that he felt fine—that Mipha's magic was making him feel even better than before—the decision was unanimous among the others to have him checked out by his counterpart, Dr. Mario. Not only did Mario find this annoying, he also found it incredibly bizarre, interacting with another version of himself. He decided to say nothing and get it over with, silently wondering how Link managed to deal with two other versions of himself running around while brushing it off so easily. Nevertheless, he was given a clean bill of health from his counterpart, and he eagerly headed back to the banquet hall with the others.

The banquet hall was in utter confusion by the time the search party returned; Ganondorf had fled as he had found himself outnumbered, and some of the other fighters had given chase. Palutena had been among those who had remained behind in case of an ambush, and had informed those who had also stayed that Mario had been revived. Upon the search party's return, Mario had to dodge an overenthusiastic hug from Donkey Kong, who, in spite of their past clashes, was genuinely glad to see him well. Others crowded around Mario, also excited and relieved to see him, too, until Samus reminded everyone to prepare themselves in case Ridley came back.

Luigi hung back, still deep in thought. The past few hours had turned everything upside-down; Bowser was returning to a hero's welcome, gathering Junior in one arm while reassuring him and the Koopalings that everything was going to be fine—that he'd send Ridley flying off again if he ever came within ten feet of them.

He was vaguely aware of other conversations going around, too—Peach and Daisy were talking with Zelda ("Believe me, Peach, I know what Ganondorf did was nothing less than an assassination, and you have every right to be upset, but it won't be possible to issue a formal declaration of war—not when the Gerudo have disowned him…"), and Pit was shaking Link's hand in gratitude ("What you did back there was really awesome—guess you're not a stuck-up pretty-boy after all!")

Luigi was suddenly aware of someone beside him, and he gave a quick yelp as he realized it was Palutena.

"Something is troubling you," she sensed. "Besides the obvious heartache you must be going through after seeing your brother dead—even if temporarily."

"Er… well, yeah…" Luigi sighed. "It's going to be a while before I get over that, but… There is something else I'm worried about." He glanced at Pit, who was now telling a somewhat uninterested Dark Pit about everything that had happened. "…How did Pit and Dark Pit separate?"

Palutena didn't seem surprised by the question.

"You want to separate the darkness in your heart into another entity?" she asked. "Well, the Mirror of Truth, which created Dark Pit, has since been destroyed. But even if it were still intact, I would advise against it."

"But why?" Luigi asked. "I don't want Ganondorf coming after my brother or my friends again—if I separated the darkness from me, they'd be safe!"

"But then Ganondorf's job would be that much easier," the goddess reminded him. "Dark Pit is a being created to reflect the dark side of an angel—an angel in the service of the Goddess of Light. Even at his worst, Dark Pit is arrogant and self-serving, but he has scruples. A dark entity created from a human heart would not have those scruples; whatever being your darkness would unleash would be completely unfettered by your goodness."

"…Oh," Luigi sighed, thinking about what he had read in the book about the Paper universe. His Paper self's dark side-Mr. L, he'd called himself-hadn't had enough willpower to resist being forced to turn against Paper Mario.

Palutena's right, he sighed to himself. A real-world Mr. L is exactly what Ganondorf wants—either by having me set him free, or by becoming him. I can't let either of those happen

He looked back at the goddess, who was gazing upon him with a sympathetic, understanding look.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked, sounding defeated. "There's no way I can win…!"

"Now that isn't true!" Palutena chided. "Yes, you have darkness in your heart, but you must remember that you also have light. And you also have a great number of people who believe in you and your light." She paused, and the two of them glanced back at Mario, who was beginning to get a bit frazzled by the questions.

But before Palutena could speak again, Mewtwo suddenly teleported into the banquet hall, bringing with him the party that had gone after Ganondorf—Young Link, Snake, Cloud, Lucina, Ike, and Shulk.

"He got away," Cloud said, darkly. "But he would be a fool to show his face here again after what he did."

Young Link gave Cloud a look—clearly, he was sure Ganondorf would return.

"Never underestimate what a fool is willing to…" Shulk began, but he trailed off as he finally noticed Mario standing with the others, alive and well, and he nearly dropped the Monado in shock. "Wha-!? How-!?"

"Long story short, Zora magic," Mario said.

"Well," Lucina mused. "…This means that we know something Ganondorf doesn't! If he does come back, he'll never expect Mario ready to face him again!"

"He'll be back," Samus agreed. "Ridley, too—at this point, we have to hope that their unholy alliance doesn't last."

Luigi turned back to Palutena.

"You're right about people being on my side. …I'm just wondering if they'll still be on my side when they find out about the prophecy…" He let out a deep sigh; Mario was still getting swamped by people asking questions about what exactly had happened. "I need some time to think about things."

"Just be careful," Palutena warned. "Ganondorf won't be so easily dissuaded. And your brother may not admit it, but he does need you after his harrowing experience."

"I wonder if he still will when he finds out about the prophecy—and how I didn't tell him about it."

"He will very likely be upset," Palutena agreed. "But I am confident in saying that he wouldn't let you face this alone."

Luigi considered this and nodded, and he then took his leave of the goddess and dragged his feet outside to the sprawling gardens of the mansion. The night sky was tauntingly peaceful, seemingly ignoring all of the tragedies going on beneath it. It was a similar sky to the one that Mario and he had marveled at as children—with Mario declaring that he would one day travel among the stars. And even after choosing a career as a plumber, his adventures had inevitably led to that childhood dream coming true—and, unexpectedly, Luigi had ended up traveling through the stars, as well.

Mario and I have been through a lot together, he realized. Even during times I wasn't traveling with him, I always tried to help him in any way I could…. Sometimes, I even managed to save him

Unbidden, his mind flashed back to the horrible sight he had come upon in the reactor core—of his brother lying there, dead, with Luigi helpless to save him. The realization began to sink in that if it hadn't been for Mipha, he would never have gotten his brother back—and that his death would have been because of Ganondorf's designs on him.

Luigi broke down into sobs again. He never asked for much—just for a chance for him, his brother, and their friends to live in peace. But even that seemed to be constantly denied—and now, it would be because of him.


Not too far from the sprawling mansion, Ganondorf hid in the shadows of the woods surrounding the place, his pride wounded and his temper flaring. The other fighters could run around in a zeal all they liked—Ganondorf would succeed in fully awakening the darkness in Luigi's heart in spite of their efforts. For now, however, he would have to find out the state of affairs with the green-clad plumber—and find out more about the prophecy.

There were creatures in the forest all around him—leftover members of the Subspace Army. With a quick movement of his arm, he had plunged his hand into the nearest tree hollow and withdrew a struggling Yellow Mite that had taken shelter in the trunk.

"You…" he ordered, infusing the Mite with a small amount of dark magic; it immediately stopped struggling. "You will be my eyes and ears now that you are in my power. All that you see and hear will be known to me, as well. Now, go—find Luigi."

The Mite headed towards the mansion, and all Ganondorf had to do was wait.


Mario had finally managed to slip away from the crowd to one of the stairwells of the mansion, sighing in relief. It was short-lived, however; he knew he had to find his brother, who he knew would still be very upset—to say nothing of the fact that Ganondorf would be looking for him.

My poor little bro… It's bad enough he had to find out what happened to me; but to find out that Ganondorf was behind it all, trying to make him go dark

He clenched a smoldering fist; Ganondorf would pay dearly for trying to manipulate his brother. Mario would never let that pass; his family and friends were everything, and he would, always, fiercely defend them.

More than that, the thought of Luigi falling to darkness was an absolutely terrifying thought. Luigi was a kind and caring person—a bit scared and timid, but his heart was always in the right place. To lose his brother in such a way—to see that kind and good nature become the exact opposite, turning against him… to Mario, that was a fate worse than the one that had befallen him back at the reactor; he would, without hesitation, have chosen that over seeing Luigi go dark.

He heard footsteps approaching and looked around eagerly, hoping it was Luigi. He blinked in surprise as he saw Peach frantically run in.

"Peach!"

"Mario!" she exclaimed.

"Have you seen Luigi?" the both said, in unison. They paused, their expressions falling as they realized the hadn't.

"He shouldn't have wandered off on his own!" she fretted. "Daisy and Zelda are looking for him—I just hope they find him before Ganondorf does."

"I thought I saw him talking to Palutena," Mario said. He blinked, thinking about Pit and Dark Pit. "…And I think I know why. We've got to-"

He trailed off as Daisy ran into the room, breathless.

"Found him… Garden… DeDeDe…" she said, pointing in the direction of the garden. "He's with him…"

"Is he alright?" Peach asked.

"Fine… But upset…"

Mario's heart gave a twinge, but he nodded.

"Can you tell him that I'll be there in just a moment?"

Daisy sighed, still exhausted, but nodded and headed back out.

Mario sighed and looked back at Peach.

"Did… Did Luigi actually use the Negative Zone against Ridley?"

"I think he was definitely thinking about it; the moment I realized it, I tried to get him to stop—and then Bowser ran in and knocked the Smash Ball out of him. I don't know what he would have ended up doing, but I want to believe that he would have resisted trying to cast it again…"

Mario felt his heart twinge again.

"You have to understand, Mario," Peach went on. "We really thought we'd lost you this time—you can't blame Luigi for losing all hope and feeling like he had to resort to the Negative Zone. He even tried giving you a one-up mushroom, but it didn't work because of how Ridley had grabbed your head…" She had managed to hold things together up until this point, but she, too, was human, and, at last, let the tears escape.

"Peach…!"

"I'll be alright," she insisted. "Luigi needs you more than I do right now. We can talk later."

"Right," Mario said. "Just… Just remember that, in spite of everything that happened, I'm alright now."

"And I'm so glad you are," she replied, suddenly pulling him into a tight hug. He returned the hug, and, after a moment, she let go and regained her regal poise. "Mario, Luigi is very likely going to tell you about something—something that isn't easy for him to talk about. Please… be understanding when you listen to him."

"Of course," Mario said. "He's my little bro—la mia famiglia."

Peach managed a wan smile this time.

"I know," she said. "You two are the best brothers I've ever seen. That's why I have a feeling that you'll get through this."

Mario nodded; he believed that, too—he and Luigi had been through so much together; this would be just another hurdle for the two of them to clear together.

He waved goodbye to Peach and headed out into the garden; Daisy and DeDeDe, sensing that Mario wanted to have a private brotherly discussion, cleared off to give them room and time to talk.

"Hey, Luigi," he said, softly.

Luigi had been trying to remain stoic, and managed to give a quiet greeting back.

"I'd ask if you were alright, but I think we both know that neither of us are…" Mario went on. "…You want to talk about it?"

Luigi nodded.

"I just never thought something like this could happen," he said. "You're one of the most skilled fighters in the tournament, and you've done so many things in the Mushroom Kingdom and other lands…. I know we've gotten into scrapes and scares before, but we always managed to find a way through, but this time…" He trembled with growing sobs, and Mario placed a hand on his shoulder. "Even Palutena thought it was hopeless…. I was sure I'd lost you for good." Mario tightened his grip on Luigi's shoulder as his brother struggled to speak. "…I should have been there with you to help… I shouldn't have let you go without me; we're always strongest as a team…!"

"Believe me, Luigi, you being there wouldn't have stopped this—having you watch it happen would be exactly what Ganondorf would have wanted! …In a way, I'm glad you didn't have to see it happen."

Luigi held back another sob, still not convinced that his presence wouldn't have changed anything.

"…You know," Mario went on. "There have been times I thought I was losing you, too. Our last tennis tournament, when the Legendary Racquet started using you as a puppet… I didn't know if I'd ever see the real you again. What made it worse was that the racquet was originally supposed to go to me, not you—it should have been me…"

Luigi looked down at the ground.

"I wouldn't have wanted that to happen to you, either," he said. "I'm beginning to think the racquet took over me instead because it sensed the darkness in my heart. Maybe that's why I wasn't able to break free, even though I kept trying and trying…"

"I know you were trying, Luigi," Mario said. "The racquet's control over Wario and Waluigi had them taunting me, but you didn't—you were too busy trying to fight back. And furthermore, the racquet was able to control them and Bowser without them having to touch it; it only took over you after you physically held it—that's the power of your light. Your light is stronger than you think, Little Bro."

"…I hope so…" Luigi said, after a moment. "Because if the darkness ever wins…" He shut his eyes, trying to keep from crying. "Mario, there's something I need to tell you."

Mario gave his shoulder another squeeze.

"I'm right here."

"You… you remember during the Brawl tournament when we'd had an argument after I started using the Negative Zone, and I told you it was because of some of the things I'd been feeling after being left behind? Well, that didn't really cause it—it didn't help, but the reason for this darkness is something else."

"What is it?" Mario asked.

"…Destiny."

"What!?"

"I found out about two years ago, when I found the book about our other selves in the Paper world—and we traveled around with that Paper You for a while," Luigi said. "After it was all over and they went back into the book, I… I wanted to read it and find out what happened to Paper Me. I found out there was a pair of prophecies—Paper You is this great hero of light, but… Even though Paper Me had light, he also had darkness—he was the ideal host for a powerful and destructive darkness, and he could either help save the world… or destroy it. And the only way to stop the darkness is to kill the one controlling it. …Paper Me fell to the darkness, Mario—he had to be defeated multiple times before he snapped out of it, and the only reason he didn't die at the end of it was because someone else named Dimentio had merged with him in the final battle and he died instead. So, you see… the darkness in my heart—the Negative Zone and everything-is part of this world's version of that same prophecy. Ganondorf is trying to control me like the ones in the Paper World did to Paper Me… And that means that I could go dark and turn on you…" His voice cracked. "I don't want to—but if it's destiny, then I don't think I'll be able to stop it…! And then the only way to stop me will be…" He couldn't finish the thought.

Mario didn't say anything for a moment; he was clearly trying to wrap his brain around this—and he certainly didn't want to finish that thought, either.

"You've been carrying this around for two years, and you didn't tell me?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"How could I? After accomplishing so much stuff together, I didn't want to ruin it by bringing it up. And, besides, I thought for a while that maybe this prophecy was only for the Paper World. But then, things started happening in the last year that made me realize it's not just there, but here, too, like Bowser and Peach nearly getting married—their marriage in the Paper World, when Paper You wasn't able to stop it, created the Chaos Heart, which was the great dark power that Paper Me was the ideal host for. And even though you managed to stop the wedding in this world, who's to say that there aren't other ways to create the Chaos Heart—or other sources of power like it? I'm sure someone like Ganondorf knows many of them! And I know you believe in me, but it doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to fight this—I got taken over by a tennis racquet, Mario! What chance am I gonna stand against the Great King of Evil!?"

He turned away from his brother now, looking back up at the night sky.

"Why me!?" he called out, to no one in particular. "Why am I cursed with this darkness!? What can't I just be able to live life happily with my family and friends like I wanted!? What did I do to deserve this!? How is this fair!?"

"…It isn't," Mario said, and Luigi looked back at him in surprise. "You don't deserve this, Luigi. You've done so much—helped me save Peach multiple times, helped me out on many adventures, saved the Mushroom Kingdom, Beanbean Kingdom, Pi'illo Island, and so many other places—even the entire galaxy! You've faced your fears over and over again, mastered your powers in the Dream World, and saved me more times than I can count… You've done nothing but good things in your life, and you're a kind and caring soul. So, no—this isn't fair at all, and you don't deserve this, Little Bro. You don't deserve to be cursed with this darkness that the prophecy seems to be talking about, and you don't deserve having the Evil King manipulate you into going dark…"

Mario had to stop talking; he was getting too choked up with fear again at the thought of this happening—especially having found out that the final results could be worse than he had ever imagined. And so, he pulled his brother into a tight hug. Luigi, once again recalling what he had seen and experienced at the reactor, hugged him back just as tightly, realizing that it was the first time since reviving him that he'd hugged his brother.

"I don't know what to do…" he managed to say.

"I'm here now," Mario promised. "We're going to get through this like we've gotten through everything else—together. And it's not just the two of us—we have all of our friends and allies here, too. You're not alone, Little Bro; we'll figure this out."

Luigi wasn't sure how, but one thing that was a giant weight lifting off of his shoulders was the knowledge that his brother was still by his side, in spite of it all.