With the second half of the missing tapestry located both Peach and Toadsworth meticulously began inspecting the intricate imagery for any underlying clues that tied to the written prophecy on the ancient scroll. The revelation of the second warrior seemed to tie into the written words mentioning a clash atop that would divide the world. Who were these two warriors? Were they truly depictions of Mario and Luigi? If so, could they really destroy the world in a single battle?

An immense flash of golden fire lit up the dark sky with such a bright glow that it penetrated the ever widened cracks that marred the exterior of the Castle. The dark chamber was bathed in rays of amber light that veined throughout secluded chamber that housed the tapestries and scroll.

"Toadsworth, I'm worried." Peach confessed as she anxiously bit at her lower lip, the amber glow reflecting off her long blonde hair.

"Has something shaken your faith?" The elderly Ward asked the younger Princess as he gazed through the fading glow. "You seem a shade pale."

"I have the strangest feeling that something terrible has happened." She pressed her hand over her heart. "I can sense it."


The massive fireball struck it's target with unimpeded force. Stray embers showered over the peak as the fireball engulfed the unsuspecting figure with a cosmically enhanced blaze. Without a word the figure was forced backward and onto the ground, smoldering gilded flames slowly burning away.

Ethros only laughed triumphantly. "The blood of the innocent..."

Mario's hand lowered and the glowing aura that had enveloped his body steadily faded away revealing the same injuries on his hand and forearm as Luigi. His glove and sleeve were tattered, charred remnants that hung pitifully from from his hand and arm. "Lu... Luigi?" He stammered with unbridled remorse choking his words.

"Has been spilled."

"No!" Mario rushed from where he had been kneeling to Luigi's side. Sliding on his knees to Luigi's body Mario pressed his hand over Luigi's chest and called his name desperately. "Luigi! Luigi, please, no!"

Coughing Luigi put his hand over top Mario's and looked at his brother's mournful face. "M-Mario?"

"Bro!" Mario bowed and shook his head in a fit of regret. "I'm so sorry! I thought... I thought..."

"It's okay..." Luigi slurred, his chest heaving with pained breaths. "I know you didn't... want to. Didn't... mean to." He coughed again, drops of blood staining his lips as a result. "Ethros... tricked you. Tricked us..."

Mario felt a tear rolling down his face as the full weight of the damage began crushing his heart. "I... I should've listened to you."

Luigi weakly shook his head as he blinked slowly. "No. You were right." Luigi forced himself to smile. "I should've... been more careful."

"Luigi?" Mario watched as Luigi's eyes closed and felt as his breathing weakened. "Bro?"

"F-forgive me." Luigi managed to whisper as his weak hand managed to grip Mario's. "I should've... trusted you. You always looked out... for me. For all of us."

Mario's other hand lifted Luigi's head up from the ground, flakes of ash falling from strands of Luigi's hair and cap. "Please. Don't leave me. I need you, I NEED YOU!"

Luigi opened his eyes again, the bright blue of his eyes now dull and unfocused. "No. You don't need me... You never... have. Don't... Don't change who you are." His eyes closed. "Don't change..."

Mario's heart iced over as he felt Luigi's final breath escape his dying body. "Luigi...?"

Ethros hovered over Mario, the compiled cosmic energy from the fallen comet now emanating from all five points of it's body. "It is done. The world shall end as the Light consumes Darkness, blinding all those who resist."

Mario laid Luigi's head down on the ground and watched as his brother's lifeless body lolled about on the disturbed ash. Mario pressed his head down against the top of Luigi's hand as he began silently sobbing, mourning the death of his brother. It seemed even the warm kindness that was Luigi's heart wasn't enough to keep his broken body from growing cold. So cold.

"Victory for the Hero of Light."

At those words Mario lifted his head, a fire of pure rage burning in his eyes. Standing up slowly he turned to face Ethros with an unparalleled hatred that his heart could barely contain. "Victory?" Mario questioned bitterly. "You claim that spilling the blood of the innocent is a victory?!"

Ethros only stared at Mario with a sense of superiority. "What has been done, has been done. Do not mourn for the past, instead embrace the future. A future bathed in Light."

Mario looked back down at Luigi and tightened his battered hands into fists. "Any Light of your would burn the world into ashes." Turning back to Ethros the same dark, shadowy aura that had once enveloped Luigi was now shrouding Mario in a new renewed power. Extending one hand Mario created a fireball of shadow fire. The fireball was a deep amethyst purple and it burned with an intensity never seen by Mario before.

Ethros was visibly intimidated. Hovering away from Mario and back into the night sky the Eternal Star used its stored cosmic energy to create a force field of light to protect itself. "You are the Hero of Light, how can you channel the Darkness as easily as you do the Light?"

Mario stared at Ethros through the flickering purple flames. "Luigi is the Guardian of Darkness. He is my brother. My twin. We share the same power. The deeper the Darkness, the brighter the Light. One can't exist without the other." Kneeling down beside Luigi once again Mario reabsorbed the purple fireball into his body and pressed his hand against Luigi's stilled chest. "And I can't exist without him."

The shadowy aura faded as it crept from Mario's hand and shrouded Luigi in the same Dark energy that been born from Mario's heart.

"What is this?" Ethros asked angrily as he watched the two heroes once again defy the prophecy. "Do not resist your fate!"

"C'mon Luigi..." Mario gently coaxed his brother. "Come back to me. To me, to Daisy, to Peach and Yoshi..." He looked up through the aura and to the bright stars that dotted the sky overhead. "for all of us."


Peach and Toadsworth struggled to understand the purpose of the second tapestry. Namely, why was it hidden behind the first tapestry? What's the significance of the half-stars that the two warrior held in their hands?

Curiously Peach took a step back from the tapestry and used her fingers to visually measure the image, noticing that the depiction seemed unbalanced.

"Toadsworth, why does the image on the second tapestry look like it's pushed more to the right instead of being centralized?" She lowered her hands and pressed a finger to her chin as she pondered the possibilities. "It almost looks like there should be another scene to the left of the warrior."

"Hmm... I wonder." Toadsworth reached up and lifted the bottom of the tapestry away from the wall. "My goodness, Princess!" He excitedly pointed to his discovery. "This second tapestry wasn't added to the back of the first, it is in fact it's own tapestry that was discreetly attached to the back of the first."

"Let's pull them apart." Peach suggested. "We must study these images side by side! I'm certain we'll find our answer!"


The darkness steadily faded away leaving Mario's shadowy energy drained into nothingness, with Luigi lifeless on the ground next to the exhausted hero.

"Fool!" Ethros declared wickedly as he concentrated a beam of energy at the point at the top of its head. "You have wasted your power. Now because of your arrogance, you too, shall die."

"I killed Luigi." Mario never took his eyes from Luigi. "At least I'll get the punishment I deserve." Placing his hand under Luigi's head he lifted his brother's body up from the ground and cradled him in his arms. "I tried, bro. But I'm not strong enough. Not on my own..."

Ethros took aim at Mario's back, willing to shoot the defenseless man like a coward. The loosed beam of cosmic energy was a mixture of both Light and Darkness, with a secondary beam of thousands of colors twisting over it. The beam was bright, strong and on target.

Mario closed his eyes as he awaited the burning pain of the attack to sear into his flesh, stopping his heart and mercifully ending his life. But the pain never came. Instead he heard the distinct sound of thunder crashing over the mountains and the indistinct sound of two energy sources colliding with one another.

"NO! This cannot be!" Ethros angrily bellowed over the peak. "The prophecy cannot be changed! This is impossible!"

Opening his eyes Mario saw that Luigi's arm was extended outward, his two forefingers aimed at Ethros. A small trickle of smoke wisping away from his fingertips. "Lu-Luigi?! You're..."

Slowly Luigi's eyes opened, the unfocused gaze of his blue eyes steadily regained life as did the rest of his body. Blinking once to clear his vision he looked at Mario who was just staring with tearful disbelief down at him. "Mario...?"

...to be continued...