Luigi had been too focused piloting the Dragoon to pay attention to Mario's mental transmission—and also focused on not letting his own fears grab ahold of him and cause him to reconsider what he was doing.
I can't turn back. They're counting on me—all of them. Especially Mario…
Galeem and Dharkon were too wrapped-up in their fighting to notice Luigi approaching them until it was too late. As Galeem's orb collided with Dharkon's eye, his wings and his brother's tentacles trying to grab at each other, Luigi aimed the Dragoon right at the center of the battle. He was running out of fuel and would only have one shot…
He careened through the battle, knocking Galeem's orb and Dharkon's eye apart from each other. The Dragoon sputtered and faded, separating into its three parts as it ran out of fuel; Luigi used his floaty jumps to make it to the nearest floating platform in midair, his small squad of spirits standing beside him as Galeem and Dharkon now stared at them as Luigi stared right back.
"You… You would turn against me…?" Dharkon hissed.
Galeem, on the other hand, snarled in disgust.
"I knew you weren't to be trusted," he said. "Though I will say that you truly are a paragon of courage to continue defying me as you have been; my earlier assessment of you as a coward was incorrect."
"…Paragon of courage?" Luigi repeated, incredulously. "Mamma mia, have you got the wrong number…!"
"Personally, I think he's right, but this isn't the time to discuss that," Urbosa intoned. "Remember why we're here."
"Right…" Luigi said, and he looked back at the two behemoths and pointed an accusing finger at them. "I'm going to take you both down!"
"Alone?" Galeem asked, sounding amused. "Have they all abandoned you? Well, it doesn't matter; getting rid of you will be a quick and effortless diversion. Since the beginning, you sabotaged my plans, and now I will make you suffer for what you did."
"Side with me—I'll give you one more chance!" Dharkon said, as he tried to restrain Galeem.
"Never!" Luigi exclaimed. "My Big Bro is dying because of you!"
"You're welcome."
That had been the wrong thing to say, and Dharkon realized it all too late as Luigi leaped from the platform and, taking advantage of him being preoccupied with holding back Galeem, attacked Dharkon's eye again, this time charged with the powers of all of his spirit companions, topped with an energized surge of Urbosa's Fury that was augmented by both Luigi's light and darkness.
"I'm going to save him!" Luigi declared. "From the both of you!"
The enhanced Urbosa's Fury had affected Galeem as well, causing both of the behemoths to be unable to move their appendages, and granting Luigi several more hits to both Galeem's core and Dharkon's eye.
It was as Luigi had turned to focus on Dharkon's eye that Galeem, having received a slightly less intense version of the attack, now began to charge a light beam that he was aiming at both Luigi and Dharkon.
Raichu yelled out a warning. Luigi turned in midair, successfully air dodging as the beam just barely missed him, striking Dharkon instead. But even as Dharkon thrashed around in pain. Galeem was readying more beams—these ones for Luigi, who had to air dodge in desperation as one beam after another came his way.
"A miserable creature that shames the light by corrupting it with darkness," Galeem hissed, as he continued to fire beams at Luigi. "I should never have tried to put you in the abyss or keep you as a shield against your brother—I should have destroyed you immediately! It would have freed your brother from his blind faith in your treacherous nature, and it would have rid my World of Light from an abomination!"
Luigi kept dodging until one of the beams grazed him. It hadn't been direct enough to disintegrate him, but as he glanced at the now-shredded green sleeve of his shirt and the painful burn on the skin beneath it, the pain began to sink in, disrupting his mobility slightly. Galeem eagerly readied another beam, but Dharkon suddenly reached out a tentacle and plucked him out of the way of the attack.
"You cannot die unless I permit it!" the being of darkness declared. "He cast you aside, but I claimed you! Swear fealty to me, and I will save you from Galeem!"
"Nothing can save you from me—either of you!" Galeem declared. "I will destroy you both!"
"…He doesn't sense the great darkness I sense connected to you," Dharkon observed. "I can help you unleash it, and we can wither Galeem away to nothingness!"
Luigi tried to free himself from Dharkon's hold, but the being of darkness wasn't letting go.
"Swear fealty to me! Do it now, and I will spare you!"
Galeem had taken one of his wings and rolled it up to form a pointed, spear-like projection, which he was aiming right at Luigi.
"SWEAR IT! NOW!"
"Never!" Luigi vowed.
He glowed with an aura of light and dark—one that repelled Dharkon's hold, causing him to let go, and also deflected Galeem's wing-spear attack.
The sudden release, however, caused him to plummet downward in the empty air. The spirits all tried to reach him, but he knew they wouldn't reach him in time to slow him down enough…
Something plucked him out of the air—a familiar hug. But it couldn't be…
He opened his eyes, realizing that his brother had leaped from the Lord of the Mountain's back to catch him before he fell.
They bounced off of the ground harmlessly, thanks to Daruk's Protection, and Luigi took a moment to stare at his elder brother—who had been horrifically near death the last time he had seen him.
"You're okay…?" he choked out.
"Thanks to you," Mario insisted. "Whatever you did back there, when you went to grab the Dragoon, saved me—it saved all of us."
"All I did was combine my light and my darkness in the hope that I could beat these two and save you and the others…"
"It must've been the strength of your wish combining with your light and darkness that did it…" Mario began, but he quickly trailed off, and his eyes flashed as he sensed something behind him.
Sure enough, Galeem had been trying to aim a beam at the both of them; Mario managed to spoil his aim by sending a Mario Finale right to Galeem's core, and he then indicated the ascending trail of floating platforms to his brother, who nodded and followed right behind him as Mario led the way up.
"Don't trust him!" Dharkon screeched at Luigi. "It's a trick! Once he defeats me, he'll turn on you!"
"How can you defend him!?" Galeem demanded, staring at Mario in apparent confusion and rage as he and Luigi leaped from platform to platform. "How can you put yourself at risk for that… that thing that's so tainted with darkness!?"
"He's my brother," Mario shot back. "That's something you should've learned a long time ago!"
Galeem and Dharkon's response was to create more light and shadow clones as Mario and Luigi reached the topmost of the floating platforms. The two behemoths now moved to take advantage of their diverted attention; Galeem's wings and Dharkon's tentacles surrounded them, though they seemed to be aiming their appendages at Luigi and Mario respectively.
Mario and Luigi responded by standing back to back, staring down the fiend aiming at the other, but before any of the four could make a move, something sped past the Mario Brothers with such speed that the force of the creature's wake was enough to disrupt the network of wings and tentacles that had been aimed at the two plumbers.
"Sonic…?" Mario asked.
The hedgehog, flanked by the sprits of his closest friends and allies, looked back at them with a grin.
"The cavalry's coming," he promised them. "I'm just a bit faster than them. And we just need to hold on until they get here!"
"Yeah!" Mario agreed, activating Daruk's Protection. "I'll give you both a boost—come on!"
He leaped into the air, allowing Luigi and Sonic to leap off of him; as Mario landed back on the ground and summoned the energy for another Mario Finale. Luigi once again attacked with an Urbosa's Fury/Stoked Sparksurfer combo, and Sonic used his Final Smash, turning into Super Sonic and rushing at the two behemoths repeatedly, allowing Mario and Lugi to aim for Galeem's core and Dharkon's eye.
And then, as the battle raged on, the others began to arrive—Captain Falcon speeding along the ground in his Blue Falcon, with Fox, Falco, Wolf, and Samus attacking from their ships—and Kirby speeding in on the Warp Star, prompting Galeem to shriek with rage, recalling how Kirby's escape at the beginning of this whole affair had been the other wrench in his plans, aside from Luigi.
But as Galeem turned on Kirby, Dharkon chose that moment to attack him while he was distracted. And as Mario and Luigi now readied themselves to attack Dharkon while he was distracted, they found themselves joined by more and more fighters—Peach and Daisy flying in from above with the help of Revali once again, Ridley, Pit and Dark Pit, the Charizards, and Junior and the Koopalings in their clown cars, flying alongside Giga Bowser, who announced his arrival with a punch to each of the two fiends. Even Ganon, having accepted that this task required his attention more than Luigi and the Void, had transformed to attack Galeem and Dharkon with his dual swords.
And then there was Master Hand and Crazy Hand, giving a lift to the other fighters who couldn't speed in, fly in, or become giant to close the gap; the three Links were balancing on top of Master Hand, firing arrows until they, and the other fighters, were close enough to the platforms to join Mario and Luigi.
Even though Mario had assured him they were all okay, Luigi was relieved to see Peach and Daisy in full health as they also landed on the platform beside them.
"Don't you scare me like that again!" he exclaimed.
"We won't if you won't!" Daisy countered. "What were you thinking, trying to face these two lunkheads alone!?"
"We can discuss this later," Peach said. "We've got work to do now! Mario… We broke the seal."
"You did!?" Mario exclaimed. "Then where—?"
"They're out of sight—we told them to remain invisible until we could be sure we'd get a chance to attack Galeem and Dharkon after they've been sufficiently weakened. I thought it would take much longer, but they seem to have worn each other down, even with us right here…"
As though illustrating her point, Galeem attempted to stab Dharkon before then aiming his stabbing wings at the nearby flying fighters, who dodged out of the way. Peach shook her head and turned back to Mario.
"I told them to wait for you to give the signal," she said. "They'll reveal themselves when you snap your fingers."
Mario glanced out at the two fighting fiends, recalling how, when this had all began, he had been trying to hold on to the last shreds of his shattered confidence—how he hadn't even been able to bring himself to lead the others when Galeem had first struck…
But not this time. He would lead them—this time, to victory.
He looked back to Peach and nodded, and motioned for the other fighters to follow him. They jumped, grabbing onto the wings and tentacles of the giant monsters and attacking them there at first, before Mario and Luigi used their jumps and spirits' aid to make their way up—and stare into the core and eye.
Dharkon was far more reluctant to attack Luigi, even though Galeem had no inhibitions about attacking Mario.
"You and I are so alike!" he said, flinching as Luigi once again used an electrically-charged down aerial. "Why do you spurn the gifts I am trying to give you!? I would hold you as second in command of my empire of darkness!"
"We are nothing alike!" Luigi insisted. "I never wanted power! And my Big Bro means everything to me!"
"Surely there must be something you value more than the one whose existence will forever remind you that you are only second-best?"
Luigi shook his head.
"There are worse things I could be than second-best," he said. "And for me, 'only child' is one of them!"
"And that goes for me, too!" Mario said, as he dodged another small beam from Galeem.
"But why…!?" Galeem fumed. "You are a being of light. How do you not see that you are pure while those of the dark are tainted!?"
"Because it isn't what they're made of that determines whether or not they're 'tainted' in any way—it's what they do that determines that!" Mario countered. "And right now, the ones most tainted here are you and Dharkon. You killed everyone for power—to rule your own twisted version of how the world should be, and you tried to turn us into puppets for your amusement, throwing aside anyone you thought was unworthy. And then Dharkon tried to finish what you started. But I don't think either of you expected that we'd all unite and fight back. And it isn't just your former puppets, either…" Mario snapped his fingers, and, following their directions from Peach, the entire area was filled with the light of innumerable glowing spirits. "Everyone is here!"
The spirits now swarmed around Galeem and Dharkon, latching on to them. The two fiends attempted to break free, but they were outnumbered. And soon, the other fighters also moved to hold them in place, as well, rendering the two behemoths unable to move. Luigi noticed Darkrai, Marin, and even Veran among the spirits—Master Hand must have opened a portal to the Dream World to get them to help; Veran looked as though she didn't want to be there, but, evidently, going against Master Hand's orders wasn't an option.
"You got your wish in the end—you created an army," Mario said. "…It's just that this army was never truly on your side." He looked to Luigi. "Ready, Bro?"
"Ready!"
The two brothers leaped into the air, each grabbing a hammer that Peach and Daisy passed to them, bringing the hammers down on Galeem's core and Dharkon's eye.
Hissing in pain, the two withdrew their wings and tentacles until only the core and eye remained.
"Spare me," Galeem hissed, as Mario approached. "Spare me, I will allow you to co-rule my World of Light."
"Spare me," Dharkon pleaded to Luigi. "And you will rule the World of Darkness with me, unopposed!"
Mario just shook his head in disbelief.
"Luigi?"
"Yeah, Big Bro?"
"How about one more Bros Attack?"
"Oh, yeah!"
Mario struck Galeem's core with a forward smash, sending the core towards Luigi, who knocked it into the air with his hammer. He then spun around, striking Dharkon's eye with the hammer, as well, sending him flying, as well.
Mario leaped into the air and aimed the Mario Finale at the both of them, but before the force of the attack could fully launch them away, Luigi brought out the Poltergust, sucked the two cores both in momentarily, and then shot them out.
As they went flying, Galeem and Dharkon uttered screeches of pain and defeat. Their wings and tentacles, that had been pulled in to protect themselves, now fell limply around the core and eye as they fell, lifeless, into the water. As the two monsters breathed their last, the haze of light and dark that had been covering the dimension began to fade, revealing that they had been standing on the cliffside where the fight had begun—the other last fragment of the world they had known that still remained.
Two ripples of energy erupted from where the core and eye had sunk, dispersing the rest of the oppressive light and darkness that they had tried to cover their worlds in.
"Is that it…?" Luigi asked, hardly daring to believe it. "Is it over…?"
"The battle is over," Master Hand agreed.
Mario let out a cheer and hugged his brother; they were soon joined in a group hug by Peach and Daisy. Bowser and Ganondorf returned to normal, with Junior and the Koopalings cheering like mad.
Master Hand let them celebrate for a moment before attempting to get their attention again.
"The battle may be over, but the restoration must begin," he added. He paused and glanced as both the Lord of the Mountain and Arceus now stood upon the edge of the cliffside. "We'll need all of the spirits for this—and I do mean all of them."
He indicated the Poltergust on Luigi's back.
"But what's going to happen to them all?" he asked, nervous at the thought of Tabuu, Antasma, and especially Dimentio and King Boo being free.
"If the restoration is successful, everyone will go back to where they were before—be it home or in the afterlife," Master Hand said.
"King Boo isn't bound to the afterlife," Peach said, quietly. "He'll be wanting revenge after being in the Poltergust all this time. Still… If we need him to restore everything and everyone, then we have to let him out."
Luigi gulped, but nodded. He'd beaten King Boo before, and even if he didn't want to, he knew he'd be ready to do it again if need be.
Mario placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging nod. And Luigi managed a wan smile in return.
The Lord of the Mountain and Arceus now leaped high into the air, and Master Hand floated up to join them, and then, the Lord of the Mountain's already ethereal glow intensified into a beacon that surrounded the three.
"Alright, now let's get this show on the road!" Master Hand declared. "Come towards us with your wishes and your memories!"
Slowly, at first, but then falling in line as their desire for restoration resonated among them all, the spirits began to rise in large numbers, flying towards the Lord of the Mountain's beacon. The sheer number of spirits swirled upwards into the sky like an aurora, and just as colorful as one.
And with a sigh, Luigi emptied the Poltergust, sending the imprisoned spirits towards the same rising aurora; King Boo gave him an absolutely furious look before the swirling spirits around him swept him upwards, and Luigi suppressed a shudder. The look in the Boo's eyes was plain and simple to read, and the younger plumber knew all too well that he and King Boo would be settling the score in the near future.
But for now, he pushed the thought aside and turned to the small army of spirits that he and his brother and friends had come to depend upon.
"…So this is where it ends," Urbosa declared.
"Well, that's fine by me; I was rather enjoying the afterlife until Galeem plucked me from it," Revali scoffed. He glanced back at Peach and Daisy and barely inclined his head in a farewell gesture. "Though I will say it was nice to be appreciated once more."
"Aw, admit it, Revali, you got fond of this plucky crew, too," Daruk huffed, clapping Mario on the back. "I'm gonna miss them, just like I miss the Little Guy!" He gave Link a thumbs-up, who managed a smile in response.
Mipha had taken her leave of Link, and then turned back to Mario.
"I am glad that I was able to help you and Link again," she said. "And… to get a chance to fight alongside my brother…" She looked at Sidon. "I shall miss you."
"And I shall miss you, Sister," Sidon said, but he put on a brave face. "But seeing you again after one hundred years has meant so much."
Urbosa looked back at Luigi with a smile. "You really are more like Link than you realize. I just hope that, someday, you'll see that for yourself."
And with that, Sidon and the Champions joined the rising tide of spirits.
Link's Zelda, the one from his timeline, paused before following the Champions, looking back at Link.
"I'll see you soon," she said.
Around them, the other fighters were saying goodbye to departing spirits, as well, also promising to meet again with those returning to their bodies, and vowing never to forget those who would be returning to the afterlife—Lucas was having the most trouble bidding a difficult farewell to his mother and brother, though he now had the new memories of having them by his side for the battle they had just won. Doctor Mario was remaining as stoic as he could as he waved farewell to his timeline's Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and even Bowser, though he had the assurance in knowing that they, at least, were returning to their bodies. And the main timeline's Bowser had finally come face to face with the spirit of his brother, Morton Sr. Mario was pleased to see them acknowledge each other, and again as Morton Sr. briefly acknowledge the Koopalings before joining the other spirits.
Paper Mario and Mr. L were the next to leave. Still his silent self, Paper Mario merely waved goodbye, while Mr. L attempted to come up with a witty parting line, but opted for a nod of thanks instead, directed towards his counterpart, for reminding him that in spite of all that had happened to him, he, too, was just as much a hero as the others.
Peasley and Dreambert soon followed, extending invitations for the brothers and their friends to visit the Beanbean Kingdom and Pi'illo Island once again.
And lastly, Cappy and Raichu paused.
"Well, you know you'll be seeing me very soon!" he said to Mario, still sounding chipper. "Don't make us wait too long!"
"Rai, Raichu Rai?"
"Yeah, I remember promising pancakes for you," Luigi chuckled. "I'll see you very soon, too."
Raichu nodded and joined the other spirits, along with Cappy. They watched the magnificent sight for a while longer before Mario cleared his throat.
"They need our memories and wishes, too," he reminded them. "Come on!"
He leaped into the rising wave of spirits, with Luigi, Peach, and Daisy right behind him. It was an odd sensation for Luigi, but not an unfamiliar one, being surrounded by spirits. If anything, this adventure may have helped slightly with his ghost-phobia…
He pushed that thought aside and, instead, began to focus on wishing for everything he knew to be restored—the provincial beauty of the Mushroom Kingdom, the streets of Brooklyn that he'd known in his younger days, and all of the other amazing places and people he'd seen on his travels.
As he continued to remember and wish, he could feel the calming presence of the Lord of Mountain as they drew near, and he was once again reminded of how… familiar he seemed. A kind and protective spirit with the powers to create and restore their worlds… Somewhere, Luigi felt as though that this was not the first time the Lord of the Mountain had worked his magic upon their worlds.
But that was a mystery for another time.
For now, he would just enjoy everything going back to the way it was meant to be—with his brother and friends still by his side.
Epilogue: Now I'm Here
Luigi opened his eyes as he felt his feet touch solid ground again. They were still by the cliffside again, but there was one difference—the light that sat in the sky was the sun, rising at last.
"We're back!" Pit exclaimed, suddenly hugging a protesting Dark Pit. "We're back! We're back!"
"Everything is back!" Isabelle agreed, gleefully, seeing the mansion off in the distance.
"Yes!" Mario exclaimed, leaping into the air. Cappy laughed and transformed once again into his cap, landing perfectly onto his head.
"Are we sure everyone has returned?" Peach asked. "The Assists? The Pokémon?"
As if answering her question, Raichu was speeding towards them, back in his body, surfing on his tail towards Luigi and hugging him. Luigi smiled and hugged him back, glad to be able to finally do so.
"I think someone might have a new side career as a Pokémon trainer," Leaf grinned.
Luigi gave an embarrassed chuckle.
"Well, we'll see…" he said.
Link, who had been focusing on something, now breathed a sigh of relief—from his reaction, it was clear that Zelda had been contacting him telepathically to reassure him that she was fine, and that Hyrule was restored.
Soon, the other assists and Pokémon were heading towards them, including Arceus, back in his body, surveying the restoration in satisfaction. As the Pokémon and Assists clamored around the fighters to greet them, Mewtwo seized the opportunity to sneak up behind Ganondorf and, with a quick hand wave, reapplied the lock on the Gerudo King's memories in regards to Luigi being the key to the powers of the Void. Mewtwo then looked back at Luigi, who gave the cat a grateful nod of thanks.
And then, the Lord of the Mountain now approached the fighters with Master Hand, and they were soon joined by Crazy Hand, who had emerged gleefully from a portal after, no doubt, having had the time of his life destroying the false and empty worlds that Galeem and Dharkon had created.
"…I think that went well," Master Hand declared, as the Lord of the Mountain nodded in agreement. "Everything and everyone are back where they belong—"
He was cut off as the Lord of the Mountain's ears twitched, and he quickly galloped to the edge of the cliffside, looking over the water with an alert expression.
"I think he senses something…" Mario began, but he trailed off as the realization sunk in. "Uh-oh…"
"Oh, no; it can't be!" Peach gasped.
The fighters once again struck a fighting stance as Galeem and Dharkon emerged from the water.
"You couldn't have just left those two out of your little restoration spell?" Daisy groaned. "I mean, come on…!"
"We did leave them out of the restoration!" Master Hand assured her. "Take a closer look at them…"
Luigi blinked as he realized that, despite rising from the water, the water seemed undisturbed, as though nothing had passed through it. And, as he looked at the two behemoths, he noticed that they both seemed… very transparent.
"They're spirits!" he realized aloud.
"My, my—how the tables have turned," Bayonetta mused.
Nevertheless, the fighters continued to make their stand—joined now by Diona the Pirahna Plant, Joker, the Luminary's crew, and Banjo and Kazooie. Galeem and Dharkon's spirits saw them all, knowing better than to engage in a futile fight with an army that was even larger, thanks to the restoration of the Pokémon and the Assists.
Instead, the two spirits turned on each other.
"This is all your fault!" Galeem hissed, attempting to stab Dharkon with his transparent wing spears.
"You were the one who started all of this!" Dharkon countered, his transparent tentacles attempting to grab his brother.
"…Mamma mia," Mario said, shaking his head. "They really haven't learned a thing. …Luigi do you think you could—?"
But Luigi had already whipped out the Poltergust before his brother even had to ask, and with one leap into the air, activated it, drawing Galeem and Dharkon into the containment tank before landing back on the ground.
"Maybe they'll finally learn to get along in here," Luigi said, switching the containment unit for an empty one. He handed the full unit to Master Hand. "Make sure they don't get out of there."
"Don't worry," Master Hand assured him. "Now, I think we can say that this is truly over."
The Lord of the Mountain nodded again, and with one last glance at the fighters, he leaped into the air and galloped off, disappearing once again.
"…Where do you think he's going?" Ness asked, quietly.
"Back to Satori Mountain, probably," Peach said. "But I have a feeling that, even from there, he'll still find a way to watch over all of us, and the tournament." She paused, and glanced at Master Hand. "Assuming we're still going to have a tournament, of course…"
Master Hand glanced at her.
"Well, I stand by what I said—regardless of what Galeem wanted me to do, I brought you together for the thrill of the Ultimate tournament. …However, given what we've all been through, perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to unwind for a while, scrap the first round of matches, and start anew—that'll let our latecomers have a chance to get an even footing. And as for you…" Master Hand glanced at Joker, who grinned, sheepishly. "I know I didn't invite you. But I think you've earned your place in this tournament after all of this."
The fighters all seemed to be in agreement, which Joker was grateful for. And slowly, they began to disperse for a well-earned rest, either back to the mansion or to their other favorite hangouts; Banjo and Kazooie followed K. Rool and the Kongs back to their treehouse—D.K. also inviting Pauline, who declined, opting to get back together with her band. Ness went off with Lucas, trying to cheer him up after his unwilling separation from his family's spirits. Luigi sighed, as they left, and again as Link cast one more glance into the sky, clearly thinking about the four Champions before heading back to the mansion.
"We won," Luigi said. "But it wasn't enough to help everyone. Lucas still doesn't have his mama or his bro back. And Urbosa did so much to help me, but I wasn't able to help her at all."
"You did, Luigi," Mario insisted. "You allowed her to face and defeat someone her people have felt was their greatest shame. And I wish I could've done more for him, but it sounded as though Daruk was having the time of his life fighting alongside me. And as for Lucas…" His expression softened. "I know it's terrible that he didn't get them back, but… just seeing them again would've been something that he needed. Sidon and Mipha seemed to feel the same way."
"You have no idea how much I wished that we could have solved everyone's problems—bring back all of their loved ones, even those they'd lost before this," Peach said. "I understand why this was the best we could do, but think about everything we succeeded in doing this much—everyone we saved!"
"Chaa!" Raichu said in agreement, glad to be alive again.
"Yeah, even if we made some spirit friends we had to say goodbye to, well, we still made more friends along the way, and some of them get to stick around!" Daisy said, giving Raichu a skritch behind the ears. The mouse sighed, enjoying it.
Peach nodded, and then paused.
"If you'll excuse me, I think I need to take a moment and call home—let Toadsworth and my father know that I'm alright."
"Oh, yeah, good call; I should check in at home, too," Daisy said. "Thank goodness for Master Hand installing interdimensional phone lines!"
"Meet us at the club afterwards?" Peach asked Mario.
Mario nodded, and the girls left, leaving them with Cappy and Raichu.
"We should probably call home, too," Luigi sighed. "You know how Mama worries about us…"
"Yeah, no kidding," Mario sighed. He paused, looking back out across the cliff and the water.
"What're you thinking about?" Luigi asked.
"About Galeem and Dharkon…" he sighed. "I just don't understand how they… How Galeem could just…" He trailed off, shrugging as he was at a loss for words. "…I have to admit, Dharkon did hit a nerve when he was pointing out how Galeem tried to suppress his darkness and pointing out that I did the same thing to you—"
"It wasn't the same thing at all!" Luigi insisted. "Galeem tried to suppress Dharkon's darkness because he saw him as a threat. You were just worried about me and, well… Considering what the Negative Zone was, you had every right to be. …Even if I knew why you were leaving me behind, it still didn't change how I felt, and I hated that I was upset when you were only trying to protect me…"
"…I should've realized it sooner."
"Well, I was doing a good job of hiding it," Luigi admitted. "And, anyway, that's all behind us now. I don't have those negative feelings anymore—I couldn't use the Negative Zone again, even if I wanted to. And I don't. If I use my darkness and my light for the right reasons, then that's all that matters!"
"Well, not the only thing that matters," Mario said. "What also matters is that I trust you enough to look after yourself—and trust myself to look after you when you need it, so that you don't have to be left behind."
"And trust me to look after you, too," Luigi added.
"Well, I already knew that one," Mario reply, with a smile.
Luigi let out an embarrassed chuckle again, and Mario was once again reminded of Galeem and Dharkon—how they had both tried so hard to turn the two plumbers against each other, and how the two fiends simply decided to start with hatred right from the beginning, with no reason for it.
Wordlessly, Mario drew his brother into a hug.
"Big Bro?"
"I still don't understand it," Mario said, as Luigi hugged him back. "Galeem and Dharkon… How could they have acted like that from the start, not even giving each other a chance? I just don't get it!"
"Do we even want to get it?" Luigi wondered aloud.
"…Good point, Fratellino," Mario admitted. "After everything we've been through, I'm just glad we made it through this."
"Same here," Luigi sighed.
The fell silent, taking a moment to once again glance out at the sea.
"…It's probably going to be a while before we stop thinking about this," Mario sighed. "But we'll get through it—we'll help each other, and everyone else."
"Mm-hmm," Luigi nodded.
"Want to get over to the club and meet the princesses there?"
"In a little bit," Luigi said, and he smiled. "…I promised someone pancakes, after all."
Raichu let out an eager squeal, and Mario managed a chuckle as they headed back to the mansion.
Their last quest had been greater and more terrible than any other one they'd ever faced. But even so, they'd managed to get through it together—just as they would anything else that lay ahead.
That would always be their greatest strength.
The End
Notes: And, it's done! Thank you so much to everyone who followed this fic; it's been an incredible ride, and your support means so much to me! I have plans for future Mario Bros and Smash fics, including one that will be based on Luigi's Mansion 3, which I foreshadowed here-so I hope you'll enjoy those, as well!