A/N: Is it December yet? Obviously, no, but I want it to be so I don't have to be in school. Also, I'm uploading this on my birthday today. However, it only reminds me that I'm another year older, and all I can think to myself is, 'Fuck. Where has the time gone by?'

Anyway, I want to thank ViolaHarmony, FairyTalePrincess16, Steel Fairy, Infinite's Ruby, and Wolf154657 for reviewing the last chapter. And everyone else, I appreciate the support since day one. Let's get back to the story!


Disclaimer: If you think that I own Mario and/or Sonic, then you're crazy.


Chapter 27: Dag-Nabbit!

Location: The Overthere

Luigi was sitting on the edge of the clouds, the same spot he was in before he met Tails. He gazed up at the light blue sky with the sun shining down on his face. His neutral face, to be specific. With a stoical frown, he couldn't wipe away the memory of Mario sacrificing himself and getting struck by that Bullet Bill Eggman shot at Sonic. It had been a few weeks since he and Tails confronted Grambi about this issue and was frustrated that the Nimbi King might have been holding onto a secret that they don't know. As the days went by, he tried to conceal his concern with a terrible feeling lurking in his stomach that his older brother was not safe down there.

It didn't work as Tails read Luigi's body language like a book. Similar to the times he spent with Sonic, he had his brotherly instincts fly in that helped him realize that something was bothering the other's mind. Likewise, Sonic had managed to do the same whenever Tails tried to hide his feelings. In this case, the kitsune angel still knew that Luigi was yearning. He was praying that Mario had recovered and didn't die. Since there was no indication or word that proved his wish came true, the green-hatted spirit didn't know what to do.

Tails spun his namesakes to reach his friend by his side. As he landed on the soft ground, his tails drooped from behind. "Luigi?" he tried to get his attention.

The man blinked before acknowledging him. "Hey, Tails," he replied without turning his head.

"Luigi, you can't always keep worrying about Mario." That time, he looked over at the fox. "Trust me, I understand why you feel this way. But if Grambi said that he'll be fine, then maybe you should listen to him. He is a wise man, and usually, he says a lot of things that are true."

Luigi returned to his dejected state as he stared down at his lap. "I'm sorry, Tails. I've always had these kinds of problems throughout my life. I'm always unsure of things, I'm not confident, and I tend to be scared of the worst-case scenario."

"How?"

"You know how I told you about Mario going on his own adventures most of the time?"

"Yeah?"

"And I would stay home alone until he gets back?"

Tails cautiously nodded his head.

"Well... Every time I wait, I dream of a terrible moment that someone comes knocking on our front door... and it's not Mario. It would be a police officer, or rather, a police Toad. As I dreadfully think of all the reasons for why he would be standing on our porch, he would go up to me and say..." He choked on his words for a second. "...he would tell me, 'Your brother is not coming back.' It'd be just like when we were living in our old home, and the police came to address us that our parents passed away...

"Since then, I was always scared whenever he goes somewhere, just about every place. Even when he went on vacation to Isle Delfino, I said that I was mad because he didn't invite me. But truthfully, I was too distressed since I saved him from King Boo that I didn't want him to leave my side. But he did, and I faked my jealousy when he returned. All because I was selfish, selfish to make sure that he never got separated from me. But, I eventually learned by myself that we can't always live together forever. It took me twenty-six years to figure that out. And to this day, he still doesn't know about it."

Tails frowned. "Why didn't you tell him when we got to visit him?"

"I don't know. I really don't know," Luigi shook his head.

"Well, I can't say that you're not the only one who's selfish."

"What does that mean?"

Tails sat down beside him, hanging his legs over the edge of the clouds. "There were some moments where I always wanted Sonic to stick with me forever. And like you with Mario, I may feel scared whenever Sonic's gone or when I think that something bad has happened to him. I couldn't imagine what life would be if he wasn't with me. Heck, I don't know if I would still be alive if he didn't take me in as his little brother. Now that I'm here though, the only thing I can do is believe that he'll do what he does all the time: run."

"Run?"

"As time goes by, I want him to keep running. I want him to do the same things he loves and what he has done with or without me before I came here. Don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you should do the same with Mario."

Luigi shifted his gaze back to the sky. "Is it that hard to let go?"

"I would say so," he copied his actions. "It takes time and patience, but I'm sure you'll get through it. And I'm sure Mario and Sonic will be fine."

Luigi removed his hat and brushed through his hair. When he put it back on, he turned to the fox. "Thanks, Tails," he smiled.

"For what?"

"Making me feel a bit better."

Tails returned the grin. "You're welcome, Luigi. I think-" Just then, his Brotherhood Bracelet made a sound, similar to Luigi's. "Oh no."

"What's going on now?"

Tails tinkered with his device and saw a video on the screen. The two saw Sonic chasing after a purple creature, and the latter hopped away. What followed that was the hedgehog landing in the oasis before Mario helped him up. By then, the heroes went off into the desert.

"Tails?"

He looked up at the plumber. "Yeah?"

"It did it again."

"I know. Do you know who that guy Sonic was chasing?"

"His name is Nabbit. Mario, our Toad friends, and I ran into him a couple of times back then. He's known for stealing items."

The fox was dumbfounded. "But why were they going after him?"

"I'm clueless. And this time, your bracelet had the Sibling Signal to go off."

"There has to be more to this signal than what Grambi explained. But what?"

"I wish I knew."

Assuming that Grambi probably won't help them, the angels returned to the shrine to rest for the day. As they walked down the hallways, they passed by the Nimbi King's chambers. Little did they know that a discreet conversation between him and his daughter took place inside.

"I don't understand wherefore thou won't explain the truth behind the bracelets," Luvbi criticized.

"Luvbi, this is not thy business to handle or deal withal at all," his back faced his daughter.

"All I'm saying is that they're going to find out sooner or later. And it probably won't art coming out of thy mouth."

"What are thou insinuating?" Grambi questioned as he turned around. "Thou better not tell them thyself!"

"Well, how else are they going to know an thou won't speak the truth?!" her eyes narrowed.

"Luvbi, as thy father, I demand thou to not spill any words to either Master Luigi or Master Tails. I already gave them an opportunity to art withal their brothers for a short while, and I'm happy they got the chance to doeth so."

"And the fact that thou won't explain the Sibling Signal makes this any better? Wherefore build it an thou're not going to let them returneth to the real world down below?"

Grambi's eyes popped out before his thick eyebrows slanted in a cross expression. "Because that's how fate works! They chose to sacrifice their lives to save them! And as anon as their games ended, thither is nay turning back! Their reunion wilt art a one-time thing. I cannot allow them to returneth to their respective homes, let alone the real world! End of story!"

"Unbelievable! Thou and mother hie around pretending to pose me as thy own daughter just to hide the Pure Heart from that evil beast, Bonechill. Yet thou two still manage to love and care for me as we spent our entire lives together! And now, thou art foisting the opposite to both sets of brothers? Doth the word 'family' not mean anything to thou?!"

Grambi was extremely irate and offended by Luvbi's comment. "Enough! Thou art grounded, young lady! Hie to thy room right now!"

"What?! Thou're grounding me because thou won't explain thy little secret?!"

"I'm punishing thou for thy back talk. This is mine problem, not yours."

"It wouldn't art a problem an thou either told them or didn't build those watches in the first placeth."

Grambi remained silent before he couldn't bear to look at his daughter. "Just leave, Luvbi. Please."

Her facial expression hardly changed. She wasn't mad at her father. She was frustrated. "I know thou're a great man, Father. But this is the complete opposite of thyself. An I were thou, I would tell them as anon as possible. In thy case, an thou're not ready, then fine. I understand. But they deserve to know."

She quietly exited Grambi's bedroom and shut the door. Feeling upset that he shouted at his cherished child, the old Nimbi fluttered to his chalice and viewed the image in the water's reflection. It showed Mario, Sonic, and Lyle in the Birabuto Desert. With a deep sigh, Grambi was thinking about his prior actions. Looking back, what he did would be considered unacceptable to the Overthere. But in his heart, he wanted something more.

"Luigi, Tails... I'll let you go when the time is right."


Location: Birabuto Kingdom

Over an hour passed by since Mario, Sonic, and Lyle left to the southern region of Birabuto. After searching for the Chaos Emerald in the other pyramids, the girls were upset that they couldn't find it anywhere.

"Well, we checked everywhere, and it's not here," Amy huffed before taking a drink of water.

"Do you think Mr. Mario and Mr. Sonic have found it?" Cream wondered.

"Maybe. But there's no way of knowing," Peach fretted.

Daisy saw something from far away. "Hey, isn't that Scout and Leo coming our way?" The Gaos made it over to the group with some people lying on their backs.

"Scout, Leo. What are you doing here?" Totomesu asked.

"Sir! Mario and Sonic have found these guys who infiltrated the pyramid!" Scout answered.

"It's Kamek and the Elite Trio," Daisy recognized.

"Where's Sonic and Mario?"

"They're with Lyle chasing after the first intruder," said Leo. "It was some guy named Nabbit."

"I know who he is," Peach remembered. "Mario had run into him at one point."

"They said that he stole the Chaos Emerald."

"What?! They found it?!" Amy's eyes widened.

"I mean, they must have before that rabbit took it away. That's why they're pursuing him."

"Where are they heading towards?" Cream queried.

"Down south," assumed Scout. "If they get far enough, they might end up in the Muda Kingdom."

"Do you think we should fly over there to see if we can reach them?" Daisy looked at Peach.

"If it means to get there faster, we should probably board the Toad Express."

"What do we do we these guys?" Leo reminded everyone of Bowser's minions.

"We'll keep in the dungeon at my pyramid. Scout, Leo, take them over there right now," Totomesu ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the Gao servants ran off.

"As for you folks, I hope you'll retrieve your prize soon."

"We appreciate you letting us search around here."

"It is my pleasure, Amy. I hope you and your friends return home safely as soon as possible."

"We hope so, too. Thank you, King Toto," Cream curtsied while Cheese gave an honorable bow.

"Take care of Birabuto for us."

"As you wish, Princess Daisy. Good luck to you all!"

As the Gao King strolled back to his pyramid, the group returned to the Birabuto Airport and hopped aboard the plane, making a quick flight to Muda.


Location: Muda Kingdom

Mario, Sonic, and Lyle reached the border between Muda and Birabuto that overlooked the capital city, located near one of the most populous beaches in the kingdom. They could see the clear, blue water sparkling under the hot sun.

"I'm afraid this is as far as I can go. Us Gaos are not the tropical type, and we usually can't handle these kinds of conditions," Lyle pouted.

"That's understandable. Thanks for giving me a ride. Sorry you have to backtrack all the way to Totomesu's pyramid."

"Oh, don't worry! I had a nice run, and at least I got some exercise out of it. I'm glad I could help out as much as I can. And it was nice meeting you, Sonic."

"You too, buddy. You're a pretty fast lion, I must say," he grinned.

"Thanks! Well, I wish you the best of luck! See you later!"

Mario and Sonic carefully slid down the steep mountain until they reached the base. They entered the city of Yurania where most of the inhabitants were these seahorse-like creatures called Yurarins and Yurarin Boos, the latter of which could breathe fire. (1) Besides them, a couple of friendly humans roamed the city as well. They decided to ask the people if they've seen Nabbit. After a few minutes, the pedestrians they've met didn't have a clue. The plumber and the hedgehog weren't going to give up, so they kept looking for assistance.

"Excuse me," Mario approached a couple of Yurarins. One was wearing a blue baseball hat, and the other was holding a brown purse. "Have you seen a purple rabbit with a mask and a bag somewhere?"

"Oh my goodness! It's Mario of the Mushroom Kingdom!" the female seahorse squealed. "I'm a big fan of your heroism!"

"Um, thanks. It's no big deal, really."

"Are you kidding me? You're an amazing hero!"

"Please excuse my little sister," the other Yurarin stepped in. "She just really admires you."

"That's okay. I'm happy to make someone's day."

"My name's Reef, and this is Coral."

"Nice to meet you. This is my friend, Sonic the Hedgehog."

"What's up, guys?"

"I've never seen a hedgehog like you before," said Coral.

"Oh, that's because I'm from another world."

"Really? Where?" Reef asked.

"A place called Mobius. You probably never heard of it. But we're trying to find this guy who stole something important that'll help me and my other friends get home."

"Oh, so that's why you asked us that question, Mario. What was it you said? A purple rabbit with a mask?"

"Yeah. And his name is Nabbit."

"I don't think I've seen him anywhere," Coral replied.

"Neither do I," Reef had the same thought. None of them noticed, but there was a figure creeping around a building corner, his eyes planted at the party.

"What exactly are you searching for?"

"A Chaos Emerald. There's seven of them in total, and Nabbit stole a yellow one. They look like any normal gem, but they're very unique in my world."

"Hmm... Well, if we end up finding it, we'll gladly report it to you."

"We really appreciate-" Mario paused when he saw something barely disappear behind the Yurarins.

"Is something wrong?" Coral raised an eyebrow.

"I... I thought I saw someone looking at us."

Suddenly, the same figure ran up to the group and slid into everyone, causing them to fall to the ground. In the process, he stole Coral's purse and Reef's hat. A squeak followed after that before he ran off into the city.

"Ow..." Sonic rubbed his head. "I hate that rabbit."

Coral gasped. "Oh no! He stole my purse!"

"And my hat, too!" yelled Reef.

Mario helped the Yurarins get up. "We'll go get them back for you."

"You will?"

"That's a promise. Let's-a-go, Sonic!"

"You bet! See you guys later!"

Speeding off in Nabbit's direction, they saw him stealing more items in the city, including jewelry, knickknacks, power-ups, all sorts of items. Mario and Sonic raced past the crowded streets to catch up to him. Nabbit saw them and started running away. He jumped off a canopy, a hotel balcony, and several tables at an outdoor restaurant, disrupting the customers' lunch. Drinks and food flew everywhere, but the heroes avoided all that mess.

Mario triple-jumped to one of the roofs to get the high ground. Hopping from building to building, he tried to stop Nabbit. However, the rabbit hopped down to the ground where Sonic was running.

"Damn it! He's in front of you, Sonic!"

"I see him!"

With a determined face, he prepared to perform a spin dash. Leaping in the air with his arms and legs stretched out, he curled into a ball and shot straight at the bandit. Nabbit looked over his shoulder and panicked. He jumped onto the trunk of a taxi and soared to the right onto a different roof. Sonic's spin dash dented the taxi which promptly caused it to stop and scared the passengers inside. The driver rolled down his window and shouted at him.

"Sorry, dude! Didn't mean to wreck your ride!"

Mario jumped down to rejoin his side. They hurried over to Muda Beach where they saw Nabbit rushing past several beachgoers. He stole their coolers, beverages, personal belongings, and even their umbrellas.

"How the hell does he manage to fit all that into his bag?!" Sonic was bewildered.

"Don't ask me. I'm not the one who wrote this up!"

"Wrote what up?"

"Never mind. After him!"

Mario and Sonic excused themselves whenever they accidentally ran into someone while chasing after Nabbit. They made it to one of the dangerous parts of the beach. An array of rocks formed a jetty, reaching out from the coastline where the roughest waters collided into the stone structure. Nabbit smoothly hopped onto the jagged stones without slipping as if he was standing on carpet. Mario and Sonic risked the dangers as the waves crashed towards the jetty. Nabbit stopped at the edge before he turned around. He chuckled and waved his free hand at them.

"What's he doing?" Sonic got closer to him.

"I don't know. We're almost there!"

Mario was about to eat those words because Nabbit turned his back to them and jumped into the ocean.

"NO!"

Sonic dove right at him, but his hands were barely out of reach. He landed roughly on the rocks as he saw Nabbit splash into the water. To make matters worse, he was swimming to an island, miles away from the edge of Muda.

"Ugh... You've got to be kidding me!" Sonic grumbled, pounding his fist.

Mario was disappointed that they couldn't stop him, but then he became frightened at what happened next. "Sonic, look out!"

"Huh?"

To his right, a large wave came over in his direction. His eyes enlarged with fear.

"AAHHH!"

Sonic hung onto tightly to the rocks, and the wave crashed into him. When it was over, Sonic became drenched in water. He was both glad and lucky he didn't get pushed off.

"Man, I hate being wet. This is the second time it's happened today." He shook his fur before realizing that he was alone. His friend wasn't in front of him. "Mario? Mario?!" He paused and viewed the other side of the jetty. "Oh no... Did the wave wash him up?"

He really hoped not.

"MARIO!"

There was dead silence aside from the thunderous waves. But to his surprise, something emerged from the surface. He was gasping desperately for air.

"Mario!"

"Sonic! Get off the rocks now before another wave comes at you!"

"What about you?!"

"I can swim to shore!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" he coughed up some of the saltwater. "I'll be fine!"

At one point, Sonic wanted to jump in and help Mario swim to shore. But he was a little hesitant because he wasn't a good swimmer. At the very least, some of his anxiety went away as he watched Mario fight the current. It wasn't easy, but Mario had been in trickier situations with water. And he appeared to be okay every time. Right now, Sonic saw that he hardly struggled. He slightly envied him for being brave to swim in deep water.

As soon as Mario got to the shallow area, he was able to stand up and walk to the coastline. He trudged as far as he could away from the tides. Later, he fell onto his hands and knees. Wheezing heavily, Mario hacked up more saltwater. He eventually caught his breath before he rotated and laid flat on his back on the hot, dry sand. The brim of his hat covered his eyes as the sun partially dried off his clothes.

Sonic made his way over to the resting plumber. He stood by his head. "Mario, you okay?"

He lifted his cap to see the hedgehog. "Yeah. I am. Thanks for asking."

"I mean, I'm glad you were able to get out of there safely. I wish I could've helped out."

"It's okay. You told me that swimming is not one of your strong suits. I don't want you to put pressure on yourself."

"Still, I could've done something."

"I appreciate the thought, at least." He let out a loud sigh, mostly because he was still catching his breath. "I'm sorry we couldn't get the Chaos Emerald from Nabbit."

"Hey, we're not gonna give up on that. We'll definitely get him."

"But how? You saw him going to that island. How are we going to get there?"

Sonic didn't have an answer to his question. However, both of them heard some familiar voices.

"Mario!"

"Sonic!"

Mario sat up and turned around. He and Sonic saw their friends running over to them.

"Peach! Daisy!"

"Amy! Cream! Cheese! What are you all doing here?"

"We thought you would be here in Muda if Lyle was taking you down south. Scout and Leo told us that you were chasing after Nabbit who took the Chaos Emerald," Daisy explained.

"So we rode on the plane to travel in hopes of running into you," Amy added.

"And we did find you!" Cream smiled.

"Chao Chao!"

"Do you know where Nabbit is?" inquired Peach.

"We do. Sonic and I were pursuing him through Yurania as he was pilfering people's items. We failed to stop him, and he swam towards the island over there," Mario pointed.

"That's Yurarin Isle," Daisy identified.

"Oh, dear," Peach held her cheek. "That's so far away."

"That's exactly what I thought!" exclaimed Sonic.

"If anything, we're going to need a boat to reach that island," presumed Amy.

"Why don't we take my Cruiser?" suggested Daisy. (2)

"You have your own cruise ship?"

"Yeah! It's by the dock in Yurania."

"Peach has a plane, and you have a cruise ship... You princesses and your transportation, I'm so jealous!"

"Let's go on right now!" Cream was excited.

"Hold on. I have a question."

"Yes, Sonic?"

"Is your boat very sturdy? It's not gonna sink into the water, will it?"

Daisy laughed. "Don't worry, Sonic! My cruiser is in perfect conditions. It'll take us to the island there in no time. The faster we get there, the faster we can find Nabbit and snatch the Emerald from him!"

"Alright. But there better be life jackets and lifeboats on there."

"There are. My retainers and I make sure that it's 100% safe."

"If you say so."

"Mario, I just realized that you're soaking wet. What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Peach. Just went for a swim."

Sonic knew it was more than that, but he kept his mouth shut. Making Peach worried was one of the last things he wanted. With no other choice, he'll have to shift aside his aquaphobia if he wants to be one step closer to home.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's shove off!"

END OF CHAPTER


You could probably see why I named this chapter as it is. Sonic and Mario couldn't catch Nabbit and the items he stole, leaving them frustrated. Now that they're reunited with the girls, they'll use the Daisy Cruiser to voyage towards Yurarin Isle. What kind of tricks does Nabbit have up his sleeves, or rather his sack? How will Sonic feel when he goes out to sea?

And that's not the only thing that happened. Grambi had an argument with Luvbi regarding the Brotherhood Bracelets he built for Tails and Luigi. And the latter seemed to reveal the reason behind the Sibling Signals. What exactly does this mean for the future?

Leave your thoughts down below, tell me if I need to fix any errors, favorite and follow the story if you haven't already, and I'll see you next time for Ch. 28 of New Brotherhood! This is TGN, signing off.


Post-Chapter Notes:

(1): Muda doesn't specifically have a name for its capital city, so I made it up based on the inhabitants of this kingdom. I also gave a name for the island, even though it's not unique.

I'm no geography expert, especially when it comes to kingdoms, countries, or anything else in Mario's world. There are so many places outside the Mushroom Kingdom that it's hard to figure where they would all be interconnected with each other. But I'm just going to roll with it.

(2): Daisy Cruiser first appeared as a racetrack in Mario Kart: Double Dash and appeared as a retro course in Mario Kart 7. It was also used as a baseball stadium in Mario Super Sluggers.