Crossroads
"Link gave her one of his Heart Containers," said Dr. Mario, "so she's going to be okay."
"That's the good news," said Master Hand, "but it's cold comfort, seeing how we saw none of this coming. Who could've betrayed her location?"
"I don't know, but we need to find out before Luigi does," warned Master Core.
"If he hasn't already," qualified Crazy Hand.
"You may see her if you'd like," said Dr. Mario. "Just try not to excite her too much."
"Duly noted," said MC.
The trio floated into Cere's room and stood in shock. Link's Heart Container had worked its magic, healing all of her injuries. Slowly, the young woman raised her head and smiled at them. "You must be the leaders of Smash. It's an honor to meet you."
"Likewise," said Master.
"How's Luigi?" asked Cere.
"He's not taking this very well," sighed MC, "and he's beating himself up over being unable to protect you."
"Tell him to stop blaming himself, and so should you," Cere said sternly. "None of this is your fault. We were taken by surprise."
"Who else besides you knew where you were hiding?" Crazy wanted to know.
"Luigi, Evelyn, Alessa, and some Miis," replied Cere. "Sometimes, the Princesses and some old friends of mine would pay me a visit."
"Well, we can rule out your friends as potential suspects," said Master, "which leaves the Miis."
"They pampered me almost every day," said Cere. "Are you saying that one of them betrayed me?"
"I'm afraid we have to explore that possibility," said MC. "What do you remember about them?"
"They gave me facials, body treatments, manicures, pedicures and massages. They made sure that I was comfortable. My hideout was guarded and patrolled 24/7. I don't see how it could've been penetrated, unless—unless…"
"…unless one of your guards was the mole," finished Master. "Did you ever see their faces?"
"One had crew-cut blonde hair," said Cerena. "The other had black hair flopping all over his face. I think one wore wife-beaters, but I couldn't really tell. There were twins, with long, thin faces. They were so nice. I can still remember them smiling at me and assuring me that all was well, that my ordeal was almost over, the day of the raid."
"So you suspect none of them?" asked Crazy.
Cere just shrugged. "It's always the quiet ones."
"Don't worry, we'll find out who was behind this," vowed Master.
"I'm gonna hold you to that," retorted Cere.
The trio bade Cere good day and departed for Master's office to discuss their next move.
A Mii with sandy-hair met up with them in the hallway.
"Good news or bad?" asked Master.
"Depends on how you see it," said the Mii.
"Is it—Luigi related?" Crazy asked cautiously.
The Mii nodded. "He's here to see you, sirs."
"How long has he been waiting?" asked MC.
"Not very long," the Mii assured them. "Good day, gentlemen."
The trio stared after the Mii as he scurried off.
MC muttered a prayer and crossed himself before pushing open the office doors and ushering his sons inside. Patiently waiting for them, seated with a drink in his hand, was Luigi.
"Thank you for waiting, L," said MC as the doors closed behind him and his sons.
"Well?" That was all Luigi said. "Well?"
"She's making a full recovery," volunteered Master.
"Because you got there in time for Link to give her one of his hearts," Luigi said coldly.
"True," conceded Master.
"A few words from Spike to that lawyer, and look what happens," said Luigi. "I bet they planned this the moment Spike and that family was arrested."
"So far, there's no proof that Spike was behind the attack on the mansion," said Crazy, "and the lawyer's insisting that he acted alone. He may be able to swing an insanity plea."
"Typical," muttered Luigi. "Will I get to see her?"
Master nodded. "She's resting right now."
"And those monsters will be sentenced tomorrow," added MC. "They're likely to get life without parole."
"I want to be there, and I bet Cerena does, too," Luigi told them.
"Certainly," said Master.
"How was her location betrayed?" Luigi demanded of the three. "And who gave her up?"
"We don't know, L," sighed Master. "We wish to God we did, but we don't. But the traitor can't hide from us. We'll find them."
"You'll find them," said Luigi, the tone of his voice growing more acidic by the second, "just like you found the others who bullied me, harassed my Princess and trolled both of us day in and day out. Because you're so good at pinpointing that type of thing, aren't you?"
"Luigi, I'm warning you, if you don't drop the attitude…" warned Master.
But he was a ticking time bomb, and the clock had just run out. "You were supposed to protect her, you idiots! Her along with the rest of the Smashers! Since you're so freaking powerful—you should've stopped this from happening! You mean to tell me that you're incapable of that?!"
"Luigi!" barked MC.
"You want to know what I think? That there are more bullies and trolls hidden in this place, waiting to strike! But I'm sure they slid right past you once they smiled in your face! Just like Kyle and the others! They're so innocent and kind and polite, so they must surely be angels, right? You wouldn't believe me if I found out what they're doing to me, right?"
"If that turns out to be true, then they will be dealt with," said Master, "but you need to calm down. We get that you're going through a rough time, but don't take it out on us."
"You want me to calm down? Then punish them the way they're supposed to!" hollered Luigi.
"We will not be made the enemy here!" Master shot back. "You know why we can't do that!"
"Oh, yes, of course. Your image," sniped Luigi, rolling his eyes. "You know what? If you showed less concern toward your freaking image and more concern toward the well-being of one of your best Smashers, then perhaps it would be easier for you! Aren't these bullies on the inside tarnishing your image enough?!"
"Of course, they are, and we're definitely concerned for your well-being!" said MC. "That's why we're asking you to let go of your anger and hatred toward them and let us handle it!"
"Yeah? Well, if you don't give them what they deserve, then I will!" warned Luigi, "and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"
On those words, Luigi stood, violently shoved the chair aside and stalked out of the office.
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The next morning, Spike, Cypress, Courtney and Charlie stood before the judge, a full gallery of justice-hungry people behind them. Outside the courthouse was a larger crowd of hopeful citizens, Smashers, Luigi fans and Miis, accompanied by the media with their cameras, microphones and vans.
"You have been charged, tried and found guilty of your crimes," the judge said to the defendants. "Is there anything you'd like to say before I pass sentence upon you?"
Cypress went first. "I hope my baby sister is proud of what she's done," she spat. "Wrecking our company and our name, and then driving our lawyer to insanity! Just know, Lil' Sis, that you'll never forget us, no matter how hard you try."
"Well, I've got nothing to say," remarked Charlie, "except for how disappointed I am in Cerena for causing this—after everything this family has done for her."
"Having her was the worst mistake we ever made," hiccupped Courtney, angry tears in her eyes. "But now that we've discovered your secrets, Cere, allow me to let you in on my little secret—I was this close to aborting you! We never wanted a second child!"
The last person to speak was Spike. "I offer a good woman power beyond her wildest dreams," he said, "and this is how she expresses her gratitude. She won't openly admit this, but she wanted it and enjoyed it—I know she did, and I'll keep and cherish the memory of our time together."
The judge managed to keep a straight face. "Courtney, Cypress and Charlie Sparks, I hereby sentence you to two 25-year sentences to be served consecutively. Spike Plaxwell, due to the severity of your crimes, I hereby sentence you to life without the possibility of parole. The defendants will be transported to the correctional facility immediately. Court is adjourned."
Cerena and Luigi joined the rest of the gallery in smirking at the defendants as they were cuffed and led away.
"Enjoy your stay, my darling," Cere sniffed at her former fiancé. "By the way, I never asked for your power or your name." She winked. "I'll have that lube waiting for you, love."
Luigi put a hand on her shoulder. "Lay off," he said. "He's not even worth the trouble."
Cere sighed. "I know—but I'm so mad at him."
"Me, too," said Luigi, "but we still have that lawyer to deal with."
"Don't bother," huffed Cere. "They deemed him incompetent to stand trial. He's currently spending his days in a psychiatric facility. But he seemed perfectly sane to me! Who knew he had anger issues?"
"Well, the good news is that you can come out of hiding now," smiled Luigi, "and you can finally wear my hat and play my games with pride."
"Seeing that I'm in charge of a company now, I'll have little time for games," quipped Cerena, "but perhaps I'll teach myself how to play Super Smash Bros. for Wii-U. Maybe you'll see me at future tournaments and conventions."
"Yeah," said Luigi. "Anything is possible."
"Goodbye, L," Cere said softly, "and thank you."
"No, Cere. Thank you."
The two shared one final hug before departing to move on with their lives.
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Master Hand, Crazy Hand and Master Core couldn't sleep that night. Not only was Luigi back to beating Sandbags, but also his words rang in their minds. He was right—they'd failed to protect the Smashers against a surprise attack, and they'd failed to protect Cerena against a crazy, vengeful lawyer. It was just luck that the police got there in time and that Link was able to heal her with the Heart Container. And if Spike wasn't behind the attack, then who was? And who was helping them on the inside?
"We have no choice," MC said to his sons. "We'll have to open up another investigation."
"The Smashers look clean," said Crazy, "so we'll have to look more closely at the Mii Fighters. Remember the carnage Luigi left in his wake during Endless Smash last year? No doubt, he remembered some of them."
"But besides Kyle, who else would hold a grudge against him?" asked Master.
"That's what we're going to find out," MC said determinedly.
"We're going to have to work quickly, though," warned Crazy, "because Luigi's on the case, too."
"What could we have done?" Master asked suddenly.
"What?" murmured Crazy.
"What could we have done to prevent these attacks?" asked Master. "We didn't have a warning or anything. Everyone here seemed genuinely worried about Luigi."
"That's the key word," MC told him. "'Seemed'. That's why we'll have to look in and figure out if anyone is hiding anything, and if so, what."
"Well, the good thing is that Spike and that lawyer won't harm anyone else," said Crazy. "They're locked up nice and tight where they belong."
"True," sighed Master, "but as long as there are other haters about, we'll never be at peace—and neither will Luigi."
Suddenly, he rose from his seat and floated away. "Don't follow me," he said to Crazy and MC.
Master floated down the hallways until he found what he was looking for—the Training Area. He felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he hovered by the door. The last time he was here, listening as Luigi pounded out his frustrations and his passions and whatever else tormenting him, heated words had been exchanged over the plumber's handling of Stuart Bennigan. Instead of being thankful that he was on probation rather than suspended, Luigi felt that he didn't deserved to be punished in any way, since Stuart was the bad guy. Master had lost it after Luigi sent a vase, along with other objects, in his direction after the glove upheld his decision to punish him. His own frustration boiled over into a rant to Crazy Hand, which Luigi overheard. And he didn't want to think about what happened after that.
Master had never interrupted Luigi's training before, but he felt that he needed to talk to him, and it couldn't wait. The Smashers, as well as the mansion, had recovered following the attack, and the glove hoped that Luigi had come to grips and cooled off. Perhaps seeing Spike off to prison had given him some sort of closure. Maybe the two could work out a compromise of sorts regarding how to handle this situation.
The funny thing was that both of them thought the bullying had stopped following the Death Stare two years ago.
Master Hand knocked on the door. "Hey, Luigi," he said.
The punching and grunting stopped. "What?" a voice sharply asked.
"I need to speak with you," said Master. "Now."
Muttering. Then, the door creaked open, revealing the man in green.
"Hey, Master Hand," said Luigi. "You're staying up with me?"
"There's a lot of stuff on my mind," said Master. "Probably won't be able to sleep, anyway."
"Well, I guess you're in good company," said Luigi.
"Listen, L. If we'd known that we were under threat of being attacked, then we would've protected everyone. Same as with Cere. But you must believe us—we didn't. But we'll never be caught off guard like that again."
"Yeah, until someone else does something to me," said Luigi.
"Dad, Crazy and I thought about what you said," Master told him, "and we've decided to launch another investigation into this matter. But I'm telling you—you've got to leave it to us this time."
"Depends on how thorough this investigation is."
"L, I assure you, no stone will be left unturned," said Master.
"I trust you," Luigi said finally, "but I meant what I said yesterday. Those bullies will be punished, either by your hand or mine."
"I'm worried about you."
Luigi smiled. "Don't be. I'm fine."
"Just don't do something stupid—or something that you'll regret," warned Master.
"I make no promises," said Luigi. "If they keep going after my Princess, then all bets are off."
"You're a good man, Luigi, defending your Princess. But sometime—somewhere—you have to let go."
Luigi shrugged. "Easier said than done, Master Hand. Too much has been done to me by too many people. But I appreciate you coming down to talk to me." His eyes sparkled. "I didn't mean to fly off the handle. But in times like these, your image should be the least of your worries. I'll see you in the morning."
"Yeah. See you in the morning," echoed Master Hand as Luigi closed the door and went back to assailing the Sandbags.
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"You think he's gonna be okay?" Mandy murmured sleepily as she lay in her husband's arms.
"Oh, yeah. Give it time, and he'll beat these guys back," Evan said confidently.
"You know, I've been thinking," yawned Mandy. "What if the Smash Ballot and patch 1.1.1 were rigged? Y'know—to troll and torment Luigi? From what you told me, many Smashers were salty about those down throw combos."
"Yup. I can name a few of those Smashers off the top of my head," Evan told her. "But I highly doubt that they really wanted to hurt Luigi. Besides, it would take a lot to prove that the down-throw nerf was a conspiracy and that the Ballot was rigged." He kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep, Mrs. Vidad. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Oh, yes," said Mandy. "We do…"
What could those two possibly be planning? Only the Muse knows...
