T Plus 5 Days
Koopa stood at the Smashville Train Depot, flanked by a small contingent of his foot soldiers. The heat shimmered around him, coming in waves off the railroad tracks. Off to one side waited a group of Gerudo bodyguards, but Koopa paid them no mind. In his arms, he cradled a handful of gifts, gifts he'd purchased well in advance and neatly wrapped in wrapping paper, along with two flower bouquets. The giant turtle took a deep breath and once again scoured the train tracks.
Suddenly, he saw the small light in the distance, hearing the faint blast of a train horn shortly thereafter. The train was approaching. The child within him wanted to clap his hands in joy, but instead, he regally stood and watched as the front engines of the train materialized, followed by the rest of it. The Gerudo bodyguards began beating out a rhythm on the drums they'd brought with them. Koopa shook out his legs, just then noticing that Link and Zelda were at the depot, as well. That was odd, considering…
He turned back around as the train pulled into the depot, bringing with it a slight breeze which blew his hair back. The train then slowed and came to a stop, and Koopa smiled.
A train attendant opened the door and helped the mighty Gerudo King onto the platform. Ganondorf looked up, and his face broke into a grin when he saw Koopa.
"Hey, look who it is!" he cried jovially as he strode toward his fellow video game villain.
"Come here, Dorf!" laughed Koopa, and the two of them shared a hug.
"How've you been, man?" asked Ganondorf.
"Better," beamed Koopa. "I've got something for you." He gave Dorf one of the bouquets.
"Flowers for me? I missed you too, pal," chuckled Dorf.
"Hey! Do I get flowers, too?"
They turned as Wario approached them.
"Of course you do, Wario!" laughed Koopa as he relinquished the second bouquet.
"Oh, yeah! Wario time!" laughed Wario as he jumped into Koopa's arms.
"You two missed so much!" gushed Koopa. "I can't wait to tell you all about it!"
"And we can't wait to hear about it," said Dorf.
The bearer of the Triforce of Power turned as his two fellow Triforce bearers approached him.
"Welcome home, Dorf," Zelda said softly, giving him her own flower bouquet.
"Aw, thanks, Zel," said Dorf, kissing the wise princess on the cheek.
Koopa huffed, but it was good-natured. "Why can't Peach do that with me?" he asked.
"I keep an open mind," Zelda said smartly.
Dorf and Link shared a fist bump, then the former looked deep into the Hero of Time's eyes. "Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost archenemy?"
"Tears of joy," said Link. "I was getting a little bored."
"Yes, well," smirked Dorf. "Vacation time's over."
"Let's grab something to eat," said Koopa. "It's on me."
"Okay," said Wario.
"Great idea," said Dorf. Waving to Zelda and Link, he said, "See you two on the battlefield!"
"We're looking forward to it!" the two called after him.
1.1.1
"First things first," said Koopa once they got situated at a café. "Guess who we won't have to put up with on the battlefield for these next 2 weeks?"
"Who?" asked Dorf.
"My beloved nemesis," grinned Koopa.
"Mario? No way!" gasped Dorf.
"What did Mr. Perfect do?" Wario wanted to know.
"He beat up the two people who beat up his brother," explained Koopa.
Wario snorted. "Figures."
"While we're speaking about Green 'St—Luigi, remember those combos we just couldn't get past?"
"What about them?" asked Wario.
"They're gone!" chirped Koopa. "A few Smashers and I joined with three brothers and the tournament's financier to sweet talk Master Hand into nerfing Luigi's down throw!"
"Excellent!" chuckled Wario.
"Dorf—you don't seem surprised," said Koopa.
"I wanted to attend the meetings, but—I didn't want Link and Zel on the case. They're two of Luigi's good friends," said Dorf.
"So—you contributed in secret," smiled Koopa. "Somehow, I knew you would."
"I also made a few phone calls and wrote a few letters," Dorf smiled back.
"You knew the Bennigan Brothers, then?" asked Koopa.
"I wish I could've met them in person," sighed Dorf.
"Never fear—you'll get your chance tonight," said Koopa. "I'm holding a big slumber party at my castle."
Dorf smiled. "Perhaps I could ask Zel to be my date?"
"That would be fun, but too risky," said Koopa. "The last thing we need is two heroes sniffing after us."
"Does Mario know anything?"
"He suspects something. I can feel it. And God help anyone who hurts his baby bro. Those two guys found out the hard way last night."
"Oh, I can't wait to fight that plumber and pay him back for every combo he styled on me!" chortled Dorf.
"I already did, but I can't wait for us to fight him together," said Koopa.
"How about three of us—against him?" asked Wario.
"We've done it before," said Dorf. "This time, the odds are in our favor."
"Careful, though," warned Koopa. "Luigi's starting to pick himself back up. His old combos are gone, but he'll come up with new combos. Every moment he spends fighting an opponent gives him opportunity to do so."
"Hm. Thanks for the warning," said Dorf. "If the combos are new, then they're flawed. It's up to us to exploit those flaws."
"Indeed," said Wario.
"So—this party," said Dorf. "Will the other—conspirators—be there?"
"Yup, and you'll be surprised," said Koopa.
On the other side of the restaurant, Link and Zelda obscured their faces with their menus, pretending not to listen in on the villains' conversation. Under the table, Link sent a text message, while Zelda pressed the "Record" button on her own phone.
"We've got Marth and Roy, Mewtwo, Dark Pit, Kyle and—Falco, the ace pilot of Star Fox," said Koopa.
"What drew him in? I thought he and Luigi were friends."
"They were, until Falco got fed up with the combos and gave L a piece of his mind. L took it personally, they fell out, and Falco became the brains behind our venture. It was him who got us in touch with Mr. Sakurai."
"Whoa," said Wario.
"Falco also recruited several others to the cause, the best of which was a family of four. The mother, the father, the son and even the daughter gave it their all!"
"I'd love to shake that bird's hand, because another day of those stupid, f—ing combos would've made me lose it!" said Dorf.
They were so engaged that they didn't notice Luigi enter the café, where the host directed him to Link and Zelda's table. The elf silently greeted him and put a finger to his lips before directing Luigi to sit at a spot where he could hear and see Koopa, Dorf and Wario, but they couldn't see him.
"I shouldn't be telling you this," Wario was saying, "but I got a piece of the action, as well."
"Yeah?" asked Koopa.
"I started a little club with some buddies from the eateries I frequent," grinned Wario. "It was called 'Let's Nerf Luigi'. We even had a website where we could exchange ideas. We met every Friday and even went on field trips. It was big fun. Need I mention that we were among the first to petition Sakurai?"
"Bring your club mates to the party tonight," said Koopa. "The BBs would love to meet them."
"Ditto to that," said Wario.
Luigi listened silently, taking deliberate bites of the appetizer he'd ordered and gentle sips of his wine. Link and Zelda studied his face, but could read nothing.
"We have to tell MH," he whispered finally.
"We can report it anonymously," said Zelda. "They won't have to know it's us."
"Tell me a bit about these meetings," said Dorf. "What were they like?"
"Sometimes, we met at their estate, and other times we met at places like Chuck-E-Cheese's," said Koopa. "Towards the end, the family of four converted their house into a meeting place. Sadly, I couldn't make it, as an urgent matter had come up that night."
"Peach," realized Dorf.
Koopa sighed in defeat. "Yes, it was Peach. But the next night, I invited everyone to my castle. I picked them up in my airship and flew them over in style, and we stayed the night. A crisis was narrowly averted when those plumbers showed up."
So that's why Theo and his family didn't want to be rescued, thought Luigi.
"Then, on the last night, we built a giant bonfire and destroyed the evidence, and then we had a cookout," smiled Koopa. "It was so much fun. But more fun than that was the day we got the patch notes. I could hear him wailing from my own quarters!"
They laughed.
"Well, he didn't wail for long. Like I said, he's using his nerf to dream up new combos."
"Bet those two guys took him down a peg two days ago," chortled Wario.
"Hey, don't be like that," said Koopa. "That was unacceptable. We want to get back at him for the combos—but on the battlefield, not in the Training Room."
Dorf nodded. "Those two shouldn't have done that. Not only can it get Mario breathing down our necks, it also compromises this tournament's integrity."
Hm. Nice to know that they care, thought Luigi.
"Hey," whispered Zelda. "Where's Mario? I think he should hear this, too."
Luigi huffed out a breath. "Mario's—having some issues right now, so I figured that I shouldn't bother him."
"Oh, dear," said Zelda.
"Yeah," Luigi said crisply. "He's not taking his suspension well at all."
"You know," said Zelda. "They don't call me the Wise Princess of Hyrule just because I have a pretty face. What you just told me is essentially code for 'Mario and I had a fight'. So, talk to me. What happened?"
"Mario promised me that he wouldn't do anything rash. He broke that promise," said Luigi. "I called him out on it, our discussion got heated and he said some cruel words to me. I got the Inferno out of there before I could say—or do—something I'd later regret and further escalate things. As I was walking away, I flipped him off, so that's a small victory for me."
"What did he say?" asked Link.
"I don't wanna talk about it," said Luigi, taking another sip of wine.
They paused as his entrée arrived, and then the man in green started eating it.
"So, if he was here in this diner right now," he went on, his mouth full of food, "then I'd lose it. That's all. Just lose it. I'd go nuclear on that fame-hogging, self-pitying, holier-than-thou brother of mine, and it's gonna wind up on YouTube with a thousand hits before sunset. Not to mention, I'd probably wind up in jail."
"Luigi," said Link. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should talk to him…"
"Good luck. He won't listen. He'll push you away like he pushed me away."
"If he's pushing you away, then that means something happened to him, and he knows that if he tells you…" offered Zelda.
"That was the first thing that came to my mind before our argument heated up."
"It's been over twelve hours," said Zelda. "He'll probably have calmed down by then."
"An old friend of mine back in the 90s told me something very important," said Luigi. "That I shouldn't let a squabble with Mario tear us apart. We're the Super Mario Brothers, defenders of the Mushroom Kingdom. Whatever tension exists between us, we understand that Koopa is a worse threat. And no matter what disagreement we have, we'll always have each other's backs. I still do—I'm a bit worried about him, but what he said—I need some more time to get it out of my system."
"See? There you go," smiled Zelda. "Whenever Link and I get into it over something, we go our separate ways and do a relaxing activity for a few hours. I'd practice my archery, swordplay and magic, read a book, go out with my girlfriends…"
"…and I'd practice my fighting skills and spar with my guy friends before going out to eat or something," said Link. "Then, I'd buy Zel her favorite ice cream and head to her place, and she'll be waiting for me with some fresh Lon-Lon Milk and a steak dinner."
"And then…" Zelda blushed. "Well, that's not really fit for public ears, is it?"
"At the end of the day, we're a team and looking out for Hyrule's best interest," said Link. "Your friend is very wise, L."
Luigi nodded, and the three continued to eat their lunch while listening to Koopa, Dorf and Wario talk about the conspiracy to get him nerfed.
1.1.1
Earlier that morning…
Mario woke up to a slight headache, but a cold shower and a Mushroom chased the mild hangover away. What it couldn't chase away, however, was the anger and guilt. Anger at Master Hand for not seeing things his way, anger at Luigi for giving him a hard time over something he did for his sake, and guilt over what he'd said that night. He ordered breakfast from room service and slowly ate it, listening to songs on his smartphone. And one of those songs playing? "Whatever it Takes", by Lifehouse.
"I'll do whatever it takes/To turn this around/I know what's at stake/I know that I let you down/But if you give me a chance/Believe it, I can change/I'll keep us together/Whatever it takes…"
"How fitting," he murmured to himself as he finished his food.
Luigi was up well before then, gobbling down a protein shake before pulling on his workout pants, hopping onto his spin bike and beginning an intense morning workout. His eyes were closed, and his earbuds were plugged in, his favorite music blocking out the words that had been said last night. It didn't take him long to find his rhythm, and as he pedaled hard, the sweat splattered onto the monitor in front of him and the floor around him.
After tending to his toilette, Mario positioned himself at the door adjoining his room to Luigi's and watched him on his spin bike, taking care not to be seen. He was surprised that he was even using it, as it had been a gift from the elder brother. It was probably a sign that he wasn't going to cut ties with him anytime soon. It made Mario feel better, but not much. Leaning against the doorjamb, Mario studied his lil' bro's slightly bent, glistening back as his shoulder blades and back muscles worked furiously. He saw the gloved hands grip the handlebars securely as his body weaved left and right. Near Luigi's window was a mirror, and the elder's eyes flicked towards the sweat-slick reflection. Face pink, eyes closed, mouth rounded, brow slightly furrowed, the perspiration leaving noticeable trails down his neck, shoulders, arms and torso. A lot of women—and men—would sneak peeks at Luigi in the gym whenever he was on one of their spin bikes, and Mario saw the reason why.
I really need to work out more.
He remained there, watching for a bit, before deciding that he needed to get out of this room. Just because he was suspended didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself.
Mario strode over to the exercise studio and signed up for the morning kickboxing class. Thirty minutes later, he was also in workout-suited attire, following the Wii Fit Trainer's commands to bob, weave, punch and kick as music pounded around the studio. Man, that felt great! As the sweat oozed down him, he found his anger dulling, and he started to understand why Luigi loved that spin bike so much.
Immediately after the kickboxing class, Mario bought a Gatorade and went off to the Training Area, where the Sandbags waited. Without a prelude, the man in red began pounding and pummeling the first one he saw, pretending it was Master Hand.
Luigi, meanwhile, remained on his spin bike until his butt got tired, after which he slid off, wiped the bike clean, turned on his music and just danced, body winding and hips gyrating and shoulders rolling. It worked better than the spin bike, as he felt more of his emotions blasting out of him. He forgot everything else and simply danced and danced and danced and danced until a Mii knocked on his door and warned him that the morning matches were coming up.
He ate a bagel, showered, dressed and checked his schedule. What a pity that Mario was suspended, because he really wanted to go a few rounds with him right now. Then, he told himself that now wasn't a good time. While he was upset at Mario, he didn't want to seriously injure him.
When the matches started, Mario went to the viewing theater to watch Luigi's bouts. He was worried that his presence would have a negative effect on his performance, and he didn't want that. The little man whooped and cheered as Luigi all but demolished the morning's opponents. He didn't focus too much on the combos—he just had a lot of ire to let out and what better way to do so than in a Smash battle? As for his opponents and the spectators, they all saw the storm signals and decided it was wise not to get on his case about his nerf.
And as he battled his foes, Luigi felt a familiar warmth piercing through his aggression. Mario was there, rooting for him. He wasn't physically present in the stands, but he was watching him. If that was a sure sign of remorse for his words, then what was?
However, he still wasn't ready to talk to him yet.
During lunch break, Luigi had gotten the text from Link, and he met the elf and Zelda at the café, listening to Dorf, Wario and Koopa talking about a plot to nerf his down throw. It was there that he told his two companions about what happened last night.
Mario ate his lunch in the cafeteria before retiring to his room to watch the midday news. An hour later, he was back in the Training Area, sparring with various Miis, and then with other fighters. He won over them quite easily. When the area was mainly empty, he went back to beating a Sandbag.
And then it was back to the viewing theater to watch Luigi duke it out some more.
By four in the afternoon, Mario realized what he had to do.
Calling in some Miis to help, Mario took control of the kitchen, armed himself with a cookbook, and quickly found the pasta recipe he was looking for.
"All right, team," he said. "Here we go!"
As Benny Goodman and His Orchestra's "In the Mood" started playing on his MP3, Mario and his Mii team set to work preparing the dish. One Mii cooked the tortellini, another took care of the sun-dried tomatoes, a third was in charge of the cheese, a fourth handled the sauce, and Mario himself combined the ingredients before tasting the dish and organizing the place settings. He divided the finished dish equally into two plates, covered the plates, and placed them on a tray, along with napkins and silverware.
"All right," he said. "Which of you can play an instrument?"
Hands shot up, and excited voices listed the instruments they could play.
"Great," said Mario. "Which of you knows a No Doubt song?" No Doubt was one of Luigi's favorite bands.
Again, hands shot up, and song titles were tossed around.
"Actually," said one Mii. "I think this No Doubt song is appropriate for the occasion." He handed Mario a slip of paper.
Mario beamed. "I couldn't agree more," he said.
As the Miis quickly rehearsed the song, Luigi finished a grueling free-for-all in which he was barely the last one standing. He shook hands with his opponents, jumped into a refreshing shower and changed clothes. It was then that he noticed that the worst of his anger had dulled, and that he was ready to talk to Mario.
Resolutely, Mario walked down the corridors of the Smash Mansion, one Mii carrying the food while the musicians walked behind the plumber, playing a slow, somber rendition of "Don't Speak". They passed the Main Hall and were just about to turn into the hallway leading to Luigi's room when—
They came upon the man in green himself, also carrying two plates of food, napkins and silverware. A Mii walked beside him, bearing two bottles of Moscato on ice. The brothers paused, right in the center of the hallway.
Mario signaled for the musicians to stop playing without taking his eyes off his baby bro.
The Super Mario Bros were masters of charged gazes, especially if they were exchanged with each other. Remorseful, regretful sea blue eyes met gentle, understanding and forgiving deep blue eyes. The powerful, held look allowed them to say most of what they needed to say, to drop their guards and allow their walls to come crumbling down and to let all of their emotions and vulnerabilities float to the surface. It felt enchanted, the two of them standing there and looking into each other's eyes about three-quarters of a day after a quarrel.
"Looks like we're meeting each other halfway, huh?" Mario asked softly.
"Yeah," said Luigi. "We are. Is that…?"
"Yup. Your favorite dish. And I assume that's…"
"Spaghetti. Lots of it."
Mario smiled.
And Luigi smiled back.
"Hey!" one of the Miis piped up, breaking the enchantment. "You two should kiss!"
Mario rolled his eyes. "He's my brother," he said.
"Never stopped me."
And everyone laughed.
1.1.1
It wasn't long before the two brothers were seated at a reserved table in the lounge, the lights comfortably dimmed and 80s music blasting from a Bluetooth speaker, enjoying their pasta dishes. For a while, they didn't speak, choosing not to until they had a decent amount of food in their bellies.
When their plates were half-eaten, Luigi broke the silence.
"It's not like I don't know why you did it," he said softly, "because I know exactly why you did it. The thing that gets me is that you actually did it, and that you broke a promise you made."
"I wanted you to heal from your injuries," explained Mario, "and how could you do that if you were stressing over me?"
"I guess I came across as a hypocrite, too," said Luigi, "because God forbid if anyone cornered you and beat you bloody, I'd not rest until I find them and make them regret it."
"I believe you."
They each took a sip of wine before continuing their talk.
"I'm sorry, Luigi," said Mario.
"I've been hearing that a lot," said Luigi.
"But I truly am. Everything I said last night—I didn't mean. I was just so wired and wound tight…"
"…and you took it out on me," Luigi finished.
"In a way, yes," sighed Mario. "Luigi—you'll never be a burden to me. Helping you out has always given me a feeling of satisfaction. You've helped me in our adventures more times than I can count. I know you can handle yourself well, too; I don't need to carry you around all the time. And if you were fighting someone by yourself, I know in my heart that you'll hold your own, because I'll still be there, albeit not physically. Luigi, you're amazing. You saved my life twice. You're not letting that nerf stop you from kicking [bleep]. You recovered from the attack quicker than I thought. You had every reason to be upset for what I did—because I'm putting you in danger—again."
"Mario—what are you saying? Is there something you're trying to hide from me? Is that why you said those words—to push me away?"
"If I told you, then you'd get angry, just like the two Steves made me angry."
"MH had no choice but to discipline you. You broke the rules."
Mario sighed. "It's something else. After he suspended me, he did something—off."
"What did that glove to do you? Did he hurt you? Bro, let me come in. You have to tell me."
"He…" Mario began choking up. "He—exploded at me! He said it was my fault for what you endured in 2001! He yelled at me for all the times I put you in danger—essentially called me a bad brother! He said that I was impulsive and that I didn't think, that I didn't give a [bleep] about your well-being and that I always had to be the hero of the story! And his words brought back the memories of that night, when I was trapped and helpless and you were on your own and…" He sobbed brokenly. "Oh God…"
Luigi put his hand over Mario's.
"He even said that the Chaos Heart debacle was my fault, too! I was—I was so mad! And I was also thinking, 'What if he's right? What if I'm a lousy brother who puts you in danger just so I can get a free cake?' And then you knocked on the door—and I was scared over how you'd react to what went down. I really thought that you'd confront MH and get yourself in trouble along with me."
"But why did you push me away? Why did you say those things?" Luigi asked calmly.
"I don't know! It's just like that glove says—I don't think. I never think! I'm just a stupid plumber from Brooklyn! I don't see why they call me a hero!"
"You're a hero because you faced down a fearsome monster five times your size and won. You help Peach not because of the cake. You help her because it's right. Because you love her. Because the MK has become another home," Luigi said firmly. "You're my hero, too, you know. Life knocked you down, but you got back up, which inspired me to do the same thing, rather than mope about being Player Two and barely being acknowledged."
"But what if those two come after you again—to get to me?"
Luigi grinned. "I'll be ready for them. I went down swinging last time, and I'll do so again and again until they get the message."
"Ah, Luigi—I was no better than that bird last night. There was no reason for me to blow up at you, but I did, and I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life."
Luigi nodded. "Just like Falco's words, I won't be able to completely forget the things you said. Am I still a little upset? D—n right I am. But I hate it when we fight, and I don't wanna lose you, Mario."
"You'll never lose me," whispered Mario.
"We're brothers first, always. Our disagreements and scuffles are second to whatever crisis arises," said Luigi. "I knew I needed to talk to you before things got messier. Falco and I drifted apart because I was reluctant to talk to him. I didn't think he'd understand. In that elevator, I took a big chance—and now I'm taking a chance with you. I'm so happy that you met me halfway, though."
Both brothers were crying now.
"I hate what you said," hiccupped Luigi, "but I'll never hate you. That's a promise."
"Oh, Luigi—Luigi! I could barely sleep, knowing that I hurt you," said Mario, his voice a little high-pitched and warbly. "Can you ever forgive me?"
"I forgive you, Bro. Honestly, I do," said Luigi, "but if we want to move past this, there's someone you must forgive, as well—yourself."
"I—I'll try, Luigi."
"Don't try, Mario. Do," implored Luigi.
Mario nodded, and soon, their pasta was all but forgotten as they hugged it out on the floor, crying into each other's shirts. The Mario Bros had been on the outs for most of the day. But once again, their strong, intimate bond beat the odds and survived.
1.1.1
At Koopa's Castle, the planned slumber party was well underway. Dorf, Wario, Roy, Marth, Falco, Dark Pit, Mewtwo, Kyle and the other conspirators (minus Crazy Hand) had arrived there by Koopa's airship, which he'd treated them to an open bar. By the time they arrived at the castle, they were all primed for the night ahead.
"Before we start this party, I'd like you to welcome back two old friends of mine," said Koopa. "Dorf contributed in secret, and Wario organized his own club."
"Speaking of which, here they come," grinned Wario.
As his club buddies entered in a neat, single-file line, Wario introduced them one by one.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Gene, Maura, Stacy, Rick, Cassie, Laurel, Carl, Matt, Ava, Lynn, Brent, Drew, Alaina and Les—the members of the Let's Nerf Luigi club!"
The conspirators of Project Nerf cheered and high-fived the newcomers.
"Nice to finally meet you," said Shane.
"Same here!" chirped Ava. "We've heard so much about you!"
"We wish you could've joined us, though," said Vince.
"I know," groaned Drew, "but Wario didn't want to take a chance. Someone could've noticed and told…"
"You don't have to say anything more," grimaced Falco.
"Well, he's been suspended for two weeks," shrugged Koopa.
"That doesn't mean he's not allowed to leave the Smash Mansion," warned Falco.
"Okay—enough of this talk," said Wario. "Did we come here to party, or did we come here to start fretting about Mr. Perfect?"
"Good point," said Lynn. "Let's party!"
Koopa turned on the music, then, and the dancing began. Koopa Troopas with platters of finger food weaved their way through the crowd, followed by Hammer Bros offering free drinks to those 21 and over. A few more of Koopa's minions set up face-painting booths for the younger kids, which grew into a full-on Kids' Area. After an hour or so of dancing, Koopa helped set up Beer Pong tables for the grown-ups and personally refereed a few rounds before organizing games and contests for guests of all ages. During all this—the Smashers caught up with Dorf and Wario, where they learned exactly how the Gerudo King had secretly helped them. They all promised to attend in droves if Master Hand ever arranged a three-way match between Koopa, Wario, Dorf and Luigi—though they were unsure who they'd root for by then.
At midnight, Koopa ushered his guests into his home theater, popped some popcorn and put on a movie for them. They all sat around, wrapped in Snuggies and munching on popcorn, eyes fixed on the screen in front of them, laughing at the comic parts and tearing up at the somber parts.
It was two in the morning when the party guests were assigned to their rooms. Koopa's minions helped them with their luggage as good nights were exchanged.
"It's really good to have you two back," Koopa said to his two friends.
"It's good to be back on the battlefield," said Dorf.
"I sure can't wait to see my schedule tomorrow," said Wario.
Koopa saw the rest of his guests to their rooms before retiring to his own chambers and flopping onto his bed.
Within moments, he was asleep.
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