Hi, everyone, I'm back! Instead of uploading the entire storyline of this particular year, I've decided to split it into smaller parts. The original doc just exceeded 100 pages, and this site has an upload size limit.

Anyways, enjoy!

T Plus 2 Years

2017

Life went on.

Luigi continued to hold his own against his opponents in Smash, fighting just as fiercely off the battlefield as he did on it. It wasn't long before patch 1.1.1 was a thing of the past.

His friendship with Falco continued to mend, Mario's aloofness be d—ned. Every so often, they'd share a large pizza at their favorite pizza place and just—talk.

His visits with Professor Gadd were almost a daily occurrence, as he was always interested in what his mentor was up to lately. And each time he dropped by Evershade Valley, he made sure to check on him. Whatever was churning up in the King's vile brain, Luigi was determined to remain two steps ahead.

His relationship with Master Hand was still rather cool, but at least he no longer felt the urge to go off on him whenever they crossed paths.

And his relationship with Mario was still as strong as ever, despite what happened in the past.

There was still no word on the whereabouts of Chad, Jeff, Bentley, Crazy Hand or the two Steves, but MH and his employees were working around the clock to locate them. As for the identity of the black swarm Luigi had defeated two years ago, the Hand of Creation had traced its origins back to Tabuu, the Ruler of Subspace, who'd attempted to conquer the Smash World during Brawl. If the stuff had come from Tabuu, then how did it wind up inside of Master Hand? And why did it target the Mario Bros?

In other Smash news, Bayonetta had endured an ordeal similar to Luigi's. But while Luigi had taken flack for his down throw, Bayo had taken flack for her Witch Time, which slowed her opponent's movements and allowed her to safely rack up damage. Her Witch Twist move had also come under scrutiny, as well. And whereas it was the Smashers who'd ranted about Luigi's down throw, it was the gamers who'd filed into MH's office to rant about Bayo. Luigi would spot Bayo lounging casually outside of the glove's office, listening to gamers raising the roof, and his stomach would twist in remembrance. She'd react to the salt with snark, scoffing and witty comments, but Luigi could see it all in her eyes. The fact that she'd won the Smash Ballot instead of Daisy didn't matter anymore. After the audience had mercilessly heckled her one day, Luigi had taken her aside and treated her to lunch at Ruby Tuesday's.

"Whatever happens—I'm here for you," he'd promised, and Bayo had smiled at that.

Things had only gotten worse, as Bayo had wound up banned in several countries, most notably Spain. In response, MH had sidelined her for extended periods of time, time which the Umbra Witch had spent demolishing Sandbags in the Training Area. Finally, the situation reached its inevitable conclusion—a nerf. Rather than encouraging the gamers to practice, MH had once again kowtowed to their fulminations, arranging a meeting with Mr. Sakurai to hammer out yet another update patch. This patch nerfed Bayo's Witch Time, up smash, forward smash, d-air and Heel Slide. Bayo played it cool, but she wouldn't even look in Master Hand's direction for several months. The experience, however, had allowed her to strengthen her burgeoning friendship with Luigi.

And as for Chad, he was still holding on as a "guest" in Dracula's castle, reestablishing the bloodsucker's trust in him after he "failed" to stop Maria and the others from escaping. He could only hope that his ex-roomie had managed to make her way to Simon and Richter and tell them about the guy from the Smash tournament who was imprisoned in their eternal rival's castle with her. But for now, he bided his time, arming himself with knowledge of Drac and his minions and recalling the hours he'd spent playing the Castlevania games to find all of his "host's" weaknesses besides light, garlic and having to count rice grains one at a time. And Drac didn't seem to be in a foul mood over losing Maria and other potential "brides", spending most of his down time necking with Chad or doing his "homework" on Luigi. Something about that man in green was drawing Drac to him like a moth to flame, and he had a gut feeling that one day, they'd come face-to-face.

So—things were settling into a new normal this year. But unbeknownst to all but a select few, wedding bells were ringing.

Or were they?

1.1.1

Koopa was resting up from a tough match when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, Your Grace," the voice on the other end said brightly. "Do you remember me?"

"Harriet?"

"That's me!"

"Hi, there! How are you and your brothers doing?"

"We're doing well, thank you. And I'm calling with some good news."

"And what's that?"

"We're good to go! We've pinpointed all of the locations of your desired items. I'm sending you an email attachment right now."

Koopa let out a guffaw, his grueling bout all but forgotten. "Perfect!" he cried. "I'm gonna head over to my castle and get my troops and airships ready!"

"Congrats on your impending nuptials," said Harriet.

"It was worth the wait," said Koopa. "See you guys soon."

He hung up and laughed. Finally, after nearly 32 years, his end goal was on the horizon—a spectacular royal wedding. And nobody was gonna stand in his way this time!

1.1.1

"He's up to something," said Mario. "Peachy, Luigi and I—we can feel it."

The Mushroom Princess and her two heroes currently sat in Master Hand's office, sipping on lemonade and discussing their predicament with the Hand of Creation.

"He hasn't bothered us for weeks," Peach spoke up, "and he's been excessively friendly with us recently. And while that's normally a good thing…" She shuddered. "I just have this gut feeling, you know?"

"Like he's gearing up for something elaborate," said Luigi.

"Two years ago, Theo said something about a wedding when the two of us had lunch together," said Mario, "and weddings take a lot of time to plan. Peachy—I think he's plotting to marry you again."

"And he also wants to take us by surprise," theorized Luigi.

"A marriage, you say?" asked MH.

"That's my guess," responded Mario.

"A political liaison?" questioned MH. "Or something more?"

"I don't think it's for politics," said Peach. "It's for what he calls 'love'. But that's not love."

"I don't know if I can stop him from taking what he wants, because it's outside of tournament grounds," said MH, "but I can give you guys a more flexible schedule so you can keep an eye on him."

"I'll have a Civil Emergency Watch sent out over all TV and wireless communications," said Peach. "An emergency alert will advise my constituents not to panic, remain vigilant and prepare to take shelter at any time. As a matter of fact, I should head over there now, speak to Toadsworth and ready our defenses."

"And I'll stay in Toad Town overnight," said Mario, "in case he tries to sneak-attack us."

"Why not spend the night in the castle?" suggested MH. "That way, you can better protect Peach and her court during an attack."

Luigi smiled. "Even better," he said, starting to rise from his chair. "Let's-a go, Bro!"

But Mario stopped him with a gentle hand on his forearm. "I'll be fine, Luigi," he said softly, "but thank you."

A light frown settled across Luigi's face. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" he asked.

"This is a possible royal wedding we're talking about here," said Mario. "That turtle is definitely not gonna exercise restraint here. If you got caught in the crossfire…" He trailed off. "I just—really think you should stay here, in case the worst happens."

"Don't worry, Luigi," Peach chimed in. "Everything will work out fine."

Luigi's gaze lingered over Mario before responding, "Okay."

"Master Hand—could you postpone the rest of my matches?" asked Peach. "I need to head to my castle right away."

"And I also need my matches postponed," said Mario.

"Done," said MH. "Luigi, would you…?"

"I don't want him involved in this, Master Hand," Mario broke in.

"He wants to help you," said MH.

"Yes, I understand that," sighed Mario, "but that turtle's behavior has alarm bells going off in my head, and when he strikes, he won't hesitate to…"

"I see," MH said softly, "but he takes that risk all the time. And he's faced off against enemies worse than him to ensure your safety, enemies that practically scared him stiff."

"Which is another reason why he should stay here," said Mario. "Bro—I'm aware that you're checking on him more frequently now. And I'm just as on-edge as you. What if he somehow escapes?"

"Gadd and I will stay in touch regardless of what happens," said Luigi. "Master Hand is right—something happening to me is a risk I always face when helping you. This is no different."

"I don't wanna argue with you on this, Bro, because Peach doesn't need it, and neither does her kingdom," said Mario. "You're not getting caught up in this, and that's final."

"Mario," Peach spoke up. "Just hear him out, okay?"

Mario slid a hand over hers. "Peachy—I love you so much. You know that, don't you?"

"But…" prompted Peach.

"I love my bro more," said Mario. Turning to Luigi he added, "I love you too much to stomach the sight of that turtle mauling you to death or doing something worse. Lil' Bro—I'm not doing this to be mean. And I didn't come to this decision lightly."

Luigi swallowed back the rising frustration. "I know," he said quietly.

"If anything happens, then you'll be the first to know," Mario told him.

Luigi breathed deeply. "God be with you."

The Bros hugged intensely and tenderly as Peach and Master Hand looked on.

"Ti amo," said Mario.

"Ti amo," Luigi replied.

They separated, and then Mario stood up and held out his hand to Peach, who took it.

"We'd better get going," Peach said to Master Hand. "If you see a chance to nip whatever he's planning in a bud while he's still in the Smash Mansion, take it. Otherwise, stall him for as long as you can."

"Will do," said MH.

Mario gave Luigi an encouraging thumbs-up, which the latter quickly returned. Peach waved goodbye, and then she and Mario walked out of the office.

MH studied the man in green as his face darkened.

"Every single time, we have to go through this," said Luigi. "Every single time! When is he gonna realize how much help I can be to him?!"

"Luigi—I don't agree with this, same as you," said Master Hand. "Therefore, I'm going to make your schedule more open-ended over these next few weeks."

"You'd really do that?" asked Luigi.

"Indeed," replied MH. "I trust that Mario will keep in touch with you, just as he'll stay in touch with me. And whenever you feel that his situation's become too dire for him to continue alone, regardless of what he said, it's within your rights to come to his aid. Just stop by my office first."

"Will do. Thanks, MH."

"You're welcome," said MH.

Luigi got up from his seat and left the giant glove's office. His next match was less than 20 minutes away.

1.1.1

At sunrise the next morning, everything was set into motion.

Master Hand floated outside to find Koopa's airship fleet hovering outside, the ships' masts and sails decorated with white and lavender ribbons and ornate flower wreaths. Koopa Troopas, Hammer Bros and Mushroom Defectors loaded cargo into each ship's hold. And the King himself stood near his airship-of-the-line, admiring a tuxedo in a dry-cleaning bag.

"Hey!" cried MH.

Koopa passed the tuxedo to another of his minions before turning to face the giant glove.

"Master Hand!" greeted Koopa. "Have you come to see me off?"

"So—this is it?" asked MH. "You're really doing this?"

"Indeed," replied Koopa, fishing out a bag of G and tossing it to MH. "This should cover the stuff I borrowed. Someone like me needs to come prepared, you know?"

"You could've just taken a trip to the shopping center," said MH, hefting the bag of G in his palm.

Koopa rolled his eyes. "I'm a villain, Master Hand. Villains don't go to the shopping center. Look, whatever I don't use, I'll give back to you. Deal?"

"Whatever you say," responded MH.

He set down the bag of G as Dark Pit, Falco, Marth, Roy, Kyle, Mewtwo, Chase, Dorf, Wario, Rolf and the other Smashers Koopa had invited to the royal wedding walked outside.

"You guys ready to go?" asked Koopa.

"Ready!" Dorf replied. "I wanted to bring Zel along, but then I figured, no sense rocking the boat. We'll already have him tailing us."

MH huffed. "You borrow some of our stuff, but you're nice enough to invite some of my Smashers instead of…?"

"How could we say 'no'?" asked Dark Pit. "The guy deserves a little happiness."

As he spoke, the other airships lowered their gangplanks, allowing the wedding guests to board. MH took some of the invited Smashers aside.

"You're not fully on board with this, are you?" he asked.

"Not really," responded Chase.

"Mario's gonna try to crash the wedding on his own," said Master Hand, "but he's gonna need some help. Some big help. I'm counting on you to look for opportunities to extricate Peach from an unwanted marriage. When you see a chance to intercede, don't hesitate. Take it."

"You got it, Master Hand," said Falco.

"Hey, you guys!" Koopa called after them. "Let's move!"

With a secret wink at MH, the invited Smashers boarded the airships.

"Think about it, Master Hand," said Koopa. "When I get back, I'm gonna have a ring on my finger and a beautiful wife on my arm." With a grin, he added, "Nothing will ever be the same."

With a final wave at the Hand of Creation, Koopa turned and boarded his ship.

MH watched as the airships started their engines and propellers and slowly began their ascent, waving after the fleet until it disappeared from sight.

1.1.1

200 miles east of the Mushroom Kingdom was the realm known as the Cap Kingdom, sporting a middling population. Its center of commerce was located in its capital city, Bonneton, and it was inhabited by hat-shaped beings known as Bonneters. Hat-making and airship-building was the meat of Bonneton's economy, with tourism as a backup source of revenue.

Bonneters were more than just cute, hat-shaped locals—they had the ability to possess objects big and small—even people! They began to practice and hone their possession skills at an early age—five years old at the oldest. However, a Bonneter's powers could emerge when they were as young as four months old. Typically, these powers were used for emergencies and self-defense only.

Currently, it was an ordinary early summer morning in Bonneton, with the high temperature projected to be a mild 73°F (34°C). Bonneters were going about their daily lives, and the mood was generally uplifting and relaxing. However, an unwelcome visitor would soon upend life in Bonneton as they knew it, and for two particular Bonneters, they'd soon embark on an adventure far beyond their wildest dreams.

It was Orientation Day at Bonneton University (Go, Trilbies!). All over campus, residential advisors were giving inbound college freshmen tours of the sprawling institution and pointing out the usual areas of interest (the Quad, the dining halls, the bookstore, the library, etc.). Among these freshmen was a curious and adventurous young Bonneter who was shaped like a tiara. Her name was—you guessed it—Tiara.

"This is real," Tiara mused to herself as she followed her tour group. "I'm actually gonna be a college student at a prestigious university. I'd better take lots of pictures—so I can show them to my dear brother!"

Tiara's tour group soon arrived at the university's coffeehouse, dubbed the CoHo, where they were given enough time to eat a quick breakfast. After she got settled in with her meal, Tiara whipped out her cell phone and snapped a couple of selfies, which she posted to her social media accounts.

"Wait until my bro sees these," she said.

"Tiara!" called out another member of her tour group.

"Yeah?" Tiara replied.

"Aren't you a little nervous?"

"Kinda," admitted Tiara, "but I know I have nothing to worry about—because I have my big brother! And college is the beginning of a whole new story! I'm so eager to see how this story begins."

"What's your major?"

"Computer science," Tiara proudly responded. "What's yours?"

"Engineering—with a minor in History. I also intend to try out for the marching band."

"That's interesting," said Tiara. "I'm gonna try out for the volleyball team. Or maybe the softball team. I haven't decided yet."

The two inbound freshmen exchanged friendly smiles, and after everyone finished their meal, the tour resumed.

It was a quarter to noon when the trouble started.

A fleet of airships, decorated as if for a wedding celebration, flew silently into Bonneton, announcing their presence with several volleys of artillery fire. Emergency procedures were quickly initiated, all of the Bonneters sheltering in place and following the situation on their radios or cell phones. Bonneton University was immediately placed on lockdown, and the orientation leaders quickly led their guests to the library's basement floor.

Tiara wasn't frightened. As she and the others waited out the danger, she comforted the antsier inbound freshmen after sending a few texts to her brother. While she and the other Bonneters had no idea who was attacking and why, they all hoped they'd find out.

It wasn't long before some light was shed on the subject.

A faculty member hurried into the basement, looking worried.

"Uh—Tiara?" they said. "They're asking for you."

Tiara frowned. "Me? What do I have that they want?"

"They didn't say," replied the faculty member. "However, they've promised that you will come to no harm."

Tiara unhesitatingly made her decision. "Very well," she said. "I'll go with them."

"Oh, my God—Tiara!" gasped the inbound freshman she'd spoken with earlier.

"There's no telling what they'll do to you," added another. "What if they're lying?"

"I'll take that risk," Tiara said firmly, "but this is my city, and whoever these guys are, I won't let them destroy it on my account! The sooner I go with them, the sooner they'll leave."

Bravely, Tiara stood up and floated out of the basement with her head held high.

"God be with you," the inbound freshmen whispered after her.

Tiara emerged into the daylight and was greeted by four rabbits. One wore green, one wore royal blue, one wore orange and one wore purple.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What the Hell do you want from me?"

"It's all right," the purple-clad rabbit said gently. "We're not gonna hurt you. Are you Tiara?"

"Who wants to know?"

The purple-clad rabbit smiled. "My name's Harriet, and my brothers and I have spent the last two years searching for you."

"Hi," said the royal-blue clad rabbit. "My name's Spewart. It's really nice to meet you."

"I'm Topper," said the one wearing green.

"And I'm Rango," said the orange-clad rabbit.

"We're the Broodals," they said in unison.

"Okay—Broodals," said Tiara. "Why are you attacking us? If you wanted to borrow me for something, all you had to do was ask."

"Apologies, Tiara," said Harriet. "Our client just likes to make a big entrance. He really doesn't mean to hurt anyone."

"Your—client?" repeated Tiara, narrowing her eyes.

"We're wedding planners, you see," Rango explained, "and today just so happens to be your lucky day, Tiara!" He beamed. "You'll get to participate in an actual royal wedding! Won't that be fun?"

"Royal wedding, huh? And let me guess, I'm supposed to be the headwear for the blushing bride?"

"Bingo!" trilled Topper.

"Okay—well, why me?"

"Because—you're special," cooed Harriet. "You'll be a special tiara for a special lady. This bride isn't just any bride. She's a Princess."

Tiara quirked an eyebrow. "A Princess? I've always wanted to meet a Princess. And wherever there's a Princess, there's a Prince, right? A handsome Prince to whisk her off her feet and make her dreams come true?"

"Not a Prince—a King," smiled Rango. "She's going to be his Queen."

"I really don't believe in fairy tales anymore, but whatever," said Tiara. "So, let me get this straight. Your client—this King—flies into Bonneton with his airships and kicks up a fuss just because he wants me for his royal wedding? What happened to just asking politely? Or maybe, I don't know, a phone call? An e-mail? A formal invitation?"

"Again, he likes to make big entrances," Harriet said softly. "Once you get to know him, you'll find out that he's not all that bad."

"And he picked you because he knows that you'll help him make the most of his special day," added Spewart. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Tiara. Don't let it slip through your fingers."

Invitingly, he held out his hand to her.

"Er—hold on for a sec," said Tiara, fishing out her cell phone. "I just gotta talk to my brother really quick."

She dialed a number and then put the phone to her ear.

"Hey, big brother! Are you hurt? Me? I'm fine! Guess what? I've been invited to a royal wedding! Yeah, the guy causing all of this trouble—apparently, he's getting married to a Princess, and he wants me to be her headpiece! Isn't that awesome? No, I haven't met the bride and groom yet, but I just met the wedding planners. They seem nice. Am I going with them? Well, it's not like I have much of a choice. I'm the one they came for, and unless I say yes—whoa, whoa, Cappy! Cappy—I know you wanna protect me and all that, but I'm a big girl. Whoever this guy is, I can handle him. Yes, I have a feeling, too, but I really need to do this. Otherwise, they'll keep bothering us. It's a royal wedding, for God's sake—how bad can it be? Oh, Cappy—everything's gonna be okay. When life deals you felt, you just use it to make a brand-new hat. I don't know what's gonna happen, but isn't that the beauty of life? But I know this—when I come out on the other side of this, I'll be a different Bonneter, and perhaps I'll make some new friends. Cappy—just wait for the all clear, and then we'll go from there, yeah? Okay. I love you, big brother. Bye-bye."

She hung up and then turned toward the Broodals.

"All right," she said confidently. "Let's go."

1.1.1

Harriet, Topper, Spewart and Rango brought Tiara onto the main airship, where she came face to face with the Koopa King. He was dressed in a white-and-purple wedding outfit, with a light purple vest, silver cufflinks with spikes on them, a white and purple top hat, silver dress shoes and an amethyst-topped cane. A huge smile was on his face when he saw Tiara.

"Hello," he said politely, touching the brim of his hat. "You must be Tiara."

"Indeed I am. And you're the lucky groom," Tiara smartly replied. "You're—not what I expected at all."

"Of course—you were expecting a handsome Prince, not a fire-breathing dragon," eyerolled Koopa.

"Holy [bleep]! You're a dragon?"

"Technically, I'm a turtle-dragon hybrid," said Koopa, indicating his freshly-waxed shell. "Look—my point is—I get it. Usually, it's the Prince who marries the Princess after slaying the dragon. But this isn't a fairytale—and don't you think it's about time the dragon got a shot at happiness?"

"Well, that depends," said Tiara. "Are you a good dragon or a bad dragon?"

"I'm kinda—in the middle," said Koopa. "Morally ambiguous, as it were. I take what I want, but I do have standards. For instance—I fired artillery at Bonneton, but I made sure there were as little casualties as possible."

Tiara tilted her head. "I get what you're saying—kinda," she said.

Koopa offered his hand to her. "Come," he said. "We'll talk some more on the way to pick up the bride. Trust me, you'll love her."

"I thought it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," said Tiara.

"I'm not the superstitious type," said Koopa. "I tend to make my own luck."

Tiara slipped her appendage into Koopa's hand, and they walked toward the Captain's Cabin together.

Koopa's fleet then left Bonneton peacefully, now bound for the MK.

Please R&R.