Home.
The title would refer to something, or rather, someplace that felt close to the heart. A place where, no matter what kind of state it was in, it would be comforting. What is absurd, however, is that home can come from the vilest places on the planet. That certainly was the case for those who came from the Dark Lands.
Dark Lands.
Void of nature. Void of peace. Void of hope.
For many, the place was detestable; a combination of sounds and smells to heroes that could only mean danger. Crackling pools of lava below broken wooden bridges. Rolling hills of ash. Footprints are engraved in the earth as if it were a warzone. And amongst the tallest hill was a tower that cast the most disturbing of shadows.
And yet somehow, somehow, some people called it home.
From that very castle, despite the discomfort, was a remarkably kind soul. Kind and Dark Lands were never words that stuck well in the same sentence well, yet despite it, his soul was that of kind. And, equally, as humble as he was kind, the soul was a mechanic. He wore his mid-twenties supremely well, some would even call his face boyish. Although, it was hard to make out some of his most distinct features since often, he was knee-deep in oil and grime, working on his latest project in the garage. Most people could pick up who he was, of course, since his brilliant lock of brunette hair was unmistakable, and his rounded nose that sat comfortably in the centre of his oval-shaped skull. That and his height- by golly he was nearly 6 feet tall, whilst everyone barely hit the 3 feet mark. He hardly made face, only appearing with the rest of the citizens for dinner. Other than that, he was simply working hard in his workshop, hyper-fixated on his newest idea.
Oh, and there was one more thing.
Falling backward into his chair, the mechanic stretched his confined limbs which had been locked at 90 degrees for the last hour. His shoulder had been begging him to get on his feet and take a jog around the castle, but he knew that wasn't an option. You see, the castle was on lockdown, but this was a regular practice. The mechanic only knew the story simply, as most people did. Opposite the dark lands was the infamous Mushroom Kingdom, which the mechanic had only heard described by a bluebird since the mention of it around the king was sure enough to warrant a death sentence. However, there was always someone who the king always had his eye on- the monarch from that very kingdom. The only thing the mechanic knew about her was that she was the ruler of that kingdom, and he rightfully concluded it was a queen of some description. The mechanic hadn't heard of why her appearances at the Dark Lands kingdom were so common- but he assumed they were doing important monarch stuff he didn't understand. Yet, annoyingly, these diplomatic meetings were always put to a halt.
The mechanic had never learnt his name- only his stories.
He can make fire come from his fingertips!
Him? He can jump as high as a tower without breaking a sweat!
I heard he launched the king by his tail across the castle!
The mechanic shivered. He was not very keen on meeting this claimed annoyance who kept interrupting the monarch's business. After all- he was a humble mechanic for the castle- h-he had no business in royal affairs.
But, oh well, there was no need to worry. The castle always went on lockdown when he arrived to bring the princess back to the Mushroom Kingdom, and ironically, it let the mechanic work in peace.
But he had already worked for hours- it was usually over by now. He would usually take a stretch by now or- or something.
In his fit of annoyance, the mechanic peeled himself from his chair and trotted over to the bathroom that was attached to the side of the garage. Shoes dragged against the abused concrete, soon becoming silent with the tiled flooring of the bathroom, yet it was crushed again by the drilling of running water. With a firm scoop of water, he splashed his face, soaking his hair and the mask around his eyes to a damp state.
And then- his reflection stared back at him-
His wet, exhausted and stiff reflection.
The mechanic wouldn't say he lived an unhappy life- he had most of his rights as a member of the castle. He was fed well- had a roof over his head, and he often did work for those he had become loyal to but-
His expression crinkled in the mirror, and his shoulders trembled.
He was the only one who looked like, well, him.
Every other being in the castle was some form of Koopa- or goomba- or literally anything other than what he was. He hadn't seen anyone who looked like him- with skin that was soft and fragile, easy to cut rather than the tough exterior of scales. He didn't have spikes or a shell- he was just...him. He supposed that was part of the problem- not even he knew what he was- and anyone he asked couldn't give him an answer. Then again- he didn't know his name- nor his origins- he was just...
Him.
The best he could give himself was a simple letter; L. Buried under the books in his bedside drawer was a very simple, vibrant coloured hat that had simply the letter L on it. The king had told him that it was with him when he found it, and instead of an army code, that was what everyone called him. L himself never wore that very sacred cap- since he was always in such a grimy mess, he always feared that he would stain it- so it stayed safely in his cabinet.
Yet even that hat couldn't explain who he was. Was L his race? His species? He had no clue- that's what everyone called him and that was all the info he had-
L pretended the drama didn't get to him- but every time he saw his masked reflection staring at him in the mirror- he always felt there was some kind of piece of his life he was missing.
When the sound of water hitting tile hit his ears, the mechanic finally snapped out of his senses. Shoot- he really should keep himself together- his gloved hand vigorously turning the nob and pulling the plug to stop the water. Goodness- all this lockdown nonsense was doing his head in. He did like his position- he did! But all this being on his own without the sight of anyone got him thinking- which the king always said was dangerous.
L huffed, his elbows lying on the basin and putting his head in his hands- this lockdown would be over soon enough. He just had to wait until-
BANG
A scream tore through the mechanic's throat, the man jumping high in the air where his back was to the mirror, his frame awkwardly sitting in the sink with one foot on the basin-
...
There was a rustling for a moment, followed by the vague stomping from the other side of the door- a vague sound of a match striking-
L was paralysed- his hands gripping the basin and his shoulders tightened by his shoulders. T-The building was on lockdown- wh-who would be coming into his garage? No one should be about- the lockdowns were always announced over the loudspeaker. And why had they entered with such a horrific sound?
The mechanic peeled himself off the back wall of the mirror, hopping down from the basin and landing with the soft click of his heels. The sound made him cringe- the man standing still for a moment in hopes that the intruder hadn't heard. The rustling around the room outside continued as if nothing had happened- but just to be sure, the mechanic kicked off the back of his heels, his white and red socks now making much quieter steps toward the door-
"Peach? Are you in-a here?"
The mechanic's heart stopped.
Peach? As in- wait- as in...the queen?
Queen Peach?
Wait no-
Surely- s-surely not.
The mechanic was numb to every move he made- his gloved hand taking the knob as carefully as he could- pulling it open so- so carefully-
In the middle of the room- more toward the spot of the mechanic's desk, was someone of similar height to him. His back was facing the bathroom door, but a light illuminated from in front of the man, making his silhouette glow. The only light in the room was previously that of the mechanic's lamp on his desk. But now- in the palm of this man's hand was a small flame, one that highlighted all the mechanic's hard work in blueprints and test machines-
He can make fire come from his fingertips...
The door made no noise, but the gasp that left the mechanic's lips had wholly blown his cover.
In an instant, the man had turned around with a fine stomp, his stance looking as though he was ready to fight. L, in a panic, turned and moved further behind the safety of the door- heartbeat blaring any other noise in the area-
That was him- i-it had to be-
He had never seen anyone in his whole life conquer fire as if he were holding a lamp- and it moved with the very man- t-that was him. God- W-What was he doing in his workshop? W-Was the king dead? Where was the queen?
"Hey!"
The footsteps came toward the door- L felt his head dizzy with panic- the flame shining from the open crack of the door- hurting his eyes as it got closer-
Breathe L- he tried to tell himself, his armoured right hand grabbing the bottle on the belt that ran from his right shoulder to his left hip- holding the thing as if it could cure any disease-
As soon as he saw the door move- the mechanic brought his cape up to his face, covering his mouth and nose with the cloth before throwing the bottle to the ground as hard as he could. Glass shattered in every direction, but no one could see it in comparison to the bright light that suddenly covered every corner of the bathroom-
L kept his eyes squinted tight for a moment- staying completely still until the light had quieted down the usual lighting tone of the bathroom-
...
Hands shaking, the mechanic lowered the cape from his mouth and let it fall over his shoulder, his legs weak at the knees. There was no other noise other than his own laboured breathing- yet it didn't calm his heart- his toes being careful to avoid the pieces of glass as he put his hand to the door- pulling it toward himself slowly-
There- barely a foot away- lying stomach down on the ground- was the very man he had been afraid of for so long- the sworn enemy of his king- defensively lying on the ground unconscious-
L felt tears rim his eyes- and the faintest sense of a laugh came to his throat-
H-He did it-?
He didn't think that would work in all seriousness- Did- w-was the man truly unconscious-? T-The lighting in the room was still awful- he couldn't be 100% sure-
As if testing his luck, the mechanic shifted to one knee next to the man, moving his head to the side-
The man didn't react at all- only something falling off his head to the floor-
If that wasn't unconscious- he didn't know what was-
L suddenly stumbled back up to his feet and backed up against the wall, his hand looking for the light switch. He couldn't keep his eyes off the man- he had never seen him before- W-Well, he couldn't really make out any of his features- but that had to be him- t-that had to be the man that had been putting such a halt to the king's plans? S-Surely it must be- it must be- Excitement flooded every system working in his body- God he hadn't grinned this hard in so long- no more lockdowns- no more of this nonsense with the army getting destroyed- o-oh- what a miracle-
Light flooded the room suddenly, and L had to squint his eyes for a moment before-
Any emotion that the mechanic felt before that very moment was suddenly put to a halt- and L's smile suddenly vanished in a moment-
Lying in the room- with his head slightly gawked to the side- was the same man who had invaded his space beforehand- but...
But-
The mechanic felt numb-
He looked-
The features of the unconscious man were soft- it was a pinkish-white hue, locks of brunette hair in a messy fashion over his face- and a hat of a red colour fallen next to his head-
That-
That was-
L couldn't breathe-
The man looked like him-
Not koopa- not a goomba-
But like him-
If there was ever a moment where reality itself got flipped on its head, this would be the one that trumps them all. Nothing, downright nothing, could have ever prepared what the mechanic saw that very afternoon-
It was a strange feeling of denial where L convinced himself that was he was seeing was a dream- despite the authentic sweat shifting between his gloves- or the numb panic that made his feet sway from side to side- his whole body paralysed but itched the feeling of needing to move-
Barely a foot away from him- was someone who looked awfully like him- both in the sense that their faces had similar features- but also- well- everything! Their anatomy was near identical, with skin and hair instead of scales and fur; quite nearly a perfect match to that of the mechanic's own biology.
There was certainly no question about it-
They were eerily similar-
When he finally caught his bearings and the room stopped spinning, L shifted his hands together and begin taking steps forward from the wall over the strange individual. Was this truly the man that had been inflicting the king's business for so long? S-Surely this couldn't be him. There was no way- he always thought that he would be- you know- big and intimidating! Such a monstrous threat to the very foundation that was the Dark Lands! The king himself was already such a beast of nature- this man certainly couldn't be the person who could take him down- Surely-
Surely-
L's feet picked up the pace, his hands fumbling to the side of his head and dragging them down the side of his face-
Oh, this is all so confusing- h-how and- and why was this look-a-like him just- just roaming around the halls and able to strike fire from his fingers like a match? Surely there is a better explanation-
His foot landed on something soft- the mechanic froze for a moment- thinking he had stepped on the unconscious man. Yet he was very surprised to have trotted on a piece of clothing instead- rather a large at that, just next to the man's head-
Huh-?
Hands falling from his face, the mechanic leaned down and scaped the piece up from below his boot, a rather dusty print laying on the top of it. He was sure to brush it off before raising the whole piece to his face to completely have a look-
It was a- brightly coloured hat- almost painfully vibrant to the eyes, but it had stained grime and mud smeared on the brim. Some of the stitching had come loose along the side and some part of the back had been singed on the rim. Yet most noticeably, undoubtedly, was the emblem stuck to the front of it.
The letter M.
W-What?
The mechanic felt his face pale-
He looked at the hat for a moment- then back at the man on the ground- then back at the hat- then back again- then-
It was so simple- but the burden of it weighed on the heart of the mechanic. Almost instinctively, his eyes wandered over to the bedside table that slept next to his bed, the outline of his very own hat seeming to glow within the drawer-
How did- this man- who looked so similar to him, physically and anatomy-wise, have such a similar hat to him? Was it- Was it common? He had never in his life seen someone else with such a hat as him and this man- only…only just him and this strange look-a-like.
A sickening feeling rose to L's stomach, and his feet wavered behind him-
Why did- Why did this man fit the description of every story he had ever heard about the king's enemy? Why did he have such a hat that was so similar to the one he himself treasured like no tomorrow? Why did he look so similar to him? Why was he unlike anyone he had ever seen except for him?
Who was he-
As fast as his panic jumped from one thought to another, there was suddenly a hand at his chest, and the room blurred around him as a weight slammed him against the wall-
The mechanic screamed, the hat dropping from his hands to the floor and past his feet, which now dangled in the air a few feet off the ground. His hands rose to the hand that pressed against his shirt to the wall- his legs trying to kick himself free- and when he finally looked to who it was- he felt himself shrink-
His contraption hadn't lasted as long as he thought that it would- or maybe it had and more time had passed than he thought it had? Whatever the explanation, the man previously unconscious was suddenly very very awake- now holding him against the wall and pressing against his windpipe to the point where the mechanic's lungs screamed for more air-
"Wait-! Wait- WAIT-!"
The striking of a match shut up the mechanic immediately, that along with the kicking of his flailing legs- the other hand of the man glowing brightly with fire-
It was him-
The man's glare was hard looking at him with daggers that pierced his very soul. Tears were on the brink of L's face, and his mask damped with salt water-
"I-I don't know where t-the queen is-!"
As if that made a difference now- the guy looked like he had a soul to pay to the devil, and he was willing to take anyone to wipe his hands clean of the debt. The man clad in red seemed to scoff as if he had heard the excuse a hundred times over- the fire in the man's palm moved closer to that of the mechanic's face. L shut his eyes as tight as he could- the heat making his skin scream to get away-
But- it lasted hardly a second-
The fire moved back half a centimetre- still close but not enough to burn his face. L opened one eye to test his luck- and he was especially surprised to see the sinister expression of the man with pyrotechnics suddenly turn confused and furrowed. His eyes darted up and down the man's face as if he were searching his features for some kind of answer, a million questions on his mind-
The mechanic cracked open his other eye, and the two of them locked gazes- one brightly blue to the world and the other starkly white behind a mask-
He looked- disturbingly familiar. Rounded eyes- facial hair grown and styled to such a degree and a rounded nose in the front of his face- brunette hair spikey and fluffy on his skull. His jaw was round, and the light of the fire bounced around the many curves of his face.
L's shoulders loosened, yet his eyes were still wide-
He looked even more similar face to face- almost as if L was looking in a distorted mirror with various features just slightly changed- looking at him with such a puzzled expression. The man's face was more accusatory of an inspection, but he was sure by his expression that he was equally as confused-
"MARIO!"
Reality suddenly seemed to kick the both of them in the teeth, as if waking up from a daydream. The man clad in red seemed at a crossroads, looking back at the door that he had entered the room into, and where the feminine voice had called from within the halls. In as fast of a moment, he looked back at the strangling mechanic, L's panic-ridden tears no longer still producing, but the liquid dripping from his mask-
…
The fire extinguished from the man's hand and a fist suddenly came to the mechanic's chest. Air flew out of L's lungs, not helped but how he was thrown onto the ground nearly a moment later. Clutching his chest to regain the air lost from his lungs- L looked up vaguely to see the silhouette of the man running out of the workshop and in the direction of where the voice came from-
But it was only for a moment, since in the next minute, the mechanic's brain clocked out, and he lay unconscious on the workshop floor from the situation.