Episode IV: Shattered Reflections

A tear rolled from Luigi's azure eyes and splashed into Mushroom Pond. That tear was filled with joyful memories of his older brother when they both lived in Brooklyn a couple of years ago, long before they discovered this fantasy Mushroom Kingdom. He remembered when he used to make breakfast for him…Mario always scolded me when I was late with his breakfast, especially when I used to make his favorite dish: Boiled egg with Pasta meatballs…ugh…why did I even make that for him? He chuckled as that vision lingered and lingered in his mind.

There was another time when they took the most dangerous plumbing job in their carrier. Completing the job gave them a huge reputation boost, proudly earning the title of being 'The best plumbers in New York'. Luigi remembered it as if it happened yesterday…

It was late at night, nine p.m. to be exact. I knocked on the door of the mayor's office while Mario stood behind me. The door began to open slowly. We entered the office as the door shut behind us and walked casually towards the desk. The Mayor's chair was facing the glass wall behind it, and we assumed that he was sitting on it, looking through the glass. We noticed the frightful and gloomy overview of Brooklyn; it was dark it seemed that a black mist surrounded the place. Gleaming streetlights and car-lights were the only entities we could see…police sirens and shattering glass were the only sounds we could hear.

Finally, he turned to face us, and stood up from his chair to shake our gloved hands. For a man in his mid-forties, he was a handsome fellow. He wore a brown tuxedo with a matching cowboy hat, strands of his long golden hair crept out from under the hat. He grinned as he admired us with his kind, green eyes. Going straight into business, he explained that some people were experiencing floods in their bathrooms and there were a few people who claimed that sewer snakes were coming out of the sink. Shocked at the news, Mario and I instantly guessed that the problem was from the main sewer system under the city. The mayor took the blue print of the city's sewer system out of the drawer and slammed it on his desk. Then, he begged us to go down the sewer. My bro and me talked it over, and we finally decided to go and take the risk. We both rushed out of the office, giving each other looks of comfort and determination. We were ready for the job of our lives; blue overalls – check, my green shirt – check, his red shirt – check, power-tool belts – check, combed mustaches – double check. Oh yes! This was the pride of the Mario Brothers at stake, and nothing would stop us from defending that pride!

It didn't take a lot of time to reach the sewers. I climbed down the ladder, and Mario cautiously followed. The splashing of the sewage water echoed around us as we jumped from the ladder. We examined our surroundings but found nothing but rats, dirty water, and an endless tunnel.

Disgusted by the sight, Mario took the blueprint out of his overalls and unfolded it. We pinpointed where the main problem was and started walking, the water swishing and swashing with each step we took. Despite the piped labyrinth we were in, we navigated through the sewers easily; we weren't called plumbers for nothing, you know. We reached the destination at last, and lo and behold - the water valves were wide open, and most of the pipes were severely damaged, for water and steam were seeping from the many cracks implanted on them. We were flabbergasted from the sight – all we did was look at each other and sigh; this was going to be one hell of a job, and I do mean hell literally. Oh well, at least it wasn't as bad as our "Wrecking Crew" days.

We had everything looking ship-shape by four in the morning. Our eyelids were as heavy as rocks. I thought that things couldn't get any worse, until I heard a hissing sound. We looked behind us, and our hearts were pounding from what we saw…

It was a big sewer snake, the biggest snake I had ever seen. Mario took a wrench out of his utility belt and I followed him by taking a plunger out of mine. 'Let's-a go!' Mario yelled his battle cry and attacked it first. It was able to evade Mario's attack and countered by charging at him. I watched him fall back and hit the wall behind him, and then I realized that he was out cold. It was about to bite Mario until I threw the plunger at it like a spear. It connected successfully with its face, cutting off the air it proudly breathed. It slithered around frantically until the plunger came off its face, and now it was looking at me with monstrous, piercing jet-black eyes. I took a screwdriver out of my belt and charged at it. I was able to pierce its rattling tail, but it started attacking me wildly as if it wasn't affected. I managed to evade all its attacks by swiftly running in circles. It almost caught me, but I kicked it forcefully. It fell back hissing in pain, but it wasn't down yet. I dashed at it attempting to finish it off, but I tripped over Mario's unconscious body and fell face first to the ground. Yowling in pain, I turned over and tried to get up, but I wasn't able to move my legs. I crawled back as the snake came nearer, its shadow looming over me, until I was cornered; there was nowhere left to crawl. It gazed at me, sticking its tongue out, determined to bite me to death. I shivered in fear, and knew this would be over soon, until…

'Yahoo!' Mario screamed as he sucker-punched it on the face. The snake hissed and attempted to bite Mario, but he reacted wisely and kicked it in the jaw. Having no effect on it whatsoever, the rampaging reptile took an attack stance, the upper portion of its coiled body slightly going backwards and downwards simultaneously, and it suddenly threw itself at Mario with its mouth wide open. Luckily, my bro extended his arms beforehand and held it back by gripping its neck. Then, with raw strength, Mario threw it to the wall. It slammed hard, screaming in pain. Its hissing voice faded away slowly; having no fight left. Preparing for the finishing blow, Mario took his wrench, held it in two hands, jumped in the air, and banged it on the head.

And that, as they say, was that.

Mario walked towards me and helped me up. 'Where's the Ninja Turtles when you need them?' he said laughing. I smiled and thanked him. He looked at me, smiling back. 'Care for some pizza for breakfast Luigi?' he grinned. 'My treat' I answered. 'Anything for the best brother I've ever had.' He looked at me sarcastically and said, 'I'm the only brother you've ever had.' With all of our body parts aching and shaking, and our clothes wet with rotten polluted sewer water, we climbed out of this God-forsaken maze. We were back in our hometown, our quiet neighborhood to be exact. It's a good thing that our local pizza parlor was open 24/7…we stopped by and ordered an extra large pizza for take-out…with our own custom-made recipe of course: Avocado pizza with tomato-filled crusts! Yumm!

…Those were the good old days. But now, they are nothing but forgotten memories.

Luigi gazed at the cloudy sky of Mushroom Kingdom, wondering if those days would ever come back to life. Another tear rolled out of his azure eyes, a tear that represented his sadness, his loneliness, and rejection. From the first time he and Mario set foot in this magical world, something unknown had kept them apart. Mario was determined to save this kingdom from evil, and this determination still continued.

From the first time Mario saved the Mushroom citizens from the wrath of Bowser the tyrant, Luigi was nothing but a blind follower; he did what he was told without thinking about himself, without suggesting his thoughts. He was a clone that agreed with Mario in every thought and went where he went. This is my entire fault, Luigi thought to himself. I didn't have the determination that he had. High determination was what kept me apart from him, what made him forget about me, and what made the people reject me. He was in deep meditation, planning his future actions, wondering if anyone asked about him.

Sigh, I need to clear my mind of all this. I have to do something soon…

He missed many adventures in his period of absence, and he knew that quite well. He wished that for once that he would have an adventure of his own, a never-ending adventure. He pictured himself punching Boos and stomping on Goombas like what he used to do with his Brother in the old days.

Despite the fact he rarely showed up in Mushroom Kingdom, he was able to accomplish many things in his period of disappearance. Training continuously in his spare time, he was now more swift and powerful than before; he used his weight advantage to jump higher and to move quicker.

He also had time to work on developing his favorite hobby: inventing and designing, which he kept a secret to himself. Even Mario didn't know that he had the 'smarts' to invent something. He had a private workshop, hidden between the trees.

Luigi suddenly stuck his hands into his pocket, extracting an invitation letter. He flipped the letter around for a moment, and then stopped when something caught his attention; the amazing wax letter seal. He brushed his thumb on the seal as he looked closer.

It's a symbol of some sort. It was a circle containing two lines, their cross point sited nearer to the circumference.

No matter. This is my ticket in. I'll have the kingdom respect me again...I'll have Mario respect me again. After I'm done kicking ass in this tournament, I'll be on top of the world!

He decided to calm his nerves by taking a stroll to his workshop. He started walking away from the pond and heading for Bandit's Path. I'll start working on another invention, He said to himself while humming along the way.