Notes: for those wondering whether I'll be bringing in the Luigi-centric events of the recent Simon Belmont trailer from the 8/8 Direct into this story… I think the foreshadowing in this chapter will answer that question nicely…
The brothers had decided that all of their friends and allies deserved to know the full story of the prophecy and the Paper timeline, and what was going on—and they even decided that Bowser should be involved. After all, he was the one who had warned them about Ganondorf's plan—and if it would finally dissuade him from trying to marry Peach again, lest the Chaos Heart form and attach itself to Luigi in their timeline, then it would, at least, accomplish something.
Though Luigi had been concerned of what the others would think of him with this brought to light, he was pleasantly surprised to see most of them offering sympathy and understanding after he revealed the truth about the Chaos Heart and the Void. Most of them were convinced that Luigi would find a way to keep his will strong and resist the darkness—and Greninja (in his own tongue, of course, translated by Mewtwo) reminded Luigi that he, despite being part Dark-type, was still a noble fighter and assured him that having dark powers did not make a being evil, but, rather, what the powers were used for were what determined that.
Greninja's words helped a little, but Luigi was preferring to play it safe and avoid using dark magic at all. There had been times during the Brawl tournament that he had felt he had been losing control of the Negative Zone—he could not afford that now.
The conversation soon turned to the subject of what to do about Ganondorf; Peach, Daisy, and Zelda had decided that they would speak with Master Hand first thing in the morning about disqualifying Ganondorf from the tournament—it would, they hoped, mean that he would be sent back in time and space to his era, away from Luigi. But as far as Luigi was concerned, that was only part of the problem; the prophecy itself still worried him greatly. And yet… what could be done? The prophecies were as they were written—the only saving grace was the Light Prognosticus's declaration that Luigi would be the one to decide what came to pass.
So not only have I got all this darkness in me, I have all this pressure, too, he thought, inwardly cringing. Just great…
He kept these thoughts to himself as the topic now turned to getting more help in the fight against Ganondorf. Chrom had already volunteered to join the ranks, and Pit was mulling about reaching out to an old, vampire-hunting friend of his; others volunteered names of friends and allies, as well.
But with nothing else that could possibly be done at that moment, the meeting was then adjourned for the night, with a plan to reconvene the following morning before the exhibition matches started.
Though the fighters were eager to retire to their rooms for the night, Samus was insistent that they take turns keeping watch in case Ridley or Ganondorf returned—though Mario and Luigi would be exempt after everything they'd been through. Mario was about to point out that he did feel fine, but decided that he was better off by his brother's side in case he felt the need to talk again.
As they began to disperse, their thoughts were sidetracked as Pauline ended up joining them now; it was a bit of an unexpected surprise to see her.
"Pauline!" Mario exclaimed. "Are you participating in the tournament?"
"No; I'm not much of a fighter," she said, with a smile. "I'm here to help with the entertainment, actually. But I heard about what happened and wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Well, I'm fine now," Mario promised.
"Glad to hear it," she said. "I need to go practice with the band, but we can talk later. We'll be performing that song I wrote for you!"
She gave a quick greeting to everyone else and went on her way; Captain Falcon, who was close by, had a smirk on his face, and he made a quick crack about "the missus and the ex," prompting eyerolls from most of the others within earshot, and a piercing glare from Peach—and a blank stare from Mario.
"…I don't get it…" he said, genuinely puzzled.
Luigi facepalmed as Falcon now ducked out, and Palutena shook her head.
"Mario, I do believe that Aphrodite herself could get absolutely nowhere with you," she declared.
"…She's the goddess of love, isn't she?" Mario asked. He paused, looking from Peach to where Pauline had been standing. "…Wait, was Falcon trying to imply-?"
"I believe so, but don't let that bother you," Palutena smiled. "And I meant what I said as a compliment. Aphrodite is actually quite nasty."
"…Oh."
She and others bade them goodnight; Mario turned to Luigi and shrugged, and Luigi managed a smile, shrugging back. He was glad that his brother seemed to be acting just as he always did, at any rate.
Despite the hopefulness that the brothers had achieved, Luigi wasn't sure he could sleep—a first for him, given that his ability to sleep quickly and deeply had gotten him and Mario through their Pi'illo Island adventures. Nevertheless, he quietly rested on his bunk as Mario spoke some quiet words of encouragement in both Italian and English until they heard a knock on the door.
"Mario?" Peach asked.
Mario gave his brother's shoulder a gentle squeeze before tiptoeing to the door.
"Hi, Peach," he said, quietly. "Can we talk outside? I think Luigi is finally getting to sleep."
"Oh, of course," Peach whispered back.
Luigi wasn't quite asleep, but he appreciated his brother's intent; he kept his eyes shut, still trying to battle the anxiety-induced insomnia. He could just hear the conversation outside, though he tried not to focus on it, knowing that it was, very likely, a private conversation.
"Are you alright?" Mario asked her. "You were pretty upset earlier. …Not about what Falcon said, I mean—about when you were relieved that I was alive. You… Are you okay?"
"…Alright and okay aren't the words I'd use," Peach admitted. "It's not easy, you know—trying to keep a brave face for everyone when you thought you lost someone you care about very deeply. …I was thinking about so many things—all the things we've been through, and things I should have said… Even how I shouldn't have turned down your marriage proposal…"
Luigi now tried to cover his ears with the pillow; this definitely was a private conversation. He was so focused on trying to block out everything, he failed to notice the Yellow Mite that Ganondorf had been controlling crawling inside beneath the slightly-open window; the Mite had listened in on the meeting, and was now trying to gather even more information.
"Um…" Mario was saying. "I don't want you to feel you have to say 'yes' because of what happened."
"I know," Peach said. "And it's foolish to think that it would have changed anything—I'd have been mourning a fiancé instead of a dear friend…" She paused. "You know, most men wouldn't have bounced back from getting rejected—they wouldn't want to settle being 'just friends' after that, either."
"All I wanted was to be a part of your life—whether as a friend or… something more than that," Mario said. "Just being a part of things… that's all I need."
Peach looked at him for a moment before responding.
"…You did realize why I turned you down?"
"…Eventually," Mario said, sheepishly. "I forgot about the companionship and started focusing on trying to outdo Bowser."
"Yes, that's exactly why," Peach said. "I expected better from you."
"I know…"
"It wasn't easy—because I do love you." Peach paused. "Sometimes, I'm not sure what kind of love it is, but I do know it's real. The pain I felt when I thought I'd lost you forever… That was too real."
"Sometimes I'm not quite sure what kind of love it is, either; Palutena's right about me in that regard—I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to matters of the heart," Mario admitted. "But I am grateful to be a part of your life, regardless of what kind of love it is."
"…Maybe that's also something the both of us can try to figure out—together."
"Si," Mario said, a smile evident on his face from tone of voice alone. "Te amo, mia principessa."
"I love you, too, Mario."
Luigi, despite trying his hardest not to pay attention to them, couldn't help but smile in spite of himself.
"Um, excuse me?" Lucas's voice now came from the corridor as his shadow joined them.
"Hi, Lucas," Peach said, gently.
"Everything alright?" Mario asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine—for now, I guess," Lucas said. "I offered to help stand watch, but I think they think I'm too young."
"Well, that's awfully nice of you, but I think they're right," Mario said. "Ridley and Ganondorf aren't pushovers."
"I know," Lucas said. "But I feel like I should try to help you and Luigi because I've been through something like this before—something that sounded a lot like the story about the Paper world that Luigi was talking about. My brother, Claus… he was brainwashed and turned against me like Paper Luigi was."
"That's terrible!" Mario exclaimed. "How did the two of you resolve things?"
There was a long silence, and Lucas didn't answer, and when Mario spoke again, he sounded absolutely mortified.
"Oh… Mamma mia…"
"Lucas, we're so sorry," Peach said.
"…I'll be alright," Lucas said. "It's just that I don't want what happened to Claus and me to happen to you and Luigi.
"I appreciate that," Mario said, sincerely. "Thank you."
Lucas nodded and went on his way, leaving Mario to sigh.
"I never knew…"
"I imagine that must be impossible for him to talk about," Peach said. "He was probably reminded too much of Claus after hearing about the prophecy."
"I'm sorry I couldn't have helped them then," Mario said. "But I'm definitely not going to let anything happen to Luigi—we just need to stick together and be vigilant!"
"I know you'll do your best."
"Of course I will! Always do!"
"I have no doubts about you looking after Luigi," Peach said. "But make sure you look out for yourself, too. Ganondorf will try again to get to Luigi through you—I don't think Luigi could stand losing you again. …And, honestly, neither could I."
Mario sighed again.
"It's not that I don't believe how serious things got," he admitted. "It's just that I can't remember anything that happened about it—I don't even know if it hurt or anything; it all happened so quickly…"
"But you were… gone for several hours," Peach said. "You don't remember anything?"
"Well, actually, I do remember hearing you and Luigi trying to talk to me, but from far-off… And the next thing I knew, I was waking up at the reactor—I would've thought I was just knocked out all that time if Bowser hadn't told me what really happened. This was a lot harder on you two than it was for me."
"Yes…. Yes, it was," Peach sighed.
Mario thought for a moment.
"Well, the good news is that we'll be more vigilant now—Ridley only got the drop on me because I wasn't expecting it. Now I know Ganondorf's after me, so I'll be ready and waiting to tackle whatever he throws next!"
"And I'll be there to help, too," Peach promised. "Well, I think we'd both better get some rest—the exhibition matches are supposed to start tomorrow, but I wonder if Master Hand will postpone them after all this…"
"It'd be nice to finish up dealing with Ganondorf so we can enjoy the tournament," Mario agreed. "But I guess it isn't up to us."
"Unfortunately not," Peach sighed. "I'll see you in the morning, Mario."
"Goodnight, Peach."
He waited for her to leave before quietly reentering the room he was sharing with Luigi. He crossed to the mirror, absently rubbing his neck. In spite of how hard he tried to remember, he had no memory of those hours he was clinically dead, aside from Luigi and Peach guiding him back to the world of the living.
"Mario?"
"Luigi? Did I wake you, Bro?"
"No—I'm just not sleepy at all," Luigi sighed.
"You need your rest—especially if the exhibition matches are still going to be held tomorrow," Mario gently chided. "…Should I go get Jigglypuff?"
"Maybe you should—I'm getting desperate," Luigi sighed. He paused, looking up at the ceiling. "…I had no idea about Lucas's brother, either."
"Yeah," Mario said, shaking his head.
"…And you're still confident about helping me after hearing about that?"
"C'mon, Luigi—have I ever let you down before?"
Luigi took a moment to ponder over this question.
"…No," he admitted. "You've had my back since day one—literally."
"That's right. You're my little bro; I'll always look out for you."
Luigi managed another smile.
"You know, I don't think I thank you enough for that…" He trailed off, going pale as he stared out the window before diving under the bedcovers. "GHOST!"
Mario whirled around, his hands alight with flame, until he saw just who the white specter hovering outside their window actually was.
"It's alright, Luigi—it's just Cappy!"
"Oh…" Luigi peeked out from under the covers and then faceplanted in his pillow in relief. "Hi, Cappy…" He then scrambled back upright after a moment. "Mamma Mia! Cappy! I forgot that Ridley had taken you…!"
Mario looked to Cappy in concern.
"I'm alright now," Cappy said. "I managed to get away when Bowser knocked Ridley out, but…" He stared at Mario. "I really thought it was over for you, Mario."
"So everyone keeps telling me," Mario sighed. "Can you excuse me for a moment, Cappy? I need to find Jigglypuff."
Cappy nodded and turned to Luigi.
"I should have tried to get away sooner," the spirit admitted. "But I was too scared to move."
"How well I know that feeling…" Luigi sighed.
Cappy looked at him curiously.
"Mario said you're too hard on yourself. You know, when we were traveling together through all of those kingdoms, he had so many stories to tell about you and all the ghosts and monsters you battled."
"Mmh…"
"Mario kept saying that he wished you could be traveling with us," Cappy added. "But you were off on your own adventures—even though he missed you, Mario was so proud to see you go explore on your own."
Luigi did manage a smile.
"I had a great time," he said, but then his smile faded. "But when I heard that Peach had been kidnapped by Bowser for them to get married, and how that would create the Chaos Heart… I knew I had to drop everything and get back to help. But you and Mario had already saved Peach by the time I got back."
"Chaos Heart?"
"…Long story."
Mario now returned with Jigglypuff.
"Hey, Cappy, think you can keep watch so Luigi and I can both rest up for tomorrow?" he asked.
"Sure!" Cappy replied. He returned to the shape of Mario's cap, resting on the back of a chair, his eyes visible as he kept watch.
Mario now reclined on his bunk as Jigglypuff began to sing.
"Goodnight, Little Bro," he said, through a yawn.
"Goodnight, Mario."
At last, both brothers slipped into a peaceful sleep.
And, elsewhere, Ganondorf temporarily severed his psychic connection to the Yellow Mite spying in the room, having no intention of falling victim to Jiggypuff's song. And, anyway, he'd heard enough for now.
Of course, that insufferable Mario found a way to cheat Death. But never mind… The Void sounds similar enough to Subspace, he realized. And the Chaos Heart to my Triforce of Power… I wonder…
Ganondorf hadn't bothered with Subspace since Tabuu's defeat, but now, he had to see for himself if he could travel through time and space via Subspace to help further his plans. The Triforce of Power glowed brightly on the back of his hand, and, at last, after several minutes of concentration, the purple portal appeared in front of him as a cruel smirk also appeared on his face.
Enjoy your sleep while you can, he silently threatened the brothers. I will see to it that, tomorrow, the exhibition matches are an experience you'll never forget.
