Chapter 7

Finality and Ending

The mushroom children screamed. Powser merely laughed. Peach froze, and even Daisy couldn't do much. "Who's next?" Powser's eyes glinted.

Suddenly, a fiery bolt hit his snout. "NO!"

He glared at the Mario brothers, who had just wriggled out from their protective blue shells. The mushroom children cheered. The shells were cracked terribly, but they had done their duty for now. Bowser's own shell was falling apart, but he too was able to avoid a worse hit. He huffed beside the brothers.

"Leave it to us, Bowser. Take a break or something," Mario insisted.

"Bah! I don't need your pity!" Bowser replied stubbornly.

Powser took a step back, inhaling a deep breath. Their shells would not hold up for what was about to happen. Suddenly, Bowser leapt forward with acrobatics unexpected from the large koopa. He sunk his claws into his father's feet, causing the bigger koopa to lose balance and fall backwards onto his shell, his flames flying up in a geyser rather than at the targets again.

The brothers sprang into action, jumping up on top of the downed koopa and slamming their open palms into his snout, magic shining. With a tremble and a blink, Powser was down to his original size. And he was crumbling beneath them. Kammy's magic was holding the revived beast together. Now that it was gone, Powser would fall apart himself.

"I'm sorry, father…" Bowser closed his eyes and turned away.

That was as much of a blessing the brothers would get to finally end this battle once and for all. With another burst of thunder and fire, Powser was nothing but dust.

.

The victory distracted Luigi a little bit, but he began to shudder again and wrenched the bracelet from his wrist, nearly throwing it at Toad. "G-Green Thunder, huh…"

"Luigi…" Mario put a hand on his shoulder.

Luigi shook his head and left his grasp. He walked out of the castle. Daisy was about to follow, but Mario held her back. "You've done enough," he growled.

"Take it easy, Mario," Peach warned him.

Daisy crossed her arms. "I get it. I messed up. But maybe we shouldn't be keeping things from him anyway."

"You still say he needs to know what he's capable of? There are more ways! Like that battle just now!"

"No. I mean Luigi has a right to know. We can't keep secrets. It makes things uncomfortable… it makes conversations dodgy… it makes us afraid to do anything…" She sighed. "I'm saying… maybe it's for the best that he knows."

"Besides," Peach agreed, "It wasn't Luigi. Not really, anyway."

Mario sighed. He looked at Daisy and nodded. Then said, "You know, you're never this easy on me when I mess up."

Daisy shrugged.

She didn't deny it.

Mario smiled and went after his brother.

.

The green brother was feeding the doubts in his mind when he came across Kammy Koopa. "Well, well… I hear you're quite the hero, Luigi," she smiled slyly.

Luigi readied himself. "Wh-What do you want?"

"The force with which you destroyed my king… That was a bit reminiscent of a certain force you used against someone else, wasn't it?"

"L-Leave me alone."

Kammy smiled wider. "Tell me, Luigi… how did it feel being the front man for once?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mr. L was no minion, Luigi… He was a big bad, so to speak. You were living in no shadows."

Luigi grimaced.

"And, I'm sure Mr. L enjoyed it… very much… Or should I say… you did. Shedding your inhibitions… being what you were meant to be… Fighting back… fighting against the one that cast that shadow you've been in for so long."

Luigi's fists tightened.

"When Bowser was my liege, I was content being the sidekick… but maybe… that isn't you."

"I'm not a villain!"

"How do you know? How do you know Mr. L isn't who you truly are?"

Luigi froze.

"Don't listen to her, Weeg," a voice came behind him.

"M-Mario?" the green-clad hero turned.

"She's trying to mess with you."

"Mario… I…"

"What you did wasn't you, Luigi. You hear me?"

Luigi closed his eyes and clenched his fists again. "But if I can be so easily manipulated…"

"Anyone can!"

"Oh yes… anyone…" Kammy looked at Mario and smiled. "Except the great hero of the mushroom kingdom, right, Red-Cap?"

"Stay out of my brother's head, witch!"

She laughed. "I'm sure yours would be more amusing anyway, Super Mario."

Mario advanced on her, but she held up her hands in a mock surrender.

"Oh, I don't intend to do anything now. But we'll meet again soon enough." With that, she flew off on her broom.

Luigi gave Mario a mournful look.

Mario shook his head and placed both hands on his shoulders. "You're not bringing into account something very important, Luigi."

"What?"

"Which side won. The prophecies kept saying that the man in green would be the deciding factor. Luigi… your goodness won out in the end. Like Tippi said… 'Nothing is decided entirely by fate. All things decide their destinies.' You decided yours, Luigi. You decided love over chaos. You decided good over evil. You decided Luigi over Mr. L."

Luigi's eyes flicked away, but then returned to his brother's. "I guess… I guess you're right, bro." His brow furrowed back into a worried expression. "But… if I hurt you…"

"Luigi," Mario stopped him. "I'm a hero. It's part of the job. Bad-guys are going to fight me. And, if my little brother happens to be controlled by an evil hypnotist, well… just another battle won. I'm more relieved that I didn't do any more harm to you."

Luigi smiled slightly. "But apparently I can hold my own."

Mario laughed and clapped him on the shoulders. "That's my little bro for ya! The powerful Green Thunder!" He wrapped an arm around him, and they walked to their repaired home. "And how about that Green Thunder versus Powser! You certainly paid him back for that poison shroom years ago!"

Luigi smiled sheepishly. "It was a team effort."

"Sure, but I wouldn't ask for another teammate…"

"Not even Bowser?" Luigi grinned.

Mario chuckled. "I guess he's going to be sticking around for awhile, huh?"

.

Bowser would always be loyal to the Mushroom Kingdom, but he still had his castle and ruled over his minions. Kammy had no control over him anymore. Loyalty won out. Goodness won out. And Bowser was certain he made the right choice.

Luigi would never stop fearing what could've happened as Mr. L, but Mario made the most important point. Luigi has his own control over himself. Love won out. Goodness won out. And Luigi was certain his biggest fear would never come about again.