"Umm...Rosalina?" Luigi asked, sweat pouring down his brow.
"Yes?" She smiled brightly.
"Can you please let go of my hand?" Luigi swallowed heavily. He never thought that he would say those words, yet as he was led to the kitchen, he noticed that Rosalina had only increased her grip on his hand.
"Oh? But what if I like holding your hand?" The brightness of her smile never dimmed.
"But I can't feel it anymore..." Luigi cried comically.
"Oh? Like how you didn't feel any guilt about walking into a woman's room?" Her smile faded, revealing a dark silhouette of her face. Luigi felt like screaming out in pain, but somehow refrained from doing so as he felt her break his hand.
"W-w-well I-I-I d-didn't m-mean t-t-to." Luigi knew that his hand had snapped. No doubt about it. He was sure that if she ever let go of his now broken hand, he'd see that the glove was stained red. A Luma floated in front of Rosalina, watching sadly as it saw Luigi in pain. Turning back to the man, she found Luigi to be staring at the Keyblade. Sighing, she let go of his hand, turning around to face him full-on.
"Luigi, surely you're not THAT down...The Star Spirits said that they would help you find your treasured ones, so there's nothing to worry about, yes?" Luigi stared at the weapon in his other hand, his eyebrows narrowing.
"I don't even know what to do..." He sighed once more. "There's just been so much going on, I can't even think straight..."
"Well, then we'd better get you something to eat, so you can think clearly." Rosalina said smiling as Luigi looked back to her. She was smiling at him, but it didn't feel like the smile from earlier. It didn't give him the feeling like she was ready to beat him upside the head at a moment's notice. "After all, once the Star Spirits find out what to do next, you'll no doubt be off to search for them. So let's whip you up a good meal~!"
No...this smile felt genuine, like she really meant it. Luigi then noticed that his hand, which he was sure was broken, was completely healed, glove cleaned and all. Leading him into the kitchen, the Lumas were soon floating around, helping their momma make something delicious for the funny guy from before. The last time he was here, he would play with the Lumas and even make treats for them, as he was a pretty good cook. As he was watching Rosalina and her children make the meal, he felt a warmth swell in his chest. He smiled as a Luma munched on a Star-Bit cupcake.
This was nice...it kind of felt like...
"Home..." Luigi smiled, relaxing in the energetic atmosphere of the Lumas and their Momma.
A small orange-capped toad looked up to the sky, the stars slowly appearing as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. In his hands he held a bucket of water, its contents slightly moving back and forth. Returning to a small, slightly damaged house, he put the bucket of water down near a small bed. He grabbed a nearby rag and dipped it into the cool water, placing it on a small orange-capped Toad girl's head, her face pale. Her breathing was erratic and heavy, though it calmed slightly as the wet rag cooled her head.
"Don't worry Lily, soon you'll be running around just like always." The boy said clasping the small girl's hand. She smiled to her older brother, nodding slightly. Standing up, he returned outside. "I'm off again mom!" He said waving to an older yellow-capped toad.
"Take care Todd!" She said to the retreating form of her son. She sighed as he disappeared, turning back to the frail girl lying in bed. "Star Spirits...watch over them..." She prayed.
The young Toadstool slowed to a walk as he followed the trail to town.
Newsong, a town just a little to the east of Toad Town. It wasn't hit quite as hard as Toad Town was, but it still took quite a bit of damage from the invasion of the black creatures. Todd had lived there for only a little while, maybe a year or two. He didn't have a lot of friends, but he had his family.
His little sister, Lily, was severely ill from a disease that he had little knowledge about. Something about the lungs and a rapidly rising body temperature. His father moved the family to Newsong because of the fresh air, people and job opportunities, but mostly in the hopes that the fresh air would be able to help his daughter recover from her illness. His mother planted with a girl named Minh T. a lot, making both Toad Town and Newsong beautiful places to live. She had quickly gained popularity on the Town's committee with her bright smile and her upbeat attitude. His father worked as a Border Guard for the nearby Toll Road between Koopa Village and Toad Town, though he was now helping Newsong and Toad Town with repairs.
As Todd entered the town, he watched as the other residents continued to try and recover from the devastation of the attack. He saw a Palace Guard giving out orders, scribbling things down on a pad of paper. Numerous Toads ran up to him, talking to him for only a few moments before they ran off again. A faint voice caught his attention, and turning, Todd saw a destroyed house. His eyes widened as he heard the faint cry for help once more. He rushed over to the house, seeing a giant boulder had crashed through the roof. Focusing energy into his fist, Todd shouted, smashing the boulder into pieces. He smiled as a trap door was revealed to beneath the rock. It opened up before three Toads stumbled out. The three fell to the ground in front of him, ragged and starved. Todd shouted to the townspeople that he needed food and water.
One of the things that he liked about Newsong and Toad Town is that they had their own respected Dojo's. Toad Town had two students who lived with 'The Master' while Newsong had an old Monty Mole who could really knock your block off. Todd had been training for four years at the Dojo from his last hometown, and he had already climbed the ranks of Newsong's Dojo.
As the three were carried away to the infirmary, Todd took a deep breath. He vowed he would get revenge on the monsters that attacked Toad Town and Newsong, and he would also find a way to heal his sister.
"This is a problem..." Eldstar said, looking around the large round table. The other Star Sprits nodded in agreement. "Princess Peach has gone missing, her only whereabouts having been known three days ago. Even worse..." The Star Spirits turned to look at the shining blue shard at the center of the table. "The Royal Brooch, a replica of The Seal, has been shattered."
"But, wait..." Klevar said, clutching his book. "Luigi had said that the Heartless were the ones that attacked Toad Town...but, if The Seal is still in its resting place, how could they have surfaced?"
"I do not know...but I have a bad feeling about all of this." Eldstar said, watching the shard in worry.
"Eldstar...what if the door...what if something happened to it?" Skolar said, turning to the wisest star. The aged star's eyes widened.
"The Door to the End...it's possible...if something happened to it...or perhaps The Seal..."
"So...are we gonna do what I think we're gonna do?" Muskular asked, hinting at the door to the room they were currently talking in.
The decision weighed heavily in the air.
"Huh? Why's everyone so quiet?"
The Star Spirits turned to the hinted door, Luigi and Rosalina having walked into the room.
"Is everything all right?" Rosalina spoke, noticing the tension.
"Yeah! You guys look like you're going to be sending someone to his grave! Hahaha!" Luigi laughed, his mood having increased greatly since eating. Rosalina noticed the gloomy atmosphere in the room, and how all the star spirits were looking sadly at Luigi.
'Uh-oh...'
"A Door?" Luigi asked, sitting down once more.
"Yes...It is a special door, one that might explain the appearance of the Heartless."
Luigi tilted his head in confusion at the name.
"The black creatures." Skolar explained.
"Ah." Luigi nodded his head, crossing his arms. "So you want ME to find this door?" The Star Spirits shook their heads.
"No. We know where the door is...it is in a very special place. We would like you to go to it and then contact us with this." Kalmar lifted his arm, the blue crystal shard floating back over to Luigi.
"The shard? But, I thought it was part of Princess Peach's brooch..." Luigi asked, looking from the shard in his hand to the Star Spirits.
"The Royal Brooch has been a special heirloom of the Royal Family for millennia, but along with it there was a special replica created. This replica is a source of infinite light and it has kept the Heartless at bay for thousands of years. But with it broken, the heartless are able to freely roam about the Mushroom world. And now..."
"And now..." Luigi held back a gulp.
"And now, the Heartless are already on the surface world. Something has happened to the Door to the End, and we must ask you to find out what happened. If it is as we fear, then the world may be doomed as we know it."
Luigi began to pale.
"Luigi, Mario has gone missing. We have no idea where he is or how to contact him. So the only thing we can do is send YOU to The Door to the End. From there, we will decide what to do next."
"So, um...where IS this, Door to the End?" Luigi asked, trying to keep his good mood around for a few moments longer.
"Who'da thought that a special door was right under our noses?" Luigi mused, staring once more at the cracked platform on Star Summit. "Though I probably should've expected this..." Luigi looked over his new outfit, amazed at how comfortable it was. "And who would have thought that Rosalina was such a good seamstress?" He said aloud, contemplating the events that had transpired before he returned to the summit.
Luigi stood before the Gateway to the Mushroom Kingdom, still nervous about what he was going to be doing. He knew it wasn't going to be easy. Even worse, the smile that Eldstar gave him as he was leaving wasn't a "You'll be fine" kind of smile. It was a, "I hope you don't die" kind of smile.
WHO WOULD JOKE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?
"Luigi..." A voice spoke up, causing the distraught plumber to jump in surprise.
"H-huh? Oh!" Luigi turned around to see Rosalina standing behind him, holding some clothes and a large leather pouch with multiple compartments. "Wh-what's this?" He asked as Rosalina handed him the apparel.
"Something to help you on your journey. I knew from the day we met that you would be going on an adventure of your own soon, so..." A light blush crept across her face. "I, w-well, um...G-good luck!" With that, the blonde woman rushed off to another part of the observatory, leaving the tall plumber to wonder what had just transpired.
Luigi blinked as he looked down at the clothes. Setting them lightly on the ground, Luigi found a Cerulean T-shirt, Silver shorts with a Star belt, some new shoes and...
"Oh wow." He stated, lifting up a flannel-like shirt that had a black, wave-like pattern on the sleeves, a black spike-like pattern on the bottom half of the shirt and a green 1-Up Mushroom on the back. It looked like a lot of work was put into making the outfit.
"Lady Rosalina put much work into those clothes, and even blessed them with Star Power. She also made an Adventurer's Pouch so you can hold numerous items as you go on your journey." Polari said floating over to Luigi. "She poked herself with the needle I don't know HOW many times." The elder Luma sighed. "She's not used to making clothes, the Lumas having no need for such things. The only clothes she's ever made are her own, so her sewing skills are lacking a bit...but know that these clothes were made with care. DON'T LOSE THEM." Polari glared sternly at Luigi, the plumber nodding meekly.
Luigi smiled as he pulled out the crystal shard and held it up. The shard gleamed brightly before a low rumbling sound came from the cracked platform, the ground giving in to reveal a spiral staircase going deep into the mountain. Luigi took a deep breath before taking his first step into the abyss.