Thanks to Snowflake_Under_Shadows66 for leaving Kudos!

Disclaimer: Mario's Nintendo's property, not mine.

Chapter 28: The Road to Recovery: Part 2

Mario tossed and turned in his blankets, muttering in his sleep as a new dawn slowly emerged onto the Mushroom Kingdom. "Lasagna angel, please come to me. Bless me with your cheesy goodness!" Oddly enough, the plumber always had a weird habit of muttering in his sleep. According to Luigi, he had been doing it since his childhood, but it especially heightened when he discovered the love for Italian food at a local bistro during his teenage years, and the rest was history.

History. That was a touchy subject that Mario was having to deal with. Having to deal with his past has been a struggle for him, even if he started therapy days ago. One of the biggest aspects was coming to terms with what he did; after all, it was his hands that started the war in the first place, and having to get over the imagery associated with Bowser's death wasn't an easy feat. Also, dealing with the criticism that went along with that was also another factor. He had to live in a world where there would be people who would lash out at him for what he did just because Bowser's death had that much of an impact. But if there was a silver lining throughout all this, it was that his hero days were mostly over. Between the upcoming signing of the treaty between the Mushroom Kingdom and Dark Land to officially end the war, that meant that there wouldn't be anymore fighting. No more princesses to rescue. No more Koopas to fight. The kind of future that Mario inherently wished for during his isolation in the mountains would become a reality for him, which was so relieving for him considering he underestimated how much he worked himself down to the bone with all the stress and tension in his muscles that required constant massaging, which his brother happily obliged.

So, at the end of the day, Mario was happy with how everything turned out. Sure, sometimes he wished that he could relive the dream of becoming king, but after all he did, he didn't deserve that kind of role. After all, he still hadn't been punished for his crimes, and Peach was one who kept true to her words, so in the meantime, he would continue with the therapy, but never forget all that he did before he turned violent because even though he would be remembered by all the horrible things he did, he would also be known as a hero who bounced back. That was what mattered in the end.

He yawned as his alarm went off. He turned it off. "Well, time to start breakfast." He quickly got dressed in a black suit with a red tie and put on his hat before heading downstairs, Luigi already cooking breakfast. "Hey, bro. Already cooking breakfast?"

"Yeah." Mario paused. Something about this scene seemed wrong to him. Luigi's gaze wavered as he flipped over the sausages. His body was slouched, and the tone of his voice lacked the energy it normally exemplified during a normal day where Luigi was much cheerful. That without a doubt was because of the war. After the war ended, Luigi had also begun therapy like Mario did, but unlike him, who took it for his anger issues among other things, Luigi turned into more of a depressed state, becoming recluse and spending most of his time in his bedroom for hours on end, and sometimes, Mario could even hear his cries at night. Of course, Mario would try to talk it out with him. It wasn't like their struggles were mutually exclusive, but more often than not, Luigi would turn him away, giving excuses akin to Mario's anger like 'I'm not in the mood.' But Mario had to keep pushing. He knew his boundaries, but while he was glad he got to get him to get therapy, he couldn't see him like this anymore. "Luigi," he said, "Come here." One thing was for sure. He had to have a talk with him like Luigi did with himself all those months ago. The two sat on the couch, Luigi's gaze fixated on the floor. "Look at me." The plumber struggled to do that, but eventually he laid his weary eyes on him, not even moving a muscle as he slouched. "I know the conversations between you and your therapist are private, but I've been seeing you act like this for far too long, so I need you to tell me what's going on. You don't have to-a share specifics, but as your brother, I need to know what's going on."

The plumber struggled to regain his breathing. "Do you know how hard it's been for me?"

"Bro, it's been hard for everyone. I know the struggles that you're going through and-"

"No, you don't! No one does!" Mario sighed. He should've let him speak. Of course he was gonna snap; Mario should've seen that coming, but that was besides the point. Right now, Luigi was holding in these emotions for a long time, and sure, he probably told his therapist some things, but Mario suspected he truly hadn't laid out his feelings like this until now, and what Mario needed to do was to listen and not speak. "Do you know how hard it's been sleeping everyday when all I thought about was that you were about to die?! I thought you were gonna die! My girlfriend had to practically sacrifice herself just so I can survive another day, and we're lucky she even survived at all! Why do you think I went after you in the first place?! Why did you have to start the war in the first place?!"

Mario sighed. He was a fool. While he was focusing on himself, he hadn't even considered how everyone else was feeling, especially his brother since he lived with him. He should've comforted him the first night that he heard the cries, but Mario thought he needed space when the one thing he needed was comfort. "How can I make it up to you? I know saying I'm sorry won't cut it, but I need to know what I can do to help my brother. Please."

"I don't-a know." Mario stood up and hugged him. At this point, all that Mario could offer him was his comfort. Sure, the plumber could try other things, but right now, he needed something that would stick, and showing that he cared was the answer. He couldn't imagine the trauma his brother went through because he thought he was dead, but Mario wasn't going to let him suffer anymore than he already did.

"I truly am sorry, bro. I know what I did was horrible, and if I could do anything to change the past, I could."

Luigi snorted. "Like that would've changed anything."

"Probably not, but I truly am sorry for the pain I caused you. You don't have to forgive me. I mean, Junior doesn't, but I've tried my hardest to bounce back from this. You really think it's been easy for me, too? I may not hear it, but I bet there's still backlash for what I did, but please believe me when I say that I'm trying to do everything I can to show the people I care, including you."

Luigi stayed silent for a while. "It's not like I won't forgive you for what you did. It's just the fact that you almost died, and I felt so powerless trying to rescue you. We had suffered a huge defeat and I thought that all our games were over. It was hard keeping hope. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for my friends, I don't-a know what I would've done. Just promise me one thing, brother." Mario nodded. "Please don't die on me. I can't live without you because I care too much for you, so please promise me that."

"Yes, bro. I promise not to die on you. With the war ending, the likelihood of that happening decreases, but you need solemn words over probability, so I solemnly swear not to die on you anytime soon."

Luigi hugged him. "Thanks, bro."

Mario smiled. "Of course. Anything for my young bro. Come on. Let's go to Peach's Castle. The ceremony's gonna start soon." They walked out of the house with Mario glancing back once more. This truly was the start of a new era.

The Comet Observatory

"And that is how Mario became the hero who bounced back from his failures. Sure, history will remember the horrible things he did, but we'll never forget all the sacrifices he made for his kingdom. That is all for story time. Time for bed, Lumas." They groaned, but exited the Library with squeals of glee as Rosalina flashed a smile at them. She had finished telling the story of Mario's redemption, which was different from the normal story she usually told them of her origin story. Sure, they might've heard that story tons of times, but she loved telling that story not because they loved it, but it served a reminder of how far she had grown despite thinking her parents would be mad at her for leaving, but they weren't. Rosalina's mother was particularly proud of her and hadn't shown any sign of animosity towards her, which gave Rosalina a sense of peace, and that was why she returned to her birth of origin every 100 years for that exact reason.

Lately though, things weren't as easy. As a beholder of the faith as she was, that was a topic she was struggling with. She never had forgotten what happened to her at the battle of Toad Town. In that moment as she was preparing her spell, a ship started to fly towards her and in that moment, she just froze. She froze in fear all because that moment was one she was secretly dreading ever since she received the vision. She prayed every night in secret to the Stars that none of that would come true. She tried everything she could think of, but in the end, nothing worked in her favor as she ended up in a coma. Well, that was probably something she should be thankful for; after all, she didn't die in that battle, but that was besides the point. She never onced wavered in her faith as she did, and it took a near-death experience to realize that, and it was all because she put too much faith in the vision. That was why she started to doubt the power of the Star Spirits, and even knowing the cause for her doubt didn't help dealing with the fact that it happened in the first place.

"That was a beautiful story." Rosalina slightly jumped at the voice. "Forgive me, princess." She glanced at Polari as he entered.

"Polari, I didn't see you there."

"I've been here all along, but I didn't want to disturb your storytelling. You always have a way with your storytelling that lifts your children's spirits, but something about this time seemed different. Your tone lacked the same energy it normally exemplified."

Rosalina sighed. That wasn't a surprise. Polari was always keen to know the smallest details that something was off. "You read me like a book, no pun intended."

"I suggest we talk about it now. I know you've been busy with the restoration efforts down below, but your mental health is important to me, so let's chat for a bit. Tell me what's going on."

She sighed. "To be honest, I don't think I've struggled this much with my faith as I did here. I was terrified with what I saw. I prayed everyday to the Stars that what I saw wasn't true, but in the end it was and I nearly died because of it."

Polari gave her a surprised look. "That's quite surprising to hear. Then again, you did ask for nothing but the truth, and the Stars only did what you told them, but I can understand how traumatizing it must've been for you to see your own death and know it's coming."

She nodded. "Yes. That was the most horrifying part about it. I thought I was gonna die, but I kept believing that I could change the future. But I was wrong. I nearly died in that explosion, and it's a miracle I even survived. I wouldn't know what to do if my children found out I was dead. And it's all because of that dumb vision."

"But princess, the vision is the very reason you're alive now. You've had to know the dangers so the Mushroom Kingdom could have any chance of surviving, and look what happened. It did survive, and it's all because of you. You were part of the reason why. You say you struggled in your faith, but that's not how I see it. You had faith regardless of what the vision showed you because you believed that no matter how gruesome things got, you would make it through the end. You might've not changed the future like you wanted, but it was because you took action that the Mushroom Kingdom stands."

Rosalina scratched her head. She had faith all along? But all this time, she doubted them, the creators, that she would make it through. All that she hoped for was a miracle, but maybe her faith was the miracle all along. She smiled. "Perhaps you might be right. I did go into it expecting many unknowns, but perhaps I did have the faith, but I lost sight of it because I relied too much on the vision." She hugged him. "Thank you, Polari. For everything." She left the room.

He smiled. "I'll always be here for you, my princess."


Peach stood from her balcony as she observed the construction being done in Toad Town, repairing all the houses and other buildings that were destroyed in the war. Other restoration efforts were done in the other places that were affected, so she sent soldiers that she could spare to aid them in their efforts to restore their homes. She had to do something considering they were caught in the crossfire of a war that should've never been started in the first place, but she couldn't reminisce right now when there was so much that needed to be done.

In the past two weeks since the war ended, Peach couldn't help but think about her son. Junior had been through so much in the past few months and she wished she could hug him and give him love, but he needed time to grieve as did everyone else, and she couldn't reach out to him until he was ready. After all, they were gonna be partners and she was ready to show him how to run a kingdom and abandon the old ways of his father, which would be a dramatic change, but she would be here to guide him every step of the way.

"Things have been progressing quite smoothly, haven't they?" She glanced at Toadsworth as he approached her. He had also been through so much the last couple months. For all his life, he had to protect her from all sorts of danger. It was so hard for him to let Peach go, but in the end, he trusted her with her own safety, and that meant a lot to Peach. Being able to protect her people with her own power for once already felt exhilarating just because she didn't have to be a burden, but Toadsworth acknowledging her power gave her even more confidence, and now it was all worth it in the end.

"Yeah," she said. "Restoration efforts are happening all throughout the kingdom, so our resources are quite spread thin, but we're slowly making progress every day. I really do thank you for what you did back at the castle during the raid. It gave me the boost needed to finish this war, and I'm so glad to see you put your trust in me for my own protection."

He nodded. "Yes, though it wasn't easy. I still remember what happened with Valentina, and I wanted to make sure that I upheld her promise to the very end, but it seems I no longer have need for it anymore. You proved you can hold your own, and we're staring at the end result. I put some thought into my own life, and I think I'm gonna permanently retire from the throne. King Edward had asked me many years ago about seeing the world, and I think it's about time I do that. I won't leave with any regrets. The kingdom has been and will be in good hands even without my involvement." He sighed. "I can't wait to just relax for a bit."

"When are you leaving?"

"After the signing of the treaty. But I won't be far. I'll still come around and even visit my grandson. Geez. A grandson in the form of the son of the nefarious Bowser. Who would've thought?"

"Well, I know this is what Bowser would've wanted. He deeply cared about his children. That's one thing I can admire about him."

"Indeed. Well, they should be here soon. I'm gonna head out for a bit." He hugged her. "I'm so proud of you, daughter. I expect many more great things from you in the future." And with that, he left. Peach smiled. The past couple months were some of the craziest months she ever encountered, but it was all worth it. Now it was time for the peace treaty officially ending the war, and from there, who knows what was gonna happen, but she did know the future was gonna be bright.

Thanks for reading. We are one chapter away from finishing this story, and what a wild ride it's been. I hope you look forward to the finale next week.