A/N: UPDATE- I'm going to make it my goal to continue updating this fanfiction every Monday up until August 28th which is when I go back to school. And because I'll be more busy with work this year, the story will either be posted inconsistently, or on hiatus. I'll explain more in detail about this in a future upload.

Now for today, fair warning: the middle of this chapter is somewhat dark. Nothing too horrific or explicit that would make this M rated, but I would consider it unanticipated, for the characters that is.

Disclaimer: I only take credit for my OCs and the plot. You know the rest.

Chapter 31: Sudden Breakdown

It took a solid ten minutes for Luigi to refocus on what he was doing in the first place: showering. He lathered his hair and body after contemplating his awful nightmare in the tub. Once he got out, he dried himself and brushed his teeth, as per usual for his morning hygienic routine. He came out of the bathroom wearing his new set of clothes; it was his typical plumber outfit except with a short-sleeved green T-shirt since Mario recommended the apparel. He returned to his bedroom to put on his green hat and brown boots before he headed downstairs.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw his older brother sitting at the kitchen table. Mario was already halfway done with his meal while Colombo was gnawing on a golden bone in the corner. It wasn't a special breakfast like before; just two simple bowls of milk and cereal with a plate of toast topped with Jammin' Jelly and some orange juice.

But Luigi couldn't care less about food. Today was another big day for the heroes as they continue their quest to track down the remaining Dark Moon pieces. They also have to figure out how to stop Myster Edge from creating the Oblivion, but that requires taking back the five Chaos Emeralds he has in his possession. Right now, that issue is technically the main priority, but they were not in favor of winning back those collectibles.

Mario, Luigi, Sonic, and Tails were a dynamic, cooperative dream team; when working together, these guys can do almost anything! But when you pit them against a mysterious, yet dangerous, entity with five very powerful objects versus the two they have, chances are the opposing side with the disadvantage, the heroes in this case, isn't going to win. That's almost guaranteed based off the physical damage and chaos he caused to Luigi and his friends. Edge was still on the hunt for the green and yellow jewels they have kept. Having them fall into the wrong hands would put the worlds on the brink of extinction. And that wasn't an option. Now wasn't the time to overcome the villain's tyranny. They must become more powerful than Edge. But how?

"Luigi, what are you doing?"

The green clad man shook his head and went back to reality when he heard his brother calling him.

"Sorry, Mario. I was daydreaming," he partially told the truth.

Mario was unsure of his response. "If that's what's up, okay then."

He sat in the other chair across from Mario. He swirled his cereal in the milk before eating a spoonful. He didn't say a word at all, creating some awkward silence between the brothers.

Mario took a bite of toast before speaking up. "Princess Peach called me while you were in the bathroom. She said that Sonic and Tails will be waiting for us while the girls go shopping. She also allowed us to use the Mushroom Copter again. Oh, and we got to get to the castle by 10:00."

Luigi looked at the wall clock: 9:28 a.m. He silently nodded and resumed mixing his breakfast while resting his head on his other hand. Mario could easily tell something was wrong with Luigi. Whatever he dreamt of must have scarred him in some way. But he wondered what it could be since he refused to tell him. He tried to ask him again.

"Luigi, are you okay?"

He looked up without moving his head. "I'm fine, bro."

"You don't look fine to me. What's the matter? Did you have another bad dream or something?"

"I knew he's gonna keep asking me until I confess. But, how is he going to react, if I tell him? Should I still keep it to myself?" he contemplated.

"Luigi?" Mario started to get impatient.

The man in green sighed. "It's nothing, Mario. I'm just… not hungry."

"Weege, you need to eat your breakfast. You're not going to have energy for today. We still have to find those Dark Moon pieces and eventually prevent Edge from getting rid of all worlds and ruling the universe. We have to be prepared as usual. Besides, I think you're lying to me."

Even though Mario's accusation was true, Luigi was getting a bit fed up from him. But he did his best to refrain from yelling in his face. "I don't want to start another fight with him, especially not after the last one in the clinic. Mamma Mia, I still get chills from that."

Mario closed his eyes and shook his head. He temporarily removed his hat to wipe some sweat off his forehead. "I'm just going to say this once, fratello. If you're not comfortable explaining it to me now, at some point you're gonna have to tell me eventually. But just know that I'm willing to help you in any way whenever you feel upset or stressed out. I'm never going to leave your side, bro. Just like you never left me."

Luigi gulped. After he listened to him, he took his sibling's words to heart. A part of him wanted to cry knowing that Mario was there for him. It was almost in the same way when he showed his emotions and brotherly love to Mario in Dream's Deep when his dreamy counterpart was lost. (1) But it was one of those heartfelt moments where they realize that either one would be incomplete without the other by their side. One half needed the other, to stick as brothers until the end.

He didn't smile, but he at least appreciated his support. "Thanks, Mario," he whispered softly.

Mario heard him and responded back. "You're welcome, Luigi."

It was 9:40 by the time they finished their breakfast. After placing the dishes in the sink, they walked out the front door with Colombo following them. They locked up the house and proceeded down the pipe to make haste towards Peach's Castle.

Location: Toad Town

Outside the pink and white palace, Sonic, Tails, Amy, Blaze, Rouge, Cream, and Cheese arrived from the Mushroom Warp Pipe and greeted Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, and Toadsworth who were waiting on the bridge.

"Hello, your majesties!" Cream bowed to the royal rulers. "Ready to go shopping today?"

"Chao Chao!" Cheese replied eagerly.

"I'm ready to go, Cream," beamed Peach. "How about the others?"

"I'm so ready! Do you girls know any good spa places around here?" Amy asked.

"My cruiser features a luxurious, five-star experience for all guests, but it's back in Sarasaland and that's very far from here," boasted Daisy.

"Which is why we'll be going to the Mushroom City Mall today. I've been to this place only a few times, but the service is fantastic!" explained Peach.

"What do they offer?" wondered Blaze.

"Oh, plenty of treatments and amenities! They feature cucumber facials, hot stone massages, hair washes, a fabulous whirlpool, private saunas, and many more!"

"I could be down for a soothing facial," Rouge pondered. "And maybe after that, I could chill in the sauna. My back is killing me right now!"

"Probably from trying to find jewels to steal rather than find our friends or the Emeralds," grumbled Sonic, holding his blue life jacket.

"Oh, Blue. You're just upset because you won't be able to join us," the seductive bat winked.

"That's not what I'm upset about, for your information."

"Then what is the matter, Master Sonic?" Toadsworth asked.

"We're going to Sparkling Waters to find the next Dark Moon piece," Tails answered. "And because that place is water-based…"

"I appreciate the explanation, but you better stop right there. I don't need to feel more uncomfortable at this point," the blue hedgehog ordered.

"I should remind you that you could have opted out and let Tails, Mario, and Luigi take care of this part of the quest," sassed Amy.

"But you threatened me with your freaking hammer!"

"You easily outran me with your speed!"

"I wasn't going to take the chance to get knocked up by you!"

"Guys, stop! I've already heard enough from you two back at the lab last night. We don't need this useless banter right now!" complained Tails.

Sonic sighed. "Sorry, bud."

"Yeah, sorry, Tails," Amy apologized.

"Where's Mario and Luigi? Are they running late?"

"I presume they should be arriving shortly, Master Tails. The princess called them to meet us here at ten o'clock." Toadsworth took a second to pull out his pocket watch. "It is currently 9:57 a.m. They may not be punctual, but I expect the two to appear any minute soon."

The group continued to enjoy some friendly talk while they waited for Mario and Luigi. By the time it was ten in the morning, a large bell chimed throughout the kingdom. The brothers reached the castle when the brass clapper struck it for the tenth time.

"Oh, there they are!" Cream pointed out.

The red and green plumbers and the Polterpup approached the large crowd in front of the castle. Mario and Colombo seemed happy to see everyone again, but Luigi was indifferent. Truthfully, he thought it was nice to see some of their Mobian friends again, save for Sonic and Tails. However, he could not withstand replaying the ordeal in his head over again. He expressed a neutral face, not a smile nor a frown was shown below his mustache.

"Glad you guys made it here!" greeted Peach. "You going to be okay in Sparkling Waters?"

"We'll do our best, Peach. You girls have fun on… whatever you're doing," replied Mario.

Peach giggled. But when she turned to Luigi, she noticed how distressed he looked.

"Luigi, is something wrong?"

He looked up when he heard her question. Instead of responding though, he looked around to see the other girls, as well as Sonic, Tails, and Toadsworth staring at him. Having all those eyes gazing in his direction made him uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that he started to lose consciousness, as well as his balance. His legs wobbled and started to fall back.

"Luigi!" Mario was there to catch him before he had a chance to land on the ground.

Daisy slowly walked up to her lover. "Luigi. Luigi, can you hear me?" she waved her hand in front of him.

Luigi took a glance at the flower princess. But as soon as he did, his vision flashed and the scenery changed around him. It was the exact scene in his nightmare, where the kingdom was terrorized by Edge and his friends were trapped. Only this time, he saw Edge causing each and every one of his friends to suffocate in their prison. Seconds later, all the bodies were limp and lifeless.

Without a warning, Luigi screamed at the top of his lungs. He startled everyone around him, including Mario who let him go. When he did that, Luigi fell onto his bottom and started scuttling backwards away from the group. They stared at him wide-eyed as if he was going crazy.

Mario ran up to him and shook his shoulders.

"Luigi! Luigi, snap out of it!"

Since it wasn't working, he tried snapping his fingers, waving his hands in front his scared, blue eyes, but nothing stopped him from continuing his episode. At one point, Mario, regrettably, slapped him across his cheek. He cringed to even think about hurting his younger bro, but what other options did he have?

Surprisingly, it seemed to work. Luigi blinked several times repeatedly. His vision started to come back to normal as he stared at Mario with the background being a clear sky of blue instead of a hellish red. However, it only lasted a couple seconds. The green man then covered his face in fear and shrieked again. The reason? He could have sworn he saw someone behind his brother. Someone with yellow eyes glaring into his soul.

"Luigi! Luigi!"

Mario kept calling his name. Daisy, Sonic, Tails, and the others tried to help him out of his phase, but to no avail. They huddled around the younger brother as they watched him remain on the ground as he cowered, isolating himself from everyone. He shuddered and still hid his face as he couldn't bear to look at anything. And moments later, he bawled. Tears starting to flow down his face as he couldn't handle the stress. Although it seemed embarrassing for a middle-aged man to cry, Luigi was too mentally disturbed to even care about what he was doing. He had a reason, or plenty of them, on why he was suffering. Nonetheless, he hurriedly got up on his feet and ran away. Despite the pleads from his friends, he ignored them as he sprinted towards the southern path.

Silence roamed in the kingdom as the party was in a mix of emotions: shock, sympathy, and bewilderment. They were shocked by his sudden outburst, and felt sorry that he's going through a mental breakdown. That brings up the bewildered part; what was the cause of this unexpected event?

"Mario, what just happened to Luigi? Is he alright?" asked Sonic.

Mario wished he knew and he hoped the answer to the second question was 'yes'. But it sure didn't seem to fit the bill. And yet, he still doesn't know the direct reason why Luigi was feeling this way.

He hesitantly answered, "I… I don't know. I'm gonna go find him."

"Do you want us to come with you, Mario?" offered Tails.

"Thanks, Tails. But maybe I should do this alone."

"Please, Mario. I care about Luigi as much as you do. He's one of my best friends, after all."

The red plumber sighed, but accepted the help. "Okay then. Princess, can I have the keys to the helicopter, please? It probably would be faster to search for him while flying."

Peach nodded in understanding. "Toadsworth has them with him. He'll escort you over there again."

"Good luck finding him, guys," said a worried Amy.

"Thanks. We're going to need it."

"This way, sirs."

Toadsworth led Mario, Sonic, Tails, and Colombo to the castle helipad. The girls all looked at each other with concerned faces.

"You think they'll find him soon?" questioned Blaze.

"I can only hope so," yearned Daisy.

"Should we cancel our day off?" Rouge wondered.

"I still have some shopping to do. We can go to the spa if you would like. Maybe we can relieve some tension after what went down," considered Peach.

"I wouldn't mind. But I do wish they can find Mr. Luigi and save the others soon. I'm so scared to see him like this," Cream sulked as she hugged Cheese.

The seven slowly trotted to the train station that would take them to Mushroom City. Their minds were still pinned to their green friend and his abrupt collapse. They could only wish he would recover as soon as possible, alongside the others in finding him before things could get even worse.

Tails, Sonic, Mario, and Colombo quickly boarded the Mushroom Copter and took to the skies to find Luigi. They searched carefully throughout the kingdom with Mario steering the vehicle and reading the electronic map while the others used binoculars to see the town from high above. With no luck, Sonic took a minute to speak with Mario. He walked over to the pilot's seat and stood behind him.

"Any sign of him?"

Mario shook his head miserably. "No. I haven't seen him yet."

Sonic sat in the other seat where Luigi should have been. "Do you what happened to him?"

Not being able to focus, he flipped a switch to autopilot as the helicopter flew on its own. The map continued to track any indications of his missing brother.

"From what I know, this morning I woke up early to prepare for today. I was going to wake him up for breakfast until I heard some noises. It wasn't anything paranormal though. I think he was stirring in his sleep."

"So he had a nightmare?"

"It seems logical. He has been prone to having bad dreams, especially during our vacation in Pi'illo Island."

"What was it about?"

Mario leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Hell if I know. He didn't want to tell me. I tried to do anything to help or get him to spill the beans. But he resisted, so I don't know what he dreamt about that made him so afraid."

"Do you think it could be Edge's doing? Could he have manipulated another bad dream for him to suffer from?"

"That's a possibility, yet I think it was just pure chance he dreamed of it on his own."

"Well, you never know for sure."

"I can only if he would tell me. That is, if we find him before he does something we'll both regret."

Sonic leaned forward with a serious look. "Don't worry, Mario. We'll make sure he's alright."

Mario closed his eyes and nodded. He turned back to the control panel and switched the autopilot off. He resumed his search to find his younger brother. Sonic sympathetically stared at him before he sighed and sat next to Tails and Colombo who remained searching out the large window.

"Is Mario alright?" the kitsune whispered without shifting his gaze.

"Nope. He's distraught. I feel so useless for not helping him."

Colombo whimpered as he nudged his head in Sonic's lap. The hedgehog calmly petted him.

"There are things that we're able to do, and some things that we can't. At least you tried to make him feel better. But given the situation he's in, it's understandable why he feels that way." He finally took his eyes away from his binoculars. "Just give him some time alone. He probably needs it."

"I guess so."

Sonic rotated his head again to look at Mario again. Although he could only see the back of his head, he could picture the look on his face. One full of frustration and worriment. Frustration from not aiding his brother (and not learning about his nightmare), and worriment from losing him again. He decided to go back to searching, anything to assist his best friend.

Location: Boo Woods

"You're gonna be the reason why my plan will be complete."

…

"Let's just say that you'll look nice next to my side."

…

"Once I get rid of every disgusting world for good, I shall construct a new empire to my liking. What's best about it is that you won't be here to interfere with me."

…

"I just wanted you join my side for personal reasons. You're the best vessel for the resurrection I plan to perpetrate."

…

"Welcome back. It's good to see you again after so long."

"The feeling is mutual, Edge. I am grateful to see you, too."

…

"Now then, take over this being! For you shall control his body to rule by my side!"

…

"You're nothing but a pushover. A pacifist. A loser."

…

Luigi ran all the way here to catch his breath and calm himself down. Now, he was sitting on the grass with his back against a bare tree. He started to get a headache from all the nightmares and run-ins he had with Myster Edge, both real and fake, since the time he haunted him during his three-day coma. All those dark memories made him piece together what Edge's plan was.

There were two parts to it. One was obvious from the start: to destroy all the worlds and create a new empire to his benefit. The second had to do something with the bad dream and everything Edge told him prior to that night. It was about him being next to Edge, as a victim to revive someone from the dead. And that someone happened to be related to both him and Mario in some way.

There was too much to handle with many lives and worlds at stake. And Luigi was unsure of what to do from all this trauma.

"Am I even capable of stopping him? Am I really worthless? And why him of all people? Oh, Mamma Mia. Why me?"

He pulled his knees to his chest and dug his head. He silently sobbed to himself as the chagrin got to him yet again.

END OF CHAPTER

Just like Ch. 24, I went against my previous intentions on what I planned to write. And for this one, I toyed with his emotions, made him feel terrible… I'm such a jerk to Luigi. Can he ever catch a break? The answer, unfortunately, is no.

But next time on Hidden Bravery, we'll stop with the filler content and actually get right back into the action. The heroes will venture to Sparkling Waters to find the next Dark Moon fragment. The new question is, can our main character recuperate from his sudden breakdown?

Please review, follow/favorite, and send your wishes to the man in green. He's going to need them. This is TGN, signing off.

Post-Chapter Notes:

(1): I wanted to reference one of my favorite parts of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. That's the power of brotherly love between these two characters. When Dreamy Luigi got lost in Dream's Deep, Luigi's thoughts and emotions could be heard regarding his big bro and himself. It was very emotional to me when I first played the game. Brings back great memories.

FairyTalePrincess16, one of my reviewers from my other story, actually suggested this idea to me. I still want to reference it in New Brotherhood, too. But that will have to wait until later.