Chapter 36 Almost Over
Mario smiled in relief when he saw the Comet Observatory. The second his feet touched the grass surrounding the Terrace, he let out an enormous breath and collapsed. His borrowed body screamed at him, berating him for making it go through all that movement when every part of it was injured and/or broken. He laid his head on the grass, smelling it and allowing its softness to lull him into a pleasant stupor.
Right next to him, the purple luma laid the unconscious Rosalina down on the ground. Mario turned his head to looking her, hoping that she would wake up soon (and not just because he wanted her to heal him). The luma looked upon Rosalina too, concerned chirps coming out of his mouth. Right as Mario was starting to worry, Rosalina stirred and sat up. She put her hand to her head, her expression looking more confused than any other expression Mario had seen.
"W…what happened?" She looked around. Her eyes grew wide when she noticed that she was back at the Observatory, gasping when her eyes landed on Mario. "Mario, are you…?'
"Mama!" The luma bolted into Rosalina's arms. He laughed as he hugged her, the sounds carrying throughout space. "Mama, I'm so glad you're okay!"
Rosalina blinked before hugging the luma back and smiling. "I'm glad you're okay too, sweetheart." She looked right at him with a stern look. "That situation you found yourself in was very dangerous! You're lucky to be alive!"
The luma sighed. "I know, Mama." He looked back into her eyes. "Thank you for coming to get me. If you hadn't…" the luma shuddered and delved right back into hugging Rosalina as tight as his little luma body would allow. He started to cry, which prompted Rosalina to hug him back and talk to him in a voice that soothed even the beaten up Mario.
"It's okay." Rosalina rocked back and forth, humming a tune that Mario had never heard before as she held onto her baby. This managed to calm him down, at least enough to let go of her. She smiled at him before turning to Mario. Her brow furrowed instantly. "Oh Mario, you are definitely in need of attention." She got out her wand and waved it, causing the blue light to appear again. She hovered her wand all over Mario, mending his broken and beaten form. He smiled, the relief sweeter than anything he had ever experienced. Once Rosalina finished, he felt good as new. Better than new; he felt as if he had undergone an amazing metamorphosis and was emerging as a completely different creation.
He couldn't help but smile as he stood up. "Thanks Rosalina."
"Of course, Mario. I'm happy to do it," Rosalina replied.
The purple luma giggled. "Why do you keep calling him Mario, Mama? He's very clearly Luigi!"
Rosalina and Mario exchanged a look before laughing. Rosalina even went so far as to pat the top of the luma's pointed head. "He's Mario, honey. He and his brother have undergone a body swap."
The luma blinked. "Body…swap?"
"Yeah, that's right," Mario said. "Luigi made a wish on Fortune's Comet that ended up switching me with him."
"Which is why we need you." Rosalina gave the luma a very serious expression. "You are the only one who can change the path of the various Prankster Comets. We need you to do that now so that Mario and Luigi can return to normal."
The luma looked between Mario and Rosalina, his eyes wide. After a few minutes, however, a smile appeared on his face (actually, Mario couldn't tell if it was a smile or a smirk). "Okay. I'll do it…for a price."
Mario's heart skipped a beat. "What…what would that price be?"
The luma squeed. "One million star bits!"
Mario's jaw dropped. "ONE MILLION STAR BITS?"
Rosalina glared at her kid. "Young man, we have no way of accessing that many star bits and you know it."
"I know, I know." The luma continued giggling and did a few twirls in the air. "I was only kidding. I will gladly move the comet for you!"
Mario grinned. Yes! Yes, yes, a million times yes! Finally, he would be able to return to normal! Finally, he and Luigi would be able to see their own faces when they looked in the mirror again! Mario didn't even care if the luma's little joke had almost given him a heart attack; he was so ecstatic about this that he was more than willing to forgive and forget.
"Just give me a second," the luma said. He closed his eyes, holding his points together. Mario noticed them sparkling. "Now…' He did a little twirl and pointed up into the air, releasing the sparkles. "It's done!"
Rosalina grinned. "Good job, sweetie." She pulled him into an embrace. "We are both really grateful for you doing that."
Mario nodded, agreeing with Roslaina one hundred and ten percent. Right as the Lady of the Shooting Stars let go of her kid, she turned back to Mario.
"Now, let's hurry. We want to get back to the Mushroom World before nightfall."
"Right."
….
Luigi and Daisy watched in awe as Peach floated out of her cage down to the floor. Once her feet were safely on the ground, she looked at her two rescuers with sparkles in her eyes.
"I'm so glad to see you here, Mario." She turned toward Daisy. "And Daisy! This is the first time you've ever gone on a rescue mission. I have to admit, it was very brave of you!"
Daisy chuckled. "It wasn't brave so much as it was necessary." She puffed her chest out. "But thanks Peach! It was a joy to accompany…" she hesitated, looking over at Luigi. "Uh, Mario. We had a lot of fun coming to get you."
Peach smiled, the expression warm. "That's great to hear." She approached Luigi and, without any warning, planted a kiss on his cheek. This made the plumber's face grow warm. His mouth hung open, and he looked over at Daisy. He expected her to appear jealous, but thankfully, all she did was giggle at him feeling all flustered.
"W…well then," Luigi said. He cleared his throat and looked at Peach. "Why don't…why don't we start making our way back home?"
…
The second the trio stepped foot in Toad Town, the whole place filled to the brim with noise. Luigi covered his ears; an explosion might as well have gone off with how loud the scene was. After he recovered however, he did manage to appreciate the sound. Why? Because it was the sound of a happy town, of all the denizens as far as the eye could see cheering him on and thanking him for being brave enough to rescue their princess.
"YOU DID IT MARIO!"
"WOOHOO!"
"YOU ARE SO BRAVE! I WANT TO BE JUST LIKE YOU WHEN I GROW UP!"
Luigi smiled. Man, this felt good. Sure, the praise that the Toads had given him before the rescue mission had been sweet, but this was even better. Maybe it was because of a deed that he committed, not Mario. Yeah, that had to be it; he was getting praise that he actually earned. He was getting fawned over like this because he was the one to do the impossible and rescue the princess from the greedy clutches of the Koopa King. It felt good.
Almost. The fact that the Toads were addressing him as Mario did remind him of the terrible truth. Once he and Mario swapped back, he wouldn't get this much praise ever again. This made his shoulders slump despite the cheering and the overjoyed looks of the Toads. Sure, he didn't regret going to rescue Peach instead of going up into space. Ultimately, he was proud of himself for going to rescue Peach. But the fact that this recognition was only temporary soured the experience a little bit.
"YOU'RE AWESOME, MARIO!"
Luigi sighed and put the grin back on his face. He might as well enjoy this while it lasted. After all, he did earn the praise. He did do something that the Toads could look upon fondly. So, it wouldn't be a bad thing at all if he took the time to soak in the adoration.
As the Toads cheered, Daisy went up and put her hand on his shoulder. Luigi noticed a shine in her cerulean eyes, one that was almost unnatural. "You did it, Lou. I'm so proud of you."
Luigi's heart welled with warmth. Even if the Toads didn't recognize him when this was all over, he could at the very least get some satisfaction in the fact that Daisy knew the truth. This realization helped to feel just a tiny bit better. He turned toward the Toads and waved at them.
"Thank you! Thank you everyone! I'd gladly do it again!"
Peach giggled and held up her hand. "Okay everyone! Clear the way; we do need to get back to the Castle!"
The Toads did as they were told. As Luigi walked down the path situated right in the middle of the crowd, he observed the Toads' faces. Each one of them had a happiness and glee in their features that he had never seen before. He couldn't help but smile back at them. Something about their delight was just too pure for this world.
After a little bit, the trio got back to the Castle. Luigi actually felt his heart sink when the doors closed, separating him from the Toads who wanted nothing more than to shower him with adoration. Fortunately, he was distracted from his disappointment when he got to the throne room. He saw Rosalina and Mario standing in front of the throne, both of them wearing what were possible the most proud looks Luigi had ever seen.
"You're back!" He ran over to his brother and the princess. He gave the former a hug, and he gave the latter a pleased smile. Daisy and Peach approached, with Peach giving the two of them an interested look.
"Did you and Luigi go somewhere, Rose?" Peach asked.
Rosalina nodded. "Yes. Luigi and I had to run a little…errand."
Mario took a step forward, keeping his eyes locked on his true love. "That's why I wasn't on the mission Peach. I would've gone on that mission myself if this errand wasn't one hundred percent necessary."
Peach chuckled. "It's okay, Luigi." Mario noticeably sank when he was addressed by his brother's name.
Luigi ignored that and looked back at Mario. "Well…did you…did you do it successfully?"
Mario cast him a smile. "Yep! We should be able to see the comet tonight."
Despite Peach looking confused due to the lack of context, Luigi still smiled. That was great! Sure, he would have to deal with the ever present lack of recognition once he switched back. But still. He was happy regardless.
…
That night, Luigi and Mario kept their eyes on the sky. Luigi's heart thumped as he waited for the sight of Fortune's Comet. Part of him had worried that it wouldn't show up at all. Sure, he had Mario there to reassure him that the comet was going to appear. But even still, he couldn't help but worry.
"Man, this is taking forever," Luigi said as he drummed his fingers on the windowsill.
"Just be patient," Mario said. "I promise you it'll show up Lou. You don't need to worry."
"I know, I know," Luigi said with a sigh. He looked back up at the sky for a brief spell before looking back at Mario. "You know….I really enjoyed being you. It was…well, it was interesting, to say the least."
Mario smirked. "I can say the same about being you." Without taking his eyes off the sky, he reached over and took Luigi's hand. "Your life…your life is very different from mine, in ways that I never would've thought possible. But even still, you're able to tackle your life with your own sense of style and determination." He smiled. "It's admirable."
Luigi smiled back. "Oh come on. If there's anyone who's admirable around here, it's you. You've taken down Bowser multiple times. You fought more bosses than you can count, and went through just as many worlds!" Luigi giggled. "You are a true hero."
"No," Mario said. Luigi blinked as Mario turned to face him. "You're the hero bro. You deserve all the praise one can possibly give."
Luigi felt his face grow warm. "Thanks."
With that, they looked back up at the sky again. It took about two minutes, but they finally saw Fortune's Comet, sailing over the world. Both bros smiled, closed their eyes, and bowed their heads.
"I wish to be me," they said in unison. Once that was done, they opened their eyes and let out sighs of relief.
"Well…that's it. It's over," Luigi said.
"It sure is." Mario stepped away from the windowsill and made his way over to Luigi's bed. "Well, sleep tight Lou."
"You too, Mario." With that, he got up and went to Mario's room, all while his heart beat at a much steadier rhythm than at any point during the swap.
It was almost over. All they had to do was wait.
