Disclaimer: All assets of the Mario Movie belong to Nintendo and Illumination.

Chapter 20: Nostalgia

Mario yawned as he sat up, stretching as his alarm blared through his ears. "Oh, shut up!" He shut his alarm off and opened the curtain, glancing at the expanding landscape. He had lived in Brooklyn for most of his life, and it was still hard to fathom how huge the borough was; it looked like it would stretch for miles on end. The beauty of Planet Earth never ceased to amaze the plumber as he quickly showered and got dressed in his clothes.

"Hey, bro!" He glanced at Luigi, who had gathered their tools as the bag was hoisted over his shoulder. "Ready for another day?"

"Yep. Another day of work. I still can't believe it's been one week since Bowser's invasion. Time surely does fly."

"I know. The repairs are coming slowly but surely. Soon, we'll have the city restored to its former glory! Now, let's go. I'm-a starving!" They headed downstairs, the family already eating as they took their spots at the table.

"Heyo!" the bros said.

"Heyo!"

"It's the world-famous Super Mario Brothers!" said Uncle Tony. "From the newspaper!"

"Zio Tony, we aren't world-famous," Mario said.

"Not world-famous? But haven't you seen the newspaper? You're on the front cover!" He placed the newspaper in front of the plumber as he and Luigi scoured said page, and low and behold, there they were, with the caption, Brooklyn Saved!, in bright, black letters with even a photo of the duo with Peach, Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong, and Toad standing next to them as the crowd cheered for them. "See? World-famous!"

"You really think we're world-famous based on that one incident? Sure, we're the talk of the town, but I highly doubt we're world-famous, Zio Tony."

"He's giving you worthy praise. Take it with gratitude and don't act so derogatory towards him." Antonio approached the table with a stack of pancakes on a plate. "No matter how exaggerated he may be, he and the rest of us are very proud of you both. Now, I know you two have a big day ahead of you, so eat up! Breakfast is on me!"

Mario smiled, grabbing some pancakes as he ate them in indebted silence. Over the past week, aside from fixing the city they tore up to put it bluntly, the plumber had strived to better his relationship with Antonio and the rest of the family because of how much of a bitter taste the sourness left in his mouth. He wanted to dispose of that taste forever by engaging in normal conversation, which started with the bros telling them of all what happened with their wacky adventures, and as they told them, Mario remembered the biggest smile that Antonio had cast on his face. Seeing that moment brought the one thing that shone through the darkness: hope, hope of a bigger and better future. Because of everything that happened, there was hope for old relationships to become new again.

"So," Tony said, leaning onto Mario's shoulder as he continued to eat his pancakes whilst drawing out his attention, "How 'bout that girlfriend of yours?"

"Uncle!"

"What? You don't think I didn't remember the very thing that princess said to you? She said she loved you, and you've been radio silent in terms of your relationship, and I want that sweet sweet gossip, so spill!"

Isabella whacked him on the head. "That's enough from you! Don't you dare harass our son about his private love life, especially when it's so soon! Learn some respect!"

"It was a harmless question! My nephews have been gone for so long! I deserve to know what's going on in their lives!"

"Even so, that doesn't matter when you don't respect their-"

"Ma, it's OK."

She glanced at Mario. "Son, are you sure?"

"I'm OK with it. It's not exactly a secret, anyway. We can talk about her. It's just-" He sighed. "I never knew what true love felt like. At first, I didn't have feelings for her, but ever since she left, I can't stop thinking about her. I miss her."

"Then go after her." He glanced at Antonio. "Mario, I understand you have priorities now, but son, I want you and Luigi to live your own lives. I've held you both back for far too long, and you deserve to sprout your wings and fly, so if you love her, then go get her. Same for you, Luigi. Don't be so anxious to dip your toes out in the world. I know you'll find the right woman some day, so you both go out into this world and explore! Make your lives worthwhile!" He stood up. "Well, I have to get to work, but just know you can leave whenever you want. Go out there and make the world your own." He walked away.

Mario and Luigi glanced at each other. "Wow," Luigi said. "I didn't expect him to go philosophical there."

"But he's right. Now, you two eat your food or else you'll be late for work." The two nodded at Isabella's words and quickly ate their food before heading to work.

Mario whacked a few nails with his hammer as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He glanced around at all the construction Brooklyn was undergoing. Nearly a third of what was damaged had already been rebuilt in only a week. It was quite impressive just how quickly and efficient the workers could be. Well, there was a very big reason why, one that didn't bring back the fondest of memories. Wrecking Crew was the company responsible for rebuilding the city, and since Mario and Luigi agreed to help rebuild, they had to endure the likes of Foreman Spike again, someone Mario hated deep down.

And yet, something about the man had changed. He had been doing something he rarely ever did except to his favorite employees: praise them. Normally, he would act so derogatory to his employees that he would end up in court when others would try to sue him, but he walked away scot-free every time. But since the bros were taken under his wing, he hadn't laughed at or belittled them in any kind of way. It was kinda out of character for him, so much so that Mario was curious what happened. Why? His brain told him not to pry, but he felt like he had to. "Alright, everyone! Lunch break! Take a break! Get something to eat!" The foreman walked to them. "Hey, fellas. Good job today. We're making huge progress because of your volunteering. Also, thanks for saving Brooklyn last week. You two were-"

"Spike, stop." He blinked in surprise.

"Mario," Luigi said. "What are you doing?"

"That's a question I should ask him. I mean, what's going on here?"

Spike scratched his head. "What do you mean?"

"Why aren't you bullying us like you usually do? That is who you are, but either something's changed or this is all an act."

"Mario!"

"It's OK, Green 'Stache. He has every right to be suspicious of me. I mean, it's not like I put on a new face every day. Truth be told, this wasn't a decision I had in mind. Normally, I would go about my day, acting all carefree with nothing to gain or lose. I just acted like myself. But there was something that seemed to just flip a switch in me in an instant, and it took quite a while to figure out what that was until I realized it was because of the turtle monster."

"Bowser?"

"Yeah, him. I knew I did horrible things, especially to you guys, but to just see someone far worse than me really put things into perspective. I mean, he was threatening to destroy the whole planet for crying out loud, something that's a far cry from what I've done, but my point is that I saw the potential of what I could become. Heck, I already ruined people's lives like he has, and there have been points in my life where I just wanted to lash out at people like you whenever you didn't do what I wanted and just kept rebelling against my rule. Many people before you have done that many times, and there were moments where I would be physically abusive to them." He sighed. "I never thought of anyone worse than myself that could do more harm than that Bowser guy. He really put things into perspective for me, especially when he was beating you like how I did to Luigi over the years. I'm sorry for everything I did wrong to you. You guys don't have to forgive me, and I'm not asking for it either. All I want to do is to have a second chance, to start over, even if it means starting from the bottom. After all the thinking I've done, I decided that I need to face the consequences of my actions. I've been getting away with ruining other's lives for my own glory for too long, and it's time I stop running from my mistakes. I will surrender my company to someone else and will have a trial in a couple days. I will accept whatever my punishment is, and when the world is ready to give me a new chance, I will come back as a new man."

Mario and Luigi exchanged glances. This was definitely a bit sudden, even if it's been one week. But it was clear Spike spent many hours deciding over his fate, and it wasn't an easy decision to make, but to think that Bowser held such an influence over a man who barely budged when someone took action was a bit of a shock, but Mario could understand why Spike felt traumatized when he saw Bowser's actions and fury because he saw himself in Bowser, the untapped potential of unleashing his fury onto the whole city even just because he held that much power. Mario smiled. "I'm proud of you," he said.

"Really? Even after all I did to you and Luigi?"

"It takes a lot to own up to one's own faults. And yes, I may not forgive you for what you've done, but I can at least be appreciative of the steps you're taking. But I must say, it was a bit out of the blue, but I will admit I have seen your attitude change slowly this past week. You are getting there."

"And I'll be a new man when the world is ready to see my glory!" Mario crossed his arms. "Right. Those darn old habits are truly hard to break. What I meant to say was how the world will see how selfless I've become."

"Well, make sure you walk the walk. Don't go spouting off words for the heck of it."

"Right. Actions speak louder than words. You'll see how changed I've become."

Mario smirked. "I'm counting on it. By the way, who's gonna take over your company?"

"Anthony Scapelli. He's a good guy I've known for years, and he runs his own construction company. He's agreed to acquire ownership of my company when I'm gone. Well, you two better get some lunch. It's lunch time, baby!" He walked away.

"Wow," Luigi said. "So much changed about him in so little time. It's a bit hard to fathom."

"Well, the world works in mysterious ways. Come on, Lu. I'm-a hungry!"

Mario and Luigi rode in the car as the red plumber drove the two home after a long day of work. "What an eventful day it's been," Luigi said. "We got more of the city repaired, and Spike even apologized for his actions and is willing to face the consequences of them. Who knew so much could happen in one day, right, Mario?" The plumber stayed silent. "Mario?"

"Oh, yeah."

"You OK? You've been offly quiet on the ride home."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking like you have. It's definitely strange just how much can happen in one week, and to think it was only two weeks ago that we attempted to start our business that led to one of the biggest adventures of our lives. It's truly something I can't fathom." He paused. "Bro, do you wanna go back?"

"Like to the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Well, Father said that the world was practically our oyster in a literal sense. I wanna go visit the place and explore. I also miss everyone."

Luigi playfully nudged him. "Including tua fidanzata."

Mario rolled his eyes. "You're starting to turn into Zio Tony everyday."

"But you know that he's right."

"Look, just because we have feelings for each other doesn't mean we're boyfriend/girlfriend! I mean, we haven't even gotten on a single date, so chill the heck out!"

"Wow, no need to be so defensive about it. I knew that. I was just playing with you. Of course you aren't boyfriend/girlfriend."

Mario sighed. "Well, it's literally been everyone who keeps shoving that thought down my throat. I want this relationship to develop naturally. So, after all this is taken care of, maybe I can cook something up between the two of us, and without the freaking peanut gallery along the way."

"Then let's go now."

Mario blinked in surprise. "Really? Now?"

"It's just a visit. Like you said, Dad trusts us. I wanna see what this place is truly about. I know you want to, too, so let's go! We'll only be gone for a few hours."

Mario smirked. "I never thought you would be so adventurous, but heck yeah. Let's-a go! But if we get in trouble, I'm blaming you." He parked the car alongside the road. "Well, you coming?"

"Wait. I know I suggested the idea, but how are we getting to the pipe?"

Mario pointed to a manhole on the sidewalk. "Where it all started."

"Then let's go!"

The red plumber lifted the cover. "But you aren't afraid that we might get in trouble?"

"Eh, that's true. We could also get lost and numerous things, and who knows what'll happen if Mayor Pauline finds out, but while I do care about all that, you think I'm scared?" He scoffed. "You haven't seen anything yet. Here I go!" He jumped down the hole with a squeal of glee.

"Lu, wait! Do you know where you're even going?!"

"Come on, Mario!" Mario sighed and shook his head as he jumped down the pipe. He glanced around at the sewers that stretched beyond his eyes. Even though it was fairly recent since they stumbled upon this place, it weirdly felt nostalgic to him, something associated with years past, not days, but that perfectly explained the excited jitters of his body as he glanced around. "It surely brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"It's oddly nostalgic, in a way, and it hasn't been two weeks since the incident. Don't you agree?"

"Well, my memories of this place aren't all that positive, but that doesn't mean they can't be replaced with new, better ones. Ya know? I truly never got to know this land and its people all that well because of Bowser." He pointed to the green pipe that was still there. "But that changes today. So, let's-a go, Mario!"

Mario huffed. "You truly have changed, bro. You definitely aren't the coward you used to be. You've grown so much more than I ever imagined. I know I said this a million times, but it's true. I couldn't be prouder of all you accomplished, and in only a couple weeks, too." Luigi couldn't help but blush from the comment. "Now, come on. Enough reminiscing. Let's-a go!" With squeals of excitement, the two jumped into the pipe without a second thought.

Thanks to JleJlar, tjdunkley05, and MiraculousDragonMaster for favoriting or commenting on this story!

I know this is a bit shorter than normal chapters, but this is only part one of the epilogue. To be honest, the jump between the final fight and the ending of the movie was so jarring because the bros immediately now live in the Mushroom Kingdom without any kind of resolution, so I wanted to address this by splitting it into two parts, the first part focusing on life in Brooklyn and wrapping up the character arcs of Mario's family and even Spike himself since he was still important to the story, then the final chapter with the Mushroom Kingdom. I hope you all enjoyed this story and look forward to seeing how this novelization ends.