12 August 1991

Dinosaur Land

Dear Diary,

After all that business with the Koopalings last year, the Princess decided that a little vacation was in order. She woke us up with a big breakfast, and next thing we knew, we were all on a plane headed for an exotic new location—Dinosaur Land! My elementary school teacher told me that dinosaurs are extinct, but I've started challenging everything I was taught since Mario and I crawled through that pipe back in '85. Plus, this is a vacation we're talking about here. You don't think about things too hard during a vacation.

Upon arrival in Dinosaur Land, we were shuttled to the hotel. Mario and I got adjoining rooms, so we could visit each other at leisure. Before long, we were relaxing on the veranda, sipping on the drinks offered us and listening to the many things we could see and do during our stay. A relaxing feeling spread through my body as it sank deeper and deeper into the chair. Nothing better than an escape from plumbing, and best of all, princess rescuing. These next few pages are gonna be filled with all sorts of adventures I'll go on in Dinosaur Land!

Luigi

13 August 1991

Dinosaur Land

Dear Diary,

First the good stuff, and then the bad stuff.

The good stuff is that we have some brand new threads. I'm now wearing a green shirt, green hat, navy overalls and brown boots. Mario's now wearing a red shirt, red hat, blue overalls and brown boots. It's considerably more vibrant than our earlier wardrobe, and now we're easier to recognize. In the hustle and bustle, I forgot to tell you about it.

Okay, now the bad stuff.

We went to the beach this morning. Mario and the Princess were skinny-dipping, and I was cooling off in the shallows. Then, we dried off, relaxed in the sand and ate lobster and cracked crab for lunch. After lunch, I plugged in my headphones, turned on my Walkman and enjoyed the scenery until my eyelids drooped. My eyes met Mario's, and we silently agreed to a quick siesta.

I woke up to my big bro fiercely whispering my name. My eyes fluttered open, staring into urgent sea blue. "Hm?" I asked.

"The Princess!" whispered Mario. "She's—gone!"

Wide awake, I sprang to my feet. Sure enough, the Princess's spot was empty, save for her beach towel, flip flops and Walkman.

"Okay, let's keep calm," I said. "We'll get to searching and ask the locals if they've seen her."

We dressed quickly and began scouring the beach, our search quickly expanding to the forest area. And it was there that we found a white egg with green spots, lying out there in the open! Our first impulse was to give it some shade and protection from predators. But as we were carrying it to a safer spot, it shuddered—and then hatched.

Out of the egg popped a green dinosaur with brown shoes. His eyes searched the forest before falling on us.

"Ah! It's you two who freed me?" he asked.

"Yes," said Mario.

"Thank God! You wouldn't believe how stuffy it was in there," said the dinosaur. "My name's Yoshi. What's yours?"

"I'm Mario, and that's my baby bro, Luigi."

"We're the Super Mario Bros," I added.

"All right! Awesome!" said Yoshi. "We're gonna need someone super because some monstrous turtles are causing all kinds of Hell!"

"Monstrous turtles?!" I gasped.

"Yeah!" cried Yoshi. "They're the reason why I was in that egg, and they've trapped my buddies in eggs, too!"

Mario cursed. "Koopa and his brethren!" he realized.

Slowly, I nodded. "They won't allow us even the slightest rest."

"He must have the Princess, too," said Mario. "C'mon—we gotta find her and save the rest of Yoshi's friends!"

"Let's-a go!" I cried.

Yoshi handed both of us a feather which transformed into a beautiful cape. "You might need this," he said. "Some say that it has magical powers!"

We put on the capes and looked each other over. Now we really looked super!

I guess you won't be hearing from me for a while. Once again, the Super Mario Bros are on a mission to stop Koopa's latest plot and send him running back to the Dark Lands!

Luigi

1 September 1991

MK

Dear Diary,

Leave it to Koopa to spoil a vacation. I no longer think he's going after the Princess for her magic. He's doing it because he enjoys the thrill of the chase. But I don't take kindly to anyone riling up my big bro for kicks. Someone should get me and Koopa alone in a room; by the time I'm done, he won't be tempted to go after the Princess again.

Anyway, let me tell you about our latest go-round with Koopa.

The capes that Yoshi gave us had magical powers after all—they gave us the ability to fly! Mario and I held hands and laughed as we soared over unstable terrain and crowds of enemies, collecting coins and weaving through obstacles. When we weren't airborne, Mario was riding on Yoshi's back, with me jogging close behind. We soon came across another egg, which hatched to reveal a red Yoshi! Thankful to give my feet a rest, I hopped aboard, and Mario and I trotted along together. Once again, we took our Walkman radios along with us, and the song that started playing on mine once I got a Yoshi of my own? It was the theme from the 60s TV show, "Rawhide". Quite fitting.

So, then, I found out that my Yoshi could spit fireballs at enemies. Both mine and Mario's used their sticky tongues to eat fruit and capture Koopa's minions. We were able to train them to lick out their tongues on a silent command. (As always, a video game based on our adventure was released shortly thereafter, and people started freaking out because they thought we were punching our Yoshis in the head. Seriously, WTF?) On the backs of our new friends, we journeyed through Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains, Vanilla Dome and across Twin Bridges into Cookie Mountain.

It was there that we happened upon a wide chasm. We didn't think our Yoshis would jump far enough. But it seemed our Yoshis knew they wouldn't make it.

I saw the green Yoshi buck Mario up onto the other side at the apex of his jump seconds before my red Yoshi did the same.

We landed on the ground and looked over the edge in time to see both Yoshis wave at us before disappearing into the chasm.

They—gave their lives for us!

We sat there, devastated, but there was little time to mourn. We had to keep on.

In the aptly named Forest of Illusion, Mario and I wound up separated. Wandering blindly through the brush and greenery, I stumbled upon another egg, which hatched to reveal—a green baby Yoshi!

"Mama?" he squeaked.

Dropping to my knees, I cradled my arms around the baby Yoshi. He was the most adorable creature I'd ever seen! His big eyes looked straight at me, and he nuzzled my neck as he leaned into my touch. "Mama?" he squeaked again.

"You—you lost your Mama?" I asked softly. "It's okay—we're gonna find her."

Cuddling the baby Yoshi against my chest, I stroked his soft hide and scoured the forest in search of an adult Yoshi. But there was none to be found. D—n that Koopa.

"I guess you're stuck with me for a bit," I said soothingly, "but we're gonna find my big bro. He'll help us get you to your Mama, okay?"

The baby Yoshi smiled. "Mama," he said. "Mama."

I obtained a Fire Flower, scooped the baby Yoshi into my arms and once again set off. Whenever I found a piece of fruit, I offered it to him, and he greedily gobbled it right out of my hand. Then, I'd burp him like any other baby, and we'd continue on our way. He'd fall asleep sporadically and wake up with the cutest grunts, gurgles and squeaks before raising his head, smiling at me and saying, "Mama."

It didn't take long for me to realize that he was referring to me.

"You—you think I'm your Mama?" I asked.

"Mama!" he cried happily, burying his face into the crook of my neck. "Mama…"

Well, I was the only person showing him affection in this strange world—

"Hey!" shouted a familiar voice.

Mario appeared then, sweaty, bruised and covered in small cuts. "There you are! Thank God you're all right!"

Then, his eyes fell on the baby Yoshi. "Oh, my! Hello there!" he cooed.

"I found him here," I explained as Mario gave the baby Yoshi a back rub. "He's a very big eater—he ate every fruit I offered him."

"Did he get lost?"

"He was in an egg," I said. "At first, I thought he was separated from his mom, but then…"

The baby Yoshi smiled up at me. "Mama," he said.

I blushed. "That's right," I said. "Mama's here."

Mario's lips tweaked upward. "Mama?" he repeated. He began to chuckle. "Mama Luigi?! Holy…" He burst out laughing.

I lanced him with a glare, but remained silent.

Finally, Mario recovered. "I'm sorry, Lil' Bro, but that's just too funny."

"Hm. I'm glad you think that way," I said. Then—

"Look out!" I exclaimed, shifting my hold on the baby Yoshi and dropping into a fighting stance.

An enemy dressed as a football player tried to get the jump on Mario. Leaping in front of him, I summoned a fireball in my hand. But the baby Yoshi was even faster, snagging the bad guy with his tongue and leveling him into his mouth.

"Whoa," Mario and I said in unison.

From that moment on, the baby Yoshi was part of the team, gobbling up the enemies who tried to ambush Mario and me. After a grueling trek, we made it out of the Forest of Illusion and began infiltrating the Koopalings' castles. The baby Yoshi couldn't come into the castle with us, and I was reluctant to part with him, but one of the grown-up Yoshis came over and assured us that he'd be waiting for us on the way out. After defeating each Koopaling and recovering the eggs they kept as trophies, we'd demolish the castle, I'd grab the baby Yoshi, and we'd continue on our way. Through Chocolate Island, the mysterious Star World, the equally mysterious Special World and finally—Koopa Valley, where the King himself was waiting for us.

Thunder rolled in as Mario and I stood on the castle's roof. Koopa floated down on a weird flying contraption with a propeller and a smiling clown's face. But a look of discomfort was etched on his face, and we soon saw why—

The Princess, clad in a pink bikini, was in the flying contraption with him, lashing out at her captor with one of the hardcover books she'd brought with her. Boy, she was p—ed. Koopa was struggling to fend her off while battling us at the same time, flinging wind-up toys at us which exploded unless we jumped on them. Then, we'd throw them back at him, making sure not to hit the Princess. We decided to call the toys Mecha-Koopas.

When she wasn't hitting Koopa with the hardcover, the Princess was tossing Mushrooms and other power-ups to us, yelling encouragement. Koopa sometimes liked to drop Fuzzies and Bob-ombs on us, but we always evaded them in the nick of time. After three rounds of evading these obstacles and punting his own Mecha-Koopas at him, the Koopa King gave up. His flying—thingy—which we found out was called the Clown Car—turned upside down, allowing the Princess to use her magic to gently float to the ground, before it spun off into the distance. She threw her hardcover at the retreating villain for good measure, and then she turned to face us.

In that bikini, the Princess was lean, curvy and muscular. A blue gemstone was set in her bikini top, bobbing up and down as her chest heaved from the leftover adrenaline. Her face was flushed, her fists were clenched, and her belly button pulsed with her breaths. I also forgot to mention that she'd dyed her hair blonde earlier this year. And (surprise, surprise) she was barefoot.

Gradually, she calmed down, her fists relaxing, her breaths steadying, her rage-filled face softening into a grateful smile. She approached us, and Mario took off his Cape and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I am now," she said softly. "It's just—this stunt he pulled made me so upset."

We nodded in understanding.

"Thank you," said the Princess, kissing Mario first, and then me.

We looked up as fireworks began to light up the sky, one of them forming the shape of a heart.

The three of us exited the castle to an astonishing sight. A crowd of Yoshis stood there, gawking at us, before erupting into cheers. I saw the baby Yoshi in front—now full grown! Must've been the fruit and enemies he ate!

"Mama!" he cried. "You did it!"

"I sure did," I said. "Wow, you've grown so fast!"

One of the Yoshis, a yellow one, had a boombox balanced on his back. A blue Yoshi pressed "play", causing Londonbeat's "I've Been Thinking About You" to peal throughout all of Dinosaur Land.

Trailed by the eggs we'd freed earlier, the Yoshis rode us back to our hotel. Once we were there, we found the Toads who'd accompanied us on the trip lined up in neat little rows at the hotel entrance. Their faces lit up once we came into view.

"Princess! You're safe!" squealed one.

"Mario, you've done it again!" cheered another.

As before, the Toads swarmed and mobbed Mario, leaving me in the dust. I stared forlornly after them until I felt someone nuzzle my shoulder.

The Yoshi I'd found in the forest smiled at me, his eyes bright. "Mama Luigi," he said. "Thank you. For everything."

I smiled back. "You're welcome," I replied.

"Will I see you again?" asked Yoshi.

"Yes," I promised. "Good mothers always look after their children."

We all stayed in Dinosaur Land for a few days before cutting the trip short and returning to the Mushroom Kingdom. However, Yoshi decided to tag along with us. The Toads didn't mind that much.

Now, Mario and I are getting ready for a golf tournament we've recently been invited to. The Princess is serving as Mario's caddy, and Daisy—the lovely Sarasaland princess, has volunteered to by my caddy. The tournament will be the perfect opportunity to finally confess my feelings for her—feelings that have been boiling inside me since we first met. But what if she doesn't feel the same way? What if she's already spoken for?

Dio, I'm so nervous. I'm spending these coming weeks psyching myself up!

Luigi

29 September 1991

MK

Dear Diary,

Mario and I had to wake up very early to get to the golf course on time. I still had jitters, but a hot breakfast neatly dispelled them. We grabbed up all of our golf balls and golf clubs and dressed in special golfing outfits. Mario's outfit kind of resembled the American Flag, while mine was green with white stripes and stars. After making sure we had everything, we headed outside to meet our caddies.

Daisy was breathtaking in her caddy outfit! She wore a form-fitting top and short skirt, and those legs could last for days. Her hair was in a ponytail, light makeup was on her face, and her smile—that was her best accessory. I found myself blushing like crazy as I looked at her.

"Hi, Luigi!" she chirped.

"Uh, h-hi," I managed.

"Ready for some golf?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said.

I saw Mario and the Princess kissing and couldn't resist an envious look. How come he was so confident around women, whereas I was a stammering mess?

Maybe because Daisy is a very special woman to me. She's not like the girls I saw in high school and college. She's a princess—a princess who endured something traumatic, so I don't think she's ready for love. But then I think back to watching Flashdance in the theater eight years ago, watching young Alex Owens take the plunge. Her situation was left ambiguous, but I know I can take control of this situation by gathering the strength to confess my feelings for her. If I don't, then she might fall for someone else, and then I'll never get the chance.

The four of us hopped into the golf kart and rode off to the golf course.

But I'm not gonna waste pages by giving a minute-by-minute account of eighteen rounds of golf. That would be a boring read, don't you agree?

Instead, I'm gonna skip over to the pivotal part.

In short, Mario placed first in the golf tournament, while I came in second. During the trophy presentation, I saw Daisy standing in the crowd, beaming at me. My courage began to build. It was time to tell her. It was now or never!

"Nice golfing skills, Luigi," she said once the presentation ended. "You may have gotten second place, but you did your best."

"Th-thanks, Daisy," I said.

"Is—something wrong?" she asked.

"Princess—there's something I need to tell you," I said. "Something—I should've told you the day we met."

"Okay," said Daisy.

Here I go, I thought.

"I—I love you, Daisy," I said. "I love you so much. All I could think about is how you endured what that alien creep put you through. You're smart, resourceful and strong, and you've captured my heart the way no other woman has captured it. The times we've spent together are the times I feel truly alive. I've kept this to myself for two years because—I don't know if you're ready to take that chance. I'll give you all the time you need to think about it, but—Daisy, would you go out with me?"

Now, Daisy was the one blushing. "Oh, Luigi…" she said.

I felt my heart stand still.

"I—I've felt the same way about you," she said finally. "I wanted to tell you as much as you've wanted to tell me, but you're right. I wasn't ready. I was recovering from what Tatanga did to me and to my kingdom. I can't help but notice that no one truly appreciates you here. I've seen the way you light up when I walk into a room. When I look into your eyes, everything else doesn't matter anymore."

She took my hands in hers and smiled. "I love you, too, Luigi."

"So—is that a 'yes'?" I asked nervously.

"You bet! Yes, Luigi! A trillion yesses!"

"Daisy…" I breathed, taking her in my arms.

And then we kissed. It was slow, sensual, magical. I still feel the tingle on my lips. The other golfers took notice of us, but we ignored them.

It's official. I now have a Princess of my own. And now, I feel complete.

Luigi

5 October 1991

Brooklyn, NY

Dear Diary,

I brought Daisy to Josh's gym to introduce her to him, along with Joan and Julian. The Merricks were absolutely delighted by her, and they were happy that I'd found someone special. Daisy was casually dressed for the occasion, but she still looked beautiful. While I worked out on the spin bike, she sweated it out on the elliptical machine.

"You have wonderful friends, Luigi," Daisy said after our workout.

"I've known them for just over fifteen years," I said, "and they've become my best friends."

Julian sidled over to us, blushing.

"Hey, Jules," I said. "How's Jackie?"

"That what I wanna talk to you about," Jules replied. "I think I'm in love with her. I should've told you this earlier, but she and her parents had a front-row seat to the Challenger tragedy in '86. So, we were able to come together to discuss how it affected us. Man, why didn't I meet her sooner? Anyway, I look at you and Princess Daisy, and it has me thinking that maybe Jackie is—the One."

"Did you bring it up with your parents yet?" Daisy piped up.

"I'm working on it, Your Highness," said Jules.

"It's alright—you can call me Daisy," smiled Daisy.

"She's right, though," I said. "Before you go any further with Jackie, you should talk to your parents, so they'll know what's coming."

"I'll work up the courage somehow," said Jules. "Okay?"

"Okay," I said.

After we left Josh's gym, I treated Daisy to burgers, fries and shakes at my favorite burger place, and then we burned more calories at the skating rink until closing time.

"I'd love to live here," Daisy said when it was time to part ways.

"It's called the City That Never Sleeps for a reason," I replied.

We tenderly kissed and bid each other goodbye-for-now.

It feels so good to be in love!

Luigi

13 October 1991

MK

Dear Diary,

I was tending to my affairs in Brooklyn when I happened upon a music store. And there, in one of the shelves, was The Record.

No, not records so as much as just The Record. It's been a full year to the day. And I still feel horrible for hurling Mario's favorite record into the fire. I'd overreacted over something so petty and let the nasty weather get to me. In that music store, I saw the chance to make things right once and for all.

So, I bought The Record and hopped down the first Warp Pipe I saw.

Mario was listening to his Walkman when I arrived. Oh, the irony. Holding The Record behind my back, I quietly approached him and then tapped him on the shoulder. He pulled aside his headphones and turned to me.

"Hey, Luigi," he said.

"Hey, Mario," I greeted. "I have something for you."

"Really? What is it?"

"Something long overdue," I explained, revealing my gift for him.

"Wha…" Mario was confused at first, but once he held The Record in his hands, I saw the remembrance sweep over his face. Tears came to his eyes.

"Luigi…" he said. "You know—I forgave you for that."

"I know," I said. "I just—I still feel bad about that day. About what I did and what I said. And—I just couldn't see you without your favorite record on your shelf." Tears were pooling in my eyes, too.

"Lil' Bro…" whispered Mario. "My Lil' Bro—I have something for you, too."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrapped parcel, hefting the weight in his hands before handing it to me.

I unwrapped it to reveal a golden wrench, shiny and smooth. Inscribed on it were the words "To Luigi, the Best Baby Bro Ever."

"Oh, Mario…" I began to blubber. "You forgave me for the record, and I forgave you for the wrench. And I forgave you for the awful words you said to me that day."

"You'll never know how many nights I spent wishing I could take them back." Mario was a step away from full-on bawling. "Wishing that I'd listened when you asked me to turn the music down…"

"It's okay, Big Bro. You're absolved," I said.

Seconds later, we were in each other's arms, crying and appreciating the others' presence. That terrible, rainy day was finally behind us, and we could easily move past the residual guilt. I remembered what Josh said, about the grateful game. And I began to play it right there, on the floor, in my brother's arms.

"Mama, why are you crying?"

Mario and I looked up. Yoshi stood there, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Because—I'm happy," I explained to him. "Happy to have met you, and happy to have a brother like Mario."

Yoshi smiled and joined in the hugfest.

I'm the happiest I've ever been since our arrival in the MK. Not only am I a mother of sorts, but also I found "the One". I've settled into my role as plumber and protector, even though I rarely, if ever, get acknowledged.

Plus, even during the worst of storms, I still have you.

Luigi