Upon completing their work in the Snow Kingdom, the Super Brothers were able to return to their home in the Mushroom Kingdom. As they gathered their belongings and bid farewell to their newfound friends, Mario and Luigi were filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment. They had successfully reconstructed the Snow Kingdom, marking the first of seven kingdoms to be restored.
The challenges they encountered in the Snow Kingdom were unlike any they had faced before, yet they persevered and emerged victorious. Additionally, they were able to immerse themselves in the culture and history of the frigid kingdom, leaving Luigi with a desire to return and learn more in the future. Overall, the Super Brothers' efforts in the Snow Kingdom were a testament to their unwavering determination and skill. With six more kingdoms to restore, they were ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead.
Upon their arrival in the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach graciously hosted a celebratory dinner for the brothers; something intentionally small and casual, as to not overwhelm the weary travelers. Mario and Luigi deeply appreciated the warm gesture and were relieved to be back in familiar territory. Their recent stationing in the Snow Kingdom had been fraught with peril, including several heart-stopping moments and the discovery of new information about their adversary. Well, former enemy in Luigi's eyes since he was getting to know Bowser better. Nevertheless, a relaxing evening with good food and company was just what they needed to recharge their spirits.
As they gathered around the table, the brothers recounted their thrilling adventure in Frigid Metropolis. They shared tales of rebuilding the capital and the Snow Star sanctum, as well as the brief moment of fear they experienced before their departure. The princess chuckled at their story, mentioning that Tuxie's little adventures were not uncommon. Mario made it explicitly clear how ingenious Luigi's plan was, as it resulted in the Koopa King expressing remorse. The revelation surprised Peach and she commended Luigi for his ingenuity, unaware of his blossoming friendship with Bowser. Fortunately, the conversation shifted to more casual topics as dinner was served.
The meal was simple but delicious - a hearty mushroom stew with roasted albatoss served with crusty bread and butter. Toad had even brought along a freshly baked pie for dessert. While they savored their meal, they engaged in a lively conversation about their upcoming plans and exchanged valuable advice on how to navigate the challenging terrain of Kong Country.
With their bellies full and in a comfortable place, the day's fatigue caught up to them and they decided to turn in for the night. As they lay in their beds, the silence of the night enveloped them. The only sounds were the gentle rustling of leaves outside and the occasional hoot of an owl. Gradually, one by one, they drifted off to sleep
»--•--«
Sunlight peeked through the grassy hills of the Mushroom Kingdom. As the sun's warm rays spread across the land, the Mushroom Kingdom slowly came to life. The chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves could be heard as creatures big and small emerged from their hiding places. The air was filled with a sweet fragrance as flowers bloomed and trees swayed in the gentle breeze. Toads began to open up their shops for the day, ready to serve the needs of the kingdom's inhabitants.
The sensation of the warm sun on his skin was a welcome relief for Mario. After being cooped up inside due to the cold weather, he was eager to bask in the sun's rays and enjoy the freedom of movement it provided. Mario was also excited to resume his exercise routine and revisit the Training Course, which he had greatly missed. The irony was not lost as he remembered his desire to tear the course apart after his first few failed attempts.
Luigi walked alongside him, carrying a box of power-ups in his hands. The two were going to practice with new power-ups; Princess Peach was going to be instructing them. As they walked towards the training grounds, the brothers discussed their excitement for the upcoming session. They had been practicing with power-ups before but had pretty much stuck to fire and ice flowers. Princess Peach suggested they try new magical items; who knew what kind of abilities these had to offer?
The Toadstool Princess greeted them with a warm smile as they arrived at the training grounds. She led them to the new floating arena where they could practice without any obstacles or distractions. The brothers set down the box of power-ups and eagerly awaited their first lesson. The two basically mastered the Training Course, so the princess switched their training to power-ups. It would make navigating certain sections of the kingdoms much easier. Plus, using the magical artifacts was rather interesting. Mario was always in awe when using them, marveling at how such seemingly silly objects hold so much power. Peach rifled through the box, then hid the items behind her back. "Ready, guys?" she asked.
The brothers nodded.
"Good. Now, close your eyes."
Exchanging a confused look, Mario and Luigi obliged and raised their hands. Peach put something that felt like a leaf in Mario's hand and something like a glass in Luigi's; the object buzzed and crackled in his grasp, like a live wire. The green brother opened an eye and yelped at seeing a literal lightning bolt in his hand; his brother, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow at the striped leaf in his hand. Mario raised an eyebrow, "What is this?" he asked.
Luigi's lip quivered, "Am I about to get electrocuted?" he whimpered.
Peach giggled and shook her head, "Of course not! It works just like any power-up; once used, it activates the Thunderhand attack," she explained. "And Mario, what you have there is a Super Leaf, giving you the ability to fly."
Mario's eyes brightened. He couldn't believe his luck! He had always dreamed of flying, and now he finally had the chance to do so. With a big grin on his face, he held the Super Leaf tightly in his hand and looked up at the sky. Not wasting a second, Mario crushed the leaf in his grasp, feeling the magic seeping through his glove and flowing through him. His clothes transformed into a brown suit, complete with a striped tail. Luigi chuckled and playfully tugged on the new ears of his hat, "What is this? What're you, some kinda bear?"
"He's a Tanooki! With his tail, he'll be able to fly and attack enemies."
Luigi and Peach backed away and watched as Mario's feet lifted from the ground; the man started flying in random directions, cheering with glee. The younger twin adjusted his cap and laughed, enjoying his brother's antics. Peach giggled, "Mario, be careful! Don't go too high!" she yelled. Just as she said that, the flying raccoon man fell on his face; luckily, he was close to the ground, but still. It wasn't enough to remove the power-up apparently and he started flying around again as if nothing had happened.
Luigi sighed and shook his head, "It's better to just let him tire himself out," he said.
Peach forced herself to look away from Mario (Luigi definitely noticed the glimmer in her eyes), "I suppose..." she said, then shook her head. "Right! Are you ready?"
"Might as well."
The princess nodded, then tapped her boots against the tiled arena. A set of combat dummies appeared from the ground. Luigi nervously raised the electric item and snapped it in half; tendrils of light wrapped around his hands before vanishing into his gloves. Luigi could feel them buzzing with energy. Peach moved out of the way, "Whenever you're ready, Luigi!" she said. Then she ducked as Mario flew overhead, narrowly missing her.
Luigi took a deep breath and nervously got into position. He raised his hand and sparks of energy formed from his fingertips. The man took a moment to aim before unleashing the electricity within his grasp, managing to graze a dummy's arm. Luigi's jaw dropped at the sheer power of the attack; even if he just grazed it, a deep scorch mark was left behind. He raised his hand again, this time with more confidence, and fired another blast. With a clap of thunder, it hit the false figure in the chest, blasting it from its post.
The man couldn't believe what he was seeing. It felt so... natural; the power surging through his body was exhilarating and he felt more alive than ever before. It almost felt like it was a part of him. As he continued to fire off blasts of lightning, Luigi's confidence grew with each successful hit. He began to experiment with different techniques, trying out new ways to channel his energy and direct it toward his target.
Before long, the dummies in front of him were nothing more than smoldering piles of ash. Luigi stood there for a moment, catching his breath and taking in the scene around him. Princess Peach stood in the background, her eyes flickering from the destroyed dummies to Luigi. The verdant hero felt her gaze on him and slowly turned around, his ears turning pink. The princess stepped forward, "Wow! You picked up the Lightning Bolt faster than the Ice Flower!" she exclaimed.
Luigi couldn't help but feel a sense of pride wash over him at Princess Peach's compliment. It was true he handled the Thunderhand better than the Ice Flower; even though he had been terrified of the electrified item. And now, seeing the results of his hard work in action, he felt like he was finally making progress. But as he looked around at the destruction he had caused, Luigi couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Perhaps he had been a bit overzealous about it. Princess Peach seemed to sense his unease and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "You're doing great."
"Way to go, Weege!"
Mario descended from the clouds, laughing. He angled himself to land; however, he was flying too fast, and he ended up overshooting his landing. The raccoon man slid across the arena and fell into the lake below. Luigi and Peach yelled his name. Mario emerged from the water, sputtering and coughing. He looked up to see Luigi and Peach looking down at him, concern etched on their faces, "Are you okay?" Luigi asked.
Mario nodded, still catching his breath. "I'm fine," he said, grinning sheepishly. "Just got a little carried away."
Peach shook her head. "You always do," she said with a smile.
Luigi walked away from the edge, then returned with a rope ladder and threw it over. Mario grabbed onto it and climbed up. Once he reached the top, Peach grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him onto the arena floor. "Thanks," Mario said, still feeling embarrassed.
"Of course," said Peach. "But be careful next time!"
"I will."
Mario took off his hat and twisted it, straining it. Luigi asked someone to remove his power-up and Peach obliged. His brother hugged him (despite his drenched condition), "You were amazing! You were like... like Zeus! Zapping those combat mannequins!" he said.
"Number one: don't compare me to Zeus," Luigi said.
"You're right. You were more like... Thor. Marvel Thor."
Luigi smiled smugly, "Thank you. Also, get off me! You're soaking my shirt!"
The older twin laughed and refused to let go, purposely drying himself on Luigi's shirt. The brothers wrestled with each other until Peach walked over, entrapping Mario in a towel and pulling him off Luigi. "All right, all right. That's enough," she giggled. "Go change, you two. I don't want you to get sick; we'll continue the training later."
Mario and Luigi reluctantly let go of each other, still laughing and playfully shoving each other as they made their way to their rooms to change. Toads passing by cheerfully greeted them, laughing at the brothers' antics. They traversed the castle hallways and up the familiar stairway to their rooms. Mario was the first to rush into his room and quickly changed out of his drenched clothing; he wanted to get back to training with the power-ups! And seeing Luigi's stellar performance lit a fire in him. He has never seen him like that, so at ease and powerful; Mario had every intention of following his brother's example.
After putting on dry clothes, he grabbed his hat from his bed and left his room. Mario made a bee-line for Luigi's room (which was farther down the hall) and stopped for a moment to knock.
"C-come in!"
Mario peeked in. Luigi was standing in front of a mirror, holding a shirt to his chest. The older twin stepped into his room and closed the door behind him. Luigi shifted his weight from one foot to another, "Hi."
Mario put his hands in his pockets. "Hey," he replied. "Are you okay? You seem nervous about something."
Luigi stood silently for a second before lowering the shirt. Thin scars were visible beneath his pectorals. The older twin only spared them a glance, mindful of his brother's comfort. Meanwhile, Luigi looked back at the mirror, "Haven't looked at them in a while..." he said.
Mario walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "You okay?" he asked.
"Hm? Yeah! I'm fine," Luigi replied earnestly. "It's just... like I said, I haven't looked at my scars in a while. They've gotten smaller."
Mario hummed and cupped his face, checking for a fever. Ever since they settled into this world, he has been worried about his brother's health. When it came to broken bones and sickness, he didn't worry at all; Mushroom's medicine was the best around. However, he was worried about his brother's lack of medication; Luigi has no access to testosterone now. And since he found out the ulterior reason for Luigi's fever was from T withdrawals, he's become even more concerned.
But a small miracle happened! The healing items he was given stabilized him and now Luigi was better. Mario slept a little easier knowing Luigi wasn't in any danger of getting seriously sick or even worse: losing the identity he's been fighting for. Still, some of those nerves remained. Luigi shifted from his touch and lowered his hand, "Sto bene, fratello... " he said with a comforting smile. (I'm fine, brother)
"Me lo dirai se comincerai a non sentirti bene, vero? " (You'll tell me if you start feeling unwell, right?)
Luigi rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance. "Of course! Although, I don't think I'll ever feel like that again... Not after all that medicine they gave me." he said sheepishly.
Mario chuckled and moved back, giving Luigi space to put on his shirt. He crossed his arms, "But if you do start feeling sick-"
"We'll go straight to the doctors, I promise," Luigi interjected.
Mario nodded, satisfied with Luigi's response. "Good. I don't want to see you suffer like that again," he said, his tone serious.
Luigi finished putting on his shirt and turned to face Mario. "Thanks, bro. I appreciate it," he said, a small smile on his face.
Mario returned the smile and patted Luigi on the back. "No problem, Luigi. That's what brothers are for," he said before turning to leave the room.
As Mario walked out of the room, Luigi couldn't help but feel grateful for having such a caring brother. He knew that no matter what happened in the future, Mario would always be there for him. As the brothers walked down the stairs and into the casual sections of the castle, something caught Mario's attention: the scent of baked goods. He grabbed onto Luigi's arm, "You think if we both give Helvella puppy dog eyes, she'll give us something."
"..."
Communicating through apparent telepathy, the brothers ran to the royal kitchens, determined to get their hands on some yummy desserts.
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Author's Notes:
OH YEAH! We've hit 28K! Thank you so much for the support!