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Author's Note:

Countdown to the End: 0

Enjoy this last chapter.

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story idea.

Chapter 40:
Epilogue

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The sun had risen and hung itself in the sky over the peaceful nation known as the Mushroom Kingdom. Its soft morning rays gleamed brightly off of the brown roof of a small yet cozy house just outside of Toad Town. Inside the home, the owner and local hero was fast asleep in his bed, mumbling some pasta name with each snore.

It's been over three months since the whole Chaos Heart fresco and everything was back to the way it was before. Mario started to stir from his sleep just a bit past ten. The red man opened his eyes and blinked blankly into space. He sat up and yawned, stretching his arms as he did so.

Tiredly, he climbed out of bed. Usually, the first thing he'll do is use the bathroom and start getting dress. This time he decided to have some breakfast first before showering. His head was still foggy with sleep when he got downstairs, so he didn't notice his guest sitting in the living room waiting for him.

"Good morning, Malleo,"

"Uhm, good morning Weegie," He yawned as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Noises can be heard as he started to fix himself a bowl of cereal. Suddenly, there was the sound of glass breaking followed by rapid footsteps. Mario looked back into the living room and his eyes widen at who he saw.

"H-Hi, Mario," said the timid voice of the man he hasn't seen in a while.

"LUIGI!"

Without so much of a warning, the red hero tackled the green-clad man to the ground. Luigi giggled as he hugged Mario back; he has missed him a lot over this past few months.

"It's good to see ya, bro." Mario said as he released him. "When did you get here? How did you find me?"

"I got here a few hours ago." Luigi explained. "It was only nine when I left home but when I got here, the sun was just starting to rise. I guess the time zones are different depending on the dimension you're in."

"Okay, but how did you know where I live? And how did you get inside?"

"I had to ask some of the residents for directions. They were really nice; they show me the path to get here. Although they keep calling me Green Mario,"

Mario chuckled. "Don't worry, they'll learn your name soon enough."

"As for how I got in...Well, I figured as an adventurer, you won't carry a key with you all the time in fear of losing it. So I thought you might keep it somewhere hidden around the house."

"Under the door mat?"

Luigi nodded. "Under the door mat..."

They both stood up from the floor. Luigi dusted himself off and walked towards the kitchen, gesturing Mario to follow him.

"You were still asleep and I wanted to surprise you so I let myself in. While I was waiting, I made you some breakfast to start the day."

He opened the microwave and pull out a warm plate of breakfast. Mario nearly drooled at the sight of food. Luigi made some fresh homemade pancake with some eggs and sausages.

"Ah Grambi, this look good," He licked his lips. "Thanks Bro,"

"You're welcome," Luigi smiled. "I also wash the dishes for you and took care of your laundry."

Mario glanced at the empty sink and laundry basket on the table. The dishes were clean and all his clothes were neatly folded. He blushed at the thought of his brother handling his undergarments.

"Yeah, sorry about that; I meant to do some chores around here but I've been a bit busy."

"That's fine, it kept me busy."

Mario glanced up at the slight sad tone in Luigi's voice. "You okay?"

Luigi nodded. "I'm fine."

"You sure? Cause you could always talk to me about it?"

He smiled. "I know Mario and thank you..." He smiled. "You better start eating otherwise your food will be cold."

"Oh right!"

Mario sat down and placed the plate down in front of him. He grabbed the fork and dug in, starting with the pancakes. He hummed as he took the first bite. The pancakes were delicious; they were light, fluffy and sweet.

"You like it?" Luigi asked.

"Like it?" Mario questioned. "Bro, I love it. Best pancakes I ever had."

Luigi blush slightly at the comment. The two continue to talk throughout breakfast. Once they were done eating and cleaning the glass on the floor, Mario started up the stairs to change out of his pajamas.

"You wait here, I'll be right back."

"Ok, take your time,"

Luigi stood there as he watched his brother run up the stairs. Once he heard the door close, he let out a deep sigh. He walked over to his bag and opened it. After searching, he pulled out a large cloth wrapped around something inside. For some time, he just sat there and stared at it, caught within his own thoughts. He broke out of his trance when he heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Sorry for the wait, I had to take a quick shower," Mario said as he appeared once more.

Luigi sat up from the couch and turn toward his brother. Mario's excitement quickly faded away when he notice the blank, yet serious look on the green man's face. He approached him with a frown.

"Luigi, what's wrong?" he asked.

Luigi's gaze turn down to item he held tightly in his hands. "Can you...help me with something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

The green man didn't answer. Instead, he started to unfold the item. Mario watched with confusion and concern written on his face. That soon turned into shock and disbelief once the item was revealed.

"Is that...?" He started.

Luigi simply shook his head. "It is..."

"But...Merlon said it disappeared...?"

Silence was all Luigi can give him as he stared down at item once more. There, right in his hands, was the Book of Prophecies itself; the Dark Prognosticus. Thought to have faded into history never to be seen again by anyone else...

Anyone... except Luigi...

"Everyone thought that, but it didn't." He spoke finally. "After you and the others left, I found the book in my room."

He went silence for a moment as he vividly recall how shocked and scared he was when he found malevolence book in his room, laying on his bed, as if it was waiting for him.

"After we left?" Mario repeated. "But that would mean, for the past three months…"

"I secretly had it," Luigi finished. "I didn't tell anyone about it."

"But...why?" The red man questioned. "I mean the least you could do was tell Merlon. I'm sure he would know what to do with it."

"Well," he explained softly. "At first, I tried to get rid of it by myself. But for some reason, I just...couldn't."

Destroying it was the very first thing that came to him, once he overcame his shock. He was angry because he knew the book was responsible for taking his father away and risking the lives of millions, including his brother's and his adoptive family. He wanted to destroy the book for causing so much pain and misery. And he would have succeeded too if someone hadn't stopped him.

No, not someone - something...

Some mysterious voice had stopped him. The second he heard it, his whole body froze in place. No one was around when this happen and he his heart had dropped when he realized it was the book itself talking to him.

"There's some kind of...presence within the book." He continued "I'm not sure what it is, but it makes you want to open it by offering your deepest desire." He glanced down at the black tome. "I think that's what really influenced Count – I mean, Lord Blumiere – to do what he did. After losing Timpani, he was heartbroken and the book took advantage of his weaken mental state. It made him what revenge."

"What about you?" Mario asked out of concern. His brother had the book with him for over three months. It could have done something to him.

However Luigi smiled. The voice within the book had promised him many things – power, riches, revenge… anything and everything he ever wanted in life simply by opening its pages. But with each offer it gave him, he would always refuse, knowing full well of all its lies.

"Don't worry, Mario, I'm fine. The book did try to persuade me, but I never listened. I guess as the Chaos Heart's... host, it doesn't have that much of an effect on me as it does on others. That's why I hide it from everyone; to keep them safe."

"I get ya," Mario said softly, noticing his hesitance when he said 'host'. He could tell his brother was still bothered by the whole thing.

"But now I'm done hiding it." He said firmly. "I want to get of it, for good this time. But I can't do it alone."

"Because of the voice..." Mario guessed.

Luigi nodded. The Dark Prognosticus is a powerful and dangerous tome with hidden magic far beyond anyone's comprehension. It has foretells doom and destruction through the user and has the power to wipe out the universe and all dimensions...It had to be destroyed but it takes more than one individual to do so.

Mario placed a hand on his chin as he tries to come up with a solution to this problem. Personally, he thought Merlon was the best one to consult on this. But Luigi seemed determined not to get anyone else involved. The fact that he actually told him was probably a huge risk.

His blue eyes settled on the fireplace. Luigi followed his gaze as an idea came to mind. The brothers shared a look before they both nod in agreement.

Mario started get the fire going as Luigi sat back down on the couch. He watched as the red man work, still holding the dark book tightly in his hands. As soon as it was ready, he sat up and stood before the burning fire in front of him.

Even though he really wanted to do this, he was still hesitated. Mario gentle placed his hands on top of his, providing the support he needed. Luigi smiled in gratitude.

"Ready?" he asked.

Luigi let out a deep sigh and nodded. "On the count of three...One..."

"Two..."

"Three…"

With a simple flick of the wrists, they tossed the book right in the center of the fireplace. Luigi flinched for only he heard the cries of whether essence that resided within that accursed book, now being burned alive. He kept his eyes glued to it. He wanted to make sure everything - its pages, its hard cover, even its dark blue gem burned completely in the fire.

Mario silently watched between his brother and burning the book. He noticed the cringe Luigi had did when they toss it in there. He could only guess that his brother heard something that he didn't. After several minutes, he parted away from the fireplace.

"Say, how about we go visit the princess?"

Luigi broke out of his thoughts. He turned to Mario with a confused expression. "What?"

"The princess," Mario repeated. "How about we visit her in her castle? I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you."

The green man blinked before understanding what he was saw. "Oh, okay." He said. "Sure, we can do that."

Mario smiled and started heading for the door. Luigi glance at the fireplace one last time before he followed Mario to the door. The red man opened it and allowed him to go through first.

"On our way to the castle, I can show you around town and introducing you to everyone." Mario said as he grabs on his cap. "I'll even show you all my favorite places to eat."

Luigi rolled his eyes playfully and step outside onto the front poach. Mario walked out after him and locked the front door. It was a beautiful day today; the perfect time to take a walk around town. Mario and Luigi were just starting to take path that would lead them towards Toad Town when they heard a high-pitch voice in the air.

"M-M-M-M-M-Mario! HELP!"

The brothers stopped and look ahead where the voice came from. A child-like creature with a large mushroom cap was running towards them. Luigi realized it as one of the many similar looking inhabitants of this Town while Mario realized it to be one of his friends.

"Who's that?" Luigi asked

"It's Toad." Mario answered. "He's one of the princess' loyal servants. Something must be wrong."

Toad tried to skid to a halt only to tripped and fell on his face. The brothers frowned and ran to his aid. They pulled him up to a sited position where they could see he was exhausted and completely terrified.

"Toad, what happened?" Mario asked him.

"B-B-Bowser!" Toad gasped. "He raided the castle and kidnapped the princess!"

"I see Bowser hasn't changed since I last saw him." Luigi said.

"You have no idea," Mario sighed.

Toad glanced between the two men and quickly grew confuse on how similar the two looked.

"Uhm excuse...W-Who are you?" He asked Luigi.

"Oh, sorry; My name's Luigi, I'm Mario's bro."

Toad jumped. "Bro?"

"It's a long story, Toad. But I gotta tell you later." Mario said. "Right now, I have to go after the princess."

"I'll go with you,"

Both Mario and Toad turn to Luigi in surprise. "You sure, Bro?"

Luigi nodded. "Of course...I know you've done this dozens of times, but so has Bowser. You never know when he might get lucky and actually manage to capture you as well."

'He did once,' Mario thought as he recall the time Princess Peach had to rescue him.

"The least I could do is come along and watch your back." Luigi continued. "Bowser won't be expecting it and we did want to surprise the princess."

"Killing two birds with one stone," Mario mumbled and then smiled. "Alright Bro, we'll rescue the princess together."

Luigi nodded firmly. After making sure Toad was alright, the two set out on the adventure to save the Mushroom princess. Toad watched them leave and yelled out to them, being the first to yell the phrase the entire Mushroom Kingdom will learn in a matter of days.

"We're coming on you, Mario…BROS!"

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Thus end the tale of the Two Brothers.

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Ending Note:

I'm a little surprise that no one ever wrote a story where Luigi finds the Dark Prognosticus. (Or may be there is one and I just haven't found it yet.)

Anyways, thanks everyone for reading. I hope to see you again in my other story, "Change", or any future stories I'll post up.

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