Luigi's Adventure

Disclaimer: I do not own Mario or the characters/creatures associated with it.

There have been many great stories over the years telling of great heroes fighting to save the ones they love from the clutches of evil. This is one of those stories, but it might be a little bit different than what you might expect. It all begins in a dark castle located in a gloomy location where lava and fire rule.

A princess by the name of Peach had been locked up in a cage by the evil king Bowser Koopa. Each day, she awaited a hero who would save her while saying the following to herself:

"Oh, Mario, my sweet, please come to free me soon. The only pleasant thing I ever see from here is the moon. I wish with all my might that maybe by tonight, you will be my knight to be... and free me."

Who was this Mario you might ask? Why, he was the hero of the mushroom kingdom, but not a knight in shining armour like one would expect. No, this man was a plumber from Brooklyn. But he wasn't an ordinary plumber. See, he could run at intense speeds that could match that of a cheetah, bust open stone blocks with just his fists and to top it all off, he could leap over large gaps without a hint if fear in his eyes.

At this very moment, he was standing outside of the castle, a serious look in his eyes as he knocked down the entrance, a group of turtles known as koopas and mushrooms called goombas appeared before him. However, they were no match for the plumber as he leaped atop a koopa's head, forcing it into its shell and kicking the shell toward the other minions, making quick work of them.

As he headed down the hall, he felt an eery presence as a large ghost referred to as a boo appeared behind him. When the plumber heard a maniacal laugh that all boos possessed, he let out a sigh, rolled his eyes and turned to face the spirit. The ghost immediately panicked and held his hands over his eyes, a blush forming as he turned slightly transparent, Mario folding his arms and saying, "I don't know why he hires these things."

Meanwhile, a large dragon sporting a turtle shell named Bowser entered the room Peach was locked in and fumed, saying, "Alright, Princess Peach, I will ask you again..." the princess turning and glaring before shouting, "NO! I REFUSE TO MARRY A HORRIBLE CREATURE LIKE YOU! WHEN WILL YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?"

See, Bowser was the king of all koopas and was a powerful force to be reckoned with. He often kidnapped Princess Peach for he was absolutely in love with her and wanted to be her husband. But knowing she would never fall for the forces of evil, Bowser would always used force in the hopes that he could make Peach change her mind.

The dragon covered his ears, groaning and saying, "If you don't agree to be my bride, then I will never let you out of that cage!" as the princess folded her arms retorting, "It doesn't matter. I know that Mario is coming to save me like always."

"Oh, you think so?" Bowser replied with a wicked grin, "I've pulled out all the stops to make sure he doesn't make it here."

"You mean like an army of koopas and goombas?" came a voice from behind Bowser, the dragon nodding and saying, "Yes," the voice adding, "Did you also throw a boo in there?" the king stating, "Oh yes," then recognizing the accent, his eyes widened as he slowly turned his body around, noticing the very plumber he didn't want to see standing right there.

Bowser's eye twitched as Mario shook his head, stating, "Seriously, you're just not trying anymore. This was your least elaborate attempt to stop me yet."

Bowser gritted his teeth before letting out a sigh, a smile crossing his face as he stated, "It's a good thing I happen to have a Plan B," pressing a button on the side of the wall as a big door opened up, a battle robot that resembled the king emerging.

As the robot shot a flame from its mouth, Mario easily leaped over it and kicked the robot's head clean off, Bowser's eye once again twitching. However, the king felt confident as he opened his mouth, releasing a fireball of his own.

As Mario dodged the incoming projectile, he wasn't prepared when Bowser thrust his arm forward, hitting the plumber hard in the face and sending him reeling into the wall. The king laughed wickedly, Peach placing her hands over her mouth only for the smoke to clear, Mario coughing and shaking his head before scowling, Bowser's confidence turning to fear while the plumber leaped toward him, planting his feet hard into the dragon's skull. Bowser started seeing stars as he fell hard on his back, now out cold while Mario performed a flip off of the king's face, landing in front of Peach's cage and pulling a flower out of his pocket.

This was known as the fire flower as when used, it gave the user the powers of, well, fire. As it glowed, Mario's overalls changed from red and blue to white and orange, the plumber forming a fireball in his hand before placing said hand over the lock to the cage. The fire proved more than enough to melt the lock as the door opened up, Mario bowing and pointing away from himself, Peach curtsying and saying, "Don't mind if I do," making her way out of the prison.

However, before the two could make their escape, Bowser slowly struggled to rise back up to his feet, breathing heavily and pointing at Mario groaning, "Just where do you think YOU'RE going!"

"I'm leaving," the plumber remarked, shrugging as the king fumed, his arms, legs and head soon entering his spiked shell as he hurled himself at the two.

However, Mario and Peach narrowly managed to avoid the incoming attack as they ran outside of the room and onto a bridge hanging over a pit of lava. However, Bowser wasn't too far behind as he quickly entered the area, letting out a loud roar. But before he could advance toward the two, Mario and Peach reached the end of the bridge where Mario noticed a big axe right next to the support ropes.

Bowser's eyes went wide as Mario formed a grin, picking up the axe as the dragon shook his head, the plumber simply nodding in response as he threw the axe down, cutting the ropes while Bowser groaned, saying to himself, "Well, at least I wasn't standing on it this time."

After a few hours of travelling, the two had returned to Peach's home, a vast, beautiful land known as the Mushroom Kingdom. The specific location they were in was Toad Town, a humble place with a big castle in the middle.

The toads weren't really amphibians but rather small people who lacked noses and wore mushroom caps on their heads. Upon seeing the plumber and princess arriving, one of the Toads looked up and shouted, "Hey, guys, Mario saved the princess again!"

The toad next to him nodded and exclaimed, "Mario and the princess are back!" all of the toads repeating the same words amongst themselves as soon enough, word hit the castle as the message was spread all throughout there. The one happiest to hear this news was an old toad named Toadsworth. He was Peach's guardian and always panicked whenever something bad happened to her.

As he looked out the window to the castle and saw Mario and Peach headed toward the building, the old man sighed with relief as the toads all gathered around chanting, "It's a dark time for us all, a time for us to fear! Every day we know Bowser's henchmen might be near! But with that horrible king stealing our princess from us, there's one man, one hero who is sure to stop the fuss!"

"And his name is..." said a choir instructor as the toads came together and said amongst themselves, (Imagine this to the Mario Brothers theme song) "Mario, the plumber who came to our land one great fateful day. He came at just the right time to save the princess so we could play."

The royal guards bowed when Mario and Peach entered the castle and whispered to each other, "He is truly the greatest we have to battle the bad koopa clan. No matter what Bowser throws at him he'll thwart the plan."

"He's so manly, gracious and strong," one of the maids stated, another adding, "I've been jealous of Peach all along. She really is one lucky lady to have him."

All of the toads in the castle watched the couple climb up the steps while chanting, "Without him, we would all be lost, and we don't even want to know at what cost! Mario's what our kingdom needs, someone who's service is guaranteed."

While Mario and Peach opened the door to the princess's room, the toads all said amongst themselves, "Mario, the plumber who came to our land one great fateful day. With him here, there's no doubt that we no longer have to pray!"

Upon seeing the two enter, Toadsworth breathed a sigh of relief before walking over to Peach and hugging her saying, "Oh, Princess, you had me worried sick! I was afraid you'd been lost for good this time!"

"Toadsworth, you're being silly," Peach replied with a giggle, "You know as well as I do that Mario always saves the day," Mario grinning proudly, adding, "You have nothing to worry about with me around."

"Yes, yes, I know that," Toadsworth replied with a sigh, "It's just that I can't help worrying about you. It seems as if you're doomed to always be kidnapped by that horrible monster!"

"He seems to be running out of tricks," Mario remarked, rolling his eyes, "He wasn't even trying this time. Who knows? He may actually consider retirement now."

All the while, at a small house located a few miles from the kingdom was Mario's brother, Luigi, who was currently doing the laundry as he sighed, "I wish I could go and save a princess just like my brother. He's probably back by now."

At that very moment, a knocking came from the door as Luigi blinked, turning to face the door and made his way toward it saying sarcastically, "Gee, I wonder who it could be," opening the door and seeing a flying turtle flapping his wings there. Luigi blinked as the turtle reached into a bag, pulling out an envelope and handing it over to the plumber.

Luigi blinked saying, "It's from the castle," recognizing the crown drawn on the envelope before opening it up and reading aloud, "Dear Luigi, I just wanted you to know that I have returned and Princess Peach is once again safe. We're going to celebrate with a party in my honour later tonight and I was wondering if you'd like to attend. Sincerely, Mario."

Luigi let out a sigh, shrugging and saying, "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do today," looking at the laundry with a frown adding, "He can do his own laundry."

Now don't get the wrong idea here. Luigi loved Mario like, well, a brother, but he envied the plumber. He wished he could be the great hero that Mario was. It was his life-long dream to one day find a princess of his own who he could save vowing that if the day were to come, he wouldn't wait forever to propose like his brother did.

Meanwhile, the party was almost completely set up in the dining hall as Mario watched the servants at work, Peach entering with her fanciest dress on, the plumber blushing and saying, "Please, Princess, you don't have to go to all this trouble. It's not like I've never saved you before."

"That's true," the princess replied, "but still, you rescuing me is no small feat. Besides, dinner tonight is a fancy pasta dish with cake for dessert," Mario's eyes widening, the plumber drooling before saying, "I think I love you," Peach giggling. Mario always had a weakness to pasta since childhood hence his rather big belly.

Luigi soon arrived after being led into the dining hall by one of the servants, Mario smiling and exclaiming, "Luigi!" running over to his brother and giving him a hug, Luigi smiling and patting his brother on the back. Sure, he may have been envious, but he wasn't spiteful towards his brother. They still shared a strong brotherly connection with one-another.

"Well, congratulations on another successful rescue," Luigi said, "Not that I didn't see it coming."

"What can I say?" Mario replied with a shrug, "It's a gift."

And so dinner went swimmingly, everyone enjoying themselves. However, Luigi wasn't enjoying himself as much as the others. Sure, he ate some of the pasta he'd been given, but for some reason, he couldn't finish it. Perhaps he was just tired of Mario always having special events dedicated to him.

However, as if the party wasn't enough, Toadsworth rose up from his seat and announced, "While you all enjoy this meal, try to remember who we are dedicating it to! As such, I propose a toast to Mario, that wonderful Plumber who has saved our fair princesses so many times and asked for nothing in return!" the toads all cheering as Luigi weakly rose his glass saying, "Yay..."

Peach then kissed Mario on the nose as the plumber blushed, laughing before patting Luigi on the back saying, "You know, I wouldn't have so much confidence if it weren't for my younger brother!"

Luigi perked up at the sound of that as Mario added, "I mean, if he didn't stay at home to do the chores every time I went out, I may actually feel bad about running off to save the princess!" the toads laughing as Luigi grimaced, folding his arms as the older plumber looked over at him saying, "Oh, cheer up, Luigi, I don't mean it like that. You're a great brother."

Luigi forced a smile and said, "Of course," as Mario laughed, stating, "That's the spirit," Luigi suddenly getting up and saying, "Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom."

Mario and Peach watched the man leave, shrugging before returning to their meal. However, Mario was a tad worried. Luigi looked upset to him, but what reason would his brother have to be upset?

As Luigi walked down the halls, looking down at the ground, he let out a sigh before saying to himself, "In a kingdom that's in trouble, who's always there on the double? I can tell you it's not me. I mean, how could it be?"

Looking up at a picture of Mario on the wall, the plumber added, "I'm not quite as strong as he is, nor do I have his courage too. If I laid eyes on danger, there would be nothing I could do."

Proceeding to walk further down the hall, Luigi let out another sigh before stating, "Everybody looks up to him because he always risks life and limb while I always stay at home only dreaming I could be a hero too. But what if I was more like Mario, braver and stronger than all the rest? Maybe I could be the best of the best. Oh, who am I kidding? All I can do is sing this rhyme. Oh, tell me god, when will it be my time?"

Luigi let down a tear, wiping it right away and sniffing before pacing back and forth saying to himself, "When will it be my time? When will it be my time? When will I get my chance to be a hero?"

Then looking up with fire in his eyes, the plumber added, "When will it be my time? When will it be my time? When will I no longer be a zero?"

Then looking down, the plumber shook his head and stated, "I'm just not brave enough nor am I all that tough. I wish that I could be strong, but that way of thinking just seems wrong. Perhaps I'm doomed to live in my bro's shadow all my life destined to never even have a wife. All I can really do right now is sing this melancholy rhyme while wondering when it will be my time."

Then slowly making his way back to the dining hall, Luigi looked down sighing, "When will it be my time? When will it be my time? When will I get my chance to be a hero? When will it be my time? When can I stop singing this rhyme?"

Then letting out a deep breath, the plumber let down a tear adding, "I guess it's my destiny to be a zero."

Then wiping his tear, the plumber simply reentered the dining hall, figuring he may as well trying to enjoy himself. He needed to accept the fact that his brother was just more successful than he was.

All the while, Bowser sat on his throne with a look of anger on his face as the koopas and goombas all came to his aid, nervous smiles on their faces while they pampered the king, Bowser groaning, "Enough, this isn't helping."

The minions sighed and exited the room as Bowser slumped in his chair, groaning and asking, "What can I possibly do? No matter what I try, he always wins. That plumber is driving me insane!"

"If I may, your majesty," came a voice from behind the dragon, Bowser's eyes going wide with confusion as the voice continued, "I may have an idea."

Bowser blinked, asking, "Who's there?" a koopa dressed in a wizard robe emerging from behind the king's chair, the dragon sighing, "It's only you, Kamek. Don't sneak up on me like that. I've had a rough day."

The old koopa, better known as a magikoopa, let out a sigh, tapping his foot as Bowser stared for a while. Soon, the reason for Kamek tapping his foot became clear as the king nodded in understanding.

"Okay," he said, "What's your plan?"

Kamek pressed a button as what looked like Peach entered the room, Bowser's eyes going wide as he smiled, running over to the princess and shouting, "YOU ACTUALLY KIDNAPPED HER FOR ME!" before Kamek shouted, "DON'T HOLD HER TIGHTLY!" Bowser stopping and blinking with confusion, the magikoopa letting out a sigh and explaining, "That's not really Princess Peach. This is a robot replica I have created of her."

Bowser then looked at the robot and whistled, rather impressed by the sight of it. It really did look just like the princess in every way possible. Though he was still confused as to what this was all about.

"Let me explain," Kamek stated, positioning his glasses, "See, my plan is to fly to the castle while Peach is asleep tonight and snatch her. After doing so, I will replace her with the robot so that the members of the mushroom kingdom won't realize she's gone."

"But how will that stop Mario?" Bowser replied as Kamek narrowed his eyelids, Bowser shrugging and asking, "What?" Kamek tapping his foot as the king soon realized what he meant, slamming his fist into his own palm before saying, "That's brilliant! If they don't know Peach is gone, Mario won't come to save her!"

Kamek nodded with a wicked grin as Bowser laughed maniacally. This really was a great plan and with the robot looking so much like Peach, how could it possibly fail?

At this moment, the party had ended, but just as everyone was leaving, Peach noticed the time and asked, "Hey, Mario, how would you and Luigi like to spend the night?"

Luigi blinked and looked at Mario, realizing that he pretty much had the authority here as Mario grinned and said, "Well, I don't see why not."

And thus Luigi's jealousy had shown its ugly face again. While he was sleeping in a regular guest room, Mario was sharing a bed with Peach in her room. Granted, the two had to assure Toadsworth that they wouldn't do anything other than sleeping, but Toadsworth had caved in a little too easily, especially for him considering how paranoid he usually was.

Nevertheless, Luigi was too tired to drone on such matters as he yawned, falling asleep in seconds. It was nice sleeping in a castle even if he wasn't in the fanciest of beds.

Mario and Peach were also fast asleep as Kamek flew over to the window, waving his wand around before creating a magical hole in the glass, passing through it. Since it was so dark, he didn't seem to notice that Mario was there as he pulled out a big sack, throwing it over who he figured was the princess and pulling out another bag, pulling out the robot replica and placing it where his captive was originally sleeping. Then laughing wickedly, he flew off.

However, the next morning, Peach awoke and was still in her bed as she slowly turned to face Mario saying, "Good morning, honey."

However, he eyes went wide as she noticed a spitting image of herself in Mario's stead, the robot princess slowly getting up and looking at Peach, attempting to speak only for sparks to fly out, her head coming off and dangling from a spring. Clearly this robot had not been designed very well.

Although this hardly mattered right now. All Peach cared about at this moment was that Mario was missing as she screamed.

Toadsworth quickly opened the door, breathing heavily and clutching his heart asking, "I say, princess, what ever is the matter?"

Peach pointed to the broken robot replica of herself next to her as Toadsworth blinked before passing out on the spot. Just the sight of a beheaded Peach, real or not, was enough to give him a heart attack. But there was still one question going through Peach's mind: Where had this replica come from and where was Mario?