First 30 Days Chapter 1: Prologue: The First Hours, a super smash brothers fanfic

Prologue: The First Hours

Zero Hour

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 began as a lovely autumn morning. Small, popcorn-shaped clouds dotted the sky, heralding the rising sun. Parents packed their kids' lunches and saw them off on the school bus. The freeways were jammed as people headed off to work. Those who preferred not to drive scrambled for a prime seat on the buses, the light rail or the subway, which proceeded to whisk them off to their place of business. Joggers wearing brightly-colored workout apparel ran through parks and dew-glittered lawns as birds sang and swooped gracefully above them. Bicyclists soared past the city streets, some wearing safety gear and some not; passersby grabbed the day's newspaper, curious over the latest scoop. The outdoor pools were closed for the season, but the indoor pools were still open, and if you were close enough, you could hear the splash as people dove in and swam laps. Out on various lakes and creeks, rowers moved in sync as they guided their boats through the water. The outdoor basketball courts and soccer fields were filled with people wanting to play a few games before it got too busy.

But in the Smash Mansion, this ordinary morning was also a special morning. A new update patch, patch 1.1.1, had just been released, applying buffs and nerfs to select fighters. Unbeknownst to most, a secret group had lobbied for one of the Smashers to be nerfed. And the target of that nerf? The Smasher in question's down throw, the starting point for many of his combos.

6:12a.m. had marked the end of those combos.

The nerfed Smasher's copy of the patch notes now lay splattered on the carpet floor of his room. A few feet away, two figures, one short and a little squat, one tall and a little thin, knelt on the floor in a tender, brotherly embrace. The shorter one wore a red shirt, light blue coveralls, white gloves, brown boots and a red ball-cap with a "M" emblazoned on the front. The taller one was clad in a green shirt, navy coveralls, white gloves, brown boots and a green ball-cap with a "L" emblazoned on the front. Surprisingly, the shorter one was the eldest of the two, albeit by only a few minutes, as well as the most famous. The taller brother was rarely acknowledged for his contributions. But we'll get to that later.

Mario "Jumpman" Mario bit his lip for the umpteenth time, concern and compassion in his blue eyes, as he hugged his younger twin close, combing his fingers through the other's brown hair with one hand while rubbing the small of his back with the other hand. He hated seeing his sibling in pain, physical or emotional. Both had tried to prepare for this as the complaints got out of hand. They'd tried to be ready. But the red bullet point announcing the nerf had been a staggering blow, nonetheless. As soon as he heard his brother's cry, Mario had dashed to his room and saw him on his knees, head bowed, patch notes falling from his slackened hands. And then he'd done the only thing he could to soothe his pain—hug him.

It took a while, but it worked. Mario smiled at his baby bro as he recovered in his arms. First, his body ceased to shake. Second, his breathing started to even out. And finally, his muscles began to relax. Mario planted a kiss on the other man's forehead, feeling himself relax, as well. The hug had done its job, and the pain was receding. His bro would pick himself up, and life would go on—it just wouldn't be the same.

" 'M sorry." The man in green's voice was muffled against Mario's chest and jerky from crying.

"Luigi…?" Mario spoke softly as his brother looked up, face wet and eyes a bit dimmed.

"I shouldn't be crying about this," Luigi explained, wiping his face with his sleeve. "I wasn't the only Smasher nerfed in this patch. It's just…"

Mario nodded. "I should be the one apologizing, L."

Luigi blinked. "What for?"

"I should've seen this coming. Everyone was giving Master Hand a hard time about it. And—what that bird said to you…"

Luigi shushed him. "Nobody saw it coming. This isn't your fault," he said reassuringly, but it did little to ease Mario's guilt.

"I'm supposed to defend you from all of this, and I didn't. Lil' Bro—I let you down…"

"Hey," said Luigi. "You can't protect me from everything. Besides, I'm not a little kid anymore. I can handle myself pretty well."

Now, it was Mario's turn to cry. "Do you remember—the vow we made, after our mamma died?"

"That we'd always look out for each other, no matter what."

"Well, I haven't done a good job lately," sniffled Mario. "I was so preoccupied with Smash-related stuff that your situation slipped under my radar. And I'm never gonna let that happen again."

"You had no way of knowing that I was about to be nerfed," Luigi said gently. "Just as I had no way of knowing, or Peach or Rosalina or Yoshi. MH tells us when the patches will be released, not who's going to be nerfed or buffed."

"But this patch came after you took flak from your down throw," Mario told him. "Do you really think it's just a coincidence?"

Luigi frowned lightly. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that this nerf was the result of someone pulling the strings," said Mario, his tears drying as the beginnings of anger began sweeping through his soul.

Luigi understood almost instantly. "You think that this was an elaborate scheme to hurt me."

"Yes, I do."

"Assuming that was the case, then who would want to do that?" Luigi wanted to know. "And why?"

Icy fury had dispelled the softness from Mario's face, and a menacing flash came to his eyes. His voice audibly lowered a few octaves as he looked straight at Luigi and declared, "I'm gonna find out."

1.1.1

To your soul…

Cry…

You leave in the morning with everything you own in a little black case

Alone on a platform, the wind and the rain on a sad and lonely face…

Mother will never understand why you had to leave,

But the answers you seek will never be found at home

The love that you need will never be found at home…

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away…

Pushed around and kicked around, always a lonely boy…

You were the one that they'd talk about around town as they put you down

And as hard as they would try they'd hurt to make you cry…

But you never cried to them, just to your soul

No, you never cried to them, just to your soul…

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away (crying to your soul)

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away…

Cry, boy, cry

Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry

Cry, boy, cry, boy, cry…

You leave in the morning with everything you own in a little black case

Alone on a platform, the wind and the rain on a sad and lonely face

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away…

-Bronski Beat, "Smalltown Boy"

T plus 2 hours

The Smash Mansion had a commuter train system which ran from 4a.m. to midnight, serving many stops in its affiliated universes. You could get where you needed to go in a comfortable seat, pillows and blankets available upon request. The café car was located in the middle of the train, and at the end of the train was the full-service dining car. The seats on the train were unreserved, meaning that you could take any of the commuters to your destination. There was even Wi-Fi on the trains! These commuters were obviously modeled off of Amtrak's Capitol Corridor route.

Some Smashers decided to take advantage of these commuters to run a few errands before the day's matches began. But you could find non-Smashers aboard the trains as well, the majority of them wishing to reserve seats for whatever matches they wanted to spectate. If you were on a train, and your main opted to take the seat next to you, then it was your lucky day.

By 8:45a.m., one commuter was packed with Smashers returning to the Smash Mansion. They lounged in their reclining seats, reading on-board magazines or fiddling around on their cell phones, or mainly gazing out the window as the world outside rushed by, sipping on coffee, tea or juice, thinking about the day ahead of them.

In one of the train cars sat a particular group of passengers, sneaking occasional glances at each other. Quirks of smiles and slight nods passed from one to another. They had some clue of how this day was going to go, for this was a day 30 days in the making. To them, today marked the beginning of a new age. A day without pesky combos, and thus, a better chance of winning over a certain man in green. These passengers were the conspirators of an endeavor known as Project Nerf. With a little help from the inside, these conspirators succeeded in convincing Master Hand to alter Luigi's down throw so that his combos were no longer viable.

The three brothers who led Project Nerf, ironically, weren't Smashers. They were just three ordinary men, who, for some reason, didn't like Luigi very much. Presently, they were seated in the first row of the train car. The eldest had wavy, neatly trimmed black hair and wore glasses, but was still very handsome. The second-eldest had curly, shoulder length black hair and wore black-rimmed glasses. And the youngest had short, black hair and wore brown-rimmed glasses. Their names, from eldest to youngest, were Vince, Manny and Shane.

Not a word was spoken between the three, but the triumphant smirks they shot one another said plenty. They recognized many of their fellow conspirators, but couldn't afford more than just a knowing look or two in their direction. They couldn't risk the wrong person hearing about their exploits.

They didn't need advertising or force to recruit people to their cause. After almost a full year of Luigi's combo game, these Smashers and hard-core gamers decided to step up to the plate and take control. Once they reached out to the three brothers, Project Nerf lifted off from the launchpad. And there were a few surprises along the way.

The first Smashers to jump aboard were Marth Lowell and Roy Lycae. The former was the blue-haired Prince of Altea whose admiration for Luigi had fallen by the wayside, and the latter was the Red Lion who gave his boyfriend his full support. Mewtwo, they psychic Pokémon, had nothing against Luigi—he just joined because why not? He also tried to recruit other Smashers, succeeding with Dark Pit and a Mii named Kyle. Marth, Roy, Mewtwo, Kyle and Dark Pit were also seated in the car with the three brothers, acknowledging them with smiles and winks every so often but tuning everything else out with earbuds in their ears.

Lounging in a window seat was a totally unexpected addition to Project Nerf—Falco Lombardi. The ace pilot of Star Fox used to be friends with Luigi until a fateful matchup on Smashville. Frustrated, the avian blew up at Luigi over his "stupid f—ing combos", and the plumber was justifiably hurt by the tirade. Initially, Falco tried to apologize and repair the friendship, but the frustration continued to simmer, culminating in Falco checking out a website dedicated to ragging on Luigi, where he discovered Project Nerf. After reaching out to Shane via email, he began attending the meetings, ultimately becoming the primary contributor to the plot. From convincing the Smashers to adopt a professional tone when complaining to Master Hand to personally meeting with Sakurai, the tournament's financier, to arrange a sit-down with him and MH, Falco helped the three brothers accomplish their goal by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the recruits kept coming and coming. Rolf, two guys named Steve, Chase and King Koopa (which wasn't a surprise). A family of four. Of the many conspirators, only one had backed out. But a shocking ally had pulled him back in at the end—and his name was Crazy Hand, Master's twin brother!

The Hand of Destruction had secretly funded the endeavor and provided food and lodging to the conspirators while slowly swaying his twin to see things their way. Due to his status as the assistant master of ceremonies, he had to remain a behind the scenes player. But when one of the conspirators bailed, CH ensured his cooperation for the next scheme the three brothers had in mind by retaining the evidence of his earlier involvement. All CH had to do was make a phone call to Mario, and the fellow would spend the rest of his days sleeping with one eye open. Unless, of course, he played by the rules.

The two Steves were seated behind Falco, dressed in matching magenta wrestling singlets. Rolf was seated next to Falco, eating a fish sandwich (fish was his favorite food). Chase sat next to Shane, noshing on French toast sticks. Koopa sat near the rear of the car, working on a breakfast meal of scrambled eggs, sausage links, pancakes and a biscuit, with a pitcher of cranberry juice to wash it down. The family of four wasn't present, as the two kids were in school, the father was at work, and the mother was running errands. But they'd also contributed heavily, especially the eldest child and the mother.

Finally, the train arrived at the Smash Mansion, and everyone disembarked. The Smashers headed to the schedule tacked on the bulletin board in the Main Hall for a quick glance at their opponents. Nearly all of them were scheduled to fight Luigi sometime today. Faces broke out into matching smiles. They could hardly wait.

1.1.1

T plus 3 hours

The Mii ushers saw nothing suspicious about the three handsome, glasses-clad brothers as they admitted them into the Spectator Area. Armed with food and drinks, Vince, Manny and Shane carefully walked down the steps to the first row and made themselves comfortable in the three middle seats. A very blatant mockery of Mario's favorite spot whenever Luigi was in a match. Luckily for them, Mario was seated on the other side of the stage. And as the stage lights flashed on, the three brothers sat back, relaxed and prepared to savor the fruits of their labor.

They weren't disappointed.

Most of the Smashers who had long been subjected to those down throw combos went into their bouts against Luigi with their proverbial guns blazing. The man in green had a debt to pay, and by God, they ensured that he paid it! It was their turn to dominate the fight from start to finish, their turn to own him with blow after blow and wipe the floor with his derriere. Over and over, Luigi's muscle memory would turn on him, and he'd butt-slam opponents to try and set up combos which no longer existed, leaving him wide open. Shane, Vince and Manny roared with laughter as Luigi was thoroughly curb-stomped over and over and over again, and they were in good company. Falco was one of the Smashers not fighting Luigi today, so he took refuge in a seat next to Vince, watching his own prophecy come true. His former friend was being knocked off his pedestal, and he was enjoying every second of it. When the other conspirators were finished with their battles, they snagged a prime seat to watch their buddies have their turn. Every time Luigi reflexively tried a combo, they took a shot. They jeered, shouted snide comments, blew raspberries and even flashed him. But they dared not get physical. There was a specter breathing down their necks, and his name was Mario. If someone physically assaulted Luigi, then Mario would find out. If Crazy Hand could use Mario to wrangle that one defector, then the man in red was a big deal, indeed.

"Yeah! Not so tough now, are you?" guffawed the two Steves as they double-teamed Luigi in a free-for-all. Ah, the free-for-alls were the best, where they all could bite back the hardest. Disagreements were temporarily shelved in favor of whaling on the green-clad plumber to their hearts' desires. The fruits of Project Nerf were plentiful, and the conspirators scheduled to fight Luigi that day ate their fill and found it delicious.

Luigi didn't make it easy for them, though. He wasn't one to throw in the towel just because of some nerf, and he never went down without a fight. They had to hand it to him, he fought his hardest and even managed to land quite a few good ones—he still had his Super Jump Punch, his Cyclone and his Green Missile, and he was famous for those moves long before those combos. The Cyclone had even been buffed a bit. But that muscle memory of his decided to be a pest and throw him off course, and that was how the opponent got the drop on him. He was beaten through and through, but he'd never succumb to self-pity. Never.

In contrast, his detractors were in Heaven. This a—hole had trounced them for far too long. Now, they were lining up to trounce this a—hole. The last day of September was turning into a d—ned good day.

1.1.1

T plus 7 hours

"On your left."

Dutifully, Luigi let the young woman pass as he continued to run laps around the Smash Mansion. Since his usual getup wasn't suitable for such strenuous exercise, he presently wore a pair of green and white leggings, a green sun visor and no shirt. His skin was hot and flushed, and he was dripping with sweat, but he just kept running. If he stopped, then it would all catch up to him. This was definitely certain.

It was just after lunch, and so far, he hadn't won a single match. He just needed to get used to his nerf. He wasn't non-viable. They were all laughing at him, but they wouldn't be for long. Just wait till he clocked in a few hours in the Training Room. He was going to pick himself up if it was the last thing he ever did!

"On your left."

There was the woman again. Sleek, blond hair in a ponytail. Turquoise, glittery sneakers. Black and aqua leggings. Light-blue sports bra. Wireless earbuds. She was new here; Luigi hadn't seen her before. One thing he did know about her—she was faster than him. He'd lost count on how many laps he'd run so far, but he knew she ran more laps than him!

Luigi didn't care. He was immersed in his run, slowing only to take a swig of Gatorade. His thoughts were a grayed-out blur. His emotions, translated into much-needed energy. His limbs pumping and the autumn wind across his face, back and chest. A perfect release until his next bout.

"On your left."

The woman passed him. Her run was graceful—long strides with long legs. Her ponytail was coming lose. Should he warn her? He shouldn't interrupt her. He went back to his run, deciding to plug in his own earbuds and play some good running music. Luigi ran some more laps, and there was nothing but his breathing and his music and the woman saying, "On your left."

"I know," he murmured after what seemed like the billionth time. "On my left."

The next time he sensed her approaching, he blew out a puff of air. "Don't say it. Don't you say it…" he warned.

"On your left."

"Mamma mia!" What was this woman's secret?

After two more laps, Luigi's run was finished. He rested against a tree, eyes closed, catching his breath, draining his bottle of Gatorade.

He opened his eyes to see the young woman sitting on a bench, sweat-drenched and just as winded, taking a few gulps from her own sports drink.

"I should've eaten an extra Mushroom this morning," he quipped. "Maybe I would've taken you then."

The woman chuckled. "No doubt," she said. "They have me grinding greens and kale into slush. Tastes nasty as heck."

"You should try a Shroom Shake," said Luigi. "It comes in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookies-n-cream, even mint. But your greens and kale slushie worked wonders. How many laps did you run, two hundred? And you're only mildly tired?"

She shrugged. "Guess I got a late start."

"Really? You should run an extra lap, just for that."

Both laughed.

"Unless you just did it already."

They laughed harder.

"You—you're one of the Original Twelve," the woman said finally.

"Indeed, I am. You'll probably recognize my brother before me, though."

"No," said the woman.

Luigi raised an eyebrow.

"I already recognize you. You're Luigi. I'm a—very big fan, and I've spectated these Smash tournaments from the very beginning. These tournaments allow you to display a—stronger—side of yourself. And the fact that you use your greatest fears to become a stronger person is admirable. You're better than you're given credit for."

"Thanks," blushed Luigi.

"We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Charlotte Thorne, and I just joined this tournament. I officially start tomorrow morning."

"Nice to meet you, Charlotte," said Luigi, offering his hand.

"You, too, Luigi," said Charlotte, shaking the proffered hand. "My nickname's Charlie, so you can call me that if you wish."

"Okeydokey, Charlie."

"Hey, uh—how are you holding up?" Charlie ventured after a beat. "I mean, after—what's happened?"

Luigi grinned broadly. "It's the end of an era," he said jovially, "but it's not the end of the world. In time, I'll adapt to it. That's the trick, isn't it—adapt?"

"Dr. Mario set up a quiet lounge on the second floor," said Charlie. "There's tea, cider, cookies, snacks, music—even a few hot tubs, steam rooms, showers. Heck, you can even take naps or even sleep in there. They have everything."

"Hm. Thanks for the tip."

"I just can't believe it, though. Did they really pressure Master Hand into nerfing you?"

"It wasn't just me," Luigi told her. "Other fighters had their mechanics altered. But the timing behind this is too much of a coincidence. Mario thinks foul play in involved."

"Foul play? I can see that," murmured Charlie. "If it turns out to be true, then what's Mario's plan of action?"

"Whatever it is, it won't bode well for the culprit," mused Luigi, "but right now, we don't know if it's foul play. And frankly, I'm not worried about that right now. My top priority is tailoring my strategy in light of this nerf. I've taken a heck of a beating so far."

Charlie smiled. "I like that you're not moping over being nerfed, like the majority tends to do."

"Well, I'm not the majority," winked Luigi. "Times have changed, and I've got to change with them. Feeling sorry for myself isn't going to change anything."

Luigi and Charlie turned as a go cart approached them. At the wheel was a little Mii in a Mario cap and a cute dress. Her name was Lauren Smythe.

"Hey, Luigi," said Lauren. "You're next match is coming up!"

"Thanks, Lauren," smiled Luigi. Turning to Charlie, he said, "It was lovely meeting you. I hope to see you on the Battlefield."

"Likewise," nodded Charlie.

They shook hands again, and then Luigi hopped aboard the go cart. Charlie watched, fascinated, as he and Lauren rode back to the Smash Mansion.

"Godspeed, Luigi," she murmured.

1.1.1

T plus 9 hours

It was well into the afternoon when Luigi decided that he wasn't going to think about it anymore.

He was now in the Training Room, in one of his overalls and no shirt, his phone hooked to the stereo and playing workout-appropriate music. His opponents had been even worse than this morning! Every chance they could, they rubbed his nerf in his face! And Koopa, of course, was the cherry on this f—ing sundae, gloating about how easy it would be to carry out his sinister plans. The plumber had battered them all good, but he'd still lost. That was when he'd retreated to the Training Area to blow off steam, to think, to focus and ponder his next move.

Outside, Mario stood at the window, hands on the windowsill, lightly bouncing up and down on his toes. "Yeah. Yeah," he whispered. "You got it, Bro. You got it." Luigi was far from the broken man he'd held in his arms earlier this morning. He'd cried it all out—and then went back to work.

He felt a gentle, yet firm, touch of a dainty, gloved hand on his shoulder and stilled his bouncing. Looking up, he smiled at the beautiful, fair-haired Mushroom Princess standing beside him. Peach had swapped out her usual pink dress for a green one, even deciding to apply green eye shadow. She rubbed the small of her plumber's back, further soothing him.

"Hey," she said consolingly. "He'll be all right."

"Today has been rough on him so far," Mario said quietly. "He's only managed to win a few of his bouts. Everyone else—practically ripped him to shreds."

"Yeah, but—he's not letting that slow him," Peach pointed out. "Look at him. He's knows that self-pity won't do him any good. Now, if only everyone else followed his example…"

"I get you," grumbled Mario. "Their moping and sulking and whining at Master Hand is what got my bro into this mess. But he's muddling through, soldiering on, even though a good chunk of his combos were taken from him. Watching him right now—is getting me so wired."

"I can see that," said Peach, "but you have to keep a level head. For him."

A beat. Then, Mario spoke up.

"I could've done something about this, you know. It was coming from a mile away. The rants in Master Hand's office, the Miiverse posts, the general salt. And I—just didn't want to believe it."

"Hey," Peach told him. "We all gave it the benefit of the doubt. This isn't your fault."

Mario's eyes glistened. "That's almost exactly what Luigi said."

"Luigi is telling the truth," said Peach. "Don't beat yourself up over this."

"Easier said than done, Peachy," said Mario.

"What—aren't you telling me?" Peach wanted to know, raising an eyebrow.

"I think that—Luigi's nerf may have been deliberately planned," said Mario. "I mean, it's too much of a coincidence. MH only met with Sakurai after so many people reamed him out, and the fact that Sakurai agreed to a patch so quickly…"

"Why would it be a plot? And who would be behind it?"

"A lot of people don't like Luigi's increased popularity and want to 'remind him that he's still Player Two'," huffed Mario. "As for who would mastermind this plot, if there was in fact a plot, I can rattle off a list of suspects."

"Okay, then maybe we can talk to Master Hand later and see what he thinks," offered Peach, unsettled by the look in Mario's eyes.

"The same Master Hand who submitted to the hateful salt?"

"Look, Mario—I don't want you to do something stupid," warned Peach.

"Like go after those who dared hurt Luigi?"

"And do something you'll regret." Peach wrapped her arms around Mario's waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. "You want to look out for Luigi, and so do I. But you need to concentrate on him first. His well-being should be your main priority."

"It is my main priority."

"Well, then, what would he think if you started throwing punches at people without any solid proof that they antagonized him?"

Mario sighed. Peach made a good point.

"Like I said, Master Hand is likely to launch an investigation if we tell him," said Peach, giving Mario a kiss on the cheek.

They watched as Luigi sailed through the air and into a Sandbag.

"Wow. Look at him," Mario said quietly. "He's taken a beating, and yet he's picking himself back up. That's my bro." He leaned into Peach's touch as he continued to watch his baby bro.

After a while, the fog cleared away from Luigi's mind, and he started thinking about some of the good that had come out of this patch, besides the aforementioned buffs to his Cyclone. His d-air, which could spike opponents, had a larger hitbox, for example. His movements became more fluid and coordinated. The stormy expression on his face gave way to a focused, determined one. And as he continued to weave from Sandbag to Sandbag, dishing out blows, he resolved not to waste any more time fretting and worrying about what the nerf would do to his playstyle, or fuming and mulling over what would've been. Here, he was going to get the last of that crap out of his system, and then he was going to look ahead with a positive attitude.

And once he switched to a new playlist, Luigi really started to think. It was what he'd told Charlotte earlier. This wasn't the end of the world—it was just the end of an era. If he stopped treating his nerf like a bad thing, then he could retool his playstyle in order to accommodate it. His old down throw combos were gone, but there wasn't a rule against making new combos. Come to think of it, the new combos were already there, hidden in time but waiting for him to discover them. Once he cleared out the wreckage of the old combos, the new combos would poke out their little heads and say, "Hi, Luigi! Come and use us!" As long as he worked with the nerf, he'd be able to dream up these new combos, practice them, hammer them out, and ultimately embed them into his strategy, just like the old ones. These thoughts gave him strength and confidence like never before, and through the window, the two spectators also felt that strength. The nerf on his down throw had closed one door, but opened another.

He heard a familiar voice, shouting to him in English and Italian. That chipper falsetto sent a comforting warmth through his heart. Luigi was down, but by no means out. He had his brother's love and the support of friends and fans, and they would walk through that door together. He whaled on the Sandbags with newfound strength, thinking nothing but positive, encouraging thoughts.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

Good times ahead, indeed.

1.1.1

T plus 12 hours

Eden Christopher leveled another spoonful of macaroni and cheese into her mouth as she browsed the Internet on her phone. All social media outlets and blogs were lit up today, and she knew why. Patch 1.1.1 had ushered in sweeping changes to the Smash tournament. A new stage based on Super Mario Maker had been created. More popular posts were more likely to appear on the Miiverse stage. But Eden's mind was stuck on one change, and one change only—Luigi's down throw nerf.

This morning, Eden had been the one assigned to personally deliver the patch notes to the green-clad plumber. She remembered the knot in her stomach as she approached Luigi's door. The smile on his face as he greeted her, the way he thanked her when she gave him his copy. But most of all, she remembered hearing his exclamation of disbelief a full minute after she continued on her way. Twelve hours later, Eden felt personally responsible.

She sneaked a look at Luigi as he sat at his usual table, calmly eating his meal. He seemed a little better. Most Smashers would react like this to a nerf. They'd be upset for a bit, and then they'd tell themselves that life would go on, and thus they should, too. But this seemed—different.

Throughout this tournament, frequent update patches were released to keep the fighters balanced. But there was something—off—about this patch. Luigi had taken the brunt of it, and Eden felt as if the other fighters were altered to keep up appearances. And talk about a nerf had come out of the blue, after nearly a month of conniptions over the plumber's combo game. Master Hand's, er, hand, had been forced in this matter, she could feel it.

Eden sighed and turned back to her food. In Luigi's lexicon, she would always be The Redhead. No, not redheads so as much as just The Redhead. She was The Redhead who brought his old world crashing down to its foundation. Luigi wasn't the kind of person to hold things against people, but Eden was still worried. She had to make this up to him somehow.

"Hey, Eden?"

"Hmm?" Eden turned to see Lauren slide into the seat next to her.

"A coin for your thoughts?"

Eden tucked her dark red hair behind her ears. "I'm a bit worried about Luigi," she said. "He's putting on a happy face, but…" She shook her head. "You weren't there when he saw that bullet point. You didn't hear him cry out. I did."

"I heard Mario running into his room to comfort him," said Lauren.

"You don't understand," said Eden. "I gave him those patch notes, and then I left him to bear the news alone."

"Master Hand had you on a route, and on a tight schedule, to boot," said Lauren. "Don't beat yourself up over this."

"I—can't help but think I played a role in this," murmured Eden, briefly fiddling with her print dress. "Of everyone else, why did Master Hand have to pick me?"

"Listen," said Lauren. "Luigi knows that you're not responsible. Maybe tomorrow you can go talk to him, and you'll see."

Eden perked up a little. "You really think so?"

"Totally!" Lauren bit into her sandwich. "And quite frankly, it's Mario you should start fretting over."

"Mario? Why?"

"He thinks there's something sinister behind this patch," Lauren explained.

"Well, it's a plausible suspicion. I'm smelling something fishy about it, too," said Eden.

"Eden, all I'm saying is—Mario is a ticking time bomb," warned Lauren. "You know how he gets when someone goes after his lil' bro."

Eden couldn't help but shudder.

"Like after Falco blew up at Luigi. That bird avoided him for weeks!" Lauren sneaked glances at Mario as she spoke. "Eventually, Mario took the high road and forgave the guy, but now that Luigi was nerfed, it's a matter of how long he can keep to that resolution." Off of Eden's look, she added, "You're safe, because you didn't actually hurt L. But Falco and Koopa…"

"Koopa? What for?"

"Well, for being Koopa. And Dark Pit and Mewtwo and Roy and Marth—I have a feeling about them. They were having a ball, trouncing Luigi today. I think they know more about this than they're letting on. God help them if Mario figures it out."

"Hey, Mario's a nice guy," said Eden.

"It's the nice guys you have to watch out for," mused Lauren, "because the man in red is also a d—n good fighter and super strong. He also has a strong sense of loyalty, too, so if anyone messes with the people he holds dear, then the best thing to do is pray for their soul."

"Tell me about it," said Charlotte, joining the two women at the table.

"Eden, have you met Charlie? She's an old friend of mine," smiled Lauren.

"Hi, Charlie! Welcome to Smash," greeted Eden.

"Thanks," said Charlie. "Hey, uh, is Luigi gonna be okay?"

"Honestly—I don't know," Lauren solemnly intoned. "Only time will tell. And as I just told Eden, Mario deserves your attention more."

"Mario wasn't nerfed this morning," said Charlie.

"That's not what I mean," said Lauren.

The realization soon came to Charlie. "You—really think he'll…?"

"I know he will," cautioned Lauren. "The only question is—when?"

The three ladies continued to sneak wary glances at the Mario Bros as they finished their dinner.

1.1.1

T plus 15 hours

While everyone else was fast asleep, Vince, Manny and Shane hosted a dance party at their luxurious estate. The Smashers who'd participated in Project Nerf, along with the other conspirators and miscellaneous invited guests, lined up at the front door to be welcomed by two men in tuxedoes. Once inside, the partygoers were given a nametag, and the real fun began! They chowed down on BBQ wings, cocktail wieners, deviled eggs, egg rolls, nachos, and a large assortment of cakes, pies and ice cream. Various bars were scattered around the property, serving up more spirits than you could shake a stick at. And once everyone was done eating and drinking, they could dance it off on the huge dance floor. Manny kept disco, 80s, 90s, 2000s and contemporary pop hits going on the brothers' stereo, holding dance contests every two hours.

Marth and Roy danced cheek to cheek and body to body whenever they were on the floor together, getting racier with their moves the more they imbibed. Falco had tongues wagging with his breakdancing moves, and he won most of Manny's contests. With his psychokinesis, Mewtwo brought a whole new meaning to the word "moonwalk". Dark Pit yelled for Manny to start spinning some Eminem tunes, to which Manny happily obliged. Kyle, Chase and Rolf danced in perfect synch when "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" played. And Koopa—he was a villainous turtle, but boy, could he cut a rug!

Everyone cheered when Manny started spinning some Latin tunes. At that point, a snazzily-dressed man with jet black hair streaked with gray, olive skin and gray eyes escorted his auburn-haired wife onto the floor for a romantic dance. The wife melted right into it, matching her husband's steps perfectly, her blue eyes locked onto his. She was clad in a little red dress with red low-heeled pumps, and light makeup was applied to her face. They'd been married for nearly twenty years, but tonight, it felt as if they were discovering each other all over again.

Peals of laughter rang out as their two children joined them on the dance floor. The teenage son was attired in a suit and bow tie, while the seven-year-old daughter wore a cute dress with stars all over it. The two siblings attempted to mimic their parents' moves, with varying success. Said parents couldn't help but smile over at them. For once, brother and sister were getting along, but thanks to Luigi's combos, that wasn't always the case.

The Bainbridge family—Theo, the dad, Vanessa, the mom, Ethan, the son, and Anna, the daughter—became involved in the intrigue twelve days into Project Nerf. Falco had personally recruited them after discovering how badly Ethan struggled against Luigi players. His frustration had significantly strained family get-togethers, but throughout this adventure, Vanessa saw opportunities to improve her relationship with her son. One suspension from school was all it took for Ethan to see the folly in his behavior and learn how to be a better sportsman. No more did he pick on or tease Anna or get physical with anyone who made fun of him for being overwhelmed by a Luigi player. All of that was over for him. Project Nerf helped shape Ethan Richard Bainbridge from a spoiled, entitled brat into a responsible young man. He spent less time playing video games and more time playing with Anna, riding his bike and socializing with his friends. He was honored to have helped out in this endeavor, and now that Luigi was toned down, he could learn to like him, to play as him and to play against him.

For Vanessa's part, she'd gotten her book club involved and started a telethon during the final stage of Project Nerf so that Sakurai and Co. would have everything they needed. She also undertook a risky mission to retrieve crucial information with Steve's help, showing off her prowess at hand-to-hand combat. She'd barely managed to escape, and Steve took the fall for her actions. The rest of the family circulated petitions, participated in marches and helped lobby Master Hand, among other things, even hosting the suits in their home. Already, they were feeling the effects of Luigi's nerf. More quality time together was merely the tip of the iceberg.

After a few more songs, everyone cleared the floor, making way for the three brothers who led this affair. Manny threw off his DJ headphones and joined Shane and Vince in shrugging off their blazers and busting a move to "Stayin' Alive". The other conspirators formed a circle around them, shouting encouragement and clapping along to the beat. It felt so good for the three to cut loose. Thirty days of hard work and suspense had finally paid off, and the world of Smash was none the wiser to their manipulations. They would all go back to their day-to-day lives without those stupid combos to worry about, and there was the promise of going on brand new adventures together. In November, for example, they'd start laying the groundwork for Operation Ballot Box, which involved the Smash Fighter Ballots and a certain Sarasaland princess.

The brothers finished their dance to cheers from the other partygoers. At this point, the festivities began winding down. The guests were encouraged to take some food home with them, and goodie bags were passed around. Lyft and Uber drivers began pulling up to the driveway to get sloshed partygoers home safely, while Vanessa and Theo, who hadn't imbibed, piled their now-drowsy kids into their minivan and headed home. Once the guests had departed, Vince, Shane and Manny, along with the household help, tidied up the house and shared one final toast to patch 1.1.1 before turning in for the night.

A new age had truly begun.

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