Mario the exiled

The heavy, oak-reinforced doors of the Showgrounds castle didn’t just close; they slammed with a finality that shook the very ground beneath Mario’s boots. The sound echoed across the open plains, a cold, metallic thud that seemed to sever the red-clad plumber’s connection to the world he knew.

Mario stood on the gravel path, his gloved hands trembling slightly. He wasn’t holding a plate of spaghetti. He wasn’t holding a Fire Flower. He was holding nothing but the lingering sting of the words SMG4 had shouted at him just moments before.

"And stay out!" the blue-clad meme guardian had yelled, his face twisted in a mask of genuine irritation. "We’re tired of the messes, Mario! We’re tired of the noise! Just go!"

Mario stared at the door. He waited for the punchline. He waited for SMG4 to poke his head out and tell him it was all a prank for a new video, or for Meggy to come out and challenge him to a friendly scrap to blow off steam. But the castle remained silent. The colorful banners fluttered in the wind, looking suddenly bleak and gray in the afternoon sun.

"But... Mario didn't do anything today," he whispered to the empty air. His voice, usually loud and boisterous, was small and cracked. "Mario was being a good boy."

He looked down at his feet. A single tear, large and cartoonish, splashed onto the toe of his brown shoe. He didn't scream. He didn't throw a tantrum. He simply turned around, his shoulders slumped so low they looked ready to fall off, and began to walk toward the horizon. Each step felt like he was dragging a mountain behind him.

Inside the castle, the atmosphere was a jarring contrast to the tragedy unfolding outside.

"Finally!" SMG4 cried out, throwing his arms wide as he stood in the center of the main hall. "Do you hear that? That's the sound of productivity! That's the sound of a castle that isn't currently on fire or covered in tomato sauce!"

Bob let out a metallic cackle, waving his blades in the air. "Oh hell yeah. Now I can finally start my underground rap studio in the kitchen without some fatass eating all the equipment."

"It is a bit... peaceful," Saiko admitted, leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed. She gave a small, shrug-like motion. "No more screaming 'Mama Mia' at three in the morning."

Meggy nodded, though there was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes that she quickly masked with a firm expression. "He was getting pretty out of hand lately. Maybe some time alone will teach him a lesson about boundaries."

A cheer went up among the group. Tari looked a bit unsure, fidgeting with her controller, but the overwhelming wave of relief from the others swept her along. They began to pull out snacks and music, planning an impromptu party to celebrate their newfound "sanity."

However, two people were not cheering.

Luigi stood in the shadow of the grand staircase, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. His usual cowardly tremor was gone, replaced by a rigid, vibrating tension. He watched his "friends" laugh and joke about his brother—the man who, despite his flaws, had saved the world more times than any of them could count.

Next to him, Melony sat on the bottom step. She wasn't sleeping. Her deity mask glowed with a faint, pulsing green light, and her eyes were wide and brimming with sadness. She clutched her pillow to her chest, looking toward the door Mario had just exited.

"They really did it," Melony whispered, her voice trembling. "They just threw him away."

Luigi didn't look at her. His gaze was locked on SMG4, who was currently high-fiving Boopkins. "They think he’s a nuisance," Luigi said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low register that Melony had never heard before. "They think because he’s simple, he doesn’t have a heart."

"Mario is like my big brother," Melony said, a single green tear tracing a path down her cheek. "He taught me how to... well, he taught me that it's okay to be weird. He’s the one who always made sure I had a place to nap. He's not a 'mess,' Luigi. He’s family."

Luigi finally turned to her. The cowardice that usually defined him had been burned away by a cold, righteous fury. "He is family. And they just treated him like trash."

Across the room, SMG4 noticed them standing in the shadows. "Hey, Luigi! Melony! Why the long faces? Come on, Boopkins is about to put on that anime marathon Mario always ruins! It’s going to be great!"

Luigi stepped out of the shadows. The room went quiet as the group noticed the expression on the green plumber’s face. It wasn't the face of a man who was afraid of ghosts; it was the face of a man who was done being pushed around.

"Is it?" Luigi asked. The edge in his voice made Tari flinch.

"Whoa, Luigi, take it easy," SMG4 said, holding up his hands. "We’re just having some fun. Mario will be fine. He’ll probably find a dumpster full of pasta and be happy in five minutes."

"You kicked him out for nothing," Luigi said, stepping closer. "He didn't break anything today. He didn't prank anyone. He was just sitting there, and you all decided you were 'tired' of him. You used him for your videos, you used him for your adventures, and the second he wasn't 'useful' or 'funny' to you, you threw him out like a piece of garbage."

"Hey, watch it, trash bag," Bob interjected. "We're the stars here. The red guy was just the comic relief."

Luigi’s head snapped toward Bob. "He is my brother. And he is more of a hero than any of you will ever be."

Melony stood up, the Fierce Deity sword shimmering into existence in her hand, though she kept the blade lowered. The sheer weight of her power caused the nearby decorations to flutter. "Mario is kind. He’s the reason many of us are even here. You all forgot that because you’re too busy being 'productive.'"

SMG4 scoffed, though he looked increasingly uncomfortable. "Look, it’s not that big of a deal. He’ll come back when he’s learned his lesson."

"No," Luigi said, his voice deathly quiet. "He won't. Because I’m going to find him. And when I do, I’m going to make sure he knows who his real friends are."

Luigi turned to the door, his cape billowing behind him.

"Luigi, wait!" Meggy called out, stepping forward. "You’re overreacting. We just needed a break!"

Luigi stopped with his hand on the door handle. He didn't turn around. "A break? You wanted a break from the heart of this family. Well, you got it. I hope the silence is everything you wanted."

He pulled the door open and stepped out into the twilight. Melony didn't hesitate; she shouldered her sword and followed him, giving the group one last look of pure disappointment before the doors slammed shut again.

This time, the silence that followed inside the castle wasn't peaceful. It was heavy, awkward, and cold.

Outside, the sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in bruises of purple and orange. Luigi and Melony walked down the path, their eyes scanning the fields.

"Where would he go?" Melony asked softly.

"He doesn't have anywhere to go," Luigi said, his heart aching. "Whenever we get kicked out of the castle, we usually have each other. But this time... he thinks everyone hates him. He’ll go somewhere quiet. Somewhere he can hide."

They searched for hours. They checked the old pipe ruins, the spaghetti factory (which was surprisingly empty), and even the docks. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that Melony spotted a small, flickering glow near the edge of the Whispering Woods.

"There," she pointed.

They hurried toward the light. In a small clearing, tucked under the roots of a massive, ancient oak tree, sat a small campfire. It wasn't a grand fire; just a few sticks and some burning cardboard.

Mario was sitting on a log, hunched over. He wasn't crying anymore. He was just staring into the flames with vacant, hollow eyes. In his hand, he held a cold, half-eaten can of generic spaghetti he must have had in his pocket. He wasn't even eating it. He was just staring at it.

"Mario?" Luigi called out gently.

The red plumber didn't jump. He didn't yell. He slowly turned his head, his movements sluggish. When he saw Luigi and Melony, he didn't smile. He just looked confused.

"Luigi?" Mario whispered. "Why are you here? SMG4 said... he said Mario has to stay away."

Luigi felt a lump form in his throat. He ran forward and threw his arms around his brother, burying his face in Mario’s red shirt. "I don't care what he said, Mario. I'm so sorry. I’m so, so sorry."

Mario sat there stiffly for a moment before his hands slowly came up to pat Luigi’s back. "It's okay, Luigi. Mario is a mess. SMG4 said so. Everyone said so."

Melony knelt beside them, placing a hand on Mario’s knee. "They were wrong, Mario. They were being mean, and they didn't mean it—actually, no, they did mean it, and that makes them jerks. But we don't feel that way."

Mario looked at her, his lip trembling. "You... you don't want Mario to go away?"

"Never," Melony said firmly. "You're my big brother. The castle isn't a home without you."

Mario looked back at the fire, then at the can of spaghetti. "But... Mario breaks things. Mario is stupid."

Luigi pulled back, holding Mario by the shoulders. He looked him dead in the eye with an intensity that startled the older brother. "Mario, listen to me. You are the bravest, kindest person I know. You have a heart bigger than that entire castle. If they can't see that, then they don't deserve you. But I’m not letting you stay out here alone."

Mario wiped his nose with his sleeve. "What are we gonna do? We can't go back. They'll be mad."

"Let them be mad," Luigi said, standing up and offering a hand to his brother. "We’re going to find a place to stay tonight. A hotel, a warp pipe, anywhere. And tomorrow... tomorrow we’re going to show them exactly what happens when they mess with the Mario Brothers."

Mario looked at Luigi’s hand, then at Melony’s encouraging smile. For the first time since the afternoon, a tiny spark of the old Mario returned to his eyes. He reached out and took Luigi’s hand, pulling himself up.

"Okay," Mario said softly. "But... can we get real spaghetti? This can stuff tastes like Boopkins’s feet."

Luigi let out a wet laugh, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, Mario. We’ll get the biggest plate of spaghetti in the Mushroom Kingdom."

As the three of them walked away from the campfire, leaving the castle far behind in the darkness, Melony looked back toward the distant silhouette of the Showgrounds. Her eyes glowed a fierce, neon green.

"They think they can just have a party and forget about him," she muttered to herself.

"They’re going to learn, Melony," Luigi said, his voice echoing with a newfound confidence. "I’ve spent my whole life being the 'other' brother, the scared one. But if they think they can hurt my family and get away with it, they’ve got another thing coming."

Back at the castle, the party had already begun to die down. The "peace and quiet" SMG4 had craved felt less like a luxury and more like a void. He sat on the sofa, staring at the television, but he couldn't focus on the anime.

"Hey," Meggy said, sitting down next to him. "Luigi and Melony will be back soon, right? They’re probably just cooling off."

SMG4 didn't answer. He looked at the spot on the floor where Mario usually sat—the spot that was currently clean, spotless, and utterly empty. For the first time in years, the castle felt too big.

"Yeah," SMG4 said, though he didn't sound convinced. "I’m sure everything will be back to normal tomorrow."

He was wrong. The Mario they had kicked out wasn't the same Mario who was currently walking through the woods with a vengeful brother and a deity-powered melon. The "normal" they knew was gone, replaced by a cold realization that would soon tear the crew apart.

Under the starlight, Luigi led the way, his shadow long and imposing. He wasn't the coward anymore. He was a man on a mission, and the Mushroom Kingdom was about to find out exactly what happened when the "nice" brother finally snapped.

Mario walked between them, holding a hand of each of his true friends. He still felt a hole in his chest where his home used to be, but as Luigi cracked a joke about SMG4’s fashion sense, Mario let out a small, genuine giggle.

The silence was broken. And the revenge was just beginning.