Mario gets kicked out

The heavy oak 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 courtyard, punctuated by the audible click of a deadbolt.

Mario stood frozen on the bridge, his gloved hands hovering in mid-air as if he were still trying to reach for the handle. He blinked, his large blue eyes reflecting the bright afternoon sun. Usually, when he was kicked out, there was a reason. He’d blown up the kitchen, or he’d used SMG4’s computer to look up "illegal spaghetti images," or he’d accidentally crushed Meggy’s training gear. But today? He had just been sitting there. He hadn't even finished his first plate of pasta.

"Guys?" Mario called out, his voice uncharacteristically small. "Mario is-a sorry for whatever he did? Is the joke over now?"

Silence was his only answer, followed shortly by the muffled sound of a pop. It was the distinct sound of a confetti cannon. Then came the music—a jaunty, upbeat track that Mario recognized as the "Victory Theme." He heard laughter through the thick stone walls. He heard SMG4’s voice cheering, and Bob’s gravelly tone making a joke about how much better the air smelled already.

Mario’s mustache drooped. His shoulders slumped, and for the first time in a long time, the hunger in his stomach was replaced by a cold, heavy knot. He didn't scream. He didn't throw a tantrum. He simply turned around and began to walk, his head hanging so low that his chin touched his overalls.

Inside the castle, the atmosphere was electric. Streamers hung from the chandeliers, and a large cake sat on the central table.

"Finally!" SMG4 cried, throwing his hands up in relief. "Peace and quiet! No more broken monitors, no more spaghetti stains on the rugs, and no more 'Pingas' jokes during my scriptwriting sessions!"

"Hell yeah!" Saiko shouted, leaning against a pillar with a smirk. "I might actually be able to hear myself think for once."

"I can finally store my trash in the hallway without him eating it!" Bob added, waving his blades in the air.

While the majority of the room erupted into cheers and clinking glasses, two figures stood apart near the back of the hall. Luigi gripped his green cap so tightly his knuckles turned white. His usual cowardly tremor was gone, replaced by a rigid, vibrating fury. Beside him, Melony sat on a crate, her Fierce Deity mask resting in her lap. Her eyes, usually dreamy and half-closed, were wide and shimmering with unshed tears.

"This isn't right," Melony whispered, her voice trembling. "Mario is... he’s Mario. He’s our friend."

"He’s my brother," Luigi hissed, his voice low and dangerous.

He looked at SMG4, who was currently doing a celebratory dance with Meggy. The sight made Luigi’s blood boil. They were treating his brother’s exile like a holiday. They had forgotten every time Mario had saved the world, every time he had stood by them against eldritch horrors and internet graveyards.

"They think this is funny," Luigi said, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the "Hero of Inkopolis" and the meme-guardian. "They think they can just throw him away like garbage because he’s 'annoying.' Well, let’s see how they like it when the 'annoyance' isn't there to take the hits for them."

Melony stood up, clutching her mask to her chest. "I’m going to find him, Luigi. He looked so sad. He’s like a big brother to me. He taught me how to... well, he taught me how to be silly. I won't let him be alone."

Luigi nodded, his expression darkening into a look rarely seen on the younger Mario Brother’s face. "You go to him, Melony. Keep him safe. I’m staying here."

"To celebrate?" Melony asked, surprised.

"No," Luigi replied, a cold smirk twitching on his lips. "To make sure they regret every single second of this. If they want a castle without a Mario, I’ll give them a castle they’ll wish they never stepped foot in."

***

The bustling streets of Toad Town were as loud and chaotic as ever. Toads scurried about, shopkeepers barked out prices, and the smell of fresh pastries filled the air.

Mario walked through the crowd like a ghost. He didn't notice the smells. He didn't notice the bright colors. He just stared at the cracked pavement, his feet moving on autopilot.

"Move it, fathead!" a Toad yelled, bumping into him.

Mario didn't even yell back. He just stepped aside, his eyes vacant.

Near a local grocery store, Karen the cat was busy juggling three different tasks at once. She was holding a crying kitten in one arm, scanning a customer’s groceries with the other, and kicking a rogue shopping cart back into its corral. She was exhausted, irritable, and fully prepared for the inevitable headache that came whenever the red-clad plumber showed up to cause a scene.

She spotted him from the corner of her eye. She braced herself, her ears flattening against her head.

"Listen, Mario," she snapped before he even reached her. "If you’re here to ask for the 'special' spaghetti that isn't on the shelf, or if you’re going to try and ride the shopping carts into the fountain, just save it. I’ve had a long shift and my kids are—"

She stopped.

Mario didn't stop to argue. He didn't make a loud noise. He didn't even look at her. He simply drifted past her like a leaf in the wind. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his hat was pulled down low over his brow. He looked smaller than usual, as if the very air had been sucked out of his lungs.

Karen watched him go, her hand frozen over the scanner. The customer he had ignored blinked in confusion.

"Mommy?" one of the kittens asked, pulling on Karen’s apron. "Why is the red man crying?"

Karen didn't answer immediately. She watched Mario’s retreating back until he disappeared around a corner. In all the years she had worked every job in the kingdom, she had seen Mario in many states: angry, stupid, hungry, and insane. But she had never seen him broken.

"I don't know, sweetie," Karen muttered, a frown creasing her face. "But something is definitely wrong."

***

Mario eventually found himself at the edge of the woods, sitting on a rotted log overlooking a small, stagnant pond. He stared at his reflection. He looked like a joke. That was what they called him, wasn't it? An idiot. A nuisance.

"Maybe they’re right," Mario whispered to the water. "Mario is just... a big, dumb-dumb. Mario makes everyone sad."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled, half-eaten cracker. It wasn't spaghetti, but it was all he had. He stared at it for a moment before his hand began to shake. He dropped the cracker into the dirt. He wasn't even hungry anymore.

"Mario?"

The voice was soft, like a breeze through the leaves. Mario didn't look up. He knew that voice.

"Go away, Melony," he said, his voice cracking. "Go back to the party. I heard the cake was chocolate. You like chocolate."

A soft weight settled on the log beside him. Melony didn't say anything at first. She just sat there, swinging her legs. She reached out and gently took his hand. Her grip was warm and firm.

"The cake is dry," Melony said quietly. "And the room is too loud. It feels empty without you."

Mario let out a bitter laugh. "Empty? SMG4 said it was 'peaceful.' He said he could finally think. Mario doesn't want to break his thinking."

Melony leaned her head on his shoulder. "SMG4 is being a dummy. They all are. They forgot that you’re the heart of the home, Mario. You’re the one who makes us laugh when things are scary. You’re the one who never gives up on us, even when we’re mean to you."

Mario finally looked at her, a single tear escaping and rolling down his cheek into his mustache. "But I break-a everything, Melony. I’m just a glitchy fat man."

"You’re my big brother," Melony said firmly, her eyes sparking with a hint of the deity’s power. "And I don't care what the others say. I’m stayin' right here with you. And Luigi... Luigi is very, very mad. He’s going to make them sorry."

Mario blinked. "Luigi? But Luigi is-a scared of his own shadow."

"Not today," Melony said with a small, sad smile. "Today, he’s a brother."

***

Back at the castle, the party had hit a sudden, literal wall.

"Uh, guys?" Meggy asked, staring at the buffet table. "Where did the food go?"

The table, which had been laden with snacks just moments ago, was completely bare. Not even a crumb remained.

"I didn't touch it!" Bob shouted, holding up his blades. "I was busy looking at my own reflection in the punch bowl!"

"The punch bowl is empty too!" Tari cried, pointing at the glass basin.

SMG4 frowned. "Okay, very funny. Who’s playing a prank? Is it you, Saiko?"

"Don't look at me," Saiko growled. "I was tuned out."

Suddenly, the lights flickered. A cold draft swept through the grand hall, extinguishing the candles and sending a shiver down everyone’s spine. The "Victory Theme" that had been playing on the speakers suddenly distorted, slowing down into a deep, demonic bass before cutting out into static.

"What the...?" SMG4 walked toward the sound system.

He stopped when he saw a figure standing in the shadows of the balcony above. The figure was draped in a long, dark cloak, but the green cap was unmistakable.

"Luigi?" SMG4 called out, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "Hey, buddy, the joke’s over. We’re having a celebration! Come down and have some... well, we’ll find more food."

Luigi stepped into the moonlight filtering through the high windows. His face was set in a mask of cold indifference. He wasn't shaking. He wasn't stuttering.

"The celebration is over," Luigi said, his voice echoing with an authority that made Meggy instinctively reach for a weapon she didn't have.

"Whoa, Luigi, take it easy," SMG4 said, stepping forward with a nervous laugh. "We just wanted some peace, you know? Mario was getting to be a bit much lately. We’ll let him back in a few days once he learns his lesson."

"A few days?" Luigi’s voice rose, sharp as a razor. "You kicked him out like a stray dog. You cheered while he walked away with his heart in his shoes. My brother has given everything for this 'crew.' He’s died for you. He’s been humiliated for you. And the second he becomes 'inconvenient,' you discard him?"

"It’s not that deep, bro," Bob said, crossing his arms. "He’s just a moron."

The air in the room suddenly grew heavy, a physical weight pressing down on their shoulders. Luigi’s eyes glowed with a faint, ghostly green light.

"You want peace?" Luigi asked, his voice dropping to a whisper that felt louder than a scream. "Fine. You’ll have all the peace you can handle. Because as of this moment, the 'annoying' Mario Brothers are gone. And without us... this castle is just a graveyard of memes."

With a snap of his fingers, the doors to the castle flew open. Not from the inside, but from the force of a sudden, violent wind.

"Luigi, wait!" Meggy shouted.

But Luigi didn't wait. He vanished into the shadows of the rafters, leaving the crew standing in a dark, cold, and suddenly very silent hall.

***

Out in the woods, Mario sat with Melony, watching the sun dip below the horizon. The orange light bathed the trees in a warm glow, but Mario still felt cold.

"What do we do now?" Mario asked.

Melony stood up and offered him her hand. "We go to the old house. The one you and Luigi lived in before the castle. We make our own home. One where people are allowed to be silly."

Mario looked at her hand, then back toward the distant silhouette of the castle. He thought about the laughter he’d heard behind the closed doors. He thought about the confetti.

He took Melony’s hand and stood up. He didn't look back.

"Okay," Mario said softly. "Mario doesn't need a castle. Mario just needs his friends."

"You have them," Melony promised. "And soon, the others will realize what they lost. But by then... it might be too late for them to say sorry."

As they walked away into the deepening shadows of the forest, the Mushroom Kingdom felt different. The air was quieter, the colors a little dimmer. The heart of the world had been pushed out, and in its place, a cold vengeance was beginning to grow.

In the distance, the lights of the castle flickered one last time before going completely dark. The party was over. The nightmare was just beginning.