Death of a friend

The Mushroom Kingdom was usually a place of chaotic noise, exploding penguins, and the distant sound of someone screaming about spaghetti. But in the SMG4 Showgrounds, the afternoon was uncharacteristically quiet. SMG4 sat at his computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he tried to meet a meme-upload deadline. Meggy was nearby, polishing her Splatshot, while Tari and Saiko were engaged in a quiet round of a fighting game.

The silence was shattered by the shrill, upbeat ringtone of a video call. SMG4 groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"If that’s Bob asking for more clout, I’m blocking him," SMG4 muttered, reaching for his phone. He glanced at the caller ID and blinked. "Oh, it’s Mario."

"Mario?" Luigi poked his head out from the kitchen, holding a plate of cookies. "He’s been gone since this morning. He said he was going to find a 'secret 1-Up hidden in a dumpster.' I was getting worried."

SMG4 hit the 'Accept' button and propped the phone up on his desk. The rest of the crew huddled around the screen, expecting to see Mario covered in trash or perhaps stuck in a pipe.

Instead, the screen flickered to life to reveal a sterile, white room. Mario was lying in a high-tech hospital bed, stripped of his iconic red overalls and replaced with a thin, pale blue gown. He looked smaller than usual. His skin was a sickly, washed-out peach, and several tubes ran from his arm to a rhythmic, beeping monitor.

"Mario?" SMG4’s voice dropped an octave, his heart hammering against his ribs. "What—where are you? Is this a prank? Did you blow up a hospital again?"

Mario’s eyes, usually wide and full of frantic energy, were heavy and half-lidded. He struggled to lift the phone higher, his hand trembling. A faint, wheezing breath rattled in his chest.

"Hey, Glitchy," Mario rasped. The voice wasn't the loud, booming Italian accent they knew; it was thin and fragile, like dry parchment. "I think... I think Mario reached the end of the level."

The room at the Showgrounds went cold. Luigi’s plate of cookies hit the floor with a ceramic shatter, but he didn't even look down. His face turned a ghostly shade of white.

"Mario, what are you talking about?" Luigi stammered, stepping closer to the screen. "You’re just sick, right? Like that time you ate the rotten mushroom? The doctors, they’ll give you a pill and you’ll be fine!"

Melony, who had been napping on the couch, sat up slowly. Her eyes widened as she looked at the screen. She clutched her Fierce Deity mask to her chest, her bottom lip beginning to quiver.

Mario tried to chuckle, but it turned into a wet, painful cough. He looked into the camera, his gaze lingering on each of them. "The doctor... he said the spaghetti in Mario’s heart is all gone. No more extra lives, Luigi. I tried to find one. I looked everywhere."

"No," SMG4 whispered, his hand shaking as he touched the screen. "Mario, stay with us. Don’t you dare do this. We have a video to film tomorrow! I—I bought you that premium five-cheese ravioli you wanted!"

"Save it for... for a rainy day," Mario whispered. He looked tired—terrifyingly tired. "I just wanted to say... goodbye."

The screen went black as the phone slipped from Mario’s weak grip.

For a three-second window, there was absolute silence. Then, the dam broke.

Luigi fell to his knees, a strangled, guttural sob tearing from his throat. Melony wasn't far behind him, hot tears streaming down her face as she buried her head in her hands. The shock had paralyzed Meggy and Saiko, who stood like statues of grief.

SMG4 was the first to move. He grabbed his hat, his eyes red and frantic. "Everyone! Get in the van! Now!"

The drive to the Mushroom Kingdom Central Hospital felt like an eternity. SMG4 drove with a reckless desperation he usually reserved for escaping eldritch monsters, but this time, he wasn't running from anything. He was chasing time.

When they burst through the hospital doors, the sterile smell of disinfectant hit them like a physical blow. They scrambled past a startled Dr. Mario—the real doctor version—who simply looked down at his clipboard with a somber expression and pointed toward Room 104.

They skidded into the room, the sound of their heavy breathing filling the small space.

Mario was still there. He looked even worse in person. The vibrant red of his hat, perched on the bedside table, was the only bright thing in the room. His breathing was slow, punctuated by the mechanical hiss of an oxygen mask.

"Mario!" Luigi shrieked, throwing himself toward the side of the bed. He grabbed his brother’s hand, squeezing it as if he could manually pump life back into him. "Mario, I’m here! We’re all here! Please, don't go!"

Melony approached from the other side, her usual sleepy demeanor replaced by a raw, agonizing sorrow. She placed a gentle hand on Mario’s shoulder. "Mario... you can't go. Who’s going to have adventures with us? Who’s going to be silly?"

The rest of the crew stayed by the door. Meggy leaned against the wall, her hat pulled low to hide the tears falling onto her boots. Bob and Fishy Boopkins stood unusually quiet, the gravity of the moment stripping away their usual antics. Even Saiko turned away, her shoulders shaking.

Mario’s eyes fluttered open. He saw them. He saw the tears, the heartbreak, and the love. With a monumental effort, he reached up and pulled the oxygen mask down just an inch.

A faint, ghostly smile touched his lips. It was the same smile he gave after a long day of saving the princess or winning a kart race.

"Hey... don't cry," Mario whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the heart monitor. "It’s okay. Mario had... a lot of fun."

"We aren't ready, Mario," SMG4 said, stepping forward. He took Mario’s other hand, his voice thick with emotion. "I’m not ready. You’re the star of the show. You’re my best friend. What am I supposed to do without you?"

Mario looked at SMG4, his eyes clouded but kind. "You... you make the memes, Glitchy. You make people happy. That was always... the best part."

He turned his gaze toward Luigi, who was sobbing uncontrollably into the bedsheets. Mario used the last of his strength to ruffle Luigi’s green hat.

"Luigi... my brave brother," Mario murmured. "You were always the best one. Take care of... the house. Don’t let the ghosts in."

"I won't, Mario! I promise!" Luigi wailed, clutching Mario’s hand to his cheek. "Just stay! Please!"

Mario’s gaze drifted to Melony. He reached out a finger and poked her nose, a callback to the many times he’d annoyed her while she was sleeping. "Melony... keep dreaming. You’re a good kid."

Melony let out a sob, nodding frantically. "I will, Mario. I'll protect everyone. I promise."

Mario looked out at the whole group, his vision starting to fade into a soft, white light. He saw the faces of the people who had become his family over a decade of madness, war, and celebration.

"Thank you," Mario whispered, his chest hitching one last time. "Thank you for... all the adventures. It was... so much fun."

His hand went limp in Luigi’s grasp. His head tilted slightly to the side, the faint smile remaining etched on his face.

The heart monitor, which had been a steady, rhythmic companion to their grief, changed its tune. The rhythmic *beep... beep... beep...* stretched out into one long, continuous, agonizing note.

*Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.*

The sound echoed off the cold tiles of the room.

"Mario?" Luigi whispered, shaking his brother’s arm gently. "Mario, wake up. The joke's over. You can wake up now."

There was no response. The heavy, chaotic, wonderful presence that was Mario had left the building.

Luigi collapsed, his head hitting Mario’s chest as he let out a scream of pure, unadulterated agony. It was a sound that broke the hearts of everyone in the room. Melony fell to her knees beside him, her wails joining his, her hand still resting on Mario’s cold arm.

SMG4 stood frozen. He looked at the flatline on the monitor, then back at his friend. The man who had been the catalyst for his entire life, the man who had caused him so much stress and so much joy, was gone. He felt a hollow emptiness opening up in his chest, a void that no amount of memes or videos could ever fill.

He reached over and gently picked up Mario’s red hat from the nightstand. He held it to his chest, closing his eyes as the tears finally spilled over.

Outside the hospital window, the sun began to set over the Mushroom Kingdom, casting long, golden shadows over the castle. The world kept turning, but for the group in Room 104, the music had stopped. The game was over.

And for the first time in his life, Luigi didn't want to play anymore. He stayed there, huddled against the brother who had always looked out for him, crying until he had no tears left, while the silence of the hospital swallowed the world whole.