Brooks left us on our own. He didn't say where he was going. He pretty much just left. 

I, however, couldn't help but feel slightly shaken up. I mean, how am I supposed to react to hearing that I'm not meant to save everyone? I promised those people that I'd save them. What was I supposed to do now? I couldn't just wait for someone else to save us all.

Would trying to save everyone just be wasted effort? 

"...Even if you're not meant to save us, that doesn't mean you can't," Peach eventually told me while taking my hands in her own. Her grip was a lot firmer and stronger than I was used to. She usually handled everything as if it were like pieces of glass seconds away from shattering, but something seemed different. Perhaps she was just trying to be strong for me.

"I don't know... I've always felt like I had a destiny, you know? My life has been planned out for me. I never had to face decisions because the decision to be a hero and save everyone had already been made for me. But now... I just feel confused," I admitted. 

"It's okay to feel confused," Peach assured me. "I'm confused too. But, if I've learned anything, it's that you can't trust anyone. You can't trust prophecies, you can't trust mysterious distorted angels, and you can't trust the words written by some weird cartoonish wolf. Who cares if you're not supposed to be a hero? Obstacles far worse than words have never stopped you before."

"Since when were you the type to come up with these inspiring speeches?" I asked, smiling slightly.

She rolled her eyes and let go of my hands so she could lightly shove me.

"Oh, hush. You know what I mean," She said.

I chuckled, but she was right. I did know what she meant, and I was grateful for every word she shared with me.

"You know... you're the only reason I actually am a hero," I said without thinking.

"That's not true," she replied.

"But it is!! I only became a hero to save you. You're the only reason anyone even knows who I am. Even now, you're the one inspiring me!" I pointed out, when she held a finger up, silently shushing me.

"Mario, you'd be a hero with or without me. You DO realize that there's more to being a hero than saving a princess and being loved by all, right?" She asked.

I paused.

"Uhhhhh-"

"Gosh, you're so stupid sometimes," she giggled while crossing her arms and shaking her head.

We both laughed at my stupidity, and that was the end of the conversation. But I couldn't help but continue to think about what she said. 

Even after we left the small safehouse and went out to explore, the question what makes a hero, was stuck in my mind.

Heroes saved people. That was the basic definition I had grown up with.

But... there are other ways people can be a hero, I suppose.

I guess anyone can be a hero, depending on how you look at it. A hero can be someone who inspires people. Or someone who stands up for what they believe in. A hero doesn't even have to be someone famous. It could be anyone.

Luigi was my hero, even before he saved me from being trapped in a painting. He was my hero because he inspired me to be better. He was my hero because he woke up every morning and chose to support me and stay by my side.

Peach was also my hero. She was strong, brave, inspirational, and kind, despite all she's been through. 

I don't know where I'd be without her by my side down here.

The two of us traveled up a few floors. We determined that if we were going to get through this, we were going to need to set up some sort of home base. 

We eventually found a secret set of rooms beneath a set of stairs. It took a few hours to gather everything we'd need, but we eventually set up a makeshift bed for Peach and a hammock for me. I also gathered a few wrenches so I could try to find a way to fix all the leaks in the ceiling. Peach found some buckets and placed them on the floor so she could prevent puddles from forming. The princess also found a mirror from Dimentio's old mirror hall. It was in surprisingly good condition.

We looked like a mess. Peach tried to clean herself up, but she only ended up smearing ink all over herself. It was on her face and in her hair, it even stained the bottom of her dress. Still, she looked much better than I did. My entire hat was practically black. My skin was covered, and my clothes were stained.

"This is gonna take forever to wash," I muttered, groaning at my reflection.

"Oh, relax," Peach giggled. "I'll buy us new clothes. I actually think we look kinda cool... like darker versions of ourselves!!"

I smirked and rolled my eyes. "You mean like our own evil alter egos?" I asked.

"YES!" Peach exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips and grinning. "Exactly! Like evil alter egos! Who knows, maybe we can go out there and do... whatever it is criminals do."

I laughed some more.

"No offense, princess, but I think you'd make a terrible criminal," I chuckled.

She pouted and crossed her arms. "Oh come on, as if you'd be any better."

"I didn't say I would," I laughed.

We later set up a small living room. It was temporary, so we didn't spend too much time decorating. I just set up a small table and a chair. There were random candles set out in the hallway in this creepy circle, but no one was there so I just borrowed one and set it on our table. To, you know, lighten the mood! Heh...

As for food and water, I wasn't able to find anything, but Peach came back with a bunch of cans of bacon soup. I know it sounds weird, but hear me out, that stuff is DELICIOUS! Like, the flavor, the texture, it's SO GOOD! Peach was hesitant to drink it because it looked, well, like an inky mess, but WOW, that stuff's good.

"Hey, Mario?" Peach asked me while I was trying to re-light the candle I had stolen.

"Yes, princess?" I asked, looking over at her.

She was standing in the doorway, holding what looked like another audio recording. Most of the audio recordings we found had been useless, so we had been ignoring them. However, I told her that if she found one from Luigi to bring it to me since we REALLY needed to find him.

Everything's going to work out once he's back with us. I was sure of it.

She looked slightly shaken up, then held the device out to me. She seemed slightly paler than before.

I frowned, then walked towards her and grabbed ahold of the device, looking down at the label.

"Mr. L?" I asked, scoffing slightly. "Why did you bring this? I don't care what he-"

"Just listen to it," she quickly interrupted.

I frowned at her, curious, then pressed play. 

Immediately, I felt a freezing chill in the air.

My muscles tensed up.

Something wasn't right. Mr. L had always sounded so sure of himself. He was arrogant and rude. But in this tape, the first thing I could notice was the complete and absolute terror behind his voice. 

He was terrified.

"Dang it, Mario. It's ME! Your brother! Just- just please recognize me! It's me! Why can't you recognize me?! It's me! R-remember when I saved you from that haunted house? That painting? I-I cried tears of joy once you were freed because I was so scared that I might have lost you. A-and remember when I save you again after the Dark Moon had been broken? You smiled and said you were proud of me. 'That's my bro,' you said. Please, don't take those moments away from me. Please, just remember. I can save you again, but you have to remember."

- Mr. L

I...

I couldn't speak. I could barely even think.

He... 

I looked up at Peach, who was silently waiting for my reaction.

".... Oh my Grambi, we blew up my brother's robot! TWICE!" I finally cried, the realization suddenly hitting me. "He.. all this time, he- and we FOUGHT HIM! Do you think he's hurt? It doesn't matter- because I KNOW we emotionally wounded him. AND TIPPI LITERALLY CALLED HIM WEAK- I'M GONNA KILL HER!" 

"MARIO!" Peach exclaimed, grasping my shoulder. It startled me how firm her grip was. She seemed to notice the slightly surprised look on my face because her grip immediately softened. "Mario-"

"He was... afraid of me," I interrupted. My voice felt slightly shakier than before. I felt weak. Weak and afraid. "He.. in the recording, he was talking to me. He was begging me to listen and remember him. I-I don't even remember this happening! All I remember is fighting another enemy in order to find pure hearts. I-I literally thought he was nothing more than another obstacle I had to overcome..."

"Mario," Peach breathed.

"No!" I exclaimed, covering my face with my ink-stained hands. "He- I didn't recognize him! He's my own brother, and I didn't recognize him. W-what kind of person does that make me? I know if the roles were reversed, he'd recognize me in a heartbeat! On top of that, he must have gone through something awful to end up like that, and I wasn't even there for him! He's always there for me, but in his moment of need, where was I?! No wonder he was so angry. I made him hate me. He hates me, and I deserve it-"

"He doesn't hate you!" Peach interrupted.

I shook my head, the negative thoughts taking over when I heard a soft clicking noise. I looked up to see Peach standing by the table, pressing play on a different recording she found. I didn't even notice it sitting there before.

"No, I couldn't think like that. I, unfortunately, had to stay optimistic. It was the only way I could get myself to keep pushing forward. If I let my pessimistic thoughts win, then this whole game would be over. I had to keep pushing, even if it was idiotic. Even if I did know better. Ugh, I was starting to feel more and more like those stupid heroes. Mario always pushed forward, even when the odds were logically against him. I had to do the same. At least until I get him back. Once he's with me again, he can go back to being the optimistic one, and I can go back to being the logical smart one. I just have to get him back. He's Mario, after all. He knows how to handle things like this. He's a legendary hero. I'm just the brainwashed little brother who can't even get his priorities straight. Once Mario's back, everything is going to work out. I hope."

- Mr. L

The princess was still pale, but I had calmed down slightly.

"He doesn't hate you..." Peach trailed off. "He's just... he's just lost, and we have to find him. I don't know what he's been through, and I don't know what was going on in that first tape, but he's clearly looking for you. I don't care if he looks and acts like Mr. L. He's my friend, and he's your brother. We have to find him, and we're not going to rest until we do. Alright?"

I winced slightly, then nodded.

He doesn't hate me...

He doesn't hate me...

I had to keep reminding myself. I wasn't sure if those words were true or not, but I had to believe they were. It's just like Luigi said. I couldn't let the pessimistic thoughts win.

We left our little hideout to search for him. To search for my brother. 

To search for Mr. L.

Everything was awfully quiet. In fact, it seemed like everything had been awfully quiet for quite a while. I wasn't sure how long it had been, but there had been very little action for what felt like hours. 

"We haven't seen that thing in a while," Peach muttered, seeming to read my mind. "The ink demon... where do you think it is-"

"He appears from the shadows to rain his sweet blessings upon me..." a voice muttered from behind us, seeming to bounce off the walls. Peach and I quickly turned around, trying to spot who had spoken. There was another cold chill in the air. I could almost feel a soft breeze, which was odd because we were inside and the air throughout the castle had been awfully still beforehand.

"The figure of ink that shines in the darkness. I see you, my savior," the voice continued. "I pray you hear me. Those old songs, yes, I still sing them. For I know you are coming to save me. And I will be swept into your final loving embrace. But, love requires sacrifice. Can I get an amen?"

Oh, I recognized the voice.

Uh oh...

"Amen! AMEN! JUST DON'T HURT US!" I exclaimed. "We don't want to be a part of whatever organization cult you're in. Just leave us be-"

"Shhh.... sheep, sheep, sheep, it's time for sleep~" his voice giggled, when I felt something hard hit the back of my head.