Hi! Sorry for the delay, I wish I had a better excuse but I'm going to be honest - I simply lacked the motivation to update any of my fics. I know, bad excuse - but at least I'm back with the epilogue I promised, and better late than never, right?XD Hope this was worth the wait and enjoy!

Thanks to MarrowInTheBone, ViolaHarmony, Mariogeek, The Toad Soldier and CloudySkies17695 for reviewing! I was really glad to see that some of you liked the line where Luigi led Mario to the cliff but also led him away - that was a last minute decision that wasn't included in the draft, so I was surprised - and pleased - that it was well-received.

I also want to thank Cbscbs, Sohrem, CloudySkies17695, DameFlemmarde, Mariogeek, NMochi and ViolaHarmony for following and favouriting!

Mario's eyes fluttered open to the sound of light raindrops pattering against his window. After rubbing away the sleep and remaining in bed for some time, he arose from his mattress and looked out. It was dull outside, he noticed - grey clouds covered the entire sky, unusual weather for August in the Mushroom Kingdom.

He checked the date on the calendar, and wondered why he felt like this was an important day. After a moment's contemplation, it hit him: this was the day he had been about to commit suicide, five years ago.

The irony of the situation was the next thought to strike him. It had been a sunny day then, yet he was more joyful today than on that near-fateful evening. No, joyful was an exaggeration - he still felt pain when he reminisced on the times he had Luigi by his side. But he had his life together; he didn't need help anymore; he was fine.

It didn't bother Mario anymore that Peach wasn't in love with him, and now that the awkwardness had gone out of their relationship, they were back to being best friends. She had been a huge help when he had been living through the darkest stage of his life, and Mario would always be grateful for the trouble she had gone through to cure him of his mental state, especially since he hadn't been easy to deal with.

Princess Daisy also seemed to have recovered from her boyfriend's death. It was true that they had only gone out for a week, but they'd been friends for years - and harbouring feelings for each other for ages too. She was not quite as exuberant as she had once been, but when she smiled, the sorrow didn't show itself any longer.

There had been one instance two years previously - he still cringed at the memory - when Mario and Daisy had been alone together, and, in one wild moment, she had grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips. What made it even weirder was that he had reciprocated the action, and they had stayed like that for a considerable amount of time. Daisy had pulled away abruptly, and with red cheeks, confessed that she had been missing Luigi a lot that day, and for some reason the expression in Mario's eyes had reminded Daisy of her deceased boyfriend, and... She'd stopped babbling, hiding her face in her hands.

At the time, they had both apologised over and over, but now, despite the lingering feelings of embarrassment, he had to chuckle at how horrified they were. He still wasn't sure what had made him kiss her back, as he hadn't thought he liked her that way - perhaps that one-off romantic occurrence when he'd rescued her from Sarasaland had messed with his judgement? But he understood exactly why she had done it. Like Daisy, he still had bad days when he missed his twin and was stuck in a cycle of memories and flashbacks and the most mundane things in life reminded him of Luigi.

But most of the time, he felt alright. He could even focus on the positives - sometimes.

He had matured considerably since then for a start. He now realised that his so-called love for Peach was in fact infatuation, and that maybe it was a good thing they hadn't tied the knot. He was less optimistic, yes - but that stopped Mario from setting himself up for disappointments, and he was more emotionally capable of dealing with obstacles.

Most importantly, Luigi's death taught him to appreciate the people around him, that they could be taken away from him at any moment without warning and that he should always enjoy every day he spent with them.

He had become kinder - he didn't want to live life regretting his actions. He still felt guilty for some of the things he had done to Luigi, like grinding his toe after a tennis game simply because his younger brother had beaten him, and not sharing the spotlight as much as he could have. They were not, by any means, malicious acts - merely a touch of sibling rivalry, and a slight lack of consideration for Luigi's feelings - but if he had the chance to turn back time and redo everything, he would have tried harder to be a nicer brother.

Despite having more fear, he had become braver - he had seen his brother burn to death, what could traumatise him more than that? He had chosen to stay alive when all he wanted to do was die - that was the most frightening decision he had ever had to make. His sense of fear, on the other hand, made him smarter, less reckless, and more likely to think before acting on his impulses. He no longer had a burning hatred for Bowser, and was more competent when it came to defeating him now that he was no longer blinded by anger and hurt. He was more like Luigi - afraid, but completing his missions anyway - and that made him more courageous than ever before.

He stepped back from the calendar on his wall, and made his way into the kitchen, still in his pyjamas. It felt good to be able to look after himself again, not being dependent on his friends or his parents, whenever they could come over. He sighed as he recalled his parents' reactions when, on top of having to deal with one dead son, discovered that their single remaining child had been about to jump off a cliff and die too.

He put it out of his mind quickly - their shocked looks and Mama's hysterical tears were not something he cared to recall. He focused instead on his cereal, tipping chocolate flakes into a bowl. He had gained back all of the weight he'd lost; in fact, he suspected he was a little tubbier. But that was fine by him - thinness didn't suit Mario like it did Luigi. He was back to himself, though his wide blue eyes were less childlike, and he had more grey hairs which weren't too noticeable now but would be in time when more emerged.

He poured some milk into the bowl, and headed for the small table. No, he was not quite the same as before; he was older now, inside and out. Wiser, too. Smarter, kinder. Better.

And most of all - he could say this with certainty - he never regretted turning away from the cliff's edge.

There it is! Like I said I've never suffered from depression so I hope this is okay - especially since it's been a few months since I updated it! Please review and let me know what you thought!