Toad Town, Mushroom Kingdom

A lone young man, dressed in a red long-sleeve shirt and blue overalls, and wore white gloves, brown work boots and a red hat with the letter 'M' embroidered on the visor walked down the deserted streets of Toad Town. It was a surprise to him to see it in this ghost town like state. It was usually a very lively place, full of colorful Toads happily living their carefree lives. However, once he glanced up at the night sky, he noticed why the streets were now so bare and quiet tonight—dark clouds covered the entire sky, obscuring the stars and the moon from sight.

It was very peculiar that the weather forecast didn't mention anything about a storm. It just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Never the less, he didn't want to be caught in the middle of an impending storm. The man held his red cap down against the wind with one hand and tightened his grip on the large red toolbox, filled to the brim with plumbing tools, he carried in the other and increased his pace.

He wanted to get home as fast as possible. He quickly headed into one of the many back alleys that ran through the town and expertly navigated the narrow streets until he came to a dead end. Sitting in the center of the alleyway was a huge, green warp pipe, one of many that could be found throughout this world. And that was precisely why it was here, hidden in the shadows away from any prying eyes, especially of any certain enemies lurking around on stand by, waiting for the perfect moment to abruptly strike from behind anyone who was unaware of their presence.

It was a warp pipe known only to a select few, and served its purpose as a way of quick transportation but, more importantly, it kept its destination a secret. It was used as a detour for him whenever he was in a rush to get home. The young man however, leapt into the pipe without hesitation and soon found himself experiencing the strange sensation that was warp travel. But, after traveling by pipe so many times, he was used to this kind of transportation and jumped out of the destination pipe without giving it a second thought.

He now stood in front of a small, two story yellow house with a red roof. He felt a drop of rain hit his big, rounded nose. The storm was going to start very soon, he could already feel it looming. The wind picked up quickly and brushed against the man's face, causing his well-groomed lumpy mustache to stir. He hurried across the front yard, ignoring the cobblestone pathway and instead going right through the clean cut lawn. He ducked underneath a clothesline in the middle of the lawn, in the process. Once he reached the porch, he unlocked the front door of the house and quickly flung it open, stepping inside just as the sky opened up in a torrential downpour.

Sighing in relief for just missing the storm, he shut the door behind him and threw his toolbox carelessly on the red couch that dominated the living room. Whistling cheerfully, he walked over to a nearby light switch and flicked on the lights as he did so. Fully illuminating the house, it was clear that although it wasn't very large, the house was bigger than it looked on the outside. The living room had the red couch and a green chair occupying it, with a set of stairs that led presumably to a bedroom off to the side. There was a small kitchen, a dining area, a workroom and one bathroom that made up the rest of the house. He sat down on the red chair beside his tool box in exhaustion, he felt his sapphire-blue eyes gaze at the green chair right beside him, left unoccupied.

His younger brother, who used to sit on that chair beside him, had been acting more and more distant lately, choosing to stay at the little cottage he had near Boo Woods rather than at their shared home here in Toad Town with him. He wasn't quite sure what triggered his mood swings and why he left him behind on such short notice or why exactly—he thought their last mission to rescue the young ruler of this world, Princess Peach and her castle from the evil Koopa King, Bowser, had gone relatively well. Maybe it was this whole year in general that may be going too rough for him, putting way too much pressure on his little brother, and he just needed time by himself to relax. The man had learned not to really question how he felt after they had learned that they were stuck in the dimension known by the natives as the "Mushroom Kingdom." He had adapted fairly quickly, while his brother had taken it particularly hard. He had soon found out that his brother, Luigi, needed space when dealing with these type of feelings, and made sure to keep his distance. He didn't want to upset him more than he already was. Any attempts to convince Luigi to stay with him otherwise always failed, anyways.

Luigi seemed to be more secretive about how he truly felt about being stuck here. The Mushroom people barely could remember his name or simply forgot he even existed. Most of the time, they didn't take him seriously next to his brother and always made fun of him. Personally, he didn't like how his little brother was being treated. He knew that Luigi grew to envy him for his popularity and being titled, 'the hero that everybody counted on' which he wanted to keep confidential from his older brother. In truth, however, he was already aware of it from reading his personal diary; he chose to pretend he hadn't noticed to keep his younger brother from being angry at him for breaching his privacy but he has been trying to get people to know who Luigi was.

He was wondering what Luigi was doing right now though and if he was truly happy and safe where he was now. Suddenly, a big crash of thunder was heard outside and the lights went out. His carefree, whistle died down. "Strange. We almost never had any power outages here. Must be a really bad storm." He thought to himself. He fumbled around in the dark, and he stumbled his way across to the workroom area. Opening one of the many tool benches, he felt around until he found what he was looking for. Pulling out a flashlight, he clicked it on. And off. And on again. The batteries were dead. Grumbling in annoyance, he opened another drawer of the tool bench and began rummaging around searching for batteries when he froze.

He suddenly felt someone—or something—watching him. The presence felt dark, dangerous and not to mention formidably powerful. He quickly changed the batteries in the flashlight and investigated the house. He whirled around, raising the flashlight to fend off whatever could be in there with him. Nothing was there. He strained his eyes, striving to see farther into the blackness around him. Still nothing, but the feeling was not gone. It could've just as easily have been his imagination playing tricks on him but he didn't want to completely let his guard down. He knew better than that.

Slowly, he began inching to the left, towards the stairs in the living room. On the second floor, in a dresser in between his bed and his brother's, there was a box of power-ups they kept for emergencies. He decided that it would be wise if he had a power-up to defend himself with. There were many different power-ups people could use to give them a special ability to fight with. Maybe a Super Star could be useful. Super Stars were very rare items that could temporarily make the user impervious to any sort of harm. And if what he thought was happening right now was in fact happening, he was going to need a lot more than a flashlight to get out of it.

Quickly he ducked behind the couch, heart pounding. To get to the dresser, he would have to run across the living room and up the stairs. It was no easy feat, however. If something was, in fact, in the house with him, they could likely give chase to reach him before he could reach the power-up supplies. He took a deep breath, laying out a plan in his mind. And... now. He sprinted across the room, leaping over the couch easily with superhuman skills he possessed.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something white materialize and speed towards him. So there was something there... He ducked and kept running, feeling his aggressor slightly dislodge his favorite red cap as it barely missed him. He quickly fixed it and continued to run up the stairs, he could now clearly hear the eerie laughter that pursued him over the roar of the storm. A familiar laugh that actually rocked him to the core. He never thought he would ever hear it again. He bursted open the door to the bedroom, relieved to find nothing waiting for him. He leaped over his red bed, finally standing in front of the dresser. He flung open the top drawer and was rewarded with... also nothing?!

He stood there, staring with disbelief at an empty drawer. He seemed to be getting more perturbed by the situation now. Behind him he heard a long, low chuckle, and turned around to find his power-up box safely in the arms of the evil monarch he never wanted to lay eyes on again, King Boo. The King eyed him, smiling widely so that all of his dangerously sharp teeth could be seen. He looked over the box in his arms, pretending to study it curiously. He then turned his attention back to the man in red, leering at him like a cat toying with a mouse.

"Looking for something, are we?" The King spoke with a mischievous grin before his purple jeweled crown glowed purple, emanating an eerie purple glow onto the question block in his stubby arms. Then the box instantly vanished into the unknown abyss the king sent it to. The human stared at him in horror before finally pulling himself together. He had to escape before something bad could happen to him.

In one fluid motion the man in red leapt back over the bed, landing in the stairwell. If he could just make it to the front door... He quickly ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He was just a few more steps away... He was almost home free... Until...

A boo materialized right in front of the door, grinning at him smugly. He backpedaled, turning 180 degrees around, to find another boo smiling at him. He watched in despair as more boos appeared, forming a circle around him. He was now surrounded. Trapped in the center of the boo circle. A shrill laugh drew his attention. King Boo floated leisurely down the steps, smirking down proudly at his prisoner. Upon seeing the look of anger on the young man's face, his smile grew wider with anticipation.

"Why hello Mario! It's definitely been a long while... But you don't seem very happy to see me." King Boo tutted. "You should feel honored, being meant face to face by royalty in your own abode. After all these long awaiting years, you are the first person I choose to visit. I don't do this for just anybody you know."

Mario clenched his fists, searching the circle of boos around him for any sign of an opening to escape, but he could find nothing. King Boo chuckled at this, floating into the circle. "You're not getting out of this one, Mario. So you might as well just give up trying and just accept defeat. We have a bit of... catching up to do."

Through gritted teeth, Mario spat out his words. "What do you want King Boo?! How are you even here in the first place? Did you get tired of being appreciated art?"

King Boo laughed loudly at Mario's rather snarky reply, a look of unconcealed delight playing over his ghostly features.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you, Mario Although I do think you will find yourself enjoying the pleasures of being 'appreciated art' as you so nicely put it, sooner rather than later that is. And it's rather hard to be as witty as you are when trapped in between a canvas and a frame. I almost believed that I would never get the taste of freedom again, that is until Professor Einstein messed up. His foolish decisions led to my own liberation. Now I can finally get back to painting this world with my very own vision and this time I won't make the same mistake I made before! I can't let my subjects down again. I will not even let my paintings go either."

Mario winced inwardly, imagining what the King had in store for him. Being a painting, not to mention the process and pain of being portrificationized, was not fun the first time, and he certainly wasn't looking forward to a second time either. Nevertheless, he was not too worried. Smirking himself, he looked the smiling King dead in the eye.

"You won't win. Luigi will defeat you again, and you'll find yourself right back where you started—in the poltergust, captured once again."

King Boo smiled even wider at the mention of his nemesis, moving closer to Mario's face which caused him to take a few steps back. Behind him the boos hissed, reminding him that there was no way out.

"Ah yes, Luigi. I... wouldn't count on him this time." His eyes glowed purple, filled with eagerness as his crown sparked with magic.

Mario's eyes widened. Luigi had left for his other house not too long ago. He was only gone for a day but the thing that had him worried was the fact that he hadn't heard from him since. He would think that he would've sent a letter to him by now, but alas nothing came. That wasn't really unusual considering the mood he had been in however but surely his silence didn't mean that...? He shook his head forcefully, trying to remove the thoughts. No, Luigi was alive and well—he had to believe that, especially now. He glared up at King Boo, dropping into a fighting stance as he did so.

"If you hurt him, I swear you'll pay for it!" Mario growled in anger.

King Boo looked at him in amusement. Any other time, that is if he hadn't defeated the valorous hero in red before, and this would have been fairly frightening. Well...Maybe. Mario was looking at him with the threat of violence clearly written in his gaze, and the King knew he could back it up. But this time, it was he who held all the cards, and they both knew it. He let out a pleased sigh, his long blue tongue rolling out in his relaxation.

"Don't worry. I haven't hurt your little brother—yet!" His smile grew wider and he chuckled lowly after the last word.

Mario instantly relaxed, relief washing over him to replace the anxiety that had plagued him moments ago. But seeing the way King Boo was looking at him made him instantly tense up again.

"Of course, your brother cut our time together short on that faithful day many years ago, hasn't he? The only one that had managed to outwit me but... oh, he doesn't seem to be around right now! That's a shame...As a matter of fact," the King drawled mockingly, examining him closely, "I was hoping to find him here. But he isn't here, is he?! He's somewhere else, far away from here! And you know where!"

He came closer to the red-cladded plumber, within a few inches of their faces touching. Mario attempted to back up, but on finding the boos in his way, was forced to face him. The King's glowing purple eyes pierced into him, the unnatural purple meeting the mustachioed human's angry sapphire blue. He was trying to hide the true fear he was feeling at that very moment. He knew that with King Boo here, now free from his painting, his little brother's life was likely in grave danger if he managed to get to him before he had proper protection.

"You wouldn't be able to tell me where he is, would you?" King Boo whispered, a threat tingeing in his unnaturally deep voice for the boo species.

Mario stared back, pushing his fear to the side as his determination took over. He couldn't just rat out his brother's location. He had to buy him enough time to be able to fight back and get them out of this situation. As the evil monarch himself indicated, it was only Luigi, who knew how to take care of this villain. It would only put the whole world in danger, and even cause his own brother's defeat if he told him the truth. Why would he even dare to let that happen?! What kind of older twin brother did King Boo take him for?

"No!" He shouted, "I'll never tell you where he is! You'll never find him." Mario's gloved hands went ablazed, a fireball growing larger in his hands aimed at the king. The boos in the circle looked daggers at the flame Mario created. He was using his hand technique, Firebrand.

King Boo floated back up, safely away from Mario's flame, smug smile replaced with a scowl in an instant. He hadn't expected the intimidation tactic to actually work, but it had been very satisfying to see a hint of fear in the normally fearless hero's eyes, if only for a second. "How interesting. A real hand power?! I really should be more surprised, but I'm not! I'd advise you to not attempt to attack me, fool! If you know what's good for you and your nuisance of a little brother. You have no idea how much power I have at my disposal this time around! With this new power-enhancing jeweled crown of mine, nothing! Not even your little brother, that old geezer scientist and his stupid inventions can defeat me now!"

Mario gave King Boo a stern look, still holding the fireball in his hand. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. My brother defeated you before, he's bound to defeat you again. Luigi never comes unprepared. Luigi is cautious and knows how to weaken your forces. If he outsmarted you before, I bet he can do it again."

King Boo only broke into a hardy laugh, which resulted in Mario raising an eyebrow, somewhat perplexed from the King's reaction. Once King Boo eased the laughter, he glared back at Mario. "You just don't get it, do you? I don't really need the Mysterious power of the boos this time around. Yes, our boos are stronger together but my magic is far more ferociously powerful now. I guess I need to give you a taste of my new magical abilities then?! Just to show you how menacing I have become." King Boo threatened condescendingly.

King Boo seemed very enraged by that point, both his eyes and crown glowing a very bright shade of purple, knowing this Mario attempted to back up again but the boos shrilled at him with a high-pitched growl from behind.

A lightning bolt with a similar hue of purple struck down on Mario, doing tremendous amounts of damage on him, but miraculously not doing much damage to the house itself, only knocking things down. It seemed that the lightning bolt was only meant to cause damage to its main target and nothing else. The boos watched their King's power at work as Mario was getting engulfed with the powerful attack. The man collapsed to the ground, wincing in pain, his fireball dissipated from his hands. Purple electricity surrounded Mario's entire body. Once the pain began to subside and the electricity that enveloped him disappeared, the human slowly got back up to his feet, still feeling weak from the attack.

The circle of boos gave him a scornful look. The King, however, glared at him with a penetrating gaze. King Boo's power definitely improved drastically, Mario finally acknowledged that fact, realizing that the King, unfortunately, wasn't bluffing at all. Now, he greatly feared what he was planning to do to Luigi, and hoped that he would remain safe. He looked back at the King with wide eyes, his breathing becoming uneasy.

"Remember who you're talking to, Mario! Show me some respect! Or I'll be sure to make your life a living nightmare!" The King growled in flat out rage, raising his voice. "I already plan to do far worse things to your annoying brother after what he did to me and my fellow boos!"

Mario's eyes widened and he gasped in alarm. "Y-you better not hurt him! Leave him alone! He's none of your concern. Just please leave him out of this! Just... Just spare him! He never wanted to attack your boos... He just wanted to save me..."

"You think I'm just going to leave him alone after all that he managed to do to all of us?! After the boos that I've lost from that horrendous machine?! He never spared any of my friends! He overtook them and trapped every boo I had sent out to seize him, in that machine's awful snare! You think I'm going to let him be?!" The King laughed maniacally. He inched a little closer to him, attempting to get under his skin, the crowned boo continued, "you are soundly mistaken, Mario. No! He deserves to be punished, and I will do whatever I'd like with him once I find him. And I will get my boos back even if I have to look through every nook and cranny to find them and the same goes for your little brother. I will not give up searching for him to get my rightful revenge either. Now let's try this again, and I'd like to hear the correct answer this time or there will be consequences. WHERE IS HE?!" The king bellowed, his eyes and crown glowing purple intensely.

"I'm still not going to tell you anything! I will never help you find Luigi!" Mario responded, clenching his teeth in raw anger again at the king. "Do what you wish to me, but you'll never harm my brother!"

King Boo sighed in an attempt to calm himself. "Of course you're not going to make this easy. I figured as much. You can't protect him from me, Mario, and you know it. The only thing you can do, is watch as I destroy your brother once and for all and you won't be able to do anything about it!" The King scorned. "That wasn't the correct answer so now you asked for it, you imprudent plumber!" His circle of boo servants all had the same mischievous smile painted upon each of their faces. He turned around, signaling to the boos behind him as he floated back nonchalantly.

"What a shame. Had you given a different answer, I might not have been forced to do this."

Mario heard a stir behind him and glanced back to see a group of boos approaching with what looked like a blank canvas surrounded by an elaborate golden frame. He raised an eyebrow. What were they planning on doing with that? He was already not liking the sight of this. He watched cautiously as they set it down a few feet behind him. He then turned his attention back to King Boo, who was watching with approval and barely contained excitement. Mario watched in surprise as King Boo's crown suddenly began to glow once again. Dark purple bolts of energy flicking from it randomly. The King of the Boos sneered down at the red plumber, floating higher as he felt the energy build up inside him.

"Who am I kidding—I've been waiting to do this for years."

With one last ghastly laugh, he released the energy in one burst. Mario was surrounded by the dark glow, lifted off his feet, and flung into the canvas, all before he could even cry out. All that remained were a few left over energy fragments, which slowly settled to the ground, sparkling next to the new portrait. King Boo floated merrily over to his new piece of art, eyeing it appraisingly. Imprinted on the canvas was Mario, immobile and speechless. Noticing the pained and concerned expression on his new painting's face, King Boo chuckled.

"Worried for his brother, even when he's imprisoned himself. I do so love it when art manages to capture emotion. Quite literally, in this case. And this time I don't have to hear his annoying yapping. Not to mention the fact that he is completely inanimate instead of an animated character. Just how I like it after what I had to go through when I was trapped in a painting just like him. Knowing typical Super Mario and his energetic nature, he must think this is deterioration while I take it as a fantastic improvement! My power really has become more advanced with this new jewel. Now with that finished, it is time to move on to the next phase of our plan."

With another wave of his nubby arm, a pair of boos appeared, carrying a burlap sack between them. With a bit of effort they were able to haul Mario's portrait into the bag, but unfortunately for the human in the portrait, it was now upside down. King Boo found this hilarious and sent the boos on their way as it was.

"Take him to Evershade Valley," he said, still trying to suppress laughter, "and make sure not to drop him. I want my paintings in pristine condition. They're worth more that way."

Had anyone been near the front yard of the Mario Brothers' residence, they would have been terrified to see the multitude of boos that suddenly vacated it. Shrill screams and laughter filled the air alongside the violent booms of thunder as the boos floated through the air towards Evershade Valley, with King Boo leading the way. Looking down at the darkened house, he smiled widely. Revenge was indeed so very sweet. His happy train of thought, however, was suddenly derailed when he felt someone lightly tap his shoulder. Annoyed, he stared down at the boo who had dared to interrupt his victory gloating. He recognized him as Booigi, one of the few older boos who had managed to escape from the boo containment unit.

"Speak, Booigi!" he grumbled, turning his attention to the night sky.

Booigi looked up at him cautiously. "Your majesty, if I may be so bold, I was just wondering—what about the other one? Aren't we going to find and capture him, too?"

King Boo glanced down at him. It was clear that the boo was a bit nervous. He was one of the few who knew what had actually happened at the mansion many years ago, and knew exactly what Luigi was capable of. Well, it was time to lay those fears to rest.

"He's not worth our time. With this jewel and an army of ghosts that'll soon be under my control, that pathetic weakling won't be able to make it past the front door. He'll be doomed the moment he steps through that door of the first mansion right into our trap. No amount of scientific know-how can save him this time. Just let him come on his own accord or what most likely will be the case, have the stupid Professor bring him here for us to solve his own problems. Tonight we will finally be able to celebrate the long awaited downfall of our enemies and my grand comeback." The King grinned.

Although it was clear that the boo was not entirely convinced, he fell back into the group. King Boo ignored him, focusing on what was to come. Soon they would see. No coward and his house-cleaning device could stop him now.

                                       ***
Near the location of the original Haunted Mansion in Boo Woods:

The wind howled and stirred the late night air around a small green cottage. Inside the house, a kitchen was bathed in the light of a full moon as one tall young man dressed in a green long-sleeved shirt and dark blue overalls. That was also wearing white gloves, brown work boots and a green hat also embroidered with the letter 'L' patched onto the visor, puttered around, humming softly to himself as he put away his cooking supplies. He cleared away a bowl and spatula, cheerfully licking some of the left over chocolate chip cookie dough from it as he carried it to a sink. Turning back to the counter, he heaved a large bag of flour into his arms and began hauling it to a pantry off to the side.

As he was struggling with the heavy bag, the shutters on the window closest to him suddenly blew closed with a bang from a strong draft of wind outside. He yelped and dropped the flour, which promptly opened and sent a cloud of dust up, enveloping his face in white. Grumbling slightly in frustration, he stowed the flour in its proper place, shut the window and headed over to the bathroom across the hall to clean up.

He now stood in front of a mirror, eyeing the mess on his face with annoyance. Sighing, he took off his gloves and his now more-white-than-green cap as he turned on the sink below the mirror. He dampened a washcloth and began to rub at the flour, watching as it easily came off and turned into paste. Satisfied, a pair of light blue eyes stared back at him, set off by the smooth dark handle bar styled mustache. As he stared into his own cerulean irises, Luigi sighed sadly and leaned on the sink as he ran a hand through his brown hair and continued examining his own facial features in the mirror.

Why was he always so afraid of everything? He could tell himself as many times as he liked that it was just the wind, but he would always still jump anytime he heard so much as a creak on the floorboards above him as the house was settling. No wonder he had a reputation as a spineless coward. He couldn't even make cookies without something scaring him! Fed up with himself and his timid demeanor, Luigi turned his attention to his cap, which was still caked in flour. He would have to hand-wash it. His older brother, Mario always insisted on just throwing the hats into the washing machine with the rest of their clothes, but Luigi, on the other hand, liked to treat his with a little more care and figured that it was careless washing them in the washing machine and decided that hats ought to be hand-washed instead.

Mario. He let his thoughts drift back to his older brother and Toad Town. He really should have written by now, if just to let his brother know that he had arrived at his house safe and sound. But frankly, he hadn't felt like it. It wasn't that he was mad at Mario. Far from it, in fact. He had genuinely had fun on their last adventure, and had even gone so far as to save the princess on his own. He wasn't just the little brother of the Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom anymore. People were beginning to give him more respect and attention, even if it was just by remembering his name. Everything seemed to be looking up for him.

So then, he wondered, gazing at the dusty "L" on his hat, why did he still feel so worthless and weak?

He supposed it was because as much as he tried, he knew he could never be the hero his brother was. He could save the princess thousands of times, but it wouldn't make him any less cowardly. He could defeat any villain, but he would still be the laughing stock of Toad Town. Mario and Luigi. The Mario Brothers. He was of course the one that was stuck living in his brother's shadow. It was how it always had been, and it was probably how it would always be. Maybe he just wasn't cut out for heroic deeds like his brother.

With a sigh, he picked up his cap and gloves, shut the light off in the bathroom and carried them to the kitchen sink. Sometimes, he missed when he and Mario had simply been plumbers living in Brooklyn. It hadn't really been a great life in the big city but then again he hadn't had to risk life and limb nearly every other month to save the princess of a land full of mushrooms. But, he thought as he washed his hat, it wasn't like he had the choice to go back anyways. The warp pipe they had found in the sewers of New York had been destroyed leaving them now stranded in this bizarre world. They did have the one time chance to stay in Brooklyn but Mario insisted that they would have a better life in the Mushroom Kingdom. Finally getting the respect they deserved.

Unfortunately being there, it didn't come without its setbacks. The worst was how he and Mario had grown further apart as his brother went on increasingly dangerous adventures, leaving Luigi behind to 'take care of the house.' It was a ridiculous excuse that Luigi had seen right through from the very beginning. Mario, being a typical older brother, was trying to keep his younger sibling safe by keeping him at home all of the time, protected from any sort of harm. Luigi had been okay with this at first, as he had had no desire to risk his life for a girl he barely knew, but as time went on he realized that he wanted a little recognition too. He had then set out on his own personal journey to prove to his brother that he could handle the dangers of being a hero. And he had thought it had worked. Especially after that one incident...

Luigi shuddered as the awful memories of the immoral mansion came flooding back. He and Mario even had to go through months of therapy to get through the awful experiences of that awful house. Mario was able to heal from it quicker than Luigi could unsurprisingly. Alas, it was a lot worse for the latter, the younger sibling that had to endure the fact that his brother wasn't completely unbeatable, taking the blame on himself for falling for the scam that caused his brother to get trapped in the first place and having to explore the dark secrets of the haunted mansion with one of his worst fears, ghosts. But his torment didn't just end after the mansion vanished without a trace. He also had to go through many restless nights of waking up from awful nightmares of the terrifying house. Nightmares that were filled with the series of 'what if's.'

What if he was captured by the Gold Ghost that jumped him as soon as he stepped into the Foyer? What if Professor E.Gadd wasn't there to save him? What if he failed and the other ghosts of the house got to feed off of his own mortality? What if King Boo succeeded on putting him in a painting beside his elder brother? The swarm of 'what if' nightmares threatened his own mental health.

But whenever he was woken up and comforted by Mario, he was always confirmed that his nightmares were not real. He succeeded and he didn't fail his brother. He was safely with him in the comforts of their own home and he vowed that he would never let that happen again. Now that King Boo had been gone for several years with no sign of returning, the trauma finally diminished.

If any good thing could be said out of that whole ordeal, it was that Mario had trusted him infinitely more afterwards. He had started going on more adventures, bolstered by his brother's trust and his own new found confidence. But honestly, looking back, nothing had really changed much. He was still the forgotten little brother— a fact that would reach into his consciousness and haunt him every once in a while, causing him to seek out solitude in places like his own little cottage he earned from all the treasure he found in the mansion that turned out to be real. After all, it wasn't like he was really needed as much back home. It was Mario the townsfolk needed the most.

Suddenly, the oven next to him dinged softly, signaling that the cookies were done, snapping him out of all of his despondent thoughts. He quickly hung his cap up to air dry and put on a pair of oven mitts, he carefully slid the pan out of the oven and placed it on the counter before turning off the oven. Maybe a glass of milk, a few chocolate chip cookies, and some mind-numbing TV was all he needed to break himself out of this depressed state.

Grabbing the spare identical hat he kept on a coat rack in the hallway and his gloves, he poured the milk into a glass, scooped a couple of cookies onto a plate, and walked to a cozy living room. His favorite chair that was a friendly gift from Mario, stood in front of a small TV set. Behind the chair a fire crackled softly in a large stone fireplace, giving off a peaceful glow. With a contented sigh Luigi settled down into his chair, popping a cookie into his mouth as he rested the milk and plate on a side table. As he savored the richness of the melted chocolate chips he picked up the remote and flipped on the TV. Some sort of toad talk show was on, which definitely fit the mind-numbing criteria. He leaned back in his chair, feeling his eyes grow heavy with exhaustion as the warmth of the fire, the sweetness of the cookie, and the mindless chatter of the toads drowned out everything else. He yawned, starting to get very tired. He decided it would be best to rest for a bit to clear his mind, at least for just a few minutes...

***

In Evershade Valley:

King Boo looked out on the landscape of Evershade Valley thoughtfully. From the high altitude he hovered above the entirety of it all. Where he could see everything the Valley had to offer. A standard mansion that looked similar to the one he created in Boo Woods called the Gloomy Manor. An overgrown botanical structure  of the Haunted Towers built around a big oak tree. The desert that surrounded the Old Clockworks factory. A chalet and mining area in snow-white peaks near the Secret Mine, and King Boo's personal favorite, a large museum located in the middle of a giant, gaping ravine, the Treacherous Mansion.

It all looked so peaceful. King Boo sneered down at the picturesque scene, imagining the chaos that would soon envelop the valley. He turned his attention to the reason why he was here in the first place, the key to the first phase of the boos' plan for revenge. Above him the Dark Moon glowed faintly in the night sky, bathing all of Evershade Valley in its ethereal light. This mystical object was the only thing in this land that kept the resident ghosts from resorting back to their malevolent states.

And now, King Boo thought as a wide grin creased his face, it was going to be destroyed.   "The residents of this area can't see the obvious logic in allowing a more enlightened and esteemed monarch to rule them. All of that is going to change. On this day forward, King Boo is in charge of this valley and all the ghosts here will follow my lead. It is time to watch as chaos ensues upon Evershade Valley and I'll be painting it green and red!"

He charged up his crown jewel as he focused on the Dark Moon, the excitement building inside him along with the dark energy. Then in a single burst, an energy bolt shot out from the jewel, encasing the moon in its bright glow. King Boo watched happily as the Dark Moon visibly shuddered and then exploded in a blinding white light. Fragments of the moon shot out and rained down from the heavens out onto Evershade Valley. From his lofty position King Boo could already see his subjects emerging from their hiding places and quickly hovering over to the landing sites of the pieces. With a satisfied smirk King Boo called upon his magical jewel again as he opened a portal to the newly formed dimension that would serve as the base of operations during his plan for world domination.

As he disappeared into the portal, he could now faintly hear the wild chaotic screams and laughter emanating from the mansions all over the valley. His smile grew wider. Now the fun could really begin.

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A/N Another chapter of Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon is done. Since the Nintendo Direct revealed a remake or remaster of Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon for Switch, I felt like writing another chapter this month which was already almost done anyways.

I added a reference to the Mario Movie and the Mario Brother's house in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga with some minor tweaks to it.

Hope you enjoyed. ^U^
More will be coming soon but the next chapters will be the start of actual events from the games and also plan to add the development of Gooigi in this story as well.