Slowly, Luigi got to his feet and limped over to the power-enhancing gem. The artifact that made such a huge mess looked so—small. Then again, appearances could be deceiving. In the appendages of King Boo, it had nearly caused mass destruction and hysteria on a universal scale. But the man in green and his Poltergust 5000 had put a stop to that, and that was all that mattered.

Luigi gingerly scooped up the gem, another laugh erupting from him. He'd f—ing done it. He'd defeated King Boo not once, but twice. Not a lot of plumbers out there could put that on their resume!

"Oh, yeah!" he joyfully sang out, shimmying and winding his hips in victory. "Yeah! I did it!"

Triumphantly, he held up the gem before tucking it into his pocket.

"I did it," he repeated in a quieter tone.

Even in a pocket dimension where no one could hear him scream, Luigi had held his own against King Boo and prevailed.

He closed his eyes and released a deep, shuddering sigh. When he opened them, the pink and purple void had dissipated, and he was back on the terrace of the Treacherous Mansion. And hanging on the wall across from him—was Mario.

"Big Bro!" shouted Luigi, rushing over to his immobilized, imprisoned sibling and pressing a hand against the canvas. "You're okay—you're okay—you're okay…"

Tenderly, he stroked the monochrome image, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You're okay."

…

Time had painstakingly chugged past with no updates and no change. Professor Gadd and his Toad Assistants sat around in a circle, the elderly scientist leading his employees in prayer and song, the six of them leaning on each other for strength. Wherever Luigi was, they hoped that they could send him as much love and encouragement as they could, for as Gadd witnessed firsthand twelve years ago, love was a potent weapon against fear.

A series of beeps broke through the shell of suspense.

Gadd leaped to his feet and punched a few buttons on his console. And when he saw the image of the man in green, his knees nearly buckled in relief.

"There he is!" he exclaimed. "On the terrace!"

The Toad Assistants ran over to join him.

"I'll be d—ned," breathed Fred. "He made it. He actually made it!"

The Toad Assistants cheered, grabbing their employer for a big group hug.

"Looks like there's one thing left to do," said Gadd when they separated.

"That's the truth of it!" laughed Zed.

"Go on ahead, Professor," added Fred. "We'll get the Dark Moon pieces ready!"

"All righty, then," said Gadd, using the Pixelshifter to transport himself to the terrace.

Gadd landed softly on his feet at his destination and spotted Luigi standing several feet away, his back to the Professor. Currently, he had both palms pressed against Mario's portrait, murmuring something that Gadd couldn't hear. Quietly, the scientist walked over and stood next to his friend, taking in his battered and bloodied state. King Boo had really put him through Hell this time!

"Hey, youngster," Gadd finally spoke up.

Wincing slightly, Luigi turned to face his mentor.

"Professor," he sniffled. "King Boo—he's—insane! He wanted to use the ghosts—as his army—take over the world! He threatened—my friends! I couldn't let him get his hands on them—I couldn't—I wouldn't!"

"You got him, though," said Gadd.

Luigi looked back at Mario's painting. "I heard his voice in that pocket dimension," he went on. "He told me—he wasn't afraid because I was there, and that he knew I'd win."

"And you did," smiled Gadd. "You saved Mario, you saved me, you saved my Toad Assistants, you saved Evershade Valley and you saved the world. If I had a hat, then I'd take it off to you. But—I'm not really a hat person."

Luigi chuckled.

"Speaking of Mario," said Gadd, "wanna get him out of that painting with your Dark-Light Device?"

"Of course," replied Luigi, his face lighting up.

He switched on the DLD and aimed it at Mario's portrait. Gradually, Mario became colorized as the beam drew him out of the frame's confines. His eyes widened in surprise, only to soften into a look of recognition and gratitude the moment he fell into Luigi's waiting arms.

"Luigi…" he sighed happily, his own arms rounding his baby bro's upper back and his head resting against his chest. "Ah, Luigi…"

"Mario!" exclaimed Luigi, a grateful sob tearing from him, and then another and another until he was sobbing uncontrollably.

The Super Mario Brothers knelt together on the terrace's floor, hugging as if the other was an illusion that would soon disappear. Luigi's head dropped to Mario's shoulder as he deepened the hug. In turn, Mario pulled Luigi closer to his body, soothing his tears with his touch.

"Luigi…" breathed Mario. "You've done it again. You saved my life. Way to go—you're number one!"

"I—did it?" Luigi choked out.

"Yes, you did," smiled Mario.

"I—I tried to call you," said Luigi. "Did you get my messages?"

"Bro, I'm sorry! My phone was on silent because I was exercising!" sighed Mario. "When I was finished, I saw your voicemails and texts, but before I could answer them, he attacked me!" He took a deep breath. "I fought him, Luigi—fought him like I'd never fought before, until I couldn't fight anymore. I fought and I fought—and he completely overpowered me. He's the only villain who's ever done that."

"Hey, hey—you're safe now," Luigi said through his tears, kissing Mario on the cheek. "You're safe. That figlio di p—a is never gonna hurt you again. I swear it."

"I know, Luigi. I know…" And then Mario broke down crying, as well.

From a respectful distance, Gadd warmly looked on as the Bros reunited, both of them expelling all of the emotions they'd kept bottled up inside since this rigmarole began. In front of that golden altar, Mario and Luigi hugged and hugged and then hugged some more, crying until they were all cried out.

Mario was the first to regain his composure, whispering words of brotherly affection in Luigi's ear. Steadily, Luigi's sobs quieted, and they just knelt there, eyes closed and entwined in each other's arms, breathing in sync.

A few minutes later, the Toad Assistants pixelated onto the scene, Fred in front and Ed bringing up the rear. Fred carried two of the Dark Moon pieces, while the others held only one. Luigi heard them approaching and gave Mario another kiss on the cheek before reluctantly withdrawing from the embrace. Both brothers then rose to their feet.

Fred strode up to Luigi and held a Dark Moon piece out to him. "Here you go," he said perkily.

Luigi took the Dark Moon piece, giving Mario, and then Gadd, an unsure look. In response, they both nodded to him.

"Go ahead," said Gadd. "It's all right."

Luigi heaved another deep sigh, feeling a great weight depart from him. He joined the Toad Assistants in the middle of the terrace, where they stood in a small circle and held out the Dark Moon pieces. Then, the pieces began to glow brightly.

"Whoa…" he gasped.

"Keep watching," said Fred.

In unison, the six of them let go of the Dark Moon pieces, which levitated there for a moment before reassembling into a crescent shape. With a bright flash of light, the pieces rejoined, and the newly-repaired Dark Moon grew back to its original size. Another astonished sound left Luigi's lips as he watched the Dark Moon begin its ascent back into the starry sky, re-taking its rightful place watching over Evershade Valley. The artifact built up power before releasing a purple aura which briefly lit up the night.

Mario joined his baby bro in gazing wondrously at the scene, putting his arm around Luigi's shoulders.

Inside the Vault, the ghosts Luigi had captured were floating about when the purple aura passed over them. At once, their eyes regained their pupils, and they stared at each other in confusion, as if wondering how they got here. Then, they all laughed, dashing in for a group hug.

In the Secret Mine, a Greenie was roaming outside the chalet when the aura swept over them. Their eyes also regained their pupils, and they seemed to have no memory of how they got here. All they knew was that it was freezing, and that they needed to get someplace warm.

At the Haunted Towers, a Slammer was chomping on a Greenie when they, too, were exposed to the aura. A surprised look registered on the Slammer's face, and they spat out the dazed Greenie before giving them an apologetic hug.

The Dark Moon doused the valley's ghosts with that purple aura, glowing brilliantly like a star one final time before the aura faded.

"All right—I guess it's safe now," said Gadd, fishing out the remote control to the vault and pressing the button that would release the ghosts.

It wasn't long before the Evershade Valley ghosts joined the Bros, the Professor and the Toad Assistants on the terrace. Thanks to the Dark Moon, they were their friendly, if mischievous, selves once again. A Slammer swooped down and scooped up Mario for a piggyback ride. The Grouchy Possessor gave Fred and his colleagues a piggyback ride, as well. And a group of Greenies playfully tossed Gadd into the air. The other ghosts just swarmed about, laughing and playing with everyone.

Luigi, basking in the peace he helped restore, turned and saw Polterpup trotting up to him, ears and tail drooped and a chastened look in his eyes, expecting admonishment for the inconveniences he'd caused. But he was so d—n cute that Luigi decided to let bygones be bygones.

"Come here, doggie," Luigi said with a smile.

Overjoyed that all was forgiven, the spectral pooch jumped into Luigi's arms, assailing his face with happy licks.

Gadd observed this with a [bleep]-eating grin. "Aw—he likes you," he cooed.

Luigi scratched Polterpup behind the ears. "I simply can't stay mad at him," he said.

Mario walked over and patted Luigi on the back. "That's my bro!" he gushed.

Luigi blushed. "Th—thanks, Mario."

Everyone watched as one of the Greenies set up a camera, Luigi pursing his lips in contemplation as his companions gathered together in the middle of the terrace.

"Ah, what the Hell," he grinned. "Let's do it!"

Luigi, Gadd and company leaped into the air, striking a pose. Then, the Greenie pressed the camera's shutter, capturing a moment in time.

Please R&R.