November 1, 2019

1:30 a.m.

The Crown Prince of the Easton Kingdom was nearly at his wit's end. He sat there, staring at the image of himself on the still-active Skype call, the image of his living room next to him, moving only to order a drink or a snack. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do or who to call. Anyone who tried to help could be subjected to the Boos' wrath.

After Nathan ordered a slice of pizza, King Boo's feed once again became visible, showing the King grinning like a little boy on Christmas Day.

"Why the long face, Nathan?" asked the King. "It'll all be over soon."

Nathan gave him the finger and kept eating his pizza slice.

"Aw, don't be like that, Nate," cooed King Boo. "For what it's worth, this isn't really personal. You just associated with the wrong person on the wrong night."

"It kinda feels personal," groused Nathan.

"Hm. Well, to each his own," said King Boo. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I have a date with destiny. And my date has finally arrived."

Cackling, he signed out, leaving Nathan alone.

Suddenly, Nathan's phone vibrated, making him jump. Pulling out the phone, he discovered that it was only a reminder for some function he could hardly remember now. Relieved, Nathan slumped back in the chair and opened Messenger. He clicked on Luigi's icon and initiated what he knew would be their last communication.

Godspeed, Luigi. And thank you. For everything.

You're welcome, replied Luigi. I know you'll be a good King someday.

Nathan smiled. Thx. Now go get him!

Like I said b4, Vicky and her baby will receive justice, typed Luigi, and so will the rest of our friends, my bro, my sis, my mentor and my fiancée.

I have faith in you, typed Nathan.

And that's good enough, Luigi typed back. I'll be seeing you, Nate.

I'll be seeing you, Luigi.

Nathan closed the Messenger tab and sat back, staring into space. All he could do now was sip his drink, eat his food and pray to any deity who could hear him for a miracle.

His prayer wasn't answered.

The TVs in the lounge area displayed a "Breaking News" banner, and everyone in the airport dropped what they were doing to crowd around them.

"Thank you for joining us," said the anchor. "I'm Tim Bridges. The Mushroom Kingdom is holding its breath as a major crisis continues to unfold. Let's go to Kimberly Duncan for more information."

The TVs then showed an image of the Last Resort, where chaos abounded. Police barriers had been put up, red and blue lights flashed, sirens wailed, and many first responders crowded the scene. A raven-haired reporter stood in the center of it all, microphone in hand as more representatives of the press set up their equipment.

"Thank you, Tim," said the reporter, Kim. "Approximately 45 minutes ago, the authorities were called to this hotel, known as the Last Resort, and came across this startling sight." The camera zoomed in toward the hotel's rooftop, where the sounds of a heated battle were just barely audible. "A young man, fighting for his life against the Master of Illusions himself—King Boo."

Everyone in the airport began to whisper among themselves.

"All attempts so far to assist this young man have been thwarted by King Boo's minions," Kim went on.

"We're now going to show you the footage of these attempts," said Tim, "but I must warn you—this video may be difficult to watch."

In the video, armed and armored officers rushed toward the Last Resort, only for the Boos to pounce on them in droves. The camera jittered and swung about wildly, offering glimpses of responding officers being shoved into portraits of many shapes and sizes.

"That won't do anything," said one patron seated near Nathan, referring to the officers' weapons.

"Compounding the danger are the appearances of more ghosts," said Kim. "It is unknown at this time whether these ghosts are local to this area. However, authorities have warned that these ghosts are powerful and extremely dangerous."

More recorded footage played of the cavalry coming under attack by slim, blue ghosts, red, boxy ghosts, purple, lanky ghosts and gold, thin ghosts. Officers shouted desperately as the ghosts maniacally laughed.

"Do you have any information about the man on the rooftop?" asked Tim.

Kim nodded. "The young man has been identified as Luigi Mario, the younger twin brother of the Mushroom Kingdom's protector, Mario 'Jumpman' Mario."

"Do you think that Mario may be imprisoned somewhere in the hotel?"

"Earlier reports confirm that Mario, along with Princess Peach and three of her Toad Retainers, have been tragically killed by King Boo and his minions. We can only assume that Toadsworth has enacted contingency protocols at this time. Back to you, Tim."

"Thank you, Kim. We will continue to keep you updated on this developing situation. In the meantime, all residents of the Mushroom Kingdom are encouraged to stay in their homes and tune in to their local TV and radio outlets."

The situation began impacting the airport, as well, causing further delays and cancellations of outgoing flights. All of the patrons became antsy, contacting their friends and loved ones to pass on the harrowing news.

Nathan's head fell into his hands.

"We'll now take you back to the scene with our helicopter team," said Tim. "What can you tell us?"

Now, they were all looking at an aerial view of the Last Resort. The helicopter moved closer and closer to the rooftop, and there, Nathan could finally see the two people (well, one person and one tyrannical Boo) on top.

"We're just a few yards away now, Tim," said the helicopter pilot, "and let me tell you—we've never seen something like this before. Viewers at home can notice on their screens that Luigi is wearing something on his back—it looks like the Poltergust G-00, which he wields in the Super Smash Brothers Ultimate tournament. But can it stand up to the might of King Boo? Only time will tell."

A lump rose in Nathan's throat as he watched Luigi attempting to dodge King Boo's attacks and waiting for an opening. He could also see Polterpup up there, protecting, aiding and encouraging his human.

"Uh—Tim, are you seeing this?" asked the helicopter pilot. "There appears to be a ghost dog trying to help Luigi. And over there—is a lime green clone of him." Sure enough, there was Gooigi, doing his best to distract King Boo in the hopes that Luigi could get the drop on him.

"I think that's Luigi's gooey doppelganger, Gooigi," said the pilot. "As you know, Professor Elvin Gadd created Gooigi from ectoplasm and coffee just one year ago, and sent him into the past for a training exercise. Tim—there's reason to believe that the Professor could also be inside the Last Resort."

Nathan, however, wasn't listening to the pilot or the anchor anymore. He stared hard at the image of Luigi on the screen, Polterpup and Gooigi by his side, leveling the Poltergust G-00 at his mortal enemy. If the numerous bruises, slashes and burns on his body didn't frighten Nathan, then the look of scorn and loathing on the plumber's face certainly did. Never in his life did he ever see Luigi look at someone like that before. His facial expression during the 2014 Mario Kart tournament was tame compared to this!

King Boo, meanwhile, had tossed some sort of projectile at Luigi—the camera was too far away for Nathan and the others to get a good look at it. But Luigi caught the object in his Poltergust and threw it right back at King Boo, sending him reeling. Then, he and Gooigi grabbed King Boo into the suction and heaved him overhead with a grunt, slamming him hard into the floor as everyone cheered.

"[Bleep] him up, Luigi!" crowed Nathan.

Luigi appeared inclined to oblige, slamming King Boo against the ground again and again and again as Gooigi assisted. The helicopter pilot gave a hearty laugh.

"He's starting to gain a foothold in this brutal battle," he said, "just when all hope seemed to be lost!"

After one last slam, King Boo broke free, and it all began again, the tyrant using his magical gem to summon all sorts of things to weaponize. But Luigi, in his usual fashion, always figured out a way to use those weapons against King Boo. Then, while the King was stunned, he'd leap into action with a battle cry, slamming his foe this way and that with all his might. Sometimes, Gooigi and Polterpup would help slam King Boo around, but Luigi was handling the weight pretty well. Hate was a rather potent emotion, after all.

The news reports continuously cross-cut from the helicopter to Kim on the ground and to Tim in the anchor room. Nathan dug his nails into his palms and continued to watch. While Luigi had the upper hand over King Boo at the moment, the situation on the ground was growing more dire, more Boos attacking as Kim and her crew were hastened to safety.

"I'm afraid we've received some tragic news," said Kim. "Several responding officers managed to reach the Last Resort's basement floor, where they discovered the body of Professor Elvin Gadd. The cause of death is an apparent suicide."

Almost everyone in the airport swore at the news.

"Well—that is certainly a huge development, Kim," said Tim. "Do you think this was actually a homicide, staged by the Boos to look like a suicide?"

"We will find out more once the police are done examining the scene," said Kim. "In addition, our correspondent in Sarasaland has informed us of an even greater tragedy. Princess Daisy has been brutally murdered, presumably by the Boos. As our viewers at home know, Princess Daisy is Luigi's longtime girlfriend, and rumors have abounded of a possible marriage on the horizon."

This news was greeted with oaths and cries of disbelief.

Oh, if only they knew, thought Nathan.

And so—it went on like this. The station taking calls from witnesses and concerned citizens. Nathan following along on the TV and the station's official website for updates. The news helicopter, buzzing around the Last Resort and offering exclusive views of the pulse-pounding fight. Kim and her crew on the ground, continuing to dodge Boos and other ghosts. Police and other first responders, attempting to enter the building, only to get cut down or turned into paintings by the dozen. Whatever hope they were clinging onto was fading fast.

Nathan joined the rest of the airline passengers in praying fervently. Not just praying for Luigi to once again overcome his tormentor, but for the safety and the future of Planet Earth. It was time to let enough be enough.

Unfortunately, tonight just wasn't the night for the good guys.

Physically and emotionally exhausted, Nathan had dozed off in the interim, only for the TV to jolt him awake. The first thing he saw was that the action was focused back on the roof. The second thing he saw was that Luigi was in very bad shape, one arm wrapped around his midsection, limping, tears cleansing the blood and dirt from his battered face. The third thing he saw was King Boo, glaring ominously at the helicopter, the gem on his crown beginning to glow.

"Oh, no…" he whispered.

Frantically, the pilot shouted for his crew to hold on as he banked the helicopter away. But alas, he was seconds too late. A bright blast of energy struck the helicopter, sending it careening out of control. Then, the screen went black; only the sounds of screaming and the pilot radioing for help remained. Finally, a crash, and then—silence.

Tim's face was ashen as he tried and failed to contact the helicopter pilot.

"Kim?" he asked. "Can you see what happened?"

Kim's face was grave. "Seconds ago, we all saw a purple beam strike the helicopter, and it crashed several miles away from us. Casualties and fatalities are unknown at this point, but there's a chance that our long-time pilot has been seriously injured or worse." She swallowed. "It's hard to believe what's happening." She winced at the sound of a low, muffled boom. "The brutality of it all—I—I don't know if we can take anymore."

"This could be a tragic day for humanity," Tim warned the viewers. "It could be the end of the world as we know it."

"No!" Nathan heard somebody exclaim.

Kim started to say something else, only for Tim to interrupt her.

"Kim—watch out!" he exclaimed.

Kim whirled as a swarm of cackling Boos pounced on her and the rest of her crew. More screams filled the air, and then the feed went black.

"Kim? Kim? Are you still with us?" asked Tim.

No answer.

"We will try to get back in touch with her…" Tim started to say, only to jump and jerk his head around.

He swiveled back to face his audience with a look illustrating the urgency of the situation. "I'm afraid something is happening…"

Abruptly, the screen cut to the color-bar test pattern, accompanied by a droning, beep.

An airline employee arrived to change the channel, only for the other channels to have static. Not just any static—but pink and purple static.

Nathan tried to get updates from the websites of his local news stations, only to wind up with error pages instead. Tears of frustration worried at the corners of his eyes. This was definitely the Boos' doing! They wished to torture the world's populace by preventing information from coming in or going out and quashing Luigi's hopes of aid. He was truly alone with a powerful individual and his subjects, and they all wanted his blood.

He looked up just as another airline employee announced that all remaining flights had been cancelled. The staff handed out vouchers to the long-suffering passengers, who gathered their luggage and filed out of the airport.

With a heavy sigh, Nathan signed out of Skype, powered off and put away his laptop and walked out into the night, headed for the nearest bus depot. At this point, his only option was to either head home or find a sturdy building to wait out the danger.

The silence and emptiness around him offered no comfort at all.

You have to be strong, Luigi. The world's depending on you…

Please R&R. Only two chapters left.