Author Notes - This chapter remained more-or-less the same, aside from the usual 'shorten everything and improve certain lines of prose/dialogue'. Trust me, the further we get, the more differences we'll get. Except for the Paranormal Productions, which is roughly in the middle and yet will be the BIGGEST change in the story by far.

(Also I just realised that I accidentally excluded Daisy from Hellen Gravely's first line here the first time round. How... how did I manage that?)

CHAPTER TWO - YOU'LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE

Hellen Gravely left the elevator first, and everyone else followed after her. The fifth floor was just as magnificent (and sparkly) as the grand lobby. The small room led to two hallways - one on the right and another to the left.

'Mario, Luigi, Peach, and... the orange princess's rooms are over here.' Hellen said, motioning to the right hallway.

'Uh, hello!' Daisy said. 'The name is-'

'We've prepared rooms for you Toads as well!' Hellen continued, ignoring her and pointing at the left hallway.

'YAY!' Parr cried in glee as he ran off. 'I bet my room will be the best!'

Gus groaned and followed after him, far more slowly. 'Yeah? And what makes you say that?'

'Because ALL the rooms are the best!'

'You...? You haven't even seen them-!' He sighed. 'Forget it.'

Soff turned to his human friends, shrugged and, suddenly realising he was about to be left behind, charged after his fellow Toads.

'Ah, those mushrooms are such charming people!' Hellen said, stopping to powder her face again (powder that Luigi hopped away from). 'I do apologise, dear guests. It seems Steward will be a bit late with the luggage. Don't fret. I'm sure he'll get it here soon.'

The remaining guests followed Hellen's directions and walked down the hallway to the right. Princess Peach's room (No. 4) was the first one.

'Goodnight!' She called to the others as she stepped into her room.

The brothers waved back, Mario in particular stopping for a moment so he could get one last look at her face. The next room (No. 3) was Mario's, and as he opened the door, he already had a good idea as to what he'd do first. It had something to do with ordering pizza.

'Night night!' Luigi said to him, in the cutest voice imaginable.

Mario waved back. 'Night night!'

Daisy could barely contain her gigantic smile. The last rooms were Luigi's (No. 2) and then Daisy's (No. 1). They approached their doors at the same time, and looked at each other before entering.

'You got any plans for tomorrow?' Daisy asked. 'I mean, you know where I'm gonna be, but what about you? Going to the museum? Maybe the dance hall?' The thought of Luigi dancing made her chuckle. 'What about the shops?'

He tapped his fingers on the doorknob, gathering his inner strength. 'Um... I-I was thinking about going to the indoor garden... w-with you. M-Maybe?'

She giggled. 'Aw, that would be awesome! You better get a good rest tonight, cos we'll be heading there super early.'

'Okay!'

'So it's a date! Good night, Luigi.'

'Night night!'

With that, they entered their rooms at the same time. As Luigi stepped into his room - which was the same golden colour as everything else - he didn't quite expect what greeted him.

'Woof!'

'Yah!'

There his Polterpup sat, panting and wagging his tail with cake crumbs around his mouth. Luigi sighed; apparently, even during a calming hotel trip, he simply wasn't spared from random spooks. Not that he could fault the good boy. The little puppy just sat there, practically begging for some affection. So, Luigi granted it by stroking him on the head.

'Aw, good puppy!'

Polterpup responded by bounding upwards and licking his owner's face all over. The surprisingly ticklish tongue made Luigi laugh. Continuing to pat the puppy, Luigi looked around his room. It was quite spacious, and included both a desk and a big cupboard to go alongside the comfy-looking bed.

*knock knock knock*

Luigi's attention turned to the door as it opened. Steward the bellhop stood on the other side, struggling to carry the green suitcase. With a grunt, he dropped it onto the floor.

'I presume this suitcase - ya know, the green one that shares your emblem - is yours, sir.' He said.

The luggage cart could be seen behind him, still loaded with Peach's stuff. Luigi looked out one of the grand windows. The sun was setting, and nighttime had already begun to spread its blanket over the quiet wilderness.

'Oh,' He said. 'Well tha-!'

Upon turning back to Steward though, the creepy bellhop had already disappeared without a trace. That chill in his bones returned. Why couldn't he shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong?

'Relax, Luigi.' He told himself. 'I-It's just a vacation. It'll be okay.'

He repressed a yawn. Seeing how late it was getting, combined with that long bus trip... yep, it was time for a rest. It appeared that Polterpup read his mind, as the spectral hound was already curled up on one side of the double bed. Luigi lifted up his suitcase, and put it on the end of his fairly big bed. Opening it up, he was glad to see that all his luggage survived: a spare set of (the exact same) clothes, a flashlight, and a book.

He threw the book onto the bed, by Polterpup, and grabbed the flashlight. Hopping on the bed, he crawled over to his side with the flashlight in hand. After placing it on the bedside table, he settled himself into the blanket. Of course, with all the excitement of his 'date' with Daisy the next day, he couldn't possibly get to sleep on his own. So, taking one last look at his puppy as it drifted off to sleep, he picked up his book, opened it up, began reading it...

The-

... before he conked out completely on the spot, his head luckily landing on the pillow. His slip into unconsciousness was so sudden it managed to make the Polterpup jolt awake. When he realised that there was nothing to worry about, Polterpup put his head back down and drifted off to sleep.

The hotel went quiet...

'AAAAAHHHHHHH!'

Luigi woke with a yelp, seemingly hours later, breathing heavily as the scream snapped him out of a deep sleep. It was distinctly Peach's. He took a moment to look around; maybe he just heard the scream in a dream.

'H-Huh?'

If that was the case though, then why did his room look so... different? The layout was the same, but now fog covered the floor. The bright sparkly gold had disappeared, now replaced by dark and gloomy blues and purples. Eerie silence filled the room, the air totally dead except for the rain and thunder outside. Not to mention how dark everything was. Luigi gulped, and began shaking on the spot. How he hated the dark, as it stripped away one of his basic senses in favour of a constant feeling of dread.

Especially thankful for his paranoid packing now, he grabbed his flashlight and turned it on in a moment. He shone its beam through every corner of the room, noticing that even the happy balloons from before now resembled jack-o-lanterns.

'M-M-Mario?'

With no other options available, he hopped off his bed and landed on his feet. His ears perked up at the sound of something rattling, which was the drawer to his bedside table. Shivering like a hairless polar bear as he did so, he paced himself over to that rattling drawer. He stared at it for a few moments, contemplating whether he should open it or not. Gulping again, he reached his shaky hand over to the drawer, and opened it.

A clawed hand resembling Bowser's sprung at him from the open drawer, setting off some sparks to boot.

'WAAHH!' He fell to the floor in total shock.

'Sprung' being meant literally, as a spring attached the hand to the drawer. It alone convinced him he was in a nightmare.

'Luigi! I thought I recognised that yelp.'

He flinched, and turned to his door. Daisy stood there (in her day outfit) with her hair frazzled.

'D-Daisy? Y-You heard the scream too?' He asked, approaching her slowly.

'You mean Peach's bloodcurdling cry for help?' Daisy replied. 'Yeah, you could say I heard it too. I woke up and my room was all dark and weird!'

'Y-Yours too?'

Daisy went on about how relieved she was that Luigi was okay, but he couldn't focus on her for once. After Peach's scream, he noticed a distinct lack of any sort of sound from his older twin brother. Surely Mario would leap to his princess's defence the moment he heard her scream. If not...

Luigi gasped. 'B-Big bro! H-He could be in danger!'

'Well, come on then!' Daisy said. 'Let's go check on his room.'

As Luigi stepped out into the hallway, he noticed that it hadn't changed like his room did. It still had that glorious golden sheen to it... for a grand total of three seconds. Right before his eyes, a strange purple wave of smoke moved across the floor and walls, and left behind the same gloomy change that his room had undergone. Gone were the welcoming shines of the gold and the lovely decorations that covered every square inch. The new hotel - the real hotel - gave Luigi creepy vibes before he even started moving.

'Woah... It transforms at night.' Daisy said, crossing her arms. 'It actually looks kinda cool. Makes me wonder why they didn't just begin with this spooky vibe.'

Luigi, saying nothing, turned to her with a rather perturbed look.

'But seriously,' She continued. 'Something ain't right here. Let's just hope Mario's okay.'

The same eerie silence filled the hallway, and their quiet footsteps did little to curb it. Upon opening the door to room No. 3, Luigi's nerves did not relax. If anything, they just got worse. In spite of the several empty pizza boxes that littered the floor and bed, Mario himself was nowhere to be seen. The furniture had been knocked over; he didn't go without a fight.

'M-Mario?' Luigi called.

The only response he received was the slight breeze blowing into the room through a small gap in an open window.

'M... Mario...?'

His hands were already shaking, and he gulped down a heaping of fear. Anything... anything but Mario disappearing… Daisy sensed the distress emanating from every part of his body, and carefully placed her hand on his shoulder.

'I'm sure Mario's okay.' She said, trying to convince not just him but herself as well. 'He probably just got peckish and swung on down to that restaurant on the second floor.'

He tried to smile with her. 'Y-Yeah. W-We should go find him.'

But the moment they turned around and left the room, they heard the elevator ding. It arrived onto their floor, and opened its doors to reveal a strong purple-white glow that they could see from the hallway.

Luigi shuddered. 'S-Should we investigate that?'

Daisy shrugged. 'What other options do we have?'

So the couple made their way down the rest of the hallway, past Peach's room, and saw who awaited them in the elevator. It definitely wasn't Mario.

'Oh, hey Ms Gravely!' Daisy called. 'Have you seen...? Oh...'

Hellen Gravely indeed stood in the elevator, with a grin and her hands clasped together. However, she no longer wore her heavily-tinted sunglasses, revealing her eyes. They glowed a bright white, almost making up for how empty they were. Her already bizarre purple skin was now translucent, and it glowed slightly. She looked straight at Luigi, her grin growing to show her teeth.

'Why, yes!' She said. 'I have seen our red-clad 'hero', my rambunctious princess.'

She stood there for a few seconds, putting our heroes in a state of dread, before flying out the doors and floating right in front of our heroes with her arms out wide. Her dress acted as if the wind was blowing on it. Luigi jumped back as she approached them so suddenly. Daisy stood her ground.

'In fact, I know exactly where he is!' Hellen yelled. 'He's joined the rest of his friends in eternal bliss.'

The green-clad plumber just stared up at her, lost for words. The small uneasiness she gave him earlier seemed like nothing compared to the horrid vibes emanating off her now. She... she's a ghost...

Daisy stepped forward, scowling. 'What are you talking about, Hellen? We get it, there's something strange going on here! What have you done with our friends?'

Hellen laughed. 'What makes you assume that I've hurt your friends? I've done nothing of the sort. I've merely given them the most relaxing rest they'll ever have.' She saw the sheer uneasiness on Luigi's face, and laughed. 'Is your room not living up to your expectations? Doesn't it just SCREAM good taste? Oh, I can barely contain myself. You have no idea how much I wanted you to accept my invitation!'

'W... why...?' Was all Luigi could say.

Daisy took another step forward, silent but ready to defend her partner.

Hellen placed her hands over her heart, if she had one. 'Oh, I'm so glad you asked! You see... there is someone I truly adore! He's the inspiration for some of my greatest ideas... like inviting you here!' She laughed again. 'How fortunate that you fell for this trap twice!'

Luigi still couldn't say a word. His instinct told him to run, but neither his brain nor his legs obeyed it.

'Stop being so cryptic!' Daisy yelled, clenching her fists. 'Who are you talking about?'

Hellen laughed again. 'I'm such a huge fan of his! That's why it's so wonderful that I get to introduce him to... YOU!' She yelled, pointing at the plumber.

Luigi jumped back with a yelp. 'M-Me?'

'That's right, Luigi! And don't worry, sweet Daisy.' She said, turning her head to the princess. 'You will surely make a beautiful bonus. I hope you're ready!'

With that, she grabbed the ends of her dress and stretched it out wide, like a bat about to take flight. She zipped to the side, revealing right behind her...

'Mwah ha ha!' King Boo cackled. 'SURPRISE, Luigi!'

'WAAAHHHHH!'

Luigi's heart raced. Had his body cooperated, he would've been running out of there in moments, for now his worst enemy floated above him, staring him down with a toothy grin and those sunken purple eyes.

'It's-a me, King Boo!'

Though he spoke cheerily, a furious tone dripped from his voice. Daisy stepped back just a little, her clenched fists shaking.

'K-K-King Boo...?' Luigi stammered. 'B-But how? I-I thought I...'

'That old coot had me locked up tight in his lab...' King Boo said. 'But guess what? I GOT OUT! The hotel owner here was just dying to meet me, so she busted me out.'

Daisy glanced over to Hellen Gravely. The ghostly woman just stood there, smiling, watching the whole situation play out.

'Pretty lucky, huh?' King Boo continued, staring into Luigi's soul. 'Anyway, I didn't think you'd actually show up here. I was ready though, just in case. In fact, my vengeance is nearly complete!'

'V-Vengeance?' Luigi echoed, unable to say much more.

'Glad you asked! I'm trapping you and everyone in your little vacation party...in frames!'

Before Luigi had any time to process what he had just heard, King Boo floated back and lifted his arms. Several purple portals that lead to a glowing void opened up in front of him, and from them emerged five paintings.

They were no ordinary paintings.

'Whoa!' Daisy yelled, unable to piece together anything else.

'M-Mario!' Luigi cried.

Everyone who had accompanied them on this vacation stood trapped in those paintings. Princess Peach, Soff T, Gus T, Parr T... Mario. All of them looked absolutely terrified, but Luigi's attention focused solely on his brother. Even through the dusty tapestry, Luigi could see the horror in his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that, if the portraits didn't entrap their victims in total stillness, Mario would be crying.

'N-No!'

Daisy didn't take it any better, trembling at the knees. The paintings disappeared back into the purply pocket dimension before either human could do a thing about it.

'Big bro!'

'Awww, there there, Luigi.' King Boo said, chuckling. 'It'll all be over soon. It's time for a family reunion!' He bellowed at his own joke. 'BOO-YA! Mwah ha ha! Take THAT!'

While Luigi stood there shaking like a leaf, Daisy's inner rage reached its boiling point. Not caring the slightest bit about any sort of caution, she glared right at King Boo.

'Hey bud!' She yelled at him, with her fist aimed at his teeth. 'What makes you think you can get away with hurting my friends?'

King Boo dropped the smile and just stared at her quizzically.

'If you think that you could just trap my friends in portraits, then you thought wrong!'

The royal phantom was too surprised by her outbursts to do anything or respond. Hellen Gravely, meanwhile, just laughed at her.

'So I'm gonna teach you a lesson!'

Luigi knew that, despite her best intentions, Daisy was doing nothing but putting herself in grave danger. He knew he had to stop her, before she joined the others, but the horror that King Boo put him through stopped him from doing or saying anything. Daisy leapt off the ground, screaming with fury as she heroically charged towards the giant boo. King Boo, totally unfazed, shot out some electricity from his crown. It formed another portrait, this one empty, right in front of her path.

For one moment, the sheer fury on her face disappeared. For just a second, the realisation of her fate hit her. For a singular flash, she knew what awaited her. And she regretted her impulsive decision for however little time she had left.

'No!' Luigi cried.

There she was, joined with the others inside the paintings. The split second of fear on her face translated into the fabric perfectly. Using his magic, King Boo spun it around so he could look Daisy in the face.

'Well, I didn't think that this would be part of my collection,' He said, before returning to his trademark grin. 'But I appreciate her last few moments! It's always so much more fun when they try fighting back.'

He didn't even place her portrait alongside the others in the pocket dimension, and simply flung it behind him, letting it crash into a potted plant. Luigi's breathing turned tense.

'N'aww, don't worry, Luigi.' King Boo said. 'There's one more frame, of course. I saved it especially for you! Stay right there and put on your best terrified face, Luigi! This is game over!'

Hellen Gravely laughed alongside him. 'You will make a glorious decoration for our bedroom, sweet Luigi!'

This is game over... Thoughts of the dreaded Underwhere - a place told about in Mushroom Kingdom legends - filled Luigi's mind. Very soon, any thoughts about anything vanished into nothing, and only one thing drifted through his mind.

RUN.

For the first time in a while, his legs obeyed his instincts. Tripping to begin with, he spun around and charged down the hallway.

'That's right, Luigi!' King Boo shouted. 'Make this fun for me in your last moments!'

Luigi didn't dare look back, but he could hear a bin crumbling to pieces behind him. One quick glance, and he saw a mouthful of teeth.

'AHHHH!'

Now he ran even faster. The dark energy that King Boo emanated made the hairs on the back of Luigi's neck stand up. The plumber didn't even notice the doors to the rooms vanishing into thin air.

'Don't struggle too hard!' King Boo yelled. 'You'll need to look wide awake when you have your picture taken!'

He ran around the luggage cart, still packed to the brim with Peach's suitcases. King Boo cared not for the cart, and knocked it right over with a lash of his tongue.

'Wahhh!'

One of the suitcases on the top slammed into Luigi's shoulder and brought him to the floor. He landed on his chest, and his flashlight flew out of his hand.

'Ha ha! There we go, my little Weegee. Hold it right there.'

Luigi gazed back up at the ghostly king. Sweat seeped from every pore as his heart nearly stopped. The portrait hovered above him. He held his arms up in a failed attempt to defend himself.

'Yes, that's the face!' King Boo yelled. 'That's the one that shall be immortalised on my wall for all eternity!'

He sat there, on the floor, welcoming his fate as a hanging decoration.

'You can do it, Luigi...'

His eyes widened. He was certain that was Mario's voice. In the half-a-second he had before the portrait enclosed him, he turned his head around. At the very end of the hall, was the laundry chute. He leapt to his feet, stumbling as he got back into running and grabbed his flashlight. The painting slammed into the ground, missing him by mere centimetres.

'Oh, got newfound bravery out of nowhere, huh?' King Boo asked. 'Don't bother trying, Luigi. It'll only make the pain last longer!'

Though all of Luigi's terrors ate away at his soul, threatening to force him into a panic attack, he brushed them aside just for now so he could get out. He focused so much on running, he didn't notice he arrived at the end of the hallway until his forehead bumped into the wall. The laundry chute was right there. He opened up the hatch and stared down into the darkness. However deep it was, he didn't know nor did he have the time to find out. King Boo laughed behind him, catching his attention. He gasped, his face seizing up in fear.

'Go on, Greenie. I dare ya to jump down there!'

The green-clad plumber looked at the chute, then at King Boo, and then back again. Stuffing his flashlight into the deep pockets of his overalls, he vaulted his body over the steel hatch and hoisted himself inside. The darkness intimidated him, but he was too far to turn back now.

'Hey! I didn't think you'd actually try it!'

His legs flailed around, but he soon got them in. Somehow, he managed to turn himself around as he slipped into the metal tunnel. It allowed him to see the light that leaked into the darkness.

The blackness enveloped him as he plummeted to his uncertain demise.

'LUIGI!'

Author Notes - I really wish I had the idea to split these two chapters up to begin with, which would've shortened the absurdly long prologue and made the story easier to get into. As it was, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people realised how long the first chapter was and just clicked off. I wouldn't blame them. Maybe I was scared to be too much like 1TGN's Hotel Horror, which also had the opening split into two chapters.

By the way, if you still haven't read Hotel Horror for whatever reason, you need to get onto that.