Author Notes - This chapter contains the story's only uninterrupted use of the f-bomb. You have been warned. I think I used it in a pretty good place, and I don't really wanna change it. It's because I watched BoJack Horseman, and I loved its use of only one f-bomb per season.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE - THE FINAL FRIGHT

'Congratulations, Hellen. You were defeated by a defenceless princess and your own pet. How does that make you feel?'

Hellen had escaped to the rooftop, where King Boo and the portrait of Princess Peach awaited. Having used her last bit of make-up to distract Polterkitty, she had no Gheistpaint left to restore her beauty. For the first time in centuries, she didn't care, even as King Boo stared her down. She was on her hands, breathing heavily.

'I had faith in your plan.' King Boo said. 'I really did. It should've been something amazing. Yet, something slipped through the cracks and so... you have failed me.'

She looked up to him, gritting her teeth. The rage she felt towards that disgusting green man and that feral princess clouded her mind.

'I thought you could do it, Hellen.' King Boo continued. 'I thought you could help me eliminate that mortal scum forever. Such a shame that you couldn't. I'm impressed that you've escaped though. Not that it matters; after a performance like that, you and your staff are no longer useful to me.'

The words he spoke didn't make her sad like he predicted they would - they only made her even more angry. It was the only thing she could feel.

Rage.

Rage.

RAGE.

'I'm not even sure if you're listening to me anymore. But, should I really blame you? Even your own pet betrayed you. I can't imagine what it'd be like if one of my own Boos double-crossed me. I pity your anger, Hellen. I really do. But now, we are through.'

Hellen's gaze snapped from the floor directly into King Boo's eyes, fast enough to make him flinch.

'I cannot fail you now!' She screamed. 'I WILL WIN YOUR AFFECTIONS! I don't care what I have to do...'

'Ms Gravely, stop. If your intentions were to win me over, you have failed. Unless you present Luigi to me right this very moment, you better give up.'

Hellen Gravely began to laugh. Not joyfully, or even nervously. It was the laugh of someone who had lost their mind. Even King Boo backed away.

'H-Hellen?'

'Don't you see? This was all MY plan! Luigi and his brother will be here any moment.' She cackled. 'And then... and THEN! I WILL PROVE THAT I AM WORTHY OF YOUR LOVE!'

King Boo blinked. 'Hellen? I... I think you've lost it.'

'Lost it? What have I lost? Aside from EVERYTHING?! You are the only thing I haven't lost yet... AND I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY!'

Princess Peach could witness everything from her tapestry prison. If her jail cell permitted, she would have screamed.

'Hellen, did you not hear me? We are through. It's time to stop living your crazy fantasies! If anything, I am doing you a favour. You are the last one left, and I am allowing you to get out of here before Luigi captures you too.'

'I AM NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY!'

Before King Boo could respond to that one, Hellen swiped that big crown directly off his big white head and held it close to her chest.

The royal phantom gasped. 'Hellen Gravely! What do you think you're doing?! You know that my crown is the source of most of my power! Without my fellow Boos to support me, my crown is all I have!'

Hellen just cackled some more. 'Don't you see, honey?! I WILL CAPTURE LUIGI FOR YOU! Even if I don't get him alive, surely that's good enough.'

'Good eno-?! You know that isn't good enough! I need him alive, so I can have him trapped in a painting for all of eternity. Killing him goes against everything!'

The Siren giggled. 'Oh well! At least that MORTAL SCUM AND HIS AWFUL PRINCESS WILL BE GONE FOREVER!'

King Boo looked to the floor, thinking about that red-clad plumber. Somehow, through all this torment, he managed to grin.

'Actually,' He said. 'This works out perfectly. Hellen, you may use the power of my crown. Even if we must kill Luigi to be done with him forever, I suppose I can take it. I have a little something to make sure that he dies suffering.'

This was the one time Peach hoped that Mario didn't come to save her.


The entire climb up to the rooftop was silent. Behind Hellen's office was a secret door leading to a spiralling staircase that seemed to have no bottom. The mustiness of the hallway that led to the staircase made Luigi sneeze the moment he stepped through the door, and the flickering lights hurt his eyes.

Mario didn't say a word as they climbed, even though he was one who led them upwards. He made Gooigi seem talkative in comparison. Even as the path crumbled apart behind them, even as Luigi shrieked when King Boo dashed past the window, Mario didn't say a word.

'Bro, are you okay?' Luigi asked.

The red-clad plumber shuddered. 'N-No...'

Luigi gulped, disturbed by his blunt honesty.

'Mario, it's okay if you're too scared to keep going.' Luigi said. 'It's okay. Go back to the lab. We can handle this just fine.'

'No. I can't do that.' Mario replied. 'I can't leave my princess to die.' He sighed. 'How do you do it?'

Luigi shuddered. 'How do I do what?'

'You know what I'm talking about. You're scared of everything, but you never let it stop you. You shake in your shoes but nothing is too much for you to conquer. I don't know how to cope with fear like this. Yet, you... you don't let it stop you.'

'Aw, come on bro. It's nothing. If I was captured by King Boo, I know you would do the same for me. Wouldn't ya?'

Mario did not reply. He just continued walking up the stairs, not looking back at his brother for a moment.

'I think you're brave, Mario.' Gooigi said. 'I mean, I haven't known you for very long, but you seem brave to me.'

'T-Thanks, I guess.'

The climb up returned to silence, even as they reached the top of the staircase and arrived at the door. All five members dreaded what could've been behind it, but still Luigi pushed it open.

It opened to a balcony, and Luigi could hear the squeaks and flaps of horrified bats flying through the air. He stepped through the open door and peered over the balcony's edge. They were on the top floor alright, he regretfully realised.

'Eh, don't worry about falling off.' Polterpup said. 'Kitty and I will be there for you if you do.'

'And don't worry about me.' Gooigi added. 'Even a fall from this height won't stop me from regenerating.'

Unfortunately, the climb was not yet over - they still had three storeys worth to go. It didn't take long before Mario, going ahead a bit, arrived at a ladder leading all the way to the top. Well, at least it was a ladder - most of the rungs were broken or outright missing.

'Come on, bro!' Mario insisted. 'We gotta keep-a going!'

Luigi looked up the remains of the ladder, and gulped. Something like that would be no problem for him to jump up normally, but not with that heavy Poltergust on his back.

'Uh, one problem.' He said. 'I won't be able to jump that high. The Poltergust is too heavy.'

'Oh no...' Mario muttered. 'I-I'd go alone, but...' He gulped. 'I-I'm scared of what might await me up there.'

Polterkitty shoved them aside lightly and knelt down on the ground between them, giving them a cheerful meow.

'What's she saying?' Mario asked.

Luigi smiled. 'She's offering us a lift!'

'What about Gooigi?'

'Him? He can just pop back into my Poltergust and deploy himself again when we reach the top.'

Gooigi gave the brothers a thumbs-up and disappeared back into the Poltergust, and Luigi hopped onto Polterkitty's back. He patted the spot right behind him, inviting Mario for a ride. The red-clad plumber looked more than a little uneas, but still he climbed onto her back right behind his little brother.

'Just hang on tight.' Luigi said.

Polterkitty leapt into the air and floated slowly towards the top. Polterpup flew circles around her. As she slowly carried them up, Luigi felt sick to his stomach. Mario wasn't much better.

After what felt like forever, they arrived on the highest point of the hotel - the rooftop. The only sound was the howling wind. Mario hopped off the Panthergeist and ran over to Princess Peach's portrait. Pink spotlights shone upon her, enveloping her with a crimson light.

'PEACH!' Mario yelled. 'No... no no no!'

The dusty tapestry did little to hide the fear in her eyes. He could've sworn he saw her pupils getting bigger at the sight of him. Unlike all the other times he saw her captive, he wept into his hands. Luigi rushed over to his big brother and the trapped princess.

'What's wrong, bro?' He asked. 'I-I mean, I know this is heart-breaking, but you never react like this when you see her captive.'

Mario wiped his eyes. 'I-I can't free her from this. I can't do anything to save her. Weegee, it's all up to you.'

'Will do, bro.'

He used the Dark-Light device on the portrait, and finally - after several nights and several floors of nightmares and torment - he had freed everyone from the painted confines. Princess Peach floated daintily to the floor. The red-clad plumber expected nothing less.

'PEACH!' Mario cried.

Before the princess could even get her bearings, Mario wrapped his arms around her torso and held her close. She quickly returned the gesture, not bothering to adjust her wonky crown.

'I've missed you Mario.' She whispered.

Luigi couldn't help it and joined in. Polterpup and Polterkitty watched them with smiles on their faces and, without any hesitation Polterkitty, leaned into him for a puppy hug. Of course, with how much bigger she was she nearly crushed him, but Polterpup didn't care.

The happy moment came to an abrupt stop when Peach gasped. 'Boys, you have to get out of here at once. You... you shouldn't have saved me.'

'No way, Peach.' Mario said. 'I will be here to save you no matter what.'

'No, I mean it! I'm happy to see you again, I really am, but do you know how much danger you've put yourself in? This is a trap!'

Right when she finished speaking, Luigi noticed a bright pink light illuminating them all. He glanced around, and nearly screamed. From behind the tower, emerged...

'K-K-K-KING BOO!' He yelped.

Mario and Princess Peach spun around and saw the giant royal phantom right behind them. The bright light did not come from him, but instead his crown which was not on his head. Hellen Gravely, still stuck in her horrific form, held it close to her chest.

King Boo cackled upon seeing the heroes just where he wanted them to be. 'Mwa ha ha! How brash of you to come and face me, Luigi!'

'See, honey?!' Hellen said with her eyes twitching. 'Just like I told you! THEY CAME UP HERE!'

'You should've just run away while you had the chance, Luigi. But instead? You fought all the way to the top to face me! Some may call it courage, but I prefer to call it foolishness.'

The sound of shaking bones was music to his ears, even if it wasn't Luigi. In fact, Luigi wasn't shaking in his boots at all. Arming himself with the Poltergust nozzle, he stepped forward and got between his friends and his enemies. Instead, it was Mario who was unable to look at the king without shaking at the knees.

'I'm not scared of you anymore, King Boo.' Luigi said, giving King Boo a death stare. 'Well, perhaps I am. Maybe I always will be. But I'm sure as hell not letting that stop me from saving all my friends!'

King Boo scoffed. 'Oh, listen to you! Using big boy language to make yourself sound terrifying. Impressive. Shame it won't work.'

Mario still stood in front of his princess, even if he couldn't even look at King Boo. The princess, for once less scared than him, cocked an eyebrow.

'Mind telling me why Hellen Gravely has your crown?' She asked.

King Boo gritted his teeth. 'That's not important! Ms Gravely here will be handling that anyway.'

Luigi groaned. 'Listen King Boo! If you and Hellen surrender to me now, I'll make your defeat quick and easy. If you don't give up now, I'll make you wish you did!'

Hellen Gravely glared at him, with so much anger she would've died of an aneurysm if she was a mortal. Her increasing anger only made her appearance more and more crooked by the second, slowly becoming less and less recognisable as the 'fair maiden' she was before.

'You may have made your way through my hotel, using that confounded vacuum of yours to suck up every last ghost in my useless staff!' She screamed. 'You may have gone all 'SHWEEERRPP-SHLOOOOP-WHOOORPP-SHLEEEOOORG' on everything I had left. You may have even taken my precious polterkitty away from me!' - Polterkitty growled - 'DO YOU KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING IT IS TO TRAP SOMETHING IN A PAINTING ONLY FOR IT TO GET OUT?! You would know, wouldn't you?!'

Luigi just rolled his eyes. 'Surrender. Now.'

King Boo sneered. 'We will not surrender anymore than you will. I guess we share the same foolishness.'

The green-clad plumber stood his ground, aiming his Poltergust directly at both King Boo and Hellen Gravely. 'I would love to make a truce between the mortals and the Boos, but it doesn't look like that's happening any time soon. Come at me.'

King Boo glanced at the red man. Wide open eyes... pale skin... sweat seeping out of every pore... it made him smile. He cackled like a crazed witch.

'I'm sick of all this, Luigi! NO MORE MERCY FOR YOU!' He declared. 'No more tricks and no more perfectly laid plans. It's time for raw King Boo gusto!' He turned to the Siren by his side. 'Ms Gravely, if you would kindly.'

She grinned, showing off all her razor sharp teeth. 'With pleasure, my darling!' She glared at our heroes. 'All of you... EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! Do you know the fate that awaits you? You're all going in a PAINTING! AN ENSEMBLE PORTRAIT IS YOUR FATE!'

Using the might of King Boo's crown herself, Hellen Gravely summoned a bolt of purple lightning from it and directed it down into the basement.


Daisy leaned back in her seat and groaned. Stupid leg! She should've been in the heat of battle right this very moment, not forcing Luigi to take on the horrible ghosts by himself.

Everything was fine until the bunker surged with purple energy and shook around like it was in an earthquake. Daisy fell off her seat, and screamed when her broken leg slammed into the floor. E. Gadd barely held onto his own seat.

'What in sweet criminy is going on?!' He exclaimed.

Whatever was going on, everyone inside the bunker could feel it launching itself into the air, bashing through the walls of the underground carpark. Daisy held onto a support beam for dear life, while the three Toads sat together in a group, hugging each other.

'W-We're gonna die!' Soff T cried.

Gus T turned to Parr T. 'S-So, you know how much I hate you, right Parr? Well, since we're gonna die... I ACTUALLY LOVE YOU! YOU'RE A WONDERFUL FRIEND!'

The yellow-capped Toad laughed. 'Aha! I KNEW it! Now, where were we?' He paused. 'Oh yeah. ARRRRGGGHH!'


Pouring every bit of her own strength into that crown, Hellen Gravely used that energy bolt to lift the bunker itself all the way from the basement and into the air.

Luigi gasped. 'What are you doing?!'

Hellen giggled. 'What do you think, you mortal ignoramus?! Just the three of you would be boring. LET'S MAKE IT EVEN BETTER!'

She had to squeeze her eyes shut to cope with the amount of energy it took her to do it, but with nothing but the crown and her own strength she consumed the entire bunker with the purple energy before it couldn't handle it anymore. Every inch of that bunker disappeared into a puff of glowing smoke, leaving the occupants hanging defenceless in the air and held up by the crown. The ghost container unit fell to the floor and bounced away.

Peach and Mario gasped as Luigi screamed. 'NO!'

Daisy tried to reach out for him, but the force of the crown prevented her from moving at all. 'SWEETIE!'

Gus glared at the professor. 'I thought you said you made this bunker ghost-proof!'

'I-I thought I did!' E. Gadd cried.

Not content to just leave them hanging there, Hellen Gravely continued to wield the crown's power herself and summoned another portrait, this one the size of King Boo himself, from thin air.

'Any last words?' She asked. 'DON'T CARE!'

Daisy had time to say one last word.

'FUCK!'

Hellen flung all five occupants - the Toads, the professor, and even Daisy - right into that blank portrait. A swirly blue energy consumed them, and the only thing of his princess that Luigi could see was her hand reaching for him. When the energy disappeared, it revealed all five friends locked away into the same massive portrait.

'E. GADD!' Luigi cried. 'DAISY!'

King Boo laughed. 'Now that's what I like to see! But we're not done yet. Hellen, FINISH THEM OFF!'

'Anything for you!' She snickered. 'SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING!'

Without giving the mortals and the ghostly animals a moment to react, she slammed the portrait directly onto them. Polterkitty saw right through her plan, and pushed both Mario and Luigi to the ground.

'MWA HA HA!'

The portrait just barely missed them as it hit the floor.

They were the only lucky ones.

Hellen Gravely lifted the portrait up so she and King Boo could marvel upon it.. Luigi and Mario gasped at once as their eyes fell upon the portrait. It had captured everyone else - the Toads, the professor, both the princesses... even Polterpup had been imprisoned in the magical painting.

'Look at it, darling!' The Siren yelled. 'All in one fabulous por-!' Then she realised what was wrong. 'Wait a minute... IT ISN'T COMPLETE!'

King Boo frowned. 'Hm? One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-ei-?! There's supposed to be ten! Who's missing?!'

Seeing her former pet not just free but with the brothers safely pinned under her made Hellen's fury rise past its previously-known limits.

'YOU!' She screamed. 'Of course it was YOUR fault! Betraying me just wasn't enough, was it?! Well, now you've really done it, Polterkitty!'

King Boo was not surprised but no less angry. 'What are the chances of you making it out, you green mortal scum?! That does it... I'm sick to double death of you!'

In spite of everything, Luigi still gave King Boo the mother of all death stares.

'I'm not done yet!' He yelled. 'Thanks to Polterkitty, I live to fight another day. And even if it's my last day, I will spend it TAKING YOU DOWN!'

He felt something tugging at his shoulders. It was Mario, hiding behind his little brother and holding on for dear life. Luigi had never seen him so pale or panicky before, and the weirdest part of the whole thing was that Mario was using Luigi for a shield. The green-clad plumber thought back on all the times he hid behind his big brother, and now he finally understood how it was like to be Mario.

This is what it was like to be the big brave one, always being there for his frightened brother.

Despite his anger, King Boo managed to smile. 'Oh, what a shame really. You think you'll be fighting me? You wish. Hellen, stay there. Let me do my thing.' He floated just a little bit closer, and it was enough to make Mario scream. 'Let me give you a fun fact about Boos, Luigi. We can possess living people just like any old ghost can. But we're not very good at it. Our target needs to be properly terrified or weak for it to work. AND I'VE GOT MY TARGET RIGHT THERE!'

Luigi scoffed. 'I'm not scared of you, and certainly not enough for you to possess me. If I was never frightened enough before, I'm definitely not now.'

'It's always gotta be about you, doesn't it Weegee? I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about him!'

He pointed to the far off corner of the rooftop, and Luigi couldn't believe the sight. Mario had left his side, and sat down in the corner, unable to look at King Boo or even his own brother. The former was thanks to fear, but the latter was because of shame.

'M-Mario?' Luigi stammered. 'MARIO!'

'I... I CAN'T DO IT, WEEGEE!' Mario cried in despair. 'K-King Boo... I CAN'T DO IT!'

Luigi gasped. It all hit him at once.

'No... no!' He yelled, glaring at King Boo. 'You wouldn't dare do that to my brother! It isn't between you and him. I'm the one you're after. Possess me and leave my brother the hell alone!'

'Do you think I'm just going to throw his body off the building? That's no fun! WATCH THIS, LUIGI!'

Hellen used the magic of the crown to hold Mario still as King Boo floated over to him so slowly that he must've been doing it just to taunt him. Luigi stumbled over his own feet as he tried to run to his brother first.

'LEAVE HIM ALONE!'

'Not so fast, Luigi!' Hellen said, holding up the crown.

Luigi had to stop and shelter his eyes as the crown emitted blinding light. Once the light vanished, King Boo had disappeared. Mario had stopped shaking and fell to the ground, slowly getting back up.

'M-Mario?' Luigi said, approaching his brother slowly. 'A-Are you okay?'

'I'm not your brother, Luigi.' Mario spoke with a mocking tone.

Luigi shuddered. That was Mario's voice alright, but it definitely wasn't his tone. The red-clad plumber turned around, seeming perfectly normal except for one major detail - the eyes. Mario's big innocent blue eyes were gone, and in their place was a black void filled only by King Boo's own purple pupils.

'MARIO!' Luigi cried as he jumped back.

The plumber laughed, just like King Boo. 'Calling that name is useless, Luigi! This isn't your brother anymore. His body is MINE now!'

'You.. you MONSTER!'

'You have a choice, Weegee. It's either surrender to me and get thrown into a portrait, or fight your own brother!'

Polterkitty gasped and turned to Ex-Master with begging eyes, hoping she would listen and decide that this was too much for her. Hellen acted as though she wasn't even there.

'MRO-OOO-OOW!'

Hellen gave her a glare. 'What?! You think I'm going to help a TRAITOROUS CAT like you?! You're on the wrong side, Polterkitty!'

Luigi stared down his own brother. The empty eyes helped remind him that it was not his brother who stood before him but a monster hiding within his skin.

'Y-You can't scare me like this, King Boo.' Luigi said, his stammering proving his lies. 'Mario would never hurt me. I'm sure he's still in there, fighting against you right now.'

King Boo - King Mario - snickered. 'You don't understand, Luigi. I AM Mario now! Sure, I'm stuck in this puny meatbag of a body. But this is a lot more fun. If I have to kill you, I'll kill you in the worst way you can imagine!'

'Y-You've made a horrible mistake, King Boo. My big bro would never try to hurt me. Ever.'

'That may be true, but I'm not your big bro, am I?'

To demonstrate his point, he jumped into the air and kicked Luigi in the chest. It knocked the air out of his lungs as he fell to the floor onto the Poltergust; King Mario was just as strong as the real Mario was.

'THIS IS PERFECT!' Hellen shouted. 'What a perfect way to get rid of you! Get your OWN BROTHER to kill you!'

King Mario's perfect plan had just one pitfall.

'RAAARAAOR!'

Polterkitty pounced and shoved King Mario away with a headbash. The possessed plumber fell backwards so far that he almost fell off the rooftop. She bowed down and snarled at King Mario as Luigi slowly got back to his feet.

'Thanks Gattina...' He said. 'I'm gonna need all the help I can get.'

King Mario laughed. 'Aw, does the wittle kitty think she can take me on single handedly?'

'She won't be taking you on by herself with me around.'

'AW, how pwecious!'

Polterkitty remained between the brothers, snarling and growling at King Mario so she knew he got the message.

'Just so you know,' Luigi said. 'I won't be stopping until I save Mario. Or I die. Whichever comes first. What do you even plan to do with Mario after you kill me anyway?'

'Easy. I'll just throw his body off this building.'

Luigi's face turned bright red. 'You... GET OUT OF HIM THIS MINUTE!'

'Nah, I don't think I'm gonna do that.'

King Mario leapt forward and punched Luigi directly in his cheek, sending the green-clad plumber back down to the floor. By some miracle, he didn't lose any teeth, but sweet Grambi did it hurt. King Mario waited until he lifted his head and delivered an uppercut to his chin.

'M-Mario...' Luigi whimpered. 'Please tell me you can hear me...'

'Even if he can, he can't save you now!' King Boo declared.

He wound up another punch, but Polterkitty pushed him away. Cursing to himself about the 'stupid kitty', King Mario directed all his attention onto her again. He tried to punch her as well, but his mortal fist simply passed through her skin.

'Don't hurt him, Gattina!' Luigi cried. 'Please! He's my brother.'

'But he's possessed by that monstrous King Boo!'

'Even if he is, he is still my brother!'

King Mario, in desperation, threw another punch. Just like the last, it phased straight through her.

'Don't worry about that, honey!' Hellen yelled. 'I'LL DEAL WITH THAT RAT!'

The Siren held the crown high into the air, cackling like a witch. It glowed a bright white, and summoned storm clouds into the air. The clouds sparkled with electricity, and most of the floor was covered by harmless purple energy.

Luigi gasped. 'GET BACK, POLTERKITTY!'

He grabbed her by the neck and dragged her towards a spot that wasn't covered by the dreadful energy. King Mario too ran away from his spot to one more safe. Just as Luigi predicted, lightning shot from the clouds and struck every area covered in that purple energy. One bolt got so close to Luigi's skin that he could feel the intense heat coming off it. Polterkitty shrieked and hid behind him.

'Sorry, Polterkitty,' Luigi said. 'But if what you've told me is anything to go by, touching that lightning would be just as bad for you as it would be for me!'

The storm clouds above disappeared as quickly as they arrived. Hellen growled at the sight of her plan going wrong for the fiftieth time. King Mario seemed far less annoyed, and - if anything - took delight in it.

'Evade all you want, my dear plumber.' He said. 'You'll get tired eventually.'

'Yeah, well, so will you.'

'Did you forget that I can just abandon this body whenever I want? Come at me, Weegee!'

The use of his little nickname sent shivers up Luigi's spine. Before Luigi could arm himself with the Poltergust, King Mario threw him back to the floor. While Luigi lay there praying to King Grambi above, King Mario kneed him in the stomach. The green-clad plumber unleashed a high-pitched cry of pain.

'M-Mario...' He muttered with tears rolling down his face. 'Please... s-stop.'

'I won't stop until I make you suffer for what you did to me!'

Polterkitty pushed him away again. Once King Mario realised that she wouldn't hurt him, he smirked at her and beckoned her to attack. It took all of her willpower not to just maul him on the spot.

'I wanna help!' Gooigi said. 'But what I can possibly do?'

'I-I don't know...' Luigi admitted. 'I'm not sure what any of us can do.' He shuddered. 'Other than... killing Mario.'

Those very words made him feel sick to his stomach..

'Nah ah ah, Polterkitty!' Hellen said, holding onto the crown tighter. 'If you wanna help that mortal SCUM out, you'll be forced to feel the BURN!'

The crown glowed a bright orange as Hellen held it out in front of her, and it shot out a massive ball of solid magma that zoomed towards the Panthergeist like an arrow. Polterkitty noticed it too late.

'MROW!'

The fireball knocked her back and left a noticeable burn on her fur. Luigi cringed at the sight. Fighting against the pain, she tried to get back up.

'Think fast, Weegee!' King Mario yelled.

The possessed plumber kicked Luigi again, this time in the knees. The timid man winced and cried harder.

'MARIO, HELP ME!'

'Your brother isn't here to help you, coward!'

No one noticed a Mini Hammer dragging the ghost container unit out of harm's way, towards one of the unoccupied corners.


'OH NO!' Lindsey cried.

She could witness the entire battle from a peephole in the container unit, and she couldn't watch it anymore. Crying, she sought refuge in Ginny's embrace.

Ginny growled through her gritted teeth. 'Those bloody duck hunts... how could they do something so horrible?! Forcing someone to fight their own family... that's the worst thing I've ever heard.'

Nikki shook her head and sighed. 'Don't bother, GinGin. There's nothing we can do locked away in this jail.'

'But we can't let Luigi die out there!' Lindsey yelled.

The youngest triplet was not the only one in great distress. Serpci was hyperventilating, and for once William MacFrights did not seem any better. Steward cried into Johnny's shoulder, while the bodybuilder tried his damnedest not to do the same thing. Amadeus held on tightly to Gloria. Dr Potter sat in one of the corners in silence, facing away from the rest of the ghosts. Gordon Soulfflé bashed his frying pan against the wall in a fit of rage. Paul Kruller stared off into space. Ug held onto his club and frowned. Fishook sang sea shanties to his animal crew to distract them. Clem and Billie hugged each other and promised that they would never bicker again.

Out of everyone, Amadeus felt the most shame. For the ghost that all his friends would turn to in a time of great need, he couldn't help them out at all. He couldn't even help his own daughter.

The only ghost not distressed was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Chambrea. Just like she had been doing for the past few nights, she was flinging her entire body at the entrance point.

'For zee love of... WOULD YOU STOP TRYING TO BREAK ZAT?!' Chef Soulfflé yelled. 'Zere is no point. You cannot break out, no matter how hard you try.'

'Giveth thy insanity a rest!' King MacFrights added. 'I art not met-eth a warrior so stubborn in all me years of strikingeth down me foes!'

Chambrea, as always, ignored them all. If anything, she just flung herself at the wall even harder.

'Why are y'all tryin' tah get through tah her?' Clem asked.

'Y'all know she ain't gonna listens.' Billie added.

'Listen ta us, shelia.' Fishook said, rolling his good eye. 'Stop caring about that mate stealing your luggage. Even I am not this crazy when I'm trying to get to the Bottle-O before it closes.'

'And, most importantly,' Steward said. 'WOULD YOU JUST FORGET ABOUT THAT STUPID BRIEFCASE?!'

To everyone's shock, that managed to get Chambrea to stop. She directed her glare at all the other occupants in that massive jail.

'I beg your pardon?' She questioned. 'Who said anything about a briefcase?'

Serpci rolled her eyes. 'You did. About fifty times already! It's all you've been talking about for the past few nights.'

'Oh, so you guys think I can't change my mind? Look, I'm still peeved off at that green boy for stealing what was rightfully mine, but you know the saying - you gotta fight the bigger enemy.'

Everyone's jaws dropped.

Johnny waved his arms around, trying to piece it together. 'Hang on for a moment dude. Are you saying... that you're no longer angry at Luigi? That sounds totally bogus.'

'Well, you'd be half-right.' Chambrea admitted. 'When this is all over, I'm still going to punch Luigi's face in. But you know what? I've realised something. He's not the problem here - our crazy witch of a boss is! Think about it, guys. How much has she made afterlife hell for us all?'

'In other news,' Amadeus remarked. 'The sky is blue.'

'Yes, I know. I'm just saying stuff we already know. But listen to me... I AM DONE WITH HELLEN'S CRAP! I'm gonna break out of this jail and teach that monstrous Siren why she shouldn't mess with this maid!'

With her little declaration, she continued bashing herself against the wall.

'But this place is, like, totes secure to the max!' Gloria cried. 'How do you expect, like, us home fries to break out?'

'By bashing our way through until something breaks!'

Almost everyone shook their heads. The only ghost who didn't just return to whatever they were doing was Ug. While everyone else gave up, the clever caveman ran some calculations through his head.

'Wait a moment...' He murmured. 'I think she's actually onto something.'

He cleared his throat loud enough to get everyone's attention. Even Chambrea paused her assault to listen to him.

'Other ghosts may think Ug crazy, but Ug think that Chambrea has right idea!'

He, as expected, was met with a mass with groans.

'Ug mean it! Chambrea alone not strong enough to break through barrier, but with all ghost power combined, Ug think ghosts might have enough power to break out! With Hellen's increasing insanity, Hellen's mind-tricks unlikely to work anymore. Ug know it stretch, but Ug really think it might work.'

Everyone else wanted to object, but they knew better than to argue. Chambrea in particular seemed quite proud of herself.

'But that's crazy!' Steward said. 'I know there's a lot of us, but...'

'I'm with him.' Amadeus said, cutting him off. 'I know Ug very well, and if he thinks it might work then it is certainly worth a try. I'd ask who's with me, but let me be perfectly honest - there is no choice. You are helping no matter what.'

Silence befell most of the room. Everyone turned to Serpci, who still did not appreciate the pressure. Despite everything, she shrugged.

'I don't see why not.' She said. 'If it has a chance of working, there's no reason not to try it. After all, the amazing Luigi has done so much for us! I think it's about time we return the favour.'

Dr Potter pulled out his rarely-used pliers from his bag. 'What are yeh whippersnappers waitin' fer? Let's get tah bustin' outta here and save that green kid!'


Luigi rolled to the side and just barely dodged a punch aimed for his eyes. He took the brief moment of safety that he had to get to his feet and run. King Mario did not approve, and immediately charged to punch him again. Luigi dodged another hit, wishing he could just abandon that heavyweight on his back.

'MARIO!' He continued to yell to someone who couldn't hear him. 'Just, please... hear me. Fight back. I know you're stronger than this.'

King Mario snickered. 'You sure about that? Only the weak can be possessed by a Boo!'

Luigi growled through his gritted teeth. 'NO ONE INSULTS MY BIG BRO!'

In a fit of rage, he delivered a punch of his own into King Mario's face. It was enough to send him to the floor. Luigi gasped. His punch had done some real damage too - King Mario's left eye had reddened. As he stood up, he barely reacted to the pain. He just laughed, taking delight from his own agony.

'Now that's what I wanna see from you, Weegee!' He said. 'If you hate me that damn much, why dontcha just kill me now?'

Luigi seethed. 'No. Never. I would never kill my own brother.'

'Oh well. Your funeral.'

King Mario charged again, but Luigi decided he was having none of it. He lifted up the Strobulb and charged it up. Before the royal phantom could reach his target, he was stopped dead by a sudden flash of light.

'OH SWEET JAYDES!' He shouted, rubbing his eyes. 'I thought you said you wouldn't hurt your own brother.'

'I never said that. I said I wouldn't kill you. If I have to hurt Mario just a little to stop you from killing the both of us, I'm willing to do it.'

'Well well well, you're not as cowardly as I thought. Shame it's not going to help you out at all!'

Before he could start another charge, Polterkitty batted him away with her massive paw. Luigi cringed as Mario's head hit the floor first, but King Mario didn't care about it. He just grumbled to himself.

'Hellen!' He shouted. 'Make yourself useful and do something about this damn cat!'

Hellen cackled. 'Whatever you say, my sweetie!'

Polterkitty didn't pay any attention to her or the glowing crown and just pounced towards King Mario. Her claws were just a couple inches away from the plumber's shoulders, when...

'GOOD NIGHT, YOU RAT!'

Hellen fired out a bolt of lightning from the crown, hitting Polterkitty with impeccable aim. The electricity coursed through the Panthergeist's entire body, and she screamed out in agony.

'GATTINA!' Luigi cried.

Polterkitty plopped to the ground, barely moving aside from her legs and tails twitching from the pain. Luigi ran over to her and lifted her head into his arms.

'Oh, Polterkitty...' He murmured. 'Why are you doing this?'

She coughed. 'Because... I wanna keep my Master safe.'

King Mario bellowed. 'I have no idea what that beast is saying, but I'm certain it's some ridiculous sappy crap. Shame she can't help you anymore!'

Luigi spun around to flash him in the eyes again, but King Mario snatched the Poltergust right off his shoulders. He tossed the vacuum cleaner aside, and turned back to Luigi with a devilish smirk.

'AH!' Luigi yelped.

'How dumb do you think I am?' King Mario asked. 'I know that blasted vacuum of yours is the only thing that gives you any power. So you didn't suspect that I was going to remove it from you?!'

Luigi's entire body shook like gelatine. The King charged toward, and Luigi got to the floor. He swept his legs under King Mario's feet and knocked him to the floor, getting back to his own feet with one smooth spin. Guilt ate away at his conscience - the way King Mario yelped in pain was just like how Mario would have.

The possessed plumber looked up to Luigi, but now the anger and bloodlust in his eyes had disappeared. It made Luigi's heart sink.

'Weegee...' Mario said, his voice trembling and on the verge of tears. 'Why... why did you do that? I-I'm your brother, Weegee. Why would you try to hurt me?'

Luigi gulped. That was genuine heart-break and despair in his voice, too much to be fake. Luigi reached his arm out to comfort him, but Mario recoiled away.

'N-No...' Luigi said. 'No, I would never try to hurt you! I-I love you, bro.'

Luigi approached his hurt brother, angry with himself. Once he got close enough to Mario, his expression snapped back to anger.

'PSYCHE!'

Before Luigi could react, King Mario hopped to his feet and kicked Luigi in the chest. The green-clad plumber slammed into the floor and cried out. King Mario put his foot on his neck.

'You honestly thought that was your coward of a brother calling out to you? It seems I've overestimated you. But hey. I'll be nice. I'm giving you a choice, Mister. Kill Mario and make this fight much easier for everyone, or let Mario kill you.'

Luigi, despite almost choking, still delivered a death stare. 'I would never kill my brother. So you might as well just get this over with.'

'OOH, there's some bravery! I just hope you realise that there's a good chance that your ghost is going to see Mario killing himself after he finds out that he was used to kill his own brother.'

King Mario got the exact reaction he wanted - Luigi cursed at him, struggling to fight against the hold on his throat. His struggles only made it worse, as King Mario pressed his foot into his throat deeper and deeper. For just a moment, Luigi could see Mario's real blue eyes flashing, and they looked just as heart-broken as he could've imagined.

Polterkitty struggled to her feet and pounced again.

'NOT SO FAST, MY DOUBLE-CROSSING RAT!' Hellen spat.

The Siren summoned another lightning bolt from the crown, one she could trap Polterkitty in. The Panthergeist screamed.

'Must you scream so inelegantly, Polterkitty?!'

Gooigi deployed himself from the Poltergust.. Armed with his own Poltergoo, he casually approached the plumbers as Luigi was beginning to lose consciousness. King Mario, only pressing down harder the more that the real Mario begged for him to stop, laughed at the green man's suffering.

'I guess this is it, Luigi! Perhaps I can't lock you away for all eternity, but killing you with your own brother is even better!'

He flinched - something stuck onto his back. Releasing his grip on Luigi's neck just a little, he spun around and saw a green gooey plunger attached to his back. Gooigi stood right behind him and waved.

'Oh, it's you.' King Mario said. 'Do you mind getting out of here so I kill Luigi?!'

'I will defend big bro. I cannot die, you know. I will not kill Mario just like big bro wants, but I will do whatever I can.'

King Mario scoffed. 'Like what?'

Gooigi got the gooey plunger into his Poltergoo and flung King Mario over his head and slammed him back-first into the floor behind him. It made Luigi cringe.

'Like that.' Gooigi said.

King Mario groaned and slowly got to his feet. 'I must say... you're definitely much more powerful than I could've imagined. It'll make destroying you all the most satisfying!'

He slammed his fists downwards into the gooey man, reducing him to nothing but a puddle on the ground. King Mario snapped his attention back to Luigi, who had just gotten back up.

'This godforsaken battle has gone on long enough! Get over here so I can SNAP YOUR NECK!'

King Mario ran over to the trembling plumber, but something stopped him, and it wasn't Gooigi regenerating on the spot. The container unit all the way in the corner began to rattle, and quite violently too. A Mini Hammer, who Luigi deduced was Lou determined to avenge his parents, leaned up against it with his arms crossed.

'Hey guys!' The young ghost said. 'I just think it's important for you to know a little saying... the enemy of my enemy is my ally!'

Author Notes - I really hate the King Boo fight in the original game. It just plain sucks. It takes forever, it's 90% just dodging annoying attacks, and the final phase is borderline luck-based due to the time limit. You have to hope King Boo throws the bombs quickly enough, and that you get a good opportunity to throw them into his mouth. Just obnoxious. So, I totally changed it.

I had King Boo possess Mario's body because I just thought it would a neat and terrifying idea. The whole 'loved one is possessed and you have to fight them' idea is really neat and I wish more media used it. So, King Boo possessed the person who matters the most to Luigi: his big bro. It's also inspired by my own experience in the game. Mario was so enthused to get to the rooftop that I assumed he HAD to be possessed or something. I was mildly disappointed when it turned out he wasn't.