Brother's Loyalty: Endgame

Magic

Oh, my holy God! For a second there, I thought he was a goner! Especially when he was trapped in the room with the poison gas!

I don't know about you guys, but I never want to hear him cough and choke like that ever again. My own chest was constricting the whole time; it was like I couldn't breathe—I was feeling my bro's pain. I've always been able to feel what he's been feeling since we were boys.

But he's okay now. He's okay—and getting closer and closer to the top. As we speak, he and Gooigi are exploring the 11th floor. And whatever ghosts await him there—he's gonna clear them out.

D—n straight, Peachy. D—n straight.

...

"Why is this next floor called the Twisted Suites?" asked Gooigi.

"I don't know, but I really don't like the name," replied Luigi.

The elevator stopped, and the doors slid open. Together, Gooigi and Luigi stepped onto the next floor, which was decorated with velvet curtains and magicians' memorabilia.

"A—magic show-themed floor," breathed Luigi. "That's interesting."

Playful giggling filled the air as three young ghost triplets materialized in front of them. They were purple-hued, had blond hair and were dressed in top hats and magician's attire, replete with white gloves.

"Why, hello, there!" greeted the leftmost triplet. "I'm Nikki!"

"I'm Lindsey," said the triplet in the middle.

"And I'm Ginny," said the one on the right.

"We're magicians!" the trio chorused.

"Uh—hi, Nikki, Lindsey and Ginny," said Luigi. "My name's Luigi, and this is my gooey bro, Gooigi."

"Hello," Gooigi said with a wave.

"Do you like magic, Luigi?" Nikki asked enigmatically.

"Well—yeah," Luigi replied.

"Awesome!" the triplets cheered.

"Everybody likes magic," cooed Lindsey. She fanned out a deck of cards and held it out to Luigi. "Pick a card. Any card."

Luigi picked the first card he saw, and Gooigi did the same. Then, Lindsey shuffled the cards before holding them back out.

"Do you see your cards anywhere?" she asked.

"I—no!" gasped Luigi as he looked at the deck. "They're gone!"

"Are they?" asked Lindsey, reaching under Luigi's cap and pulling out the two cards.

"Whoa! How did you do that?" asked Gooigi.

"Lots of practice," replied Lindsey. "Hey, do you know what people also like? Flowers." She pulled a flower bouquet out of her sleeve and handed it to Luigi. "Here, those are for you."

"Thanks," said Luigi, tucking the bouquet into his pocket.

"And do you know what else people like?" Ginny chimed in. "Elevator buttons."