What I Believe (GOOD ENDING Pt. 2)

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Once Luigi regained a decent amount of composure, he and Gooigi separated from their embrace.

"Thanks, Gooigi," he said, his voice still rattling a little.  "I needed that."

Gooigi nodded in response.  "Will you be all right?  You were beaten up pretty badly."

"That doesn't matter," said Luigi.  "None of what these ghosts did mattered.  They beat me, slashed me, tried to skewer me and did other stuff, but they'd never get me to break my promise."

Adrenaline continued pumping through Luigi's veins as he got to his feet, Gooigi following suit.

"I told myself that I'd save them.  And I did.  King Boo threw everything but the kitchen sink at me, but for the third time, he failed."

"But what about what he said?" asked Gooigi.  "About the nightmares and stuff?"

"What about it?" Luigi retorted.  "I'll have nightmares about this in the following days, sure, but I'll still soldier on.  I can't let him have the last word.  When he said that to me, he tried to break me.  He almost did.  You saw me look away from him, right?  But then I told myself...that was what he wanted.  One last victory at my expense.  And I couldn't give it to him.  And I remembered that I have you, I have Polterpup and I have a brother and a sister and a mentor...that I'd never be alone.  And that gave me the strength to look him in the eye and signal to him that whatever power he had over me is now gone."

As he spoke, Luigi walked over to a sturdy chunk of debris.  Presently, he leaned the ensemble painting against it and stood back, aiming his DLD.

"Okay," he said, shining the multicolored beam on the portrait. "Here we go."

...

Looks like this is it, you guys! Let's all form a single-file line and leave in an orderly fashion. Please, watch your step upon exiting.

...

Peach was the first to exit the painting, gliding out of the frame and landing softly on her feet.

"Good Lord," she mused. "I am not going through that again."

Next in line was Mario, performing his signature leap out of his artistic prison, followed by Chad, Brad and Thad, who landed comically on their faces.

"We're okay," said Thad, having landed on top of Chad and Brad. "We're okay."

Luigi just giggled at the sight.

The final person to exit the portrait was Professor Gadd, who clumsily tumbled out and landed on his belly.

"I'm all right," he said reassuringly.

Holstering his flashlight, Luigi hurried over and helped his mentor to his feet as the rest of his friends gathered around him.

Gadd's eyes widened. "God Almighty! He really did a number on you this time around!" he cried.

"Like I just told Gooigi, it doesn't matter," said Luigi. "What matters is—he didn't break me. And he never will."

Smiling broadly, he opened his arms, and all of his friends moved into them.

Luigi hugged them tenderly. "He'll never traumatize you again," he said, his voice cracking. "I swear it." A tear rolled down his cheek, and then another and another and another...

"Luigi," breathed Mario. "Thank God I have a brother like you."

"Thank God I took you under my wing," sighed Gadd.

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