Safe Now

As the haunted hotel crashed down to its foundation, the ghostly director snagged his new leading man out of thin air and flew him to safety.

"I got you," said Morty, holding Luigi close to him. "I got you."

Luigi said nothing, his own body curled around the portrait containing six of the people he cared about most in the world.

Gently, Morty set Luigi onto the ground, the hotel's ruins scattered around them.

Frantic barking sounded as Polterpup dashed onto the scene, his pupil-less eyes wide. He leaped high into the air and onto Luigi's lap, relieved that rescue had been on time.

"Hey," breathed Luigi. "Hey, puppy..."

He set down the portrait, giving his pet a quick cuddle. Polterpup licked his human's cheek, starting a new round of wild barking when he glimpsed the injuries Luigi had sustained.

"It's okay, puppy," said Luigi. "It's okay. It's okay..."

Once again, he gathered the portrait into his arms, hugging it securely.

"It's okay..." he said again.

There was a gooey splat as Gooigi landed on the ground, reforming after a few seconds.

"Oh, my God!" he exclaimed. "Luigi—are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Luigi replied.

Morty rubbed the small of Luigi's back. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Luigi nodded.

"I've got him," Gooigi said to Morty. "Go check on your film crew."

As Morty reluctantly obliged, Gooigi knelt in front of his companion. "Hey. Look at me. Look at me," he said. "It's over. We made it. We beat him. He'll never threaten our loved ones again."

But Luigi could barely hear him over the roaring and thudding in his ears. Adrenaline continued surging through him in overpowering waves. All he could think about was keeping his friends safe, keeping them away from him, making sure they were okay...

Gooigi's arms encircled him as the gooey humanoid quickly drew Luigi in for a hug, holding him tightly in an effort to calm his shaking. The portrait frame was now sandwiched between them.

"Oh, God..." Luigi choked out. "Oh, God—oh, God—oh, my God—oh, my God..."

"Shh..." soothed Gooigi. "It's over. It's over."

The two ghost hunters held each other for a few minutes. Once Luigi's shaking had died down to a manageable level, he drew in a deep breath and slowly got to his feet.

"You ready?" asked Gooigi.

Luigi nodded. "Let's do this," he replied.

He leaned the portrait against a small clump of debris and shone his Dark-Light on it.

One by one, his friends emerged from their prison, in reverse chronological order of when they were first rescued.

As the Dark Light drew the sextet from their confinement, the first thing they looked for was Luigi. He was a source of equilibrium—someone for their temporarily disoriented minds to latch onto. They'd felt his presence during that harrowing final battle—felt his body heat and his heartbeat during those seconds in freefall. And they knew that they didn't have to be afraid—because he'd always be there.