Evershade Valley
Around Midnight:

I have heard that you are in dire need of help to get your beloved King back from the terrible ghost hunters. Meet me at the entrance of Evershade Valley by midnight. I have something to offer you. It could be very useful for your plans to take care of unfinished business. I would also like to discuss our potential partnership.

Your biggest fan and loyal ally

A white spherical ghost that was a ghost species known as a boo gazed at the letter he was carrying in his nubby arms. "Well this seems to be the place I'm supposed to meet this so called 'ally'. This better not be some sort of trick!" His sharp fangs gritted in frustration.

He continued to stare at the entrance of the valley and gazed upon the shadowy landscape, surveying it critically. It looked almost identical to his home in Boo Woods.

Grumbling about the lateness of his "partner's"arrival, that is if he could even call them that, insisted upon meeting at, he stepped up to the beginning of the path that meandered through Evershade Valley.

The Boo floated in place there for a few moments, waiting for the one who sent the letter to him. Glancing backwards, the boo sincerely hoped he had made the right choice of trusting the letter instead of simply just ignoring it like any wise person or creature would do with a strange letter. Thinking of that, he nearly chuckled to himself when he remembered an old memory from long ago. The way the boos tricked two gullible heroes into a deadly trap, but it quickly turned into a sad frown when he remembered how the plan didn't exactly go their way. Would that make him a hypocrite if he fell for the same trick?

He didn't want to be caught off guard so he made sure to stay aware of his surroundings. Of course, he also didn't come completely alone, in case this was in fact a trap. There were other boos with him, hiding among the shadows hidden from sight. Boos were more powerful together after all so if this was in fact all a ruse, he had a Plan B. Or a Plan Boo as he put it.

A Boo materialized beside him, "have you seen anything yet, Booligan?"

"No, and speaking from that question, I suppose you haven't either, Kung Boo."

"Not at all... Should we call it a hoax and flee before something bad happens?"

Booligan shook his spherical shaped body. "No! We will not give up just yet. Just keep searching. There's bound to be someone here waiting for us." As if to answer that statement they suddenly heard a calming voice reach them.

"Ah.... So you have arrived! Sorry I'm a bit late, but I'm glad you're here," a feminine voice purred. Booligan looked around for the owner of the voice. A few seconds later, a cloaked figure appeared in front of the boos. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." She curtsied to the boos in front of her.

"So you are our so-called ally, we've come to meet." Booligan said, with a intrigued smile plastered on his face.

The cloaked woman answered the boo with a nod. "Shall we begin our little consultation?"

"What do you want? What makes you think we should be partners, oh cloaked one?!" The boo drew out the last word, clearly knowing and savoring the expression it would produce on the woman's face. But to his dismay, she wasn't flustered in the slightest.

Unfazed by the woman's reaction he didn't expect, Booligan's smile simply grew wider as she replied, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Still, we are working together, right? I would say that we are... associates, at the very least. Don't we have some important business to discuss."

"I suppose..." Here Booligan mock pouted, an embroidered frown taking the place of his usual mischievous smile. Seven other boos appeared around the woman, all eyeing the woman with the same smile and penetrating gaze they always had. They all giggled in mischievous pleasure. With a wave of Booligan's arm, however, the rest of the boos obeyed his wishes and turned and vanished back into the forest, leaving only the woman and the boo in command during the King's absence in the nigh-impenetrable darkness. The only light was the faint glow caused by the single boo's body.

"There, now isn't that better?" The boo asked in a patronizing tone, floating up to the tall, slim woman's height and staring her right in the eyes. "I thought you might enjoy the privacy for our conference after all. Plus, now I can see your bootiful face!" The Boo pulled back the woman's sunglasses and stared into her glowing, pupiless yellow eyes. She quickly shooed the boo off and adjusted her glasses over her eyes again.

Booligan erupted in shrill laughter as the woman stood motionless, eyeing the boo with all sorts of contempt. Of course, boos were punny little creatures that she found rather childish and annoying, but she tried to keep herself civilized. She mustn't lose her sanity yet or else her true easily aroused demeanor would show and ruin everything. After a while, the boo settled back down, still chuckling slightly and wiping nonexistent fake tears from his eyes.

"Are you finished?" The woman asked crudely.

Booligan smiled, long red tongue characteristic of his species, lolling out. "You're no fun, oh hooded and mysterious one. What is with the unusual choice of attire anyways. It doesn't seem fitting to you. Also you're fooling no one with all that makeup either, old woman!"

"Old?! Excuse me, you ruffian?!" The woman grunted. She shook her head, and exhaled in an attempt to calm herself.

"Oh sorry... How rude of me... I didn't know you'd be sensitive about that." Booligan frowned, but didn't really seem to be very apologetic. "I also don't believe we've properly introduced ourselves yet."

"No, I don't believe so." The woman huffed.

The boo smiled even more widely than the ghost woman thought was possible. He seemed to be enjoying this a bit too much.

"Booligan's the name! Let's get crazy! But please don't call me a 'ruffian!'

The boo did a few flips in the air before stopping and smiling at the woman, obviously anticipating some sort of reaction. When none came, the boo's smile slightly faltered a bit.

"You know... 'Booligan'... as in 'hooligan'..." the boo quipped.

"I get it," snapped the woman, getting rather annoyed. "Now, if you don't have any more invigorating word play to share, might I suggest we get down to real business? I'd prefer we not waste anymore time."

Booligan sighed and floated slightly closer to the ground, mischievous smile never fading from his face.

"I suppose, if you insist. Now, what is this 'oh so important business' you must urgently discuss with me, my dear non-friend associate?"

The woman sighed, "didn't you lose many boo allies? Including your dear King?!"

The boo sunk low to the ground from that question, a real frown overtaking his face from the reminder of his fallen friends.

"I suppose you do not fully know what happened..." he murmured. "They've been captured by that infernal vacuum cleaner. The only thing that can defeat us ghosts. You have probably heard of that part. But then we were sent into a containment unit, locked up for many, many years."

Booligan stared at the ground for a few minutes before the woman either cleared her throat or coughed uncomfortably in order to get his attention. The boo's head shot up, with a look of fury upon it that both surprised and nearly frightened the cloaked woman. He seemed to finally be more serious.

"Most of us are still trapped," he hissed, "trapped inside that infernal Boo canister by that idiotic scientist! Only a few of us managed to escape, by sheer luck when that professor!" the boo sneered before continuing, "attempted to attach that... that smaller containment unit connected to the side of this machine called the Ghost Portrificationizer to transfer us to a larger, portable and more secure containment unit. It is only luck that I am not trapped in that awful thing with the rest of my brothers and sisters, doomed to a life full of misery and terrible experimentation!"

Booligan's shrill voice reached its peak, before the boo lowered his voice and hovered until he was only a few inches from the ground, something that managed to disturb the tall, ghost woman even more than the previous hysterical tirade.

The boo's eyes glowed yellowish-orange threateningly as he flicked his tongue over his ridiculously sharp teeth. The woman looked surprised to see the boo's sudden eye color change. Boo's eyes always turned this color when they were truly angry about something. That's why when a boo was in this state, they were referred to as "Mad Boos."

"If only," he breathed, "if only I could...I could avenge them. Make life a living nightmare for that scientist and that cowardly buffoon, Luigi! Free my friends and my King..."

The woman, who had remained silent during the boo's speech, found her voice once again.

"What if you could?" She asked quietly.

The boo turned to her, eyes still glittering with the ferocious orange-yellow eyed glare that made the woman want to pick her words carefully.

"What if you could restore your King, use your new found power to free your brethren, and have your revenge on the professor and Luigi to boot?"

Booligan examined her, rather expressionless for a few agonizing seconds. His eyes transforming back to their usual color again.

"Newfound power? What does she mean by that?" He thought to himself. He realized that the woman was staring at him, waiting for a reply. "What is your offer?"

A slight movement dislodged the cloak from her right hand and she put two large objects in the boo's hands. The boo stared at them, smile returning instantly as he once again gazed upon the face of his beloved King. The painting of King Boo was now safe and sound in his possession. The other painting in his hand was another boo ally that was important to the king; Boolossus. The large boo made of 15 smaller boos was a big deal to see again of course, but Booligan couldn't help but feel more excited to see the king himself. The other seven boos appeared from the shadows, murmuring to themselves in excitement to see their king at last.

"But... how...?"

She waved her hand dismissively. The boo immediately understood, "The professor truly is an idiot."

She leaned forward, eyes gleaming behind the sunglasses she was wearing.

"Now, all you have to do is penetrate the lab and use that portrificationizer machine. Then you will have your King back, Boolossus and, subsequently, your revenge. In fact... But that's not all..."

The woman rummaged through her cloak, searching for something else. Finding it, she carefully clasped it in her hands, the darkness obscuring it from the view of the boo.

"To make the job easier, I have a gift for your King. Tell him to consider it a token of our alliance."

Reaching out, the mysterious woman gently placed it in the boo's free hand.

Booligan gestured for a boo to carefully take the King's painting and another to take the Boolossus painting and secure them before he could fully examine the large, purple jewel now in his hands cautiously. Even just by touching it he could feel the power radiating from it.

"A power enhancing jewel." The cloaked woman answered the boo's unspoken question. "With it, your King will have no trouble at all subduing anything, or anyone, that stands in his way. It is from the rarest variant of crystals found in the Secret Mines in Evershade Valley. Most of the crystals are red but very few of them are purple like this and are even stronger than the common red ones. It was rather difficult to find, I might add."

The boos examined the three items they just received. Then Booligan, all of a sudden, eyed the woman suspiciously.

"You're being awfully generous to us boos. Other ghosts don't usually get along with us. How do we know we can really trust you? You still haven't given us your name?"

"I'd like to keep my appearance and name a secret for the time being, but believe me, we will meet again, Booligan. I'm counting on it!" The anonymous woman chuckled. "Oh, and I never said there wasn't a price or more like a request."

The boo's eyes widened, then narrowed with anger.

"Now, now, don't be hasty. The price is trivial. Nothing, really, compared to what you and your King, of course, will accomplish."

Booligan allowed himself a slight smirk as he replied. "Name it."

The purple ghost lady's eyes seemed to glitter behind her sunglasses again as she leaned forward.

"All I ask," she murmured, "is that if things go well, I'd love to be adored by the king for helping him escape and giving him a well deserved second chance, but if it doesn't, I would offer to team up with you to help defeat the ones that keep meddling with your plans. Think of it as a 'Last Resort' if this plan of yours happens to fail."

The boo looked confused for a moment, but then smiled wide with understanding. Regaining his usual playful and cocky demeanor, Booligan's tongue rolled out as he smirked maliciously.

"Trust me, Lady, if this works out as well as you say it will, and neither red nor green are spared from their fates, I bet our king would be stoked to see you face to face."

She felt a small smile flit across her face, knowing that she was one step closer on meeting her idol.

"So, we have a deal?"

"Oh yes," cackled Booligan, grinning widely as he stared at the portrait of his King. "We indeed have a deal, partner."

"Good. When we meet again, Booligan! Ta-Ta!" The woman waved goodbye before vanishing.

Boo Woods
The next morning:

Boo Woods was never by any means as pleasant or an inviting place as Evershade Valley. The trees that made up the woods were completely bare, with long branches stretching into the sky, resembling creepy skeletal claws, threatening to grasp for a deadly hold on anything living that would be dumb enough to infiltrate these woods. Unlike other forests, this one was completely quiet. Nothing broke the suffocating silence unless it was the distant caws from a murder of crows, perched on the branches of the lifeless trees or the harsh winds and rainfall. A certain atmosphere hung over the entire woods, giving it a foreboding aura and leaving it in a perpetual, eerie twilight, even in the daytime when the sun should be out. It was as if here, the sun was always in hibernation.

It was always a dark and stormy night in these woods. Of course it was never opposed to be any different. It was almost crucial that it was. When wasn't it storming here in the spooky environment that is Boo Woods? Although the ghosts and boos that once inhabited the woods had long since been removed from the mansion that once stood on the top of the hill, the weather still reflected what little remained of their evil supernatural influences. A little ways down the hill at the edge of the woods, the same could not be said for a small shack that stood at the foot of the woods where the mansion once stood. It was the one place that felt welcoming than the whole woods itself. However, every so often a burst of bright green light would be seen through the windows, illuminating the surrounding area with its glow for a few seconds before dying down. The only sign of light in this dark landscape, other than the gloomy faded moonlight from the large full moon in the sky.

Inside the small shack, a ladder led downwards to a large underground room. The room, which was not the tidiest place under usual circumstances, was an absolute pigsty! Everywhere around the room, there were an abundance of boxes and various household objects laid scattered across the room, mingling with pieces of bizarre-looking scientific gadgets. A control panel, a computer and a few bookcases were covered in a sea of what most would classify as just a bunch of old, worthless junk. As a matter of fact; most of it was indeed worthless junk, but this was irrelevant to the owner of all of it—Professor Elvin Gadd—to him, each piece represented a potential project he could work on or a cherished memory he couldn't possibly let go. But really most of it was just stuff he had been unable to sell in the garage sale he recently took apart of to earn more money to move.

Even though, he was eager to move as soon as possible, he still had many things he still needed to work on as an inventor. Risen above the whole flood of items was Elvin Gadd himself, seated upon a swivel chair. He faced a large monitor, with another, smaller monitor near the floor from his left. Muttering to himself, he scribbled in a journal as he glanced up at the large monitor, which displayed something almost unrecognizable to any other being's eyes other than his. He adjusted his large glasses as he squinted at the image, which appeared to be a bunch of different colored blocks inside another box. A cardboard box similar to the ones around the room, only a much smaller one that now only had tiny, glowing pixelated pieces inside of it. Readjusting a single strand of wispy hair that had managed to escape his straight up, surprisingly gravity-defying unique hairstyle, he muttered as he scribbled in his notebook.

"Another experiment failure... The old Scientific research books used as a test subject for the Pixelator has been depixelated into useless shambles beyond repair. A solid turned into a pixelated soup like state. Invention is still too harmful to use on the living. Must conduct further tests on this perplexing problem and figure out a solution to fix it." He shut the notebook and put his hand to his forehead in frustration and sighed. "What am I doing wrong here?" He put his journal under his arm and hopped off his swivel chair.

The elderly professor staggered over to the smaller monitor, prying off the screen and began inspecting the internal mechanisms. He put his right hand on his chin and tapped it lightly, thinking to himself. At that moment a door to his right opened, scraping against the many boxes full of books piled next to it. A little red Toad barely squeezed through the small gap, his small stubby baby-like arms were full of a variety of potted plants. Peering through the gap between the leaves, the toad was able to see just enough to make his way through the maze of boxes until he was standing right behind the old man.

"Professor!" The toad called out with his high-pitched squeaky voice.

Either the Professor didn't hear him or purposely ignored him, the old scientist kept on fiddling with the small monitor's screen, seemingly unaware of the mushroom creature's sudden presence.

"Professor!" The toad called again, a little louder.

There was no response as E.Gadd made a few more notes in his journal about the issue with his invention currently still in progress.

"PROFESSOR!" The toad screamed at the top of his lungs.

The Professor finally looked up, slightly annoyed with his assistant.

"What is it, toad? If it's about your paycheck, I told you I'll give it to you next week."

Ignoring that his employer didn't know that his paycheck was, in fact, still overdue, the toad huffed and continued. "Sir, I finally finished bringing up your botanical plant collection. That's the last of the stuff from the basement!"

The professor looked up, his one snaggletooth clearly visible as he smiled widely. "Plants! That's it! I could use those instead of a human or creature that could lead to even worse consequences if it fails!"

"Yes! Perfect! These will do nicely for my next test! I will try my Pixelator out on a living organism! It will be the ultimate test, to see if I can transport actual life..."

He started murmuring again to himself as he scribbled excitedly in his notebook about his next test, The toad shifted from foot to foot, his arms starting to ache as he waited.

"Uh...Sir?" He questioned, his arm strength beginning to fail him as he struggled to hold all of the plants and hoped godwilling that he wouldn't drop them on the floor after working so hard bringing them up there.

Luckily, it snapped the professor out of his thoughts quickly this time.

"Ah yes! The plants! Put them down in front of this monitor, if you don't mind." He ordered, pointing at the ground near the monitors with the nib of his pen.

Relieved, the toad carefully set his botanical assortment down where his boss told him to as the professor snapped the screen back onto the monitor.

"Now, stand back, toad, and watch history in the making!" E. Gadd told the little Toadstool, putting his hands together in utter excitement.

The toad did indeed scramble back, not wanting to be on the receiving end of any of the professor's infamous and presumably dangerous inventions, as the man quickly hauled himself back up onto his chair. He reached for what looked like a joystick on the side of his chair's arm rest and pushed the large red button on top of it. A burst of bright green light emanated from the monitor, causing both the toad and the professor to shield their eyes.

They both blinked away the blinding spots as they watched the Professor's latest invention at work. The Professor crossed his fingers, hoping solemnly that it'll work this time.

The group of plants that covered the floor in front of the monitors were slowly turning into tiny colorful blocks, traveling into the monitor at increasingly high speeds. Now, the professor turned his attention to the larger screen, watching as the plants were reassembled at a different location miles away. His smile then changed into a frown as he noticed something unusual. Only half of each plant appeared to have been teleported! Swiveling around, the professor confirmed this as he observed his floor covered with the remains of his beloved plant collection. Sighing, he noted the results in his journal.

"Pixelator Test Number 53 also a unfortunate failure. Approximately 50% of the botanical life forms successfully pixelated through the Pixelator. Must make further adjustments to resolve this odd occurrence. Still too dangerous to use on humans or creatures." He turned his attention back to the toad, who was currently staring at the plant carnage in downright horror. It looked like a crime scene to plant life.

"Clean up this mess, and then start loading the rest of the stuff into my car. I would like to make it to Evershade Valley by morning."

Leaving his assistant to begrudgingly pack up the overwhelmingly mass load of items, the professor hopped off his chair and walked over to a door on the far left. This door, unlike the other one, was made of solid iron and securely locked. Reaching for the key he kept in his pocket at all times, the professor unlocked the door and began slowly making his way down the long ladder. As he traveled downwards, his mind wandered to the place the plants had been somewhat transported—his new lab, located in Evershade Valley. He was so very excited about it. After spending quite a chunk of his life savings on it and money he received from items he was able to sell in the garage sale, it had become the lab he had always dreamed of—filled with the latest technology, impenetrable to any supernatural entities, and even designed in the shape of his own head that others would think as meta to his own self. Nicknamed the "Bunker," he intended to use it only for emergency situations. Otherwise he would be spending most of his time "in the field," working in and utilizing the laboratories that could be found in many of the mansions scattered throughout Evershade Valley. Maybe even work with the ghosts themselves.

"Ah, Evershade Valley." After hearing about it from many rumors about the paranormal living peacefully, he had been in disbelief until he actually visited the place himself—too eager to wait to see what it was like. It was remarkable! The fact that the ghosts inhabiting the valley were actually friendly had no short of astounded him. He simply had to do further research, and one thing led to another. He soon found himself in possession of a prime piece of real estate right at the edge of one of the five mansions located in the valley— the Gloomy Manor. The ghosts were kind enough to allow him to live peacefully with them. They were already great friends and very easygoing.

Unsurprisingly, moving had been a hassle. Of course, this wasn't his first time moving, but it has been a very long time. He used to live on Thwomp Mountain when he was younger, where he once studied Thwomps and the history of the volcano before his smaller lab was destroyed when the volcano erupted. When that unfortunate event happened, he chose to relocate into Boo Woods to start a new career path of paranormal research. This time, however, was much more difficult with the sheer number of items that had to be moved to the new location, but it would all be worth it in the end.

The amount of research opportunities were innumerable, and if he could somehow find what made the ghosts so docile and harness it... His name would go down in history books as the greatest paranormal researcher ever. He would be a world-renowned expert for ghost research and given every honor and award. He could see it now- "And the award for the most relevant scientific discovery ever goes to Professor Elvin Gadd, for his ground-breaking work in one of the most dangerous research fields ever imagined to any man in the world, in paranormal research and the amazing discovery of ghost taming..."

The professor was so wrapped up in his acceptance speech that he missed the next rung of the ladder and fell the last few short feet to the ground, landing on his side with a loud thud. Grumbling, he felt around until he found his glasses, which had fallen off and were miraculously unbroken from the fall impact. Putting them on, he got back up to his feet, and begun to feel for the light switch and flick on the lights to his underground chamber. With a buzz, the lights turned on, illuminating the single object that dominated the small space. His Ghost Portrificationizer, a marvelous work of science and engineering, sat there, a thin film of dust coating it from not being touched for several years. He walked over to it and gently brushed off some of the dust from the window of the washing-machine like part of it. This machine was his favorite project, his greatest creation, his pride and joy of his whole ghost-busting career. Well, apart from the Poltergust, of course. He did take a lot of time working on it but it was all worth it for what it was used for in the past. But there was no way to transport it to his new home in Evershade Valley, so he would be forced to leave it here. "Maybe, it is for the better." He reasoned with himself. "After all, the machine had also gotten me into a lot of trouble. It is potentially dangerous in a certain degree."

Chuckling softly, he reminisced about that fateful night when he had first met his friend. A human, just like him. There was not very many of those here in this world. There were many creatures that lived here, but humans were one of the minority. He was a plumber named Luigi. Sure, the boy had been a bit timid, shy and cowardly, who had trembled at the very thought of ghosts, that is to say, even E.Gadd himself was like that when he was the youngster's age. But armed with the Poltergust 3000–another invention made by the professor, Luigi had been able to overcome his fears of ghosts in order to save his big brother Mario and, unintentionally, the world from the evil clutches of the King among the boos, King Boo. It had been the most excitement the professor had had in a long time, and, although he would never admit it, it had been kind of nice to have actual living human companionship for once. But that was all in the past now. Shaking his head, the professor gave the machine one last pat. "Goodnight old girl..." he muttered to himself, before turning off the lights and climbing back up the ladder.

Once on the ground floor again, the professor turned the key inside the lock of the iron door. Tugging on it to assure himself that it was securely locked, he turned and discovered that his toad assistant had worked remarkably fast. The once cluttered room was now empty at last, all boxes and spare junk miraculously gone. All that remained were a couple of empty bookcases and a few computers. Satisfied, the professor disconnected his Pixelator and tucked it under his arm, walking towards the ladder that would lead him outside the lab,to the surface. He paused with one foot on the ladder, however, and turned back to look at his old laboratory for one last time. He had done a lot of great things in this place, and met a few great people. But now he was on to bigger and better things, and, although he was sad, he was ready for the new challenges that might lie before him. With a determined nod he flicked off the lights and began his final ascension.

The Toad stood next to the car, shivering as the cold rain hit him. The car was more of a jalopy, made out of spare parts. It looked very old and run-down. The red paint was also starting to become more faded. Needless to say, it was not the most beautiful or the most well-built car ever, but it worked and that was all that mattered. Or, at least, that was all that mattered to the professor. The Toad, however, had a different thought about it. He suggests that the Professor should really invest into getting a new vehicle. At this moment the toad was proving his fact as the automatic locking system was acting up again and refused to let him in, leaving him to stand out in the freezing rain. The toad stood out there for a good fifteen to twenty minutes before the professor finally emerged from the shack, Pixelator in tow. Shielding his creation from the rain with his lab coat, he took the keys from the toad, muttering about how he had told him a thousand times you had to jiggle then turn the key. With a pop the locks finally opened and the toad hurried inside the dry, sheltered car. The professor followed shortly after, hauling the Pixelator up after himself. As he conducted a strange ritual of half and full key turns to start the car, he thought out loud.

"Once I get this Pixelator working, vehicles will become a thing of the past. Everyone will be able to teleport to wherever they please. It'll make history and I could make a bank-load of money. It could be a huge success! Of course, I'll have to conduct a few more tests with living organisms first before I start selling them to the public..."

The toad already knew there was a way to easily teleport to other places already. They were called Warp Pipes. He didn't really understand why they needed this dangerous invention as a faster way to travel. The toad became visibly nervous at the crazy old man's comment, trembling in his car seat. He didn't want to have the same cruel twist of fate as those plants. The professor, noticing this, chuckled reassuringly.

"Oh, not on you, my boy!" The toad relaxed from that comment slumping in his seat, until he heard the professor's next words.

"Atleast...Not yet."

With a shudder the jalopy finally started after being hesitant many times, and they finally drove off into Boo Woods, leaving behind the darkened laboratory and the dreaded area that the infamous haunted mansion, that once existed, for good. The nightmares, the sorrows and the terrible memories of the cursed house finally ebbing away. There would never be another terrible experience like that fake mansion ever again. Atleast... That's what the Professor thought. Unbeknownst to both man and toad, three pairs of eyes had been watching them the whole time. Satisfied with what they had seen, the eyes turned and vanished back into the woods as the car went past them.

Once the vehicle successfully passed them, the three sets of eyes reappeared and continued to peer out of Boo Woods at E.Gadd's former laboratory, one of the sets of eyes were wide with excitement, the second set gave off a mischievous look and the third set narrowed with a devious stare. The rain fell around and through them but they paid no heed to it, their gazes never faltered from their target. A loud roar of thunder shook the air around them as they waited, but not even a flinch came to the eyes. After a while, the excited eyes turned to the narrowed ones. "The coast is clear. They are gone! I am certain of it."

The narrowed eyes tapered even further. "I am not so sure. They may come back at any moment. We cannot risk getting caught. We must wait a bit longer just to be safe. We mustn't be too rash. That'll be foolish."

"We won't be caught! There's nobody here to see us!" The wide eyes suddenly materialized a white orb shaped body, complete with a big grin and a long tongue. His small white body gave off a faint glow, the only light in the woods besides the occasional flash of lightning from the unceasing storm. Smirking at the shocked look in his more serious companion's eyes, he tilted himself to the side in a booish taunt.

The narrowed eyes glared at him as it hissed a warning. "Quit fooling around, you arrogant little dunce. We need to verify that they are, in fact, gone and then report back. If we are seen, it could-"

The boo huffed, crossing his stubby arms, and rolling his black beady eyes, stealing the words out of the other boo's mouth.

"-Jeopardize the entire plan. Yes, I heard Boolldog's whole entire speech numerous times too. But the point is, why are we still here? Let's go bring back the King!"

"It's Booligan! You are mistaking him with another boo, you dim-wit!" The wiser boo, growled harshly, still keeping himself hidden.

"Kinda hard not to since we all look the same..." the mischievous eyes defended before revealing himself.

"Exactly, Boodonkulous!" The overly excited boo replied.

"That doesn't matter right now... We must wait until we are certain that it is safe. We will restore the king when the time is right!" The serious boo responded, finally becoming visible after being so hesitant to materialize himself into view. Before the other boo could retort he felt a presence behind him. Whipping around, the trio of boos faced Booligan himself, smirking at the exchange he had just witnessed. With a chuckle, he addressed the excited boo.

"You should listen to your elders, Boofoon. They are almost always correct."

The elder boo simply flashed a victorious grin in the younger boo's direction. Boofoon hovered near the ground, expression like that of a punished puppy. Booligan chuckled again.

"I said almost always. In this case, you are correct. The professor and his toad friend are gone, and it is time to move on to the next phase."

Boofoon's face lit up, unable to contain his eagerness any longer. He gave the elder boo a raspberry before chuckling to himself.

"But first," Booligan addressed the elder boo, "what about the containment device, Gumboo?"

One of the other original older and more serious of the three because of how he experienced what the awfully bitter taste of being trapped felt like, had been scowling at the ground, but looked up with a thoughtful expression when he was mentioned.

"No sign of it. He must have moved it before we started observing him. I can only guess that it's in Evershade Valley by now, probably in that fortified laboratory. The Portrificationizer, however, is still in there."

Booligan frowned. He had counted on the containment unit being left behind in another foolish move by the professor. Turns out the man did have some common sense after all. No matter. His friends would simply have to wait a little longer to taste sweet freedom once more. The rest of the plan, formulated over the years during King Boo's absence, was fool proof. Although their King was gone, the boos had been hard at work, scheming and preparing for their chance at revenge. The only piece that had kept them from implementing their plan had been taken care of by their anonymous acquaintance, with the powerful jewel they received as an unexpected bonus. Now, it was time to put their diabolical plans into full swing.

Booligan stared out of the woods at the shack, grin growing on his face with arrogant pleasure, as he imagined what was to come. Revenge is a dish best served cold, after all, and after many years of waiting the boos' revenge was now as cold as ice. He turned back to face the two boos, allowing his tongue to hang out in excitement.

"And that's all we need. Go get the others. And remember to bring his majesty."

With a nod the trio of boos disappeared, leaving Booligan in the woods by himself. With a delighted shiver he turned his attention back to the shack.

"Oh professor, what a glorious fool you are. You think you're a genius but in all truth, you've only dug yourself a deeper hole in your own grave. Tonight we boos will become victorious! The King will be pleased with us!" Booligan conceited.

Booligan watched anxiously from the shadowy woods as the young boo named Boodonkulous phased through the shack into the underground lab. Despite Booligan's better judgment, the young boo had pestered him into letting him be the first to scout out the lab. After what seemed like an eternity Boodonkulous finally reappeared, nodding his confirmation that the place was indeed completely deserted. Booligan let out a sigh of relief. It was time. With a slight nubby arm wave Booligan led a pack of boos down to the shack, watching as each one phased through the door until he too phased through with a slight tail wag in excitement.

Descending through the underground tunnel, Booligan and his boos found themselves in a dark room, barren except for a few bookcases and computers. Murmurs of bewilderment were heard from the crowd of boos. They had never been inside the laboratory before, and upon not seeing the Portrificationizer grew fearful that they had been bamboozled. Booligan shushed them with a wave of his small arm. He floated around the empty room, trying to remember where he had escaped from those many years ago. He remembered a small room, then an underground passage, and then... He stopped his movement.

There, hidden in the darkness, was a door. He hovered next to it, eyeing it inquisitively. It was made out of iron, probably securely locked to protect whatever was inside. Booligan smirked. Just how dim-witted was the Professor? No amount of metal or locks could keep out a boo or any ghost for that matter. He phased through the door easily, gesturing for the rest of the group to follow. They all floated through the tunnel, following Booligan dutifully until he stopped suddenly.

He recognized this room. This is where he and his brethren had been taken, and where he had eventually escaped from. He gazed upon the Ghost Portrificationizer, feeling something akin to rage, rise up inside him. The nerve of that professor and his cowardly friend! How dare he imprison his friends and his King? They both would pay dearly. The time for vengeance was drawing closer. How they would pay-

Booligan snapped himself out of his thoughts, pushing aside his emotions. He was here because he had a job to do, not to stew in his own anger. After the defeat and capture of King Boo, Booligan had stepped up as the leader. He had been close to the King, and in the absence of the older boos who had also been captured, he commanded respect just by seniority alone. They were counting on him to return King Boo to his own self. Beneath his sarcastic and silly exterior lay a cold, calculating leader who knew how to hold a grudge. He would do anything to right the wrongs against him, and the other boos knew it. It was his determination that got them to this moment, and it was through his leadership that their King would finally be restored from his artful prison. The terrible fate he had to endure.

Booligan exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of this moment. He again gazed upon the Portrificationizer, this time in a critical manner. It appeared to be in working order. A little dusty from being untouched and not properly cared for, perhaps, but it would fulfill its duties. He gestured to one of the boos he had brought specifically for this task. ParaBoola floated up, already examining the machine with the analytical nature of a genius. Booligan watched him meander around the machine, inspecting each one of its parts thoroughly. Eventually he stopped and faced Booligan, a small smile on his face.

"Well?" Questioned Booligan, his patience strained.

"It is a fascinating machine. A true wonder, to be sure. The parts are so intricate, yet they work together so flawlessly-"

Booligan cut him off. "We are not here to marvel at the professor's invention. Will it work or not?" He stated icily.

ParaBoola, a little rattled, slowly nodded and hovered back into the group of boos. Booligan smiled widely at the group, showing his sharp teeth and long tongue in his excitement. It was contagious, instantly causing the other boos to jabber and hover around in the shared feeling of anticipation. Two boos came forth from the pack, carefully balancing a portrait in between them. Another pair of boos carried the Boolossus painting. Booligan smiled even wider at the sight of his King and nodded, gesturing for them to set it on a small metal platform at the end of the machine. A set of mechanical arms came out of the platform automatically, gripping the painting firmly. The same was done with the Boolossus painting. Booligan glanced at ParaBoola, who nodded and activated the Portrificationizer.

The sounds of the machine were drowned out by the excited chatter of the boos, but Booligan was close enough to hear the pained shrieks of the 15 boos and his King as they were pressed, electrocuted, smashed, and then abruptly dumped into a basin of swirling water. Booligan watched through the dusty window, rubbing some dust off with an arm in attempt to see through it clearer. He was almost feeling his King's pain as his own as he was sent spinning in the watery vortex like clothes in a washing machine. Finally it appeared that the machine was done, and a pipe connected to the top of the water container, sucking up and depositing the boos and the king into a metal box.

Now the room became deathly silent as all of the boos crowded around the box, waiting for something to happen. Booligan hovered closest to the box, nervous excitement coursing through him. Minutes passed, however, and Booligan began to have his doubts. Had something gone wrong? Was the machine too old? What if the professor had somehow sabotaged the machine, knowing that the boos might try something like this? What if-

Suddenly the metal box exploded. Booligan and the rest of the boos quickly turned transparent, allowing the wreckage to pass through them and embed itself into the walls of the room. Booligan rematerialized quickly, anxious to finally see the results of his labor. Fifteen boos flew across the room but the one that stood out to Booligan, hovering above all of the wreckage with a smug smile on his face was his King. His large white body illuminating the space around him. He surveyed his surroundings with a disdainful look until his eyes came to rest upon seeing his loyal subjects hovering around him with admirable expressions on their faces. Booligan and the rest of the group remained silent, waiting for their King to speak. King Boo met eyes with each boo, examining them carefully. Finally, with an unparalleled smile and long blue tongue lolling out, the King of the Boos finally spoke. "Miss me?"

Booligan smirked as the room erupted in cheers and shrieks of excitement. King Boo was fairly swarmed as each boo felt obligated to float before the King and greet him. Booligan stayed back, watching as the happiness unfolded and waiting patiently. Finally, the chaos died down and King Boo floated around aimlessly, enjoying his new freedom at last. His eyes met with Booligan's, however, and the King's smile grew wider.

"Booligan!" Exclaimed the King, floating over to him. "An old face at last. What has happened in my long absence?"

Booligan smiled wide, filled with delight at the fact that he was finally having this conversation. As he related all that happened, however, King Boo's smile faded. The sounds of the other boos diminished as they sensed this change of mood in their King. Once Booligan got around to telling him of how the professor had taken the boo canister with him to Evershade Valley, the King's smile had disappeared completely. He gestured for Booligan to stop as he turned around, gazing at the Portrificationizer in deep thought. After a while he turned back around, staring Booligan straight in the eye.

"So that is why we are missing so many. They are still imprisoned in that monstrous canister, which is now inside an impenetrable stronghold in Evershade Valley, which is under the control of that man and an army of 'friendly' ghosts. Tell me, Booligan, is there any good news?"

Booligan, who had grown somber at this himself, looked up with hope written on his face.

"There is sire. In your absence I and a few others have been preparing for your return. We have formulated a plan that will give you not only the vengeance we all seek, but also the vast kingdom you have always wanted."

King Boo examined his loyal servant shrewdly, nodding slowly with approval. Booligan took a deep breath, knowing that his King would not like the next part of what he had to say.

"We did have to make a few... adjustments to our plan, however. We could not locate your painting on our own, sire. It was through an unknown stranger that you were finally restored to us. But she doesn't know anything. We are unsure if we can truly trust her but she seems to be a huge fan of yours. We didn't tell her of our true intentions though, I assure you. Just in case, she cannot be trusted. However, she did give us a bonus item, that might be of use to us."

King Boo exhaled slowly, absorbing the new information he was given by his boo subject. He would like to think this was a nonissue, and it was something they shouldn't worry too much about, but he sorely wished he knew who this strange character was. If he did, he would feel more confident in the situation. As he opened his mouth to tell Booligan that his years of planning were all for naught, he cut himself off. He couldn't just give up on his subjects! They were counting on him, and as their noble ruler, he didn't want to disappoint them. Although that thought alone wasn't what made him suddenly change his mind. He felt something... Something strange in the air. He floated forwards a bit, interrupting Booligan as he rambled on about his plan and the past.

"Booligan," he said slowly, "didn't you mention that our mysterious friend also gave you something else?"

Booligan nodded eagerly. "Yes your majesty. I was just saying how the jewel fits perfectly into our plan as well-"

King Boo cut him off again. "Show it to me." He told his boo underling sternly. He wanted to see the item in question himself.

Confused at his King's change in attitude from dismissive to intensely serious, Booligan materialized the gem from whatever void he had stowed it in for safe keeping. The jewel glowed faintly as he held it in his arms and offered it to his King.

As soon as he laid eyes on its captivating beauty, the King smiled widely with pleasure. King Boo could easily sense the great power it possessed. He already immediately lusted for the enhanced powerful aura, the jewel was surrounded with. The jewel pulsed with the energy that filled it, and as soon as he touched it he felt a surge of power like he had never felt before. Far more powerful than the red jewel he had before. He held it gently in his arms, staring at it intensely. With this, he realized, all of the carefully laid plans could be made possible. He could take over as many kingdoms as he liked. He could even create new dimensions with new kingdoms if he ran out of things to conquer here. He did not need a Portrificationizer with this jewel in his possession. He could simply will his enemies into the canvas on his own and they would not stand a chance. With this jewel, entire worlds would kneel before him. And no one, not scientist nor man nor...anything, could stand in his way. He could become the most supreme ruler of the entire world.

But, he realized as he inhaled deeply, savoring the new power that coursed through him, that all would come in time. Right now, he had a score to settle. He had failed his subjects once, a memory which would likely haunt him for the rest of his existence, and he would not fail them again. The time for retribution had come, and let the heavenly world, The Overthere help the poor mortals that he now targeted. They had dared to defy him once- they would not be given the chance to make the same mistake again.

Booligan floated back a little as he watched his King literally transform before his eyes. The King's body glowed purple as he absorbed power from the jewel, closing his eyes in ecstasy as he felt himself growing larger. He now towered over the average boo, causing the group of boos to move back in surprise. Booligan watched as he opened his eyes, which were now the same light shade of purple as the gem. The King seemed to radiate an aura of darkness, dimming and absorbing what little light the boos themselves put off. It was as if the King transformed into his dark side. Possessed by the evil, cursed power of the jewel itself. As Booligan stared into the dark pools that were now his King's eyes, he felt, for the first time in his existence, afraid of him. The King looked completely different from what he looked like before. King Boo chuckled as he noticed the change in the atmosphere around him, the timbre of his voice lowered by a good octave by the new power that flowed through him.

"What, Booligan, afraid of the dark?" He mocked, watching approvingly as he saw the fear creep into his once right-hand boo's eyes.

"No, of course not, sire!" Booligan replied, audaciously. He didn't want his king to think he was backing down now.

"Good. Come- we have plans to discuss. But first," he turned and addressed the silent boos, who shrank back at his approach, "I understand we have a deal to make good on with our mysterious ally, yes? And we boos always keep our word. One day, I would want to return the favor to her for freeing me."

With a single thought he materialized a golden, glittering base for the jewel to sit on. Placing the gem inside the base, his subjects watched as King Boo crowned himself with the jewel, mouth hanging open in a malevolent smile. With another chuckle, King Boo moved forward towards the Portrificationizer, his boos scrambling to get out of the way. He approached it, looking down at it in a way that was oddly filled with equal amounts of loathing and fondness. He realized that, after today, nothing would ever be the same again. Never again would he be threatened by this machine or any other for that matter, and that realization was enough to get him reminiscing fondly about the past. It was time to usher in a new era—a dark era completely controlled by him. Where everything and everyone that once threatened the Boo species will live in agitation, remorse, torment, suffering, and misery. They will get no mercy from the King. They shall be punished. No Boo's terrible fate from any infernal machines will be in vain. Every last one of them will get avenged.

"The King is back! Long live the king!" King Boo's purple tongue lolled out of his mouth, his eyes glowing purple with vengeful power.

A burst of darkness suddenly emitted from his crown, engulfing the entire machine in deep lavender flames of dark magic. The boos watched the machine melt before their eyes. Booligan now understood what the woman meant by 'newfound power'. He almost felt fearful of the power enhancing jewel's abilities but he tried not to overthink it too much. The King was happy after all and that's what he wanted to see. Once the machine was completely taken over by the purple flames, King Boo turned and floated out of the room, gesturing for Booligan and the others to follow.

As he floated into the cool night air outside the laboratory, he felt the unrestricted freedom of a wide world that he had missed seeing. He took a deep breath and exhaled. It was the first time in years since he has seen so much through his eyes. He could see a new world for him to reign like a beautiful canvas. He was loving every bit of his return. He savored every moment, but one thing perturbed him. His dark desire of getting retribution for those who bested him and his loyal boo subjects. He also wanted his captured friends back. They deserved freedom as well as he did. He addressed his silent underling hovering by his side.

"Ready my subjects quickly, Booligan. We must pay a visit to our dear old friends Mario and Luigi." King Boo smiled mischievously. He was prepared to get his vengeance at long last. "You will soon taste the fear of defeat this time Luigi! The only thing you will experience now is darkness and misery. You will receive no mercy from me!! You will live to regret that day you overtook me and the Mysterious Power of the Boos!! I shall finally make the Mario Brothers pay for their crimes!"

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Another chapter finally done. Hope you enjoyed. More chapters will be coming. I did add a few Easter eggs and references in this chapter if you can find them all. One of them is the 5 boos that have returned in the sequels. I figured they had to have escaped somehow if they showed up again. These boos are Kung Boo, Gumboo, Booigi, Boogie and Booligan. However Booligan was actually renamed Boolldog in the 3DS remake and the sequels so I made a little reference to that as well.

It was a long wait for the next chapter but I wanted to take my time on this one so updates will be very slow. Chapters are planned to be about this long. This is possibly the most lengthy chapter I have written with how long it's been worked on.

I do plan to implement Gooigi's creation into this story as well since—during the events of Dark Moon, Gooigi was being worked on.