A Nutcracker and the Beast

Chapter 13: Nightmare

"UNGRATEFUL LITTLE DOLL!" King Boo yelled as he threw Luigi against the wall. Luigi groaned in pain as he got up, making himself smaller as he looked up at King Boo, who was going on a rampage. Luigi has never seen King Boo this mad before- mischievous or cruel but never mad.

"I-I-I just want to go home...I-"

"Silence!" King Boo yelled, grabbing the Dark Moon and squeezing it. This made Luigi bend over as his chest started to hurt, making it hard to breathe, to speak. "This is your home! How dare you try to leave it! And to go to that old man for help!"

"Y-you had... he turns to...stone," Luigi said, gasping for air, tears in his eyes, "This... isn't home...."

King Boo hissed at his words. He raised the Dark Moon in the air, slamming it against a table, making it crack slightly. Luigi felt his heart stop briefly, as did all his senses. He felt like something ripped his soul in half as an unbearable pain came crashing over his body. It was worse than when he transformed, it was worse than when he lost his leg, and it was far worse than he imagined. He had heard the expression of a slow and painful death, but he never imagined this feeling of coldness that passed him as he let out a silent scream. He thought he was deaf at that moment, but it was just his voice, unable to let out the pure agony that he was feeling. He was glad he was already on the floor since he would be on his hands and knees crying out from the pain, bagging King Boo to stop.

"Look at what you made me do, Luigi. YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF!" King Boo said, getting closer to him. King Boo pushed Luigi up against the wall, forcing him to look at him as he cried. "Why did you make me do it, my beloved Nutcracker?"

"King Boo..." Luigi cried in fear and saw his next mistake as King Boo got even angrier at his own name. He didn't wait as he slammed the Dark Moon next to Luigi's head on the crack. Luigi's eyes went wide as he felt the same pain again, as he lost his breath. He started to shake, wanting to dig into King Boo's arm, but it didn't work.

"Where are your manners?" King Boo hissed; he wanted Luigi to listen to the rules he had engraved on Luigi's mind over the last year.

"I-I'm sorry...so sorry-" Luigi sobbed, forcing those sick words out, "m-my king." King Boo let him fall to the ground, turning away from Luigi. He floated to the door, tugging on the Dark Moon to let Luigi know to follow him. Luigi was having a hard time getting up, and he was lucky that King Boo knew that he wasn't going to get up right away. When Luigi did get up and slowly move next to King Boo, the pain was lighter but lingered as King Boo started to move. They walk in silence, ghosts leaving the hall as they pass. Luigi spots Melody; she mouths sorry before leaving, her own fear on her face. Luigi wondered what King Boo would do with him now; until now, he had just been locked up in the mansion, roaming around and being a punching bag for the ghost. What will happen to him now that he's pissed off King Boo?

He didn't have to wait long to find out as he saw two massive doors in front of him. When King Boo opened the doors, Luigi had to step back as it was nothing but a pitch-black room; Luigi was very much afraid of pure darkness. King Boo enters, slowly lighting it in the wretched excuse of so-called light. Luigi's body told him to run, and he wanted to listen, but the Dark Moon said otherwise. His body moves forward, and he mutters to stop and listen to himself.

Once in the room, the door shut, disappearing to show only a room with pillars with small lights, no windows, and a cage in the middle. Luigi backed up till he hit the wall. Luigi had a good idea about what King Boo was doing, and he wasn't going to stay.

"HELP!" Luigi cried, banging on the walls, hoping any of his ghost friends would come to help him.

"No one's coming, Luigi." King Boo said as he floated behind Luigi, "You broke my trust, and now this will be your new room. Your new home."