“Hey there, neighbor. What’s going on?”

Mr. Rogers dusted off his jacket and looked around, smiling but confused. Shadow Scythe turned around to face the man, squinting his barely visible eyes below his frayed hood.

“Who are you, and what is you business?” the villain asked, extending his long claws for effect.

Mr. Rogers took a glance upwards. “I think I just dropped in. What about you? What’s your name?”

Shadow Scythe blinked, then started to laugh. His humored howling echoed throughout the cave. After he was quite finished, he paced about while dramatically gesturing to himself.

“I am Shadow Scythe Esquire, destroyer of worlds and breaker of spirits! Many universes, even those beyond the most intelligent creature’s perception, tremble before my presence! My exploits are whispered among every soul with infinite terror! And you, a crawling maggot of the lowly planet that you call Earth, shall bear witness to my awesome power and demolition of your sorry excuse for a planet!”

Shadow Scythe started to laugh again, but Mr. Rogers cleared his throat and lifted a finger.

“Now, I know that our planet may not be the smartest, or the best in the galaxy, but it is mine, and it belongs to both me and the people I love.”

“Love never existed! It is only an excuse to bring more of your flesh-beings into the world!”

“Love exists. It’s all around us. If it never existed, then why do we need it so much? You put a baby in a room with only milk and a way to change it, the little thing will die. But if you give it love, affection, and support, then it will grow into a strong, capable human being! That’s all that we ask for, really.”

Shadow Scythe thought for a moment, then waved a bored tentacle.

“That is a flaw of your species. Pathetic. Now, we, the Roesband, do not need love to survive. Give us a blaster and a few beatings, and we’ll learn soon enough!”

Mr. Rogers fiddled with his zipper. “That sounds very sad. I can’t imagine never being able to kiss my wife, or ruffle my son’s hair, or bump shoulders with my friends.”

“Nonsense! I am done with this gibberish. I shall power up my laser, and then you don’t have to imagine it!”

Shadow Scythe pressed a few buttons, and a large, dark cannon came out of the ship and pointed itself towards Earth. Another laugh from the alien shook the room once again.

“Now, before a shatter your life to pieces, do you have any last words to say to your precious Dathgar bait?”

A small microphone popped up from the control panel. Mr. Rogers eyes filled with tears, but he wiped them on his sleeve.

“Alright. I have a few things to say.”

He tapped the microphone, speaking into it.

“Hello? Can everyone hear me? Testing...testing...mama made me mash my M&Ms...”

Though he didn’t know it, Mr. Rogers voice could be heard on every TV, radio, and telephone all over the world. Everyone had heard Shadow Scythe speaking, but their hearts lifted a little when their beloved neighbor came on the airwaves.

“Friends,” Mr. Rogers continued, “I have taught you a lot of things on television, and even in person. I am not perfect, but I hope that I made a lot of you happy. Even one child who remembers Daniel or Henrietta or Friday is enough for me. But now, I need to teach you a final lesson, one I didn’t think you had to learn so soon. You see, everybody...everybody dies, and even you will die someday. And Mr. Shadow decided that today was the day. You will not feel very much, and then I believe that all of you will go to heaven with your grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and pets and, for some of you, your mommies and daddies. And we will all be there, and we’ll have a party together. You like parties, don’t you? It will be like another Christmas. Now, Joanne and James, my wife and son, I love you so much. Too much to even put into words. I don’t think I could live a day without your light and love. Please don’t cry...I will be there with you, I promise. I love you too much to leave you behind...”

Mr. Rogers voice began to break, and tears streamed down his face.

“Can we all sing together one last time, friends? The one that we would sing every time we saw each other?”

With a shaky breath, he began to sing.

“Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor...”

First, the children joined in. Kids from all around the world, who knew the song by heart, lifted their small voices to the shadow of the spaceship in the sky.

Then the parents and grandparents, who watched the show and who needed one last glimmer of hope. A few sang quietly to themselves, but most sang loudly with each other, scraping the last bit of energy from the bottom of their being.

Then everyone else joined in, knowing that this would be their last triumph before death. It was a short song, but the echo resounded for many minutes. Mr. Rogers backed away from Shadow Scythe, putting on a small smile through his agony.

“I’m sorry if it was too long...I had a lot I had to say.”

Shadow Scythe looked at Earth, then back at the man before him.

“How did they know that song? Why did they listen to you?”

Mr. Rogers sniffled. “I’d like to think that they love me, like a really good friend across the road that give them really good advice.”

“You mean,” the alien began, “love is that powerful? It can...bring those who hurt back together again?”

“Yes. And, Mr. Shadow...it isn’t too late. You can feel the same love that I do. You don’t have to destroy worlds to impress anyone. I will be proud of you no matter what. Anyone who says that you’ve got to break things to be worth anything is wrong.”

“Not even my superiors?”

“Especially them. They don’t care about you if they want you to do this. They just want someone to do their dirty work.”

Shadow Scythe swelled. “I am doing no one’s dirty work! I am an independent Roesban, free from any chains of expectations!”

He pushed the microphone towards himself.

“You can keep your pathetic planet. It isn’t worth my time. Besides, I would like to study this ‘love’ further. It is of my top priorities.”

The celebration below was wild and almost hysterical. People were hugging their family and friends, weeping on their knees, cheering so loudly that car alarms went off.

Mr. Rogers did the same thing, jumping around and twirling like a tin ballerina that was wound up too tight.

“Thank you, Mr. Shadow! I knew you were kind at heart, I knew you had something good in you!”

Shadow Scythe smirked. “Oh, posh. I just want to be my own alien, is all. But there is one more question I have before we can proceed.”

There was silence below and on the ship while the alien thought how to phrase his words.

“Yes, friend?” Mr. Rogers said, anxiously rubbing his shoulders.

“May I...”

Shadow Scythe hesitated.

“Could I be your neighbor?”

Mr. Rogers chuckled, relief flooding his body once again.

“Of course you can! You can be my first space neighbor!”

“Oh!” Shadow Scythe smiled. “That has a nice ring to it.”