Okay, guys. Per-usual, I've decided to make a Holiday Exclusive story, though it's a little different from my usual haunted mansion, but not by much. And no, this is not open to continuation, so please don't ask for it. Anyway, I've decided to go a different route and instead of using the Zelda universe, I've decided to use the Smash Brothers multiverse (God help me).

I'd like to apologize in advance for any mistakes to any video game series I include in here as I've obviously never played all of them or have only dabbled in them. Thanks for understanding and I hope you enjoy.

I do NOT own any of the video game series mentioned.

(By the way, the Duck Hunt dog's actual name, as confirmed by the creator, is Mr. Peepers, so that's what he will be referred to as.)

Halloween was a very strange holiday. At least… to a certain Hylian it was.

Link sighed, fingering the edges of his "costume." He had a hard time picturing the eccentric holiday when he first arrived in the Smash Mansion all those years ago during the first tournament, but as a returning veteran fighter, he had gotten used to it and found that he quite enjoyed the strangeness of it all.

It was unlike anything he had experienced in Hyrule as it was not commonly celebrated. It was slowly being integrated, however, once Zelda determined it a cultural advance that her people must be able to indulge in. So Link was slowly becoming more accustomed to seeing the tell-tale signs of the holiday in question.

He watched with mild interest as his parallel-self, being much younger than his nineteen years, ran around gleefully with Ness and Lucas, all dressed in costume. Pikachu and Mr. Peepers—the Duck Hunt dog—with his duck followed closely behind. "Arrg!" Toon Link shouted, raising his fake cutlass into the air. "Come, ye scurvy dogs! We sail to calmer seas to raid and plunder for," the boy snickered, "booty."

Ness, Lucas, and—obviously—Mr. Peepers snickered alongside the younger, pirate-dressed Link, saluting. "Aye, aye, Captain!" the cried, following after him. Pikachu simply cocked his head to the side, his ears wiggling before slowly trailing behind the small group.

Link shook his head fondly, smiling softly.

"Oi, Link!"

The Hylian turned his head and was greeted by his new friend Shulk. The young Hom had various mechanical parts, what Link could only guess were from the Mechon the inventor fought often, strategically placed around his body. "Good evening," the Hylian returned, addressing Shulk.

"Are you excited for the party?" Shulk asked, patting Link on the shoulder. The young Hom looked the Hylian up and down, accessing his costume. "What are you supposed to be?"

Link scratched the back of his neck, the furry ears atop his head twitching in embarrassment. He'd managed a half-transformation with the help of some shadow magic and was left with wolf ears, a tail, and claws. "A werewolf," he said, almost questioningly.

Shulk frowned. "You're so cheating. With that getup, you'll wind up the winner of the costume contest for sure, you big cheater!"

Link's face twisted into irritation. "How am I cheating? I'm using what is at my disposal, the same as you!"

"Ah, no," the Hom interjected. "I've used what was at my disposal and built my costume." The Monado-wielder motioned to the gears, bolts, and wires—among the various parts—proud of his work. "As you can see I put time into my costume. You, on the other hand, have literally morphed into yours."

"And what, pray tell are you anyway?"

Shulk smirked, striking a rather stiff and ill-practiced pose. "I'm a cyborg." The whites of his eyes were replaced by an endless black contact, making his blue-green iris stand out that much more in contrast. A similar blue-green light ran throughout Shulk's costume, giving it an automated glow.

A smug grin replaced the usually calm Hylian's features. "Are you sure you didn't dress up as the washing machine."

"Oi!"

The sound of clicking heels caught the two boys attention, their heads turning towards the source. It was Bayonetta, one of the competition's newer members. The Umbra witch was dressed as a police officer, the skirt dangerously—not so much short as it was—tight. She twirled a pair of handcuffs around her finger, a lollipop perched between her red-glossed lips. "Now, now, boys," she said in a singsong voice. "Don't make me cuff you. Although, I don't think I would mind it." She danced behind them, the boys stiff, till she pressed herself up against Link's back, a finger trailing down his chest. "As a matter of fact, I would be most eager in seeing my favorite elf all… tied up like a dog."

Gulping slightly, Link took a shuddering breath. "Bayonetta, how many times must I tell you that I am a Hylian and not an elf."

The witch giggled mischievously, blowing on Link's furry ear, making it twitch. "Matters not to me," she said. "You are all from the same roots directing back to the Fae." Bayonetta took a step back, her gun-bearing heels clacking against the marble, both hands on her hips and close to one of her pair of guns. "If anyone is going to be winning a contest for fashion," she said, redirecting the conversation back, "it's going to be moi." And with that, Bayonetta tipped her officer's hat and sashayed off towards the ballroom.

Releasing a breath, Link shook his head. Confrontation with Bayonetta were often… dizzying to say the least. She was confusing more than anything, and while she was a very attractive woman, Link held no interest in her. She was merely a baffling and strange friend.

Turning to Shulk, who had been silent for the entirety of the meeting, Link nearly heaved over in laughter at the red and blushing Hom. The cyborg-dressed boy could have rivaled lava with the color and heat being emitted from him. "Was she too much for you? I forgot you two hadn't properly been introduced yet. She's quite different, isn't she."

Shulk could only nod, not trusting his voice to speak.

Link let out an airy chuckle. "Well, then. Shall we follow suit and head towards the party?" Receiving another nod, the two were off.

The party was already in full swing by the time they got there. Creepy decorations hung from the walls, illuminated by flashing lights. The buffet table had a plethora of eerie treats ranging from creatively gross-looking candies and snacks to more of the normal delicacies. Link was sure he even saw fake eyeballs in the punch.

"There you both are!" Zelda exclaimed, sauntering up to them. In exchange for her usual royal garb, Zelda had opted for a more vampire-esque look, fangs and all, though her diadem remained. "The party's already started."

Link scoffed. "That much is obvious Zel. What's got you so worked up?" he asked his sister-like figure.

The princess took a deep breath and huffed. "I'm anxious, I guess," she answered. "I'm really curious to see who the host of the party is."

That was the difference between this year and rest. While people usually had individual parties with friends, a mysterious invite had been sent out to each resident of the mansion. The invite was to the very party they were at, though no one knew who sent it. The host would be revealed at midnight, according to the invite.

"I must admit," commented Shulk, "I'm a bit curious myself."

Link shrugged. "We'll find out soon enough, one way or another. Until then, we should enjoy the party and keep our wits about us."

The group carried on with the plan, separating to enjoy the party at their own pace. Link meandered around the event, talking with various people, though they did most of the talking. Nevertheless, he was content with listening and observing. He found great delight in listening to Pit's tales of his adventures in Skyworld. It wasn't long after that Bayonetta joined them, mercilessly teasing Pit and his counterpart about how she often hunted a different form of angels. She whispered in their ears all the tortures she performed on them and how she had a select few saved for the pair of angels. With a blush, the two flew away quickly, leaving Link and said witch laughing at their embarrassment.

Shulk had found himself talking with Lady Palutena and Peach, the pair—ironically—dressed like devils. It was strange to see the Goddess of Light and the Mushroom Princess dressed the way they were. Horns were perched on their heads, long pointed tails peeked out from behind their elaborate black and red dresses. When questioned on the choice of their apparel, Palutena smiled and simply said she "wanted a change in perspective." Shulk didn't miss the glint in her eyes.

The two boys later joined back up as the main event—other than the revealing of their host—began to start; the costume contest. Zelda walked on stage, an envelope in her hand. She smiled down at the awaiting and anxious crowd as she tapped on the mic and cleared her throat. "May I have your attention please?" she asked. Holding up the envelop in her hand, Zelda's grin widened. "Here I have the winner of the costume contest. The winner has been selected by our mysterious host who will later reveal themselves when the clock strikes twelve."

The crowd applauded, Link choosing the nothing but observe, looking for anyone who could be the host of the elaborate party. He was much more curious than he cared to admit and a strange feeling was building in his chest.

Zelda began to unfold the envelop. If it was possible, she smiled more. "And the winner is…"

The room suddenly went completely dark. There was a scream and something brushed against Link's ankles, causing him to kick out. Someone grunted. Link widened his stance, throwing his arms out in front of him to defend himself from any attackers. What's going on?! he wondered worriedly.

The lights came back on and murmurs broke out amongst the partygoers. "What on earth happened?" Bayonetta asked, alarming Link as she strolled up beside him. "I surely wasn't expecting to be partying in the dark."

The sound of Pit's cry alerted the crowd, and Link and Shulk rushed to see what was going on. Pit was kneeled in front of a spot on the floor, clutching something in his hand. "L-Lady Palutena," he cried, voice quivering. In the boy's hand was the Goddess of Light's scepter. Pit looked up at him, eye filled with unshed tears. "She's… She's gone… why?"

Link turned to question the people near Pit if they knew anything when he spotted something on stage, the object glinting off the light of the spotlight. Link's eyes widened as he ran to pick up Zelda's diadem, discarded on the floor. "Zelda," he breathed unbelieving. A bell of alarm rang in the young Hylian's head and he turned to do a headcount.

Two others were missing besides Zelda and Palutena, namely Peach and Kirby. "Link!" Shulk yelled to him. He was pointing to where the Hylian had previously stood, a spot of red on the floor. Had he kicked one of the perpetrators earlier, causing them to bleed?

Link headed to the spot and touched the red, cautiously sniffing it on his fingers, using his dulled-down wolf senses. "Blood," he noted. Shulk nodded and handed him something. It was the envelop previously held by Zelda. Instead of a name on the fold, it was a message. Link read it aloud.

"As you may have noticed by now, there are a lack of people in this room. I, your illustrious host, have abducted them. Their lives are now forfeit as yours will be if you are unable to escape the mansion before midnight. All exits are locked and the only key has been hidden in the labyrinthine house in which you stand. To find it means your freedom and your lives. Good luck. Signed, the host."

Ike and Shulk struggled to hold the young Hylian back as he growled at the Gerudo King. Marth stood in front of Link, trying to reason with him. "This is your doing, Ganondorf! Admit it!"

"Link," the prince urged, "listen to reason. Ganondorf was with us the whole time. He wasn't even near any of the people who went missing."

The Hylian growled low, struggling to throw off his friends. "Dammit, Link!" Ike swore. "Would you give it a rest already?!"

Ganondorf crossed his arms, seemingly unbothered by Link's accusations. "It's true, boy. I had no part in this, though I wish I had. However, I know when I have no chance of winning, and I have no desire to be caught in a sea of heroes."

Link calmed, Ike and Shulk releasing him at last. He hated to admit it, but Ganondorf had a point. "Well, if you didn't do it, who did?"

Ah, but that was the question to be asked. Everyone looked around, suspicious of enemies and friends alike. Until they knew who abducted and possibly killed their friends, everyone was a suspect. Everyone was at risk, in more ways than one.

Marth looked over to the young Hom who stared down at the floor, his fingers on his chin, in deep thought. "What are you thinking, Shulk?" he asked the boy.

The blonde hummed. "Why didn't I receive a vision of this disaster? That's usually what my visions consist of; danger, so where was this one?"

"What do you suggest we do?"

"I recommend that we all stay in respective groups, so that we have a better chance at survival. At least until my visions return, so that I'll know where the next attack will be. We'd be better equipped to watch each other's backs. We should go ahead and make the ballroom a base of operations, so to speak, as well."

The others nodded, agreeing to the genius Hom's plan, and set to work establishing groups and watches. They needed to be ready for whenever the host would strike next, lest they be caught off guard.

Teams were made and watch shifts were issued. There was no way they would be caught unprepared. Now they could safely search for the key out of the mansion and possibly the person trying to kill them.

"Okay, everyone. We have to find the main door's key. Our first target is our rooms, but remember to stay in your groups. Do not be caught alone at all costs," Shulk instructed, becoming the strategic mastermind behind the operation. "If you run into any trouble do not engage, call for help first."

Captain Falcon scoffed stubbornly. "This is pointless," he said. "I can easily find this guy and take him out with my Falcon Punch! We shouldn't even need to find this key..."

"Oh, yeah, that will definitely get the job done," Samus drawled sarcastically. "And with not finding the key, we can just stay in here forever! That's a great plan!"

The racer harrumphed and turned back to his group consisting of Wii Fit Trainer and Greninja. The two, masters of the calm, were the perfect partners to keep Captain Falcon calm and collected through meditation and the occasional soak down.

Most of the others were placed in teams that would complement them and each other, as devised by Shulk and Link.

"Anyway, let's get to work," the Hom said.

Having heard Shulk's declaration, Link wrapped up his talk with his parallel-self, rubbing his head affectionately. "Be safe," he told the boy. The Hylian then turned the aura sensing Pokémon Lucario. "Take care of him for me." The blue jackal-like Pokémon grunted and nodded in affirmation, making a silent promise. Link knew Toon Link would be safe with him. Lucario's protective instincts would make sure of that. Turning to Shulk, Link smiled softly. "I'm ready."

The two boys hurried off to the boys' dorms, Bayonetta hurrying after them. As she joined them, she wrapped her arms around their shoulder, sticking herself in between them. "So, boys," she began, "how do we go about finding this key?"

Shulk shrugged. "I suppose we just go about searching the whole room."

Bayonetta let out a haughty laugh. "Please, you forget I'm a witch. I can simply, well, analyze the room, for the lack of a better word."

Shulk's eyes widened in realization. "You can, can't you? That'll make searching so much more efficient! Brilliant!"

The Umbra Witch purred as she moved to wrap her arms around Link fully. "Now that we've established that, why don't we go to your room and search for other things?" she suggested, trailing a manicured finger down the Hylian's chest.

Link sighed, grasping the witch's hand gently. "Sorry," he said, patting the appendage. "The only interest I have in you is purely platonic."

"Glad we're on the same page!" Bayonetta chirped, tapping Link's nose. "I just adore teasing you!"

"You mean, you do all this for the fun of it?" Shulk questioned.

"Why do anything that's not fun?"

"Hmm. Anyway, let's start with my room, then we'll move to Link's, and yours will be last, Bayonetta," Shulk said. "Come on."

Following through with the plan, the three searched the Hom's room and then moved on to Link's, having found nothing there. As Link unlocked the door, Bayonetta gave the room an analytical look. "Well, I don't really see the point of even coming here. Link keeps this room so bare that nothing here can even be considered hidden." She ran her finger across the only dresser in the room. "Not a lick of dust too. Even dust bunnies would have a hard time hiding here." The witch began to look through the drawers and the closet. Bayonetta shifted through the minimal clothes. "Link, where are all your clothes?"

The Hylian shrugged. "Never found a use for a lot of clothes. I usually stick to three or four outfits. I don't exactly have the opportunity to change often. I'm lucky if I can get a bath."

Shulk's face scrunched up in disgust. "Link," he laughed.

"What?" Link questioned, not seeing the problem. "When you're off traversing the country, hygiene doesn't become priority one. I'd like to have those privileges, but… yeah."

"Well, what about—"

The room suddenly went dark and the group immediately went back to back. They remained quiet, listening for any other people in the room other than themselves. Hearing nothing, Shulk allowed himself to relax slightly, though he decided to activate the Monado anyway, its glowing blade casting a faint light around the room.

"Did the power go out, or—"

A soft scratching on Link's door interrupted the Hom, making him tense. Link lifted his finger to his lips in a shushing manner before pulling his lantern from his Pocket of Holding and lighting it. He walked slowly to the door, nodding to his friends before slowly easing it open. "Pikachu?" Link asked in surprised.

The little Pokémon pulled at Link's pant leg desperately. "Pika! Pika pi!"

"I don't understand," Shulk admitted. "What does he want?"

"To follow him," Link answered, his furry ear twitching with each sound the mouse Pokémon made. "Let's go!" The half-wolf followed the mouse, hot on his tail, his friends following him in turn. The ran through the halls at a frantic pace. Seeing the Pokémon here by itself pegged the question, however, of where was the rest of the group.

Finally skidding to a halt, the three were met with a horrifying sight. Caught in what appeared to be a huge claw coming up from the floor were Pit and Samus. The bounty huntress was collapsed on the ground, her leg at an awkward angle. Pit barely held off the gaping jaws of the trap with his bow. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"What happened?" Shulk questioned.

"We were heading to my room, and I… grew careless," Samus explained rather calmly. "The floors lined with traps. I tripped one and broke my leg and tripped another in the fall. Pit jumped in the save me."

"Yeah," the angel agreed, grunting in exertion. "And now he's growing really tired. So help would be great… anytime!"

Link's eyes focused on Pit's bow, noticing how it was giving way, threatening to separate into two duel weapons at its center. If it did… the Hylian didn't want to think of that. "Bayonetta, can you get over there?"

The witch shook her head. "The hall is too narrow to fly across, and there's no moonlight to activate my gravity magic. I could use my witch time, but I'd risk setting off multiple traps, dooming us all."

"Shulk?"

"Sorry."

An idea suddenly came to Link. Pulling out the clawshot, he aimed it at Samus. "This might hurt." Releasing the grabbing claw, it latched on to the bounty huntress's arm and pulled her over the booby trapped floor, just fast enough to avoid activating anything. She was safe!

However…

Just as Link launched his tool a second time, Pit's bow finally gave out and the trap snapped shut, the angel's cries echoing from within. All that were left were a few white feathers pinched in the trap's jaws and a crimson liquid oozing out. Their focus divided, the three were surprised as Samus and Pikachu began to scream from behind them. They turned in time to see a shadowy mass drag them down below into eternal darkness.

They stood in horror and shock at the events that occurred, shuddering in fear as more screams ripped through the air from various directions. Others seemed to have met similar fates…

"What do we do?" Bayonetta asked, soft and meek, totally unlike her personality.

Link looked down in shame. "I don't know."

For the first time in a long time, the Hylian didn't know what to feel or do. The only thing that came to his mind was to call everyone back to the ballroom, so he did. When everyone arrived, Link couldn't believe just how little of them were left. Out of fifty-two fighters… only twenty-one remained.

The air grew somber as this realization hit everyone. They were few and far between. And it was painfully obvious that it wasn't hard for the host to get rid of the others, who's to say they wouldn't all just disappear in the next few moments.

Bayonetta approached Link confidently, holding out a shish kabob from the buffet table along with a glass of punch. "You need to eat, Link," she said, the rare and serious side of her showing. "Our great and noble hero has to keep up his strength."

Link scoffed, rubbing his forehead in irritation. "Leader? Please… I'm not worthy to lead anyone. I couldn't do anything to save my friends… any of them. So how can I lead the survivors out of this? Shulk is more suited to lead."

"He doesn't seem to agree." Handing the Hylian the food, Bayonetta sat beside him. "Now eat before I force feed you."

Taking a bite from a piece of meat, Link met Bayonetta's icy blue eyes with his own. "So what do we do now?"

Bayonetta caressed his cheek before tapping his nose. "We move on and survive. We have a duty to not only the people that died here, but to the people who remain as well. We have a duty to protect and get them out of here."

Link smiled. "Yeah."

It was then that the scent of blood drifted into Link's nose, burning his nostrils and setting him on edge. It was barely detectable, but it was there. More than that, Link could smell himself mixed into this blood as well. Standing up, Link returned the food to Bayonetta's hand and began sniffing out the smell of blood. He followed the trail across the ballroom, bobbing and weaving in between people. The trail led to Fox McCloud.

Link growled deep in his throat. "Fox!" he snapped. His eyes narrowed in on the blood stained on Fox's fur at his neck. "What is that?"

The Arwing pilot looked down, spotting some of the blood on his collar. He was at a loss for words.

"My scent is in that blood, and I haven't bled any, so why is there my scent in your blood? Where did it come from?" Link continued. "I happen to recall delivering a blow when the lights went out earlier this evening at the party… was that you?"

No time passed from that statement from when Fox darted off, using his strong legs to run at fairly high speeds. Link followed after him, trailing behind as Fox picked up the pace. As Fox rounded the corner, Link switched to using his nose to follow the anthropomorphic fox. Unfortunately, he followed it all the way to a dead end.

"Damn!" Link swore, pounding his fist on the wall he came to.

It was mere moments later that his friends ran up to him, having finally caught up. "What's going on? What was that about?" Shulk inquired.

"Fox! He abducted the girls! Or… he's helping the host…"

"How can you tell?" Bayonetta wondered.

Link huffed. "During the first power outage, I felt something brush up against me and I struck out. It was Fox I hit. The proof was in his blood."

Shulk took a deep breath, exhaling sharply from through his nose. "Well, Fox is the least of our problems right now. A fight broke out amongst Ike and Ganondorf. Apparently, Ganondorf was talking a bit of trash about you and your, quote unquote, inability to save the day this time. Ahem, his words and not mine, by the way.

"Yeah, okay. Continue."

The Hom cleared his throat. "Anyway, the tussle sparked a bit major conflict. Just about everyone stood up for you besides a select few people, those siding with Ganondorf. Basically, the Smashers threw down, and we went to go get some towels from the kitchen to clean up the mess, and well…"

Bayonetta huffed, annoyed with Shulk's staling. She placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "What Shulk is trying to say is that more Smashers disappeared."

Link's eyes widened. "What?!" Link ran a gloved hand through his hair, tugging at the small ponytail usually hidden under his hat. "How—why—this can't—no—this shouldn't be possible! I haven't even been gone for ten minutes! Not to mention the room was full of trained fighters!"

"I'm not quite sure of what happened myself," Bayonetta confessed. "We were there pretty much there the whole time except when we went to grab some towels, and when we get back, over half were gone."

Shulk shrugged. "On the bright side, Ganondorf was one of the ones taken."

"Who all disappeared?" Link was hesitant to ask.

"Cloud, Roy, Donkey Kong and his mini-me, Ganondorf, Luigi, Mario, Rosalina and her space creature, Lucina, Lucario, and… Toon Link."

The Hylian couldn't stop the tears from welling up in his eyes, though he hid them with his hands. "Oh, Goddesses!" Leaning against the wall, Link slid down, his shoulders shaking from his sobs. "He was just a kid…"

Shulk placed his hand on Link's shoulder. "He probably knew what he was getting into better than anyone. He traversed the seas, traveled with pirates, and took down countless monsters. TL was anything but weak."

Wiping his face, Link sighed, smiling bitterly at Shulk. "Yeah, that's true." His smile turned down. "But that's what has me worried. Not just anyone can take down one of my incarnations. Whoever is behind this must be terrifying."

"Ha! They will be no match for us!" Bayonetta gloated. "I don't know about you boys, but nothing can stop me!"

"That's the idea!" Shulk cheered on the witch. The blonde scientist suddenly grew quite before a gasp escaped from his lips. "I… I'm seeing something! A vision!" Shulk doubled over in pain, clutching his head tightly. He clawed at his hair, trying to relieve the pressure in his skull.

"Shulk!" Link cried. "It's okay! Just relax!"

"It's never hurt this bad before!" Visions of death danced across Shulk's mind. He could see himself on the roof of the mansion, hanging onto the ledge for dear life. There was a shrill scream, and then… he fell. "Agh!"

Bayonetta crouched before the Hom, pulling him into a hug, unsure of what else to do. "What is it? What did you see?"

The boy looked up, blue eyes wide and clouded. "My death… I saw my death…" Shulk shook with fear. He was used to defying his visions and changing his fate, but with what's been happening, even he had his doubts. Turning his head, he buried his face into Bayonetta's costume, seeking solace in the undoubtedly mother-like figure.

"Oh, little one," Bayonetta hushed. She knew that despite what they've been through and how they acted, Link and Shulk were still young. She often had to remind herself of that. Both boys put on brave faces when their destinies were unwillingly thrust upon them, but they were still kids when it came down to it. They shouldn't have had to live the lives they have.

"Hey," Link spoke up, trying to console his friend. "What is it that you always say? 'The future is ours to decide?' Now is no different."

Shulk couldn't withhold the laughter presented at the irony. "And here I was supposed to be consoling you." He rubbed his eyes. "But you're right. I've changed the future before, I can do it again!"

"Yeah!"

Bayonetta let out a laugh. "Now that that is taken care of, we should get back to the ballroom. We shouldn't leave any of them to their own devices, especially if they're having as many mood swings as you two."

"Hey!" Shulk interjected. "It's been a stressful day. Of course we would be prone to mood swings."

Link chortled. "Come on, let's go."

The three friends stared in horror at the emptiness of the ballroom. No one was inside. They were gone. Every last one of them.

"What do we do now?" Link wondered aloud.

Shulk gulped and took a breath. "We stay together. Now so more than ever."

Bayonetta strutted further into the room, examining the scene. "There's no blood," she observed. "Not even struggle marks. Why do you suppose that is?"

"Could they have been taken like Samus and Pikachu were?" Link questioned the witch. "They were sucked up by the shadows."

"No," Shulk shook his head. "Samus was struggling to pull herself out. If the shadows were responsible for this, we would see some sort of a struggle." The science loving Hom went off to another section of the room to hoping to find any other signs of what happened.

Link paced in the center of the room, back and forth, his hand on his chin. "What could have happened to them? It's not like they all just walked out of the room… right?" He turned to Bayonetta, questioning the witch with his piercing gaze.

The Umbra witch shrugged. "At this point, anything seems possible."

The Hylian agreed, nodding absentmindedly. "At any rate, I don't think just staying together is going to help us. There was a bigger group in here that was taken. We should take some initiative and find that key before we go missing next."

"We might have a tad problem concerning that plan," Bayonetta brought up.

"What?"

"Shulk's gone."

"What?!" Link whirled around, looking for the blonde Hom. Shulk was nowhere in sight. "He's the one who suggested we stay together! Where could he have gone?" A soft gasp made Link whip back around only to find that Bayonetta was now missing as well. "Where could she have gone?"

Link turned in circles, looking for his friends. He listened for any sounds of life other than himself. He was all alone.

"Guys?!" he called out. No one answered. "Were they taken?" Link took tentative sniffs, searching for his friends' scents. They indicated that neither one of them had left the room, and yet… they had. Shulk's scent, in particular, led to the far wall by the buffet table before completely disappearing all together. It was like he went through the wall.

An idea came to the Hylian. Mansions and castles alike were notorious for secret passageways. Could this be one? Link began feeling around for a switch of some sort, finding one as a brick gave way. The wall slid open, grinding against the floor. Link wasted no time, running inside in the hopes of finding Shulk.

Link followed the tunnels all throughout the mansion. He used Shulk's scent to lead him through the labyrinth. Eventually, Link found himself in the stairwell going to the roof. Was Shulk up there?

The Hylian burst through the door, panting and exhausted. "Shulk!" he called out frantically. "Shulk, where are you?!" The feeling of dread bubbled up in Link's chest. After Shulk's earlier vision, Link just knew something bad was going to happen.

The sound of singing, peaked the wolf's interest and he began to follow it. Link's head grew fuzzy the closer he got to the source of the singing, but he kept pushing forward. Rounding the roof topper, Link peered through the fog, gasping as he spotted Shulk stumbling towards the edge.

"Shulk! Shulk! What are you doing?!" he panicked.

The Hom looked back at him, his eyes blank and void of emotion. They seemed to glow with an eerie purple light. "H-Help… me," Shulk's voice spoke out, broken and detached. A figure materialized behind him, a fair hand gripping his shoulder. It was a woman, long violet hair floating behind her in the wind. She was the source of the singing and she glared at Link with yellowy eyes, violent intent shining in them. Her hand moved up to Shulk's neck, long and spindly fingers wrapping around it, and she began to squeeze while pulling him back towards the edge of the roof.

"Shulk!" Link screamed, running for his friend. The ghost-like woman hissed, finally throwing the Hom over the edge, disappearing into the fog. Link dived for his friend, gripping his wrist as he kept him from falling. "Shulk! Shulk! Come on, buddy! Snap out of it!"

The Hom shook his head, dazed and confused. "Link?" he inquired. Shulk's gaze drifted down and he panicked. "What the hell?! What am I doing up here?!"

Link pulled up his friend, Shulk's feet trying to fine traction on the side of the house. "I-It was… a ghost…" the Hylian panted. "It's a spirit that's doing all this."

"A-Are you sure? That's scientifically impossible."

Grabbing his friend's shoulders, Link attempted to collect his thoughts. "Shulk, we've seen people get sucked through the floor by shadows and you were hypnotized and nearly died. A spirit is the least improbable thing here."

"Good point," Shulk conceded. They stood up, legs shaking. "So what do we do no—OWW!"

The stones under their feet suddenly caved, and both boys were sent spiraling down a tube. It twisted and looped around itself before dropping straight down. The sounds of screaming echoed throughout the mansion as the boys dropped into the basement. It was dark, and the only thing the boys could hear were their panting. And then…

"Surprise!"

With fear stricken eyes, Link and Shulk looked up into the familiar faces of their friends. "Ze-Zelda?" Link's voice was shaky and quiet.

"I am sooo not feeling this!" Shulk cried, falling backwards in exhaustion.

"How is this possible?" Link looked around the room, spotting everyone that had gone missing. Even Pit was alive and well. The princess reached down and helped Link up. "How are you alive, Zelda?"

Said Hylian laughed chirpily. "Well… Palutena, Peach, and myself were tired of everyone saying that we were weak and useless. We began to wonder what we would be like as the villains, so we set this plan into motion. Some of the Smashers, like Fox, agreed to help."

"So all of this was just a prank… an elaborate hoax?!"

"Pretty much."

Shulk picked himself up off the floor and dusted his clothes off. "How did you manage to do all this? We saw Pit get skewered and Samus and Pikachu were sucked into the floor," he questioned.

Bayonetta approached, emerging from the sea of people, placing a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "It was quite simple, really. The girls rigged all the traps in the house with the distortional warp pads from the transport room. That way, when a trap closed, it would send them here before it killed them. Then Zelda used a bit of magic for the other tricks. Simple."

Shulk blew a huff of air out in exasperation, disturbing his bangs. "That was anything but simple.

The girls giggled. "Why don't we go back up to the ballroom and finish the party? You all have had a long night," Zelda suggested.

The crowd of Smashers proceeded to file out of the basement, heading back up. Link and Shulk followed. "So were we ever really locked in the mansion?" Shulk asked out of the blue.

Zelda shook her head. "Nope. I don't even have the key."

"Figures."

"There's one thing I can't figure out," Link began. "Shulk's visions only come when there's real danger, so why did he see one about him dying if he wasn't in any danger? And how did you create that ghost woman?"

Zelda stopped suddenly. "Ghost woman? We didn't conjure an illusion like that."

"Sure you did. She had long purple hair and yellow eyes. She was leading… Shulk… off the… roof…" Shulk and Link shared a look, a chill racing up their spine. "If you didn't create her, then…"

"Guys, are you still coming?" Bayonetta asked from up ahead, a wicked grin on her face. "We still have a costume contest winner to announce!" The witch turned and continued sashaying up the stairs, Zelda following closely behind.

Link and Shulk were left on the stairs, looking up towards the roof. A ghostly laugh flittered through the air. Shulk turned to the Hylian-wolf. "We shall never speak of this again," he said quickly.

"Agreed."

Well, how was that for a twist ending… or should I say a double twist ending?! If you guys have any questions or just want to talk, leave me a PM.

A review would be nice too.

Speaking of which, please rate and review.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2016!