For some brawlers, walking in the dark was like taking a stroll in the park at noon. However to Ness, Lucas, and Toon, it was like hurrying through the dark woods. Although the three each faced hardships during their journey and are talented in magic and sword fighting, they were still innocent, little children who needed authorities to guide and protect them.

The three child brawlers were sneaking out of Ness's room, where they were having sleepover. It was every kids' dream. They were playing all kinds of games on their hard-earned Wii U, watching kids' cartoons, and constantly snacking on junk food. Even though they were told by the older brawlers to go to bed by ten thirty, the three best friends "accidentally" lost track of time.

During their sleepover, they ran out of Lon Lon Milk. Toon was asked to sneak into the kitchen and receive a carton of milk. Despite being one of the two Wielders of the Triforce of Courage (The other being his older brother Link.), Toon refused to go downstairs alone. To him, it was like exploring the dreaded Water Temple without a map. A bit hesitant, Lucas and Ness agreed to come along with him.

"Guys, just because I wield the Triforce of Courage does not mean I'm not afraid of everything." Toon whispered to his pals as they crept down the shadowy hallways.

"I know now." Lucas shakily replied. He feared the dark.

"Let's hurry." Ness said nervously. "The sooner we get the milk, the sooner we can get back to our room!"

A loud snore from one of the rooms caused the kids to jump.

"Was that the boogeyman?!" Lucas silently shrieked in fright.

"Nah." Ness cooly answered. "I think that was Ike!"

"Or Bowser!" Toon added with a smirk.

"No, that's wrong!" Ness joked. "It must be Princess Peach!"

The three kids began to giggle hysterically at Ness's joke and quickly stopped.

"Let's go, guys!" Lucas softly whispered. "We might wake someone up!"

Ness, Lucas, and Toon carefully tip-toed through the hallway and stealthily stepped down the stairs, which creaked with every step. Finally, they were at the foyer. The night lights, sofas, and lamps created disfigured shadows on the walls.

"We're almost there!" Toon whispered, trying to keep the spirit up.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling someone is watching us..." Lucas spoke shakily, peering around his dark surroundings.

"Nah, it's just your imagination!" Ness replied with a weak grin.

All of a sudden, there was a hair-rising creak from the stairs. The sudden noise made the startled kids jump in shock. What was that?! They anxiously peered up at the stairs and saw nothing.

"Did you hear that?!" Lucas asked unevenly. "If no, then it must be my imagination!"

"I heard it too!" Toon replied with surprised wide eyes.

"Let's ignore it and get the milk!" Ness impatiently said.

The three hurried into the kitchen. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of wide, eerie eyes was watching them from the staircase.

In the kitchen, Ness opened the refrigerator and quickly took a carton of Lon Lon Milk. Toon kept a sharp eye on his mysterious surroundings. His tingling sixth sense was warning him of something ominous lurking in the shadows. Lucas looked out of the window at the backyard, trying to keep calm.

"I got it!" Ness exclaimed, holding the carton of milk. "Let's get out of here!"

A small noise coming from the backyard caught Toon's pointy ears. "Guys! I-I hear something!"

"What was it?" Ness asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know!" Toon answered. "It came from the backyard!"

Lucas, who was looking out the window, saw a dark figure shoving something encased in a wooden box across the backyard. "G-Guys! Look at that!" he shakily whispered, pointing at the figure.

Toon and Ness hurried towards the window and gasped in fright. "What is that?!" Toon hissed fearfully.

"I don't know!" Ness answered nervously.

"A-A-Are you s-s-sure it isn't R-R-Roy or R-Red?" Lucas asked apprehensively. "M-M-Maybe—"

"It can't be Roy or Red!" Ness replied, keeping his eye on the figure. "It's too short! Also... It has something on its back!"

"T-TToon, what d-do you t-t-think it is?" Lucas asked softly.

Toon identified the object with his sharp Hylian eyes, which widened in fright. "I think it is an ax!"

Ness and Lucas gasped in horror. "An ax?!"

"Yep, an ax." Toon nodded yes.

"It must b-be a s-s-serial k-killer!" Lucas whimpered.

"Let's get out of here before that thing sees us!" Ness whispered.

The three scurried out of the kitchen, hurried up the stairs, and dashed down the hallway. What was that?! Why was it at the Smash Mansion?! Were the other brawlers alright? Well, they did not hear any screams for help, so that meant that no one was killed.

When Ness, Lucas, and Toon arrived back at Ness's room, they were in for a horrible surprise. Ness dropped the carton of milk in shock. Their delicious snacks and precious Wii U had vanished into thin air. The TV screen was fizzing with black and white dots. The blankets on Ness's bed were piled on Toon's and Lucas's sleeping bags. The wind ghostly blew freezing air into the room. The window was wide open, showing the gazing full moon. Completely petrified and confused, Ness, Lucas, and Toon hysterically screamed in horror.

All of the lights in the mansions immediately flicked on. Link, whose room was the closest to Ness's room, was the first to arrive at the scene. He was clad in forest green pajamas and was barefooted. His blond hair, which was normally parted on the left, was ruffled and a bit tangled. His alert pointy ears were perked up in anxiety. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"O-O-Our W-Wii U g-g-g-got stolen!" Lucas managed to stutter out.

Giving a small nod to the kids, Link entered Ness's room and began to look around for clues. Ike, Marth, and Princess Zelda were the next witnesses. Princess Zelda was wearing a purple silk nightgown. She carefully checked for any strange signs lurking in the hallway. No, there was nothing suspicious.

Ike was wearing a black T-shirt and boxers. He went into Ness's room and asked, "Hey Link, did you find anything?"

"Nothing, for now." Link answered as he looked in the closet.

Marth kneeled down in front of the kids and gave them a warm hug. "Don't worry, everything fine." he gently said, soothing the three children, who snuggled against his blue shirt.

Mario and Luigi arrived at the scene. The two wore similar pajamas, only that Mario's was red and Luigi's was green. "Mama mia!" Mario exclaimed worriedly. "Is-a everyone okay?"

"We're fine." Ness answered, forcing a small smile. "We went downstairs to get some milk. When we returned, our Wii U and snacks got stolen!"

"The culprit must've escaped through the window." Toon added. "S-Scary!"

"Did you see or hear anything when you were downstairs?" Princess Zelda asked calmly, looking at the three kids.

"When we were in the kitchen, I heard a noise from the backyard!" Toon responded.

"We looked out the window and saw a figure with an ax pushing a box across the yard!" Lucas tightly grasped Marth's arm in fright.

"I assume that it's a serial killer." Ness added, his voice shaking slightly.

"Mama mia!" Luigi cried out. He began to tremble wildly. "You might-a be right!"

"It can't be." Toon replied. "If it was a serial killer, then we would had heard screaming for help!"

"Besides, we are brawlers." Marth added with a soft grin. "Only a baka would mess with us!"

"Unless if he was very tough!" Ike remarked with a smug smirk. Marth glanced at Ike with a comical scowl before returning to his calm state. "Kids, don't worry." Ike said to Lucas, Ness, and Toon. "We will always be there to protect you."

"T-Thank you, Ike." the three replied.

Link looked back at the others. "I can't find any evidence on who might be the culprit."

"It must be Wario!" Ness spoke. He glared at his two friends with a greedy gleam, resembling the selfish plumber. "He loves to steal precious things from the other brawlers! Also, he loves to eat!"

"Or Ganondork!" Toon added, scowling like the Gerudo King.

"I had a feeling Wolf or Bowser did it." Lucas said quietly. "Wolf is good with technology like Fox and Falco, and Bowser eats a lot!"

"Now, children." Princess Zelda spoke gently. "We should not jump to conclusions."

"But Wario, Ganondorf, Wolf, and Bowser are mean people!" Lucas innocently piped up.

"If the culprit was Bowser, would he be able to fit through the window?" Princess Zelda asked, pointing at the open window.

"Err, no." Lucas answered, his face turning red in embarrassment.

"Tomorrow, I'll-a let Master Hand know-a of this incident." Mario said. "He'll let-a everyone know and-a we can start a search-a for the Wii U. Don't-a worry, we'll find it-a soon!"

"What about the killer with the ax?" Ness asked.

"Ha!" Marth shouted out, sounding a bit cocky. "If it breaks into the mansion, we will handle it!" The Altean Prince gave three kids one more hug before letting them go and standing up. "Er, I'm tired." Marth yawned sleepily. "I'm going back to bed... Goodnight, minna."

The other brawlers watched Marth return to his room. "Goodnight, Marth."

"I'm going to check to see if anything else is stolen." Princess Zelda spoke up. "Does anyone want to come with me?"

"I'll come." Ike volunteered. "After being woken up like that, I can't go back to sleep!"

"Hey!" Ness exclaimed, feeling a bit offended.

"I will-a help you!" Mario said with a smile. He turned to Luigi. "Luigi, you-a going to help-a too!"

"No way, Mario!" Luigi replied, beginning to feel scared.

"Don't-a worry!" Mario encouraged. "Besides, you-a rescued me from-a King Boo by-a yourself, so you-a should be fine!"

"Ok..." Luigi sighed hesitantly.

Princess Zelda, Ike, Mario, and Luigi left the scene to check the whole mansion. Link, who was still in Ness's room, closed the window and shut the TV off. "It's really late." he said to Lucas, Ness, and Toon. "You guys should get some sleep."

"Link, is it alright if we could sleep with you?" Toon requested, hoping that the Hylian would not say no.

"That thing outside in the backyard really scared us!" Lucas added frightfully.

"Please?" Ness begged.

It only took Link one second to think of an answer. "Sure! I'll be happy to do so!"

Link allowed Toon, Ness, and Lucas to share his bed. It was awfully large, so there was enough room. The three children huddled against Link as he pulled the warm covers up.

"Link, if the killer appeared in your room, what will you do?" Toon whispered quietly.

"I'll defend all three of you, even if it costs my life." Link vowed. He suddenly thought of something. "Also, can you three keep a promise?"

"What is it?" Ness asked.

"Promise me that you'll stop watching these horror movies." Link answered with a mischievous smirk, causing the children to giggle. "I think it's coming to your head!"

"We will." Lucas yawned.

Link watched Ness, Lucas, and Toon fall asleep one by one. With small smile, he turned off the lights. Link loved to be with children. Before lying his head on the pillow, he looked out the window and jumped a bit. He saw a black figure standing in the backyard. Suspicious and feeling protective, Link slowly moved to take a closer look at the stranger.

"What's wrong, Link?" Toon asked, opening his sleepy cat-like eyes. The smaller Hylian was the closest to Link.

Link took a quick look at Toon and looked out the window again. Mysteriously, the figure vanished into the night.

"Link?" Toon curiously asked.

"It's nothing, Toon." Link answered, thinking that his eyes were playing tricks on him. "Just go to sleep."

Toon shut his heavy eyes and drifted to sleep. Wrapping his arms protectively around the three kids, Link laid his head in the soft pillow and allowed his consciousness to enter the dream world.

Author's Notes: Kids, you're barking up the wrong tree! The Hands did it!

I mentioned that I might post a chapter Link/Villager fanfic in "Blue Pawn", so here it is! How often I update this story depends on the feedback I get. I will work on Blue Pawn, it is just that I am having a hard time thinking what should happen next. Also, there is a slight change in the storyline. The poll said Link will try to convince the brawlers that the villager isn't what he seems. It will be a bit different. (I'm not telling how! I don't want to spoil the story!)

Story Question:

Just tell me what you think of the story so far and suggestions. XD

**I don't own SSB