HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYBODY!!!...Even though this fic doesn't even use alot of Halloween elements. And it's not really THAT Halloweeny...it's just some evil crazy stuff happening in a single day period. Review, though, and enjoy my longest one-shot ever!
PLEASE REVIEW!!!
Several weeks before Halloween, although this fact is not important at all to the story...
It had been by sheer accident that Snake had stumbled across Kirby's carcass. He was practicing some sneaking maneuvers in the gardens outside of Smash Mansion, when he found an odd bulge in the ground. Digging it up, he was horrified to find the horribly mutilated corpse of his pink puffball friend, worms already feeding on the body. Judging from the decomposing, Snake figured the body had been buried about three days or so ago.
The thing that bothered him most, though, was that a huge chunk of Kirby's face was missing, as if something...or someone...had bitten it off. Not wanting to waste any time with such terrible news, he quickly informed the Master Hand, who then held a meeting with the Smashers in the dining hall. Everyone but Kirby(obviously), Bowser, Wario and Captain Olimar were present.
"...Where is Captain Olimar?" Master Hand asked Samus, who sat only three seats from his head chair.
"He's visiting his wife and kid back at his home planet. He said he's be back by the end of this week..." Samus explained nonchalantly.
Master Hand then said, "I see. And what about King Koopa and Wario?"
"Who gives a damn about either of those two perverted bastards?!" Samus snapped, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.
An awkward silence filled the whole room.
"So...Kirby is...Kirby is...he's dead?" Lucas asked meekly, breaking the silence. He and Kirby had been good friends, and the news hit him hard.
"That's what I've been told," Master Hand remarked, and then he nodded to Snake.
"Yeah," Snake explained, "It seems he had been buried out in the garden for over three days now. A huge chunk of his face was missing...it was hard to look at, even for someone like me..."
"...Three...three days? Are you serious...?" Samus exclaimed, standing up.
"Yeah. What of it?"
Samus had a look of both confusion and horror on her face. "But...But I saw Kirby yesterday, sitting in the kitchen, stuffing himself with sweets as usual!"
Snake thought about it. "Are you sure-"
"You're telling me he's been dead for three days...then who the hell did I see? No one else looks like that annoying little pink son of a bitch! Are you sure it was Kirby?!"
"YES! OF COURSE I'M SURE!"
Suddenly, Fox stood up as well. "You know...I saw Kirby too! Two days ago, actually! I walked by him in the hall. I said hello, but he just kept walking. That was...the last time I saw him..."
Lucas started to sob silently into his arms, and Peach tried to comfort him. "I...I saw him too...yesterday..."
"KIRBY ISN'T DEAD! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! MAYBE YOU'RE JUST WRONG ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF TIME HE'S BEEN DEAD! HE MIGHT HAVE JUST DIED TODAY!"
"NOT POSSIBLE! I KNOW ALOT ABOUT DEAD BODIES, AND IT WAS ALREADY STARTING TO FALL APART, DUE TO THE VIOLENT MUTILATION THE BODY HAD SUFFERED!"
Master Hand smashed his palm on the table, and it sent a huge explosion-like sound ringing in everyone's ears, bringing about immediate silence.
His voice calm yet threatening, Master Hand said, "Listen, I understand that there is much confusion going on here. It is always a tragic thing when a Smasher dies; after that small homicide several years ago, I had tried everything I could to make sure no one would die. But...I will look further into this. All of you, continue with your daily schedules and routines. Please do you not worry yourselves with this incident...I will take care of everything."
'Homicide? Several years ago...? What happened?' Because this was his first year at Smash Mansion, Snake was one of the few, along with a few others, who still were in the dark about most of the history of Smash Mansion. Others, like Mario and Samus, had been here since the Mansion's construction in 1999, were probably the most well informed about this 'incident'. However, characters who had joined during the Melee generation probably knew about it as well...
"We'll help you. We have nothing better to do anyway..." Samus and Fox both told Master Hand, and the three of them headed out to the garden together to examine Kirby's corpse.
As Snake left the dining room, he was confronted by Sonic the Hedgehog and King Dedede.
"Man...that's really tragic, huh?" Sonic said in an attempt to spark conversation with Snake, "I mean...poor Kirby. He was a pain in the ass sometimes, but...he was a good guy. I wonder who went and killed him...?"
Grunting, Snake walked past the two of them without another glance. "Don't talk to me."
"What's wrong? Too shaken up after finding the body?" Dedede called in a mocking tone, "Or...are you worried they'll find you out?"
Snake stopped in his tracks, and turned to look at Dedede. His eyes were practically glowing with the flames of rage. "WHAT...ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY, YOU FATASS PENGUIN BASTARD?!"
"What I'm sayin' is...maybe you're not only the one who FOUND Kirby...but also the one who BURIED him!"
"WHAT?!! NOW YOU'RE JUST BEING RIDICULOUS! ARE YOU JUST MOUTHING OFF ANY RANDOM SHIT THAT COMES OUT OF THAT UGLY BEAK OF YOURS?!" Snake snapped.
Jumping in between them, Sonic cried, "HOLD IT! HOLD IT! LET'S NOT FIGHT! WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND FIND OUT WHO KIRBY'S REAL KILLER IS!"
"...Why should I?" Snake replied, still glaring furiously at Dedede, who was returning the glare with the same fury.
"Well, we're all new here, right? We should work together...learn more about each other! We can solve this mystery, find out about that homicide several years ago, AND avenge Kirby's death!" Sonic explained, showing off a huge amount of enthusiasm.
"You know, I'm a master in stealth...I could probably solve this whole mystery thing by myself."
"JUST WORK WITH US, OKAY?! WE HAVE NO FRIENDS!"
'I bet he just wants to figure out how to deal with my Nikita Missiles in battle...' Snake thought, but he agreed to the temporary alliance. As he, Sonic and a reluctant Dedede shook hands, a darkened figure was watching them from the shadows. For a moment, Snake felt an intense shiver crawl up his spine, and he looked over his shoulder. There was nothing there, and the uncomfortable feeling immediately vanished.
'What...what was that...?'
"...You okay?" Sonic asked Snake, noticing the man's disturbed expression.
Shaking it off, Snake replied, "Y-Yeah...I'm fine."
The three of them then walked off, and an eerie foreboding followed in their tracks...
"Oh...my god..."
Those were the only words Samus could say as she, Fox and Master Hand stared at Kirby's mutilated corpse. She didn't even need to lean closer to see the bits of brain and organs still clinging to the ridges of Kirby's face...or lack thereof.
Fox took out a small device from a purse on his hip (of course, he just called it a 'weapons bag') and held it over Kirby's body for a moment. The device then let out a beep and started flashing bright red. Fox nodded and said aloud, "...Snake was right. This body has been buried for about three days. The reasons for such fast decomposition isn't really decomposition at all, but because the body was so violently torn apart, it rotted much quicker...and who knows how long it had been BEFORE it was buried?"
"I know I saw Kirby yesterday!...What does this mean, then? Was I just seeing things?" Samus asked, slightly confused despite her intergalactic intellect.
"It means," Master Hand replied, "Is that Kirby has definitely been murdered...by someone in the Smash Mansion. We must find out who...or what...commited this horrible sin and bring him...or her...to justice before another life is taken!"
A grave look formed on both Samus's and Fox's faces. The anthro took another look at Kirby's corpse, and noticed how it seemed his face had been BITTEN off instead of just sliced off. The teethmarks themselves only brought one certain person in the Mansion to mind...
"Bowser."
"What?!"
Fox stood up and exclaimed, "These teeth marks on Kirby's body...they remind me of Bowser! After all...isn't one of his attacks were he grabs you and chomps on you with those giant shark-like teeth of his?! He might have been the one who killed Kirby!"
Samus gasped. "You...you might be right! He wasn't at the meeting either!"
"But...why would King Koopa murder Kirby?" Master Hand asked.
Fox shrugged. "I don't know. One possibility is that it might have been an accident. They could have been training or something, and Bowser bit down too hard, and...he probably freaked out, and chose to cover up his dark deed than admit to it."
Samus and Master Hand could definitely see Bowser doing something like that.
"Still...we need proof that King Koopa was the murderer. We need to interrogate him." Master Hand spoke up.
"Yes. Samus and I will take care of that," Fox told the giant talking glove, "I am concerned, though; the sudden death...the fact that we saw him only a few days ago alive and well...and the way his corpse had been badly mutilated...it reminds me of the incident a few years back..."
"Yeah...I'm getting worried...you don't think it's happening AGAIN, do you?" Samus asked aloud.
"NO! THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!" Master Hand snapped, his tone suddenly furious, "I WILL NOT ALLOW SUCH A TRAGEDY TO REPEAT ITSELF! I...I CANNOT HAVE SUCH A THING HAPPEN AGAIN!"
A bit frightened by Master Hand's sudden outburst, Samus and Fox just nodded and headed back inside to confront Bowser. Taking one final glance at Kirby's body, Master Hand felt a deep sorrow.
'I wish...I had been able to keep this from happening...'
Then, he teleported away, back to his office. He had to make some important phone calls...
Lucas sniffled as he walked down the hallway back to his room. In his hands was a half-eaten chocolate-chip cookie. Taking another small bite, he thought, 'I can't believe Kirby's actually gone...he was always so nice to me...he was such a good friend...' He tried to keep himself from sobbing outright; he was a Smasher, and he had to present himself as such.
'Kirby...Kirby...Kirby...'
Suddenly, a high-pitched, familiar voice exclaimed, "HAAAAAAI!"
Looking up, Lucas let out a gasp and the cookie slipped out of his fingers, breaking apart the moment it hit the floor. Standing at the other end of the long hallway, in perfect health, was none other than Kirby.
"K...Kirby..." Lucas stammered in utter disbelief.
"HAAAAI!" Kirby called out again before turning around and running off to the right. Not wanting to waste a single second, Lucas quickly ran after him. As he turned the corner, he saw that Kirby was now at the end of the hallway to the right, waving for him to hurry up. Then, Kirby ran off again.
"K...KIRBY! WAIT UP! IS THAT...IS THAT REALLY YOU?!" Lucas called, but he received no answer.
This charade went on for what seemed like hours, and Lucas eventually found himself at a dead end, an old wooden door standing before him. 'I saw Kirby go in here, but...I don't recall there ever being a door here...' Lucas thought as he wrapped his hand around the doorknob.
Lucas twisted the doorknob, and the door slowly creaked open. Lucas took a quick peek, but he saw nothing except for darkness. Shrugging to himself, he took a step inside...and the door shut behind him, before it crumbled to dust and ashes.
Those ashes then sunk into the floor and vanished, as if they had never been there in the first place.
"...Where are we going?" King Dedede asked Snake as he lead their three-man group up the stairs to the third floor of the mansion.
"We're gonna ask one of the Smashers here about that 'incident' a few years back..." Snake explained.
"Do you think they're even allowed to talk about it? I mean...Master Hand is pretty strict with things like that..." Sonic remarked.
"I know someone who's pretty good with fixing my bombs and stuff when they malfunction. He's been here longer than me," Snake said, "So hopefully we can get some answers out of him..."
Sonic nodded, although he was still a bit doubtful that Snake's 'friend' would be of any real help.
On the third floor, Snake walked ahead and knocked several times on the first door they came across. After a few seconds, a voice with a Brooklyn accent on the other side snapped, "Yeah? Whadda ya want?"
"It's me." Snake grunted.
A few more seconds, and the door swung open. Falco Lombardi of Star Fox stepped out and said, "Ah, if it isn't Solid Snake! What's going on, ya bastard? Need your Nikitas fixed again?" Before being requested to join the Smashers, Falco had actually learned some mechanical skills from watching Slippy work, and now he's almost as good, but still not as talented as his frog friend.
Deciding to get right to the point, Snake said, "We want to find out about the 'incident' that took place at this mansion several years ago. Can you tell us about it...?"
Falco grew silent. His face tensed and he stared down at the floor. Snake, Sonic and King Dedede all waited in silence for his answer. Swallowing his spit, Falco nodded and replied, "...I'll tell you. However, we need to speak in my room; I've disabled any devices that would allow Master Hand to overhear us."
Snake nodded, and he started to follow Falco inside. However, he stopped when he realized Sonic and King Dedede weren't budging.
"Aren't you guys coming in?" Snake asked the two of them.
Nervously, Sonic replied, "W-Well, you see...uh...this kinda sounds like something that we're really NOT supposed to here...and if Master Hand found out...err...I'm just afraid of getting torn apart by that freakin' giant glove, okay?!"
Snake was silent for a moment. "But...you can just outrun him easily."
"OH YEAH!" Sonic decided to join Snake in learning the truth. King Dedede, unfortunately, was still rather reluctant to the whole situation. "Sorry...but I'm not gonna risk getting killed just to quell my curiosity...I'm outta here..." As the big hammer-wielding penguin turned around, though, Snake and Sonic grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into Falco's room.
The interior of the bird man's room had slight resemblance to a workshop; his desk was covered in various gizmos, gadgets and nuts and bolts. Various blueprints hung on the walls, including designs for some of the items used in the brawls. Sitting down on his bed, Falco glared at Snake and asked, "Are you sure you want to know...?"
"Yes. That's why we're here," Snake replied.
Falco sighed. "I was hoping...you would've said differently."
"Well, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to..." Snake told him.
Falco shook his head. "No. It's your right to know, I suppose. I mean, what with the terrible news this morning, and the fact that it's so similar to that incident...I might as well fill you guys in..."
Snake nodded, and took a seat on an upturned box lying next to him. Sonic and King Dedede just stood, all their attention now focused on Falco. Closing his eyes, Falco let out a heavy sigh and began to tell the tale of the incident that took place several years ago:
"There used to be three other Smashers in the mansion along with the rest of us during the Melee generation. Their names were Mewtwo, Roy and Dr. Mario. They were fine fighters, although there were some complaints about Roy and Dr. Mario being 'clones' of other mainstream Smashers, and Mewtwo came last in the rankings on the tier list. Still, they were all really good guys. There were also two others that left, Young Link and Pichu, but Young Link disappeared after the Twilight Princess Link and Zelda came in and replaced the Ocarina of Time Link and Zelda. Pichu, though, well...he's Pikachu now."
Sonic gasped. "You mean...the Pikachu in Brawl?! Then...what happened to the original Pikachu?!"
"I'll get to that, eventually. It ties into this whole tragedy, after all," Falco replied, "Anyway, one day, about two years ago, three Smashers were training in the 'Wire Frame Arena', which was locked up for eternity after this incident. As you can probably guess, those Smashers were Mewtwo, Roy and Dr. Mario. They were doing fine until the Wire Frames started becoming more violent, more aggressive, more consistent in their attacks. Somehow, the Wire Frames had been set into 'Cruel Melee' mode...and it grew even worse. They were literally torn to pieces. The Wire Frames were about to kill Pichu too, who ran in there when he realized what was happening, but Pikachu appeared in the nick of time and sacrificed himself to save the little rodent. Pichu ended up evolving out of rage and easily destroyed the Wire Frames with a surge of power that I've only seen that one time...except it was too late for those three guys. Their remains were locked away within the dungeon underneath the mansion, and Master Hand never spoke of it again. It probably haunts him every night...the looks of horror on those guys' faces as he stared down at their lifeless bodies...it was horrible..."
Snake took out a cigarette, lit it, and stuck it between his lips. "So...that's the whole story, huh? Smashers were killed here...but what does that have to do with Kirby's death?"
"Yes, I was getting to that," Falco replied, "You see, Kirby basically died a similar way."
"Similar...?"
Suddenly, a loud high-pitched scream filled the air. "OH MY GOD!!"
Sonic gasped. "THAT WAS PRINCESS ZELDA'S VOICE!" He quickly spun around and rushed out the door, King Dedede soon following him, but at a much slower pace. Standing up, Snake turned to Falco and exclaimed, "Sorry, but we'll need to finish this later! Come on!"
Falco quickly got up and snatched his ray gun from his bedside table. "Let's go." he replied with a nod.
The scream had indeed come from the Hyrulian Princess, and she was sitting on her ass while staring wordlessly at something on the wall in front of her. Sonic and King Dedede, as well as Link and Marth, were already there by the time Snake and Falco arrived. Snake's eyes widened in horror, and his cigarette slipped out of his mouth.
"What...what...what the fuck is this?!"
On the wall were the words 'WE KILL ALL TODAY' written in fresh blood...and lying on the ground was Lucas's corpse. His whole body had been twisted and squeezed, almost like a sponge. It was a horrible sight; all of his bones had probably been crushed to pieces due to the torture he had been put through. He was barely recognizable anymore, and his entire body was drenched with his own blood. His face, which had remained intact, had a look of pure horror etched into it.
"L...Lucas...he's...he's..." Zelda stammered, tears leaking from her eyes. Link bent down and pulled her into an embrace, and she started to sob into his chest. The poor woman was traumatized by seeing such a thing having happened to a fellow Smasher, especially to an innocent young boy like Lucas.
"...私は取って来てあげるマスターハンド." Marth said in his Japanese language before running off in the opposite direction.
"This is horrible..." King Dedede said, placing a gloved hand over his mouth.
Falco, however, was staring at the words written on the wall. 'WE...KILL...ALL...TODAY...what does this all mean...?'
The only sound they heard as they awaited for Master Hand to arrive was Zelda's heavy sobbing...
"Bowser?! You son of a bitch!! Are you in there?!"
Samus called the giant koopa's name for the fourth time as she rapped her knuckle against the door. Eventually, her hand actually started to hurt.
"God...why the hell isn't he answering...?" Samus grumbled, putting her hands on her hips.
"Maybe...he's not there? Have you ever thought of that?" Fox asked with a cocked eyebrow and a small toothy grin.
Samus blushed. "SHUT UP! OF COURSE I'VE THOUGHT OF THAT! I JUST...WANT TO MAKE SURE HE ISN'T ACTUALLY JUST HIDING UNDER HIS BED AND IGNORING US!!"
Pulling out a key from his pocket, Fox unlocked the door without a word. "Now we can go in."
'Why didn't you just do that in the beginning...?' Samus thought in annoyance as she followed the furry into Bowser's room. The moment the two of them stepped inside, however, they were immediately hit with a horrible rotten smell. Several bookcases were turned upside down, and various items and objects were scattered all over the floor. It seemed like there had been a rather long struggle going on in here.
"Ugh...doesn't that lizard bastard ever clean?" Samus complained, holding up a sweaty sock for a moment before tossing it to the side.
Suddenly, Fox caught sight of a large spiked turtle shell lying atop a flimsy bed in the corner of the room. Slowly walking towards it, Fox said, "Bowser...Bowser...are you in there?" However, there was no answer.
Fox wrapped his arms around the large shell, and found it to be surprisingly light. When he lifted it up...a waterfall of blood began to pour out of the shell's opening.
"AAAAAAHHH!!" Screaming, Fox quickly dropped the shell and stepped back in horror. He slipped on the wet crimson liquid and fell on his back. Looking upwards, Fox saw that the skin of Bowser's face had been torn off and hammered into the ceiling. It was staring back down at him with its empty lifeless holes that once held eyes.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAGH?!!" Fox quickly scrambled back to his feet and ran over beside Samus, who was speechless.
"This...this is terrible..." Samus said, shivering, "W-Where's the rest of Bowser's body?! What happened to him?! Who could have done this?!"
Bowser's blood still dripping off his back, Fox turned his gaze away from the horrid sight and replied, "I have no idea...but something bad is happening here. Something really bad...worse than the incident several years ago. Listen...we need to go to Master Hand, and quickly. Let's go."
Fox and Samus then spun around and left the room, both of them still badly shaken from what they had just seen. As their backs were turned, they never noticed the dark being creeping up behind them, a large kitchen knife raised high...
--
In the main living room of the mansion, Luigi was busy tossing some logs he gathered into the fire place. As he worked, he whistled a little tune from the old days under his breath. Suddenly, just as he was about to throw in the third log, he felt someone push against his back. He lifted his head and looked over his shoulder; no one was there.
'Huh...' Shrugging, Luigi went back to work. A few seconds later, he felt someone push him again. Just like before, he looked up and saw no one was there. Now feeling a bit paranoid, Luigi continued his job, but kept a close eye over his shoulder to make sure that prankster Ness or one of the other Smashers weren't just messing with him.
After a minute, Luigi finished his task. Standing up, he lit a match, threw it onto the logs, and watched in content as the fireplace lit up with fiery life.
Suddenly, the pushing feeling came again, but this time it was stronger than before. Luigi let out a shocked gasp as he was thrown head-first into the raging flames...
--
Standing atop of tall ladder, Lucario was busy hammering a framed photo of 'THE BRAWLER'S CONVENTION' on the wall. He held several nails in his mouth, and had only gotten one nail into the frame when the ladder was pulled out from underneath him. Falling backwards, the nails in his mouth were accidentally swallowed, and as he choked viciously in pain, the hammer had somehow remained floating in the air, and the claw side of it then crashed down upon his head and dug into his brain, killing him.
Spitting up a splotch of blood, Lucario slumped to the ground...
--
Ganondorf took his seat at the table, and stared hungrily at the cooked steak laid out on the plate in front of him. Picking up his knife and fork, the evil king was about to dig in...when the knife and fork suddenly dug into his face instead.
--
Peach was just skipping around merrily as always when she noticed a rope hanging from the ceiling. Bending down, she picked it up in her hands and stared at it in confusion. "What's a rope doing here, attached to the ceiling like this...?" she asked aloud.
Suddenly, the rope seemed to come alive, and Peach let out a scream as it slithered up her body and wrapped itself tightly around her neck. Peach continued to scream, but it only came out as muffled gags, as the rope lifted her high up to the ceiling. It became more and more difficult for her to breath. Then, the rope stopped...and Peach now swung back and forth, lifelessly like a porcelain doll.
--
Mario let out a high-pitched squeal as his electric razor began slicing into his stomach without warning...
--
Ness struggled for the door as poisonous gas started to flow into the room, but he didn't make it far before his breath left him.
--
Wolf took in a deep breath, and then he dived deep into the swimming pool. However, it was already too late by the time he realized the pool had somehow been filled with skin-melting chemical acid.
--
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong both coughed violently and fell to the ground after suddenly choking on their bananas.
--
Marth was only about a few feet from Master Hand's office when huge spikes suddenly erupted out of the floor, piercing him through the face and chest.
--
Ike's throat was slit.
Mr. Game & Watch was pushed into a washing machine.
Meta-Knight was electrified while working on his ship.
Pokemon Trainer's loyal pets turned on him, and then attacked each other.
Wario suffered a violent heart attack and fell down the stairs.
Pit's face and wings were torn apart.
Jigglypuff puffed herself up too much and drifted right into the path of an oncoming airplane.
Toon Link accidentally sliced his own head off during a sword spin.
R.O.B.'s main operating core was torn out of its chest.
Yoshi was strangled by his own tongue.
Captain Falcon fell over a cliff while practicing his Falcon Punch.
The Ice Climbers were busy stitching new parkas when the sewing needles suddenly came to life and turned on them.
--
All around him, Snake could hear the blood-curdling screams of his fellow Smashers, all of them dying horrible deaths. Looking around wildly, he threw his head back and cried, "WHAT...WHAT...WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"
"I have no idea! Whatever it is, I think this might be...!" Falco exclaimed, cutting himself off for some reason.
Completely freaking out, Sonic started to take a few steps back while shaking like crazy. "No...no...no...we're...we're all gonna die...we're all gonna die...WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
"CALM DOWN, SONIC!" Snake snapped at the blue hedgehog.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Sonic quickly ran off down the hall at super speed, but the ground immediately collapsed underneath him, and he plummeted into the darkness below.
Snake's eyes became as wide as dinner plates. "OH MY GOD! SONIC! WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?!"
"...He's gone." King Dedede said, his face pale.
Trying to remain calm, Falco exclaimed, "Listen, we can't lose our heads! Something bad is obviously going on, and we need to keep our cool!"
"KEEP OUR COOL?! ARE YOU THAT COLD-HEARTED?!" King Dedede screeched in fury, "SONIC...SONIC...HE JUST DIED RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES!"
"I know that...I saw it too," Falco replied, "But we won't be able to avenge their deaths if we don't focus!"
"Avenge...their deaths? What-"
"Everyone is dying! Don't you hear their screams?! The spirits of the three dead Smashers...Mewtwo...Roy...Dr. Mario...they're killing all of us off! That's what's happening here!" Falco squawked.
King Dedede scoffed. "C'MON! THAT'S RIDICULOUS! YOU SAID THEY DIED A LONG TIME AGO! BESIDES, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS SPIRITS AND GHOSTS AND SHIT LIKE THAT! SOMETHING ELSE IS AT WORK HERE!"
"OH, YEAH? YOU THINK SO?! THEN, WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON?! C'MON, YOU FAT STUFFED PENGUIN, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! I'VE SEEN MY FAIR SHARE OF PARANORMAL DURING MY DAYS IN STAR FOX, ESPECIALLY DEALING WITH THAT MONKEY BASTARD ANDROSS, SO WHY DON'T YOU FILL ME IN?!"
Stepping in between the two bickering birdmen, Snake exclaimed, "Falco...King Dedede...BOTH OF YOU, SHUT THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW!"
At that moment, all the screams stopped instantly. An eerie silence filled the entire mansion, and no one said a word. Link and Zelda were still sitting together on the floor, but the princess even stopped her tears when she realized how quiet it had suddenly become.
"...What...what's happening...?!" Snake asked aloud.
Suddenly, at the other end of the hallway, a hand emerged from around the corner. Falco immediately recognized the hand being Fox's. "FOX! IS THAT YOU?! YOU'RE OKAY?!"
However, as Fox McCloud came into full view, it was immediately obvious that something was wrong. Blood was trickling down Fox's face and chest, and various knife wounds covered his whole body. His right eye had been gouged out, and his remaining left eye was glazed over. Fox let out a low groan and began making his way towards the group. Soon, an equally bloody Samus Aran followed behind him.
King Dedede was calm for a moment, and then he freaked out. "HOLY CRAP, THEY'RE ZOMBIES!"
"SHIT! WE GOTTA RUN!" Snake snapped, and he, Falco and King Dedede quickly turned tail and ran off.
"WAIT! WHAT ABOUT LINK AND PRINCESS ZELDA?!" Falco cried.
"I'M SURE THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES! THEY'RE WARRIORS, AFTER ALL! OR AT LEAST LINK IS!"
"...BUT WE CAN FIGHT TOO, YOU KNOW!"
Snake skidded to a stop, spun around, and quickly pulled out a Nikita Missile Launcher. "FINE! IF YOU THINK WE SHOULD FIGHT, WE'LL FIGHT, DAMMIT!" He aimed the heavy launching device and fired, sending a single missile crashing into the floor right at Fox and Samus' feet, sending out a huge eruption that filled the hallway with smoke and dust.
"HELL YEAH! I GOT THEM!" Snake exclaimed, pumping his fist.
However, Fox and Samus soon emerged out of the smoke, both of them still intact. "Crap..." Unsheathing his sword, Link let out a battle cry as he charged at the two zombies. Suddenly, part of the ceiling blew apart and the undead bodies of Ness and Mario leaped down and tackled poor Link to the ground. Link screamed as the zombies then proceeded to tear him apart, and Zelda just watched on in speechless horror.
Falco quickly snatched his laser pistol from his side pocket and fired several shots, but it had no effect on the zombies.
After finishing with Link, the zombies then turned their sights on Princess Zelda. Zelda backed up against the wall and pitifully scratched the surface as if hoping to escape as the zombies neared. Snake and Falco wanted to help, but their attacks didn't even dent the undead bastards, and if Sonic hadn't died, he could have sped in there and quickly rescued her. While this was happening, King Dedede took advantage of the moment and sneaked off.
"PRINCESS ZELDA!!" Falco exclaimed in helplessness.
Suddenly, just as Fox reached out to grab Zelda by the face, the zombies were blasted apart by several large bullets. Master Hand, with Pikachu standing on top of him, then floated down next to Zelda and asked her in a soft voice, "...Are you all right, my dear?"
Zwelda nodded slightly, and a smile formed on her lips. But it wasn't a smile of happiness; it was smile of insanity and hopelessness. "No...I'm not all right at all..."
Without another word, she formed her fingers together in the shape of a gun, and stuck them in her mouth. Closing her eyes, hot tears leaking out, she fired a single blast of magic from her fingertips. Master Hand couldn't stop her as the magical blast burst out of the back of her head, and she slumped to the floor.
Nothing was said for a few minutes.
"...Snake, Falco. Please come here." Master Hand spoke to the other two surviving Smashers, snapping them out of their dazed-like state.
Snake and Falco both exchanged nervous glances before walking over to the giant gloved hand.
"...I want you two to come with me..." Master Hand told them.
"...To where?" Snake asked, not wanting to take any more chances.
Master Hand sighed and turned his back to the two of them. "I believe that the ones resonsible for this...truly are those three dead Smashers...I know that you told him, Falco...and I'm glad, because they want revenge on all of us...and we must stop them..."
Pikachu nodded to show his agreement in Master Hand's words.
"No offense," Snake spoke up, "But...it IS hard to believe that they're spirits. I mean, yes, I've witnessed some paranormal phenomena too during my day, but still...this is just too much!"
"Well, Mewtwo was a powerful psychic, with more skills and advanced techniques than even Ness. His spirit is probably the basis behind this entire massacre; using his psychic abilities from the grave, giving Dr. Mario and Roy their chances to exact their revenge as well..."
"Damn...this is terrible. They've killed everyone...except for us." Falco grunted, a look of despair befalling him.
"Pi! Pika Pika Pi!" Pikachu exclaimed as he waved his little arms around in excitement.
Snake and the others soon realized what the yellow rodent was trying to tell them; nearing towards them was another group of zombies, this time it was Peach, Meta-Knight, Ike, Marth and the Ice Climbers, who had somehow been conjoined at the sides.
"CRAP! MORE ZOMBIES! WHAT SHOULD WE DO?!" Snake exclaimed.
Pikachu leaped off of Master Hand and landed on Falco's shoulder. The giant glove then flew high into the air and smashed down upon the zombies, sending them falling through the floor. Waving his hand to wipe off the blood, Master Hand barked, "C'MON! WE NEED TO GET TO THE BASEMENT...AND QUICKLY! THOSE ZOMBIES ARE STILL ALIVE! WE GOTTA STOP THIS THING AT ITS SOURCE!"
Nodding, Snake and Falco followed after Master Hand down the hallway, making sure to avoid falling down into the the hole where the other zombies awaited for living flesh to devour...
King Dedede wasn't sure how long he had ran, but he was out of breath already.
"Damn...I really need to work out more...now, how the hell do I get outta here?!" he said aloud to himself.
He didn't care if everyone else was suffering; he just wanted to save his own skin. But, please, don't hate him that much...that's just the kind of person King Dedede is.
'...Have I been down this hall already?!' Dedede thought, realizing that every hallway in the mansion looked the same to him.
Suddenly, he heard a noise from behind him. Spinning around, Dedede found himself face-to-face with a zombified Donkey Kong, whose face was bright blue and his eyes had rolled to the back of his head.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIEEEEEEEEE!!"
Smiling widely, Donkey Kong opened his mouth and chomped down on Dedede's face.
Snake kicked the door leading down to the basement off its hinges and quickly peeked inside for any presence of enemies.
"...Let's go." he soon nodded to Master Hand and Falco, who were both a little upset that Snake had to go and break a perfectly good door.
"Pika piii..." Pikachu sighed.
As the four of them (Pikachu was had stopped taking residence on Falco's shoulder) carefully stepped down the long flight of stairs, their surroundings grew darker and darker. Raising one of his fingers, Master Hand created a single flame on the tip of his finger, illuminating the area. Snake and Falco were both amazed with how different the basement looked compared to the mansion's interior; it was like an old dungeon straight from the medieval ages. Old stone bricks covered the walls, and several empty prison rooms were lined up along the straightforward hall.
Looking around and watching a rat skitter by, Snake asked, "So...where are those dead bastards hiding?!"
Suddenly, a loud screech pierced the air, and a powerful gust of cold wind flew out from a small wooden door at the other end of the dungeon, nearly sending Pikachu flying. Gritting his teeth, Snake grunted, "Hmph...so that's where they are..." Pulling out a set of bombs, the stealthy war veteran began stomping towards the door.
"Dammit, Snake, you need to be careful!" Falco called out, "We have no idea what these guys are capable of when faced with real danger!"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! THEY KILLED EVERYONE...AND THEY'RE GONNA PAY!" Fully intent on avenging his fallen comrades, Snake dashed into the next room.
Cursing, Falco quickly ran after him. "THAT FUCKIN' IDIOT!" Master Hand and Pikachu soon followed. What they found in that room, though, was something so shocking that it had even brought Snake to a standstill.
A huge orb, pulsating as if it was alive, was floating in the middle of the room. It was as black as coal, and peering closer, Snake could make out several faces of pure terror crawling around inside of it. A powerful dark aura was flowing off of the giant orb. This was rather odd, to tell the truth.
"W...What the hell is this thing...?!" Master Hand gasped.
Suddenly, the orb began to shake violently, and a high-pitched twisted voice shrieked, "YOU!!! YOU!!! YOU!!! YOU'VE FINALLY COME!"
"...Uh, me?" Snake asked meekly.
"NO, YOU FUCKIN' FAGGOT!" roared the orb, "I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT BASTARD GLOVE...THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING!"
Master Hand seemed to know exactly what this orb was talking about, but he just nervously replied, "W...What? H-How is this my f-f-fault...?!"
"YOU KILLED US, YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU MADE IT SEEM LIKE IT HAD JUST BEEN AN ACCIDENT...A MALFUNCTION...BUT YOU PURPOSELY TAMPERED WITH THE WIRE FRAMES' FIGHTING SYSTEM! YOU HAD US KILLED ON PURPOSE! NOW WE'RE BACK TO PROVE TO YOU HOW WRONG YOU WERE TO 'CUT' ALL OF US FROM THE FIGHTS...AS WELL AS WIPE OUT EVERYONE ELSE!"
"No! No...! It's...It's not true! They made me! They made me, I tell you! Ancient Minister and Tabuu-" Master Hand cried.
"SILENCE!"
"So, you guys really are Mewtwo, Roy and Dr. Mario, huh?" Falco asked the infuriated orb, pulling out his laser pistol as he spoke.
The orb let off a sudden burst of energy, shaking the entire foundation of the mansion. "NO," it replied, "WE WERE ONCE ALL THREE OF THEM, BUT NOW WE ARE NONE OF THEM. WE ARE THE EPITOME OF THEIR RAGE, FEAR AND SORROW. WHEN YOU HAD FOUND THE CORPSE OF OUR FIRST VICTIM, THE PINK ONE NAMED KIRBY, WE FIGURED IT WAS FINALLY TIME TO GET TO WORK AND BRING AN END TO THE ERA OF SMASHERS. THERE IS NO NEED FOR THIS PLACE ANYMORE...THERE IS NO NEED FOR ANY OF YOU ANYMORE! NONE OF YOU CAN STOP US...WE ARE INVINCIBLE!"
"OH...YEAH?!" Falco rose his pistol and fired several shots at the orb, only to watch them all bounce off harmlessly.
'DAMMIT! IT NEVER WORKS!'
"I don't think anything is gonna work on this guy..." Snake commented.
"D...D...DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" Several long black tendrils emerged out of the orb and flew towards Snake and the others.
Snake and Falco both quickly dodged to the side, and Pikachu zapped one of the tendrils with a powerful blast of electricity. The electric charge shot up the tendril and pierced the orb itself, causing it to let out a scream of pain.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!! P...PICHU...WHY?!"
"Good job, Pikachu!" Falco proclaimed, "Maybe we can beat this bastard back to the grave after all!"
The orb shook again and blood began to seep out from within the walls. The blood then formed around the orb and fused into it. The orb's color was now a dark crimson red, blood still dripping off of it. Snake, Falco and the others watched in horror as horribly-twisted faces started to emerge from the bloody orb.
"DO YOU SEE?! WHAT YOU'VE DONE...TO US?! YOU WILL PAY! YOU'LL ALL PAY!!!" exclaimed the orb.
The faces held their mouths open wide, and fired off bouts of acidic slime. Pikachu let out a squeal as, despite his super speed, he found himself covered in the acid, which slowly burned into his skin. "Piii...Pik...Pika..." The poor little guy could barely even move anymore; he was most certainly doomed.
"PIKACHU! I'LL SAVE YA!" Snake cried.
Snake tossed several grenades into the faces on the orb, and they exploded only seconds after each other. As the faces blew apart, deep cracks began to form all over the surface of the evil orb. A screech emitted from within, and it convulsed and distorted, going from high-pitched to deep-voiced and back in a matter of minutes. Light-green smoke was pouring from the cracks, and Snake figured that this enemy's existence was coming close to an end.
He quickly pulled out his Nikita Missile Launcher, Master Hand aimed his glowing index finger, Falco leaped high into the air and engulfed himself in flames, and Pikachu was able to wipe off the acid and he charged himself up with electricity.
"YOU...YOU...YOU BASTARDS!!!" As a last ditch attempt to kill them, the orb fired off a barrage of pointed black projectiles.
"GO BACK TO HELL, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"
Then, all of the attacks hit together at once, and everything was enveloped in light...
Several days later...
Smacking a purple Pikmin against the front doors, Captain Olimar called, "HEEEY! IS ANYONE GONNA LET ME IN?! I'M BACK FROM VISITING MY FAMILY! I GOT PICTURES TO SHOW YOU GUYS!!"
Suddenly, the door slowly creaked open. Captain Olimar stared for a moment before shrugging and heading inside. As he walked into the entrance hall of the immense mansion, he realized how eerily dark it was.
"Uh...g-guys? Is...is anyone here at all?"
The doors slammed shut behind him, and a demonic booming laugh filled the air...