Zivon's Halloween Fright Night

by Zivon96

On this hallow's eve, join me and, my co-authors, and a host of characters as we party until the witching hour... Wait, what was that noise?

1. Chapter 1

T'was a dark and cloudy night over the studio lot of Zivon96. The night was lit up by flickering torches of both flaming orange and bright blue, bathing the lot in an eerie light. Suddenly the clouds split, the light of the full moon shining down onto the buildings, a streak of pitch black flashing across the moon before seeming to turn down toward the studio.

A pair of dead eyes watched through window as Zivon put the finishing touches on his costume, his long, dark hair messed up, European plate armour adorned with a few scattered drops of blood, a Kilij at his belt, and a long, black cape over his shoulders. The final touch: a set of fangs over his teeth, completing the costume. Zivon smiled at his mirror, baring his new fangs as he did. He then frowned as he sensed something off about the room. He felt as though he was being watched, as though eyes were on him from... somewhere, he wasn't sure where. The costumed Canadian took a second to cast his eyes around the room, finally setting on the window. He ever so slowly advanced toward it, right hand reaching for his sword as he did. He reached for the window with his left hand, not even an inch away before it happened.

The sound of a massive bell sounded in the distance, the sign that someone was at the gate to his studio. Zivon turned toward the noise, noticing out of the corner of his eye that something moved outside the window. He quickly turned back, but by the time he did, whatever it was had vanished. Frowning for a moment, the author shrugged. "Probably an animal. Or DAM maybe..."

In any case, stepped out of his personal quarters at the back of his studio lot and walked toward the front entrance, the dual coloured torches casting an odd two-toned light over the lot, combined with the light of the full moon shining through the clouds it gave the studio an air of strangeness. Carved jack-o-lanterns were scattered over the lot, each one different from the last, covered in designs ranging from the classic smiling pumpkin to fangs, to bats, to an incredibly detailed drawing of the Joker. The ground was shrouded in mist spewed forth by several fog machines scattered about the studio, only adding to the strangeness of the lot. Lining the paths around the studio were several tables full of treats for his guests: pumpkin pies, a jelly brain, a bowl containing several different types of candy, and more.

Passing through all of this, Zivon couldn't shake the feeling that he was still being watched. This time it felt different though, as if someone wasn't watching him from one specific place, but from all over the area, every shadow seeming to give him a strange look. He didn't know what it was, but he felt the strangest sense of... what? It almost felt like... admiration? Maybe even attraction...

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of voices, voices he recognized almost instantly. After all, he wrote some of them.

"Mate, you look like an idiot in that."

"Oui because you look simply parfait maintenant."

Zivon approached the gate to see a line up figures standing outside. He instantly recognized the first group, having written them to life earlier in the year. "Team EMAD, welcome to my humble abode." He said, welcoming the hunters in training into his studio. Maria Gaia led her team in, a white chiton with purple trim on the edges, a small purple cape covering her shoulders, a Roman helmet with a purple plume on her head and an owl necklace around her neck. Behind her was Alison Zu, her black hair cascading down her back and a green kimono covering her as she fanned herself.

Behind the girls came the guys, Francois Delatrois first, dressed in a ridiculously expensive looking blue doublet with a fur-lined blue cape covered in gold fleures de lis over his left shoulder, completing the outfit was a pair of white leggings. He had also dyed his hair black and let it grow, curling down his back. Behind him, shaking his head at his supposedly sensible partner's lunacy, was Thatch Edwards dressed in a white hooded robe with a pair of swords at his belt and four flintlock pistols, two across his chest and two at his waist.

Next came Team JNPR, Jaune leading the way, dressed in pitch black chainmail, a black tunic with the image of a red boar on the chest, a sword on his back and a great helm over his head. Pyrrha followed behind him, wearing a strikingly similar costume to Maria. A white Chiton with red trim on the edges, a bronze, Greek helm with a red horsehair plume and an owl necklace completing the look.

That'll be awkward later... Zivon thought as Ren and Nora followed their teammates, Ren wearing a yellow spandex suit with black stripes down the sides with matching shoes, the pink streak in his hair was hidden by black dye. Behind him was, well, Zivon assumed it was Nora in that suit of bright blue futuristic armour with a gold visor and a Halo style assault rifle on her back, otherwise she wouldn't be here...

The host quickly pulled Jaune aside and whispered in his ear "That is Nora, right?"

"In the armour?" Jaune responded "Yeah, that's her."

"Good. Also, you might want to keep Pyrrha away from Maria for as long as possible. Things might get awkward otherwise."

"What do you mean, what kind of 'awkward?'"

"I mean 'they both wore the same costume here' awkward."

Jaune's eyes widened under his helmet at the implication. "Oh no."

"Yeah, you just keep them apart while I man the door." The author said, shooing off the knight to greet the next guests. "Castle, Beckett, glad you could make it!"

Zivon looked over his latest guests. Beckett and Castle seemed to have a theme going as Beckett wore a Victorian style trenchcoat and a deerstalker (an inspector's cap) both in tan with a plaid pattern. She also had a cane in her right hand and a prop pipe in her mouth. Castle, meanwhile, wore a black trenchcoat with a fine vest, shirt and tie beneath and a bowler hat atop his head.

"Glad to be here." Castle said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "After all, since it's been almost a year since you updated, this is the only thing we get to do."

Beckett smacked him upside the head and the two walked into the studio, Zivon chuckling nervously as they did and his next guests arriving, the first being one of his fellow authors. The host could see past his long grey beard, robe and pointed hat. "Scarecrow, you're earlier than I thought you'd be."

The other author smiled back at Zivon. "I'm never early." He replied. "I arrive precisely when I mean to."

Zivon shook his head. "Whatever you say man, welcome to the lot."

"We're using the whole studio lot this year?"

"Yeah, after two explosions in two years, I think I'll keep this one outdoors." Zivon then looked behind Scarecrow to see who he brought. "Speaking of those explosions..."

Zivon's eyes had settled on a (as usual) nervous looking Crona dressed in black priest's robes with a silver cross hanging from a chain around his neck and a circular, wide-brimmed hat over his pink hair. Clinging to his shoulder was (again, as usual) Kurumu, wearing an outfit that might explain Crona's nervousness. Her hair was dyed red and she was wearing a pair of small horns on it. Her large eyes had red contacts in them and her big wings were coloured black, matching her tail. Oh, and a red bikini was covering her enormous chest, and a criminally short, red skirt seemed to be all that was covering her bottom half. Zivon knew he should wonder about more than this, but there was only one question that was on Zivon's mind. "I'm surprised Ragnarok hasn't come out to try and grab her."

"I was worried about that, so I put a seal on that cross necklace that keeps him in." Scarecrow explained.

"Good call." Said Zivon as he continued to look at Scarecrow's entourage. Behind Crona and Kurumu was the Eleventh Doctor dressed in the black and white robed uniform of a captain, his trademark smile plastered on his face. Next to him was...

Zivon had to hold back laughter and try his absolute hardest not to smile, lest he die horribly and have his remains likely eaten.

Next to the Doctor was a massive, wall of a man, his skin completely white with a goatee on his face. He was dressed in a pair of bell-bottom jeans and a tie-dyed shirt stretched over his torso, a peace sign necklace hanging around his neck and a long, blonde wig on his head. Kratos, the God of War, was dressed as a hippie.

"Something wrong Zivon?" Scarecrow inquired.

"What, me, no no no. You go on in, please, take your characters and enjoy some of the refreshments I've left out." Zivon stammered. Scarecrow shrugged and beckoned for his characters to follow him as he entered, using the staff he carried like a walking stick. Zivon sighed with relief as Scarecrow left, brushing sweat off his forehead as he turned to the next group of guests, another group of teens, seven of them this time. Leading the group was Erwin Frundsberg in a presidential suit, a moustache and glasses on his face and a rifle in his hands. Behind him was "Ben, you're supposed to wear a costume, not just pick a new hat!"

Ben Aparte had shown up wearing his usual blue infantry coat, but had put on a Napoleonic infantry cap and now carried a musket. "It was all I could think of..." Ben muttered awkwardly.

"Lighten up on the kid." Said Erwin. "His imagination is more suited for battles than for parties."

"Fair enough, you two head in, I've got more guests to greet."

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" said a third voice.

The Canadian turned to where the voice had come from and, once again, had to restrain himself from laughing, lest he be spit roasted over one of his own torches. It was Vlad Paler in a massive, pink bunny suit. "I'm so sorry Vlad, please, make yourself at home."

"Damn right I will." Said Vlad, following his companions in.

Zivon once again wiped sweat off his forehead before greeting more guests. The remaining teens from Erwin's group approached him, instantly recognizable as Team RWBY. "Ladies, welcome to my humble studio."

Yang stepped up to the gate first, wearing something seemingly designed for the sole purpose of attracting attention. She was dressed in a... revealing... red one piece robe, the edges trimmed with white, covering only her torso, and showing off her... physique, as the outfit exposed her well toned arms and legs for all to see. The costume also drew attention to her... neck, as she had pulled her long mane of hair up into a pony tail. Oh, and it also gave anyone looking at her a great view of her cleavage, something they really shouldn't take, lest they take a flaming fist to the face. "I never miss a party." Yang said.

"I'll bet you don't..." Zivon muttered as he turned back to her team. Blake approached next, dressed in a... wait a minute, why was she dressed as a golfer? A red golf shirt and a pair of khaki pants and a glove on her left hand, a golf club clutched in her other hand and a Nike cap on her hair which had been dyed orange with black stripes. Zivon looked her over several times before saying. "Okay, I don't get it."

"Tiger Woods." Blake muttered. "This is what I get for losing a bet with Yang."

"Note to self," said Zivon "Never make a bet with Yang..."

Blake nodded and stepped through the gate, Weiss approaching from behind her, dressed in a blue, long sleeved, ice pattern dress with a long cape running down her back and down to the floor. Her silver hair was out of its usual pony tail and was instead tied in a long braid down her back, a few strands of silver poking out from the front. "Impressive, Weiss."

"Thank you." Weiss simply stated before stepping through the gate.

Zivon turned back to the last member of the team, Ruby Rose, dressed in a long, black robe with a hood over her face, and a massive scythe in her hand. "You just can't go anywhere without a scythe, can you Ruby?"

The huntress in training shrugged. "Yang wouldn't let me take Crescent Rose, so I took this instead. Also, it's part of my costume."

Zivon sighed before looking back to the hooded girl. "Alright, that's fair. By the way, have you seen DAM? He said he would be here."

Ruby looked up to one of the posts by the gate. "Uh..." she said, pointing to it.

Zivon was about to turn around when something slammed into his back, sending him to the ground. The author felt a hand press his head into the dirt as a rasping, gravelly voice spoke in his ear. "Did you miss me?"

"MMPH! MPH MMM!" Zivon yelled into the dirt. The force on his back let up just enough to get his head up to say "I hate you so much DAM."

DAM hauled his co author to his feet, holding onto his collar as he attempted to hoist him into the air, a task made difficult by Zivon's armour and his own height. Zivon's vision began to clear as he looked over his compatriot, the other author dressed in a completely black suit with a bat symbol on the front and a cape on his back, his face obscured by a bat mask. "Now," DAM rasped "Where's the candy?!" he roared, his voice making Zivon wonder how he didn't ruin his vocal chords. "Where is it!? You'd never give it to any of these characters!" DAM demanded, shaking Zivon with every sentence, throwing him to the ground with the last one before grabbing him and dragging him back up again.

Tired of his shtick, Zivon decided to put an end to this, shooting his armoured leg out in a kick between DAM's legs, sending him to the ground, groaning in pain. "What the hell man?" DAM demanded, his voice now recognizable as his own. "What was that for?"

"That," Zivon said, cracking his spine. "Was for the months of chiropractic therapy I'm probably going to need after this. Go on in, Dork Knight, but no more beating on people!"

DAM grumbled something under his breath before walking in, his cape trailing behind him. Zivon sighed and brushed off his armour as he did, Ruby piping up form next to him. "I tried to warn you."

"Dare I ask what happened?" said a new voice.

Zivon and Ruby turned to its source to see a teenager in dark blue pants and a white t-shirt with grey sleaves. His head was shaved and his arms sparked with electricity. "Oh hey, glad you could make it!" Zivon called out as he approached the newcomer, arm outstretched.

The other boy grabbed it and accepted the handshake. "Hey, after you let me come here, how could I miss it?"

Ruby tapped Zivon on the shoulder and pointed to the newcomer. "Uh, who's this guy?"

"Oh, sorry, where are my manners? YoungSamurai18, at your service." The boy said, offering a hand to Ruby.

Ruby accepted the handshake as Zivon explained who he was. "Young is an aspiring Deadliest Warrior author who asked DAM and me to help him with his story. I invited him to the party when I saw the progress he was making."

"Pleased to meet you." Said Ruby "I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose."

"Great to be here." Said Young "Shall we head in and get this party started?"

Zivon showed off his new fangs with a smile. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

oxoxoxo

YoungSamurai's introduction had gone well, with characters and authors alike greeting the young man after Zivon presented him to them. He was currently chatting with DAM, Erwin and Team JNPR, with DAM telling the story of how he and Zivon saved Napoleon. "So we pop out of the time machine and Zivon kicks down the door, even after I tell him so many times that he looks retarded doing that. Anyway, we charge the British and Prussian lines, wielding the advanced weapons of our time and gun down the bastards. Napoleon and his men take the hint and open fire with us, and before long the enemy are in full retreat. Zivon and I then hop it back into the time machine and head back to our time."

"Why do I get the feeling this is a slightly distorted view of those events?" Jaune asked.

"Because it likely is." Pyrrha replied, putting a hand on her leader's shoulder.

"Hey, come on guys, he's not that bad." Said Young. The characters all turned to look at him at once. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I just find this all a little hard to swallow." Said Erwin, adjusting his hat. "From my look at you and Zivon, you'd seem to be the one to kick open the door and concoct such a stupid plan."

"Hey, shut up!" DAM said before putting on his gravelly voice again. "I restarted the trend of Deadliest Warrior stories! I memorized the strategies of the greatest generals in history! In a way, I am the Deadliest Warrior!"

Ren gave him an odd look. "But that's just your literary accomplishments."

DAM opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, Young spoke up. "Also, where are your deadliest warriors? They're from the story that really got you started, I thought they'd be here."

"Well..." DAM mused.

oxoxoxo

Hannibal, come on, we're already late!" Robert E Lee shouted as the Landsknecht attempted to make Hannibal budge from the corner of the room he was lodged in.

The Carthaginian general was sitting in the corner in a cold sweat, anywhere that wasn't covered by his armour was marked with small, red bruises. His face, arms, neck, legs, everywhere, covered in the small, round marks. He looked up, seeing the Prussian mercenary pushing him towards the door, towards the outside world. No! He thought. Not while HE is still out there!

Hannibal looked up to the window on the door and saw the face that had haunted him for nearly a month. Looking in the window was a bone white face, eyes encircled with black marks and black painted mouth set in a permanent toothy snarl. Hannibal had urged the others to not open the door, to keep that horrible beast outside where it belonged, but none of them had listened, all of them claiming to not see the creature.

The Elephant rider looked up to the window at the creature as it drew its tool of torment, the object that had caused a once respected general to be reduced to a terrified mass of nerves: a spoon.

Hannibal screamed and bolted to a further corner as the other warriors followed. "Come on, man." Isaac Brock urged. "We'll miss the whole night if you don't come."

Hannibal barely heard him, locked in his own nightmare. Every waking moment that creature had tormented him for over a month now. It had begun as a nuisance, a strange man following him around and hitting him with a piece of cutlery. It soon became a menace, with it breaking into his house and waking him in the middle of the night. He had sought the advice of a fortune teller all the way from Japan who had told him that the attacks would never cease. The spoon would come down again and again and again and again and again and again... until he was dead.

She had called the demon the Ginosaji.

oxoxoxo

DAM shrugged. "Not sure, but they'll probably be here soon."

oxoxoxo

"So you've literally done nothing since May?" Ruby asked Castle and Beckett in between munching on some of the cookies Zivon had put out. She was chatting with her team, Maria Gaia, the Doctor and , and the two New Yorkers by the buffet table, something that had become her new favourite place in the universe. Cookies, candy and more, all piled high, seemingly just for her. Unfortunately, this was still a party, and that meant she had to at least TRY and socialize with the other guests. So, surrounded by people she already knew, she struck up a conversation with people they outnumbered.

"Pretty much." Castle answered, taking a swig of punch as he did. "He's been too busy working on YOUR story to play with us."

"Oh..." Ruby replied, looking down at her shoes in embarrassment. The reaper pulled her cloak over her face to hide how red it was getting. Unfortunately, Yang noticed this and yanked it down, revealing her sister's now crimson face with a laugh. "Yang!" Ruby cried out.

"Hey, chin up." Said Beckett. "It's not your fault our author is working on your story more than ours. That's HIS problem, not yours. He'll remember to update us eventually, after all, he did invite us here."

Ruby kicked at the ground with a small smile on her face. "Thanks." She muttered.

"You have to ask yourself though," the Doctor began "Is time really that big of an issue? All you need to do is-"

"And just like that, he's lost me." Said Yang. "I'm going to go get some punch, see you guys later." With that, the blonde turned to walk away, only to smack right into someone else, or rather two someones, knocking them all to the ground.

"Gah, I'm so sorry!" the first person said, hopping to their feet and offering Yang a hand up. "Please don't hate me for this, I don't know how to deal with people hating me!"

"Crona, are you okay?" Said the Kurumu as she frantically searched her destined one for any possible injury (and totally didn't just use it as an excuse to feel him up). "If anything's wrong, I can fix you right up." She said, imagining exactly what kind of sexy nurse outfit she'd wear to impress him as she did. In fact, the one she brought with her might just do...

"Kurumu, I'm fine." Crona responded, as always visibly uncomfortable to anyone but her with all the attention she gave him. "I'm worried about this girl though." He said as he pulled Yang to her feet.

"No need to worry about me." Said Yang as Crona pulled her to her feet, impressing her with the amunt of strength she could feel in those skinny arms of his. It was when she got to her feet that she got to give the skinny boy a proper once-over. He really didn't have that much meat on his bones, but there was still something masculine about him, even if his figure was slim and his face delicate looking. Then there were his eyes, such a deep, grey colour. Yang could only wonder what amazing stories they had seen, and as a thrill seeker, she would love to experience more by his side.

Then, of course, there was the girl he seemed to be with. By the look in her eye, she was obviously infatuated with him (to say the least), but by his, he didn't seem to feel the same. That was when Yang noticed something: while the other girl was just as well endowed, if not more so, than she was, this boy didn't seem to be paying attention to those.

A boy who seemed to have quite the story to tell and who didn't just care about her body? Now THAT was something rare indeed. She would have to... get to know him better. Surely he wouldn't mind that, right? "Sorry, I didn't catch your name there." Said the brawler.

"Oh, uh, it's Crona." Crona responded, part of him wondering about the look that had popped into this girl's eye.

"Pleased to meet you Crona, I'm Yang." She said, slapping the poor boy in the shoulder, something Crona suddenly wished he could have hardened his blood for. "Hey, you mind if I join you? Seems like you could use a bit of company." She said, ignoring the scathing looks Kurumu was giving her.

"Oh, uh..." Crona said, his brain running at a mile a minute. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know how to deal with this! Calm down Crona. He thought to himself. Just think for a second.

Forget thinking! Ragnarok cried out in his head. Take her with us! We can never have too many hot chicks around!

Ignoring his perverted partner to the best of his abilities, one thought permeated Crona's mind above all others: What would Maka do? The answer seemed obvious after a second of thought. "Sure, why not."

Kurumu nearly fainted from shock. Crona, her Crona, had just WILLINGLY, allowed someone like her to join them for the night. What was wrong with this world?

Ruby, Blake and Weiss watched, confused as Yang walked off with Crona and a confused Kurumu as Maria voiced what they were all thinking: "What just happened?"

Castle and Beckett merely looked at each other, both wearing a similar expression of puzzlement before Beckett said "Good question..."

Castle gestured to Crona and Yang before turning to Beckett and saying "Yeah, what she said."

The Doctor merely let out an amused chuckle. "Ah the beauty of young love."

Castle cast the time traveler a confused look. "You mean between Crona and the girls, right?"

"Oh, them too I suppose." The Time Lord said before walking off. The remaining members of the group merely looked at each other.

Blake, after a second cast her thoughts to the time traveler and his costume. She knew that the Captains, one of which he was dressed as, all wore a number on their back, and wondered to herself what it could be... She turned in the direction he had walked off in, but before she saw the doctor, the Robed form of Scarecrow entered her field of view and blocked him off. "Hey guys." She author said. "Great party, huh?"

"Yeah." Said Blake, somewhat disappointed.

"What's up, Scarecrow?" asked Ruby.

"Well, as we all know, a Zivon96 party needs to include dinner and dancing-"

"They do?" wondered Castle, aloud.

"I thought he'd only thrown one other party." Beckett added.

Scarecrow shrugged. "That's just what he told me, I guess he just likes that kind of stuff. Oh, he also wanted me to ask Miss Rose if our entertainment for tonight has been confirmed."

Ruby flashed the author a thumbs up. "We're all set."

"Good." Scarecrow replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to make sure Vlad and Kratos don't murder someone."

"Should I even ask?" Weiss deadpanned.

"Probably not." Scarecrow responded.

Beckett sighed and turned to Castle. "Looks like we might just have a case tonight."

"Let's hope not." Said Scarecrow, running off to hopefully prevent a studio levelling fight.

oxoxoxo

Vlad and Kratos stood face to face, both of their faces a mask of indifference.

They had been standing face to face like this almost since the start of the party, neither one saying anything, or even moving for that matter, simply exchanging glares, Kratos' hair and Vlad's ears blowing in the wind.

Finally Kratos broke the silence. "Your ears look stupid."

Vlad sneered and responded with "Yes, well, so does your hair."

"Your costume isn't even in season!"

"Yours makes you look like an idiot!"

"And yours doesn't!"

Scarecrow watched from (what he thought was) a safe distance as the fight went on. It hadn't come to blows just yet, but he did have something up his sleeve, should this go wrong.

Vlad growled up at the slayer of gods. "You are really starting to piss me off!"

"That makes two of us!" Kratos roared in response.

"Yeah, well... YOUR MOTHER!" Vlad bellowed.

Kratos looked down at Vlad in confusion. "Are you insane?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"No reason." The God of War responded. "Want to get drinks?"

Vlad shrugged. "Sure, first round's on me."

As the two homicidal maniacs walked off, Scarecrow sighed in relief. He wasn't sure if the elephant tranquilizer he had bought would be enough to stop them if they went on a rampage.

oxoxoxo

Thatch looked over the open pavilion full of tables that Zivon had set up for the party. Each table had either an orange or blue flamed candle in the center, the light of which was reflected by the mirrored surface of each table. Combining this with the mist from a fog machine gave the area a truly eerie feel. "You've outdone yourself on this one, mate." The renegade said to Zivon.

Zivon's face took on a proud mask, but it slipped after a few seconds when that familiar sensation came back. It was that feeling that someone was watching you, but he couldn't tell from where. Looking to those who accompanied him, Francois, Thatch, Alison and Ben, he could see they felt the same, each one standing stock still, eyes darting about the area. The sensation slowly faded as everyone adopted a slightly more relaxed posture. "You noticed it too?" Zivon asked.

"Oui monsieur." Francois replied.

"Someone's out there." Thatch said, lowering his hood to get a better view of the area. Alison nodded and continued to look around. "What do you think Alison?" the swordsman inquired.

Alison said nothing, not even looking Thatch in the eye, merely shrugging.

Thatch grumbled under his breath and stalked over to Zivon. "We need to talk later." He muttered to his creator.

Thatch stalked back to his teammates as Ben came up to the author. "So there's something out there, but we have no idea what it is?"

"Possibly." Zivon replied.

"What do we do if it shows up?"

"We have over a dozen hunters, a police officer and the God of War himself." Zivon said "If whatever it is wants a fight, we'll give it one."

"Half your hunters are unarmed." Ben replied.

"The Deadliest Warrior fight club and armoury are on this lot, we can stock up there." Zivon assured the giant.

"Here's hoping you're right." Ben replied.

"Here's hoping whatever it is, it's smart enough to stay away from a group this large." Zivon said, walking over to the PA system. "Ladies and gentlemen," Zivon said, his voice distorted to a low rumble in the speakers. "Dinner is served, and seats are assigned in the dining pavilion. Where is that? Look for the fire."

Before Ben could ask what he meant, the flames on each of the candles suddenly shot a stream of fire into the darkened sky. Anyone on the lot could see the pyrotechnics. Before long, guests began to pour into the pavilion, everyone searching for a seat. The four authors gathered at their table, watching as Yang waved goodbye to Crona, giving him a smirk and a wink as she walked away, an action that brought a dark blush to Crona's face. Scarecrow applied palm to face as he saw this. "Looks like the poor boy has another follower."

Young merely shook his head. "Sometimes I wish I had his life."

Scarecrow cast him a look. "Even the psychological damage, monsters wanting to kill you and a literal voice in your head?" When Young didn't respond, Scarecrow pressed "Well?"

"I'm thinking." The young author responded.

"Hey," said Zivon "It could be worse. Could have been Maria."

"Or Vlad." DAM added, drawing a chorus of laughter from his fellows. "Speaking of Maria, good idea putting her and Pyrrha on opposite ends of the room." The historian said, gesturing to where Team EMAD sat, entirely opposite to Team JNPR. "With the fog and candles it'll be a while before they realize the whole 'costume' thing."

"That's the idea." Said Zivon. "Anyway, shall I open the buffet?"

The three other authors cast their eyes about the pavilion, but none could see where any buffet table was supposed to be. Young opened his mouth to question this, but before he could utter a word, Zivon clapped twice and a section of the area burst into bright orange flames, drawing the attention of the entire room. A second later, the other side of the room erupted in blue flame. Both soon died down, revealing the buffet tables underneath. "Ladies and gentlemen." Said Zivon "Dinner is served!"

It wasn't long before the buffet tables were swarmed by guests, two of whom were Castle and a shocked Beckett. "How are you still hungry after all that candy you ate before?" she demanded.

"Beckett," Castle responded, walking back to their table, plate piled high with food. "A master never reveals his secrets."

Beckett rolled her eyes and followed her partner, stuffing her pipe in her pocket as she sat down. They were soon joined by the Doctor and Kratos, Castle having to remember not to laugh at the God of War. He had no intention of having Beckett investigate his murder, especially if it meant she'd have to go up against a god...

"So," the Doctor asked, looking up to the God of War. "Might I ask what, ahem, inspired such a costume?"

Kratos glared down at the Time Lord, an angry snarl on his lips. "Is there a problem with it?" he growled.

Castle and Beckett slowly backed away from the table as the Doctor spoke again. "Oh, not at all, I was just wondering why you, of all people would choose it."

"I think that sounds like a problem." Kratos growled, hoisting the Doctor into the air by the front of his robes.

"Oh dear, uh, could you put me down?" the Doctor said as he realized his feet weren't on the ground.

"Not until you tell me just what's wrong with this costume." Kratos said, raising a fist to strike the Time Lord.

"Well, I mean-" the Doctor was forced to move his head to the side to dodge a punch. "There's nothing wrong per say-" dodge. "It's just that-" duck. "I just never thought that-" lean back. "Look, will you stop that?"

"Tell me damn it!" Kratos yelled out. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he dropped the Doctor before falling forward onto him

Castle and Beckett looked at the fallen God of War, seeing three darts embedded in his back. Turning around, they saw Scarecrow, blowpipe in hand, take a bow before walking back to the other authors. Turning back to the Doctor and Kratos, they heard from underneath the God of War a muffled cry of "Get him off of me!" The writer and detective both chose a heavily muscled shoulder and heaved, their strength combined with the Doctor's allowing them to lift Kratos off the Time Lord for long enough for him to escape. "That was close." Said the Doctor. "I saw my life flash before my eyes."

"Haven't you had ten lives before this one?" asked Castle.

"It's... complicated." The Doctor said.

"I'll bet it is." Beckett replied.

Castle nodded in agreement, before he considered something. "Hey, speaking of numbers, you're a Captain, right?" the Doctor nodded. "Captains all have numbers on their backs, right, what's yours?"

The Doctor let out a chuckle. "I can't tell you that."

Castle's face fell faster than Kratos. "What? Why not?"

The Doctor smirked and gave a one word answer: "Spoilers."

oxoxoxo

Scarecrow returned to the authors' table to a chorus of applause. "Thank you, thank you."

"No, thank you." Said Zivon "The last thing I need is a murder on my lot."

"You're not concerned about his possibly dead character?" Young inquired, genuinely shocked.

Scarecrow shrugged. "Anything happens, I can write him back to life."

"Right..." said Young.

"Anyway," said Scarecrow "Zivon, didn't you say you had some kind of entertainment planned for tonight."

"Oh, I almost forgot." Zivon said, clapping his hands three times. A large stage rose form the back of the room, splitting through the fog as it did, lights igniting all around it and a microphone rising from the center. As the guests were wondering what was going on, Zivon made another announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, this would not be a Zivon96 party without dancing-"

"You've only ever had one party!" Castle called out.

"Ignoring that." Zivon said "It's time to dance, and what better way to begin than with live music?" There was a chorus of agreement and mild applause. "So, I give you, all the way from Beacon academy, the lovely, the talented, Weiss Schnee!"

The pavilion erupted in applause as Weiss stood up, shock evident on her face. She wondered for a moment what was going on, until she saw her team leader clapping louder than any of the other guests, a grin splitting her face from ear to ear. "What did you do?" the heiress demanded.

"Well, I knew you liked singing..." Ruby said, somewhat awkwardly, smile still splitting her face. "I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"Surprises don't work that way you dolt!" Weiss snapped. She needed a plan, and with her pride, refusing to perform in front of all these people was not an option. She frantically gazed around the room, looking for some kind of inspiration before her eyes settled on her own reflection on the table. Her icy blue dress and cape shining in the firelight, catching the light and sparkling like a snowstorm. Wait, that was it!

The heiress walked up to the stage amidst cheers and picked up the microphone before speaking into it. "Testing, testing." She said, ensuring that the mic worked. She took a deep breath before speaking into the mic. "I know this song's a little out of season... okay, a lot out of season, but since I was just informed now that I would be singing," she said, giving a pointed glare to her partner and leader who refused to stop smiling. "It was what I came up with."

With those words, the music began, a slow, cold piano in a minor key, the fires on the tables turning an icy blue as Weiss began to sing. "The snow blows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen. A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the queen."

Down on the floor people were beginning to dance, some finding partners such as Castle and Beckett , who began to waltz, Crona, Kurumu and Yang in a bizarre, three person dance, and the Doctor, dancing... well, on his own, but with a contented smile on his face.

As others began to dance, at the author's table, things were quite different. As soon as the music started, DAM had hit his head into the table, muttering something about shipping. Scarecrow was trying to hold back laughter, and Young wasn't even trying. Zivon merely shook his head with a smirk.

"Don't let them in, don't let them see!" Weiss belted out, her voice filling the pavilion, Ruby never looking away from her as the others dance. "Be the good girl you always had to be. Conceal don't feel, don't let them know... Well now they know!"

The guests had ceased their dancing and were now all focused on Weiss as she sang. "Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore! Let it go! Let it go! Turn away and slam the door! I don't care what they're going to say... Let the storm rage on. The cold never bothered me anyway."

The crowd returned to their dancing as Weiss continued, Castle and Beckett continuing their waltz, Nora spinning Ren about with no sense of rhythm or timing as the martial artist attempted to stay on his feet (and alive). Jaune and Pyrrha were slow dancing, the knight impressing his partner with his skill.

Crona was currently switching back and forth between dancing with Yang and Kurumu. "Where did you learn to dance like that?" Kurumu asked dreamily as Crona spun her and dipped her.

"It's not th-that difficult from fighting, it just has less killing involved." Crona replied, refusing to admit to his love of dance as he switched to Yang.

Possibly most surprising, though, was Maria Gaia, who was currently dancing with a very nervous looking Ben Aparte who was trying desperately to not step on her feet as they danced.

Meanwhile, at the authors' table the writers had stopped laughing and were content to let their creations dance the night away. Well, all except for DAM. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"Not really." Zivon answered. "Let's call it 'costume inspiration.'"

"Well, call it what you like," said Young "It seems like you managed to crowbar a dance scene into this party too."

"It's what I do." Zivon replied, showing off his fangs in a grin.

Meanwhile, Weiss had finally gotten to the final chorus, and the dancers were really getting into it. "Let it go! Let it go! And I'll rise like the break of dawn! Let it go! Let it go! That perfect girl is gone!" Weiss strode confidently to the front of the stage as she belted out the last of the song. "Here I stand in the light of day! Let the storm rage on..." she belted out as the music rose to a grand finale. Weiss raised the microphone and opened her mouth to deliver the last word.

Then the power completely cut, plunging the stage into darkness and silence.

Murmurs of confusion swept through the crowd as they wondered what just happened. Thinking quickly, Zivon rose to his feet and called out. "Ladies and gentlemen, the party will be delayed as we try to find the cause of this. Until then, please enjoy the buffet food." He then turned to his fellow authors. "Alright, DAM, you and I will take a few characters to go look at the fuse box, Scarecrow, you and Young keep an eye on things here."

"Why am I going with you?" asked DAM.

"It's a long story," said Zivon. "Now pick someone."

"Erwin, Jaune, come with us."

Erwin and Jaune exchanged a glance before following DAM and Zivon out of the pavilion.

As they left, everyone's worst nightmare of the night came true. Apparently, when the power was cut to the stage, no one was watching Maria and Pyrrha who had wandered through the crowd and had then bumped into each other. The party guests all leapt back from the two with a gasp, but neither of the girls looked all that shocked.

"What?" demanded Maria.

"What is it?" Pyrrha echoed, softer.

No one spoke for a moment until Francois opened his mouth. "You're not angry?" he asked.

Maria looked at the marksman for a few seconds, the questioning look on her face asking for her.

"You're wearing the same costumes." Said Blake, everyone else recoiling in fright.

That is, until Pyrrha said "No we're not."

"She's right." Maria confirmed, calming the masses down. "Whatever gave you the idea that we had the same costumes? It's so obvious that I'm Minerva and she's Athena."

The entire room let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. Crisis averted.

oxoxoxo

"This is a problem." Said Zivon as he and DAM looked over the fuse box. They had found the problem, but neither one of them liked it. The wire in question had been cut.

"What did this?" DAM wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Zivon answered, reaching into his pocket and fishing out his cell phone. "but we need to call the cops. Erwin, take my phone, make the call."

"Got it." Said the general, taking the phone from Zivon and dialing the number.

DAM continued to look over the fusebox as Zivon looked over to Jaune. "Do you feel that too?"

Jaune looked to Zivon like he was telling some kind of joke, but stopped when he realized the author was serious. "What is it?" he asked.

"That feeling, like we're being watched." Zivon answered.

Jaune listened for a moment. "I don't know, but one thing's for sure, it's too quiet out here."

Zivon listened for himself, and sure enough, the place was completely silent, no animals, no bugs, no one talking. "Wait a minute." Zivon said on that last thought. "Where's Erwin? He should be back by now."

"I'll see if I can find him." Jaune said, walking off in the Direction Erwin had gone off in.

"Good luck." Zivon called after him.

"Hey Zivon, check this out." Said DAM "I found something. Looks like it might be what cut the wire."

Zivon stepped over to his co-author and looked at what he held in his gloved hands. "A razor?"

"It was lodged in the wires." Said the historian. "Looks like someone used this to cut the wires."

"That's ridiculous, they'd be shocked to death if they even tried." Zivon replied.

DAM was about to say something else when they were both interrupted by Jaune letting out a loud scream of terror. With a quick glance at each other, the two authors ran after the scream.

oxoxoxo

"I wonder if they've found anything yet." Said Young.

Scarecrow shrugged and tugged at his beard. "I don't know, but something doesn't feel right here."

"What do you mean?" Young enquired.

"I mean the power going out, and right at the climax of the song." Said Scarecrow "It almost feels like it was, I don't know, planned."

"That's insane." Said Young.

Scarecrow opened his mouth to respond when all the lights in the area suddenly went out. "Oh, what now?" Scarecrow muttered, looking around in the darkened pavilion. His eyes were still adjusting so he could barely see anything, but his hearing was still intact. A something fell to the ground from the direction of the stage, followed by something else, a candle from one of the tables.

Murmurs of confusion and worry were coming from all over the crowd as characters wondered just what was going on. There was a sound of something falling against one of the tables and a faint dripping sound as the murmurs from the crowd began to die down.

Suddenly, one of the candles came back on, but it had changed. Its once blue flame had turned black and purple. Following closely after it, the other candles began to ignite in a dark flame, the entire pavilion soon engulfed in a dark purple light.

It was then that a scream split the air, soon joined by more. Scarecrow took off in the direction of the first scream, Young following close behind. It had come from Ruby. "Ruby, what's going on?" Scarecrow demanded.

The hooded girl lifted a shaky finger and pointed toward a table. Scarecrow and young followed her gaze, immediately wishing they hadn't. Ruby had pointed to one of the tables, the one the candle had fallen off of. Lying on the table in its place, like a macabre centerpiece was the body of Weiss Schnee, red staining her once blue dress as her blood leaked out through her now slashed wrists and wide open eyes, her face frozen in its last moments as a mask of terror. Young wanted to heave, but Scarecrow managed to keep his composure, reaching into his hat and pulling out his phone to call Zivon. "Hello?" Zivon said over the phone.

"We've got a problem over here." Scarecrow said, his eyes unable to leave the body of the late Weiss.

oxoxoxo

"You're not the only one." Zivon replied to Scarecrow as he, DAM and Jaune looked down onto the body of Erwin Frundsberg, a single puncture wound in his back going right through his heart.

oxoxoxo

Cliffhanger!

Sorry guys, but on the upside, more parts to this story will be released later this week.

Costume list

Zivon – Dracula/Vlad the Impaler

Scarecrow – Gandalf

DAM – Batman

YoungSamurai – Cole MacGrath

Thatch Edwards – Edward Kenway

Maria Gaia – Minerva (Roman Goddess of Battle Strategy)

Alison Zu – Mulan

Francois Delatrois – King Louis XIII

Kate Beckett – Sherlock Holmes

Richard Castle – Watson

Jaune Arc – Black Knight (Monty Python)

Nora Valkyrie – Michael J Caboose

Pyrrha Nikos – Athena (Greek Goddess of Battle Strategy)

Lie Ren – Bruce Lee

The Doctor – A Captain (Bleach)

Crona – Priest

Kurumu – Sexy Devil

Kratos – Hippie

Ruby Rose – Grim Reaper

Weiss Schnee (R.I.P.) – Elsa (Frozen)

Blake Belladonna – Tiger Woods

Yang Xiao Long – Mai Shiranui

Erwin Frundsberg (R.I.P.) – Teddy Roosevelt

Ben Aparte – Napoleonic Soldier

Vlad Paler – Easter Bunny