Author's note: Hey, everyone. I'm Connor, and I mostly write Earthbound fanfics but I occasionally stray over into Smash Bros since it's one of my favorite games.

I know it's not super close to Halloween yet, but I promise that the title makes sense in the context of the story. This probably won't turn into a longfic, but there will be more updates. I'm really trying to focus on characterization through showing rather than telling in this fic, meaning that I'll try not to say "Character X is sad" or "Character Y tends to be quiet" but rather show those emotions and traits with actions. Needless to say, describing an entire actions instead of using a single word like "sad" or "quiet" inflates the word count, so I apologize if the pace feels slow.

Also, I tried to write lines in this fic that follow the natural flow of dialogue while still being references (why did I do this to myself?), so hopefully even if you don't get the references the scenes will still make sense. I haven't played Super Mario Galaxy or any Metroid game and I'm trying to write about Samus and Rosa off of a combined 30 minutes of reading on wikis, so we'll see how that goes.

Also, spoilers for Mother 3... although those spoilers have basically become a meme now, and if you've ever looked looked at the Lucas Miiverse then I won't be spoiling anything for you. Besides, the game's like ten years old now.

Have a great day :)

Dinner was both the best and the worst time of day for Samus.

Best because, well, food. And after spending hours staring at the dull, blue walls of the sparring room, the wooden tables and the oversaturated smell of fat and oil in the air were a refreshing change. Today, like yesterday and the day before, Samus' stomach rumbled the moment she heard the meat juices sizzling on skillets behind different stands.

And worst because of all the people around. Wario passed in front of Samus, his breath reeking of garlic. Samus did her best to hold her nose as she looked around at the different food options. The chatter of the cafeteria drowned out Samus' thoughts as she rubbed her temples and tried to read the daily menus above each station. Maybe she should have worn her Power Suit to dinner instead of her Zero Suit.

Ah, but she would have to take her helmet off to eat anyway. And the way Wario darted back and forth in front of her while racing from food stand to food stand made her consider lodging an armored elbow in his stomach. Okay, maybe it really was good that she hadn't brought her Power Suit along.

Samus frowned, looking from salad bar to hamburger stand to Pho bowls. Apparently, the people on Earth had this kind of selection available to them at any time. She didn't know how they could possibly handle having so many options.

Samus took several minutes to decide on tacos with carne asada and a Greek salad. After waiting behind Link and waiting for the five minutes it took to communicate what he wanted through grunting and pointing, Samus could feel her shoulders tensing up. At least if something went horribly wrong while fighting metroids, she would just die instead of standing in a line with glorious, juicy meat an arm's length away.

Samus got her food and looked down for a place to sit near the corners of the room. Her eyes locked with Rosalina's, and Luma bobbed up and down in excitement. Samus made a point to dart in front of Wario as he was carrying a plate stacked with cheese-slathered nachos back to his table. Wario halted and nearly spilled his nachos all over the floor, and Samus didn't bother looking before walking over to Rosalina's booth. The seats, along with their nice leather padding, had the boon of being away from the noise and bustle of the center tables. Samus released a sigh of relief as she plopped down next to Rosalina. Luma made an excited, high-pitched noise that sounded vaguely like a bird chirping and gave Samus a high-five. Although she guessed for the Luma it was a high-one.

"Sometimes, I wish I had the courage to do that," Rosalina said, looking over at Wario. "I'm not used to dealing with people who aren't fragile like glass. If I shove my baby Lumas aside when I get frustrated with them, it would probably break their little hearts."

"I probably shouldn't have done it," Samus said. "There's no point in making him angrier at me."

"I guess that's true," Rosalina said. "I'm still a little fascinated by the concept of a grudge. Where I grew up, the universe seemed so big and empty that we had to hold onto each other so that we would feel a little less alone. I think when there are so many of us here, we almost feel replaceable. I just…" Rosalina sighed. "I know this is hopelessly idealistic, but I wish we could all just forget the bad things we did to each other and be friends."

"Of course," Samus said, flashing a smirk, "There are some scars that time can't erase, and there are some people who will never be your friend, no matter how nicely you ask."

"Right. I'm not trying to deny that." Rosalina sighed, looking over at Luma for guidance. "I'm just glad that I grew up feeling supported. I think the way we wiped each other's tears away meant more than my loss. I wish that more people would come together in sorrow rather than anger."

Samus looked at Rosalina's downcast expression and smiled. She remembered noticing that same expression on that day almost two years ago that Rosalina was eating by herself. Samus pushed through all of the "what ifs?" in her mind to ask if they could sit together. Samus knew what it felt like to feel like the world itself had bet everything against you, and her experiences allowed her to wince whenever Rosalina mentioned all the character hate she got.

Because in a way, Rosalina's experiences weren't so different from Samus' own. The voices shouting curses at Rosalina, hoping that she and Luma would lose every match, soon began to take on the face of the entire world. Of course, other characters like Cloud, Bayonetta, and Sonic also got character hate. But Bayonetta and Sonic seemed to take it in stride, while Cloud always rebuked her attempts at conversation.

So it was no wonder that Samus and Rosalina had become fast friends and constant training partners. Samus had taught Rosalina not to hold back in battle, but she saw Rosalina wince whenever Luma's up-air killed at 40%.

Samus told Rosalina over and over again that the people who complained about her playstyle were losers, and that Rosalina would never be able to make them happy. After all, it wasn't Rosalina's fault that she had been given powerful defensive tools and ways to finish early stocks. Play lame, win game was the mantra that Samus had drilled into Rosalina's head.

And speaking of winning…

"Congrats again at winning the tournament," Samus said. "I know you've been working super hard, and I'm glad that your training paid off."

Rosalina's eyes lit up. "Thanks. Congratulations on second place."

Luma made his excited squeaky noise, and Samus looked over to see Zelda approaching the booth with a plate of salmon and potatoes.

"Is it okay if I sit with you?" she said.

"Yeah, of course." Samus scooted over to make room.

Luma floated over and studied Zelda's food. Zelda laughed, and Luma flew up inches in front of her face. Zelda made a silly face by bugging her eyes and squeezing her cheeks together with her palms, and Luma made a happy little squeak before returning to Rosalina's side.

"I heard you both talking about the tournament," Zelda said. "Congrats on your placings. We all have to work together to take some tournaments away from Bayonetta, Cloud, and Diddy Kong."

"I was definitely rooting for Luigi at the previous tournament," Rosalina said with a smile. "He really did play his heart out, and he's come a long way. Although I probably have a bit of franchise bias."

"Not as much as Sakurai," came another voice. "He must have been high when he decided to hire Dark Pit."

Samus turned her head to look over at the Mushroom Kingdom's own Princess Peach, who carried a plate of turnips and mushrooms over her shoulder like a waitress. Peach used her free hand to brush her hair aside, and then took a pocket mirror out of her purse and looked at herself.

"So this must be the winners table," Peach said. "Oh, and Zelda, I guess."

"Yep, here we are," Rosalina said. "Celebrating all alone."

"Congrats on finally doing all right at a tournament last month," Samus said. "You're probably only a few years away from winning one like all of us already did."

"Samus." Zelda smiled and placed a hand on Samus' arm. "Thanks, but I can deal with Peach. She doesn't mean anything by it."

"Oh ho." Peach grinned. "I see. Is this the cool kids table? I guess I'm just not hip enough to get nerfed like all of you."

Rosalina shot a confused glance at Zelda, who mouthed "Sheik" back at her.

"Yeah, you're not," Samus said. "So you can leave now."

"Samus," Rosalina said. "Didn't we just talk about making more friends?"

"I can go off with Peach, if you want," Zelda said, raising an eyebrow. "Trust me, I understand that she can be a little overwhelming at times."

Rosalina sighed, giving Samus a look that said, I know you put up with annoying people when I'm not around.

"We're fine," Rosalina said.

Zelda looked over at Samus and frowned. "I'm glad you are, but I want to hear it from Sam-"

"We're fine," Samus said.

Zelda hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. As Samus turned back to her own food, she heard a screeching noise from the speakers on the ceiling.

"Testing, testing, testing…"

Samus looked over to the middle of the room to see Ness standing up on one of the tables holding a microphone in his hand. She exchanged a glance with Rosalina, who shrugged.

"Welcome," Ness said, bowing, "To all ladies and gentlemen, Koopas and Hylians, Pokémon and Pikmin, Rosalinas and Lumas-" Luma made a happy squeaking noise.

"What's up, champ?" Captain Falcon shouted from a nearby table.

Ness grinned, soaking in the noise. "I have a special announcement for us all. And no, it's not about the tournament coming up. Seriously, who thought that the Fire Emblem characters needed any more love than Sakurai gave them by adding in two of them as DLC?" Ness coughed. "Shoutouts to Roy and Corrin. Love you both, homies."

Ness made a clicking sound into the microphone as he pointed to Roy and Corrin, who unfortunately drew eyes from all around the room.

"I agree," Peach said. "Do you know how hard it is for me to deal with sword characters? I spent all of this afternoon to prepare myself for getting hit by swords all weekend."

Samus raised an eyebrow at Zelda. Was Peach's line about swords supposed to be some sort of innuendo?

Zelda glanced at Peach and shrugged. You said that she was okay to stay, her casual expression seemed to suggest.

Samus' mouth grew dry. Wonderful. Just exactly how she wanted to spend her evening.

"In a little less than three weeks is an Earth holiday called Halloween," Ness said. "And I think it could be a lot of fun to celebrate such a harrowed traditions on the eve of a solemn religious holiday by stuffing enough candy in our mouths until we look like chipmunks."

"That's it," Peach muttered. "All Earth humans are crazy."

"No, I'm serious," Ness said, scanning the expressions of the crowd. "That's actually how we celebrate Halloween on Earth."

Samus frowned. Was it? She had never heard of November 1st as being any sort of religious holiday, and she assumed someone from the Federation would have told her about this "Halloween" if it actually existed.

"But we also have to dress up and costumes and knock on each other's doors to get the candy," Ness said. "It's a spiritual tradition for us Earth-folk."

"Yo," Captain Falcon said. "We already did that for New Year's."

"But there was no candy." Ness wrinkled his nose. "Besides, that was almost a year ago and Paula pressured me into dressing up in that robot suit I used to fight Giygas. Do you know how bulky that costume was? Every time I walked past a table, I would almost knock the whole thing over. The things I do for love…" Ness gave an overdramatic sigh.

"Okay," Peach said. "Now he just sounds like Jaime Lannister."

Rosalina frowned, and Luma spun around and tilted his body to imitate a human cocking their head in confusion.

"It's a Game of Thrones reference," Zelda said, "One that involves incest and pushing small children off of tall towers."

Rosalina's eyes lit up in understanding.

"That being said," Peach continued, "I would love to dress up as the Shadow Queen again. I do feel my edgy gothic phase coming back."

Peach pulled out her hand mirror and flipped her hair, moving the mirror around in different positions to adjust the lighting.

"Did you two show up to the New year's party last year?" Zelda said. "Or, well, the party that spanned this year and last year I guess."

"I showed up in my Fusion Suit," Samus said with a shrug. "And I got to hear Peach's drunk stories about Mario's homosexual adventures."

"Eh, I was just pretending to be drunk," Peach said. "Well, mostly."

Samus raised an eyebrow.

"I just get drunk on life," Peach said. Cocking her head, "That's some real Sufi mysticism right there. I should become a spiritual leader."

"You most certainly should not," Zelda said, her eyes widening in horror. "In fact, what we should probably do right now is check up on Lucas."

Peach leaned back into the cushioned booth and stuffed a turnip in her mouth.

"Come on, Zeldy," Peach said, her voice muffled by chewing. "I'm sure he's fine."

"You're forgetting what happened when we brought up Christmas around him."

"That was two years ago."

"And do you think he's completely better?" Zelda said, standing up. "Do you think that every scar just fades away over time?"

"I mean, yeah. The body does a pretty good job of repairing most scars, considering that we shed our skin cells and all."

"Most." Zelda looked into Peach's eyes. "Not all."

Peach tried to look away, but flinched a moment later under Zelda's iron stare. "All right, all right. I'll go with you to talk to the kid. Has anyone ever told you that you would make a really scary mother?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Zelda said. Turning back to Samus and Rosalina, "I apologize for my behavior, along with Peach's. Thank you for your hospitality."

Zelda gave a slight bow, and then walked away from the table. Peach shook her head.

"I hate it when she gets all noble-class Hylian like this," Peach said. Waving goodbye, "Well, see ya around. I apologize for Zeldy as well."

Peach stuffed her hand mirror into her purse and walked away, the clacking of her high heels barely audible over the Halloween discussion that Samus was trying to drone out in the middle of the room.

"There's still so much about you people that I don't understand," Rosalina said. "Why do they need to talk with Lucas now?"

Samus grunted, trying to keep her expression neutral. "Ness talking about Earth culture probably made Lucas remember everything else he missed out on as a child."

"Oh." Rosalina placed a comforting hand on Luma. "That I do understand. So he doesn't think that the life he did grow up with was just as valuable?"

Samus frowned. "We don't really know what Lucas' life was like. I think his childhood leads him to the painful memories of his family."

"His mother and brother died, right?" Rosalina said. "But Ridley killed your parents. Ganondorf killed Zelda's. And I'll never know how I lost my mother. What's the difference?"

Samus looked into Rosalina's eyes wide with curiosity. Rosalina ran her hand down Luma's back, who made a sad squeaky noise. Samus gulped and nodded. Ignorance wasn't a sin.

"Well, you don't remember losing your mother, right?" Samus said. "The life you grew up with was normal to you. And I was too young to remember the destruction of my planet."

At least, she should have been. Study after study showed that humans didn't form autobiographic memoires until the age of four. The flash of fire and screams in the back of her head simply weren't real.

"And what about Zelda?" Rosalina said. "She told me that her life was disrupted by Ganondorf's ascent to power and the execution of the entire noble court. Yet she's the one comforting Lucas."

Yeah, Zelda's life had sure been "disrupted." Knowing Zelda's word choice and Rosalina's memory, Rosalina had probably quoted her verbatim.

"Well, Zelda still had Impa," Samus said. "And there is the age difference between them now. Zelda probably sees Lucas like a little brother. And besides…"

Rosalina nodded along with wide eyes.

"I still think it was different," Samus said. "The world was counting on Zelda and Link to restore the peace. They still had hope. But what was Lucas supposed to do when his own brother tried to kill him? What was Lucas supposed to do when that same brother brother, upon realizing what he had done, decided to take the only true way out and kill himself?"

"Ah." Rosalina looked down at Luma. "I… see."

Samus took a deep breath. She listened in on the Halloween conversation, where Ness and Villager were discussing through the microphone how everyone could hand out candy and trick-or-treat at the same time. She looked over at Lucas, who was smiling along he talked to Peach and Zelda.

"I sometimes forget how differently people deal with grief," Rosalina said. "Or maybe I never learned it in the first place. Lumas are simple creatures, but they are wise in how they follow the natural flow of the universe. Being around them made me the same." Rosalina flashed a secretive smile. "Maybe not wise, but definitely simple. Sometimes I wish I would feel the same messy emotions as everyone else just so that I could understand."

"Trust me," Samus said, standing up. "That's not something you should wish for."

"Samus?" Rosalina cocked her head.

"I'm sorry," Samus said, "But I have to go."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No."

Samus couldn't bear to look at Rosalina. She forced herself to take deep breaths through the sound of the loudspeakers and the mass of people she weaved through around tables.

If only she had brought her power suit. If only someone else's breath couldn't touch her skin. If only the smells of kimchee and onions could fall short at her mask. If only she didn't imagine each person she passed bumping into her and knocking her over.

Samus reached the exit of the cafeteria in seconds. She opened the door and slipped out, the normally creaky door inaudible over the shouting in the middle of the room.