The village was a buzz. It was full of Evershade Villagers running around while doing errands. It was a peaceful town. No one dared to cause drama. But Aurore had shown up and it disturbed the balance of everything. Though she wasn't in the village now, the villagers still felt her presence throughout their home. It scared the children. It scared the animals. It scared almost everyone in this village that Aurore was in it.

They were all just grateful that she took up residence in the Treacherous Mansion.

A young girl, one who wasn't apart of the village, roamed around with a broomstick in her hand. Her dress was all black and looked medieval with cord tied around her waist and quarter length sleeves that had access fabric hanging off them. Her black hair was tied into two pigtails as her red eyes scanned the area.

"Wow," She said as she looked around before stopping on a light post, her smile falling with fear and shock as she saw Aurore's tag. It was a heart with a knife going through it. "Oh, no." She sighed as she spun and went to leave when she bumped into someone along the way.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," She said, looking up at the man she bumped into. He was wearing black overalls and a purple shirt, with a purple hat and an upside-down L in the center. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Yeah, whatever," He said rudely, making the girl look at him with disgust. Her eyes were glowing now out of anger, making the man look at her and gulp nervously.

"Excuse me?" She says. "I apologize and you be rude to me?"

"Uh..."

"Fine!" She yelled. "I rescind my apology!" She quickly got onto her broomstick and flew off towards the Treacherous Mansion, the man watching as she left.

"Damn it," He quietly said to himself. If he had known how pretty she was, he wouldn't have been so rude.

OOOOOO

COUNT GREEN

Episode 5: Cousins

OOOOOO

The Gloomy Manor seemed quiet. A little too quiet. Usually, Grace was being her loud teen self, or Luigi was accidentally setting something on fire with his black flames. But today's quietness wasn't a bad thing in Peach's eyes. Nope. It seemed peaceful. And with what has been happening lately, she needed a few hours of peace before chaos struck again.

So, that's what Peach was doing. She was sitting outside alone, getting some fresh air after being cooped up in the Gloomy Manor for so long now. And she needed it since she was getting dizzy spells even more frequently than before.

She winced after a moment, grabbing her bitten wrist out of pain. She rolled up her long-sleeve and looked at the now blood-soaked bandage. It was bleeding more now.

"He didn't even feed on my wrist today," She said to herself. "Why is it bleeding like this?"

"Peach?" The young princess turned around as she quickly covered up her wrist. Grace was standing by the doorway, grinning like a schoolgirl.

"Hi, Grace," Peach said, hiding the pain from her wrist very well. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, just out," Grace said vaguely. Peach just looked at Grace with suspicion, clearly wondering where she truly was. But instead of pushing, she just shook her head and grinned at the young ghost.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Luigi's looking for you," Grace said before giggling and fading away like any ghost would.

Peach giggled at the young ghost, wondering if this is how she was when she was alive. She stood up from the patio chair she had claimed and went to head inside...when she stopped in tracks and gasped as an image of a young girl with black twin pigtails and a broomstick.

"Ah-ah-ahahah," Peach perked up as the vision faded away, surprise on her face.

"That voice," She spoke quietly, hearing that same melody over and over again, and the image of the girl would not leave her. "Who is that?" Peach thought for a moment, going over all of their friends, but she wasn't one of them. Aurore, however, came to Peach's mind as well and though her evil aunt had black hair, she didn't wear it in pigtails like the girl she saw. Plus, this girl didn't have fangs but had red eyes.

After a moment, Peach shook her head of the thought and headed inside. Maybe they'd find out who she was before the day ended, or maybe they never would. Only time would tell.

OOOOOO

The young girl ran into the Treacherous Mansion, stopping in the Central Courtyard where she saw Aurore standing in front of her magic mirror. She breathed heavily as she walked in further, placing a hand on the arm-rest of the throne she had placed here.

"I see you finally showed up, Rita," Aurore spoke, making the girl, Rita, jump at the cold sound to the vampire queen's voice.

"Uh, yeah," She said. "I saw your tag."

"Good," Aurore said with a deep breath as she watched the mirror with intense red eyes. The mirror was showing Luigi in the living room at the Gloomy Manor, practicing with his dark powers. "This has gone on long enough!" She yelled.

"Just relax," Rita said as she walked forward a bit, her broomstick in one hand.

"How can I relax when they could be getting closer to the counterspell?!"

Rita just rolled her eyes at the woman's outburst. "I doubt they're anywhere near finding it," She said.

"That's what we are supposed to think," Aurore said as she glared at the glass in front of her. Rita just stared on, confused as to what she meant.

The image soon distorted, causing Aurore to groan in disgust before seeing a small village pop up in the Gloomy Manor Crew's place. Rita perked up at the sight and walked over, seeing the beautiful scenery of Evershade Village.

"What's this?" Aurore asked confused.

"Evershade Village," Rita answered. "It's a small town down the way, passed the Gloomy Manor."

"So there is life here?" Aurore smirked with a wicked idea as she walked over to a cauldron, Rita watching her every move. The Vampire Queen started throwing things into it, making puffs of smoke rise to the sky as she created her brew.

"What are you doing?" Rita asked.

"I need to buy us some time," Aurore answered. "And what better way to buy some time than an attack on the village?"

Rita's eyes widened in fear and worry. After hearing that Luigi was cursed to be one of Aurore's kind, she knew something bad was going to happen. Even after seeing her tag in the village, she just had this feeling that the woman before her was going to do something drastic. She had to stop her.

"You can't be serious!" She yelled to the red-eyed queen as she took a few steps forward. "The village has done nothing to you!"

"It's the only way, Rita!" Aurore said, side-eyeing Rita. "The only way to keep that boy as a future king to our kingdom." She looked back at her brew, watching it bubble and boil. "He's powerful. More powerful than your father was. Combine his new dark powers with the ones he already possessed, and he'll be unstoppable."

"But mom...!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Aurore screamed as she spun to look at Rita, making the young witch take a step back out of fear and surprise. The look in her mom's eyes showed anger and evil, with an intense red glow to her already red eyes. Rita knew this would happen. Her mom was thirsty for power and to find a king for their kingdom. She could see that this hunt was making Aurore crazy.

And she needed to be stopped.

"Get out of my sight," Aurore finally said, a tense and bitter sound to her voice. "We'll talk when I've cooled down."

Rita didn't have to be told twice. She high-tailed it out of there, grabbing her cloak before leaving the Treacherous Mansion all together. She closed the door and leaned against out of fear, breathing heavily as the cold stare from her mom sent shivers down her spine. She sighed in defeat as a big roar echoed through the air around her.

"Why must she always be so stubborn?" Rita asked herself, hearing her mother's wicked laugh enter the air as well. "If only she remembered those times before my father's death."

(SONG: "Once Upon a December" – Anastasia on Broadway)

Rita walked further away from the mansion, gripping onto her broomstick tighter than before. Her mind was flooded with memories of her father showing her different spells and different magic tricks. His smile graced his face in each memory.

RITA: Dancing bears/painted wings/things I long to/remember./And a song/someone sings/Once Upon a December./Someone holds me safe and warm./Horses prance through a silver storm./Figures dancing gracefully/across my memory.

Rita sat on her broomstick and took to the sky, flying overhead. She could see the Secret Mine and the Haunted Towers from where she was. She even saw the Gloomy Manor and sighed with sorrow as she flew slowly towards Evershade Village. The somber feeling in her heart made her feel pity and sorry for Luigi, but mainly her mother. The only man she ever loved was her late husband, and Rita could tell that Aurore was trying to fill that void with someone else.

She thought back to how her mom used to be, always smiling, always thinking of her people before her own needs. She remembered how her mom's smile brightened up the room, and how she and her father would dance in the throne room together. But that was all before the spell she created to turn anyone into a vampire backfired and made her one. That spell even killed her father.

RITA: Someone holds me safe and warm./Horses prance through a silver storm./Figures dancing gracefully/across my memory./Far away/long ago/glowing dim as an ember./Things my heart/used to know/things it yearns to remember.

She soon stopped and floated above the village, watching as everyone was minding their own business, with no clue that a monster was on its way.

RITA: And a song/someone sings...

The roar echoed through the air again as Rita watched the village people look around with wonder and fear.

RITA: ...Once Upon a Dece-em-ber...

(End of the song)

OOOOOO

Peach walked through the halls of the Gloomy Manor until she finally reached the living room. She walked inside, not seeing Luigi at all. "Luigi?" She called out but didn't get an answer. She finally looked up to the ceiling...and screamed. There, just hanging upside down and chilling, was a brown bat.

"How'd you get in here?!" Peach yelled again as she went to run away since the bat started flying down to her. However, smoke rose in the center of the room as the bat flew into it. When it disappeared, Luigi was in its place.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Luigi said, grabbing Peach's hand to calm her down. "It's just me. Relax." He chuckled as Peach steadied her breathing. She eventually calmed down, which resulted in her slapping Luigi on the arm out of a short amount of fear.

"Don't you DARE scare me like that again!" She yelled at him, making Luigi chuckle again.

"I'll do my best," He said. Peach just grins as she shakes her head. She knew he had to learn how to control his new powers, but did he have to be turned into something that made him become a bat?

"Anyway," She began, "what did you need to see me for?" Luigi looked on confused, making Peach look confused as well. "Grace told me you needed to see me?" This was when Luigi realized what was going on.

"Grace told you that?" He asked, earning a slow and confused nod from Peach. He scoffed with amusement. "She told me that YOU needed to see ME." He clarified, making Peach look on with a smirk.

"She just wanted to get us alone," She finally understood. It was no secret that the two liked each other, but it was obvious to everyone but the two in the room.

Luigi has always liked Peach as more than a friend, and Peach could always feel these butterflies in her stomach whenever he put his hand on her shoulder or even just hugged her. She felt safe with him. Yeah, she felt safe with Mario as well, but it seemed that she felt safer with Luigi more so than Mario now. And her heart always seemed to fly whenever Luigi said her name. It had to mean that she was falling for the Man in Green...right?

"Why us?" She finally asked, making Luigi shake his head from staring at her beauty and blush a bit.

"I-I don't know," He said, keeping his feelings hidden to the best of his ability. If only he knew that she was hiding her feelings for him as well. "Maybe just to get us closer."

"Maybe," Peach smiled.

"Anyway," He coughed into his fist, looking a bit unconformable as he changed the subject, "any dizzy spells lately?"

"No," Peach returned. "But I did get this weird vision earlier."

"A vision?" Luigi asked, confused.

"Yeah!" Peach exclaimed. "It was of a girl who looked almost like me. Age and all! The only difference was the black hair in pigtails and red eyes."

"Don't tell me you have a twin, too!" Luigi yelled, making Peach giggle at his response.

"Trust me, I don't have a twin," She said, smiling that beautiful smile of hers. Though it did fall after a while, making her sigh. "But I don't know what is going on with me. Ever since I showed up here, I've been getting weird things coming to my mind."

Luigi looked at her concerned, making Peach look into his red eyes and blush. His concern for her even gave her those butterflies! She so badly just wanted to pull him over and kiss him. But in the back of her mind, she thought that maybe he didn't like her in that same way and that it would ruin their friendship. So, she held back.

"But I can look into all of that later," She said, composing herself like how any queen would. "Right now, we need to figure out how to change you back."

Luigi grinned at her, his eyes showing how grateful he was to have a friend like her. "Thanks," He said. "But maybe we should figure out who that girl was you saw in your vision. Maybe she'll have some answers for us."

Peach thought about that and sighed with a grin. "You know what, that's a good point." She returned. "These images in my brain haven't steered me wrong so far."

"Then let's-"

"Guys!" Peach and Luigi looked over to see Mario rushing into the living room, holding a book from the Gloomy Manor library.

"Where's the book you brought?" Peach asked, noticing the different binding on the book Mario was holding.

"Zia Nessa is reading it over," Mario answered. "But I thought there had to be another book in that library that could tell us more about these blood-suckers!"

"Gee, thanks," Luigi said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"But we looked through all those books, Mario," Peach returned. "There was nothing."

Mario smirked as he held up the book to show them. "But there was," He said. The book was called 'My Dark Magic' and was written in a very medieval sort of writing, with a silhouette of a girl who was holding what seemed to be a broomstick in her hand on the cover. It seemed she was sitting on it. However, there was no name for the author anywhere.

"Where'd you find that?" Luigi asked as he took it into his hands and looked over the hard binding.

"It was in one of the piles by the piano," Mario answered, making Luigi sigh in defeat.

"Out of all the places we looked," He began, "we never looked there." Peach slapped her forehead out of stupidity.

"Good thing I came when I did," Mario smirked, making Peach look at him in a 'don't-be-cocky' sort of way before looking at the book again. Luigi had opened it at this point, turning a few pages before...

"Wait," Peach said, stopping Luigi in his tracks. He looked at the photo, making Mario come over and look as well. It was the same photo that was silhouetted on the cover, but this one had its features.

It was indeed a girl, with long black hair in twin low-riding pigtails, red eyes, and pale white skin. She was smirking at the camera with her head tilted to the side, seeming cute. Her dress was a plain black medieval dress with brown cords and she was indeed sitting on a broomstick with her hands on either side of her and holding the object.

"That's her," Peach whispered, making the bros look at her. "That's her! That's the girl I saw in my vision!"

"Are you sure?" Luigi asked shocked.

"I'm 100% sure!"

"Guys, I'm barely following," Mario retorted. "What's this about a vision you had, Peach?" The young princess just gave a quick description of her vision. She even mentioned the melody of a song that she left out with Luigi.

"Wow," Mario said. "Could she be a vampire, too?"

"She didn't have fangs," Peach answered. "I don't think so."

"Then who could she be?" Luigi asked, getting Peach and Mario to look at him.

"Guess we'll have to read to find that out," Mario said right as a knock was heard on the front door. The trio looked over as Luigi walked forward, stopping in front of it.

"Who could that be?" Peach asked as Luigi answered it and stared with shock.

"WaLuigi?!"

"Luigi?!" WaLuigi yelled in return with his own shock. "What are you doing here?!"

"I live here!" Luigi yelled back. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I was bored and decided to come to a new part of the Mushroom Kingdom!" WaLuigi crossed his arms out of anger.

"So you decided to knock on some random door just for fun?" Peach asked as she crossed her arms, making WaLuigi look over at Mario and Peach. He saw Grace was there now, too.

"Sure!" He answered. "Who knows, I thought it would be fun to meet someone new! But now-!"

"That's enough, young man!" Everyone looked over, seeing the glowing golden eyes of Vanessa standing there, blocking the hall to the knights and foyer. WaLuigi, however, gulped with shock as his arms dropped back down to his sides.

"Mom?! What are you doing here?!"

"Helping your cousin with a problem," Vanessa answered as she crossed her arms. "Is that a crime?" Her eyes grew intense as she stared at WaLuigi.

"No, no. It's fine," He said, fear clearly present in his words. Luigi snickered at the sight, making WaLuigi glare at him.

"Where's Wario?" Vanessa asked.

"He stayed behind," WaLuigi answered, looking back at his mom. "He didn't want to come to a place where ghosts roam free."

"Of course he didn't," Vanessa sighed, her eyes calming down and going back to their blue color.

"Am I in trouble?" WaLuigi asked, worry on his face while a smirk was on Luigi's.

Vanessa looked back at WaLuigi, annoyance on her face. "No," She said when a thought came to her mind. "But maybe you could help us."

The smirk on Luigi's face fell instantly at those words.

"Oh, hell no!" He yelled. "If anyone, he's the LEAST I'd like to share this with!"

"Share what?!" WaLuigi yelled, making Luigi unwillingly hiss at him. Peach jumped with a surprise as Luigi backed away in shock

"The hell?!" He exclaimed.

"Wait a minute," WaLuigi said as he looked closer, seeing red eyes instead of the blue that Luigi usually possessed. Combining that with the hiss, WaLuigi put two and two together. He smirked with intrigued. "Who bit you?" He asked, making Luigi glare at him again.

Vanessa just sighed in frustration. "Would you two stop it?!" She yelled, gaining everyone's attention. "I know you two hate each other for who knows what reason, but now is not the time to-!" A giant roar and screams stop Vanessa in her sentence as they all race out of the house to see what was going on.

"I thought we were the only ones here!" Peach yelled as she stared at the village down the road.

"I guess not," Mario stated. WaLuigi just stood there in pure shock, hear the roar vibrate his skull once again.

"What was that?!" He called as Luigi rushes off the patio, only stopping when Peach spoke up.

"Luigi, where are you going?!" She yelled in worry.

"I have to help," Luigi returned as he spun to look at her. Her eyes were holding fear and concern for his well-being if he fought. "This could be Aurore's doing!"

"Who?!" WaLuigi yelled confused.

"And I'm not going to sit back while something monstrous is terrorizing a small village," Luigi continued, ignoring WaLuigi's outburst, as smoke rose around him slowly. And after a second, he flew out as a bat, heading towards the village.

"Luigi! Wait up!" Peach yelled as she hopped off the patio as well and raced after him, Mario not far behind.

"What the hell is going on?!" WaLuigi yelled before looking at his mom, who was still behind him. "Mom?!"

"It's a long story, dear," Vanessa said, taking a few steps towards him. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

OOOOOO

Another roar echoed through the air as Rita shot dark flames at him from the air. She had to at least try to protect the village, but it seemed nothing was working. And what made her mom think that a werewolf would be a good idea for a monster?!

"Come on," She mumbled. "Go down already!"

Little squeaks in the air caught Rita's attention, making her turn her head to see a little bat flying over. "The hell?" She seemed confused as smoke rose on the ground, with the little bat flying right through it. And before long, it faded and revealed a cloaked man with the hood over his head. At first, Rita was curious to who it could be, the moment she saw Peach rushing over from the hill, she knew it was Luigi.

"He's learning fast," She said as the monster spun towards him. "Here's hoping it's strong enough."

The monster growled as Luigi made a ring of black fire go around him at his feet. Peach had stopped a little ways away, waiting for a cue to come in and help if she was needed. Rita watched from the sky, floating on her broomstick as Luigi shot the dark flames out towards the monster, making it roar out in pain, but it didn't fall over. The beast looked at Luigi dangerously, making the once shy man look on in fear yet again.

"Oh, Mama Mia," He said as the monster charged at him, making him dodge quickly out of the way, rolling on the ground in the process. He stood up and stared, while Peach just rolled her eyes and raced in. She shot some of her pink fire at the monster, making it back up some.

"Peach, what are you-?!" Luigi began to scold when Peach looked at him, determination and power in her eyes.

"Don't ask," She began, "just fight!" She raced to the other side of the monster, while Luigi just sighed and went opposite, shooting his once green powers (now tainted with darkness) at the monster once again. Peach was using all she had to help. Her pink fire, her pink hearts, anything that could stop this monster's terror. However, nothing seemed to have been working.

Rita noticed this and flew down to the duo, hopping off her broomstick behind Peach. "Hey, Pinkie!" She called, making Peach look over, eyes widening at the sight of Rita. "Need some help?" She asked with a smirk, her hand engulfed in a black flame. Peach was hesitant at first, but in the end, she smiled and nodded her head in response.

Rita shot her black flame at the monster at the exact same time as Luigi, both flames hitting the monster head-on. The Man in Green looked confused as he looked over to see Rita there, her red eyes glowing with anger as she stared dangerously at the monster. What are the odds that the girl from the book would show up here? He thought.

As he was seeing the two girls, Peach was getting ready to rev up another attack, when she fell down to her side, another dizzy spell hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Peach!" Luigi called out, getting ready to go to her when the monster roared and hit him away.

"Luigi!" Peach yelled as she went to get up, but fell right back down. The dizzy spell was strong this time, making it hard for her to do anything. Even breathe. Rita saw this from her post and raced over, kneeling down on one knee in front of her.

"Get up," She said, a little rude with a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm dizzy," Peach returned. "The world is spinning...I can't move. What's going on with me?" Rita sighs as she touches Peach's hand for comfort.

"You've been keeping your dark magic hidden for too long. It's suffocating you," She said. "It's time to let it go." Peach looked up at Rita, her vision still spinning and blurry. "Ah-ah-ahahah," Rita sang out, making Peach perk up.

"Ah-ah-ahahah," She returned it, making Rita grin as she helped Peach stand up.

"Ah-ah-ahahah," They sang it in unison as Peach's dizzy spell stopped abruptly and her eyes glowed silver.

"Stand back," She said dangerously, making Rita take a few steps back as Luigi was fighting the monster, and trying to get to them.

"Peach! What's going on over there?!" He called as red flames hit the monster as well. He turned to see his brother standing there, a smile of determination on his face.

"I got you, bro!" Mario yelled. "Go to her!" Luigi nodded his thanks before racing passed the monster, his cloak flying behind him. He stopped a little ways away as his eyes widened. Pink and black electricity danced around Peach's hands as she breathed heavily. The monster swung his arm and hit Mario, making him fly back and making Luigi spin around to see what happened.

"Mario!" He called before Peach screamed and released all the dark magic she had. Pink and black danced around in the air as it hit the monster head on, making it roar in pain. It stopped his movements as it entered his body. Mario sat up and saw what Peach was doing, his eyes widening just as much as Luigi's did.

The monster kept roaring out in pain as Peach kept using her dark powers. She was forcing more to come out of her hands quickly, making Rita look with concern.

"I think you've released enough!" She called, making Peach scream as she released one final blast and made the monster explode into a million little pieces, causing everyone to stumble and fall back to the ground.

Rita sat up and saw Peach was out cold on the ground, making her stare with worry. "Pinkie?!" She called, gaining Mario and Luigi's attention. Mario had already stood up at this point, while Luigi just sat up. They saw the princess unconscious as well, making their worried hearts grow even more worried. Luigi quickly stood up and raced over, his hood still glued to its position on his head. He fell to his knees beside her and lifted her up into his arms.

"Peach, can you hear me?" He asked as she opened her eyes and smiled at him. He smiled with relief as well. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She said as he helped her stand up and held her close protectively. Mario raced over as well, a smile on his face to see that the princess was okay.

"That was some magic you had there," Mario said. "Where'd it come from?"

"I don't know. I just found out I had that after Luigi's accident," Peach answered, keeping her head on Luigi's chest. "I kept it hidden for too long though. It was time for it to be released." She grinned over at Rita, making the young witch grin back.

"Who are you?" Luigi asked as he looked at Rita, making Peach look on with worry. With Luigi's new powers, chances were this wouldn't end well. He kept Peach behind him out of protection.

"I'm Rita," She answered. "Rita Walter." This got the bros attention as they kept Peach away. Peach just stared in shock.

"Any relation to Aurore Walter?" Mario asked, making Rita sigh.

"Unfortunately, yes," She answered. "Aurore Walter's my mother. But I disagree with anything evil that she has been doing."

"I believe you," Peach said, moving around Luigi and Mario, and standing before her. "Thanks for helping us with that werewolf."

"Sure thing," Rita returned. "It's the least I could do."

"Do you think you could help us again?" Peach asked with hope. "My friend here was-"

"Put under the Vampire Curse written by my mother. I know," Rita interrupted, looking at Luigi in his cloak. "I warned her that curse would hurt somebody innocent. She didn't heed that warning."

"She gave it to Bowser," Mario said. "And Bowser's Magikoopa used it, aiming it at me!"

"And your brother took it instead?" Rita asked shocked, making Luigi nod his head.

"He's my brother," Luigi said. "I'd do anything to protect him."

"Likewise, bro," Mario returned, making Rita smile at this family's love.

"I've been looking on my own," She said. "Trying to find my mother's spellbook. If anything, the counterspell is in there."

"But I thought she wrote the curse," Peach said confused.

"She did. But with any curse or spell, you have to write a counterspell," Rita returned. "It's to save face in case you curse the wrong person."

"And how do you know this?" Luigi asked, crossing his arms. "Your mom teach you?"

"No," Rita answered. "My dad. He taught me all about spells and curses. Well, he taught me what he could before he died."

"I'm so sorry," Peach said as she put a hand on Rita's arm, comforting her in the process.

"Wait," Mario spoke up. "You've been helping us this whole time?" Leave it the Man in Red to be as slow as ever.

"Indeed!" Rita yelled. "I don't condone what my mother has done! To me, she's the Evil Queen and I'm Snow White! If I don't stop her now, the world will not be as we know it."

"Have you found the spellbook?" Mario asked again, making Peach look at Rita with hope.

"Sadly, no. She's hidden it well this time," Rita sighed with sorrow. "But I'm sure we'll find it soon."

"Are you vampire, too?" Luigi finally spoke, making everyone look at him as he was staring at her. Though, Peach saw something in his eyes. Something she hadn't seen since she showed up here.

Hope.

"No, I'm not," Rita answered. "I was born of a vampire and a wizard. I got my mother's red eyes and black hair, and maybe some of her dark powers, but I never got her fangs."

"Well, that puts me at ease," Mario spoke, making everyone look at him again. "My bro is already one. I don't need two in my life."

Rita just giggled as she grinned at him. "Of course," She said. "I suggest we head back to the Gloomy Manor. It'll be safer to disgust this further there."

"I couldn't agree more," Luigi returned as he let smoke rise around him and then flew off as a bat again. Mario raced after him up the hill. Peach was about to go when Rita grabbed her hand, making her look at her with wonder.

"Peach, right?" She asked.

"Yeah," Peach returned, seeing Rita grinning at her now. "What?"

"It's just...it's nice to finally meet my cousin," The black-haired girl said, making Peach smile and pull her into a hug. This caught Rita off guard at first, but she ended smiling and hugging her in return.

"It's nice to finally meet you, too," Peach said before they pulled away and Rita got on her broomstick. She smiled at her blond cousin and nodded to the back of her broom.

"Care for a ride?" She asked, making Peach squeal and get on. "Hold on tight!" She said before zipping to the sky and flying over to the Gloomy Manor, all while Peach is giggling with excitement.

OOOOOO

Luigi had turned back into himself as he landed in the house and walked over to the living room to relax. Though, he stopped when he saw WaLuigi was still there, reading the book that Mario had brought with him.

"WaLuigi?" He spoke, gaining the guy in purple's attention. "I thought you would have left by now."

"My mom told me what's going on," He answered, making Luigi groan in disgust and deteste. "And though I can't stand you at times, being turned into a vampire is uncool." Luigi looked at WaLuigi with surprise. "So, whatever you need...I'm here."

Luigi grinned at his cousin, his arms crossed over his chest. "Thanks," He said.

"Yeah, whatever," WaLuigi said with his own grin. "Just don't bite me!" Luigi scoffed with a chuckle before looking back at him.

"No promises," He returned, smirking, before leaving the room.

OOOOOO

Aurore growled as she stared at the victory of the Mario Bros and their friends. Even her own daughter went behind her back to defeat her monster. She screamed with anger as she threw the goblet in her hand and went up to the Terrace, seeing the opening that once held King Boo's dimension.

"Why, Rita?" She spoke quietly. "Why must you disappoint your mother?"

"Because she knows the difference from right and wrong," A voice spoke, making Aurore spin around to see golden eyes glowing in the darkness. Immediately, she could tell these eyes belonged to a woman, and even though she was wearing black, Aurore could still tell she had a dress on with some blue under a black lace shirt and a black skirt. Her boots were even brown like the Mario Brothers, though they stopped under her knees.

"Who are you?" Aurore asked dangerously. "How'd you get in here?"

"It's the Terrace," The girl said, pushing herself off the wall and keeping her arms crossed. "It's a free point of entry."

"Who are you?!" Aurore hissed, making the girl scoff with amusement.

"Wow, Drakaina (1) must not get much press," She said with a smirk. This seemed to have calmed Aurore down as she stared at the woman again. "I guess, as it's Queen, I must rectify that."

"You're..."

"That's right," The girl walked into the light, showing off the long brown hair and a silver tiara on her head. "And you messed with my brother. For that, I will do everything in my power, to destroy you." Aurore hissed at her, only to back up in fear as the girl roared at her.

"Stay away from family," She said, letting her arms fall to her sides as smoke rose around her. "Consider that a warning." And with that, the smoke covered her and she took to the sky as a royal blue dragon. Aurore watched as she flew away quickly, making her scream in frustration.

"You want me to stay away?" She said dangerously. "Not a chance, girly. He'll be my king shortly."

OOOOOO

1 – Drakaina [Dra-kahn-ah]