Bright orange leaves fell to the ground, leaving all of the trees across the land completely barren by this point. Autumn had reached its full peak and the weather was shifting, a cold breeze was sweeping in. The sky gleamed a bright orange as the sun melted away behind the hills, fading away.
The final light of daytime illuminated the Mushroom Kingdom, then the darkness of night rolled in and the stars emerged, twinkling across the blackened sky.
A yellow moon rose over the horizon, its glow casting a bright eerie light upon the world alongside the stars.
And with the coming of night, the Boos arose from the shadows and floated up into the air; the spooky sharp-toothed spirits of terror were ready to stir up mayhem and spook the life out of those who unwittingly came their way.
The time had come again; Halloween season was here and it was perfect, perfect for haunting and spooking as well as tricking and collecting delicious treats.
It was October 28th, a few days until the big day of Halloween, and everyone across the Mushroom Kingdom was already enjoying themselves; a good many were throwing festivities and wearing costumes, dressing up as whomever they wanted to be for the spooky season itself.
Deep in the countryside, a large van rolled along the road, bearing the skull symbol on its side as spooky music blasted from a radio with the driver humming and bopping their head along to the music while keeping a firm eye on the road.
Anime girl rock star Saiko Bichitaru and her band were on the move, ready to rock the night with the guitarist/singer at the wheel and the others right behind her.
Saiko was looking her best for the grand Halloween season, sporting a black hat with a skull symbol and a long black coat with a black shirt, dark pants and a leather skirt along with a fake eye-patch over her left eye; a pirate costume.
Meggy was looking incredible, dressed as a witch with a black hat and a red dress that would have made anyone compare her to the likes of Ashley; a very famous and well-known witch.
Whimpu was polishing his drumsticks and adjusting his hat, the anime-looking man had decided to dress up as a police officer, sporting a blue hat, white undershirt and a blue uniform with a badge.
Even Shroomy didn't look so bad for a former Demon Hunter/boy scout/back-up guitarist, the optimistic red mushroom had decided to dress up as his uncle Doomguy in the Demon Hunter's battle armor.
The band's instruments were safe and secure in the back, the guitars and the drums were well-polished and in decent playing condition. Saiko's guitar was well secure as well, no chance that anybody was going to steal it anytime soon, the anime girl was great at taking precautions.
It had been several months since the fiasco with Senbo and his former girlfriend and the band was as famous as ever, even after the chaotic events that had taken place after the Senbo incident with the evil virus Zero's attempt to destroy the universe.
Thankfully, the Glitchy gang had defeated him, but their victory had come at a price with the sacrifice of their friend Axol at the hands of Melony.
Following Zero's defeat and after taking some time to breathe, Saiko and her group got back into gear and continued on without a hitch as they helped people across the land recover from the apocalyptic chaos.
Now, more confident and motivated than ever, Saiko's band was ready to perform at the Halloween Festival taking place in the Toadstool Countryside Village tonight and they would be there.
Everyone's Halloween enthusiasm was at max with Spooky Scary Freaky Halloween by the Hollo-Weenie-Beanie band blasting out of the radio, the lyrics were so good, it got Saiko going as she sang along and kept with the beat while driving at the same time without incident.
"...Ooooh, yeah..." Saiko sang with the radio, "Watch out for that super wacky creepy skeleton, he's far from done. Beware the ghost, he may not be a very gracious host... Oooh, ooh, oooh, Spooky Skeletons, Scary Ghosts, Spooky Scary Freaky Halloween. Ooooh, ooh, oooooh..."
"That's pretty good." Meggy remarked, "I could listen to that for the whole road trip."
However, the mood was short-lived just as the band was turning around a corner; Whimpu spotted something off the side of the road and said abruptly, "What is that, My Queen?"
Saiko turned down the radio and she, Meggy and Shroomy glanced at Whimpu, who was pointing towards something that had just gotten his attention.
The anime girl turned around, wondering what the timid simp was trying to tell them; then her eyes widened and she slammed on the brakes with the van coming to a stop in the middle of the countryside road surrounded by light mist.
"Talk about strange, spooky and very suspicious..." The anime girl remarked.
"What is it?" Meggy asked, she looked outside the window.
Everyone's attention from the road shifted, their eyes widening as they lay sight upon a mansion atop a small hill with a graveyard next to it. A worn-out signpost on the right side of the road read; 'Greyve-Hollo Mansion, Spookiest Estate in the Mushroom Kingdom: Travelers Beware.'
"Oh, golly gee, I've never seen that mansion before." Shroomy remarked, "Not even while I was demon huntin' with Uncle Doom years ago, we must have overlooked it probably."
"May I suggest we explore and investigate this mansion, Saiko?" Whimpu asked.
"I dunno..." Meggy said uncertainly, "But, I guess..."
Saiko glared at the police uniform-clad anime man with a firm expression on her face. "You know we're going to be late for the festival if we do that, right?" The pink-haired anime girl told Whimpu, "We can't be late, we're booked and we have fans waiting for us there."
"C'mon, Saiko." Meggy spoke up, "The festival doesn't start for another hour-and-a-half, a little drop by doesn't hurt."
The pop star sighed; she could not believe that they were now taking a detour. At least Mario wasn't around to give them trouble; that silly Italian was busy elsewhere, probably eating spaghetti or causing trouble for someone else.
And Meggy was right, the festival didn't start for a while, this technically meant the band had time to check out that mansion and then get back on the road.
'Oh, what the hell.' Saiko decided, 'Only for a few minutes.'
And the next thing everyone knew, they were driving off-road, the van slowly rode up the hill towards the mansion with the front gates becoming visible through the evening mist. A pair of Boos floated by, letting off a couple cackles, then they vanished into the darkness.
Saiko slowed the van to a crawl, seeing the gates were closed. She didn't want to wreck her band's ride or unintentionally cause property damage; someone was probably living here.
Very slowly, the van drove closer and the gate creaked open, leaves blew across the ground. Saiko drove through the entrance, approaching the mansion and passing by the gates.
She cut the engines and the van stopped, the engines became still and silent. Saiko unlocked the door and grabbed her hammer from the back, ready for battle if anything happened. She stepped out, ready to explore the area.
Meggy then exited with her trademark Splattershot in hand. "So, who guards the van?" She asked, "We can't just leave the van unattended; we have our musical instruments in the back."
Hearing the question, Saiko turned and scratched her chin, thinking about the matter.
Even though she'd turned off the ignition, there was still the hazard of someone getting inside and making off with their ride. She looked at every single one of her band-members, thinking hard about the matter. Then she looked at Whimpu and snapped her fingers.
"Whimpu, I got an assignment for you. I'd like you to guard the van, keep an eye out and give us a whistle if something goes wrong. Me, Shroomy and Meggy will be exploring the mansion, guarding that van is top priority."
"G-Guard the van?" Whimpu stammered, "For you, m-m-my Queen?"
Saiko pulled out a gun and handed it to Whimpu, who held it with shaking hands. The pink-haired man nodded to the band's lead guitarist with uncertainty in his eyes, reluctantly accepting his task.
What motivated him to do so was that they had their musical instruments in the back; if that van got stolen, the instruments would end up being stolen too.
"And if something happens, you call us with this." Shroomy then handed Whimpu a walkie-talkie, making sure to give one to Meggy and another to Saiko as well.
"Good call, Shroomy." Meggy told the banjo-playing Mushroom.
With everything in order and their van under guard, Saiko, Meggy and Shroomy walked across the leaf-covered lawn towards the mansion, armed and ready in the event they had to protect themselves from any threats.
Every now and again, Meggy gave Shroomy a nervous glance and so did Saiko, knowing well that he could turn purple and go demon-crazy at any time.
It didn't help that Halloween was said to be when demons roamed, if that house had a demon living there, Shroomy would go ape-shit. And once he went into demon hunter mode, it was hard for the mushroom to go back to boy scout mode.
Hopefully, they didn't have to worry about demons. Ghosts and ghouls were easier to deal with, they didn't set off Shroomy's old self like the legendary beasts from the underworld did.
Meggy kept her Splattershot ready and she tilted her gaze, keeping a firm eye on her surroundings, watching for danger at all times. Saiko gripped her hammer lightly, Shroomy held his shotgun firmly. Cold chills crept along every inch of their body, their hearts beating intensely.
They moved closer towards the tall house in front of them, goose-bumps cropped up along Saiko's arm and she slowed her walking pace. Then she raised her fist, telling her friends to stop and move slowly, Meggy and Shroomy saw Saiko's signal, slowing their walking pace to a crawl as well.
"It's quiet, too eerily quiet..." Saiko whispered, "We're not alone here."
She, Meggy and Shroomy walked towards the house, leaves blowing off the front porch and a bell chimed as it swayed back-and-forth on its hinge under the roof. The three Glitchy Gang heroes walked up the steps, slowly and carefully, towards the front door.
Meggy moved closer and knocked on the door with her Splattershot. "Anybody home?" She whispered, "Hullo! Hullo?"
"Can you try opening the door?" Shroomy asked.
The former Inkling's hand moved towards the knob, but even before her fingers touched it, the doorknob turned and the door opened with a creak. Briefly confused, the three of them walked over the threshold, entering the dark foyer of the mansion.
"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A crimson ghost with gleaming orange eyes popped up from the floor, arms up in the air as it bared its ugly teeth at them. Saiko, Meggy and Shroomy let out a yelp. The ghost moved closer, its tongue waving around and the specter gave off an even creepier face as well as a strange growl.
"GO AWAY, GHOST!" Saiko swung her hammer, the mallet swinging through the air and made contact with the strange ghost, hitting it hard enough to send it flying into the wall.
The ghost vanished into thin air and let out one more ghostly sound. The door creaked again, closing with a thump right behind Saiko and her friends.
"What now?" Meggy asked.
"Since we're here, we may as well explore." Saiko answered, "Shroomy, you go upstairs. Meggy, you and I will check the basement downstairs, we could split up, chances are that it's too dangerous for one of us to go down there alone."
"Oh man, I wish we had Whimpu with us if we weren't so worried about the van." Shroomy quipped, "But, oh well, if you say so."
Meggy and Saiko took the right, heading to a nearby door with their weapons well equipped in ready, while Shroomy walked off to the left towards a nearby staircase leading to the upper floor, his shotgun in hand.
The girls tried the knob and found it to be unlocked, they slowly peered open the door and set foot on a set of stairs leading down into a drab and dimly lit area of the house.
Both girls looked uneasily at one another and gulped down their nervousness, they set foot down the stairwell, descending into the shadows with their footsteps echoing in the shadows. Meggy gripped a railing and let her eyes adjust, the former Inkling couldn't see in the darkness.
Dust fell from the ceiling and Saiko pinched her nose, blocking her nostrils from getting stuffy. Further down they went, a light flickered up ahead and the air became cold.
Upstairs, Shroomy strolled through the hallways, glancing at the strange oil paintings that seemed to be watching him. One painting looked like a robed witch with pink hair, Shroomy passed the painting and a chill shot up his back.
He turned around; the painting was motionless. The mushroom kept walking, but he didn't go further than two paces when a shrill cackle echoed through the area.
Candles went out and shadows passed over Shroomy, a screeching sound sent his skin crawling and the former Demon Hunter became uneasy. That noise sounded inhuman; it wasn't just ghostly. Shroomy wheeled around, looking at the other paintings again and at the spot near the stairs.
He heard an eerie whooshing sound and looked up, thinking there was something on the ceiling. Shroomy raised his shotgun, prepared for a fight, his eyes darted and his legs quivered.
Ominous shadows loomed over him and Shroomy turned, seeing a curtain swaying in the breeze, revealing an open window that he'd overlooked outside. More screeches, more inhuman and ghostly sounds.
Shroomy frowned, his red and joyful appearance flickered, briefly taking the form of his purple-colored and ferocious Demon Hunter appearance.
And something like that only happened if demonic creatures were around. This was a haunted house, a ghost haunt, zombies and demons didn't lurk in haunted houses. Those things couldn't be waiting in the shadows to strike, Shroomy didn't need to deal with demons; even on Halloween.
"Please don't let there be demons, not at this time when I'm in a band..." Shroomy whimpered.
Down below, Meggy and Saiko had reached the bottom of the stairs, finding themselves in a shadowy chamber they knew to be basement. However, no basement had an appearance like that; sinister runes on the wall or a strange coffin in the middle of the room with an ominous symbol surrounded by chains.
Meggy cupped her chin, wondering what was going on. Saiko glanced around, her hammer hoisted in a battle-ready position. She looked at an unlit demonic-looking torch with horns growing out of the sides, which gave off a haunting vibe.
Saiko took a closer look, then the torch lit up. Another torch ignited close by and light filled the room, cutting through the shadows. Meggy jumped and raised her Splattershot, more torches went off and a mechanism creaked, the chains moving on the ground, recoiling like a snake.
Mist flooded the room and the coffin's lid soon fell open with a thud and a towering figure with gleaming yellow eyes, a menacing dark-red cape and sharp teeth emerged, snarling and glaring at the girls.
The mysterious monster lumbered forward and the mist cleared up, the hideous creature's visage becoming clearer for Saiko and Meggy to see.
This thing was demonic, just as demonic as anything they'd faced, perhaps another level of demonic. Loi'chtu, the Daemonn-Vampyr Lord, snarled and raised its sharp clawed hands in a monstrous manner as he faced the girls with pure malice.
Loi'chtu came closer, gnashing its ugly teeth while its claws gleamed. The beast's feet cracked the ground with each step, it was a horror out of this world and the mansion was Loi'chtu's.
"FOOLISH INTRUSIVE MORTALS!" Loi'chtu bellowed in a demonic voice, "YOU ENTERED MY DOMAIN TO SEE ME AWAKEN, YOU INTRUDED IN MY MANSION! NOW, WE SHALL FEAST AND YOU ARE THE MAIN COURSE; I HUNGER FOR FLESH, BLOOD AND VICTIMS!"
The demon-vampire roared and lumbered towards the girls, claws raised and the beast ready to strike. Meggy let off a burst of ink from her Splattershot, striking Loi'chtu in the eyes.
Blind and shocked, Loi'chtu screamed and stumbled around. Saiko smacked Loi'chtu in the foot and he fell over.
The beast lunged his head blindly, attempting to bite the guitarist in the leg. However, a mallet came down on his head and, in seconds, Loi'chtu was silent on the ground without another monstrous noise from the monstrous vampire-demon entity.
Ghostly screeching flooded the room and several specters appeared, flashing sinister crimson eyes and sharp fangs at Meggy and Saiko. The girls looked at one another again very nervously while Loi'chtu muttered in an unconscious haze; they had to run.
Demonic apparitions streaked towards Meggy and Saiko, who darted up the stairs and swatted away any haunting beings that came at them.
Saiko swung her hammer and Meggy fired her Splattershot; more ghostly entities attacked and tried to stump them even as the girls made it to the top. They shut the door behind themselves, closing the basement, just as they heard nearby gunshots.
"WE NEED TO LEAVE!" Shroomy cried, "I GOT FLESH-HUNGERING GHOULS ON ME!"
The boy scout ran down the stairs, often turning to fire a shot. Orange colored phantoms floated into view, baring blood-stained fangs and snarling very viciously.
Spooky screaming filled the mansion and the environment began to quake, Meggy and Saiko raced for the front door with Shroomy and they raced outside towards the van where Whimpu was waiting for them.
"Oh my goodness!" Whimpu exclaimed, "What did you do in there, My Queen?"
"GHOSTS!" Meggy yelled, "GHOSTS ARE AFTER US!"
The band scrambled into the van and started up the engines, they slammed on the pedal and the tires screeched on the ground. Saiko threw the lever and the van backed up, even as the phantoms swarmed closer.
Every Saiko band member in the vehicle was quivering, shaken by the occurring events happening around them; this Halloween was a horror show for sure.
Meggy scrambled into the back of the van, making sure the musical equipment was secure and Saiko drove through the gate, which creaked open behind the band's ride as it came closer. The spirits closed in, Saiko turned the wheel, the engines grinded and whined.
"HURRY!" Meggy screamed from the back.
The ghosts came closer. Saiko slammed on the gas pedal and the van's wheels were a blur.
They drove all the way backwards out of the mansion's premise and Saiko turned the wheel, she slammed harder on the pedal and road away from the gates just before the ghosts swarmed them. They flew back onto the road, driving away from the mansion and away from the danger behind them.
Whimpu sat back in his seat, feeling relieved. Meggy emerged from the back, wiping sweat off her forehead with relief. Saiko breathed steadily, she was happy they were out of danger. No more detours, they were going straight to the Halloween festival.
"So, who's ready to rock the Halloween festival?" She asked breathlessly.
"Oh, man. I could use some fun and relief after those ghouls n' ghosts." Shroomy replied.
The band was silent for the rest of the trip, not another word, the only music the quartet listened to over the radio was funky pop music and nothing more.
After that insanity at the mansion, they needed a good breather and something less intense, which they soon got once Saiko and her group were at the Toadstool Countryside Village for the big Halloween Festival.
And the Festival was a blast to experience, the village had gone all-in on the decorations and everything looked lively with the Halloween decorations and the costumes people were wearing. The tone felt perfect, there were apple-bobbing games, shooting galleries and plenty of music all around.
Saiko and her friends got their chance to shine, they found their stage and started performing with the chance they got.
Rock music filled the air with guitars droning and drums beating, people gathered to watch the anime girl and the band perform alongside the other bands. At one point, Meggy got excited to see her friend Marina with Pearl from Inkopolis attending and performing as well.
Saiko smiled as she rocked out with her guitar, letting her fingers flow while she sang for the festival-goers to hear, singing the perfect song that fit Halloween so perfectly;
'Halloween, Halloween, Spooky Scary Halloween.
It's such a fun and ominous scene.
Watch out for ghouls and don't be fools.
Halloween, Halloween, Spooky Scary Halloween.
Be nice, don't be mean.
Spooky ghosts wandering, trick-or-treaters spoiling.
Have fun, such joy is never done.
Even on, even on, Halloween. Spooky Scary, Spooky Scary, Spooky Scary Halloween.'
"Thank you, Toadstool Countryside Village!" Saiko hollered into the microphone as the crowd roared excitedly with the end of the performance.
One thing was for sure, the festival guests were beyond elated to have their favorite anime rock star and her friends performing alongside Mushroom Land Rock, Meggy's friends from Off the Hook and all the other bands here.
By the time festival was over, Saiko was very happy and could rest easy tonight, knowing that this Halloween season absolutely rocked and, the band had nothing to worry about for the time being...
The End
