The sun rose on the Smash Mansion, bathing the sky in pink and blue. All across the grounds, Smashers, Assist Trophies, and Pokémon alike were waking up to a beautiful morning. Baito, who could always be counted on to be one of the first awake, was sitting in the main lounge idly stirring a cup of coffee. He looked out the window at the sun peeking over the mountains, gently kissing the landscape with its light. The rabbit smiled as the room was bathed in the rosy glow of the dawn. He knew deep within himself that today was going to be a good day.

Meanwhile, in a completely different room, a young girl with long dark hair was lying face-down in her bed, lightly snoring as the sun's rays shone through her window and lit up the room.

The moment the light caressed the curtains, they magically drew themselves shut, sending the bedroom into darkness once again. The girl snoozed on.

At the foot of the girl's bed, a wooden scepter with a bright red orb at the head stirred. It wobbled and trembled when the light touched it. The moment the curtains closed, it stopped for a moment, then fell to the floor. Then there was a burst of red smoke, and in the scepter's place stood a little red imp wielding a trident. He rubbed his eyes and stretched.

"Good morning, starshine!" he said to no one in particular. "The sun says hello!" He blinked, looking around at the dark room. "Whoa. Or maybe the sun's givin' us the cold shoulder today…" The imp looked at the window, still covered by the curtains. "Oh, well, there's the problem!" He flew up to the window and drew them open, letting the morning light flood the bedroom.

"Honestly, Ashley, I don't get why you gotta close the blinds so early. Sunlight's good for you, you know. I know all our spellbooks say that potions are best brewed by the light of the moon, but I read that the light of the sun can do wonders for your skin and improve your mood! And," he added under his breath, "goodness knows that your mood could use improving…"

Ashley was silent, for she was still fast asleep.

"...And the stuff in the sun's rays helps you produce vitamin D, so it's bound to—h-hey! You're still sleeping?!" The imp bounced over to Ashley's bedside and poked her with his trident's pommel. "Ashley, wake up."

There was no answer. Ashley turned over in her sleep.

"Rise and shine, Ashley!"

Still nothing.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!"

At last, the witch stirred. She slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Red, what time is it?" she asked.

"It's sunrise!" replied Red. It was very clear which of the duo was a morning person. "It's a beautiful day to do whatever we want! Or at least until someone summons us!" He pointed his trident at the window. The sun was a bit higher now, the clouds lit up with gold. "Ahhh, look at it, Ashley!" sighed Red, floating over to the windowsill and resting his head in his hands. "Isn't it beautiful? Doesn't it just… inspire you?"

"Not really, no," came Ashley's flat response.

"I—um—well." Red faltered. "Well, at any rate, you're awake, so it's time to get up and meet everyone for breakfast! I hear it's banana pancakes today!"

"...Okay."

After getting dressed, the duo walked into the main lounge, where Baito was sitting with his mug of coffee. Beside him, an armadillo with a turquoise bandana and a leather jacket sat leaning back into his chair, feet propped up on the table.

"Good morning, Ashley! And Red, too!" chirped Baito, raising his mug. The armadillo said nothing, but simply tipped his hat in greeting.

"Hey, everyone!" waved Red excitedly. He nudged Ashley, who simply waved her hand in response. "So, what's on the schedule today?"

"Aw, you know, same ol', same ol'," shrugged Baito. "Little Mac is up against Incineroar later. From what I've heard, they're really hyping up this one!"

"Is that so?" replied Red. "Looks like we'll have to get front-row tickets, eh, Ashley?"

"…Whatever," said Ashley, idly picking at her pancake.

"Ah, don't mind Ashley," said Red to Baito and the armadillo. "She's not really much of a morning person…"

As the morning went on, the other Assist Trophies began to wake up and have their own breakfast. With the end of breakfast came Dr. Wright's morning meeting, and when that ended, most of them wandered off to do whatever they liked, whether it was training in the dojo, tending to the Pokémon at the Day Care, or simply wandering around to take in the fresh air.

In Ashley's case, she retreated back to her dark room, closed the door behind her, and magically drew the shades closed.

"So, Ashley, what're we gonna do today?" asked Red.

In response, Ashley took out a massive cauldron from under her bed. "I'm working on a potion… a potion that boosts adrenaline… It'll make the matches more interesting."

Red nodded. "Ah, an enhancement potion! That sounds fun!" He dove under the bed to fetch a small wooden box, its polish worn by time. "So, what'll we throw in the pot today?"

"Hand me those jellyfish tentacles. Mind the sting."

"Aye-aye, captain!" Red dove into the box to carefully pull out the parts. He handed them to Ashley, who casually tossed them into the pot. She thumbed through her spellbook. "One pint of crocodile tears."

Red poured out the bottle. "K. Rool sure was upset when we put all those caltrops in his room…"

"Butterfly wings."

These, too, were swept off the cutting board and into the cauldron.

"A spoonful of fly honey."

Red watched as the pungent mixture dripped into the cauldron. "I'm not even gonna ask what kinda flies they got over there…" he shuddered.

Ashley began to stir the pot. The liquid inside glowed a faint pink. "... It's almost done," she muttered, tossing in a leek. She stirred and stirred as the potion turned from pink to magenta. "It still needs the Razorshroom."

"No problem-o!" chirped Red, diving back into the box. He resurfaced a short time later, holding a set of russet-colored mushrooms, each with a noticeable slice in their caps. "Do you want them sliced or whole?"

"Whole. They'll lose their potency if you slice them."

"If you say so." He scraped the mushrooms off the cutting board and into the pot.

The very moment the mushrooms fell into the mixture, a cloud of foul-smelling smoke burst from the cauldron, briefly lighting up the dark room. When the smoke cleared, the potion was a deep crimson color.

"Alrighty!" cheered Red. "Let's test it!" But Ashley stopped him before he could dip a spoon into the pot.

"Hold on. There's still another step." She took out an old-looked scroll and pointed at the bottom. "It says to let it sit for 6 hours."

"Six hours?!" cried Red. "Well, what're we gonna do for that time?"

Ashley shrugged. "Dunno," she said simply. She placed a lid on top of the cauldron and flopped down on her bed, paging through her spellbook.

"I—okay." Red sat down on the floor. He glanced over at the window and sighed. "Hey, can we open the shades, y'know, let some light in here?" he asked.

"No."

"Why not?!" Red flopped over to face the ceiling. "Don't tell me we're just gonna sit here all day!"

"Maybe."

"Aw, c'mon!" This time, Red hopped up on the bed next to Ashley. "We're just gonna sit here and wait for the potion to be done?!"

Ashley closed her spellbook and sighed. "What would you have me do, Red?"

"Well, we can start by letting some light in here," huffed the imp, marching towards the window and throwing the curtains open. He turned back to Ashley. "Now, let's go outside!"

Ashley now sat up to look at Red. "Red, what would I even do outside?"

The imp snorted in faux-derision. "Lacking in imagination, are we? Not a problem!" With a snap of his fingers, a small bingo cage materialized in front of him. "We'll leave our day up to the hands of fate!"

He turned the crank, rattling the balls inside as Ashley watched, thoroughly unimpressed by the spectacle. Eventually, a ball rolled out of the cage and into Red's hand. He snapped his fingers again, and the ball turned into an envelope. Red opened the envelope and read from the paper inside. He looked at Ashley, fanged grin creeping up his face. "Well, whaddya know! It says here today we get to make a new friend!"

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Uggghh…"

"Aw, come on, Ashley! It'll be fun!" Red spread his arms above himself. "Think of all the people we've got here in one place! It'll be good for you to reach out to others! Broaden your horizons! As much as I love the smell of brewing potions and casting spells, it's nice to not be hunched over a cauldron all day."

"But I already have a friend, and that's you," retorted Ashley. "I don't need another one."

"C'mon, Ashley," said Red, fixing the witch with a look that was both playfully knowing and genuinely concerned. "You and I both know you get lonely sometimes."

Ashley snapped her head up to glare at Red. "I do not—" She paused for a moment. "I don't… I'm not lonely…" she mumbled.

Red simply raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, Ashley, give it a try," he said in a much gentler tone. "There's bound to be someone here who'll be your friend."

Ashley sat there, staring at her shoes. At last, she sighed. "Fine. I'll try."

Red smiled warmly. "That's the spirit!" He took the girl's hand and led her out of her room, out of the main lounge and into the hallway. "It's great to socialize," declared the imp. "Trust me, Ashley, you'll find a new friend yet!"

The two of them walked down the halls, Red leading with plenty of pep in his step, and Ashley following, decidedly less excited.

"Do I have to?" asked Ashley, trudging along behind the imp.

"It'll be fun!" replied Red. "This is the second tournament we've been in, and we still don't have a single close friend besides Wario! It'll be good for you to meet someone that you can get along with. Now, come on! We're going to the courtyard."

Many fighters and Assist Trophies alike were in the courtyard that day, most of them simply sitting around and enjoying the day. Red scanned over the area. "Hmmm… ooh! What about Waluigi?" he said, pointing at the purple-clad man. "You guys both have a mutual friend with Wario! I'd bet you'd get along great!"

Ashley pulled a face. "No," she said. "He's a loser."

Red faltered. "He—er—ah… okay, Wally's kind of a loser, yeah." The two of them continued to walk. "Or what about Kirby?" he said, pointing at the puffball who was busy climbing an apple tree. "He's everyone's friend!"

"Not my friend," mumbled Ashley.

"Not yet, anyways," continued Red, giving the girl a nudge. "Go on and talk to him!"

"No."

"Wha—why not?!" cried an incredulous Red.

"He's too…" Ashley searched for the right word. "...Cutesy."

Red's shoulders slumped. "And what's wrong with cutesy?"

Ashley sighed. "Remember that time we went inside that awful book world of lollipops and ice cream?"

"Yeah, I remember that," said Red, smiling dreamily as he recalled. "Gosh, I wish we could go back…" His daydreaming was quickly interrupted by Ashley glaring down at him. He swallowed. "Or, y'know, maybe… maybe not… W-what about it?"

"That's what Kirby reminds me of. A happy world of sunshine and candy," she gagged.

"Hmmm…" Red pondered for a moment. "So what you're saying is, you'd prefer to talk to someone a little less sugary-sweet?"

"Pretty much what I said, yeah," came the witch's reply.

"Someone a little more… demonic?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Do you know anyone like that?"

"Do I ever!"

Red led Ashley back into the mansion, past rows and rows of doors until finally stopping in front of one. "Now, normally, I'd take you to see the Nightmare Wizard, but I haven't seen him around recently. Come to think of it, where has he been…? But at any rate, if you're looking for demons, this is your guy!"

Ashley stared at the door. There were words engraved on it, in elegant, fancy-looking lettering. "Demon Lord Ghirahim," she read out loud. "I feel like I've heard that name before."

"But of course!" nodded Red. "He showed up around the same time we did! And I'm pretty sure some people were asking for him to be a real fighter!" He knocked on the door, like a properly raised demon. "Ghirahim, he's… kinda creepy and a little full of himself, but y'know, I feel like this can work out! In fact—ah, here he comes now!"

The door creaked open, revealing a tall, thin, and menacing figure wearing a red cloak. His skin, patterned as though he was wearing a skintight suit, was almost as pale as his hair. His eyes were cold and sunken as he looked at the duo. "What business have you with the great Lord Ghirahim?"

"Uhhhhh… Hiya, Ghirahim!" chirped Red. "How it's been?"

Ghirahim narrowed his eyes at the imp, who faltered with his smile. "Okay, okay," continued Red, as if Ghirahim had answered. "The, uh… the other Assist Trophies treatin' ya right?"

"Are you here to ask for a favor, or do you simply wish to waste my time?" asked Ghirahim. Red flinched and hid behind Ashley, who was decidedly not intimidated. Ghirahim scowled at her. "Why did you drag this… infant into my presence?"

Ashley glared at him while Red tried to explain. "Oh, this is Ashley! I'm her familiar spirit!"

"Familiar spirit…?" repeated Ghirahim. "You would willingly serve a human? For what purpose?"

"Um…" Red was taken aback. "I mean, I don't really have any ulterior purpose, if that's what you're asking… I just help her out because, y'know, we're friends!"

The demon lord sneered. "Friends? You would be friends with this little… nothing?"

At this, both witch and imp stood up. "Who are you calling nothing?" growled Ashley.

Ghirahim scoffed. "Oh dear, it seems I've gotten over the human's skin." He briefly glanced back inside his room. "As much as I'd like to stay and… chat," he snorted, "I have work to do. If you have any sense of self-preservation, don't bother me." And with that thinly veiled threat, Ghirahim rudely slammed the door in their faces.

Ashley huffed, with Red mirroring her off to the side. "What's his problem?!" growled the imp. "Well, fine! We don't need him anyways! We'll find someone way more cool and demonic than he is! Right, Ashley?"

No response came.

"Ashley?" Red turned around to find that Ashley was stomping away. "Daaah—hey, wait up!" He fluttered his wings as fast as he could to keep up with the witch. "Ashley, where ya going?"

"Back to the cauldron," growled Ashley. "I'm tired of this friendship stuff."

"Aww, c'mon!" Red thought for a bit. "I'll admit, that went a lot worse than I thought it would. Okay, if not someone demonic and evil, then how about someone nice and… angelic?"

Ashley pulled a face. "Oh, gross."

"Now, now hear me out!" said Red. "It'd work well! You, a witch that likes dark spells and hexes, pallin' around with someone that… is the exact opposite of that! It'd be perfect, it could… it could broaden our horizons! Now let's—d'oof!"

In his exuberance, the imp had bumped into Pit, who had been walking down the same hallway. Both parties were sprawled out on the floor, save for Ashley, who stared at them, unamused.

"Ungh… oh, hey, Pit—Pit! What a coinky-dink!" Red tugged at Ashley's sleeve. "See, look! This guy's a literal angel!" he whispered. He turned back to face Pit. "So, Pit! What've you been up to recently?"

The angel stared blankly at Red. "Um… walking."

Red turned back to Ashley and winked in an exaggerated manner. Ashley rolled her eyes. "Walking, eh?" replied Red, nodding sagely. "Sounds good, sounds good. ...So, uh… you remember us, right?"

Pit blinked. "Um… kiiind of…?" He glanced at Ashley. "You're one of the Villagers, right?"

Red faltered a bit, while Ashley glared at the angel as thought all his hair had fallen out. "N-no." said Red.

"Hmmm… Oh! Then your name is Futaba, right? A-and you," he continued, pointing at the imp, "must be Necronomicon!"

Ashley's left eye twitched. Red sighed. "No, Pit."

"Ummm…" The angel shrugged. "I got nothing."

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Red. "She was an Assist Trophy in the last tournament!"

Realization spread over Pit's face. "Oooohh. Well, why didn't you just say so? I think I remember you now!"

"Finally," muttered Red. "So now that we've gotten that across, we were wondering—"

"It's nice to finally meet you, Midna!"

Zap!

There was a flash of purple light and the air filled with raw, acrid-smelling smoke. Ashley coughed and cleared the air in front of her as she surveyed her handiwork. She'd done her part. Pit was gone, yes, but only in body, not in spirit. In his place was a large, yet delicious-smelling eggplant, with Pit's two legs sticking out the bottom. Ashley's wand wobbled as it transformed.

"Okay, that coulda gone a lot better," remarked a coughing Red. He stared at the former angel. "Wha—an eggplant?!"

Eggplant-Pit screamed loudly, terrified by Ashley's hex. Or at least, he would have, if eggplants could do so. But mercifully for farmers, eggplants do not scream, and so Pit was forced to hop up and down and stomp his feet in a panic. Ashley and Red stared blankly at the sight.

"Ashley…" sighed Red, pinching the bridge of his non-existent nose. "That's… that's not how you make friends."

"I don't care." replied Ashley plainly.

"Are you gonna fix him?" Eggplant-Pit was running around in circles.

"No."

"Fair enough."

And so, the duo left Pit to wallow in the agony of being an eggplant forever.

Or until Palutena could find him.

"So, what now?"

"We go back and check on my potion."

"Seriously?"

Ashley and Red were strolling down the halls again, after the fiasco with Pit. The hallway was nearly empty, and the distant sounds of a match could be heard in the distance. "So, uh… where'd you even learn that eggplant spell?" asked Red.

"Read it in a book," said Ashley impassively.

"Ah." Red paused. "...Why eggplants, though?"

Ashley stared at nothing in particular. "They're just funny."

"Fuh… funny?"

"Funny," Ashley repeated.

Red took a deep breath. "Okay, Ashley, listen. We're trying to make friends, yeah? But… the way you're going about it is all wrong! I mean, what you did to Pit back there… He coulda been a great friend! I mean, sure, he didn't know who you were despite the fact we've been here two tournaments, now… And sure, we have a whole song about you that was introduced when he got here he no doubt should've heard many times already… And sure, he's the complete opposite of our entire theming… And sure, he's about as dumb as a sack of wet rocks! No one's arguing that! But he—"

Red paused, as he processed what he had just said. "Maybe this wasn't the best idea…" he mumbled. "But anyways, I—hey! Ashley, are you listening to me?!"

Ashley was not, in fact, listening to Red. She had stopped dead in her tracks, staring to her left as though her life depended on it.

Red floated over to the witch. "Hey! Earth to Ashley?" He waved his hand in front of her face, but she did not blink. "Anybody home? What're you even star—staring at…"

The imp had followed her gaze, and now realized what she was staring at. A steel door, with a skull and crossbones painted on it, and the words "Keep Out!" just below in bold red letters. To add to this gruesome sight was a symbol below the words, a symbol that looked remarkably like a dragon's head.

"Oof," said Red, shaking his head. "That sure does look dangero—" He stopped as he noticed the look on Ashley's face. Her eyes twinkled, and her mouth was slightly open as she gazed at the door. Red, who had known Ashley for most of his life, was quick to put two and two together.

"Ashley, no," he whispered.

Slowly, as if controlled by an unseen force, Ashley drifted towards the door, and pushed it open. There was a long, spiraling staircase leading down, down, down, seemingly to nowhere.

"A-Ashley," stammered Red, as he tugged at her sleeve, "I really don't think this is a good idea. I-I mean, those warnings have gotta be there for a reason!"

But Ashley paid him no mind, stepping carefully down the stone steps, plunging into the inky darkness. At the bottom of the steps, there was a wooden door, painted with the same dragon head symbol. Ashley wasn't sure, but she thought she could see burn marks at the edges of the door. Despite Red's silent pleading, she slowly pushed open the door.

To their surprise, it was not a dark, foul-smelling dungeon that greeted the duo, but a wide open field of yellow grass. Clouds drifted by lazily above their heads. In the distance, the peaks of mountains could be seen. It was as if the door had led to another world.

Especially considered the large red wyvern standing in the middle of the field.

"Wh-wh-what is that?!" asked Red, diving behind Ashley for protection. Ashley, on the other hand, was less than impressed. She glanced at a sign that was sticking out of the grass.

This is a Rathalos, the apex predator of the Ancestral Steppe. It is very dangerous, with terrible fire breath and poisonous claws.

If you know what's good for you, leave immediately! Unless, of course, you want a closed-casket funeral.

Hugs n' kisses,

Crazy Hand

The Rathalos snorted as it surveyed Ashley. Red peeked out from behind her and read the sign. As he did so, his face paled and his ears drooped. "F-fire breath? P-p-p-poison claws?! Ashley, I don't think we should be here! We gotta get outta here now!"

"But why?" asked Ashley, still starting at the beast.

"W-why?!" repeated an incredulous Red. "Did you not read the sign?! Fire breath! Poisonous claws! Three of those four words are deadly! A-and just look at it! It's probably thinking about how to best prepare us for dinner right now!"

If the Rathalos was thinking of eating Red, it didn't show it. It growled softly as Ashley approached it. "So it's just been down here, by itself?"

"Uh, yeah, obviously," replied Red. "Because it's dangerous."

Ashley reached up to pet the creature's snout, a move it surprisingly accepted. "But it looks so lonely…"

Red looked as though he might pass out. "Ohhh, no, you don't! We are not making friends with this guy! Come on, we're leaving!"

Ashley stayed put, staring right into the wyvern's eyes.

"Ashley, come on!"

Ashley did not move.

"...A-Ashley?"

With a snap of her fingers, she transformed Red into her scepter, which floated into her hand. She raised it above her head, twirling it as the orb began to glow. Her hair turned white, and her eyes glowed a brilliant shade of crimson.

There was a flash of light, and both witch and wyvern disappeared.

Bomberman sat in his room, reading a graphic novel he'd been meaning to catch up on: Toad Force V: The Notorious Fungus. He was about to get to the climactic battle between the protagonist, Jack, and the villain who had long been in the shadows for at least three story arcs now! Just as he turned the page…

Boom!

The robot fell out of his chair as the room shook. His heart was pounding both from fear and from excitement. What kind of bomb could have made such a beautiful sound? It would have to be a magnificent explosive to create such a blast! Bomberman opened his window in search of this majestic dream bomb, but what he saw shocked him to his core.

To his disappointment, it was not a bomb that had made that sound, but a large red wyvern hovering above the grounds. It roared as it swooped down, ripping trees right out of the ground. And unless Bomberman was mistaken, he could've sworn he saw something sitting on its head…

"Ashleeeeey!" cried Red, hanging on for dear life. "This was—this is a bad idea!"

"What do you mean?" asked Ashley, as if she wasn't currently riding a deadly beast. "I made a friend today, just like you said!"

"Not like this!" shrieked the imp. "Not like this!"

Ashley patted a scale behind its head. The Rathalos roared and launched a fireball at the ground. Wood splintered, stone shattered, and someone Ashley almost recognized screamed.

For a brief moment, the smell of cooked eggplant filled the air.

Ashley knew that the Rathalos' freedom would not last. In a few minutes, Master Hand and some other Smashers would come out and bring it back to where it belonged. And knowing Master Hand's love of order, she'd probably get punished for this. But was it truly worth it?

She stroked a scale right between the beast's horns. Above the din below and Red's frantic pleading next to her, she could hear it purr.

…

…Yes, it was worth it.

For the first time that day, Ashley smiled.

Author's Notes: Ashley and Red are really fun to write!

Hey, I'm still taking suggestions if you have 'em!