Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.

Before Ruby Went to Sojiro's with Nyx

BGM: Toad Town (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story plus Bowser Jr's Journey)

Ruby wandered around Toad Town, softly humming to herself as she was munching on a cookie that she bought earlier. She found a bench at the park and sat down, slowly inhaling and exhaling as she looked at her rose arm, making a Marigold sprout from her hand and bloomed in front of her.

She softly smiled, planting it on the ground and chuckled. She then looked up at the sky, closing her eyes and letting the wind softly blow against her hair.

"Hey there, Rosebush." A familiar voice said.

Ruby opened her eyes, turning her head to see Hades approaching. "Hades? What're you-"

"Relax, I'm not here for anything that relates to life endangerment or terrorization on the Dimentio level. I just want to talk about me… or rather… that other version of me."

Ruby looked at him in shock. "You… you know about that?"

Hades gave her a serious look. "Ruby, I am shocked, shocked and dismayed that you think another version of me would pop up in this world for even a moment, and I wouldn't even notice."

"Fair… I guess."

"So, tell me… what was the other me like? Was he dashing? Was he a handsome rogue? Was he a charming asshole like me?"

Ruby sweatdropped. "Really, dude?"

Hades laughed. "You're right. No one can be as good looking as I am… except for another version of yours truly." He laughed again, causing Ruby to roll her eyes.

"Riiiiight… anyway, that version of Hades was-"

"Up up up! First, I got to ask. How are you holding up?"

"Mmm… I've been better, but I'm slowly coming out of my depression."

"Ah… you know what makes me feel better when I'm feeling down in the dumps?"

"Sitting on a pile of corpses?"

"Pfft, that's just every Tuesday! But no, I got something better. Take my hand."

Ruby looked at him nervously. "Um…"

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna take you to some magical ride where you'll be high as a kite. The last thing I need is Pretty Palutena nagging at me for that… or worse, Rosalina shoving a supernova up my butt…" He mumbled. He heard a snicker from Ruby, causing him to smirk.

"I'm not taking your hand though."

"That's understandable… your shoulder would disagree though."

"What do you mean by-" Hades put his hand on her shoulder and teleported the two away to the Underworld.

"...Oh, for the love of… well, I better keep an eye on those two." Palutena said.

End BGM

BGM: Underworld Castle (Kid Icarus: Uprising)

"WHOA!" Ruby yelled. "What in-... ugh, did I get kidnapped by you AGAIN? At this rate, I might as well get a free snow cone if this keeps happening."

"Not kidnapped. Invited~!" Hades said. "After all, you looked down in the dumps so I thought I would cheer you up!"

"...Invitation by kidnapping."

"Meh, details, who needs 'em!"

Ruby sweatdropped. "Oh boy…"

Hades wrapped his arm around Ruby. "Now then, let me show you around!" He said as they walked, or more like Ruby was unwillingly dragged by the God of Underworld.

"Okaaaaay… why are you doing this, exactly?"

"What, can't I extend an olive branch from time to time? After all, I helped you out during the Phazon War."

"That was because the Phazon ruined the Underworld."

"True, but I still helped!"

"...True. By the way, where were you at that theme park?"

"Oh, that place? Let's just say I ran into a fellow ne'erdowell…"

Earlier…

"Yo, Cherny Boy! I love your work!" Hades said. "Mind if I call you Cherny Boy? Chernabog doesn't really suit you. Mind if I show you a few pointers that will make your theatrics more… theatrical?"

Back in the present…

Hades smirked. "I'd say he liked my suggestions."

Why do I feel this is going to bite everyone in the butt… Ruby thought.

As they walked, they came across a room as Hades opened the door and pushed Ruby in, and what she saw made her eyes widen in surprise.

"I-Is that…"

"Past villains that have been slain by either you or others? You bet!" Hades grinned. "Don't worry, most of them are mostly tame."

"Most?" Ruby grimaced.

"This right here is the "Dead Villains lounge", where every evil doer that was slain gets to crash here. Of course, there are a few individuals who don't get that privilege… namely Shou Tucker and… well… come over here for a moment." Hades walked over as Ruby followed, only for her to bump into Dark Weiss.

"O-oh! Dark Weiss…!" Ruby exclaimed nervously.

"Sup." She gave her a sup nod and went back to talking with Meta and Dark Blake, who also gave her a nod.

"...They're… mellow now."

"Yup. Totally chill as can be. And if you look to your right, you'll see people you've never met before!"

Ruby turned her head to see the Axem Rangers and Smithy. "Uh… who?"

"Old acquaintances of Mario. Heck, I might or might not have revived that one guy to fight you guys in the Phazon War just for the hell of it! …Bowyer, I think his name was."

Ruby sweatdropped. "Ooof course you did…"

"Anyway, those guys are the Axem Rangers and Smithy. Red, Green, Yellow, Black and Pink."

"Wait, they sound familiar…" Ruby said.

"Of course we sound familiar!" Red said as he overheard the conversation. "We had these names first, and then those damned Koopa Bros steal our thunder!"

"At least they didn't steal my mojo~!" Pink smiled.

"Koopa Bros… I haven't seen them since Yoshi's Island… I wonder how they're doing…" Ruby mused.

"Well, whatever! If I ever get a chance back in the limelight…" Red aimed his axe at Ruby. "I'd like to see who's the better red out of them all… because believe me, I've been hearing a lot about you… and I want to see how tough you really are."

"...Oh boy." Ruby sweatdropped and then looked at Smithy. "Is he seriously that old?"

"Hey! Show some respect, you wench!"

"Oookay, nice meeting ya." Ruby said as she walked away. "Yeesh, what's his problem?"

"He's a sour old coot."

"I'd believe it." Ruby glanced over at another individual. "Does he know Mario?"

"No. That's just the first incarnation of Demise. His name's Vaati."

"...Hello there." Vaati said, before turning away.

"Guess he loves blue." Ruby rubbed her head as they continued walking, where they saw the SA-X chilling in a hot tub. "WHAT THE?!"

"Yup, there's the SA-X. She's just chillin' all the time."

"But… she's an X-Parasi-"

"Up up up! I got rid of that whole infection thing, otherwise we'd have a whole problem!"

Ruby sighed with relief. "Sooo… I take it Dark Samus is here too?"

"She's a few levels down. She doesn't get this treatment."

"...So why is SA-X here?"

"Because unlike that expired blueberry, SA-X took her death peacefully, so that earned a few brownie points. And in case if you're wondering, I got rid of Dark Samus's phazonic abilities too."

"Oh good!" Ruby smiled as she glanced to the side to see Raven Beak mumbling to himself.

"Aaaand here we are!"

Ruby turned her head and then tilted it. "A wishing well?"

"Not just any wishing well. A Torture Well! Here, name anything that first pops into your head."

"Um… bowling ball."

At that moment, a bowling ball appeared in her hands. "Whoa mama!" She yelped, almost falling over.

"Alright, now drop that in there!"

With a nod, Ruby dropped the bowling ball inside the well. "...How far does this go down?"

"Oooh, it goes…"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"Pretty far! Striiiiiiiike!"

"What was-"

"That… was the sound of a bowling ball landing on Dark Ruby's head. She's at the lowest pit of hell with no chance of escaping. Pretty much anyone can come in here if they're feeling on edge, and when they hear the sweet sound of Dark Ruby screaming, it perks them up. And when you think of an item, it'll appear just like that."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah!" A voice said as Dark Weiss approached. "For example-"

An orb appeared in her hand as she tossed it up, then the orb opened up as a massive Thwomp came out and fell into the well.

"OOOOOMPH!"

"MY SPIIIIIIIIIIINE! AAAAAAAGH!"

"Aaaah, that never gets tiring…" Dark Weiss smiled and then looked at Ruby who looked completely surprised. "So, what're you in for?"

"Just cheering her up!" Hades smiled. "By the way, is the radio on?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just checking. Get a load of this, Rubes!" Hades summoned the radio while Dark Weiss summoned an anvil and dropped it into the well.

He pressed the button.

"It's a small world after all~ It's a small world after all~"

"WILL YOU TURN THAT PIECE OF JUNK OFF!" They heard Dark Samus screaming.

"What's that? You want full blast? OKAY!" Hades grinned.

"...I almost feel sorry for her." Ruby said. "...Almost."

"Who? Dark Samus or your clone?" Dark Weiss asked.

"Dark Samus. I feel no remorse for the other."

"Good, neither do I!" She summoned a wrecking ball and proceeded to jump on it a few times as it fell into the well as Dark Weiss jumped off.

"So! You up for some ice cream?" Hades asked.

"Sure." Ruby nodded.

Later…

"So let me get this straight, red head…" Pandora spoke up. "You're feeling pretty depressed after everything you've been through, your mother left in peace, and then after that Asahina girl cheers you up, you get dragged into another universe by a Hades who's looking throughout all of the multiverse, just so you could deal with another universe's problems because of a you that turned evil?"

"Pretty much."

"I HAVE CHORTLES! The red head turned evil! How I wished to see that with your mustard of doom!" Fawful said. "...Actually, with your color, it'd be ketchup of doom!"

"And that charming individual didn't even bother saying hello to me? The nerve of that guy." Hades mumbled. "Anyway, you definitely need some R and R because believe me, you need a break."

"You can thank Blake for that… she suggested I make flowers and plant them anywhere, and honestly, it's kinda working. I never thought that'd be therapeutic."

"Anything can be therapeutic. Like taking my frustrations out on Dark Ruby!" Cackletta said.

"Amen to that!" Green said.

"That said, I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I'm glad you went out of your way to try and cheer me up, Hades." Ruby said.

"You're welcome! Just don't expect me to do this often." He chuckled.

"I can believe that…" Palutena said.

"You wish to join us, pretty Palutena? I have a seat for ya!"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Suit yourself."

"...By the way, is it just Small World for Dark Samus?" Ruby asked.

"Of course not! It changes periodically so she doesn't get used to it."

"Okay, so what does it change to?"

With Dark Samus…

"Oh thank goodness, the song ended… wait… no… then that means…!"

"Salagadoola menchicka boola, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo~"

Back with them…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MAKE IT STOP!"

"Let's just say it's something completely magical!" Hades smiled.

"On repeat!" Pandora grinned.

Ruby chuckled. "I'd believe it." She said as she took a bite out of her ice cream. "Sooo, you guys got any games in here?"

"As a matter of fact, we do!" Hades nodded.

End BGM

Later…

BGM: Going Somewhere (Mario Party Superstars)

Ruby stared at the hockey puck in front of her as it came toward her at a rapid pace. Ruby instantly deflected it back to Dark Weiss. "Got ya!" She smirked.

"Oh, you think you're all that~?" Dark Weiss chuckled as she deflected it at toward a wall as Ruby went for it, only she barely missed and it went into her goal.

"Ack, no!" She yelped.

"I win!"

Ruby smirked. "Best two out of three!"

"Oh, you're on!"

"You think your magic can top mine?" Vaati asked, magic swirling around him and threw it at her but Ruby put up a defensive force field and immediately went into her Zinogre form and howled, paralyzing Vaati as she lunged and electrically swiped at him. "Rrrgh!" He grunted. "Curse you Hades… I was only weak to the Picori Sword and now I'm weak to anything!"

"Not my problem!" Hades grinned.

Vaati growled as he proceeded to clash with Ruby, both of them smirking for their own ways while Red watched on with folded arms.

"Tch… I ain't impressed."

"Here, watch this~" Pandora pulled out a Poison Mushroom and dyed it green, then she stuck it to a fishing pole and reeled it down.

"Is that a 1-Up Mushroom?! FINALLY!" Dark Ruby yelled as she took a bite. "Mmph! Oh… oh gods…!"

Ruby laughed. "Oh, that's awesome!"

"Here, you try it~!" Pandora smiled, then thought of a 1-Up and tossed it to her, which Ruby dyed it purple and reeled it down.

"EW! ANOTHER ONE?! FORGET THAT!"

Ruby reeled it up and looked at Pandora. "Just like that?"

"Works every time~"

End BGM

Later…

"Mmm… I feel good now…" Ruby said.

"That's good to hear. Glad you're feeling perkier!" Hades smiled. "Oh, and by the way…"

"Hmm?" Ruby wondered as she was given a snow cone. "Oh…!"

"Tiger's Blood, you're welcome!"

"Thanks." Ruby said as she ate her snowcone happily. "I… never thought I'd say this but… thanks Hades. I actually mean it."

"You're welcome, rose bush! Alright, Pretty Palutena, she's ready!"

"Good. Now if you want to, I can hook you up on a hot spring just in case, honey."

"I'm actually feeling pretty good, but I'll take your offer on that later."

"Alright, I'll send you back to Toad Town."

A heavenly light surrounded Ruby as she was whisked away back to Toad Town.

"Well, that takes care of that. Now then-"

"Hades!"

Thanatos came running over. "We got trouble!"

"Trouble? Oh, I do love me some trouble! What's the damage?"

"Damian escaped!"

"Oh, did he now? He'll be back soon… and then I'll tease Dark Weiss for-"

"He's not coming back. He's actually learned to avoid death and he's on the move!"

"...What?!" Hades said in surprise. "Good ol' Dami Boy escaped for good? On the one hand, good for him! On the other hand, there goes some valuable entertainment…"

"What do you propose we do?"

Hades smirked. "I say we have some folk try to go after him."

"Like who?"

"Ridley!" Hades called out to him. "How's about you and Dark Weiss go after Damian and snatch his soul for me!"

He paused for a moment and then smirked. "Actually, send the Axem Rangers and Smithy too!" He then let out a hearty chuckle. "This is going to be quite fun."

Originally, it was just going to be Ridley and Dark Weiss going after Damian, but I thought "...You know what? Super Mario RPG needs some more love. Sic the Axem Rangers and Smithy at him too!"

Ibuki: Oooh boy, some Super Mario RPG love? Niiiiice!

Deadpool: A second chance indeed!

Oh! And this Gaiden idea was inspired by KaizertheWrighter!