Return of Dracula

Darkness into light.

Nothing into breath.

Once more, the darkness of the world had been given flesh.

The air here was... different. Not the Transylvanian air he was used to. The prince of darkness was appalled; it was fresher, cleaner. Less driven by the evil of the world. The immortal blood in his veins boiled at the feeling. The wispy white hair that draped down his back stood on end.

Slowly, the villain arose from his coffin.

And perfect timing.

All Hallows Eve.

Stretching his back, Simon pushed his way out of his dorm. It was late in the morning, and the poor old man seemed to have overslept. Thankfully, since this was a holiday, he wasn't expected to partake in any battles today. All he was expected to do was enjoy his day off.

Which he would be more than happy to do if it weren't for this lingering feeling within him. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. And he could feel it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but deep within his chest was an odd, lingering feeling. An old wound, long since healed, panged dully. It was a feeling he had long forgotten, and was immediately on edge with its resurgence.

As Simon went to the nearest set of stairs, he say the dorm adjacent to his open up. Out came his great-great-grandson, a hand clutched to his head.

"Richter, my boy!" Simon greeted. "How are you doing this fine day?"

"I've been better," Richter muttered in return. He took a deep breath as a massive surge of pain went through him. "I've got a massive headache... Feels like something, or someone, is trying to get to my head."

"I see," Simon replied. He gently slid his hand across the scarred tissue on his abdomen. It stung, and he clenched his teeth. "It seems the Belmont bloodline is suffering a... low point today."

"I guess you could say that," Richter said, following his ancestor. He, too, was on edge. This was no ordinary headache. It felt... different. In fact, he hadn't had a headache like this since...

"I'm sure we'll get over ourselves in due time," Simon merrily mused, trying his best to make light of the situation. "In the meantime, the two of us ought to stick together. I have... feelings about today."

"Me too," Richter said. "I just hope it's that. Feelings."

"With two Belmonts and no Dracula, what could go wrong?" Simon asked. At the mention of his name, both men cringed. It seemed as if the evil count's powers still had an effect on them.

"Of course," Richter said. "It's just suspicions, I'm sure. I mean, we-"

Just as the two entered the lobby, all hell had broken loose.

Or rather, it looked like hell had already broken loose.

All around them, their friends and housemates were grotesquely mangled. They had been contorted to creatures of evil and darkness. Dart Monkey's fur was green and he had a bone through his chest. Twilight was wearing some sort of wizard's garment. And Wario, who was scarfing down heads of garlic, looked none other than-

"DRACULA!?" both Belmonts exclaimed. Without hesitation, both men reached for their Vampire Killers.

"Die, monster!" Richter yelled as he cracked his whip at the portly plumber. "What have you done to Wario!? Release him, you vile fiend!"

Wario bellowed in pain, hopping up and down as the whip continued to crack in his direction. "Stop! Stop! Ouch! Ouchie! Imma no monster! Stop!"

"Wh-What is...!?" King Dedede tried to interject. Rather than the red, blue, and yellow he usually wore, his colors were much darker and more sinister, resembling Shadow Dedede from the Mirror World.

He didn't get far, however.

"King Dedede! He's got you too!" Simon yelled as he grabbed some Holy Water and threw it at him. "Be purified, beast! Cleanse yourself!"

Richter's eyes cut through the crowd of monsters to spy Pearl out of the corner of his eye. Across the way, by the punch table, he spotted her and her getup. A black dress draped over her, and a pair of golden horns poked out of her crystal hair.

And suddenly he was back at the clocktower.

*"Annette!"*

*Richter's voice echoed around the clocktower, as he spotted his beloved. His heart thumped like crazy, as he bounded up the stairs. With only the light of the full moon to guide his footsteps, the vampire hunter quickened his pace. She had been the main reason he set out on this journey to begin with. Having found Maria in an earlier part of the castle, she had informed him that her big sister was somewhere up ahead, and encouraged him to keep persisting.*

*As he approached, however, he felt as if something was completely wrong.*

*"Richter!" She cried back to him, a shrill, haunting echo to her voice. "Don't come any closer!"*

*"Why not?!" He asked, confused. His feet were moving without him telling them to. "Annette, I'm here. Fear not! Dracula has no hold on you anymore!"*

*"That's where you're wrong, you foolish Belmont."*

*Richter's pace decreased as the voice echoed around him. Atop the clocktower, the echoing felt... unnatural. Surreal. It sent a shiver through Richter's frame.*

*"Richter please! Stay away!" Annette pleaded with him.*

*"Show yourself, demon!" Richter shouted to nothing in particular.*

*"If you so wish."*

*A gigantic skull appeared in the sky, slowly descending down toward the poor damsel. Bound by the ties that kept her there, Annette could do nothing to escape. Tears furled down her face, as she tried, in vain, to flee from the scene. In desperation, the blonde turned towards her beloved. "Richter, please! Help me!"*

*"Annette!"*

*Richter sprang into action, charging towards her. However, something stopped his assault. An invisible wall paused his movement. Try as he might to push forward, the Belmont couldn't break the powerful incantation. Again and again, he tried to dash forward, but again and again he was stopped in his tracks.*

*Annette, realizing that there was nothing Richter could do to stop the falling skull, saw that she had little time left. The tears continued to fall from her face, as her fate was decided.*

*"You'll never get away with this, coward!" Richter yelled, desperately trying to push forward. To push through. To push to her.*

*"Richter."*

*Annette's voice was soft, the pleading and desperation gone from it. It caught Richter off his guard, and his eyes immediately turned towards hers. The pristine blue eyes were starting to sink in with the red of the skull above.*

*"I love you," She all but whispered to him. "No matter what happens... I'll always love you. Do you hear me?"*

*Richter was at a loss for words, as the hopelessness of the situation got to him. If only he could cross the gap and free her! If only-*

*"Richter. I'll never stop loving you. Do you hear me?"*

*"I-I do," Richter managed to express. Hot emotion was starting to bubble up within him. "A-And I'll never stop... stop loving you. Do you hear me?"*

*Annette nodded.*

*Suddenly, the skull was on her.*

*With a shriek of pure agony, she began to transform into a lesser vampire.*

Richter's breath was gone at the sight of the small child.

Richter had failed again.

Everyone he had cared about was transformed into a horrific, disgusting monster.

"Back!" Simon shouted, cracking his whip at PAC-MAN and MRS. PAC-MAN, both with white sheets over their bodies to resemble ghosts. "I said BACK!"

Richter's fighting spirit was gone. What was the point of self-preservation if everyone he loved as turning into a hideous creature of the night? He felt his grip around the Vampire Killer loosen as he slumped to the floor.

He didn't care anymore.

"What part of back do you not understand!?" Simon yelled as he continued to crack at the round heroes.

"Hey!" PAC-MAN cried. "We just wanted some punch!"

"Stop striking us with that thing!" MS. PAC-MAN pleaded. "What has gotten into you!?"

"What's gotten into YOU!?" Simon retorted.

"What's going on!?" Pearl cried as she got close to her mother, not dressed dissimilar to her.

"I have no idea," Ruby answered. The two made their way through the chaos, ducking under Yoshi, whose nose had an eye and limbs like Mike Wazowski, whom Simon sent flying back. She approached Richter, who was still sulking.

"What in heaven's name has gotten into you!?" she demanded.

"If you're here to do me in, monster, then do it quickly..." Richter sighed. He caught another glance at Pearl, who was still hiding behind her mother. "Ironic. Probably one of the sweetest friends I have will be my killer."

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked. Then suddenly, it clicked.

The Belmonts didn't know what Halloween was.

Ruby took off the fake horns from her head and placed them on the ground. "Richter-"

"I know this is another trick!" Richter shouted. "I won't fall for it, you-"

"Richter!" Pearl said as she took off her horns as well. "It's a costume! It's all fake! Just for fun! Don't you know it's Halloween?"

"H... Hallowhatnow?" Richter responded.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?" Mario shouted as he and Isabelle came into the lobby to see what all the noise was about. Mario was dressed and painted like a zombie, complete with a (fake) axe lodged in his head, while Isabelle wore an adorable clown costume, with a colorful suit and poofy wig. They were less than pleased with all the commotion going on.

"Halloween," Ruby answered. "It's the one night a year everyone comes together to celebrate the scarier side of life. We put on costumes, eat candy, and just have fun together."

"It's fun!" Pearl said. "You should try it! I bet you could have a great costume!"

"I-I... I d-don't... I don't like this..." Richter muttered. Another sharp pain went through his head. It seemed to be growing stronger. He stepped away from the Underworlders. "I-I need... I need to leave. Something's wrong-"

And just like that, the light's turned off.

The Prince of Darkness could sense the presence of intruders in his castlevania.

He could feel them.

He smiled. Everything was going according to plan...

The Halloween party was officially derailed.

As the lights went out, a surprised shout escaped most of the patrons. A few laughed, as they all thought it was part of the act. Some were less than pleased.

"Really Pinkie?" Twilight asked. "Turning off the lights? That's the worst you can do to scare us at your Halloween party?"

"That... that wasn't me, Twi..." Pinkie said.

"Well somepony turn the lights back on!" Spike said as he wandered around. He felt that he knocked over some items on a nearby table.

"I would if I could find them," Mario said as he fumbled around as well.

"Maybe it's a problem with the fuse box," Isabelle said. "Or maybe one of the party goers is playing a trick on us!"

"Wouldn't it be a shame if some senseless slasher came in right now and murdered us all, one by one?" the unmistakable voice of Ridley cut through the crowd. "I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it... I bet he'd get some pleasure out of sticking a knife through each and every one of us."

"Ridley, please, let's not do this," Ruby said as she held a fearful Pearl close to her, no doubt shaken up by the space pirate's words.

"Haven't you heard?" Ridley continued. "It's happened before! Right here, in this very mansion, a murder took place. Multiple murders. Some say the souls of those unfortunate few still roam around the halls. Has no one here heard the moaning throughout the halls at midnight?"

"\*i thought that was just wario trying to putting on his socks," Sans quipped.

Just then, a scream was heard. A feminine scream. Which sent shivers down everyone's backs.

"Who was that!?" "Who was screaming!?" "Who stepped on my foot!?" "Dedede stop screaming!"

And just like that, the lights went back on.

"Alright, whose the wise guy?" King K. Rool asked, dressed up in his Baron K. Roolenstein outfit. "The last time I checked, we were in the mansion's lobby. Not wherever... this place is."

Confused by the Kremling king's words, everyone looked around to see what he was talking about. Much to their surprise, they weren't in the lobby anymore. The place they were in looked like it came straight out of a silent film. Creaky boards replaced the tile floor, dust and dirt were everywhere, and cobwebs decorated every nook and cranny of the room. Ominous sets of stairs branched into darkness, leading to who knows where.

"Alright, good one," Twilight said, giggling a bit. "You somehow got Master and Crazy to change the entire lobby into a haunted house. Everything seems life-like, call me impressed!"

"I'm telling you Twilight, that wasn't me!" Pinkie Pie said, her ridiculous chicken costume now visible to everyone in the room.

"Pearl?" Ruby asked, noticing she wasn't holding onto her anymore. "P-Pearl!? Pearl! Where are you!?"

The crowd was silenced as everyone looked among themselves to find her.

The search was fruitless.

"I don't get it," Richter said. "She was right by us when the lights went out- Argh!"

A sudden shot of pain went through Richter's head. The sudden pain made him double over, reeling from the feeling. It was as if someone had punched him in the gut if his gut was located in his forehead. Simon, too, suddenly doubled over in pain. It felt as if his entire side was being torn open again.

A sudden realization hit both Belmonts. Their eyes made contact with each other.

Dracula was back.

Darkness.

The world was in darkness.

She fought against the darkness.

A restless sleep.

Suddenly, Pearl jolted awake, breathing heavily. She looked around, and it appeared she was in some sort of castle. It certainly wasn't the mansion. And none of her fellow housemates were around either. Naturally for a seven-year-old, she started to get scared.

"M-Mom?" she asked quietly. Her voice echoed around the room.

"Good morning, princess," a voice called.

Pearl whipped her head in the direction the voice came from. In front of her, she could make out the blurry vision of a tall man standing in front of her. He walked forward, the moon's light giving her a clearer look at his face. His skin was pale, and he had long, white hair draping down his back. He wore what seemed to be a black and red vest.

"Wh-Who are you?" Pearl asked softly. She couldn't tell if this was friend or foe.

"You don a costume based on the creatures of the night," he answered. "Surely you must be *somewhat* familiar with me."

"Are you... D-Dracula?" Pearl muttered. Her fear was intensifying.

"Correct," Dracula answered. "When I heard there was a princess of the Underworld, I expected her to be older. But... I suppose you will do."

"What are you going to do with me?" Pearl asked. She started breathing heavily. "A-Are you gonna suck my blood!? I don't wanna become a vampire!"

"Hush, I don't wish to harm a single hair on your pretty little head," Dracula said. "I only have a grudge with certain... individuals that you associate with. You're just the bait I need to have them come crawling to me. Once they take it, they'll be done away with."

Dracula saying he wasn't going to hurt her made her feel better about the situation. If only just a little. "These people you hate... you mean Simon and Richter?"

"That's correct," Dracula answered. "I've had a rivalry with the Belmont clan for centuries. Every time my castlevania rises from the depths of Transylvania, they always storm in and do away with my loyal minions, before taking me down. Every 100 years I come back, and every 100 years another Belmont tries to vanquish me."

The count walked up to the young girl and handed her a small glass of some kind of liquid. "Care for a drink? You must be thirsty."

"Um... th-thanks," Pearl said. She took the glass and observed it. It didn't look like anything she had seen before, but she decided to take a sip anyway.

A crack of lightning was followed by a scream, and the shattering of a falling glass.

"*Foolish girl,*" Dracula thought to himself.

"So lemme get this straight, NONE of this is a Halloween prank?" Mario asked. "You aren't trying to dupe us?"

"I Pinkie Swear I didn't do it!" Pinkie said. "How in the wide wide world of Equestria would I be able to do all this with the lights out!?"

"She has a point," Lucario mused. His costume was a gi not unlike the ones Ryu and Ken wore. He was a Fighting-type after all. "It doesn't make any logical sense. None of this does... but I suspect wherever we are, trouble follows."

"That still doesn't answer the question of where the hell we are," Dry Bowser said. Considering he was already a skeleton, he didn't feel the need to dress up for a Halloween party.

King Dedede inspected the area around him, placing a gloved hand on his chin. "In my humble opinion? This place ain't lookin' much better than Castle Dedede when I did that weird thing I did with them big ol' arms of mine..."

"A castle," Lucario said. He could feel the aura around him shifting. "If nothing else, that's one thing Dedede has contributed to tonight's events. We must be in a castle."

"B-But how?" MRS. PAC-MAN asked. She didn't much care for this scary turn of events.

"Some magic bullshit, that's how," Ridley answered.

"RIDLEY!" Twilight chided as she covered Spike's ears with her hooves. "Language!"

Ridley sighed. "Quaedam magica bullshit."

"That doesn't help!" Twilight said.

"Ridley has a point," King K. Rool said, stepping in between the two. "There's no dancing around the fact that someone, somewhere, brought us all here. What I want to know is... why."

"Well fuck if I know," Ridley said. "I'm not a psychic."

"I am," Mewtwo said from behind. The Genetic Pokemon seemed to be wearing some sort of armor for his costume. "But it offers no help. Something about this place is... offputting."

"Whatever," Yoshi mused, still wearing his Mike Wazowski-inspired nose. "You all think you can spook me just because I don't go out much? Nice try, but you can't fool me that easy. I listen to public radio!"

"The hell does that have to do with anything?" Dry Bowser asked.

"What I'm saying is there no way any of this is real," Yoshi said. "This is just another one of those haunted houses for the kids. Y'know what? I'll humor you guys a bit. I'm finding the exit. Feel free to join me if you want."

The green dinosaur turned a heel, not bothering to look back at the others, and marched into a dark hallway that lead to who knows where. Dart Monkey, getting more and more uneasy, decided that following Yoshi would be the safest course of action.

"I'll follow them and make sure they don't get killed," Lucario said. Readying his aura for whatever situation was ahead of him, he followed Yoshi and Dart Monkey into the hallway.

Away from all the commotion sat Ruby, who was heartbroken. Pearl, her beautiful, precious daughter, was missing in whatever this place was. How could she be so unobservant? Pearl was right there beside her, and she let her slip right through her grasp. The child was missing, and it was all her fault.

The Underworld queen felt a small paw tap her back, and she looked to see Isabelle and Mario.

"We'll find her," Isabelle said. "We promise."

"We'll search every room in this castle if we have to," Mario said. He practically saw her as a little sister, and he would never forgive himself if he let something happen to her.

"I... I know we will..." Ruby said as she wiped a few tears out of her eyes.

"Everyone, this is none other than the castle of that blasted Count Dracula!" Simon proclaimed, readying his whip. "I'll kill that bastard a third time if it comes down to it! With two Belmonts in the walls of this castle, Dracula stands not a chance!"

While Simon was ready to go on another vampire-slaying quest, Richter looked like he had seen a ghost. He had been ever since Pearl turned up missing. He knew what this meant. He knew Dracula was holding the girl captive. All he could do was imagine the sick, twisted things he was doing with her.

"We have to hurry," Richter said. "Dracula has Pearl. I'm sure of it!"

"An undead creature of the night!" Simon shouted. "Die monster!" Everyone jumped at the sudden scream, followed by the crack of his whip.

"\*dude chill, it's just me, sans" Sans said.

"Oh... sorry, friend," Simon said. "Usually when I see skeletons, they're throwing bones at me, and it's rather frustrating."

"\*hey, i don't got a bone to pick with you, we're on the same team" Sans said.

"Will you fools stop messing around?" King K. Rool said. "If we're going to find whoever this Dracula is, where do we go?"

Silence fell among the group, as each one present pondered the question. Eventually, all eyes turned to the ominous staircase to the left of the room, leading to total darkness. Terrified of what was to come, Spike hugged Twilight. Isabelle did the same for Mario. PAC-MAN and MRS. PAC-MAN hugged each other.

There was only one way to go.

Humming to himself, Yoshi marched along the dark corridors of wherever the hell this was. Dart Monkey sat on his back, observing all the things he could. The hallway got darker and darker, and in turn, he got more and more scared.

"Oh c'mon," Yoshi said. "There's nothing to be afraid of around here. This is all fake! Even a preschooler could see through it!"

Dart Monkey screeched and pointed ahead. Yoshi looked at his finger's direction and saw a mummy, slowly approaching them. Any sane person would be set running for the hills.

Yoshi was not a sane person.

"BAHAHAHA!" Yoshi burst in laughter. "This is the best you got for a mummy!? This thing's made of toilet paper!"

As the mummy drew close, it tried to take a swing at the dinosaur. It missed his face by mere inches.

"What, too fast for you?" Yoshi taunted. It took another swing at him, and missed again. By now, Dart Monkey was starting to find it pretty humorous as well.

Suddenly, a bright blue ball of energy flew right passed them and hit the mummy. It exploded into sheets that flew around the hallway, sending dino and primate into hysterics.

"Looks like that mummy couldn't handle us!" Yoshi said, pulling himself back together. "C'mon buddy, we got a lot of ground to cover."

As Yoshi and Dart Monkey pressed onward, Lucario recharged his aura and sighed deeply, following the duo.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

The unlikely team of adventurers made their way up the castle stairs, into the unknown. Their mission was clear: find and rescue Pearl, defeat Dracula, and get the hell out of here. Simon and Richter led the team, their Vampire Killers at the hand, ready to strike any creatures of the night that dared to attack.

"Stay vigilant, friends!" Simon warned. "Who knows what monsters are lurking in Dracula's keep? Avoid them at all costs, or you could be turned to the dark side!"

Spike, understandably, was getting jittery, and he clung to Twilight's neck as he rode on her back. The alicorn used her magic to light the way, which at least helped more than the candles that decorated the walls.

"Spike, we're going to be OK," Twilight said. "We'll find Pearl, beat this Dracula guy, and get out of here. Simple as that."

"I know but... I don't like the sound of dark monsters..." Spike said.

"\*cant be any worse than ridley," Sans jabbed.

"I'll take that as a complement," Ridley responded.

"Guys, there's no time for chatter!" Ruby said. "We're on a mission here, and we can't afford to be distracted."

"Why so serious?" Wario groaned as he did his best to keep up. His vampire costume was starting to ride up on places he didn't want it to. "It's-a not like it's the end of the world or anything."

Very few times was Ruby legitimately mad at anyone, but she shot a glare at the portly vampire. If looks could kill, he would be dead five times over.

Wario shut up.

"We'll all be A-OK, OK?" King Dedede assured. "Isn't that right, Mewtwo?"

"Chances of success are at a staggering high 7.2%," Mewtwo answered. "We'll most likely all die at the hands of a fairy tale."

"See? We'll be fine, y'hear?" King Dedede said.

"Hey, you guys didn't tell me we were gonna do some platforming!" Pinkie said.

Everyone looked in the pink pony's direction, and sure enough, she was right. Ahead of them were numerous precarious platforms above a seemingly endless pit. Creatures of the undead stood there, readying their weapons.

The Belmonts reached for their weapons.

"Who is your master?"

The question hung in the air for a moment. Dracula sat on his throne, tapping a finger against the armrest. His head rested on the other fist, as he stared at the one who had become his prized pawn.

"I asked you a question, temptress. Who is your master?"

Pearl stared ahead at the count. Her skin had paled to a papery color and texture, her crystal hair had become much less saturated, and her eyes looked like they were sagging. She wasn't feeling... anything. It was as if her soul had been torn out by Dracula.

Her eyes rose to meet the vampire's.

"I am at your service, Dracula," Pearl answered.

The answer pleased the count. A sinister smile curled at his lips.

"Wonderful. I think you're ready."

"And then I say, 'where'd you get the balloon fetus'? Should have seen the look on his face!"

Yoshi and Dart Monkey were nearly in stitches as they strode further into the depths of this castlevania. It was like a labyrinth, but neither cared. They were having too much fun chumming it up to care about all the dangers around them. At this point, Dart Monkey threw all caution to the wind and wasn't scared of anything. If Yoshi wasn't afraid, why should he?

"Y'know, I think his reaction might be in the security camera archives," Yoshi said. "When we get out of this spookhouse, I'll dig it up for you."

Dart Monkey clapped happily in response.

From behind, Lucario was growing tired of his job. Tweedledee and Tweedledum kept pushing themselves past the danger like a chicken walking on a railroad track. He couldn't count the number of monsters he slain to save their skins. At this point, it was starting to get ridiculous. How could they think Yoshi destroyed a haunted suit of armor on accident!? It moved on its own! However, the Aura Pokemon knew he couldn't let his comrades fall, even if they were this dense. Sighing inwardly, he continued following them.

"Hey, look!"

Yoshi pointed in front of them. On a table sitting in the middle of the hallway was a giant turkey dinner on a silver platter, which gave off a delicious auroma. Both of their stomachs growled at the sight. Eagerly, the two friends ran to it to dig in. As Yoshi and Dart Monkey each grabbed for a leg, they heard a strange clicking sound.

"What the- *YAAAAAAAAAAAH*!"

With a startled yelp, the floor beneath the two gave way, plunging them into a sprawling slide. Lucario, noticing this, darted ahead to try and save them... but it was too late.

They were gone.

Right from under his fingers.

"*Oh sweet Arceus,*" Lucario thought to himself. He looked around the deserted hallways.

He was lost.

"Stay alert, friends!" Simon called as he brandished his Vampire Killer. "These monsters have it out for us!"

He leaped to the nearest platform and cracked his whip at a nearby skeleton, causing it to crumble into a pile of bones.

"\*thats pretty mean to skeletons" Sans said from the back. "\*i dont think he had a bone to pick with you"

"Whatever," Dry Bowser said as he leaped to another platform. He may have been big and heavy, but he was far from unathletic. He had to keep up with Mario and friends at times, after all. "These aren't my minions. I just want out of here."

"Ditto," Ridley said as he flew right past everyone. He used his tail to stab some flying eyeballs trying to get in his path, making them disappear.

"I um... don't have a whole lot of experience in this platforming business..." Isabelle said, no small amount of shakiness in her voice. The task was simple enough, but what got to her was the seemingly bottomless abyss, and there being no respawn platform to save her.

"Don't put yourself down!" PAC-MAN said, trying to lighten the mood. "I used to not know how to platform either, but after I grew some arms and legs, I was running and jumping with the best of them!"

Taking MRS. PAC-MAN by the hand, the two flung themselves from platform to platform. These ghosts sure did look tasty... but with no Power Pellet to make them vulnerable, trying to eat them would surely lead to an untimely demise.

"It also helps when you can fly," King Dedede said as he puffed his stomach full of air. With the grace of a blind goldfish, he slowly but surely floated over the perilous platforms and the beasts that occupied them.

"I... still don't know about this," Isabelle said, getting more and more frightened.

"Bah, pansy!" Wario sneered. "Let-a WARIO show you how it's done!" He rushed forward with a shoulder bash, and leaped across the giant, bottomless gaps. He knocked down every skeleton standing in his path.

"Here, take my hand and we'll clear it together," Mario offered. Isabelle graciously accepted, and together they cleared one abyss at a time. Mewtwo floated over the pits and did away with any monsters in his path. Twilight and Spike flew over the danger. Pinkie Pie jumped straight into the danger and smacked any skeletons in the way. King K. Rool readied his Blunderbuss and jumped across the giant platforms. Soon, all that was left were Richter and Ruby.

"Everything OK, Richter?" Ruby asked.

"I should be asking you that," the Belmont responded. Truthfully, he was not OK, and his pounding headache started flaring again. But it was nothing he couldn't handle. They joined their friends in the platforming, doing away with the vile monsters that came out of seemingly every nook and cranny.

"The end is in sight," Mewtwo affirmed, using his psychic powers to toss away a group of monsters. "This Dracula being has no idea what's coming."

*Oh, don't I?*

The sudden voice sent shivers down everyone's spines. The voice was cold and unfeeling, yet harsh and authoritarian.

"Dracula!" Simon and Richter shouted in unison, fresh pain flaring up in their bodies. After this pain, anger followed. "Show yourself, demon!"

"Wow, you can tell they're from the same tree," Dry Bowser quipped.

"Where are you holding Pearl!?" Ruby demanded. "We know you took her from us!"

*Please. You haven't a chance. Did you really think it would be this easy?*

The platforms below the adventurers began to creak. Isabelle quickly clung to Mario's side, and PAC-MAN and MRS. PAC-MAN held each other closer for comfort.

"You have no power in this realm!" Twilight said. "Surrender Pearl to us, and we'll let you live!"

*Humanity means nothing to me. I'd rather die than let mankind suffer the way it does.*

"Humanity ill needs a savior like you!" Richter said.

*Until you are saved you say that. How quick were you to change sides when the Shaft was involved?*

"Shaft was an evil trick and you know it!" Richter yelled. His headache was pounding harder than ever before, and the rocking platform below him wasn't helping matters.

*So be it. If you wish to not do this the easy way, we'll play with a different set of rules.*

Suddenly, gravity tightened the room. Ridley, Dedede, Mewtwo, Twilight, and Spike all fell down into the abyss, their flight not being able to rescue them. Suddenly, the platforms gave way, and everyone else came falling down as well.

*Welcome to your worst nightmares.*

Down the pits.

Falling.

Tumbling.

Those were the last things Mewtwo heard after Dracula sent him down the abyss. The Genetic Pokemon awoke, and all he could see was darkness. Not even his enhanced vision could help make out anything around him. He blinked, but to no avail. He gave an annoyed huff.

"*Whatever trick you're playing on me, Dracula, it won't work,*" he thought to himself.

A few minutes passed, and all he could see was still darkness. Absolute darkness. What kind of magic was Dracula trying to play here? Rolling his eyes, he reasoned that if he wandered further into this darkness, he would find himself out of it.

So that's what Mewtwo did. Not three seconds later, he bumped into... something. However, it was something he would rather not have.

This something was large and encapsulating. Feeling it up, down, and all around him, Mewtwo came to reason that the thing preventing him from going further was glass.

Strong glass.

*Amber* glass.

His thoughts made the connection.

Mewtwo's hands flew to his head. He realized this wasn't darkness he was subjected to. He had something on his head. Something solid. Something fitting.

Something metal.

He was back in the lab he was created in.

A new emotion struck the Genetic Pokemon as he was forced to relive his creation, the worst part of his life. He was back in that fucking test tube, with scientists looking in and monitoring his every motion. Anger wasn't the word for it, nor was despair or fright. He tried using his psychic powers to get the damn thing off his head.

It wouldn't budge.

He tried to instead bust out of the test tube. Putting all of his psychic strength to use, he wanted nothing more than to escape. But try as he might, the amber wall would not give in. Crying out, Mewtwo thrashed in his confines, getting more and more claustrophobic by the minute.

Were the walls moving in on him?

Was he having trouble breathing?

Fear gripped the heart of the world's most powerful Pokemon.

Twilight Sparkle jolted awake at a place she would recognize if she was only granted her sense of smell. It took awhile for her eyes to adjust to the place she was in, but once they did, her heart rate increased.

Twilight felt around herself. She was no longer the adult, princess mare she used to be. Rather, a young, elementary-aged filly. She couldn't feel her alicorn wings on her sides - they were gone. Familiar sights and sounds filled her eyes and ears.

This was Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.

She was sitting at her desk for her third period history course. No pony else was in the room as she looked around. She was all alone, wearing those big, black glasses she used to wear before she made the switch to contacts.

"*This is all just a trick,*" Twilight tried to reason with herself. "*Dracula's just trying to scare you. This is all fake. None of this is real.*"

Instinctively, she put on her saddlebag with her alic- unicorn magic. With a small inhale, she got up and opened the door, entering the bustling hallway. Unicorn foals of various colors crowded the giant, vast hallways, talking with each other about Celestia knows what. She figured the bell must have rung for next period.

But she wasn't intending on going to her next period.

She was getting the fuck out of here.

Sneaking passed the crowd, Twilight made a b-line for the exit. However, she stopped dead in her tracks just as she was about to open the door.

"Hey, Twily!"

That voice. Oh, she knew that voice. She knew it well. Breathing out a silent curse or two, she heard the hoofsteps slowly approach her.

"...Hello, Shooting Star."

"You got some serious moxie to come back to school with those stupid glasses," the taller filly jeered. She was taller and stronger than Twilight, and memories of her previous escapades with her came flooding back. "I thought I beat you up so hard I sent you to the hospital!"

"You did," Twilight breathed, not bothering to look at her.

"How did your parents find the money to pay for that anyway?" Shooting Star continued. "Between sending you to this place, AND having to pay hospital fees? Must have sent them on the brink of bankruptcy! Serves you right for giving me lip, nerd!"

Twilight knew none of this was real. Why did that jab hurt so much? "...They found the money."

"How? Did they have to star in a porno or something?" Shooting Star continued. "Bet it'd suit them more than having to care for a worthless geek like you!"

"Don't. Talk. Like. That," Twilight instructed.

"Oh, you wanna try your magic on me?" Shooting Star taunted. "Go ahead. Won't do you much good though. We both know whose magic is stronger."

Twilight turned to the bigger filly and flared her horn, intent on making her back off. But unfortunately, she was met with a blast to the side of her head. Her glasses were knocked off as she fell to the ground. It appeared Shooting Star wasn't the only bully present.

"I'll send you to the hospital again for that one, Twily!"

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

Yoshi awoke in his own nightmare, strapped to a hospital bed. A mask was on his face, feeding air into his lungs. Idly, the heart monitor beeped and booped its message to whoever was there to listen.

Yoshi tried to reach up and rub his face, but couldn't. He was strapped there tight. Uncomfortably tight.

Nothing happened, as Yoshi was forced to sit there in the bed.

Silence, except for the heart rate monitor.

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

After what seemed like hours, Yoshi heard the door open to his room. His eyes squinted through the light the door brought in to see who was visiting. As he came to realize who it was, he did a double take.

"Baby Mario?" Yoshi asked. "What are you doing here?"

The infant plumber smiled at the dinosaur and waved. Dressed in doctor attire much to big for him, Baby Mario pulled out a massive bone saw, and started it up. Its roaring pierced Yoshi's ears.

Yoshi screamed out in pure agony.

*Richter Belmont. Tut, tut, tut. You didn't think I'd be bitter after all these years, did you?*

Richter awoke on his back, staring up at the sky. His head was absolutely on fire, which hardly allowed him any motor skills. Shakily, he moved his head to his head... and realized just how high he really was. Teetering on the edge of a tall building at night, Richter only narrowly avoided certain death. Groaning, he grabbed his head, wishing for the torment to stop.

"S-Show yourself, monster!" Richter commanded as best as he could. It wasn't threatening in the slightest.

*Please. You have no horse in this race. You're hardly able to stand! Now unlike your comrades, I've given you a... special task.*

A clock struck midnight. Loudly, it chimed out the twelve chimes... and the Belmont realized where he was.

The clocktower.

"Stop your games, Dracula!" Richter demanded.

*I wish to give you a chance to redeem yourself for your mistake you made all those years ago. Back when you killed her... what was her name? Anna? Agnes? I was never good with mortal names...*

"A... Annette..." Richter corrected through gritted teeth.

*I have a new challenge for you. I think you will recognize her.*

Right on cue, something materialized before Richter on the clocktower. It was the form of a young child, armed with a blue, crystalized staff. Her head was covered in red, sparkling crystals. Her eyes were cold and unfeeling. And a lust for murder was about her spirit.

Richter was taken aback.

*Behold, my temptress! Careful, Richter... just like Annette, the real Pearl is down there somewhere. Try not to kill her, or it may scar you even more!*

Without a sound, Pearl charged at him.

The bewitching hour was upon them.

It was... quiet.

Really quiet.

Quieter than he was used to.

Lucario moved around this castle's corridors on silent feet. His ears were perked as he looked for a way to make himself useful. Having lost Yoshi and Dart Monkey to that shaft, the Aura Pokemon continued along the path, mentally beating himself up about it. He failed at the one job he had given himself.

Turning a corner, Lucario charged his aura, ready to attack whatever hideous creature was lurking there.

However, there was nothing.

With a sigh, he continued on his fruitless path. But was there really any reason to go on if he had lost his comrades, and hadn't seen hide or tail of anyone else he entered this mess with?

A sound ticked Lucario off guard. Shifting to fight or flight mode, he turned to the direction the voice came from, and readied his aura. A legion of tiny spiders crawled from the depths of the labyrinth, and quickly made their way to the Aura Pokemon. Lucario tried to flee, but was met with a dead end. Turning back, he saw the millions of spiders crawling towards him, each one eager to make him their next meal.

"*So, this is my fate,*" Lucario pondered, using his last few seconds to reflect. "*I lose the friends I have sworn to protect, and as punishment my own life will end. If that's the case... then so be it.*"

Suddenly, a cloud of mist covered the room. Lucario couldn't see what was happening, but he could make out a humanoid-like figure through the clouds. All the spiders around him almost instantly dropped dead, and disappeared. When the mist cleared up, Lucario could finally make out who this figure was.

"Alucard?" Lucario asked.

"I see I'm not the only one here," Alucard greeted back. "I have sensed Dracula's return, and have come to his fortress to put an end to him once more."

"Dracula..." Lucario pondered. "The same Dracula the Belmont clan have wagered war against?"

"Correct," Alucard answered.

"That explains how we were brought here," Lucario said.

"There's more of us here?" Alucard asked.

"Yes," Lucario answered. "During the Halloween party, me and several others were taken from the mansion's lobby and into this godforsaken castle. We split up to try and find a way out, but who knows where they could be at now?"

"This is concerning," Alucard said. "Simon and Richter wouldn't have happened to be with you, were they?"

"They were," Lucario nodded. "I suspect Dracula bringing us all here has to do with him."

"We'll need to find them," Alucard said. "And everyone else, too. Then we must face and vanquish Dracula."

"You have my allegiance," the Aura Pokemon said. And with that, the two went further into the corridors of this castlevania.

It was just a nightmare.

There was nothing tangible to fear here.

Everything was nothing but an illusion set forth by an evil vampire, set on stealing souls and reaping mankind.

So why did Pinkie Pie feel so terrible here?

The pink pony sat there in nothingness. Absolute nothingness. All she could see was black. The only tangible thing she could see was herself. Her bright colors contrasted the pitch black surroundings harshly.

She was surrounded by nothing and everything at once.

She looked up.

Nothing.

She looked down.

Darkness.

Slowly, she could feel herself start to go insane.

King Dedede woke up with a groan.

Inside of Castle Dedede, the large king woke up in his throne room. His head was pounding and his stomach was growling, but really, what else was new?

The interior of the castle was new, that's what.

Squinting, Dedede spotted his beloved life's work in shambles. The walls were broken and covered in holes. Large pieces of interior became the exterior. The draft was awful, and the smell was even worse.

"BANDANNA!" Dedede yelled, clapping his hands together. "Bandanna! What in Cookie Country is this all about!? I want this mess cleaned up before the end of my mid-mornin' nap, y'hear!? Ya snivellin' little-"

All at once, Dedede felt the pain in his stomach grow deeper. It was no longer the pain of a hungry Dedede who hadn't eaten in five minutes. Dedede clenched his fist against the chair. The pain was intensive and almost unbearable. But it was a familiar pain.

Unfortunately.

He knew what this was, and his heart was trying to leap out of his chest.

Literally.

Screaming in agony, King Dedede saw the transformation right before his very eyes. Pieces of his flesh began to tear away, leaving only the darkness of Dark Matter in its wake. His mind was getting fuzzy as the freakshow continued. More of his skin and clothing were being torn away, and going, pointy teeth sprung out. A single eyeball appeared on his stomach.

*Hello, King Dedede. Let's go for a joyride, shall we?*

Darkness.

Pain.

Dampness.

Simon groaned to life from the fall, and his hand immediately went to the pain in his side. Dracula's dark magic had made the phantom pain from the curse all those years ago flare up again. Before it was manageable... but now, it seemed to have its own heartbeat.

Risking what little comfort he had, Simon decided he needed to stand if he didn't want to sit in a wet puddle for the rest of his agonizing life. Gritting his teeth, the Vampire Hunter willed himself to his feet.

*Simon Belmont. It's been quite a long time, now, hasn't it?*

Simon knew that voice. That awful, evil voice. Like an angry bull, Simon huffed a breath out of his nose, deducing that it wasn't worth the breath in him to shout something back at Dracula.

*Quiet today, are we?* The voice taunted. *Don't you want to know where you are? What I'm doing to torment those pathetic mortals you decided to drag with you into my castlevania?*

"I want nothing to do with you, demon. All I wish is for you to die for the final time," Simon's response came.

"That's the Simon I know."

Hearing the voice off to his left, Simon grabbed for his whip and swung it in that direction.

...except there was no whip.

"Nice try... but you didn't think I'd let you keep the one thing that may let you live here, now, did you?"

The voice was to his right. Grabbing at his side for Holy Water, Simon threw it.

...and yet, there was nothing.

"Brains really were never your thing, were they?"

"Release me from this trick, monster!" Simon shouted. The voice was before him. Directly in front of him.

As if he had been kicked in the gut, the pain from his phantom gash flared again. The pain was dizzying, forcing Simon to his knees. Clutching at his side, the blonde vampire hunter grabbed at his side... only to feel real blood trickling from the spot he'd been affected.

Eyes filled the darkness. Soulless, white eyes. All around Simon, eyes stared at the crumpled form of the hunter.

A hand grabbed his head, forcing his eyes to look upward at his attacker.

Dracula, surrounded by an army of shadow Draculas, looked upon the poor man.

"I've waited many centuries for this moment, Simon," The Dracula holding Simon's head told him. "Humanity needs cleansing."

With Simon screaming out in agony, the Draculas dove forward, digging into the fleshy body.

Ruby regained her senses a short time after her fall. It was immediately apparent that she was rendered motionless. She could hardly move her eyes around to see more of her surroundings. Soon, she put two and two together and realized that she was trapped in crystals. She could do nothing to move within them, nor could she tap into her powers to break out of them.

Looking around as much as she could, she could see she was in some sort of dungeon. In front of her were steel bars that separated her from the rest of the room, and to the side she could make out a set of stairs leading up. None of this looked familiar to her.

"*What kind of trick is Dracula trying to play, here?*" Ruby asked.

She got her answer immediately.

Though in crystal, she could still hear everything around her. Footsteps echoed around the empty room, and she could make out that they were coming from upstairs. With each step, they grew closer and louder. Ruby did all she could to look up and see who was coming down.

And she couldn't believe who it was.

"Hello there, sister! It's been MUCH too long!"

Obsidia's voice was as cold as ever. Her dark-red eyes stared down Ruby, who could do nothing within her crystal. She came down the stairs and the jail cell seemed to open for her.

"Come along," Obsidia beckoned. "Not that you have a choice. There's something I wanna show you."

The crystal Ruby was trapped in seemed to hover off the ground and follow Obsidia. They went up the stairs and entered what Ruby could make out as the Underworld castle... not that she could easily recognize it. The interior was made much, much more different than the last time she was here.

Obsidia pushed open some doors that led to the balcony, and placed Ruby right on the rails.

The entire kingdom Ruby ruled over was in shambles. Armies of miners were carrying around black crystals, the beautiful underground scenery had become dull and messy, and all around the kingdom were overworked Underworlders, looking miserable as they continued their jobs on penalty of death.

"So, yeah, if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm the head honcho around here!" Obsidia laughed. "Finally, I get to have the throne, after it was so RUDELY stolen by you. And now you're forever trapped in a crystal, just like you did to me all those years ago. Poetic, no?"

Ruby could do nothing but watch as her kingdom was destroyed and enslaved right before her very eyes.

"Oh, and by the way, there's someone else who wants to meet you," Obsidia cackled.

She turned the crystal around, to the direction of Pearl. Who was now under Obsidia's influence.

"Mother, is this the traitor to the throne you were talking about?" she asked.

"Why yes it is, Pearl," Obsidia answered. "But don't worry, she's been punished for it. As well as trying to take you away from me."

"I'm well aware she isn't my mother," Pearl answered. Her voice seemed devoid of any life or soul Ruby knew her child had.

"How does it feel, having everything that you worked or taken away?" Obsidia asked her prisoner. "Having your entire life destroyed before your eyes? Maybe you have a better understanding for how your unfair actions affected me."

There was no emotion that could express the amount of heartbreak Ruby was feeling.

"P... Pearl, it's me! Richter!"

Richter called out to the husk of a girl in front of him. She stared ahead at the Belmont with nothing short of hatred in her eyes. A hatred he had scarcely seen in his life.

And never from her.

"Whatever Dracula has done to you, it's wrong! I know you're still in there! You have to be!"

Richter's calls hit her ears, but her brain discarded them. The soulless warrior had one goal in mind: kill Richter at all costs. No reasoning could be done. No prisoners could be taken. No mercy could be shown. Count Dracula demanded it.

Raising a war cry, Pearl raised her crystalized staff and charged at Richter, who was teetering precariously on the side of the clocktower. Once clean blow would lead to certain doom.

Richter's instinct told him to grab his whip.

Richter's heart told him to block.

Richter's mind told him this was all just a trick by Dracula and that the girl could still be saved.

Just as Pearl leaped at him, Richter ducked. She missed him by a hair.

Rolling away from Pearl, Richter prepared for another assault. She quickly shifted her gears to where Richter was now to throw another swipe at him. Parrying to the left, Richter narrowly dodged her again.

"Pearl! Stop this nonsense!" Richter begged.

She didn't listen.

Plunging her staff into the ground, she caused several black crystals to appear around Richter, effectively trapping him. She hopped on top of the thorny prison as she wanted to plunge the weapon straight into Richter's head. He shielded his head with his arm, which caught her off-guard. Using this opportunity, Richter countered with an uppercut, causing her to drop the staff.

The noise of pain Pearl sounded when he landed it made Richter cringe.

This certainly sounded like Pearl... but she didn't act like it.

The staff clanged and cluttered away to the edge of the clocktower. The girl angrily glared at the Belmont.

"That's no way to treat a girl!" she roared. "I'll enjoy watching your heart stop!"

Richter could hardly get on his feet. His words obviously weren't reaching her... but he refused to go for his whip.

Not after Annette.

While she clearly wasn't acting like Pearl, she could still tap into her powers. Even without her staff, she could create crystals, and she used it to make one right under Richter. It effectively uppercut him in the jaw.

"Count Dracula wants you dead!" she said. "Humanity should be happy to oblidge!"

"But I want you *alive*!" Richter said, just before getting hit with a crystal from behind. Whatever Dracula did to Pearl must have made her a better fighter, because this was certainly not any normal Smash tournament. "Please Pearl, we don't have to do this!"

"Pearl is gone!" she yelled, venom in her voice. "I am the temptress, Lord Dracula's faithful subservient! I'll ensure his will is done, and that includes ending your pathetic life, Richter Belmont!"

Richter had the wind kicked out of him. Literally. In one fell swoop, Richter found himself flung backward and on his back. His head smacked into the hard carving of the clocktower. His headache shot up with pain, and he groaned aloud as he moved to rub it.

He didn't have time.

Pearl was on him like a mouth on a light. Jumping onto his downed body, she started an assault. Over and over she battered his face, his torso, and his arms. Richter cried out in pain, as over and over his head was bashed against the hard surface.

Blood.

He was bleeding from his nose, and a few other wounds Pearl had opened as she continued to batter him. Stars were beginning to become clearer and clearer to Richter, as the child sitting on his stomach continued to beat the ever loving shit out of him.

"This was easier than I thought it'd be!" Pearl cackled. "Count Dracula said you'd put up a fight... and yet, here you are! Pathetic!"

Richter let out a low groan as she taunted him. Swiftly, Pearl grabbed her staff, holding the tip of it just above Richter.

"Maybe I should carve my name into your body, so people will know who did this to you," she offered. She held the staff but inches away from Richter's jugular, stopped only by Richter's (rather weak) resistance. "It appears your bloodline ends here. Not that you were going to do anything to advance it, anyway. Do you have any last words, Belmont?"

Richter breathed a hefty breath. The blood was warm, and it stung his eyes. He needed to think fast if he was gonna get out of this alive.

"... You... Don't have to do this... What would... your mother think..."

"M-Mother!?"

Was that a spark of life in her eyes? It was faint and quick, but there was something there.

"I know not of what you mean," The temptress said, shaking her head. "Count Drac--"

"You're... the daughter of Ruby... who comes from an... underground kingdom," Richter continued. "You've had a... chance encounter with... Mario... who helped you see the rest of the world..."

"S-Stop that!" The Temptress commanded, desperately trying to hold onto her host. The sparks of life were coming to Pearl more quickly now. Gripping the staff, she moved to strike at Richter's neck again but found it impossible to go deeper than where she was.

"You're a... nice girl with... endless compassion... for everyone," Richter muttered. "You always cheer on for Belle... you're curious about what... Brooke builds... you're always there when Brittany... needs a shoulder to cry on."

A scream echoed from Pearl's body, as the spirit of the temptress fought against the spirit of the girl who owned the body. Richter's labored breath continued.

"You're... you're the best friend... girls like them... and a mother like Ruby... could ever want..."

The scream continued for a moment or so more until the spirit of the temptress was forcefully removed from the host. Like a sack of feathers, Pearl's body slumped over next to Richter. As it hit, the staff in her hand tumbled off and over the edge of the clocktower. All consciousness that she might have had moments ago was out, as she laid next to the man who had just exorcised the demon out of her.

A moment of silence fell onto the scene as Pearl started to stir awake. Not the temptress of Dracula. The sweet girl that Richter and everyone else knew as her.

"R... Richter?" she asked. "What are we doing here? And why do you look so beat up?"

"Long story..." he sighed, voicing a chuckle. "But you're safe... That's... that's good..."

All at once, the realm began to shift from illusion and into Dracula's castlevania.

"*Good,*" he thought. He had a vampire to kill.

Dry Bowser shot awake from the nightmare he was having. Rubbing his bony cranium, he looked around to see the rest of his allies were gradually waking up. The pheromones they gave off reeked of fear. Normally he would enjoy this, but he was too spent. Looking around, Dry Bowser saw PAC-MAN holding MRS. PAC-MAN as she was giving teary whimpers. Isabelle was sobbing buckets into Mario's chest. King K. Rool immediately scurried to his feet and looked around, eyes as wide as dinner plates. Dart Monkey just stared at the ceiling (or lack thereof), looking like he was having an existential breakdown.

Yup. Dracula had fucked them over hard.

"Man, I just had the WORST nightmare," Yoshi groaned.

"Sure you did," Dedede said. He tapped his belly, thankful that nothing nightmarish or demonic was happening there.

"Three words," Yoshi said. "Dr. Baby. Mario."

"Hey wait a minute," came Spike's shaky voice. "H-How did you and Dart Monkey get down here with us?"

"Magic bullshit slide," Yoshi answered. Dart Monkey nodded in confirmation.

The next fighter to awake was Pinkie Pie, who did so in violent sobs. "I DON'T WANNA BE ALONE! I DON'T WANNA BE ALONE!" She then threw her hooves over Twilight in an embrace.

A much-needed embrace.

Richter and Pearl were slowly coming back, the illusion of the clocktower vanishing before them. Simon saw them and gave a heart cheer.

"Richter, my boy!" he said. "And you've found Pearl as well! Good show, lad!"

"Pearl!?" Ruby said as she quickly scurried awake. She looked in Simon's direction and saw her daughter, standing right there by Richter.

"MOM!" she cried as she jumped into her arms and accepted her warm embrace. Finally, mother and daughter were reunited in this hell hole of a place.

Simon walked over to his great-great-grandson and helped him get to his feet. "Let me tell you... it was no picnic..." the younger Belmont groaned.

"So uh..." Dry Bowser started. "This is a nice reunion and all, but what the hell do we do now!? Where do we go!?"

"This Dracula bastard has a giant, red 'X' marked on his head and I'm gonna stab him there!" Ridley yelled, no small amount of venom in his voice.

"Good question," Mario said, thankful Isabelle was starting to calm down. "Where DO we go from here?"

"Yeah, this place is like a maze," PAC-MAN noted.

"Aren't you good at mazes!?" Wario shot at him. Amature!

"Only when there's glowing yellow dots!" PAC-MAN shot back. "And I don't see any Power Pellets here!"

Just then, a figure landed behind Simon and Richter. Cloaked in black, the figure started the other fighters, who went for their weapons. They weren't gonna take any chances! It could be another trick from Dracula!

The figure removed his hood, his blonde hair running down. "Allow me to lead the way," Alucard said.

Lucario landed right next to him. "Yes, I believe it's time we pay him a visit."

Dracula was in for it now.

The doors to the throne room were kicked open, as Alucard stormed inside. The windows were tinted and stained, and a long, red-carpeted walkway stood between him and the one they had come here to face. Support pillars were along the walls, seemingly keeping everything together. A fragrance of deceit and doom filled the nostrils of everyone who entered the room.

"\*for some reason, i'm getting some major deja vu," Sans commented, rubbing at his chin. No one responded to the skeleton, instead flanking Alucard.

Richter and Simon stood on either side of the half-vampire, with Lucario, Ruby, and Pearl directly beside them. Each hero or heroine had their weapons drawn and prepared to strike. Ruby in particular looked ready to assault Dracula for whisking away her daughter from her.

The rest of the fighters filled in the gap behind the others.

"I... don't think I like where this is going," MRS. PAC-MAN muttered to her husband, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Me either," PAC-MAN mumbled in reply, fiddling through his list of bonus fruits and Namco weapons. Did he want a bell or a key for this situation? He'd never been a vampire hunter before. "But after what he did to us?... I think it's justified."

"Are... Are we gonna be okay?" Isabelle timidly asked Mario, holding his hand every step of the way.

"Hopefully," The hero plumber replied. "We've... just gotta be careful."

Slowly, the posse crept forward, as if trying to sneak up on Dracula.

Lounging in the chair, Dracula held a wine glass within his fingers. He didn't much care for the taste. It seemed too... bitter. A fist rested against his cheek as the group walked down his (seemingly endless) walkway. Apathetic to no end, Dracula awaited.

He knew the song and dance at this point... but now... this was going to be different.

A small smirk overcame the vampire.

"For what reason have you returned?" Simon asked, a sting to his voice. The older vampire hunter lashed his whip against the ground as the fighters came closer. "Have you only come to cause more chaos and destruction? Even here, away from your home world, you are nothing more than a life-stealing cretin!"

"I take life to reshape it," Dracula informed, an almost bored expression about him. These mortals were not worthy of him. Shifting, Dracula asserted a more powerful position in his throne, as if he were a king and the others were here to pay him tribute. Idly, his long fingernails rapped against the ebony black furniture. "You see me as a menace to stop simply because I try to change the world for the better."

"Change for the better?!" Richter cried out. "You steal men's souls, and make them your slaves!"

Pearl shuddered and held closer to her mother.

Dracula scoffed. "Perhaps that can be said of all religion."

"\*there's that deja vu feeling again," Sans mused, rubbing his cranium.

"W-We don't like you!" Spike cried out from the crowd, to which everyone agreed. Readying his breath, the young dragon was prepared to strike at any point!

"I don't need your approval," Dracula told him. "I just need your allegiance. Willing or not."

"And I'm going to need you to shut the fuck up," Dry Bowser growled. He was not here to chat with the literal embodiment of darkness. He just wanted out of this nightmare.

Dracula ignored Dry Bowser's comment, instead shifting his focus to the half-man who had led them here. "Alucard. How nice of you to stop in for a visit."

"I won't be long," The son of Dracula returned. "I intend on making this battle quick."

"As do I," Dracula told the other. There was a glint in the Count's eye as he stared at the others. "It appears I've attracted a crowd. I have a final proposition for all of you. Join me, and I won't kill you. The rest of you will not be walking out of here alive," Dracula's eyes turned towards Pearl, staring directly into her soul. The little girl hid behind Ruby.

Ruby grit her teeth. "Enough talk!" She shouted, holding her trident high. "Have at you!"

Dracula chuckled. "Eager, are we?" Hoisting himself upward, Dracula tossed his glass of wine to the ground, before flicking his cape behind himself. "Fine, then. If you wish to die, I will grant you this wish."

Another glint shone from Dracula's eyes.

"Have at you!"

Dracula rose his hands upward, and the entire throne room began to tremble. The amount of dark energy Dracula held in the tips of his straw-like fingers was almost immeasurable. Richter's headache flared again as he felt movement. The room itself seemed ready to detach itself from the world and transcend into one of Dracula's own making.

... because that's exactly what Dracula intended on doing.

Count Dracula was not one to play fair. There was a reason he was called the Prince of Darkness. He would use any and all low-down, below-the-belt moves to achieve what he wanted. He was a tactical thinker, who knew the best way to deal with his foes.

Why put himself on the line when he could just decimate them on his own terms?

"Demon!" Simon called out, his side flaring with the pain Richter felt in his head. The man gritted his teeth, as he forced himself to stand against the moving room. Others had toppled over onto their backsides, as the room itself began to dislodge from the castlevania. "You are going to get just what you deserve!"

"I know," Dracula calmly answered. His cape whipped against the dark wind, along with his hair. He looked like a sane, mad king, except he had the power to do what no mortal before him could.

"I think I'm gonna hurl--" Pinkie Pie groaned, as the shaking and the motion of the raising building got the better of her. The poor pony put a hoof in front of her mouth to stop any "spillage" that might have occurred.

In a matter of moments, the throne room was no longer a long hallway. It had detached itself from the rest of the hotel and began hovering above a black void of Dracula's own volition. The fighters visibly tensed up as they felt the ground beneath them disappear, replaced by this floating platform of ungodly origin.

"You should've stayed dead," Alucard told his father, his sword drawn and ready to strike. "I'll make you regret ever being reincarnated."

"Such harsh words for your dear old dad, Alucard," Dracula told him. The larger vampire flicked his cape away, staring dead at his own offspring. "What would your mother think?"

"Don't you dare speak of her," Alucard spat. "She would tell you not to hate the humans."

"They've taken too much from me. They will pay for what they did!" He snarled back. Dracula's eyes widened with an inward burning fury.

"Sounds like someone's got some mommy issues," Ridley commented, slowly picking himself up off the floor. The floating platform they were on was unlike the platforms they fought on for the Smash tournament. It felt as if it could give out at any moment, sending them plummeting down into the black void that was beneath them. He could feel the suction, as the darkness seemed to beckon them closer. It called to them, wishing to swallow them whole.

Hopefully, that did not happen.

Alucard lunged forward, blade drawn, prepared to commit patricide. He'd done it before, and he wasn't afraid to do it again. If this bastard of a father of his wouldn't stay dead, Alucard would strike him down again and again until the old man finally learned his lesson.

Dracula was not having it.

Teleporting, Alucard's initial strike missed. He had anticipated this, but the complete disappearance of his father and the swishing of air as his sword met nothing solid still managed to make his balance falter. Letting out a gentle huff of mild annoyance, the half-vampire turned to see where Dracula had gone.

Dracula reappeared behind the group of Smashers. The group, too, was caught off-guard as Dracula prepared an attack against them.

A ball of unholy fire came from the Count's hands.

"Duck!" Yoshi shouted, diving out of the way of the ball. It landed but inches away from the green dinosaur and bounced throughout the crowd. Screams went up as the fire licked against their skin, but, fortunately, did not make direct contact.

Dracula wasn't finished, however.

Raising an arm, three pillars of flame burst from the ground, sending the group scrambling away once again. Mewtwo rolled away, before launching an attack of his own. However, because of the fear he had felt but moments before coming into this cursed room, it was weak. His psychic powers were not as strong as they had been before. Cursing to himself, he tried to regain his focus...

... but was met with the same ball of fire from before.

A searing heat hit he backside of the genetic Pokemon and sent him spiraling towards the ledge. He groaned aloud, feeling the pain of the attack on his back.

"Mewtwo!"

Before he could tumble away into the dark, inky abyss below, Mewtwo felt a sudden suction. King Dedede inhaled deeply, and soon enough Mewtwo felt himself in the disgusting wetness of King Dedede's mouth. With an exhale of his breath, Mewtwo was flung away, landing on his face and covered in slobber.

Agitated, the Pokemon stood, wiping himself clean.

"Next time, let me go over the edge," Mewtwo communicated, giving Dedede a glare.

"What?! Not even a- LOOK OUT!" Dedede shouted, tacking Mewtwo to the ground. If it hadn't been for him, both of them would've been headless.

Dracula had missed his attack on the two blubbering idiots, leaving him wide open for a counter attack.

It was an opportunity that Mario didn't waste.

Mario charged at the evil creature before him. Leaping into the air, he shot some fireballs before following with a haymaker.

"Urk!" Mario stammered, as his advance was stopped. Dracula caught Mario by the arm, and, before he could react, Mario was thrown down.

Hard.

"Mr. Mario!" Isbaelle shrieked as he ran up to the plumber. The little assistant held his hand to get him back up, Mario clearly wasn't expecting this kind of attack.

"What do we do?!" King K. Rool bellowed as he shot his Blunderbuss at bats swarming around him. Unfortunately, the Kannonballs were doing little to free him from the winged nightmares. "He's running a train on us, and we haven't even scratched him yet!"

Pearl cried out, covering her head as a nasty bat caught her right on the cheek. Warm blood began to trickle down her cheek as more bats began to swarm and overwhelm the poor Underworlder. If it wasn't for her mother, Pearl might as well have been carried off by them to whatever unholy place of origin they had come from.

"Go for the head!" Richter, Simon, and Alucard all shouted in scary unison. The three hunters were having a hard time keeping the threats at bay. It was quite obvious that it had been a while since any of the three of them had dealt with Dracula and his demonic ways. That, and Simon and Richter themselves were suffering some pretty nasty effects of being in the presence of the dark lord for so long. Richter could hardly see straight as the pounding of his head drowned out most things that happened around him. Simon's every breath was labored, as his cursed side seemed to flare hotter and hotter with indescribable pain.

Alucard sliced down another swarm, and his eyes turned back towards his father. Twilight didn't need to be told twice. The Princess of Friendship was doing her best to attack Dracula's only weak point. However, she alone couldn't do it. Another sweltering wave of energy exploded from Dracula's fingertips, and the alicorn was tossed backward, floating inches away from the edge of the hellish "room".

Spike and Pinkie Pie joined in on the assault. Spike used his wings to take to the sky while Pinkie readied her trusty party cannon. The dragon rained a storm of green fireballs onto the vampire, while Pinkie got up close and blasted his face with confetti. For as unconventional an attack as it was, it sure packed a punch.

For the first time, it seemed as if the Prince of Evil was taking a hit.

An arm went up to cover his head, but the damage had been done. A few shots rang against Dracula's head, and he let out a soft sound of pain. He flinched slightly, before teleporting across the battlefield.

"Alright!" PAC-MAN cheered, he and his wife fending off fireballs. "More of that, please!"

"That's the plan, genius!" Lucario said as he readied a large ball of aura. Charging it to its max potential, the Aura Pokemon chucked it at the vampire's head, getting a clean strike. Lucario dodged more of Dracula's traps and attacks to charge up for another Aura Sphere.

Wario tossed everything he had at the vampire. Bob-ombs, stolen knick knacks, old video games, golden coins... He spared no punches as he tried his hardest to take out the Count.

"I've-a got it!" Wario suddenly shouted. He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out one of his most treasured possessions. A single, whole clove of rotten garlic.

In an instant, Wario downed it. A cloud of gas flowed from Wario's behind, as he spun in a circle. Laughing the whole time, Wario knew exactly what he would become.

Wario-Man.

"Wahahah! It's-a WARIO time!" Wario-Man laughed, holding his stomach. It growled angrily at him, but Wario-Man didn't care. He had a vampire to kill.

Like a cat lit on fire, Wario-Man charged. Dracula was caught off-guard by the pudgeball superhero, and was unable to protect himself from the royal pummeling Wario-Man gave his face. Letting out small groans, Dracula countered as best as he could... which wasn't that great.

"Now's our chance!" Ruby called, rushing in. She waved an arm to the others. "It's now or never!"

With the troops rallied, the assault came to be. Dracula took a defensive stance, but was soon overwhelmed by the foes that were battering against him. King K. Rool pelted him with Kannonballs and his trusty crown. Ridley took to the skies and rained plasma breath onto him. Isabelle smacked him in the head with her toy hammer. Dry Bowser scorched his face in blue flames. PAC-MAN and MRS. PAC-MAN gave him an entire buffet of fruits. Yoshi chucked an egg at his face. Dart Monkey threw a barrage of darts, all hitting their target.

"ENOUGH," Dracula shouted, pushing everyone away. Unnatural blood pooled around his head, as the effects of the beatings were shown. Flicking his cape once more, Dracula drowned the whole floating throne room in complete, inky blackness.

"Stay wary," Mewtwo told the others. "This is another of his tricks. Do not move. The edges are still all around us, and lead to impending death."

"Thanks for the reassuring words," Yoshi responded sarcastically.

"Keep that up and you'll be the one going over," Mewtwo clapped back.

*Richter!*

"Annette?!" Richter shouted back, the voice sounding so real. Rapidly, the vampire hunter turned to see if he could spot where the voice had come from... but all around him, there was nothing.

"Richter? Who's Annette?" Pearl asked.

*Richter, please!*

"A-Annette! I-I've got you!" Richter shouted. His feet began to move, even if he couldn't tell where he was going.

"Please, Richter!" Simon called. "Stay vigilant! It's another of this heathen's tricks! She's gone!"

This made Richter stop.

*Richter, save me!*

*Richter!*

*Richter...*

She was gone.

He needed to accept this for himself.

Suddenly, Richter felt a hard kick to his back...

...and then, he was falling.

He shouted out loud, as he fell of the very edge of the stage. He'd been here before. Many times. He'd fallen too many times to count during the tournaments... but never before had he felt as if his life was actually in danger. He always knew that once he fell, he'd be brought back to the fight in a few moments by the Announcer and the Hands.

Time slowed down as gravity took him.

There was no Announcer here to save him.

No Master Hand.

This was it. The void was taking him.

Was he okay with this?

He supposed so.

Hopefully the others would be--

A hand.

A hand stopped his descent.

Pearl reached down over the ledge to rescue him, her mother's cries for her safety going in vain. She had to muster all of the strength in that little seven-year-old body to hoist him up.

Suddenly, Dracula, in the darkness, moved to give Pearl a similar fate. His hand reached down to strangle the young girl and toss her aside. His fingers grappled around the Underworlder's neck.

A cry escaped Dracula's lips, as the tell-tale shing of a trident stabbed him above the temple. Falling to his knees, Dracula huffed heavily. As Pearl brought Richter back ashore, the light in the room began to come back.

Ruby pulled her trident out of the vampire.

Dracula had been struck down by her hand.

The darkness was slowly starting to fade, as Dracula, too, was beginning to disappear. Back to ash. To dust.

To nothing.

"Once again, I am defeated," Dracula muttered weakly. He spat out black blood. His white teeth were stained by the inky darkness seeping out of his face. "Impossible... After... After all I planned to do..."

"Your will is evil," Alucard rebutted, sheathing his sword. "The just will always triumph over the unjust. You and your undead army are not wanted here, nor needed. Enjoy your death. You've certainly gotten what you deserve."

Wario hacked a loogie at the dying man to add insult to injury. Dracula sputtered a laugh.

"As long as evil lives... in the hearts of men... I will return..." Dracula promised them. His eyes, laden with blood, looked up to youngest fighter there. "You and I... we could've ruled the never-ending multiverse together... but you resisted..."

"Y-You're evil!" Pearl huffed back, doing her best to sound intimidating. "And not Bowser evil where you're mean sometimes, you're just... just mean all the time! I'd never help you!" Ruby held her daughter close as she gave the vampire a verbal assault.

"You sure told him," Ridley said.

"So be it," Dracula told her. "In that case... Allow me to give you one... final treat, this all-hallows eve... Observe... the last form... you'll ever take."

Transforming quickly, Dracula took many terrifying forms. Unholy monsters from other dimensions. Deep seeded fears. Gored loved ones. Finally, Dracula settled on Pearl herself, taking the form of the Underworlder. The blood trickled from his face, and he held a mortified expression on his face. He screamed a shrill shriek in Pearl's voice... before collapsing to the floor. The still body seeped into the floor, before dispensing into more black blood.

The room stopped its floating... and soon, the Smashers found themselves back where they had been before. Not in space, but in a massive throne room with blood coating the walls and ceiling.

The fighters, mortified and terrified beyond words, looked down at the pile of blood that used to be Dracula with Pearl's body. The young girl didn't say anything as she gripped her mother for a comforting embrace.

Sans, with a bagel in one hand, offered a shrug and broke the silence. "\*wow. good luck sleeping tonight. that was pretty messed up, huh?"

Before anyone could respond and chastise the skeleton, the fake hotel began to shake. Ornaments began to tumble. A piece of the ceiling almost squished Dart Monkey. King Dedede let out a startled sound of pain as a piece of a pillar toppled over and hit him on the head.

Then, the entire ceiling fell onto them.

Screams were heard all over the mansion lobby. The fighters awoke from their hellish slumber, screaming to the wind at what they had just witnessed. It took awhile for everyone to calm down, and realize they were no longer in the castlevania.

"Wait, we're back in the lobby!?" Mario asked. He looked around and sure enough, they were. All the decorations from the Halloween party were still up.

A moment of silence fell upon the party goers. Was this whole adventure just a dream? Were they pulled out of that godforsaken reality into this one? How did they get back here?

That was, until Zombie and King Boo entered the room.

"What the hell are you all screaming about?" the king demanded. "Some of us are trying to enjoy a nice Halloween!"

"BACK YOU BEASTS!" Simon shrieked as he went for his whip and thrashed at the two undead fighters. The round ghost and blocky zombie retreated as the Belmont chased them down.

"Should we tell him?" Isabelle asked.

"Don't bother," Alucard said. "Simon was known to be especially jumpy after defeating Dracula. He'll calm down in a few hours."

"I'd better get Dr. Mario ready," Mario said. Hopefully Simon wouldn't cause too much damage.

Everyone in the room started to calm down a bit. They were no longer in Dracula's castlevania, so there was no need to fear. Pearl approached the younger Belmont, looking sad.

"Hey Richter?" Pearl started. "I'm really sorry I... I attack-"

Richter stopped her. "It wasn't your fault. Dracula corrupted you and made you his temptress. It was his fault, not yours."

"He's right," Ruby said as she picked her daughter up. "And you and I know you wouldn't try to hurt someone like that."

"Hey guys!" Yoshi called from behind. "We gonna start the party back up or what?"

"YES! PARTY TIME!" Pinkie cheered as she flipped a switch.

Unfortunately, it was the light switch.

More screams were heard.