Chapter Text
The weather forecast had made it clear that it was going to rain throughout the week. The problem was that rain and thunder were a terrible combination. And guess what? It was raining—heavily— with thunder rumbling every few moments.
And of course, all the fighters in the mansion were stuck inside until the weather improved… which, judging by the situation, wasn’t going to be any time soon.
"Just what we needed... another rainy day, and now with lightning included," Donkey Kong huffed, looking out the window at the rain alongside Diddy Kong.
"And I thought this week couldn’t get any worse..." Diddy said, just before a bolt of lightning struck, making him jump as the mansion's lights flickered. "I’d better not say anything..."
The lights throughout the mansion continued to flicker as the rain poured down, accompanied by the occasional thunderclap that echoed loudly.
In Ness's room, he was with Lucas and the Ice Climbers, trying to distract themselves with Ness’s GameCube while the rain continued outside.
"Come on, come on, come on! Just a little more!" Ness exclaimed, leaning forward with the controller in his hands as he played Mario Kart: Double Dash!! alongside Lucas and the Ice Climbers.
"No, no, no! Not the red shell, please!" Lucas groaned, watching as his kart skidded after being hit.
"Ha-ha! That’s what you get for stealing my boost!" Nana teased, high-fiving Popo.
Another thunderclap roared, briefly illuminating the room and making the lights flicker again. Lucas shrank into his seat and pressed the controller buttons harder, while Ness pretended not to feel the chill running down his spine.
"I hope this doesn’t get worse..." Popo murmured.
As if the universe had heard his comment, an even louder crash shook the mansion, followed by a total blackout.
In the kitchen, Peach and Pyra had been working together to prepare dinner. However, the blackout caught their attention, leaving only the glow of a few scented candles in the kitchen.
In the game room, Pit and Mega Man were competing in a racing game when the power went out as well, leaving only the light from Mega Man’s eyes visible.
In his room, Sonic was calmly reading a book when the lights suddenly went out.
"Oh, come on! Are you serious?!" the hedgehog exclaimed in frustration.
Back in Ness's room, the kids sat in silence for a moment, completely in the dark.
"...I don’t think I should’ve said that," Popo muttered.
"Oh, you don’t say," Nana said beside him, annoyed.
On the seventh floor, Mario and Samus were making their way to the mansion’s fuse box in the maintenance room, with Samus using a flashlight from her arm cannon to light the way. Naturally, upon opening the box, they found that it was massive—almost the size of a wardrobe. All the switches were turned on, or at least positioned in the direction that indicated they were. There was also a giant red lever that was up, likely the one that powered the entire mansion.
Mario pulled it down and waited a few seconds before flipping it back up, hoping that would restore the power, but nothing changed.
"Perfect. The generator isn’t working," the plumber grumbled, crossing his arms.
Samus sighed, examining the fuse box with her flashlight. "This doesn’t look good..." she murmured, tapping the side of the box lightly with the back of her gloved hand.
"Can you fix it?" Mario asked, still with his arms crossed.
"Depends. Do you happen to have a spare industrial-sized generator?" Samus replied sarcastically.
Mario stroked his mustache, thoughtful. "No... but I’ve worked as an electrician a few times. It was always small repairs, but they were successful. This can’t be that different."
"How many jobs have you had?" Samus asked, her tone amused.
"You’d be surprised." Mario approached the left side of the fuse box, which had a panel that could be opened to access the interior, but it was locked with a key. "This is going to be a problem. And in general, we’re not well-prepared. If I even want to attempt fixing this thing, I’ll need my toolbox. And fast!"
As if the universe had heard his plea, Sonic suddenly appeared beside Samus, hands on his hips and tapping his foot impatiently.
"What’s taking so long?" the hedgehog complained. "I was just getting to the best part of my book!"
"Speaking of speed..." Samus shook her head. "Although, given our situation, your help could actually come in handy. Mario needs his toolbox, and since you’re already here being nosy, maybe you could go and get it."
"Do I look like an express delivery service?" Sonic frowned. "Come on, it can’t be that bad. Have you tried the lever?"
"Yes, and it didn’t work," Mario said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms again. "That’s why I need my toolbox. Now be useful and bring it, please."
"Hmm... Wouldn’t it be easier to use Pikachu?" the hedgehog pointed out before vanishing and reappearing in an instant, now holding Pikachu in his hands. "This guy is a walking battery! Just strap a hamster wheel to the generator, throw Pikachu in, and boom—problem solved!"
Sonic grinned as if he had just come up with the most brilliant idea ever, while Pikachu blinked before scowling and beginning to charge electricity. Mario and Samus stepped back, giving him space.
A moment later, Pikachu released a Thunderbolt on Sonic, electrocuting him.
When it was over, smoke was rising from Sonic’s quills, and his grip on Pikachu loosened, allowing the Pokémon to drop to the floor before scampering onto Samus’s shoulder.
"Pika, chu!" Pikachu snapped at Sonic angrily.
The hedgehog coughed once, letting out a small puff of smoke from his mouth before sighing. "...Fine, fine... I’ll go get the toolbox," he finally said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
Back in Ness’s room, Lucas had turned on a flashlight and placed it in the middle of the room so it would illuminate everything.
"Well, that should be enough until someone fixes the lights," Lucas said, sitting down on the floor.
"You say that like it’s a good thing," Ness huffed, crossing his arms. "The power went out right when I was about to win!"
"Ugh... now we have to die of boredom until the electricity comes back," Popo said with a dull expression.
"We could play something else," Lucas suggested, looking around for ideas.
"Like what?" Nana asked, resting her chin on her hand.
Ness smirked mischievously. "How about a round of scary stories?"
Lucas instantly paled. "N-No! That’ll just make everything worse!"
"Oh, come on, Lucas," Ness said, giving him a friendly nudge. "We’re big kids now; there’s nothing to be scared of."
"Yeah, sure..." Lucas hugged his knees, not looking convinced.
Nana crossed her arms with a confident smile. "Well, I say yes. What about you, Popo?"
The other Ice Climber shrugged. "Eh, why not? It’s not like we have anything better to do."
"Great!" Ness exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "Okay, I’ll start—"
Just as he was about to speak, a loud crash shook the mansion, accompanied by a flash of lightning that briefly lit up the room. Lucas let out a small yelp and instinctively clung to Popo.
"See what I mean?! The universe hates me!" Lucas cried out in distress.
The others laughed, but at that exact moment, a loud thud echoed from outside the room.
Everyone went silent.
"…Did you hear that?" Nana whispered.
Another thud, this time closer.
Lucas swallowed hard. "P-Please t-tell me it’s just someone walking…"
"It doesn’t sound like footsteps," Ness murmured, slowly standing up. "It sounds like something is… crawling."
Everyone remained still, eyes locked on the door.
Then, the doorknob began to turn. Slowly.
"WHO’S THERE?!" Lucas shouted, gripping his flashlight as if it were a weapon.
Silence.
And then—
The door burst open.
Everyone screamed, with Ness pointing a PSI Fire-charged finger at the door while the others huddled behind him.
However, the moment they stopped screaming and opened their eyes, they realized that the one who had opened the door was Steve. He stood there, holding a wooden sword in his hand. It seemed he had used it to force the door open—though he was probably just trying to mine it.
"...Oh. It’s just Steve," Popo muttered, lowering his arms.
"Why the heck did you barge in like that, you idiot?! You scared us!" Ness complained, his finger still lit with fire.
Steve stared at them in silence for a moment before simply shrugging and proceeding to place wooden blocks on the floor.
"...What is he doing?" Lucas whispered, still clutching his flashlight like a shield.
"I don’t know, but I don’t want to find out," Nana replied.
Steve finished his masterpiece: a table, five chairs, and a makeshift furnace. Then, he pulled a raw steak from his inventory and placed it inside the furnace.
"Seriously? You came here just to cook?" Ness sighed, extinguishing his PSI Fire.
Steve didn’t respond. He simply took out another chair and sat down, waiting for his food to cook while the others stared at him in disbelief.
"You know what? I’ll take this as a sign that there aren’t any terrifying monsters out there," Popo said.
"Unless we count Steve..." Lucas mumbled.
"Hey, that’s rude!" Nana scolded him, though she also seemed a little unsettled by Steve’s presence.
Suddenly, the steak was done. Steve took it out of the furnace, then placed five plates on the table, followed by four pieces of meat—one on each plate—leaving one plate empty. Then, he placed four glasses filled with an orange liquid next to each plate, along with silverware. Once everything was ready, Steve pulled out a strange potion from his inventory and threw it at the table and chairs. Immediately, all the objects transformed from blocky, pixelated forms into realistic-looking furniture.
Well... except for one chair and the empty plate. Those remained square.
The four of them gawked at the scene, mouths agape.
"Did Steve just... make everything look normal?" Nana asked, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn’t imagining things.
"Looks like it..." Ness murmured, staring at the perfectly set table as if he had just witnessed a miracle.
Without a word, Steve sat in the square chair and started eating his meal—seemingly unfazed, as if this were just another normal day.
"Well... at least he’s considerate," Popo said with a shrug before taking a seat.
Lucas, still a little nervous, cautiously approached and sat down as well. He picked up the glass with the orange liquid and inspected it.
"Is this... orange juice?" he asked.
Steve silently nodded before continuing to eat.
"Oh, sweet. I was thirsty," Nana said, grabbing her glass and taking a big sip.
The others watched her, waiting for a reaction.
"Mmm... it’s good," she finally said before drinking more.
Ness, now feeling more confident, took a sip of his own drink.
"Hey, this is pretty good! I don’t know what kind of cubist magic you pulled, Steve, but I appreciate it," he said before taking a bite of his steak.
Lucas still seemed hesitant, but after a while, he decided to take a bite as well.
An awkward silence filled the room as everyone ate, with Steve sitting at the head of the table like the host of a formal dinner.
Eventually, Ness broke the silence. "Well... this isn’t what I expected when we said we were going to tell scary stories."
"Does having dinner with Steve not count as one?" Lucas muttered under his breath.
Steve slowly turned to look at him.
Lucas swallowed hard and quickly looked away. "I-I said the steak is really tender..."
Ness and the Ice Climbers barely held back their laughter.
Back with Mario and Samus, the plumber had to break the lock on the fuse box since he didn’t have the key on hand. Fortunately, he had spare locks in his toolbox, which Sonic had already brought him, so all that was left was to check the system inside.
Mario carefully opened the fuse box, illuminated by Samus’s flashlight. A mess of wires and electrical components came into view, but what caught his attention the most was the distinct smell of something burnt.
"That’s not a good sign..." Samus remarked, crossing her arms.
"No, it’s not," Mario muttered, leaning in for a closer look. "Mamma mia... there’s a completely fried fuse here."
Samus followed his gaze and saw a small, charred block of metal and plastic. "Can you replace it?"
"If I have a spare, yes. But if I don’t..." Mario sighed. "We’ll need Rock to make a new one."
Samus nodded, but before she could say anything else, Sonic returned, this time with a screwdriver in hand and a confident smirk.
"Did you fix it already, or are we still living in the Stone Age?" he quipped.
Mario shot him a warning look before pointing at the burnt fuse. "See this? This is the culprit behind everything."
Sonic whistled. "Yikes, that looks awful. Can I touch it?"
"No!" Mario and Samus shouted in unison.
Sonic raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright... just asking."
Samus sighed and turned back to Mario. "So, do we have a spare or not?"
Mario rummaged through his toolbox and pulled out a couple of fuses... but none were the right size.
"Not exactly..." he muttered in frustration.
"I still say we should use Pikachu," Sonic suggested with a mischievous grin.
Pikachu, still on Samus’s shoulder, crackled with fury and zapped Sonic again, making him yelp and shake out his quills.
"Argh! Relax, little guy! I was just joking!"
"Pika, pika," Pikachu growled, his cheeks still sparking.
Mario sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Alright, since you’re here bothering us again, Sonic, go tell Mega Man we need his help."
"Why do I have to be the messenger?" Sonic protested.
"Because you’re fast and you keep messing around instead of helping," Samus said flatly. "Besides, if you don’t, Pikachu will shock you again."
Pikachu grinned mischievously and let his cheeks crackle with electricity.
"...I’ll go find Rock," Sonic finally said, pulling a headlamp from his quills and putting it on before dashing off.
Meanwhile, in Ness’s room, the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before. Though the blackout and storm persisted, Steve’s unexpectedly peaceful presence had turned the situation into some sort of improvised dinner.
Lucas still eyed Steve warily as the blocky figure continued eating in silence, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"So, what do we do now?" Nana asked, crossing her arms.
"I still say we tell scary stories," Ness insisted with a mischievous grin.
Lucas frowned. "I already told you no! Besides, with our luck, every time someone says something, the universe takes it as a challenge!"
"Oh, come on, Lucas, don’t be a chicken," Popo teased.
"I’m not a chicken!" Lucas huffed, crossing his arms. "I’m just... cautious."
Ness rolled his eyes and turned to Steve. "You decide, Steve. Scary stories, or do we just sit here in awkward silence?"
Steve paused mid-bite, then pulled an enchanted book from his inventory and dropped it onto the table with a heavy thud.
The group stared at the book cautiously.
"What is that...?" Lucas whispered.
Steve slowly opened it.
On the first page, written in black ink, were just two words:
"Herobrine exists."
Lucas let out a shriek and dropped his flashlight.
The Ice Climbers shuddered as well, but Ness, though surprised, couldn’t help but smile.
"Steve... that was amazing," he said, completely fascinated.
Steve nodded and pulled out another piece of paper. This time, it read:
"And he’s here."
At that exact moment, the lights flickered.
Lucas jumped out of his seat and hid behind Popo. "Did—Did you see that?! Tell me that wasn’t a coincidence!"
"Steve, you’re a genius," Ness said, clapping. "The best horror storyteller without saying a single word!"
Steve closed the book with a sharp snap and returned it to his inventory.
Lucas was trembling like a leaf. "I-I just wanna go to sleep..."
"Yeah, right, like you’ll be able to sleep after that," Nana teased.
Another thunderclap rumbled through the sky, and Lucas’s flashlight began to flicker.
Lucas hugged his knees even tighter. "...I hate this night."
Elsewhere, Sonic returned with Mega Man, who approached to examine the burnt fuse.
Rock inspected the damaged fuse with a serious expression.
"Yeah, this is completely useless," he confirmed. "But I can make a new one, no problem. Just give me a second..."
Rock opened a compartment in his chest, pulled out a few plastic materials from seemingly nowhere, then closed the compartment. His body shook uncontrollably for a moment, and when he steadied, he reopened his chest and took out a brand-new fuse, the exact size they needed.
"Huh... weird, but effective," Mario said with a grin.
"That was both fascinating and disturbing. Don’t ever do that again," Sonic said, arms crossed.
Mario took the replacement fuse and quickly removed the broken one before inserting the new one. Then, he flipped the red switch down, waited a moment, and flipped it back up.
The lights flickered for a second before fully coming back on, bathing the hallway in a warm, familiar glow.
"It works!" Mario exclaimed in satisfaction, closing the fuse box and securing it with a new lock.
Samus nodded approvingly and turned off her flashlight, while Sonic blinked, adjusting to the sudden brightness.
"Nice job, Rock. You saved us a lot of time," Samus said.
Rock nodded humbly. "No problem. Just trying to be useful."
Mario patted him on the back before turning to Sonic. "And you, stop complaining. We couldn’t have done this without his help."
Sonic sighed dramatically and shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, fine. Thanks, Rock, for your strange but miraculous robotic magic trick."
Rock blinked. "...You’re welcome, I guess."
Pikachu, still perched on Samus’s shoulder, looked relieved that everything was back to normal—though he still threw Sonic the occasional threatening glare, just in case.
"Alright, problem solved," Samus said. "But now I’m curious to know what everyone else was doing in the dark."
"Oh, I’m sure they handled it in a very mature and adult manner, like sitting in a corner hugging themselves," Sonic joked.
"It’s my turn to play!" Ness whined, struggling with Lucas to grab a controller while Popo tried to pull him away.
"You were teasing me the whole blackout! Apologize by letting me play!" Lucas growled, yanking the controller while Nana held onto his waist to keep him from lunging at Ness.
They kept up their tug-of-war for a while, with Steve standing in the doorway, watching everything unfold without saying or doing anything.
"Hey, Steve! Don’t just stand there doing nothing!" Popo pleaded.
"You’re the adult here! Help us!" Nana exclaimed.
But Steve ignored them. Instead, he slowly turned toward the viewer, pulling out a sign and holding it up for the reader to see.
It read: "Kids. What would we do without them?"
End of Chapter 29.