Smashing Stories!

The day was October 31st, which marked Halloween. This was one of the Smash Mansion's biggest holidays, with some of the Smashers claiming it to be their favorites. Of course, the kids would go out trick-or-treating in the city nearby, and there was always the big costume party to look forward to. All of the Halloween specials would be on as well, and groups of Smashers far and wide would also get together to watch some scary movies; older Smashers preferred movies like Scream and Saw 2, while the younger Smashers watched movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Spook-a-Pooh. While some of the Smashers discarded the holiday altogether, like the VeggieTales group, others made it their favorite holiday of the year.

Dry Bowser was one of these Smashers. He was quite indifferent with the holidays. He didn't personally hate Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the like, though he never really celebrated them either. He simply let his Dry Bones minions mingle with the Smashers and their festivities while he went and did his own thing. Halloween, however, was the one exception. He absolutely loved October 31st. He was a skeleton anyway - it was natural. It was the one time of the year he could go around scaring kids in the city and not get arrested for it.

Making sure not to waste this opportunity, he went to his closet and found a bucket of paint. He had asked one of his Dry Bones - a Red Bones to be exact - to refill the paint buckets in his closet the night before. He went into one of the available bathrooms (there were enough this time thanks to Mario) and opened the lid with his bony claw. When about half of it was opened, he went ahead and poured it on him. The objective was to be covered in black paint to make himself even scarier, as black was much more scary than white. It was the rule set by many.

He looked in the mirror, expecting something that would scare even Satan out of his socks. He couldn't wait to exit out of the bathroom to scare his first victim, and the likes of SpongeBob or Fluttershy would make for great targets. When he looked however, he didn't see the black monster he envisioned. What he saw was...

"PIIIIINK!?"

Yes, he had apparently drenched himself in pink paint, making him a more fitting representation of the Day of the Dead than Halloween. Images instantly flew through his mind. The kids that would have been scarred for life walking down the street would instead point fingers and make him a laughing stock. The Smashers would take pictures of him and post them on Facebook, adding captions such as "And the winner of the Best Halloween Costume Goes To..." or "Wrong Country, Buddy." Even Fluttershy and SpongeBob would just laugh at his sorry excuse for a scary costume. For the first time, arguably the scariest Smasher was actually scared...

For a short time, that is. All of the fear he had melted in a matter of milliseconds and accumulated into a puddle of pure rage. He looked at the bucket, which was clearly labeled "BLACK". That bumbling idiot Red Bones must have mixed up the colors. He was just about to go find him and make his bones blue and black, but then realized it was a horrible idea. He could be caught easily. And any Smasher, especially the likes of the Inklings, would not hesitate to turn him into a meme.

He would probably break their bones, but that wouldn't change the fact he was online.

He decided to wash his face off with water from the sink, but of course, that idiot Red Bones used the permanent paint. It wouldn't come off for weeks. All he could do was sit there and wait for an opening.

Somewhere else, Lucina and Corrine went into their room with their buckets of paint they took from Dry Bowser's closet. Their previous body paint they donned had worn off by now, and Bowser Jr. was off in a team match with Raven. Thankfully, Dry Bowser or any of his minions were nowhere to be seen, so they could swiftly take the paint and put it back. He probably wouldn't mind anyway.

What ended up happening, however, was the two swordswomen covering themselves in mismatched colors - Lucina in black and green and Corrine in orange and purple.

"O-oh No!" Lucina said, scared.

"Look at us!" Corrine said. "We can't go out like this!"

The two female Smashers decided to wait it out in their room until an opening came. Seems as if they were suffering a similar fate to Dry Bowser.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the foyer, Linus van Pelt was writing a letter to the Great Pumpkin, as he did every year. Every year on Halloween, the Great Pumpkin would rise from the pumpkin patch and bring toys to all of the good children of the world, much like a Halloween-like Santa Clause. At least, that's what he thought.

He stopped writing for a bit and looked at his letter, to see what he wrote so far.

Dear Great Pumpkin,

This is Linus here, again. I know for sure you will come in the pumpkin patch I choose this time. I know that all of the kids would want toys like building blocks or action figures, but me, I just want to see you when you rise.

"You're not writing to that stupid Great Pumpkin, are you?" said an annoyed Lucy. She had apparently decided to see what Linus was writing, and as if she should be surprised, he was writing about his stupid fantasies.

"The Great Pumpkin is very real," Linus countered. "And when he rises from the big pumpkin patch, I will be able to see him with my own eyes."

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times," Lucy said, annoyed. "The Great Pumpkin doesn't exist! You waste every Halloween in a stupid pumpkin patch waiting foe him to 'rise up and give toys to all the good children of the world'. If he didn't show up last year or the year before, what makes you think he'll show up now?"

"I just wasn't in a big enough pumpkin patch," Linus said. "Thankfully, with the Smash Mansion, I may be able to find the biggest one of all!"

"And that's another thing," Lucy said. "I have a reputation for being among the best Smashers, and I don't need YOU bringing down my fame."

"What do you mean best?" Linus asked. "You're near the bottom of the tier list."

"The system is just rigged," Lucy said annoyingly. "Now, if you want to waste ANOTHER Halloween, that's fine by me. Just don't come crying to me when you realize the Great Pumpkin is fake."

"That poor soul," Linus thought as Lucy stormed away. "She's definitely not getting any toys from the Great Pumpkin." He looked back at his letter

I know that some kids think that you are just some sort of fantasy, but I still believe in you.

"Who are you writing to?" Sally asked from behind, startling him.

"Whoever it it, they must be important," the female Villager said from the other direction. "He wrote it in pen."

"I'm writing to the Great Pumpkin," Linus said. "This year, I'm sure I'll see him."

"I'm sure you will, my Sweet Baboo," Sally said lovingly.

"The Great Pumpkin sounds like an interesting guy," the female Villager commented. "And you've never seen him before?"

Linus then explained to the red-in-clad Villager that every year on Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises from the pumpkin patch and delivers toys to all the good children of the world. He also mentioned that he has never been able to find him, though it was simply due to the fact the pumpkin patches he found weren't big enough. However, here in the Smash Mansion, he was sure to find one that would please the Great Pumpkin.

"He sounds like a Halloween Santa!" the Villager happily cheered. "I'd pay money to see that!"

"Did someone say money?" Mr. Krabs asked, suddenly appearing at the sound of that word.

"Linus here was just telling us about the Great Pumpkin," the Villager said.

"It is rare to see the Great Pumpkin," Linus said. "In fact, I don't think ANYONE has seen him before."

"I just KNOW you're going to see him first," Sally said longingly.

Mr. Krabs, though, shoved the blonde out of the way and sat next to Linus. "Rare, eh? That sounds like some good money could sell from seeing the Great Tomato!"

"Pumpkin," Linus corrected.

"Whatever," Krabs said. "So where do you usually see him?"

"In the biggest pumpkin patch. The Great Pumpkin will only rise from there," Linus answered.

"That's all I needed to know," Mr. Krabs said. "SPONGEBOB! MR. SQUIDWARD!"

"YES SIR!" SpongeBob saluted out of nowhere, with Squidward slowly walking up to his greedy boss.

"I've got a big job for you two," the crustacean said to his two employees.

"Aren't we off duty?" Squidward complained.

"I don't need any of your comments, Mr. Squidward," Krabs called out. "Linus here was telling me about the rare Great Banana-"

"Pumpkin," Linus interrupted.

"Pumpkin, so I need you two to set up a stand and sell tickets for $30 each," Mr. Krabs said as he handed them supplies.

"The Great Pumpkin?" Squidward asked. "That has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard!"

"The Great Pumpkin?" SpongBob asked. "That sounds ANAZING! I'll even get Patrick to help, too!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Krabs said as he pushed his employees out of the Mansion. "Just find the biggest pumpkin patch you can find!"

"As for you three," Krabs said. "Since you discovered the Great Cabbage-"

"Pumpkin," Linus said.

"Pumpkin, I'll give you three a 2-cent discount," he said before walking away.

"Isn't this great?" the female Villager asked. "Now EVERYONE can see the Great Pumpkin!"

"And you can finally prove Lucy wrong," Sally said.

"Yeah, you're right!" Linus said, feeling confident. "I'll show her. The Great Pumpkin IS real!"

At this time, Dry Bowser was still sitting in the bathroom. Thanks to his little paint problem, he had to miss an entire announcement set up by the hands. It didn't help that a LOT of Smashers were walking, bouncing, swimming, floating, or flying through this particular hallway. The skeletal beast peeked his head out of the door and saw his Red Bones minion - the same one he told to fill up the paint buckets. He quickly shut the door, and once the red skeleton passed, he grabbed him and dragged him into the bathroom with him.

The Red Bones was surprised and shocked to say the least. He was thrown into the wall, popping his skull right off his body. "Wh-what's happening?" he asked in terror.

Dry Bowser turned on the light, revealing his pink-painted bones.

"M-Master Dry Bowser? Is that you?" the Red Bones asked.

"Who were you expecting, Little Mac?" Dry Bowser retorted. "Now then, Yesterday I ordered you to refill that paint buckets, and guess what?" He held the bucket of paint right into the Red Bones' face.

"D-did I refill the wrong bucket?" the Red Bones asked.

"Yes, you did," Dry Bowser answered, obvious anger in his voice. "Now I need you to... what's that around your socket?"

Dry Bowser pointed directly to the candy cane necklace that went around the area a Dry Bones' skull is usually attached to. "Oh, this?" He answered. "The new Smasher Twist made candy cane necklaces and was selling them outside."

"Who's Twist?" Dry Bowser asked.

"Oh, that's right," the Red Bones said. "You were not at the announcement."

"Thanks to you," Dry Bowser said.

The Red Bones then explained to his master that Crazy Hand had announced some "DLC Smashers" that would join the tournament today. Among them were the famed Rhythm Trope from Rhythm Heaven, Frogger, a group of Space Invaders, several Marvel superheroes such as Ant-Man, Star-Lord, Groot & Rocket, and Red Hulk, Grand Dad, Tanooki Mario, a Pianta, and several ponies including Cheerilee, Big MacIntosh, Octavia, Trixie, and Derpy Hooves. He also explained that the aforementioned Twist, alongside Babs Seed, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon would join the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and that Dry Bowser would get more minions, including Bony Beetles, Bone Goombas, Bone Piranha Plants, and even Fishbones.

"Hmm, very interesting," Dry Bowser said. "But there is one thing I have to tell you."

"Yes?" the Red Bones asked.

"Come closer," Dry Bowser said, gesturing him to being his skull closer.

"Yes?" the Red Bones repeated.

"GET ME THAT BLACK PAINT!" Dry Bowser yelled, loud enough to shatter the Red Bones.

"Yes sir, yes sir," the Red Bones said as he rebuilt himself and scurried across the Mansion.

Just outside the Smash Mansion, many of the young Smashers in their costumes were heading down to the new-and-improved Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse for their own Halloween party, hosted by Peach and Zelda. Builder Mario and Foreman Spike agreed to build the clubhouse to account for the new members that would join Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle (though the latter only did it for the money). As for the Crusaders themselves, the three fillies welcomed the newcomers with open arms (or hooves, whichever you prefer) - Babs Seed was glad to rejoin the Crusaders, and Twist, being a friend of Apple Bloom for a good few years, was happy to join as well. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, though formerly enemies, wanted to apologize for their uncalled-for bullying and start over. This brought the Crusader count from three to SEVEN, a definite milestone.

Not only were the kids participating in this party, a few of Dry Bowser's minions, old and new, and even some Waddle Dees were attending. Lucy was wearing her signature witch mask, Charlie Brown wore his infamous multi-hole ghost sheet, Wubzzy went as a vampire, Roo was dressed as a clown, the Duck Hunt team dressed as each other, Snoopy donned his signature Flying Ace costume, Oona went as a cat, Nonny convinced Kamek to turn him invisible so he could be the Invisible Man, Kirby and Jigglypuff had jack-o'-lanterns on their heads, the male Villager was dressed as a scientist, Gil went as Frankenstein, Lucas was dressed as the Ultimate Chimera, Diamond Tiara was dressed as a princess, and the list goes on from there.

However, Lucy suggested that they make a quick stop at the nearby pumpkin patch. No doubt Linus would be there. Every year he'd miss the Halloween party and the trick-or-treat event, just to see the Great Pumpkin rise out of the pumpkin patch. When would he realize it was just in his head?

To say the least, Lucy was quite shocked when she saw a large stand that read "COME SEE THE GREAT CARROT FOR $30!" (granted "CARROT" was crossed out and "pumpkin" was painted on top of it). She was also shocked to see tons of townspeople paying actual money to see the OC Linus had created. Most of all, she was shocked MR. KRABS was running the whole event.

She went up to Linus, who was plopped right next to Sally and the female Villager, and decided to give him a piece of her mind. "Well there you are, blockhead," she called aloud to her brother. "I'll say, you REALLY outdid yourself this time. Now EVERYONE'S going to know about your Great Pumpkin fan character."

"I told you," Linus said. "The Great Pumpkin is real, and I'll prove it."

"Well, now you're going to miss ANOTHER Halloween just because of some stupid pumpkin patch," Lucy said.

"Hey," Sally said, defending Linus. "Don't talk to my Sweet Baboo like that!"

"And why are you here?" Lucy asked to Sally. "You went with Linus to find the Great Pumpkin before, and you saw how that turned out."

"Well I'm giving him another chance," Sally said.

"Good grief," Charlie Brown said from under his ghost sheet.

"Hey sis," the male Villager said. "Are you sure you want to miss the Halloween party?"

"It's OK," the female Villager answered. "Just go on without me. I want to see who the Great Pumpkin is."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Sally said as she walked off, the rest of the kids following.

"She's worse than I was," Diamond Tiara commented to her fellow Crusaders.

"Nah, not even close," Scootaloo said, laughing to herself.

"So Linus," Mr. Krabs said as he walked up to the red-in-clad Peanut. "When's this Great Radish coming? These customers are getting antsy."

"The Great Pumpkin comes around at midnight," Linus answered. "Just get SpongeBob and Squidward to make patties for them."

Needless to say, Builder Mario and Foreman Spike did a good job on the new-and-improved clubhouse for the Crusaders. Apple Bloom showed them a picture of their old clubhouse back in Ponyville, giving the two something to work off of. Rather than being wooden and having a risk of splinters, this clubhouse was made of bricks and cinder blocks. It was also a lot larger, being about twice as big in all dimensions, and having two floors. It was located on top of a giant tree (strangely similar to the Deku Nut Tree), and had an elevator to get to the clubhouse as well. Builder Mario and Foreman Spike even took time to set up a bathroom (a personal request from Sweetie Belle, as she didn't feel comfortable relieving herself outside during sleepovers in the last clubhouse), complete with its own plumbing. The best part of all though was the neon sign that was on top of the entrance, showing "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS" in block letters, the faces of the seven members around them, and the Crusaders emblem on top.

The fillies couldn't thank the construction workers enough. Builder Mario was happy to help, though Foreman Spike simply donned his usual grumpy face and went to get his share of 60 bits from Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Luckily for him, each bit had a conversion rate of four Coins.

Considering the large number of guests attending, it was safe to say the place was a little crowded. That didn't stop them from having the time of their life though. There was bobbing for apples, pin the shell on the Koopa, and even a snack bar set up by Cooking Mama and Chef Mario. Peach and Zelda had really hosted a successful party.

However, three guest were mysteriously gone. Those being Snoopy and his companions; Duck Hunt. The beagle led them to his signature red doghouse, and gestured the duo to climb on top. Duck flew onto Snoopy's head, while Hunt climbed onto the roof. The Duck Hunt Duo did not know why Snoopy led them here, but their question was about to be answered. With the rev of the engine, Snoopy lowered his goggles and took off.

The look on the duo's faces was beyond words. Were they actually flying on a doghouse? Duck was surprisingly more shocked than his dog companion - while she was used to taking to the skies (she was a bird after all), but the shock of the random engine and the plane sounds were enough to rattle with her mind. Hunt wasn't so nonchalant about the situation either; he was FLYING! The only times he ever took to the skies were when he was being carried by Duck or that one time Luigi messed with Merlin's magic wand. Doghouses were not supposed to fly, and he of all Smashers should know.

However, just when things couldn't get more hectic, they got a LOT more hectic. There was shooting, and it was aimed at the doghouse. Snoopy looked up and gasped. It was the Red Baron, his arch-nemesis. He swooped downward for a loop-de-loop to throw the enemy off guard, and began shooting himself. The stress was enough to make Duck quack in fear. She and her kind had experiences with shooting - and they were not happy memories to say the least.

Unfortunately, the Red Baron read Snoopy's mind, and went for a loop-de-loop as well and continued shooting. This put several holes into the doghouse - Hunt was now yelping for help and Duck was quacking loudly in fear of suffering the fate of her fallen brethren. The doghouse then took a big crash onto the place it took off, smoke coming out of it. Snoopy led his two shaky companions around the Mansion grounds until somehow reaching the clubhouse ceiling. Hunt was rather hungry at this point, and saw the bobbing for apples game nearby. He went straight for the first one he saw, but unintentionally got Lucy's apple.

What followed next was a series of shrieks the Peanuts gang knew all too well. "YUCK! I'VE BEEN KISSED BY A DOG! I GOT DOG GERMS! GET SOME WATER! GET SOME DISINFECTANT! GET SOME IODINE!" She ran off into the bathroom as the others laughed at the show they just witnessed. Hunt, on the other hand, wolfed down his apple.

At the pumpkin patch, the moon was starting to rise, and the audience was starting to get a little impatient. Some even suggested that they're wasting Halloween by waiting for the Great Pumpkin, but Mr. Krabs convinced them otherwise. After all, it was their money talking.

"Excuse me, Mr. Krabs?" SpongeBob said from behind.

"Yes, what is it lad?" Krabs said.

"Apparently we're fresh out of tickets," the sponge said. "We just sold the last one."

"Well go make some more," Krabs replied. "And keep working on those patties!"

"Aye-aye, sir!" SpongeBob said in his regular happy go-lucky tone as he marched off.

"Mr. Krabs, can't we have a break?" Squidward asked, obvious drowsiness in his tone.

"I ain't paying you to rest on the job Mr. Squidward," Mr. Krabs scolded.

"I'm not getting paid at all," Squidward said.

The crustacean looked around, and noticed that the audience that paid good money were starting to regret it. Desperate, he scuttled over to Linus, who was waiting in anticipation.

"Linus," Krabs asked. "Please tell me the Great Apple is coming soon."

"It's the Great Pumpkin," Linus said. "And I said he comes at midnight. Just find some entertainment to keep the audience busy."

"Hey, I could go get K.K. Slider," the female Villager suggested.

"Great idea, lassy," Krabs said as the Villager walked off to find the famed guitar player. When he arrived, he played the Smash Tournament's theme on his guitar until midnight rolled around. Lucy and co. had already tried to convince Linus to snap out of his fanfiction before they went trick-or-treating, but he declined as always. No denying that she'd ask for some extra candy to give to Linus so he wouldn't miss out. K.K.'s song was great, but the people just wanted to get on with the event.

"Linus," Krabs said from behind. "It's midnight. Where's the Great Cucumber?"

"He'll be here, just give him some-" Linus was interrupted by a strange rising in the pumpkin patch. He saw it. Just out of the corner of his eye. He knew Snoopy was with the other trick-or-treaters (as Duck Hunt formally requested), so there was no mistaking it. He finally saw it.

"IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN!" he shouted.

"Oh I just KNEW my Sweet Baboo would find him," Sally said lovingly.

"It's AMAZING!" SpongeBob shouted.

"It-it's actually REAL!?" Squidward asked dumbstruck.

The crowd certainly got their money's worth. That is, until the female Villager had to rain of the parade.

"Wait, that's not the Great Pumpkin," she said. "It's Jack!"

"Hello," Jack said. "Master Hand invited me here to celebrate Halloween with the rest of the Smashers. I hope I'm not too late."

"So wait," one of the overseers said. "We waited all of this time... FOR NOTHING!?"

"I want a refund," another watcher said.

"Nope, sorry," Krabs said. "No refunds!"

That didn't stop the angry mob, however. Krabs was then jumped by all the audience members, scrambling to get their hard-earned cash back.

"NOOO!" he shouted in agony. "ME MONEY!" He then cried to himself in sadness, losing all of the cash he earned from the Great Pumpkin event.

"You mean I wasted all my time here to see JACK!?" Sally complained. "I just missed the Halloween Party and trick-or-treating just to see some idiot with a pumpkin on his head! That's it, I'm leaving!" And with that, she and everyone else left, with Squidward laughing to himself.

"Wait, wait. come back!" Linus called. "He'll come, and if he gets here, I'll prove you all wrong!" He then covered his mouth. "Oh no! I meant to say WHEN he comes. That kind of mouth can deny the Great Pumpkin to give toys to you."

Later that night, Lucy went over to the pumpkin patch, seeing Linus shivering while sleeping. She then took him back to his dorm room, tucked him in, and went to bed herself. She did this every year, and she'd probably expect to do it again in the years to come. Meanwhile, Lucina and Corrine were sleeping on the closet themselves, Dry Bowser had gone to bed in a sour mood, forcing the Red Bones to sleep in the bathtub, and Mr. Krabs was still sad about losing his money. However, downstairs in the film room, the VeggieTales gang had wrapped up their latest show.

"Gee Bob," Larry said. "You think the rest of the Smashers will be alright celebrating Halloween?"

"I'm sure they'll be just fine, Larry," Bob consoled his cucumber friend. "God loves everyone, regardless if they celebrate Halloween or not."

"I guess you're right," Larry responded as the two hopped to their dorm room.