The Grand Dutchess Anastasia

In the Dark of the Night

The little white bat sat upon a ledge near the ceiling of the ballroom, a green, mystical reliquary next to him. He was watching a man bow to some girl.. wait a minute. Anastasia? Did he just call her.. Anastasia? "Anastasia?" he chuckled. "Yeah, one problem there, fella, she's dead. All the Romanovs are dead." He did a little dance. "They're dead! Dead dead dead."

Suddenly, the mystical reliquary started spewing little green creatures. One flew up next to him. "Am I right my friend? I mean how could that be-" The bat's eyes widened. The green creature snarled in his face. Screaming, Bartok hastily stepped back grabbing onto the reliquary, before realizing where the creepy mist creature had come from.

"Oh come on, am I supposed to believe that thing woke up after all these years just cause that guy claims she's a Romanov?!" The green, misty creatures began circling him, making the little bat anxious. "Ok, ok! I get the message! Enough already with the glowing and the smoke people!"

He took a deep breath, thinking. "If that thing's come back to life.. that must mean.." His ears perked up. "Anastasia's alive!" He turned around, now facing the misfit trio. "And that's her!"

The reliquary began to float, it's string wrapping itself around Bartok's leg, lifting him. "Woaaahh!!" he screamed. The mystical green object shot down into the ground, taking the poor bat several layers underground, meanwhile beating him up quite a bit. He never stopped screaming. After a minute or two of travel, they finally reached the underworld, specifically a rock on which the evil Rasputin resides.

"Oh boy, ow. I'll tell you what, ow!" The poor little bat said.

Rasputin heard a voice for the first time in years. "Who dares intrude on my solitude!" He kicked down a rock pillar. "Get out!" He walked over and picked up the bat by his neck, squeezing rather hard. "Get out!"

The small thing squealed, and the rotting corpse of a man recognized his friend. "Bartok? Is that you?" There was a glint of hope in his voice. He let go of his little friend, who then fell to the floor. Rasputin leaned down.

The white bat looked up, a questioning gaze in his eyes. "Master? You're alive?"

"Haha, yeah, in a matter of speaking!" His eye popped out. Thankfully, Bartok caught it.

"Woah. That fell right out there, sir."

Grabbing his eyeball and pushing it back into his head, the evil man spoke, "Something's happened."

"Yeah, whoopsie."

Excitedly, Rasputin went on. "I knew it. I could feel the dark forces stirring!"

Clinging onto his master's beard, the small bat spoke. "I'm not surprised because I saw her! Anastasia!"

Surprised, the man's eyes widened. "Anastasia? Alive?" His lips slid down his extremely long beard.

"Uh, sir? Your lips. They're uhm-" Rasputin cut his friend off.

"That Romanov brat!"

"Yeah ain't that the kick in the head? I guess a curse just ain't what it used to be, huh sir?" The adorable little thing frantically pushed his lips back into place.

"So that's why I'm stuck here in limbo! My curse is unfulfilled!" He accidentally threw his friend across the room, his hand still attached when his opened his arms dramatically. Noticing his hand gone, he gasped, beginning to cry. He sat on a rock stump, laying back. "Look at me.. I am falling apart!" He continued to wail, before slamming his arms down. "I'm a wreck!"

Dragging the hand back over to his master, Bartok said, "Actually, considering how long you've been dead you look pretty good." The corpse waved him off. "Sir you do, you do!"

"Really?"

"Sir dies this look like the face of a bat that would lie to you?" The cute bat smiled. "Come on! For a minute there you had your old spark back."

Sitting up, Rasputin growled. "If only I hadn't lost that gift from the dark forces... The key to my powers.."

Teetering the mystical thing back and forth, Bartok spoke up. "What, you mean this reliquary?"

"Where did you get that?!" The man spoke, batting his eyelashes.

"Oh, I found it." was the bat's response.

Desperately, Rasputin reached for his precious gift. "Give it to me!" He grabbed it.

"Alright, alright, don't get so grabby." The white bat shook his head.

Carressing the reliquary, the corpse practically sang, "My old friend.. together again!" He laughed, as most manical villians do when their plans are coming together. "Now my purpose will be fulfilled, and the last of the Romanovs will die!"

A/N:
Sorry for the wait, although no one has even read this far just yet. I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am:)