Silence. Nothing but silence and darkness.
The last battle had done nothing good. Spreading was all but impossible at this point.
…
…
…Something was coming. An unknown life-form?
…
Even better. A wormhole, a portal to another dimension…!
Without a moment's hesitation, it jumps through, ready to multiply again.
It had been two months since the opening ceremony. All the revealed newcomers had been welcomed into the fold as previous newcomers had in the past. Even Ridley, the murderous space dragon, had been generally accepted without a hitch, although Samus was still rather suspicious of him. All in all, things were going pretty well.
But now, our story turns to the mail room, where a certain young lady was about to come face-to-face with the greatest adventure of her life. Nikki sat in the mail room, completely exhausted from both the heat of the room and her own workload. She sat there, her eyelids heavy, idly doodling a picture of a flock of birds in her notebook. Someone could come in at any moment, but was it a crime to take a break once in a while? After all, she had until the end of the week to send the invitations…
"Blasted canine! Come back here or I shall flay you alive!"
Nikki jolted as the sources of the sound raced past the mail room. There went the snickering Duck Hunt Dog, sword in mouth, with Ganondorf in hot pursuit. The scene would have been comical if Ganondorf wasn't so deadly.
...Or maybe, thought Nikki as she walked back into the mailroom, it's funny because Ganondorf is a villain. It wouldn't be as funny if it was Bowser or something. Heh. Imagine if the dog stole a big steak from him...
...What was she doing again? Oh, yeah! Mail!
She blinked twice as she glanced at two invitations she had to send. Sidon and Cruel? Okay. She quickly shoved the envelopes into the chute. Maybe now she could get some rest…
Boom.
Nikki's eyes shot open. Was there always something that had to happen around here? It didn't seem like anyone else was around. Figures that chaos struck when it was just her.
Boom.
Okay, okay. She needed the fresh air anyways. Without another word, she slipped out of the mail room to investigate.
He stared at the letter in his hand. Who in the world were these 'Smash Brothers'? And this map, where would it take him? Was it a trap set by Dracula?
A loud crack interrupted his thoughts. Before him laid a rift in space. He gripped his whip, the Vampire Killer. It seemed that this would be something he'd have to take care of himself.
He leapt into the portal, ready to face whatever wicked monsters Dracula had ready for him.
"Your Scaliness! Your Scaliness!"
The crocodilian scampered into the throne room, bowing before his king. "I bring urgent news…!"
"Well, don't just stand there," barked the king. "What is it?"
The smaller lizard held up an envelope sealed with a peculiar symbol. "The postman brought this today. I don't know what it means, but—"
"Give me that!" The king snatched the envelope away from his underling and took a good long look at it. It took him a while to recognize it, and when he did, his eyes widened in realization. Could it be? It was! Today was the day, this was his finest hour…! He rose up from his throne. The subordinate looked surprised. "S-sir…?"
"Fire up The Flying Krock," said the king with a vicious grin. "We're going to pay a little visit to some friends of mine."
"…Samus?"
Nikki had gone outside to investigate the source of the noise. She'd searched all around the grounds but had found nothing related to it. At least, until she found Samus lurking around. Currently, the bounty hunter was facing away from Nikki, hunched over something. Nikki cleared her throat. "Um, Ms. Aran?"
Samus did not answer, still preoccupied with whatever it was she was looking at. "Um… Samus, are you all right?"
Samus turned to Nikki. Upon closer inspection, the bounty hunter looked different than normal. Her suit was not the traditional orange and red, but instead a menacing dark blue. And were those veins on her shoulders…?
The horrible realization struck Nikki. Oh, heck.
The fake Samus let out an otherworldly roar and aimed her cannon at Nikki. The poor woman screamed and stumbled back. The doppelganger loomed over her as she prepared to fire…!
"Roooooooaaaar!"
Both Nikki and the false Samus whirled around to see the source of the new roar, and what they saw would have been enough to give even the braver Smashers pause.
A huge wyvern with cruel glowing eyes and covered in red scales was hovering over the manor. With another roar, it launched a huge fireball at the ground that set it ablaze.
On the ground, Nikki was wholly terrified. Not-Samus glanced at the wyvern, then at Nikki, then back to the wyvern. It took off towards the greater enemy, firing off shots of unpleasant-looking blue energy.
Nikki took off back towards the exit. She had to find Master Hand, quickly! He'd know what to do! Wait, what about Samus? She's familiar with doppelgangers and huge dragons! As she rushed to find the real Samus Aran, a sound like water being sucked down a storm drain caught her attention. She turned around to see a blue-haired man wielding a familiar-looking sword lying face down on the ground. Just above him, a dimensional rift closed with a pop. The man stood up, groaning and rubbing his head. "Ahhh… where…?" He looked around. "Am… am I in the Smash realm again?" He glanced down at the near-panicking Nikki. "Are you all right, miss?"
"Uh, to be honest… everything is the exact opposite of all right! You see, we—" Nikki paused as she recognized the man. "Wait, you're Prince Chrom, right? Wielder of the Falchion, Slayer of Dragons?"
"Uh, yes," replied Chrom, glancing at the divine blade in his hand. "Is there something you need from me?"
"Actually, yes, you can help us! Could you maybe help us with this dragon?"
"…What drago—" Chrom paused as he stared at the red wyvern, which was currently engaged in a battle with Dark Samus. "Oh, gods! Wh-where did that come from?"
"I-I don't know! It—" Nikki's explanation was cut short by the arrival of another blue-haired swordfighter, wielding a sword much like Chrom's.
"F-father?!"
"Lucina!" Father and daughter reunited in a warm embrace, almost forgetting about the fire-breathing monster that was currently laying waste to the countryside. A pair of white-haired tacticians happened to pass by. "Chrom?! Is that you?!" asked both Robins.
"Robin! Bo…Both of you!" replied the elated Chrom. They too, joined in the group hug, oblivious of the monster destroying everything in its path.
"Oooh, a group hug! Can I join?" said Kirby, who had happened to drop in on the scene. Everyone present simply stared at the puffball, who waited expectantly. "…Um, are we not having a nice moment?"
"No, Kirby, we aren't," explained Nikki, trying as best she could to keep her voice calm. "But you know what you can do? You can help us fight that dragon over there!"
Kirby glanced over to where the beast was still rampaging over the plains. "Ohhhhh. That looks…bad. No worries!" The puffball held up a brick cell phone with a star at the end of the antenna and punched on the keys a bit. Within moments, a large, yellow star flew from the distance and landed in front of Kirby, who hopped on eagerly. "We can get to that dragon quicker this way! Everyone grab a point!"
The remaining Smashers looked at each other nervously, as if unsure what to make of this. Lucina spoke first. "If it means saving this world…" She grabbed the upper left point of the star.
Both Robins followed suit. As Chrom held onto the last point, he asked, "A-are you sure this is sa—"
His question was never answered, as the Warp Star sped off with its five passengers ready to do battle with the beast. Nikki was left alone on the ground.
"Ummm… okay," she said to no one in particular. She flinched as she watched the Warp Star narrowly avoid a swipe from the dragon's tail. She rushed back into the manor to find Samus.
It was in the laundry room that Nikki located the bounty hunter, quietly polishing her armor. She was quite surprised when the mail processing clerk nearly tripped over herself running into the room, on her knees gasping for air. "Is…there something you need?" asked Samus.
"I… guh… haah…" Nikki seemed as though she might keel over. Samus knelt down to her eye level. "Easy there, tiger. Take a deep breath." Nikki seemed hysterical, but complied. "Now, what happened?"
Nikki took shallow, ragged breaths. "I was just minding my business, and I heard a loud noise outside, and-and… you were there, in black armor, and—"
"Wait, what?" Samus held up a hand to interrupt her, eyes wide. "Did you just say black armor?"
"Yes," Nikki nodded. "It was a doppelganger of you, and it tried to—"
Samus abruptly got up and walked over to where her Power Suit was. She traced a finger over the arm cannon. There was a bright flash of light, and when it receded, Samus appeared donning her full Power Suit. She stared down at Nikki.
"Take me outside."
The battle was still raging by the time Nikki and Samus got outside. At this point, some of the other Smashers, namely Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, had also come out to see what was going on. "Are you guys seeing this?" asked a bewildered Donkey Kong. "Where did that thing even come from?!"
Samus stared at the scene. From where she stood, she could vaguely make out shapes attacking the beast. Something round and pink, flying around on a star. On the ground, several humanoid shapes were attempting to slash at the beast. And just above them, an all too familiar black figure, firing blue shots at the beast's head.
"Oh, hell."
Diddy Kong peered at where Samus was scowling. "Wait a minute… isn't that the Assist Trophy from the last time? Dark Samus?"
"Dark Samus?" asked Nikki. "W-who…?"
"It's a long story," answered Samus, readying her arm cannon. "Suffice it to say that she really shouldn't be in one piece right now." Her arm cannon whirred to life. "You stay put," she said to Nikki. "I've got business to take care of." And with that, she sped off to join the rest of her fellow Smashers in bringing down the monsters.
Donkey Kong rose and adjusted his tie. "Well, I'm not gonna sit around. Somebody oughta pound that overgrown dragonfly back to wherever it came from!" He grinned at Diddy. "Ya feelin' me, little bud?"
Diddy Kong smirked, whipping out his popguns. "Oh, you bet I am, big buddy! Time to knock that lizard into next week!" The Kongs charged into the fight, ready to deliver a classic jungle beatdown.
But the beatdown would have to wait, for the deafening sound of mechanical whirring filled the air, stopping the apes dead in their tracks. Far above the plains, Nikki could see what looked like a huge, strangely crocodile-shaped airship flying in from off the coast. A mysterious figure leapt down from the nose of the ship, shaking the ground as they landed. The Kongs' eyes widened as the figure turned around to reveal—!
"King K. Rool?!"
Indeed, there stood the cantankerous boss of the Kremlings in the flesh, eye tic as unpleasant as ever, grinning maniacally at the three. "That's right, you banana-brained baboons! I'm finally back on center stage, and this time, I'm going to make it count!"
"So it was you who summoned that giant dragon!" accused Diddy Kong.
"Giant drag—what?" K. Rool glanced over at the wyvern attacking the other Smashers. "…Oh. I've never seen that thing before in my life. Where'd it even come from, anyways?"
"Oh, like you don't know, lizard lips," growled Donkey Kong, hands balling up into fists. "Why else would you show up right after that thing? Probably came by to check up on your little pet, huh?"
"Now, listen here, you simian sap," snarled K. Rool, baring his teeth. "I had nothing to do with that thing over there. I'm—" The anger suddenly vanished from his face, realization crossing it the next instant. "Wait a minute…"
"Oh, now what?" asked Diddy, arms crossed.
"That thing showed up before me…?" asked K. Rool. "…That thing thinks it can outshine me, the King of the Kremlings?!" With a flourish, he took out his blunderbuss from somewhere on his person. "Well, not on my watch! I'm the head honcho around these parts! Charge!" And with that, the crazed crocodile adjusted his crown and rushed into the battle. "H-hey! We're not done with you yet!" cried DK and Diddy, as they, too, barreled into the fight.
Nikki, who had been watching in stunned silence at K. Rool's sudden appearance, now stood there helplessly staring at the chaos. "Are there going to be any more interruptions?" she asked no one in particular.
As if to cheekily answer her question, yet another portal appeared out of thin air, right above her head, dumping not one, but two weights directly on top of her. "Yeah, that's fine," Nikki muttered, silently accepting that strangers popping in out of nowhere was the new norm.
"Wh—what in blazes is this realm…?"
Nikki looked up as whoever fell on her got up. He was a tall, muscular man, with leather and fur all over, long, wild-looking hair, and a dour, hewn face. He carried a long chain whip with a mace ball at the end. "Is this realm… the Land of Trophies I was informed of?"
Nikki got up and dusted herself off. "The… the World of Trophies, that's right. What was your name again?"
The man stood up straight. "I am Simon of the Belmont Clan, wielder of the legendary Vampire Killer." He held up a letter stamped with the tournament logo. "Some time ago, I received this letter from someone by the name of… 'M. Hand'.
"I'm sorry, did you just say Belmont?!"
Simon and Nikki turned to the speaker. This man had dark brown hair and was wearing a blue tunic, just as tall and strapping as Simon. His features were a little thinner, but he had the same burning look in his eyes. "I am Richter of the Belmont Clan, wielder of the legendary Vampire Killer. Who—"
"Listen," interrupted Nikki, "you can talk about that later. Just…" She gestured vaguely at the dragon still rampaging in the background. "Take care of that. Please."
Both Simon and Richter stared at the dragon, eyes wide. "Wha—another one of Dracula's foul beasts?!"
"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Nikki, too defeated to explain. "Just… go."
The vampire hunters glanced at each other and nodded. "Hear me, abomination of the night! The Vampire Killer shall cleave your soul! Tallyho!" cried Simon, as he leapt into the fray.
"Yes, uh… tallyho…? T-tallyho!" shouted Richter as he followed after his ancestor. For the third time that day, Nikki was left alone on the ground.
"Y'know, that's… that's just fine." she said. She sank to her knees, completely overwhelmed by the events that were transpiring in front of her.
With a whip of its tail, the monster smacked Kirby off his Warp Star, sending him careening back to Nikki, bouncing off her head and landing on the ground next to her. "Are you okay?" asked Nikki, wishing the day was over already.
"Oof… Yeah, I'm fine," replied the puffball, shaking off the dizziness. "That big dragon is tough!"
Indeed, the beast was proving to be quite a handful for the other Smashers. Chrom in particular was nearly waylaid by the beast's claws. "Hey, Ms. Nikki, could you help us?"
Nikki blinked. "M-me? Like, actually fight the dragon?"
"Yeah!" nodded Kirby, completely oblivious to the increasingly incredulous look on Nikki's face. "We'll need all the help we can get!"
Nikki stared at Kirby as though the puffball had grown three heads. "K-Kirby? I really don't think I'm the one you want to ask to fight a gigantic dragon."
"Naw, don't worry, you'll be fine!" replied Kirby, summoning his Warp Star as he spoke. He hopped onto the top point. "Hop aboard!"
Nikki stared at the Warp Star, glowing and hovering in the air. She stared at the battle with the wyvern far away, with neither side showing any signs of letting up. She stared at Kirby, the little pink puff's eyes shining brightly with hope. Nikki sighed. "Okay." She grasped a point of the star.
The very moment she boarded the Warp Star, it took off toward the dragon at top speed. Nikki adjusted her glasses as the wind whipped around her hair. As they streaked along the plains, Kirby turned to her and asked, "By the way, do you have a weapon?"
"What?!" asked Nikki, the wind howling in her ears. "A weapon?" She fumbled around in her pockets, a difficult task considering she was riding a star at warp speed. "I've got… a pencil? I guess."
"Nah, that's good!" chirped the puffball. "Pencils are useful. ...Oop, we're here!"
Indeed, the Warp Star had drawn closer to the dragon, close enough to see its piercing blue eyes as it glared down at its assailants. It sent a huge fireball down at the ground, forcing the fighters to scatter before it exploded on contact, sending flames and chunks of rock flying. Chrom was unfortunate enough to be hit by one such rock, sending him careening into another fireball sent by the wyvern. His smoking body hit the ground and lay still.
"Father! No!" cried Lucina, rushing to his side, the Robins following suit. To their surprise, the prince got up with some effort. "No, it's okay, it's okay, I'm… I'm fine." But the deep gash on his chest and burn marks on his arms said otherwise.
"Come on, you weakling!" barked King K. Rool, the barrel of his blunderbuss sparking. But even he looked uncertain as he gazed up at the beast.
The situation looked dire for our heroes. They'd been fighting tooth and nail against the beast, but it looked no worse for wear. "What do we do?" asked Nikki as they whipped past the wyvern's wing.
Kirby thought for a bit. "Okay, I think I got something! But I'll need your help!"
"Umm… okay!" affirmed Nikki "...Mind telling me what it is?"
"No time to explain!" said Kirby, dipping the Warp Star towards the ground. "This is our big chance!" And with no further explanation, Kirby dove down to the ground, narrowly avoiding the monster's jaws. He stopped right before making impact, right next to Chrom.
"Kirby?" asked the prince. "What do you need?"
"I need you!" chirped the puffball. "And your dragon-killing sword! We're gonna fly up to the dragon's head and… stab it! In the head!"
"Stab it… in the head?" repeated Chrom.
"Yeah!" affirmed Kirby, waving his stubby arms. "I'm gonna take you and Nikki up there while everyone else distracts it on the ground!"
"So... if you're piloting the Warp Star, and Chrom is fighting the dragon, then what am I going to do?" asked Nikki.
"You can help Chrom!" answered Kirby. "Use your pencil to stab it in the eye!"
"I-in the eye?!" Nikki couldn't help but wince. "B-but…"
"What's wrong?" asked Kirby. "Eyes are a perfectly valid weak point."
"It's true, you know," cut in Samus, nodding her approval. "They're squishy, painful, often exposed, and damage to them results in vision loss. Most aliens I blow up, I go for the eyes. Or just the one eye, in some cases."
"Yes, but you, Samus, can shoot them with lasers and stuff," explained Nikki, her patience thinning. "I have a pencil."
"You can get in close," said Kirby, "once I drop you two on the dragon's head."
"You what?!" cried Nikki. "You're gonna drop us?!" Even Chrom and the Robins seemed alarmed.
"Yeah." replied Kirby, completely oblivious to the look on Nikki's face.
"And when were you going to tell me this?" asked a red-as-a-beet Nikki.
"...Now."
Nikki felt as if her legs would give out. "Does anyone else have an idea? One that won't end with all of us getting incinerated?"
The male Robin stepped forward. "Okay, because Kirby's idea is, quite frankly, awful, I think we can come up with a better plan. Now, for starters—"
Before Robin could even finish his sentence, the dragon sent a huge fireball directly at the tactician's head, setting him ablaze immediately.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot it's still there," said Robin weakly as the fire dissipated. And with a last cough of smoke, he fell over, completely unconscious.
"...Okay, everyone, remember the plan," said Kirby hurriedly, clambering onto the Warp Star. "Get on the star, guys."
And so the Warp Star took off, with the rest of the fighters dealing with the dragon on the ground.
"So, Chrom, when I drop you and Nikki, you can try to get it in the head, okay?"
"I... think I can pull it off. Are you sure this will work?"
"You'll be fine! It worked with Toon Link!"
"When Toon Link did it, he didn't drop from fifty feet in midair."
The trio was circling the dragon's head, looking for an opening to attack. It leered at them as if to attack, but its attention was torn between the Warp Star and the fighters below. Thus it flapped its wings and hovered in place, unsure of what to do.
"Kirby, I really don't think we should drop onto the dragon's head like this," said Nikki. "If something—when something goes wrong, and believe me, it will—"
"Okay, okay," relented Kirby. "Lemme see if I can get us a little lower…"
As Kirby turned the Warp Star around to get in closer, a blast of searing heat nearly knocked them off course. The dragon had spotted them—and it wasn't about to let them escape.
"Gah! Gotta keep moving!" Kirby deftly swerved his vehicle to avoid the fireball. The dragon responded by spewing even more fireballs at the heroes, roaring all the while.
"Uh, Kirby?" asked Chrom, trying to keep his voice calm. "How about that plan?!"
Kirby's brow furrowed. He was trying to get in closer, but with all this fire… "Okay, we're gonna go with the original plan!" he shouted to his passengers. "I'm gonna drop Chrom first! Hang on!"
The Warp Star jerked upward, looping to position itself just above the beast's neck. "Jump, Chrom!" called Kirby.
Wasting no time, Chrom jumped off the star, heading straight for the dragon's head. "Kirby… you have my thanks. This is it!" he shouted to the dragon. "I will not fail!"
With no warning, the wyvern flipped over, swatting Chrom out of the air. The Falchion's blade glinted in the sun as it slipped out of his hand.
"Chrom!"
Another fireball came at the Warp Star, this time hitting it head-on. The force of the impact wasn't enough to knock Kirby off, but as for Nikki...
"Aaah! K—Kirby!"
"Nikki! I'm coming!"
Nikki's world spun around her as she fell. She heard the air whooshing around her ears, a distraught voice that sounded a lot like Lucina, and the roaring of the beast above all else. She couldn't even scream, for the air felt like it was being torn right out of her lungs. She could feel something slip out of her pocket. Her notebook—her favorite notebook! —fluttered away from her, open right on the page where she drew those wonderful birds.
She almost didn't register the sight as she continued to plummet. She felt a pang of regret as she saw the page furiously waving in the breeze. It was almost like the drawing itself was being ripped off the page…
…
…
...Hang on.
As much as her brain told her that no, this was not happening, the little birds she had drawn detached themselves from the paper to which they were bound. With their newfound freedom, they soared through the air beating their wings before diving to the ground.
And they were diving directly towards Nikki.
"What the he—?!"
But to her surprise, the birds did not harmlessly pass through her, nor did they peck at her as she fell. Instead, they swooped down to catch her and lift her up, up away from the ground.
"...What."
The birds carried their creator up and past the danger, much to the bewilderment of everyone present. Even Dark Samus paused her onslaught to stare at the sight. One of the birds swooped forward to grab the falling Falchion in its beak. It passed the blade to Nikki, who was still trying to figure out if this was reality or a very strange near-death experience. The weight of the sword in her hand confirmed that this was indeed real, and her drawings had come to life.
"…Okay."
A distinct twinkling sound made Nikki whirl around. There was Kirby, sitting on his Warp Star with a very bruised Chrom in tow, eyes wide in amazement and admiration. "Nikki…" he said, in a hushed whisper. "You can summon birds?"
Nikki blinked. "Huh? Oh, no, I didn't summon them, so much as I… drew them."
"…Ohhhhh, I get it! With your magic pencil! I get it now!" Kirby nodded, as though the issue was clarified.
"No, it's not a magic—" Nikki slapped her forehead as she remembered. "Chrom! Where is he?!"
Kirby stopped nodding. "Oh jeez! This isn't looking so good… I'm gonna try and look for him. He might need that sword back…"
But when Kirby reached for the sword, Nikki stopped him. "Wait, Kirby! You need to look for Chrom." She gazed up at the wyvern. "I'll take it from here."
Kirby stared at her, eyes filled with surprise, then resolve. "…Alright. I'll look for Chrom on the ground. Good luck! You can do it!" And with that, Kirby flew off back towards the ground to save Chrom, leaving Nikki and her birds against the dragon.
The birds flapped their wings as hard as they could to get Nikki to the top. But the beast refused to let her escape so easily, spewing as much fire as it could. She gazed down at it once she was in position. She stared at the Falchion in her hand, its blade gleaming in the light. Nikki took a deep breath… and jumped.
"Roooooaaaaggh!"
The dragon screamed with rage as the legendary sword was driven into its hide. It thrashed about in agony before falling to the ground.
While Nikki was still on it.
"Waitwaitwaitwait nonono oh he—"
A loud boom shook the air as the dragon hit the ground, causing the world to shake. The beast lay still, and Nikki slid off its neck, Falchion still in hand and knees quaking. The dust had at last settled.
All the fighters involved gathered around the beast. At last Simon broke the silence. "...Is the beast finished? Was it not a creature of the night sent by Dracula?"
"Well, for starters, it's the middle of the day, so I don't think it's one of Dracula's goons," replied Donkey Kong. He curiously poked at its snout. "Might wanna double tap, just to be sure."
"We did it!" cheered Diddy Kong. "We gave that dragon the smackdown!"
"Yes, yes, I suppose we did," said King K. Rool, looking quite pleased with himself. "And we wouldn't have done it without my amazing leadership!"
"Leadership?!" snorted Donkey Kong. "We were doing just fine before you came along!"
As the two began another argument, Nikki slid off the dragon's neck and onto the ground, knees quaking. The events of the day were starting to take their toll on her, and at that point she could really go for a long rest. Just as she was about to slink away, a squealing voice caught her attention. "Nikkiiiiiiii…!"
It was Kirby, flying at Nikki from under the dragon's wing and clinging to her in a tight hug. "I saw it from down here! That! Was! Amaaaazing!"
Nikki looked down at the puffball in her arms. "R-really?"
"Yeah!" said Kirby, eyes sparkling. "The way you just jumped down from the birds, like pshwoooooo…" He made a dive-bomb movement with his stubby arms. "It looked so cool!"
"Kirby does have a point there," came Samus' voice from behind them. There she stood, offering a rare smile through her suit's visor. "You did great up there, tiger."
Nikki felt her face grow warm from the praise. There was some scattered applause through the fighters until…
"Wait a minute," said Lucina suddenly. "Where is my father?"
"Oh, yeah…. About him. He's over here, but…" Kirby beckoned Lucina and Robin to a spot under the dragon's wing, where the prince of Ylisse lay; bruised from its attacks, but still alive.
"F-father…!"
"Chrom?!"
"Ungh… it's okay," said Chrom weakly. "We slayed the beast, didn't we?" He clutched at a wound in his side. "Gods, where did that thing even come from…?"
"No, no, Chrom. Save your strength," said the female Robin. "I think we can take it from here." The two Robins hoisted him up and slowly helped him back to the mansion. Lucina turned to follow them, but turned to give Nikki and her group a warm smile. "You were invaluable in helping us defeat that monster, and we are in your debt."
"Oh!" said Nikki, face as red as a tomato. "Oh, nononono, it's fine! It was nothing special…"
"I dunno," cut in Donkey Kong. "I'd saying diving from fifty feet in the air to stab a dragon is pretty cool."
"Besides," continued Nikki, "we all pitched in a little. It was a team effort!" Satisfied with her answer, Lucina turned to follow the two tacticians, still grateful for Nikki's help.
"So…" began Kirby. "I think we should clean this whole thing up." He gestured at the downed dragon.
"That's a great idea, Kirby," nodded Samus. "And we can start…" She cocked her arm cannon dramatically. "…with you."
"M-me?!" asked Kirby, jumping back. "What'd I do?!"
"Not you, Kirby. You!" she clarified, pointing a finger at Dark Samus, who was stooped over the dragon's mouth as if checking for something. Upon being addressed, she let out an unearthly hiss before charging at Samus. Nikki cowered behind Kirby as the two charged at each other, guns glowing with power once again…!
"What is going on here?!"
All parties involved stopped what they were doing to glance at the shouter. There, hovering down from a dimensional rift in the sky, was Master Hand, clutching a bag of groceries in his thumb and index finger. If he had a jaw, it would have been on the ground. "Wh… wha…?"
Master Hand beheld the mess that laid in front of him. Kirby and Nikki, whose eyes were wide with surprise, Samus and Dark Samus, whose cannons were still pointed at each other, and the dragon, which lay still on the ground.
The hand took a deep breath. "I turn around to go on an interdimensional grocery run… for ten minutes… and what do I see when I come back?" He glanced at the sword in Nikki's hand. "Why do you have Lucina's sword, Nikki?" he asked.
"Oh, this?" replied Nikki. "Oh, nonono, this isn't Lucina's sword, it's Chrom's. You see—"
"Chrom?" interrupted Master Hand. "Why is he here? We haven't set up Robin's Final Smash yet…"
"Can I vouch for her?" asked Samus. Without even bothering to wait for Master Hand to respond, she continued, "It all started when she—" she pointed her free hand at her doppelganger— "decided she'd pop in for a playdate with her new friend! She showed up here with this thing—"
"And I'm still not convinced it's not one of K. Rool's goons," added Donkey Kong, arms crossed.
"This?" Master Hand looked at the dragon. "...Where did this Rathalos come from?"
"The whuh?" asked everyone in unison.
"A Rathalos," repeated the hand. "A vicious monster from the Ancestral Steppe." He pressed two fingers to its neck. "...Still alive. Did you all bring this creature down?"
"Yeah!" piped up Kirby. "We all did it together! DK and Diddy helped, and Samus was all pew pew pew pew, and Dark Samus was all dododododo, and Nikki jumped off the birds and stabbed it in the head… oh! We also found some new friends! Crocodile, Mr. Whippy, and Mr. Whippy Jr.!"
"...Mr. Whippy?" Master Hand turned to look at the characters in question, none of which looked too happy about their new nicknames. "Ah! Simon, Richter, and King K. Rool! I didn't expect you all to be here so early!"
"Early?" asked the Kongs. Their confusion quickly turned to shock and horror as they realized what this meant. "Wait, no, you can't be serious…!"
"You heard the hand, you flea-bitten primates!" said King K. Rool, grinning widely as he pulled out an envelope sealed with the logo of the tournament. "The higher-ups have finally recognized my talent and deemed me worthy of joining your ranks!"
"Yes, I have also received a letter to this Smash Brothers event," added Simon. He kept a hand on his whip. "Are you another one of Dracula's legions?"
"Do not worry, Simon. No one here is in league with Dracula." Master Hand studied the fallen Rathalos for a time. "If left unchecked, this beast could have caused havoc. Wanton destruction! In felling this beast, you all have done us a great service. And no good deed should go unrewarded!" He peered at the mansion in the distance. "Come to think of it, this gives me an idea…"
"Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad—"
"Okay, okay, I'm up."
Bowser groaned as he stretched out of his king-size bed. To his left, his son, Bowser Junior, tugged at his hand. "Dad! Dad! Look at this!" The young Koopa shoved a piece of paper into Bowser's claws.
Bowser reached for reading glasses he didn't have. "Hmmm… 'Special announcement'? At this hour?" He sighed. "This better be good, whatever it is."
"Yeah, it better be good!" parroted Bowser Jr. "So let's go, go, go!"
"Alright, alright," Bowser relented. How could he have so much energy this early? "We're going."
"Yay!"
"But brush your teeth first."
"Okay…"
And so, the Smashers shuffled into the Grand Hall, some quicker than others, to see what in the world Master Hand had gotten them up this early for. As they sat down in their seats, King Dedede noticed that Kirby seemed unusually giddy for that early in the morning. The puffball turned to the king. "Hey, Dedede."
Dedede sighed. "What?"
Kirby bounced up and down in his seat. "Do you know what Master Hand's announcement is gonna be?"
"...No, Kirby, I don't know."
Kirby's bouncing increased in frequency. "Hee hee. That's okay."
"Uh-huh."
"...Hey, Dedede." Kirby's face was split into a wide grin.
"...What?"
"You wanna know a secret?"
"No."
Kirby was practically vibrating now. "I know what's gonna happen…!"
"Great. I don't care."
"But, Dedede," said Kirby, in a tone of voice that made the king long for the comforts of his bed, "don'tcha wanna know what's gonna happen?"
"I was woken up at 7 o'clock for this," grouched Dedede, crossing his arms. "I'm missing breakfast for this. So you can take your little secret and shove it—"
"Welcome, one and all!" came the voice of Master Hand, interrupting Dedede's complaints. "Welcome to a special occasion!" There was scattered applause throughout the Great Hall.
"Yes, today is a very special occasion! For not only do we have a selection of new challengers to announce… it is because of these same newcomers that a crisis has been averted." Master Hand paused as the Smashers hung on to this information.
"Indeed, for just two days ago, we were attacked by a vicious creature from another world!" A sharp gasp went through the crowd. "Yes, an ornery beast from the Ancestral Steppe. But rest assured…" He snapped his fingers. "The beast has been subdued."
As he spoke those words, the doors to the Great Hall flew open, and two Miis clad in peculiar-looking armor walked in, leading a large cage.
"Grrrr…"
Some of the meeker Smashers screamed as they beheld the beast. There was the Rathalos, contained in a cage but still no less dangerous. It glared at everyone present as its cage was brought to the front of the Great Hall.
"Yes, a Rathalos," declared Master Hand. "Poison claws. Fire breath. General aggression. These are the reasons why this is one of the most dangerous beasts of its world. But it, too was defeated, thanks to these brave warriors…!"
There was a long silence.
"Um…"
Somebody in the audience coughed.
"...I said, thanks to these brave warriors!"
"Oh, is that our cue? Go, gogogogo!"
There was some brief fumbling around behind the curtains, and then the brave warriors in question stepped out onto the stage. Simon, Richter, Chrom, Dark Samus, King K. Rool, and Nikki were all received with rapturous applause.
"Thanks to their service, the Rathalos has been subdued. And as such, they will be rewarded!" With a flick of his wrist, Master Hand produced six cards from thin air. "Presenting our newest challengers!" A wave of applause filled the Great Hall, though Samus and the Kongs were notably silent.
"Ch-challengers?!"
The Hall fell silent at Nikki's outburst. She stood there, looking as though she hadn't slept in days. "With all due respect, Mr. Master Hand, I really don't think I'm cut out to be a fighter…"
Master Hand seemed taken aback. "Wh—are you sure? After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"I know, it's just… I've had quite enough fighting for one day. Maybe something smaller? Like… maybe an Assist Trophy?"
The hand pondered on her words. "...Very well then! Presenting our newest challengers and one Assist Trophy!"
More applause filled the Great Hall as the ceremony ended and the Smashers took their leave. Nikki was showered with praise from the others, most of all her fellow fighters that helped defeat the Rathalos. As she walked towards the Assist Trophies' quarters, the birds she'd drawn earlier flew in through an open window, returning to the size of doodles as they came to rest on the page of her notebook.
Nikki took a deep breath and smiled. She could get used to this.
Author's Notes: Smash Direct + Lead Time = oof.