Mutual Friendship:
One day, in the Hidden Machina Village, Shulk and the others start training before they depart towards Mechonis itself. They had come so far ever since they fell from Galahad Fortress. Their battle up there was in an effort to rescue Fiora, Dunban's little sister, and Reyn and Shulk's childhood friend. Shulk and Fiora were also each other's love interests, though they share a mutually awkward inability to confess their love to each other, despite knowing each other for years.
When the Mechon had attacked Colony 9, Shulk, Reyn, and Dunban had thought Fiora was gone forever, due to being brutally murdered by Metal Face. Thus, their journey was primarily to avenge Fiora and bring down the Mechon that took her life. Along the way, they met new friends.
Sharla, a medic and sharpshooter hailing from Colony 6, whose restoration had recently begun; Riki, this year's chosen Heropon of legend, and a father of 11 children... despite his childish appearance and manners; and Melia Antiqua, a half-High Entia half-Homs girl who was destined to be the Empress, succeeding her late father, Sorean Antiqua, who was killed by Metal Face while trying to protect Melia on Prison Island.
As Shulk would finally get revenge on Metal Face for what he did to Fiora, a silver Faced Mechon got in the way and took the hit instead. But what made the situation even more shocking was that Face Nemesis, the silver Faced Mechon, was actually Fiora. Initially, it seemed that Fiora had completely forgotten Shulk and the others. But after the fight on Galahad Fortress, Shulk and Fiora had reunited, and she revealed to him that she actually remembered him all along, and that someone else was controlling her body from within at the time. And she's determined to find out who it is.
Before she could do that, Shulk and the others had to help her adjust to her new Mechon body. They had found a piezoelectric unit in order to get Fiora's Mechon body to function independently. The story begins the next day before Dickson's arrival.
"Good morning, Fiora." Shulk greeted Fiora as she was slowly walking out of Junks.
"Good morning, Shulk. I never imagined I'd say those words ever again." Fiora replied with a smile.
"Me neither. I never imagined I say those words to you either."
"I feel better, but I still need some training to adjust to my new body."
"Sure. Now, if only there was a safe place to just... you know, walk around."
"There's actually a platform around the whole dome protecting the village. You can use that for starters." Linada, a Machina medic, recommended.
"Thank you." Shulk and Fiora both replied.
"Say, Shulk? Where is Reyn?" Fiora, then, asked.
"...'Ey, Fiora! Good morning!" Reyn, then appeared to their side.
"Good morning, Reyn. Being a bit of a sleepyhead?" Fiora asked.
"I'm fresh and awake at this time."
"Really? Sharla told me that the morning before you began your trip to Prison Island, you were such a sleepyhead."
"Huh?! Sharla told you that?!"
Shulk merely laughed at their conversation.
"Good to know that some things never change, even with a big change." a familiar voice appeared.
"Good morning, Dunban!" Shulk, Fiora, and Reyn all happily said.
"How'd the operation go?" Dunban asked.
"It was successful. Though, Fiora will need some training to adjust to her new body. I recommended walking around the platform surrounding the dome." Linada replied.
"That's good to hear. As her older brother, I'm happy to hear that." Dunban said with a smile.
"I take it those two are Riki and Melia, respectively?" Fiora asked Dunban as she pointed to a Nopon and a High Entia.
"Yes, Fiora. Feel free to greet them before your walk with Shulk." Dunban nodded.
Fiora, then, proceeded to walk towards the two allies. She would've ran towards them, but she knows to take the approach slow, considering she's still not used to her Mechon body.
"Greetings. I take it you two are Riki and Melia, respectively?" Fiora asked.
"Yes. I am Melia Antiqua. While we were on our way to Galahad Fortress, Shulk and Dunban told me a lot about you. And I will say, it's nice to meet you." Melia replied before offering a handshake.
Before Fiora could accept it...
"Fiora know well from Shulk and Dundun about Riki. Riki is mighty Heropon of Legend!" Riki boasted.
Fiora giggled before saying "I look forward to teaming up with you, Riki. By the way, do you actually address Dunban as "Dundun"?"
"He does, Fiora. In fact, he calls me "Melly", which I honestly do not mind." Melia replied, still offering her handshake.
"Anyways, it's nice to meet you, too, Melia. I look forward to working with you as well." Fiora accepted Melia's handshake for real.
"Are we set, Fiora?" Shulk asked.
"Of course, Shulk." Fiora replied.
"Then let's start walking."
"Right."
And after a bit, they start walking around the dome, as per Linada's recommendation. Dunban was just staring at the two with a smile, something he never imagined he'd ever be doing again. Normally, most big brothers are very protective of their little sisters against their loved ones, for some reason. Thankfully, Dunban is an exception, for he always thought Shulk and Fiora would make for a cute couple.
Dunban sighed in happiness, seeing his sister and her friend/lover walking around for the first time since before the attack on Colony 9. The only person in the village to notice is Reyn.
"Starin' at Shulk and Fiora again, Dunban?" Reyn asked.
"Oh, uh, Reyn. Heh. I guess you caught me in the act." Dunban nervously chuckled.
"It's fine, Dunban."
"So, Reyn? May I ask you a series of questions? I promise they won't be complicated."
"Of course, Dunban. I'm eager to listen and answer."
"Have you always thought of Shulk and Fiora... as a couple?"
"...What kind of question is that, Dunban? Of course I do."
"Good to know. I thought I asked because you're a close friend to the both of them. Even when you and Fiora tend to argue."
"Yeah. Back in Colony 9, despite my proven strength, Fiora refuses to trust me with protectin' Shulk. But because I had Shulk protected all the way up here, even with the Monado, Fiora had come to trust me more."
"That's good to hear, Reyn."
"Besides, I think my biggest arguer now is Riki."
"You two do have quite the vitriolic best buds type friendship. Good friends who don't like each other, of sorts."
"Yeah. Riki laughs at whatever misfortune I go through... unless it's serious, of course. Good thing that furball has standards."
"I see. I was just overjoyed that Fiora remembered me all along."
"Yeah. Fiora even said that you would cry... as long as no one's lookin'."
"...Where on Bionis would Fiora get such an idea?" Dunban replied with sarcasm.
"But I ain't gonna bother bringin' it up past there. I, too, was happy that Fiora remembered me the whole time, too. No doubt, Shulk was really happy, too."
"Yes. He was the first of us to be reunited with her."
"Quite so. And Fiora's determined to find out who was controllin' her body for a while."
"Indeed. As her brother, I will do everything I can to help her out."
"No doubt, this'll be mostly about either Shulk or Fiora. But no matter what happens..."
"We will be there to back them both up. And Sharla, Riki, and Melia will accompany us, too."
"It sure is, Dunban."
"But we did hear that Dickson will be on his way here. For he apparently heard about the destruction of Galahad Fortress."
"Yep. We'll have a chat with the old geezer before we depart to Mechonis."
"Right. And it appears Shulk and Fiora are halfway there already. Why don't we wait for them to come full circle?"
"Sure, thing. Maybe Fiora can cook some breakfast. I'm gettin' hungry."
Then they heard a voice chuckling from nearby. It was Sharla.
"Oh, Reyn. When you're not sleeping, you're eating." Sharla smirked.
"Not all the time! That describes ol' furball more!" Reyn insisted, but Dunban chuckled.
Meanwhile...
"Fiora, how are you holding up? Is the piezoelectric unit working like it should?" Shulk asked.
"Yes, Shulk. I am fine. I'll need a bit more time, but I'm feeling better compared to yesterday." Fiora replied.
"That's good. By the way, I heard that Dickson will arrive later."
"Really?"
"Indeed. He was shocked when we discovered you alive and as a Faced Mechon."
"I can't blame him for that. In fact, I was also shocked when I discovered that Metal Face, the one who is responsible for my death and your adventure, was actually Mumkhar this whole time."
"Well, Mumkhar is dead, now. He took himself out by accident, despite my vision and warning."
"Mmm. At least we won't have to deal with him ever again. Even if worlds beyond this one were to merge."
"What do you mean?"
"...Sorry, I don't know why I said that. Anyways, let's keep going."
Eventually, the two Homs, one part-Mechon now, came full circle. And by that point, Dickson has arrived on the Fallen Arm. And so, after their conversation, the group started training before they departed to Mechonis. This is where the story will end.
[Author's note: I'll be picking up a New Nintendo 3DS XL this weekend, so I can finally play Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, which I purchased a few months ago. What color should I get if red's impossible to find? Black or Galaxy? Please leave an answer in case you're to review this story. Don't forget to express your thoughts on this story as you review this, of course.]
[Author's note Update: I got a Galaxy colored New Nintendo 3DS XL the night before I wrote this update. So disregard that note and just express your thoughts on the story as you review it from here on out.]