A/N: Before I start, I want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the idea for this story. You are worthy to be praised! Amen.
Many people asked for a R.O.B. story immediately after I posted Acceptance, which is about the Duck Hunt Duo and why they're in Smash Brothers. Reading that story isn't really required, but it does set up the tone for this story.
Opinions on R.O.B. are split into two camps. The first camp are people that find him cool, love the fact that Nintendo added an important part of their history to the roster and felt bad for him because of his role in the Subspace Emissary. The second camp has people that do not like him for whatever reason, say that he's a waste of space and that he's lame. Granted, I used to be in the second camp, and I originally didn't see the point of R.O.B. being in the roster either. My opinion changed slightly due to the Subspace Emissary, but what really changed my mind was when I did my research and learned a lot of about why he was created.
This one-shot has been held back on the backburner for many reasons. One, I started two new stories (Fiery Heart, Broken Soul and The Heroes of Time), and two, I was trying to word this one-shot over and over again. I basically decided that I'd have to post this as a two-shot, since it's going to be too long to post as one whole chapter. The first part delves into R.O.B.'s history and who he was, as well as how his world fell apart. The second part will go into his role in the Subspace Emissary. As with Acceptance I will not spoil anything, but I will tell you that Luigi will be the one involved, not Mario.
I hope you enjoy part one of this story!
Story Title: Redemption
Tags: Tragedy/ Hurt/ Comfort/ Friendship/ Drama
Rating: T (for violence and tragic events, as well as some Nightmare Fuel)
Summary: Many have wondered why R.O.B. was allowed to stay in the Super Smash Brothers tournament after his actions in the Subspace Emissary. After all, he did almost destroy the multiverse, and as a machine, he probably didn't feel any remorse for it. But Luigi, the only Smasher who's willing to be R.O.B.'s friend, sees a sadness in the optics of this old machine and wonders how it's even possible for him to feel emotions. When he goes to Master Hand for questioning, the answers he gets are not what he expected. Sequel to Acceptance. Two-shot.
Disclaimer: As I said last time, I'm not Mashpotato Samura-I mean, Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Smash Brothers, so I don't own the series. *sighs*
REDEMPTION
PART 1: Remorse
"You should've seen the look on Mario's face after I used the Poltergust 5000. Man, if any moment called for a Kodak that was definitely it," Luigi said. "Although I have to admit that your Final Smash was cool, too, R.O.B."
The robot next to him turned to him and nodded, which the green plumber could only interpret as a 'thanks'.
"Although I have to admit, a whole bunch of people have lasers as their Final Smash this year," Luigi noted, stroking his moustache. "Palutena has one, Samus has one, that Gunner has three lasers...that's nothing compared to Mega Man. He summons five versions of himself to shoot lasers at you…"
R.O.B. looked down at the ground, his eyes looking sad. This made Luigi do a double take.
"Oh, I didn't mean to say that you're copying everyone else. I was just pointing out that a whole bunch of people have lasers," he said. "I know it wasn't easy for you to convince the professor to make the parts that allowed you to have a giant laser."
R.O.B. once more nodded. Luigi sighed. He really did enjoy the robot's company, but there were times that he wished that he could talk so that he could answer him.
"Hey, we'd better get ready for bed, though. The final rounds for the tournament start tomorrow," he said. "Don't overdo your training like you did today, alright?"
R.O.B nodded slowly, but before Luigi could say anything, the robot hovered over to his room door, which slid open automatically. The doors closed behind him with a metallic clang, leaving Luigi alone in the hallway.
"Geez, was it something I said that made him upset?" Luigi muttered, scratching his head.
Just then, the lights in the hallway started to dim, signaling light's out for everyone. Luigi sighed and went to his room, which was right across the hall from R.O.B's. He sighed. If he'd said anything to make the robot upset, he wanted to find a way to amend the situation.
As he got changed, he wondered how that was even possible. How could he have upset him? From what he'd gathered when he met R.O.B several years ago, he was a machine built by his professors to recover sticks of dynamite in their factory. Machines weren't programmed to have sentience, so they weren't supposed to feel emotions either. They didn't feel anger, joy, sympathy or compassion. In a way, that made machines even more monstrous than humans sometimes, since they could do horrendous things without remorse.
But Luigi got the feeling that wasn't the case with R.O.B. During the Subspace Emissary, the robot had looked quite depressed after realizing that his actions were causing entire worlds to be swallowed whole. Granted, Luigi had heard this second hand from Samus, who had met R.O.B. after he was revealed to be the Ancient Minister engineering the multiverse's destruction.
But still…why would R.O.B. do such a thing? And why did he look so saddened all the time, when as a machine he shouldn't be able to feel sadness?
Luigi climbed into bed, a whirwind of thoughts reigning in his mind. He sighed. All of this was making his head hurt.
"I'll probably feel a whole lot better after I get some hot milk. That always puts me to sleep," he said. Kicking off the covers, he put on his slippers and walked out of the room to go to the mess hall. He could hear the snoring of some of the occupants through the doors.
On his way to the mess hall, he found himself passing Master Hand's office. He gulped. The last time he'd been here was when he got in trouble for playing a "harmless" prank on Fox after a match. He wasn't going to go back in there after Master Hand showed him just what would happen the next time he tried to "skin a fox".
But Luigi also knew that if there was anybody who could answer these questions, it was Master Hand.
Sighing, he knocked on the door, wondering if the Hand of Creation was still awake. He then berated himself for wondering about something so obvious. Master Hand hardly if ever slept.
The doors swung open, and the entire cosmos was spread out before Luigi, dozens of galaxies and star systems spread out before him. Below, he could see the elaborate Final Destination, though the one for this tournament was smaller than before.
"I swear this stage is gonna get smaller and smaller every tournament," he muttered.
His musings were broken when he heard Master Hand's voice boom out, "Luigi, are you going to stand there, or are you going to come in?"
"I-I'm coming in…sir," Luigi replied quickly, and jumped into the room. He landed on the large platform on his face, sending pain coursing through him. "Ow…"
"Luigi, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Master Hand floated in out of nowhere, flexing his fingers. "I believe lights out was a few moments ago."
"Well…I can't sleep, sir."
"Really? You, the heaviest sleeper besides Kirby, cannot sleep?"
"Um…no, not really," Luigi muttered, kicking his right foot back and forth nervously. "B-But it's not without reason, though."
Master Hand sighed. "Well, Luigi, if it helps, you can talk to me about your troubles. Perhaps we may come to a solution."
Luigi sighed. Come on, Luigi. If you can get over your fear of ghosts, you can at least tell Master Hand what's going on.
"…Well, you know how everyone was asking why the Duck Hunt Duo was in? I want to know why R.O.B. got in," he said finally. "I know why he's in, for a part of the history of the multiverse, but…lately he seems really sad and melancholy."
Master Hand said nothing, instead going completely still.
"And the thing is, I can't figure out for the life of me why he would be so upset. He's a machine, and machines aren't supposed to feel emotion. But he seemed kind of sad when I mentioned that he got a laser like nearly everyone else in the tournament," Luigi continued. His words came out in a rush, as though he wouldn't be able to speak again if he stopped talking. He looked up at Master Hand. "Do you know what's up with R.O.B., Master Hand?"
There was a pause, and then Master Hand relaxed, albeit barely. "To explain that, Luigi, I will have to go into detail about the Subspace Emissary…an event that was my fault because of my inability to control everything in the multiverse, and because of my own neglect."
"I heard most of the story secondhand from Mario and the others who were involved, but…I-"
"No need to worry, Luigi. I will explain everything. But before I do, I must explain what R.O.B's role and purpose was originally in this universe, and why he has been back after so many years."
With a snap of his fingers, the whole of Final Destination disappeared, and the world became a swirl of color for Luigi. He could make out some things in the mix of color, though for the most part he heard distorted voices all shouting at once.
"It is time to begin…"
"You have outlived your usefulness."
"You WILL follow my orders, or all of you will die!"
That last line sent chills up Luigi's spine. The voice that shouted it sounded like Crazy Hand on helium gas. He turned around to ask Master Hand what was going on, but he didn't see the Hand of Creation anywhere.
Just then, the world stopped spinning, and Luigi found himself in the middle of a large building. With the large beakers and Benson burners left about on the table, he could see that it was a laboratory. All around him, there were massive blue and red walls that seemed to be blocking the path to the rest of the lab.
At the sound of lumbering footsteps, Luigi turned around to see a short, portly professor in a white labcoat stumble through the laboratory, his eyes closed as he moved forward. A few seconds later, another portly professor came running in, but he was wearing a gold labcoat and had gold hair. His expression was frantic.
"AAAH! R.O.B., hurry up and pick up the dynamite!" he called out.
There was a low whirring and what sounded like a top whirring on top of a machine. Then there was the beeping of a button, and the blue wall lifted upwards and disappeared into the ceiling. The professor in the white labcoat continued his sleepwalking routine until the professor in the gold coat ran up behind him and shook him awake. When that didn't work, he struck him across the face, knocking him down.
The man was up in an instant, his eyes wide with terror. "I TOLD YOU, THE MONKEYS HAVE MY MONEY!" he screamed.
"Forget the monkeys, Professor Hector!" the golden-haired man shouted, irritation in his voice. "If we don't hurry, those pesky Smicks are going to blow up the lab!"
Hector looked at the man with a serious expression. "We can't let that happen, can we? Quickly, get the Robotic Operating Buddy and take him to the other side of the lab. I swear the next time those birds get in here…"
All of a sudden, an earsplitting shriek filled the air, and both Hector and Vector looked upwards to see a green and yellow bird like creature fly through the labs, carrying a stick of dynamite in its claws. To both professors' horror, the stick was lit.
"Oh no!" Hector screamed. "Come on, before they blow us all to places!"
"I think you mean 'pieces', sir," Vector said.
Hector rolled his eyes. "Whatever! Let's get going!"
The two professors took off running, and R.O.B. came not long after, seeming to be floating off the ground as he took off after the professors.
"So…what's going on here?" Luigi asked, scratching his head.
"This is the world where R.O.B. was built, Luigi," Master Hand answered. "Gyromite Labs used to be a very successful laboratory for a long time, until they started making defective robot servants and lost more than they earned."
"So what did R.O.B. do here? Did he just open doors and stack things?"
"For the most part, Luigi, he was created as the perfect assistant. He was created to bring life back to the dying robot servant industry in this world. You can call him a Trojan horse if it helps you understand any better. He did not necessarily trick people into buying him, but many R.O.B.s were bought due to the robots they came with. This method brought success to Gyromite labs," Master Hand explained.
Luigi stared at Master Hand in shock, finding it hard to believe that this voiceless robot had saved an entire industry in this world. "Are you serious about this?"
"Since when am I never serious?" Master Hand replied simply.
"I guess I can't argue with you on that," Luigi noted. He watched as the robot and the professors chased out the Smicks, and put out the fire on the stick of dynamite.
"That was a close one. Next time, remind me to lock my doors when I sleep," Hector replied.
"I did lock your doors the last time, Prof, but you simply unlocked it and kept walking. You almost blew up our lab trying to return the 'money' to the monkeys in the walls," Vector explained, folding his arms.
Hector chuckled nervously, his face going beet red. "I do have the bad habit of talking in my sleep, don't I?" he said.
"Yes, Professor, you do," Vector said.
"Well, at least I have one ally in this place. Do you think I'm crazy, R.O.B.?" Hector turned to the machine.
R.O.B. sat for a moment, and then he nodded his head twice in agreement. Hector's mouth dropped open in shock while Vector laughed.
"I thought you were on my side!" he sputtered, to which the machine said nothing else.
Luigi chuckled, thinking how funny it would be to have Mario in place of Hector. As the trio headed back towards their rooms, another question came to mind. "But that still didn't answer my question about how R.O.B. could feel emotion."
"I was just going to get to that. As I mentioned earlier, the Robotic Operating Buddy was created as an assistant for the Stack Up robot. As a robotic assistant, he is not supposed to feel emotion. He is supposed to do what he was programmed for. But R.O.B. is an anomaly in this case. As the very first prototype, he was able to develop odd personality quirks, which eventually became a full on personality. He is a bit of an overachiever, and is very curious about everyone and everything. He is utterly devoted to whatever assignment he is given, and he cares for those who show him kindness. For some odd reason, rather than taking out these aspects as any reasonable programmer would, Hector and Vector decided to add even more features to him."
"Such as?"
"He can digest food, feel pain, and display more emotions than most people. The result made him almost human in a sense."
"Huh." Luigi really didn't know how to answer that. He'd always assumed that R.O.B. was just another emotionless machine. But the fact that he expressed happiness, sadness and even anger with people on various occasions discounted that theory.
"Wait a minute, Master Hand," Luigi started, dread coming into his stomach. "When I first met him and we were starting to know each other, R.O.B. told me that his professors were killed in a horrific explosion before he came to the tournament. Is that true?"
Master Hand let out a sad sigh. "How exactly did he tell you that? He is incapable of speaking."
"Captain Toad invented this really cool tablet that works kind of like a translator. It takes all of his beeps, buzzes and whatever noises he makes so I can understand him," Luigi said. "I ask him questions, he beeps his responses and the tablet translates them, though sometimes it's not all accurate."
"Not all translators are accurate, especially computerized ones," Master Hand explained. "But that is basically what happened. Both Hector and Vector were in fact, killed, but not immediately before the tournament as R.O.B. explained."
"Wait, so this happened before he came?" Luigi asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. It happened a good twenty three years ago. I can see why he told you a different story, Luigi. The actual event traumatized him for years."
Luigi was shocked. He didn't think that a robot could even feel traumatized. The scene at the labs disappeared, now showing the building in flames. Tall columns of black smoke rose into the sky, making the steel gray clouds even darker. All around them, snow fell, sending a chill up Luigi's spine.
There were a group of men that were taking R.O.B.s out of the burning laboratory and loading them into a truck. Most of the R.O.B.s went without protest, but near the entrance, there was commotion as three men wrestled to get a hold of one of them. The original prototype R.O.B. was struggling to get out of their grip and rush back towards the burning building. After a few seconds, one man hit a switch on R.O.B.'s lower body, and there was a low hum as he powered down.
"Phew! That took a lot of effort," one man said.
"Good thing you found that switch. I think he would've blown himself up if we didn't stop him," the second said. "Let's get these guys to a safe place."
With that, the three men hefted R.O.B. up onto their shoulders and dragged him over to the truck. After they placed him in, they closed the doors to the truck and the truck pulled off, kicking up dirty snow all around them.
"What happened here?" Luigi asked.
"Professor Hector and Vector had more problems aside from Hector's sleepwalking habits. The Smicks, one of which you saw earlier, were bird like creatures that scattered dynamite all over the labs, most of which were lit. In order to combat these creatures, Hector and Vector created R.O.B. to help them get rid of the dynamite," Master Hand explained. "Unfortunately, R.O.B. is not that fast, and he normally has to do things one at a time. One time, the Smicks came into the lab en masse, lighting sticks of blue and red dynamite and leaving them all over the labs. R.O.B. attempted to put out the sticks of dynamite, but he was not fast enough, and one section of the laboratory exploded."
"Is...is that where Professor Hector and Vector were killed?" Luigi asked.
"Yes. R.O.B. recalled hearing their screams as they were both consumed by the flames. He attempted to reach them, but the firefighters got him out of the wreckage just in time," Master Hand explained. "He would have joined them had those men not saved his life."
"Oh my goodness." Luigi suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Losing the people who gave you purpose in life to a tragic accident that you could have prevented would have traumatized anybody. The robot must have been carrying that guilt for decades.
When he spoke, his voice was tight with restrained tears. "What happened to him from here?"
"Well, the same time the labs went up in flames was the same time that the robot servant industry started to fall out of favor with people. The rich decided to build their own robots that were superior to the ones Gyromite Labs created, and the poor had no way to afford them. Many found R.O.B.s to be outdated, very slow machines. Eventually, most people either threw away their robots, or gave him away. Some did keep them, but mostly because they didn't know what to do with them. There were only two models with R.O.B.'s line before it was discontinued: the first wave with grey plating, and the tan and red plating he currently has now."
The scene shifted once more to a large warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Arid wind blew all around Luigi and sand kicked into his eyes. The same laborers from earlier were placing the R.O.B.s inside the warehouse, some less gently than others. Beside them, a group of men in black business suits watched as they put the robots inside the building. One man in particular, a Japanese man wearing a silver suit and a white dress shirt with a red tie, looked at the robots sadly as they were placed in.
When the prototype was put inside, he held up a hand before they closed the door, signaling for the men to wait. He walked inside, and pressed a button on R.O.B.'s head. There was a loud whirring noise as his upper torso spun about and his optics snapped open. He looked upwards at the man.
"Famicom Robot, I am so sorry," he said, his accent very thick. "I am afraid you and the rest of the Famicom Robots will have to remain here until we can find some better living arrangements for you. Let it not be said that we are ungrateful. You have done your duty well. You have saved the world of video games, and I am sure we would have gone out of business by now if you had not been involved." He reached forward and patted the robot on the head. "Can I trust you to look after the Robots while I am gone?"
There was a pause as R.O.B. looked at the millions of R.O.B.s inside the warehouse. Resignation was in his optics, as if he realized that this would be his duty from now on. He turned towards the man, and nodded.
"Good. I know you will not fail," the man said. He then bowed before the robot in reverence. "Until we meet again, Famicom Robots, sayonara."
With that, the men slid both doors closed. The prototype R.O.B. and the others all waved their arms in a farewell gesture just before the doors shut with a loud clang.
After padlocking the doors, the men turned towards the Japanese businessman. "Mr. Dou, I know that was hard for you to do," the lead man said. He had a bushy beard and wore outdoor clothing, as well as a green baseball cap on his head.
Dou nodded. "It was very hard. My intention was to create more things for the Famicom Robots...but with the Famicom's lifespan ending soon, and with everyone abandoning the Robot, not to mention the unfortunate deaths of Professor Hector and Vector, I have no other choice but to discontinue their line. I just hope that they will not hate me."
"Don't worry, sir. The robots are just accessories. They can't feel emotions anyway," the man said. "You won't need to worry about them hating you."
"On that, I believe you are wrong," Do said placidly. "The prototype R.O.B. is suffering due to the deaths of his creators. And I believe most of them are affected by this. Just give them time. You will see that I am right."
The other man sighed, but he said nothing. The group marched to their black SUV in single file, got in, and squealed away from the desert, kicking up dust and sand behind them.
"Wait, who was that?" Luigi asked. "And who's this...Mr. Dou?"
"His name is Ninten Dou, the person who originally came up with the idea for R.O.B.. He farmed out the work to Gyromite Labs, then known to be the gods of robotics. R.O.B. was known in Japan as the Famicom Robot, and his job there was to be an accessory for video games in order to revive a dying industry there as well. Dou had many great things planned for him, and he ordered mass production of the R.O.B.s, but unfortunately, since many had no use for him, he had to gather them all up and place them in a warehouse. He placed the prototype R.O.B. in charge of all the R.O.B.s in their small warehouse in the middle of the desert. He never came back, not even to check on them."
"Why did he leave them?"
"He became preoccupied with his business, Luigi. That's what happens. I myself paid no attention to R.O.B., and I manage most of the multiverse...until the third tournament."
"A lot of people didn't know who he was when he appeared. He just...kind of came out of nowhere," Luigi admitted.
"Many feel the same way you did about R.O.B., Luigi...hence why I am not too proud of what happened during the third tournament."
Luigi could sense sadness in Master Hand's voice. He remembered what the Hand of Creation had said earlier about the Subspace Emissary being his fault, so he knew that this wasn't going to be an easy story to tell.
"Not long after Melee was finished, Crazy Hand and I had a falling out. We dueled over the fate of the multiverse, as Crazy Hand planned to make it a madman's world. I stopped him and exiled him into a dimension far beyond the Final Destination, known as the Subspace. I thought that it would keep Crazy Hand at bay, and I began planning the next Super Smash Brothers tournament. Another competitor by the name of Tabuu had attempted to be the first of the newcomers, but I sensed his power, which exceeded my own. I would not allow myself to be beaten by this mere mortal, and I sealed him into the Subspace as well. Alas, that pride backfired.
"Late into the tournament, I received a startling report that the balance of power had shifted, and a great power was planning to take over the multiverse. I went to the Subspace to see what was going on, and that was when I fell into a disastrous trap."
Everything around Luigi went pitch black, and the only thing that kept him from having a complete meltdown was the fact that Master Hand's light was shining down on him. Aside from that, he could see nothing in that space.
That was when he heard the screaming. It was the most terrible sound he'd ever heard, a deep throated howl of unadulterated pain. When the scene appeared in front of him moments later, Luigi immediately wished the room was dark again.
Hanging above him like a massive chandelier was Master Hand, red with pain and sparks of electricity racing across his fingers. He had cuts all over him, and all of them were leaking blood. His knuckles were the only thing that remained bone white. Four orange razor thin chains were anchored in Master Hand's knuckles, causing him pain every time he tried to move. The chains disappeared into the sky, and maniacal laughter filled the air as a human like form with multicolored wings descended from the dark sky.
Luigi stared at the scene in shock, realizing that he'd seen this place before. It was the entrance to Subspace, where he, Ness and Dedede had gone up to challenge Tabuu. This was the spot where the rest of the Smashers had been turned into trophies after they finally entered the Subspace.
And this was the spot where Master Hand had tried to rebel against Tabuu, but failed.
"So...the unbeatable Hand of Creation, huh?" Tabuu rasped. He scoffed. "Pathetic. I thought you would have put up more of a fight against me, because after all, you don't want to be beaten by a mere mortal, right?"
"You...how could you have amassed so much power?!" Master Hand writhed against the chains, causing a wave of blue and black electricity to come over him. He screamed so loudly, all of Subspace shook uncontrollably. Luigi covered his ears from the volume and the pain of the scream.
"It is a combination of my powers and Crazy Hand's," Tabuu responded. "I learned from the best of the best after all."
Icy terror made the blood in Luigi's veins run cold. "C-C-Crazy Hand?" he stammered.
"How is that possible?! I drained Crazy Hand of his powers before sending him to the Subspace!"
Tabuu laughed. "You fool. You prideful, overconfident fool. Your banishing Crazy Hand to the Subspace gave him the means to recover his powers. I believe you remembered the part about the Subspace affecting fighters, but that's only if they are normal human fighters. Placing a deity like Crazy Hand in there will only have him regain his powers...and make him even more powerful than you."
The color drained from Master Hand's fingers, making him look eerie with half of his hand red with pain and the other bone white with fear. "I...I cannot believe it. I had sensed power fluctuations before, but...I should have noticed Crazy Hand's strength before it was too late!"
"It is too late, Master Hand...for you and the rest of the multiverse. I will destroy everything and become the supreme ruler of all!" Tabuu declared. "But first...I will need some assistants to help me to this job. Destroying the multiverse takes a lot of effort." Then, his features turned into the cruelest smile that Luigi had ever seen on a human face. "And I know just who to use."
With that, the scene disappeared, and Luigi found himself back in the middle of the desert, where the warehouse still stood. With the walls looking ready to fold in on itself and the roof halfway inside the building, Luigi was amazed the building was standing at all. It was currently midnight in the desert, and the mustachioed plumber shivered at the freezing temperatures biting through his nightshirt. He wished he had brought something warm with him.
All of a sudden, a massive thunderclap resounded through the air, and an entourage of thunderclouds formed over the warehouse, seeming to grow in size. Blue and green lightning bolts flashed everywhere, signaling that this was no natural storm.
Luigi had no time to run before a massive multicolored lightning bolt the size of the Empire State Building struck the warehouse head on. The explosion that followed sent wood, fire, sand and steel shooting into the air like a geyser. The doors was blown off of the hinges from the force of the explosion, and they collapsed to the ground, fire curling the paint and melting the steel.
The R.O.B.s poured out of the warehouse like a school of fish released from a net, most of them with their arms in the air and making buzzing noises that sounded like cries for help. A wind with the force of a hurricane came up, blowing most of them down and causing the fire to spread across the desert. Black streaks of burned sand spread everywhere.
The prototype R.O.B. came out of the building last, looking half ready to fall apart, as his arms were threatening to come loose and his grey plating was covered with rust. He hovered slowly, the motors sounding ready to die at any moment. He craned his neck upwards to see a large blue form descend from the sky, rainbow-hued wings sprouting from its back, and his optics widened in shock.
The being hit the ground with a slam, sending some R.O.B.s flying backwards. The prototype looked at the blue humanoid, his optics readjusting to focus on this new creature.
"Greetings, Robotic Operating Buddy. It appears the last twenty years haven't been very kind to you," the humanoid noted, pointing at R.O.B.'s rusty plating. "But you needn't worry about that any longer. For soon, you will have a new body...though you must agree to something first before I give it to you."
The prototype looked at the creature, and Luigi could see the curiosity in his eyes.
"What I need you to do...is to help me destroy the multiverse. I have created weapons meant to swallow entire worlds whole, but the mechanisms require your expertise, R.O.B. You and your race will be able to work after being abandoned for so long," he said. "Just agree with me, and we can start working immediately."
"Don't do it, R.O.B.! Think of what you're doing!" Luigi shouted.
The prototype R.O.B. looked around him, seeing as the other R.O.B.s had stopped panicking. It would be great for all of the R.O.B.s to get new bodies, as all of the spare parts he'd acquired were starting to fall apart and rust. But he looked around the desert before him, and he realized then that he couldn't possibly destroy the world. He had waited for two decades to be useful to people again, to really be part of the multiverse, and to atone for what happened to the professors.
The robot shook his head in response, sending relief flooding into Luigi's bones.
Tabuu, however, wasn't that pleased with R.O.B.'s response.
"Very well. It's your choice," he said pleasantly, though Luigi caught that his tone was forced, as if he were holding himself back from destroying the robot. He watched as Tabuu turned his attention to the other R.O.B.s, malicious intent in his eyes.
White fire shot out of his eyes and descended in twin streams towards the robots. With a tilt of his head, he incinerated a row of R.O.B.s that had tried to run. Their high-pitched shrieks of pain died suddenly as the fire destroyed their circuitry, reducing them into piles of mangled, charred metal.
The prototype R.O.B.'s optics widened in utter horror as Tabuu continued his killing spree, sweeping many of the prototype's brethren into the distance with his large wings and blasting them with fire. Some of the R.O.B.s were running away, but they didn't get fare before Tabuu melted them into rubble.
With what power he could muster, the prototype charged towards Tabuu, the motor rattling and his rusty arms half raised in a fighting stance. His optics flashed a bright white, which narrowed in determination as he came closer to Tabuu. He didn't care if he destroyed himself for doing this. He called in the last of his energy reserves, his head burning from the inside as he prepared to unleash his attack. He was vaguely aware of one R.O.B. shrieking warnings at him, or the power that was coming from the humanoid.
It was one thing to come after him to ask him to do evil. It was an entirely different matter to hurt the other R.O.B.s for refusing to do evil. And even though he was falling apart, he was not going to let this monster get away with destroying the other R.O.B.s anyway he pleased.
His body shuddered violently, and a red flicker of light appeared at the top of his head; small at first, but then sparking with small red bolts of electricity. The angry buzzing and high pitched whirring coming from him caused Tabuu to turn around to see what was going on. A thin red laser shot out of the prototype's forehead, striking Tabuu's left hand. Tabuu laughed as though it tickled, only for his laugh to become a scream of pain as the prototype poured what was left of his energy into the beam, boring a hole into the humanoid's hand. He yanked his hand upwards, looked at the dark hole in his hand, and focused his full attention on the prototype, white fire forming in his good right hand. With a scream of indignation, he sent a stream of white flames towards R.O.B.'s laser beam. The sky erupted into color as the two attacks struggled to overcome each other.
The beam fight was over in seconds, for Tabuu's fire attack managed to push back the prototype's at an astonishing speed. The prototype R.O.B., having exhausted his energy reserves, had no means of defending himself, and Tabuu's attack crashed into him. A brilliant explosion occurred, blowing him to pieces. Only a three foot deep crater in the sand marked where he'd been earlier. What remained of his armor streaked through the air like meteorites and slammed into the ground with incredible force.
Tabuu turned towards the remaining R.O.B.s, who appeared to be shuddering with fear. "Do you see what has happened to your leader?! That is your punishment should you even consider refusing my demands!" he roared, the volume of his voice sending three robots flying. When a few more robots hissed and clicked in anger, he boomed, "You will follow my orders, or else you will end up like him!"
That shut the robots up fast, and all of them looked at the remains of the prototype, whose body was spread all over the desert. Conflicting emotions flickered in their optics, running over decisions in their minds. He'd been with them all since the day they were put into the warehouse, and had taken care of them for twenty years, loving them all as though they were children. They all respected him and loved him as well.
With sadness in their optics, they collectively nodded in agreement. Tabuu's mouth curled into a cruel smile.
"Well. That, it seems, got you to finally agree," he said. With a snap of his fingers, the white fire disappeared from the prototype's remains in a puff of smoke. At this point, however, he was already gone. Seeing how distraught the R.O.B.s looked, Tabuu said, "Don't worry. He'll be rebuilt with a new body that'll be mostly heat-resistant. All of you will get the same body as well. Now come with me. We have a lot of work to do."
Raising his arms in a lifting gesture, Tabuu lifted into the sky, and so did the R.O.B.s. Some of them looked at the warehouse forlornly, while others focused their attention on their leader, whose remains were rising into the sky with them. A large black hole opened up in the midst of the thunderclouds, and the entourage soon went inside it. In a matter of seconds, the black hole disappeared and so did the clouds. With the exceptions of the destroyed warehouse and the blackened sand, everything was back to normal.
Luigi found himself staring at the remains of this scene in shock. He had gotten the feeling that Tabuu was as heartless as they come, but this...this made him out to be a complete monster. After all, he was able to wrestle control of the multiverse away from Master Hand, keeping him imprisoned in the Subspace, and had blackmailed the R.O.B.s into servitude by blowing up the prototype. He could only imagine what went through the prototype's head after he'd been rebuilt.
All of a sudden, the scene shattered before him, and Luigi found himself at gravity's mercy as he fell through the floor. A scream bubbled up in his throat, but it remained trapped there as the air was whooshed from his lungs. He found himself rapidly approaching a large platform, streaked with blue and black energy. Thunder crashed around him, and he knew that he was heading back to the Subspace.
Luigi landed on the platform on his face, pain coursing through his large, bulbous nose. He sat up with a moan, and that was when he heard Tabuu's voice proclaim, "Now, doesn't that look better than your old plating?"
The plumber looked in front of him, and there, sitting on a large pedestal in front of Tabuu, was the prototype R.O.B. He had been rebuilt completely, and his plating resembled that of the second model's, only with a yellowish tint to it. His pincers and the bottom of his hexagonal platform was red. The robot was also somewhat taller, as he had originally been the same size as the other R.O.B.s.
He looked down at himself, and chirped unhappily.
"You should be grateful, you aging piece of scrap. I could have left you for dead," Tabuu said. "I've already told you what would happen should you disobey me."
R.O.B. gave Tabuu what Luigi assumed to be a glare, but he said nothing else.
"Now, I've gotten everything set up perfectly. You will appear during the middle of the tournament, and challenge any Smasher you come across. Once you are defeated, you will be placed in the roster of fighters along with the rest of them. Before the end of the tournament, we shall place our plan into motion. There are two others that I'm planning on gathering to help, but I think you'll do just fine."
The prototype nodded, and Tabuu disappeared, leaving all of the R.O.B.s in Subspace. The other R.O.B.s looked down at the floor, their expressions remorseful. Luigi could even swear that he saw regret in their eyes, as if thinking, What have we done?
The scene in front of Luigi vanished away to reveal the Final Destination again. Slowly, Master Hand floated from the other side of the platform, flexing his fingers. A tense minute of silence went between the two of them, and the only sound that came from the Final Destination was the howling of the wind.
After a moment, Master Hand said, "The reason why I brought you back, Luigi, is to see how you feel about this whole situation before I show you more of R.O.B.'s story. It is...quite distressing, I know." His tone was sorrowful as he faced the taller plumber, who was wiping away tears.
"T-that's...that's really depressing, y-you know?" Luigi replied finally, his voice racked with sobs. Out of all the things he'd faced in life, he had never, ever seen anything as heartbreaking as R.O.B.'s past. "N-Nobody should go through that much suffering..."
"Yes, that is true. But sometimes, people are just that unlucky, Luigi." Master Hand sighed. "I am not sure if R.O.B's story will ease the animosity and hurt that many of the Smashers feel towards him. But it will explain why he did what he did, and why he is the way he is."
Luigi sighed. "So now..."
Master Hand turned to face the galaxies and the millions of stars that surrounded them in the Final Destination. "So now...we must go into the Subspace Emissary, now that you understand how R.O.B. was forced to work against his will to protect the people he cared about."
The universe melted away from Luigi's eyes, and he mentally braced himself for what would come as Mario, Link and Kirby came running into view...
END OF PART 1
Well, how was that? My original draft was going to go into details about R.O.B.'s role in the video game industry, but since Acceptance was pretty much set away from video games, I decided it would be too confusing and deleted it. With the introduction of that Ninten Dou (clever, huh?) guy, you get to see just what R.O.B. did. He did save video games, but he outlived his purpose and was forgotten for a long time until now. To some people, he should stay forgotten, but I disagree.
So far, R.O.B.'s story is a bit sadder than the Duck Hunt Duo's. He lost his creators, his identity, his home and then his life, then he comes back and finds out the other R.O.B.s were forced to cooperate in destroying the whole mutliverse if they wanted to live. He refused, but Tabuu threatened to kill all the R.O.B.s if he didn't. If you thought things were bad for R.O.B. now, things in the second part won't look too good for him either, until the end of the story. I have no idea when the second part will be out, though. I've got a lot of stories to do.
Tell me what you think in your reviews! I'd really appreciate it!
God bless, iheartgod175