Prologue
Heroes and villains, bound together in an endless struggle for a princess, a kingdom, a power. Those were the days when the world's vastness was beyond comprehension, when the universe was infinite and the kingdoms separate. Those were the days when the simple linear conflict reigned supreme, when one or a few heroes had only to worry about one or a few villains. Those were the days when life was limited to the familiar things, and those things that seemed foreign at first were merely another form of that same familiarity. Those were the days when world conquest was restricted to one world.
But those days were no more.
As mysterious as continental drift and the idea of a primordial Pangaea once seemed to us, so did the concept of a divided universe appear to the inhabitants of the Nintendo World. For as long as any of them could remember, the kingdoms were a conglomerate mainland, each with their territorial boundaries, yet inextricably meshed with the others.
These amalgamated worlds required no more than a casual stroll to cross from one land into another, and consequently, they could not live in complete ignorance of their neighbors no matter how much they wished to. Commerce was fair and open between most boundaries, and interregional war within their world was unheard of at that time, though each kingdom had methods of preparing and training warriors to defend its soil. For though all lands were at peace, all were wary of the disquieting resident living in the far northwestern reaches of the mainland.
This being was known as Master Hand, and although he had only ever been known to venture beyond his homeland to sponsor friendly battle tournaments, those who had been in his presence (who were few) had been impressed with great fear of Master Hand's unknown motives and capabilities, and they had warned their peoples against ever relaxing their watchfulness of that ambiguous corner of the mainland.
What were most remarkable of all, however, were their memories. Heroes and villains alike could recall many adventures and quests and battles in which only their respective kingdoms were concerned, yet inexplicably, as if they had all awoken one day with a sudden awareness of the kingdoms around them, not one of them could name a single instance in which a hostile conflict had crossed between multiple kingdoms in any way.
Until now.
We shall speak no more of the natural mystery of the Nintendo World's origins. That is a tale for another time. Now, let us see how events will unfold.
Note: To view the map of the Nintendo World, search "Nintendo Map Revised" on Photobucket or Google and find it under the user Bob_Snicket.
Book 1
The Journey
Chapter 1: Familiar Days
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Mario dashed around Bowser's side as the Koopa King stomped toward him, nostrils steaming vehemently. From the beast's tough, scaly body to his pointed horns, claws, and shell spikes, Bowser was built to be a menace, although the one soul in the entire Mushroom Kingdom who was not intimidated by his impressive bulk and savage, fiery eyes happened to be the opponent he now faced. Nonetheless, he was not about to yield yet another victory to the Italian plumber without a fight.
As Mario attempted to outmaneuver his opponent, Bowser rotated his body at a remarkable speed, not allowing his quarry to escape his sight. Drawing a deep, monstrous breath, he caused the air rushing from his lungs to combust and flow from his gaping maw in a torrent of flames. Mario spun around on his feet inches from being engulfed by the inferno and opted for the other direction, sweating profusely as the wall of licking flames pursued him as if alive. Gradually, he gained the advantage over Bowser's inhibited gyrations and dove inward, grabbing onto his enemy's reptilian tail.
Bowser's fire-breathing was cut short by the undignified jerk on his hindquarters, and his furious roars echoed across the platform upon which they battled as Mario lifted him off the ground and exerted disproportionate strength to spin him about—slowly at first, then picking up speed until Mario's vision was but a blur of the blue and purple sky combined with Bowser's greens and yellows. Once the spinning motion had accelerated to its capacity, Mario carefully timed the rhythm of the colors flying past him and released the tail.
With a roar even mightier than those before, Bowser careened across the platform and slammed into a blue sphere with yellow spikes, which exploded upon contact.
Mario repositioned himself as the Koopa King fell. He brushed off debris from his red sleeves and blue overalls, pulled down his white gloves, smoothed his lush black mustache, and adjusted his trademark "M" cap. The stench of smoke and charred flesh assaulted his senses, as well as an overwhelming dizziness from having spun a several-hundred-pound beast around for twenty seconds. A jarring crash sounded as Bowser met the platform face-first, shaking the entire structure. In fact, this disruption was sufficient to cause several segments of the platform to break off from it entirely, conveniently leaving behind the shape of a star.
With a throaty groan, Bowser clambered back onto his thick, muscular legs, facing his eternal rival, who had assumed a battle-ready stance. Narrowing his dark scarlet eyes, he muttered in a deep, resonant growl, never averting his gaze from that of Mario's.
"No…you won't beat me…this time."
Sparing no more breath for words, Bowser cast himself several yards into the air and plummeted back to the surface like an angry meteor. The collision sent several ripples of wind-driven energy in quick succession toward Mario, who was taken by surprise and found himself being recklessly tossed and battered by each wave, nearly knocking the wind out of him by the time he was left to collapse, panting, on the ground.
Bowser swiftly closed the distance between them and raised a claw, snorting triumphantly.
"Finally! See how you like it, hero!"
He brought his claw down toward Mario's throat with all the force he could muster, and…
…a metallic blur flashed before his vision, he felt a painful thump on his forehead, and all went black as pitch.
Mario shook his head and blinked rapidly, removing the last vestiges of pain from Bowser's body slam. He looked up through hazy vision to see a figure standing over him, then instinctively pushed himself away and stood unsteadily. Bowser's unconscious form lay nearby, yet he knew Bowser had not been the one to deliver the final blow. He focused on the unknown figure until clarity returned to his sight.
It was a man composed entirely of metal. Even its eyes, with no pupils, seemed to stare blankly and emotionlessly into his own. But what disturbed Mario most of all was when he realized with a start that this figure was made in his own likeness: Every detail—the face, the clothing, everything—was an exact replica of himself. It was a copy; a doppelganger; a Metal Mario.
And despite the mystery surrounding this newcomer, Mario felt certain of one thing: It wasn't here to help him.
"Who are a-you?" he demanded, brandishing his fists in what he hoped to be an imposing gesture.
But Metal Mario was silent. It simply stared at him for a long, uncomfortable moment.
And then it attacked.
Mario leapt over his assailant just in time, and turning around in midair, he tossed several spinning fireballs in Metal Mario's direction. As he landed, however, Metal Mario came at him again, dodging fireballs as it jumped once, twice, and a third time, soaring high above Mario's head and rolling forward as it descended abnormally fast, as if the effects of gravity were doubled upon it.
With almost no time to think, Mario brought back his gloved fist and punched the metal boot falling upon him.
Metal Mario was knocked back a few feet by the punch, but its dense, solid mass aided by its falling momentum caused Mario to fare far worse from the recoil, tossing him across the star-shaped platform until he was left hanging off the edge of one of the points. His head pounded and ached sharply, and it took all his remaining energy to clamber back onto the platform, panting heavily on his hands and knees.
He lifted his head to find Metal Mario directly above him, once again staring blankly at him out of rigid, metallic eyes.
"Wh…why…?" Mario managed weakly.
Shortly after, he collapsed, his consciousness slipping away.
Princess Peach paced back and forth across her bedchamber, awaiting yet another rescue. I hope Mario's all right, she thought, her small gloved hands clenched together beneath her delicate chin. He's usually defeated Bowser by now….
Peach's bedroom door was, of course, locked from the outside, and there were no windows that she might have floated down from to safety. Clearly, the architect who designed this part of the castle did not have a high regard for the future occupants of this room. But alas, this was the eternal pattern of things. At least Bowser was predictable enough that she could rest assured of her own personal safety, and being imprisoned in her own quarters was surely preferable to a dungeon or dark tower.
The princess sighed and sat on her royally adorned bed, hands in her lap. She had not bothered to change from her traditional pink dress with a glittering sapphire embedded in the front. Nor had she cared to remove her sapphire earrings or her bejeweled diadem from atop her flowing golden hair. It was only a matter of time, she figured.
In the midst of her reverie, there was a sudden crash, and the door tumbled inward, sending splinters flying and clouds of sawdust billowing outward.
Peach coughed and made out a silhouette standing in the doorway. Her heart leaped.
"Mario! You did it!" she exclaimed with gentle excitement. "But…why did you break the door down?"
The silhouette stepped forward, revealing Metal Mario, with an unconscious Mario being dragged behind it.
"Oh no!" Peach shrieked, her hand flying to her mouth.
Metal Mario took another step toward the retreating princess, silent as always, although its disposition seemed to send a clear message.
Your troubles are only beginning.
Far beyond the reaches of the Mushroom Kingdom, travelers from all around the Nintendo World were gathered to celebrate the annual Pokéfloat Festival in Saffron City, one of the most populous and industrious cities in the land (excluding Fourside, which was essentially the size of a mini-Coruscant). Dozens of enormous Pokémon-shaped balloons hovered over the towering cityscape, ranging from a modest Caterpie blimp to a colossal Entei airship. Their hulking masses eclipsed the mid-afternoon sunlight, casting titanic shadows over the crowds of people and Pokémon gathered in the streets and squares below.
Amidst the commotion, a boy made his way through the crowd, seeking a position from which he could watch the floats drift across the bright blue sky. Although on most occasions he wore his red-and-blue cap sideways, today he opted to leave the cap facing forward so as to shield his black button eyes from the sun. His blue-and-yellow striped T-shirt and jean shorts happened to suit the day's weather perfectly; it was hot enough that Ness felt rather sorry for the two midgets clad in parkas in front of him.
Wait a minute…parkas…?
"Hey!" Ness called out to the Ice Climbers in an attempt to win their attention. However, the uproar of the throngs of Nintendonians drowned out even his most earnest of shouts, so he resorted to tapping Popo's arctic blue parka on the shoulder, upon which both he and his longtime partner and sibling, Nana, turned to face him simultaneously as if he had tapped both of them (which seemed slightly creepy).
"Ness!" they exclaimed in unison, smiling candidly. "It's great to see you!"
"What brings you guys here?" Ness asked, shaking their…hammers. He got the feeling these two didn't leave their frosty retreat within the Icicle Mountains often. In fact, Ness had only recently become acquainted with the Ice Climbers through the latest fighting tournament sponsored by Master Hand. Yet seeing as he had failed to convince Paula, Jeff, or Poo to accompany him to the festival, any friendly face was a welcome relief to him.
The Ice Climbers simply pointed their wooden mallets at the spectacle above for explanation. Then Nana's eyes widened and she pointed at something in the sky with her other mitten-covered hand, which had been holding Popo's.
"Look at that one!"
Blowing their way through the cloudless air was a balloon representing an exceedingly colorful bird Pokémon. Its noble beak, golden head feathers, and piercing red-orange eyes seemed to cause the rest of the floats to pale in comparison.
"Pika, Pika-chu!"
Joining the group was a small yellow mouse Pokémon, its lighting bolt tail and red-spotted cheeks sparking with electricity despite the unmistakably calm weather. By "Pika, Pika-chu!" the Kanto-native creature was saying, "It is said that seeing Ho-oh brings good fortune. Whether or not that applies to an inflated replica, however, is uncertain."
"Pikachu, it's been too long!" Ness said. The PSI-potent boy was correct in identifying this particular Pikachu as the Pikachu: the one who had been invited to the Smash Tournaments along with the others; the one whose owner, Red, trusted him so much as to allow him to travel wherever he pleased and rejoin his master at his own leisure.
"Pikaaaaa!" the Pokémon responded, conveying the general message that "indeed it has."
But then the scattered noise of the crowd morphed from laughter and excitement to shouts and screams and pointing fingers. Above them, several dark specks had apparently dived off the basket beneath the Caterpie blimp and were falling in a close cluster at an inordinate rate.
And they seemed to be aiming toward Ness, the Ice Climbers, and Pikachu.
"Watch out!" Popo and Nana cried out simultaneously, backing away from the cluster. Ness and Pikachu followed suit. The crowd scattered, descending into muddled chaos as if they were in the middle of an Independence Day attack.
No sooner had they retreated than the "specks" were no longer specks, but were a mass of glittering figures dropping like so many shooting stars, and within seconds, there was a tremendous crash as they reached the surface, sending clouds of dust and debris in every direction.
Ness choked on the dust and rubbed his eyes to clear the irritating filth from them. He remained standing where he was, his legs cemented with shock as the airborne sediment fled the site of impact to reveal what stood in the newly formed crater at the center.
Meeting yourself is one of the strangest sensations imaginable, and Ness experienced this as he stood face to face with an exact replica of his own prepubescent form—except it was made entirely of metal.
In fact, Popo, Nana, and Pikachu underwent similar experiences as they, too, found themselves staring at polished metal versions of themselves, each turned toward its respective original.
No wonder they glittered in the sun.
After the initial shock had passed, Ness noticed at last that the Metal Ness had its head bent forward and fists clenched—as if it were concentrating….
"Get away!" Ness yelled to the others, yet at that moment gasping as two Freezies slid into his feet, freezing them in place.
Pikachu, on the other hand, had already charged at his steel imitator, attempting a sudden Skull Bash. The Metal Pikachu seemed to react effortlessly by catching him mid-charge and smacking his head mercilessly with a continual Tail Whip, which was considerably more painful coming from a solid metal tail. Pikachu tried to break free of the assault, but his increasing dizziness combined with the general pandemonium rendered him inept. Finally, Metal Pikachu summoned a mighty Thunder attack from the heavens while maintaining its rigid grip on its likeness. Pikachu cried out in agony for the duration of the strike, then rolled onto the ground, defeated.
The Ice Climbers, upon realizing what was about to happen, made to escape from the crater. They were nearly out of range when Popo heard a cry and turned to find that Nana had tripped over a curb, struggling to arise. Popo did not hesitate to double back and rush to his companion's aid.
"We're not gonna make it…." Nana looked into the beloved face of her lifelong friend and then came to a decision. She quickly hooked her climbing rope onto Popo's carabiner, bent her knees, and then bounced upward, dragging her partner up with her when the belay line grew taut.
"No! Nana!"
Popo realized as he was being tugged away what she was doing, and as he was forced skyward past her, he tried to grab her hand. But Nana disconnected her end of the line and allowed herself to fall back down as he was launched far from the field of danger.
As he tumbled to the earth at least thirty feet distant, Popo saw a bright flash of green where the crater had been made. There was no announcement of "PK Flash!" But green explosion engulfed them, leaving the mountaineer sobbing and not knowing which way was up as his strength failed him, and soon thereafter, his consciousness.
When Popo awoke, the square was deserted, and all the other characters—both flesh and metal—had vanished.
A lone Arwing lowered out of the atmosphere and beheld the medieval structures of Castle Town below. Gliding through the bright Hylian sky, it left a steady trail of smoke as it made its descent toward Hyrule Castle. The pilot admired the simple beauty of the place: The bustling market square, the rolling fields that extended beyond its walls, and especially the pearly white splendor of Hyrule Castle, residence of the royal family.
The craft arced gracefully down to the castle entrance and landed before the massive front doors, which were intricately carved with Triforce symbols and other ancient runes. An armored guard with a pike approached the Arwing as the pilot opened the cockpit.
"Do you have an invitation, sir?" He leaned over the edge of the opening, chewing a piece of straw.
A blue wing shoved the guard away. "Hands off the Sky Claw," Falco Lombardi reprimanded. The bird leapt out of the cockpit and alighted smoothly in front of his accoster. His sleek blue head feathers were interrupted only by the red around his keen eyes and his smug yellow beak.
"It just so happens, tin head, that I do have an invitation. A VIP invitation, in fact." Falco flashed a tattered document in the guard's face. "Thanks for the welcome party." He proceeded to lock his Arwing and stroll past the guard as if he didn't exist.
The sentry considered giving this smart-beaked falcon a hard time, but noticing the bird's gun holster, he thought better of it and went back to his post, while the other guard positioned at the doors pulled one open with a grunt, allowing the guest inside.
Falco found himself in a vast T-shaped corridor, well lit by the natural light streaming through rows of windows on either side. The stone walls and ceiling were exceedingly white, and a blood-red carpet ran down the center toward the equally white doors at the far end. The halls were nearly empty save for a few guards patrolling the corridors and blocking doors, but he could hear even from where he was the dampened sounds of people laughing and chattering through the doors straight ahead. A notice board to his right read, "BANQUET GUESTS CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD," so he proceeded accordingly.
Flashing his invitation to the guards at the doors, he passed through them into the wide chamber beyond.
The room was filled with a most colorful variety of guests gathered into small groups standing or sitting around circular tables covered with white tablecloths and ornate dishes, goblets, and silverware. Beautiful stained glass windows adorned the walls of the banquet hall depicting legends of the Triforce and the Hero of Time. Several enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, their hundreds of yellow candle flames brilliantly illuminating the entire room. Food and drink of the most expensive-looking sort decorated platters and punch bowls, including Hylian delicacies such as Roast Kakariko Chicken and Fairy Spring Water.
The guests themselves were primarily human or Hylian (Falco barely noticed the elfish ears distinguishing between the two), but here and there could be spotted the boulder-like Gorons of Death Mountain, the squid-like Zoras of Lake Hylia, and many from foreign kingdoms that Falco failed to recognize. In fact, the only attendees he did recognize were standing in a cluster off to one side, and it was toward them he directed himself.
It did not take long for the familiar party to recognize Falco, and they immediately gave him a warm welcome.
"Falco Lombardi, I am delighted you could make it." Princess Zelda smiled graciously, as always resplendent in her royal lavender dress with the Triforce and Hylian crest imprinted down the front.
"Yeah, well, it's not like there's anything better to do," Falco admitted. He had been wandering alone for some time, away from Team Star Fox, but things in the Nintendo Universe had been rather slow recently. "Fox wanted to come, but of course he's visiting Krystal on Sauria. As usual."
A young man clad in a green tunic and hat, white leggings, leather boots, and featuring solid blue eyes and wavy, straw-colored hair scratched his head and sighed. "At least you're here. We sent invitations to all of our old tournament friends, but only the six of us here bothered showing up. Everyone seems so busy these days. But eh, what can you—ow!"
Link spun around to find what looked very much like—and indeed was—a younger version of himself. The only major difference in appearance—besides height—was Young Link's shorter sword and wooden Kokiri shield strapped across his back in comparison to the older Link's steel Hylian Shield and gleaming Master Sword. But the difference in maturity was all too apparent.
"You could start by treating me like an adult, Moblin-face!"
Link attempted to grab at his more annoying self, but the younger him was smaller and quicker, and he danced away making silly faces at him.
The Hero of Time stood his ground, fuming silently. Then Zelda put a consoling hand on his shoulder. "He's just a boy, Link. Let him have his fun."
Another swordsman joined the conversation. "I feel for you, my friend. It's a miracle I've been able to survive with Roy under my tutelage as long as I have." Marth, neighboring resident of Akaneia, sported a blue tunic and cape, not to mention blue hair. He and Link watched as Young Link ran up to the same red-haired youth Marth had just spoken of, appeared to tell Roy something, and then both boys burst out laughing.
Falco just rolled his eyes. "That's exactly why I prefer independence. Being free from the burden of companions who are always trying to slow you down with sentimental junk: There's nothing like it in all the world."
Zelda looked like she was about to respond when their conversation was literally shattered by a sudden crash from the far side of the room, followed by an uproar of screaming and panicking. The four Smash Tournament veterans looked to the source of the noise.
One of the chandeliers had plummeted from its hanging position and splintered into thousands of twinkling shards, cutting into guests' faces and clothing. Standing upon the candelabrum's remains were four metallic figures, and as soon as the room exploded into chaos, they dismounted it and swiftly approached the heroes, the remaining candlelight glimmering off of their entirely reflective features. Two wielded blades; one brandished a gun; the fourth seemed to be wearing a metal dress.
"What the…?" Falco spluttered.
He, Link, Zelda, and Marth were taken completely aback as they found themselves confronting their own metal counterparts. They readied themselves for battle.
Seconds later, however, a second crash came from the twin doors through which Falco had entered the banquet hall, a crash bringing emphasis to the fact that the doors had just been reduced to rubble by a fifth, monstrous metal entity.
Thick primate arms. Powerful simian fists. Its face unmistakably ape-like. Metal Donkey Kong.
The sizable steel Kong shook the entire room with each step, sweeping its lengthy arms across its path and knocking several people across the hall with each go.
Young Link and his friend Roy noticed the most recent newcomer and, in their excitement for action, took it upon themselves to defend the castle against Metal DK, rushing at it together while skirting around fleeing guests all the while.
Their target noticed the charge unfortunately early. It began pounding its unthinkably heavy palms onto the floor of the chamber, causing the ground to shudder and crack around them, upsetting tables, and sending both young swordsmen skyward when they drew near. The Metal DK proceeded to cast itself into the air and bring both of its fists hammering down upon both airborne attackers, rocketing them back into the earth with bone-shattering force. Neither of them rose.
Meanwhile, the other four found themselves temporarily transfixed by the entrance of the metal monkey, and the remaining intruders took advantage of this moment of distraction to leap upon their quarry. Marth and Link were thus thrust prematurely into vicious spars against their metal selves, while Falco barely parried Metal Falco's initial takedown and was forced into a lighting-paced battle of swipes and kicks. Zelda and Metal Zelda dueled with magic, neither energy appearing superior to the other.
It might have ended differently had Metal DK not intervened. It lumbered over to the combatants and brought its hands together without the slightest hesitation, KO'ing each flesh-bound character in turn. The other metal characters seemed to know when to back off to allow the emotionless ape to do its business.
The five party-crashers dragged the unconscious bodies of Link, Zelda, Marth, and Falco out through the gap in the wall, ignoring the frantic individuals fleeing before them. Any guards bold enough to bar their way were swept aside like plastic Army Men. Hyrule Castle was left half in shambles.
A higher power had struck again.
Ness opened his eyes, dazed.
He was lying down, staring up into blackness. The surface below him was cold and hard, and for several seconds, he could hardly see a thing. Then his eyes adjusted, and he sat up to behold his situation.
It was a cell—small, cramped, and filthy. The air was musty and repugnant, as if something had died inside. He was sitting on a stone slab that was apparently some horrible joke of a bed. On one end was a foreboding steel door with no handle or opening, only a food slot near the bottom. The only other feature of the room was a tiny barred window in the opposite corner.
Ness rubbed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened. And then it all came back: The Pokéfloats, the metal assailants, and the explosion…all was a cloudy memory that seemed like only a dream to him. Yet it couldn't have been, considering where he was now. But…where was he? Wondering this, he felt prompted to force himself to stand up and peer out the barred window.
What he found beyond was shocking.
Ness had expected to see some kind of barren wasteland or something else complementary to the cell's grim nature.
But instead, he was gazing out into a giant room.
There was a desk the height of a skyscraper with a humungous reading lamp and a gigantic bed to his left. In front of him loomed a towering white wall. To his right were a drive-in theatre-sized TV and what appeared to be Nintendo game consoles on shelves (Ness had quite a collection of his own back on Onett, though these systems appeared totally foreign to him). He looked down and saw that whatever structure he was in stood on a giant table, cluttered with plastic life-sized trees and houses. All of this seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite recall why.
Terrified and bewildered, the boy returned to the "bed," trembling. What was this place? Why had he been brought here? Where were the others? What was going to happen to them? There were so many questions.
"H-hello?" he stammered in what was intended to be a shout but came out as little more than a whisper. "Hello?" His voice grew stronger with his desperation. "Is…is anybody there?"
For a long moment, there was no response. Ness had nearly given up when he heard a faint groaning coming through the wall.
"Who's there?" Ness called, hoping it was not one of his captors.
The responding voice was surprisingly familiar. But it sounded weak, and Ness had to strain his ears to make out the muffled words.
"It's a-me…Mario. Is that a-you, Ness?"
Relief flowed through Ness's body. "Yeah, it's me! Do you know what's going on?"
Mario seemed to hesitate, deep in thought, then replied. "Not a-really. But I think I a-know where this is.
"We're in the Room of the Master Hand."