Owch…

Pat: Probably my third angst story, I don't keep count of genres. I don't have any grudges against any of the characters in SSBB, so, just to let ya know. SSBB is not mine, and will never be (creation-wise, I've already had the game!)

Skye the Lucario sighed. Today was not his day.

He'd lost in an especially intense battle against Metal Falco (ouch!), didn't even hit the Sandbag 0.01 meters in the Home Run Contest (talk about a low blow!), got beaten by the VERY LAST MAN in the 100-man brawl (AN: Happened to me; I was not happy), and took at least an hour on the Smash the Target! game, and it wasn't even level 2! Yep, not his day. He kept walking through the rainy streets, unaware of the impending danger coming his way.

He chuckled. Tonight… Skye.

As Skye walked, he began thinking about the first time he had arrived. All the Smashers were nice to him, save the select few, the first few days, but he knew- They were simply trying to use him. Then throw him away. It was the reason he had stayed away from all Smashers, the others doing the same. Not even Pikachu, his old ally, wanted anything to do with him! The night he had met Pit, he had been prepared to send himself plunging into the river, to drown, or get killed by the sharp stones in the bank.

If that cherub had not stopped me, I would have been dead by now, Skye thought glumly, walking slowly in the rain, enjoying the cold winds and water.

I'm glad he did. Because of him, I now have a home, friends; a name. Come to think of it, he appeared right at the nick of time… Could it be a coincidence, or… Did he know? So engrossed in his thoughts, that Skye didn't even notice the menacing aura that approached him, a dark sword drawn.

All was glum in the Smash Mansion. Ever since Skye had stormed out after striking out in every event possible, his negative aura having affected everyone in the building. Some seemed troubled, seeming to sense danger. Rightfully so. The source of all the panic?

Link.

Well, not the real Hylian hero, but the dark one. He had gotten violent, lately, and hungered for blood. Everyone was terrified, staying in their rooms all the time. Things only got worse every passing day.

Especially when news got to, that Dark Link was no longer in the Mansion.

Heheheh…

Skye paused, looking around the perimeter.

Strange… Where did that ominous laugh come from? Must be my imagination. That said, a shadow lunged at Skye and, surprised, dragged Skye into a dirty alley.

Pit was worried. Skye, his best friend and companion, had not come home for six hours now. One hour he could understand, sure, two, maybe, but six? He had NEVER stayed outside for so long.

I can feel something terrible is going to happen… It frightens me. Pit thought, shivering.

Oh, Skye, please come home soon…

Skye yelped as he was shoved down roughly by a heavy boot-clad foot. Terrified, he tried crawling away, but only succeeded in more injury to his physical self.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want you running away and warning everyone, would we, Skye?" The dark figure said darkly (no pun intended). Skye simply growled, a primal instinct.

"You had better let me go. I've many friends, and they WILL come out here and help me," Skye said, calm on the outside, but really terrified. Who wouldn't be terrified?

"Really? Do you believe them to be really your friends? Especially that angel? Who says anyone is innocent? We all have our dark, violent sides…" The figure spoke, Skye uncertain.

"It matter not. What matters, is that I know the identity of my captor." Skye said calmly, praying to the lord to help him.

"You might know that a friend of yours has a dark side… Who is very violent. That friend? Link." With that, the dark figure removed the cloak, a dark version of Link standing there.

"D-d-d-Dark Link!" Skye stuttered, shaking. Even the powerful Lucario were fearful of Dark. Most likely, as he murdered anyone he came across. The dark doppelganger grinned.

"Good! You know me well! Then you should know what I'll do next…"

Pit was seriously worried now. NEVER had Skye been 10 HOURS late!

This was why Master Hand had selected a few of the best Brawlers to look for him.

"Now remember, be on the lookout for Dark Link. We don't want any of you being injured." MH said, Link, Mario, Pit, Marth, Pikachu, Red, Zelda and Yoshi nodding. Kirby and Meta Knight did as well, although, much more fearful than the others, despite their calm (cough- Less Kirby than MK- cough) demeanors. Master hand smiled (if a gloves can do so), then paused. The selected brawlers, known as the Elite Smashers, pausing as well. Then…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH-" A horrible cry sounded, loud and clear, all over the building, making everyone jump, then stopped suddenly. Pit gasped. That scream… No doubt about it; It was Skye!

"Hurry!" Link yelled, taking the lead, everyone else in the group chasing after, Pit second to Link, Mario third, Zelda fourth, Red fifth, Marth sixth, Yoshi, Pikachu, and the rivals of Dream Land following suit.

Please be okay… Pit prayed, running at full speed towards the alleyways.

Skye groaned, whimpering painfully. His claws and the thorn on his chest were broken, blood seeping through the cuts at an alarmingly fast rate, the rest of his body cut and bruised. But worst of all…

…Was the blood that had run from a painful part.

Skye cried in pain from the horrible act that had been put upon him.

"Come on! He's right here, I can sense…" Pit stopped in mid-sentence when he had finally found Skye. His claws were torn, caked in blood, his arms and legs bruised a nasty black and blue. The rest of him was cut, some deep, others narrow. Heck, half of his EAR was ripped, dangling weakly from the rest of his ear. And…

That wasn't even the worst part.

Hot blood flowed everwhere, even in a most painful part, the blood coming at a rapid pace, the jackal whimpering pitifully.

"Skye… Oh Skye!" Pit cried, rushing up to his friend, who immediately snarled at him, catching Pit by surprise.

"Skye… What did he do to you?" Link asked, gasping at the picture, the others either fainted, in shock, or turning away. The pained jackal turned towards the Hero, instantly recoiling at the sight of the Hero. The sight of him, the memories of the night were too much for the injured jackal pup; He immediately fainted, everyone that was conscious jumping, rushing towards him.

Before Skye blacked out completely, he could here someone call him…

"He has a lot of internal injuries, broken claws, you get the picture. And the traumatic experience was too much for his mind too bear; He's in a coma." At this, the Smashers, especially Pit, were shattered. Skye… The ever-faithful Lucario… In… A coma?

"No…" Pit cried, tears freefalling. "No, no… Skye.. He's my best friend.. He was finally learning how to trust humans… And then.. Then this happens… And I didn't even protect him!" Pit cried again, remembering the jackal, the gruesome picture; a beaten-near-death puppy, the fear in his eyes, his snarl. It troubled everybody, but impacted Pit the most.

Skye had been the one who had accepted him first.

Skye had been the one he had befriended and got along with the most.

Skye was the one who he had given a name to, like a stray puppy.

Skye was the one.. The one he trusted the most… And to be treated like that…

To be betrayed like that…

Pit cried for his fallen friend that night, everyone saddened and shocked at what had happened. Link and Mario, along with DK (for restraining issues) had eventually captured Dark, and had punished him in an, almost, cruel way. Everyone was still impacted by what had happened, to the young pup, a newcomer, no less. It horrified Pit to see his friend like that. Those images haunted him…

Then, one night…

Skye was dreaming… About an angel, who was depressed, and scarred deeply, but at what, he could not decipher. A yellow mouse, a green dinosaur-like creature, a young man clad in green, an elegant looking prince… They, too, cried…

But for what? Skye thought, feeling like he was floating.

Has someone died? Exhausted, Skye closed his eyes, soon falling in an unconscious state. He felt like he was being weighed down by rocks… Then…. It went from dark…

To light.

Pit sighed sadly, watching his comatose friend. It had been a year, now, and he still slept peacefully, his body now fully healed. His mind, however… The doctors were still unsure if his mind with fine, not counting mental scars from the experience, or if he would even remember his own name.

The name Pit had given him.

Skye stirred, Pit looking at him sadly. Skye had moved and groaned in pain a lot in the past year. It usually was just natural reactions. Nothing else. But today…

Skye stirred again, eyelids fluttering a bit. Pit looked at him in surprise. Would today be the day?

Skye felt tired, more so than he ever had. He tried opening his eyes; It was difficult to, as he felt like rocks. He shuddered, his whole body sore.

Come on… Wake up, Lucario … Skye told himself, attempting to open his eyes again, with difficulty. When he did, he saw, to him, a horrifying creature; a human. The human hugged him, Skye shrugging away, trembling a bit. The human looked a bit saddened, the wings on his back drooping a bit.

Wings… He's no human. I know him… Skye thought, remembering his old master. He could only remember things that happened before he arrived at Smash Mansion, not after or during.

I feel like I've known this creature for a long while, Skye thought, studying Pit. Said cherub seemed hopeful, but then depressed again when Skye shrugged away from his hand.

I fear humans… Why? I can only remember an image… Blood red eyes, grey skin… Human… Of sorts. It scares me. Skye thought, looking away from the saddened cherub, and closing his now-gold eyes.

If I study his aura, maybe I can see if he's good or not. Skye thought, 'looking' at Pit through his mind's eyes.

White aura… I never thought I'd ever see pure aura… Skye thought, shuddering. Suddenly, everything came rushing back, all the memories of the Smashers, his name… The attack. Skye's ruby eyes popped open, a fearful expression on his face, a gasp escaping his mouth. He immediately dived for the closest heat source and comforting thing in the room; Pit.

Pit started, surprised, when Skye's eyes had flew open, a gasp emitted from the pup, a look of fear in his eyes. He was even more surprised when the jackal dived at him, burying his head in his chest, and sobbing pitifully. Pit hugged the jackal, who relaxed, but still cried, albeit, not as hard as before.

"Pit… Pit… Dark, he… he…" Skye murmured, fearful. Pit comforted the wolf, setting him back in his bed when he fell to sleep. He then ran to deliver the goods news to the others.

Everyone was gathered around in the hospital room, including the Kings of the Smashers and the evil Smashers. Pit waited anxiously, watching Skye carefully. Finally…

"Look! He's waking up!"

Skye sighed. He had just returned from his long sleep, and yet he still felt tired, as if he'd never been asleep for 365 days. He slowly stirred, his eyes fluttering open, those eyes flashing golden for a second before returning to their original ruby color. Skye started at the amount of people in the room. It ranged from Italian fat men, teens with swords, princesses, knights, little animal-like creatures, monster-like beings, and mythical beings. It surprised Skye to see so many faces; his eyes began to water in happiness.

Dark… He was wrong. I do have friends, people who care about me. I feel so… happy. Skye thought, smiling brightly at everyone.

"Hello, everyone. How have you been?" he asked, looking at everyone in the room straight in the eyes, making some stutter, others blush (a surprising number blushed), some looking away, others smiling, some giggling, and the angel smiling brightly, more so than the others, at Skye, who smiled just as brightly.

"We're fine. But are you?" Pit asked, the other's nodding as well.

"I feel… Happy. I've never felt so happy to have as many people care. I don't think anybody ever really cared about me," Skye said, looking at everyone again. "Other than…" Skye's eyes watered a bit, the jackal turning away.

"I don't think Master was the last one to care…" Skye said, turning towards the others again, this time, looking straight at Pit.

"In fact, I believe it was you who began my real life, Pit. Sure, I was separated from Master, but my time will come one day, and I will see him then, but until then, I plan to stick around." Skye said, laughing a bit, the more friendlier and outgoing of the Smashers laughing as well. Skye felt happiness like never before burst within him. It was good to be back.

Soon, Skye was allowed to go, everyone following him, supporting him when he fell. Since he hadn't used his body in such a long time, his muscles had tensed up a bit. Since he was also a Smasher, Skye felt that he could not allow his muscles to stay unused forever, and took it upon himself to start walking again, at least, thanking anyone and everyone who helped him. Pretty soon, he could do backflips and sidesteps quite easily again, everyone applauding. Skye laughed, everything seeming to slow down, as he looked at everyone, smiling.

I was gone for a long time, wasn't I? But, it's great to be back! I feel alive again, and I'm happier than I've ever been! What Dark said… He was wrong. I do have people that care for me, I do have friends. I suppose being someone's shadow will do that to you sometimes. But, I'm glad everything's better. It will be good from now on. I guarantee it!

Skye beamed, laughing, happy.

And everything was okay, everything mended. The world was finally back to normal.

Pat: The end of my lil' series, 'The Skye Series'. Hope ya'll enjoyed it! Please review!