A/N: What with all the recent Spirits Mode hype for Smash Ultimate, this is me throwing my proverbial hat into the ring with my idea of how the story will go. I'm not super knowledgeable about a few franchises, but with this many characters, who would be? Disclaimer: Obviously no DLC, but I won't really include third-party characters either, aside from those from, say, Megaman, or Sonic. So no Bayonetta, Street Fighter, or anything like that. Disclaimer 2: I don't own any of these characters. They belong to their respective owners, those being (mostly) Nintendo, as well as Capcom and Sega.
Pit was on patrol around Skyworld, doing the usual routine, not having a care in the world. He was mainly musing about his invitation to the next Smash Tourney, which was coming up. His absent-minded thought processes were suddenly interrupted by the voice of Palutena blasting in his ears. "WOAH! Lady Palutena, what's wrong!?" "WHAT'S WRONG!? HADES IS OUT OF THE UNDERWORLD!" Pit froze. "How!?" "I DON'T KNOW, BUT DO SOMETHING!" "OK, OK, I'll get there as quick as I can." With that, he sped off, and Palutena relayed him directions as to where Hades appeared to be. He sincerely hoped that Hades was not actually out of the Underworld, and this was just a training exercise meant to keep him on his toes.
Unfortunately for Pit, it turned out Hades was there, and he was pissed. "Alright, Hades! Time to take you out!" Hades turned to face him. "Ah, Pit! I was wondering when you'd show up. I've been meaning to inquire something." Pit stared at him, quizzical. "Does it have to do with taking over the world?" Hades replied, "No." Pit nodded. "Alright, good-wait, what? You're not trying to conquer us all?" Hades was a bit dumbfounded. "Where did you get that idea?" Pit glared at him, as if to say, really? "The last two times you tried. Where else?" Hades stroked his chin. "Ah. Yes. That makes sense." Pit then moved on, asking, "If you're not here to take over, why are you here?" "The Underworld is getting depopulated." "Isn't that impossible? I'm pretty sure that that's definitely impossible. Where else do you get all your minions?" "I am absolutely serious. I do a census every so often, just to ensure that souls aren't trying to escape, and recently, the number has been steadily dropping. Which begs the question, why?" "Well, I don't know. You want me to get Lady Palutena for you?" "Yes, that would be perfect. Then I can discuss this with an equal." And so Pit did, and, after some explanation, Palutena soon appeared before Hades, and they began to discuss. She made sure to keep Pit close by, but not too close.
Meanwhile, on the Mushforce Planet…
Peach was holding the triennial council of the various powers of the Mushroom Worlds, from her own Mushroom Kingdom, to the Beanbean Kingdom, to the Yoshi clans of the eponymous island. Daisy was there, of course, and Rosalina made a point to always have a presence at these council meetings, even if it wasn't physical. The lands of Hyrule, though known about for ages, usually stayed on their hemisphere, and those in the Mushroom hemisphere tended to avoid going there, as it was said the Triforce caused strange temporal distortions. While this had yet to be proven, Mario and Rosalina, who had lived through this sort of thing, explained they were totally possible. And everybody trusts Mario, because why wouldn't you? Of those on the Mushroom side of the Mushforce Planet, as opposed to the Triforce side, only one country was missing: the Koopa Kingdom, and the reasons as to why that is should be obvious. In this meeting specifically, they were deciding on what to do about the recent resurgence in King K. Rool's attacks, as they were getting rather fierce, and, as well, they were being directed at targets besides those in the Kong Archipelago. Prince Peasley suggested they attempt to cut off the crocodilian from his allies, which everyone agreed was a sound plan. After all, K. Rool had always preferred the ocean, but this gave him a weakness: His supplies could only ever last so long. But now they were deliberating on how to go about this plan. That was when it happened.
On the other side of the planet…
The Zelda of the two worlds was in her study, talking with Hilda, her counterpart in Lorule, when suddenly there was a bright flash. Before she could say anything, her surroundings shifted around her to match those at the age of the Hero of the Wild. When she got up, said hero, who at that point had been talking to the Zelda of his time, barraged her with questions. Then another flash, and suddenly Sheik, of the legendary era of the Hero of Time, appeared, and with a final flash, they all appeared in Zelda's time, where it just so happened that the Ganondorf from the era of the Hero of Time had appeared. Naturally, as all of them knew who he was, the three heroes pointed their weapons at Ganondorf, who assumed a position of surrender, saying, "I have just as much of an idea about what is going here as you three. So if you would kindly not kill mel and mess up the timeline, then that would be perfect." The three lowered their weapons, and they began to make a plan as to how they would fix everything.
Meanwhile, on Planet Popstar…
Kirby was lounging around, without a care in the world, when out of nowhere, Pit, who had been sent down in an attempt to warn everyone about Hades coming to kill them all, slammed into him. "Ow…" he groaned, rubbing his head as he got up. Kirby ran over to him, and after poking him, attempted to inhale him. Obviously, Pit very much didn't like that, so he jumped out. "Hey! Dammit, don't do-" Then he realized who it was. "Hey Kirby! It's me, Pit! Remember me?" Kirby nodded, before shouting a cheerful "Poyo!" "Great! Well, this big scary god named Hades wants to kill everyone because the Underworld is emptying or something, and I need to recruit people. You up for it?" Kirby, of course, nodded, having had his share of world-ending beings to deal with. "Great! Mind bringing your friends? They'll be a good help." Kirby replied with another "Poyo!" and ran off. In no time, he had brought back Meta Knight and King Dedede, and Meta Knight soon recognized the angel. "What evil being are we beating today?" "Hades. Mind bringing the Halberd with you? I think I know where he's going to attack first." Meta Knight replied, "The firepower wouldn't hurt. Bring the Halberd!" Soon, the massive ship loomed, and they boarded, but as they did so, Bandana Dee, not one to be left out, hopped on.
At the Hocotate Freight Co. HQ…
Olimar had gotten a new assignment with Alph and Louie, and the three had gotten a new ship: the SS Beluga. They had been sent to PNF-404 once more, though this time it was because the CEO planned on having a few Pikmin around to see how they functioned. Olimar partially resented the choice, but his boss promised to keep the Pikmin healthy. So he agreed. Besides, the job paid well. And you couldn't argue with that. Besides, he had heard from Samus that PNF-404 was a planet designation of the Chozo. Which planet was it? Earth, the origins of the Galactic Federation.
Onboard the Corneria…
Fox, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy had recently gotten a new assignment: Investigate reports of a system with a dangerous parasite all sources only knew as 'X.' All four were uneasy about the mission, as both Fox and Falco had heard from Samus during a Smash Tourney about what X did, and it was dangerous. The planet in question was CZ-820, a jump away from SR-388. From their allies in the Galactic Federation, the Lylat system authorities had heard that Samus had decided to ensure some survived the destruction of the planet besides herself, but that turned out to be a bad decision, as the specimens she released had been infected with X, and CZ-820 was a rather large population center. And so, as the Corneria arrived in system, Samus's gunship could be seen approaching from a separate vector. "Well, guess this is it. We've gotta stop that thing before it takes the whole planet over. Star Fox, prepare to launch!"
Meanwhile, on the Shroob world…
The Shroob princesses had long considered a second invasion of the Mushroom planet to be in order. But they hadn't the resources to attempt such a thing, not after the first. That is, until Hades approached them with an offer: "If you let me help you conquer that planet, you can keep it as your own. All you have to do is occasionally sacrifice a few of your own to me. Does that sound good to you?" The two princesses nodded, and Hades elaborated. The younger princess cackled. It was time for revenge. The god of the underworld had visited them. It was almost certainly fate. With that, they prepared the invasion force, and chanting for the Mario Bros' obliteration from the universe. A fitting punishment, they thought.
Meanwhile, on the Pokebound world…
Ness had just gotten out of bed that morning when he felt a strange psychic energy. Feels familiar, he thought to himself. That was when it clicked: Giygas had been resurrected! "Oh no… that's not good…" With that, he went out to grab his friends so they could come with him and stop Giygas again, and one of those friends was Red, who he had met at one of the Smash Tourneys. After he had sorted that out, he called Lucas to get him on the same page, and they all prepared to group up in Onett.
Back on the Mushforce planet…
The residents of the Mushroom hemisphere were still reeling, though after noticing nothing strange had happened, most went on their way as normal. This included the Mario Bros, who were in the middle of a plumbing job in New Donk City not far from their original apartment when they still lived there. But as they were doing so, Peach called Mario. "Princess? What's-a wrong?" "Nothing yet, but Rosalina just said a strange ship appeared in orbit. She's not sure what it-Wait, it's the Halberd!" Hearing this, the brothers became very confused. "Have they-a said why they're-a here?" "Pit's onboard! That can't be too good." Mario groaned. "It never-a is, is it…" Luigi, meanwhile, kept working, though he was listening. Mario decided to put on the news, and sure enough, the green Toad reporter began, "BREAKING NEWS! The Halberd, famed ship of the Star Warrior Meta Knight, is in orbit above our planet. Sources claim to have seen Pit, the Captain of Palutena's army aboard, though this has yet to be proven. The Koopa Cruiser is also up in orbit, though it appears to be returning to the Koopa Kingdom. More on this coming-" there was a sudden pause, and the reporter began once more: "It would seem the Shroobs have returned again! They seem dead set on conquering us once and for all! We can also confirm, from eyewitnesses aboard Rosalina's Comet Observatory, that Pit is aboard the Halberd, and the Koopa Cruiser is being outfitted with a weapon to stall the Shroob forces. More on this massive chain of events at 10. This is Toadley Stoolson, reporting for Mushroom Kingdom News Network. Mushroom Kingdom News Network: Your premiere source for all things on the Mushroom Kingdom." By this point, Peach had ordered the Mario brothers to return to the castle, in case the Shroobs made it through to the ground. (The castle was in the very center of the Kingdom, making it a prime position to coordinate defenses) They immediately dropped what they were doing, hopped in their car, and drove as fast as they could to the castle, in an attempt to defend Peach.
On the other side of the planet…
After they had sorted out the timeline shenanigans, the 3 Triforce holders and Sheik prepared for the battle that Zelda, with her foresight, knew was coming. "Whatever you do, do not let Hyrule Castle fall. However, even more importantly, Lorule must be on our side at all times. Any hint of treachery, and we will lose. And it will be a bloodbath." With that, they formed a plan: Sheik would coordinate Hyrule's people and ensure they knew what was going to happen. Link would defend the castle and fight the main threat, while Ganondorf took command of the armies of Hyrule when they would inevitably have to fight. Zelda would ensure Hilda was prepared should the battle reach Lorule, and generally provide aid to Link.
Elsewhere…
After resurrecting the demon Giygas, Hades arrived at the Mushforce world, specifically, within Hyrule. Using his abilities, he traveled through the timestream and gathered up all the various foes that the heroes of legend had faced, are facing, or will face. These included: Vaati, Minish Wind Mage and Stealer of the Light Force, Veran, possessive witch, General Onox, the giant, mace-wielding brute, Bellum, scourge of the depths, and Malladus, the demon king. These 5 were brought together within the current time, and ordered to conquer all of this version of Hyrule, from which all the rest would fall (or so the plan was) This done, he warped away to the planet SN-883, more commonly known as the Space Pirate Homeworld.
On the surface…
Hades met with the leaders of the Space Pirates, and convinced them to attempt to use the X parasite in a beneficial matter, in this case, by altering it into a being that served a master of some sort. They all agreed it would be Mother Brain who would perform this task, though Ridley was chosen to lead the assault on CZ-820, with the primary objective being capture an organism infected with X and bring it back. Simple enough, Ridley thought to himself as they finished. Though wherever X goes, that accursed Hunter follows. No matter. I will destroy her! I swear it! And so he did, and so it was that the Space Pirates launched toward CZ-820, where the Star Fox team was already encountering resistance…
A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Mwahaha! So, this was mostly setup for all the major villains in this story: We've got Hades, all the not-Ganon Zelda bosses, the Shroobs, Space Pirates, X, Star Wolf, all of that. Hell, even Giygas is here! Now if you're wondering why there are so many Zelda bosses, here's why: Veran and Onox aren't really that bad. Malladus is weak, Vaati's just a wind mage at this point (no demon Vaati) and Bellum's a squid. They need water. But he will have a great time taking, say, Isle Delfino. (Hint hint) That's not everyone just yet, just all the major ones. People like Wily and Eggman are for later.
