A Sweet Victory

Samus was breathing heavily as she jumped up to grip the edge of the platform above her. Bowser lurched at her seemingly defenseless position, but Samus was ready. She swung forward then kicked back hard. As Bowser flew across the stage, Samus quickly shot a rocket at him as she heaved herself onto the floating platform. She used this moment as an opportunity to charge up her arm cannon, 6% more and Bowser would be hers.

The next thing she knew, something smashed into the side of her face and she was flying through the air! This stupid helmet! Samus cursed to herself as she skidded across the ground. Although it protected her from damage, the helmet really hindered her peripheral vision. Disoriented, she leapt back up and spun around searching for her opponent. Samus let out a yelp as he crashed down on top of her. Damn this stupid lizard! Her head spun as Bowser picked her up and repeatedly pounded her into the ground. This had been a long fight and she knew it would soon be coming to an end. Stars bloomed in her vision as a crack spread over the corner of her visor. She squeezed her eyes shut as the tinted glass shattered, a shard dug into her cheek.

Anger from being bested and annoyance of all the damage that was being done to her suit filled her. She threw back her arm and shot a rocket right into Bowser's face. He paused and blinked, just long enough for Samus to roll free. Throwing off her ruined helmet, she pushed herself off the ground and punched Bowser in the side of the head. Before he could react, she swiftly kicked him in the side and shot yet another rocket to the face. Shoving him away, she willed her arm cannon to charge to its full power as quickly as it could. Bowser swiped at her, but she easily dodged. With a new fire in her eyes, Samus grinned as she delivered a strong kick to the side of his skull. Bowser thumped to the ground, but he was not about to give up yet.

The koopa king reached out to catch her leg, but Samus was one step ahead. She shoved her foot into his half-open mouth, holding his lower jaw to the ground as she seized his snout and yanked his mouth open. Bowser's eyes widened as he tried desperately to squirm away. Samus laughed as she aimed her fully charged cannon into his gaping mouth. The blast shook her, but she held on tight. When it was done Bowser was limp as she spun around and kicked him with all her remaining strength, sending him flying off the stage.

The stadium lights brightened as the crowd went insane with applause and cheering. Samus yanked off her gauntlet and wiped the sweat off her forehead. When she lowered her hand she saw it was streaked with blood and dirt. Sighing, she bent over to pick up her smashed helmet. Turning it over in her hands, she decided it was beyond repair. She would have to make a new one. Again.

The exit platform appeared next to her, she stepped on and it whizzed her to the battle prep room. Samus staggered off the platform as the Toads buzzed around her, offering their assistance. She waved them away, she just wanted to go take a hot shower and sleep for the next three days. Out of the corner of her eye she glanced Bowser, still unconscious, being carted off to the hospital wing. Samus felt a tinge of guilt at that last stunt she had pulled, a few more good kicks and she wouldn't have even needed the cannon. But when a moment of genius strikes you, why ignore it?

When she closed herself into a changing room, Samus reached down the front of her suit and twisted a knob on the inside of the chest piece. The metal folded in to itself, freeing her body. Her zero suit was soaked with sweat and clung to her skin even tighter than it usually did. She couldn't wait to peel the sticky material off of her! Samus cursed under her breath when she realized she had forgotten her change of clothes. Grumbling, she stuffed her cube of neatly folded armor into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. As she was about to head back to the mansion, Samus happened to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She let out a snicker at her bloody face and wild hair. She grabbed a towel and wiped down her face, then pulled her hair back into a ponytail. This would have to do for now.

Walking outside, Samus was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of spectators and fighters alike. Cameras flashed and everyone was shouting. Samus sighed and did her best to answer a few questions, at least she had thought to clean herself up a little bit...

After awhile, she had had enough. Samus excused herself and squeezed out of the pack and made her way to the mansion, she was exhausted.

Her cheeks heated as someone let out a wolf whistle behind her. "I think next time you should just fight in that getup!" Link laughed as he jogged up next to her.

"Oh, it was just you," Samus said as she punched him playfully on the shoulder. "You were about to get a roundhouse kick to the face!"

"Better that then that monster finisher you had in store for Bowser! You HAD to have had that planned from the very beginning!" Samus couldn't help but smile, when Link was excited it was fully displayed on his face and he did little to hide it. He was childlike in that way, it was one of the things she liked most about him.

"Nope, it just came to me."

Link was throwing his arms in the air and shaking his hands as he praised her. "Well that was some creative thinking! He didn't even see it coming, but when he did, holy-"

"Well, what can I say? Some of us are just born brilliant!" Samus tossed her hair over her shoulder as Link laughed and shoved her with his elbow.

As tired as she had been, by the time the pair reached the mansion Samus felt almost as excited and energized as Link. As she opened the door to the mansion she was met by an explosion of cheers and catcalls from the other fighters. They clapped her on the shoulder and jostled her as she stepped inside.

"Oh man, Bowser's gonna be so mad! You just broke his six match winning streak!" Ike boomed as he easily lifted her onto his shoulder.

Samus spent the next few hours in a blur. Peach screaming as Pikachu chased after her, Roy accidentally setting Zelda's dress on fire, the Ice Climber twins creating a mini avalanche in the kitchen, it was all one absurd event to the next. But that was one of the many things you unintentionally signed up for when becoming a smasher, stick a bunch of crazy people in a house and this was the result. A messy result, but this was more of a home than Samus had ever known.

Tipsy and fuzzy, Samus stumbled up the stairs and sighed in relief as she finally stripped away her zero suit and stepped into a steaming shower. When she finally closed the door to her bedroom behind her, she wanted nothing more than to fall face first into bed and let sleep consume her.

As she took a step forward, a cloud shifted in the night sky to reveal the full moon. Samus walked over to the open window and sat on the sill. The giant glowing moon seemed to call out to her, to reach out its hands and gently caress her, twisting its elegant fingers through her long blond hair and pull her close. She let it take her as a soft wind brushed her cheeks. Samus closed her eyes and listened to the sweet sounds of midnight; the trees rustling their branches, the ripples on the black lake whispering secrets, the haunting melody of the wind. When she opened her eyes, everything was at peace. Only then did she notice the faintest hint of color ebbing over the moon. The tranquil silvery-blue was fading away as a deep red took over. Over the sleeping world, a blood moon hung.

Samus stumbled backwards, tripping over the edge of a book she had left lying on the floor. She hit the ground hard, but she barely felt it. Scrambling to the window on her hands and knees, she flung out her arm and slammed it shut and tightly closed the lock in place. Ripping the curtains over it, she turned and threw herself onto her bed and pulled the covers around her.

What had just a few moments ago been the feeling of pride and victory, was now completely overcome by a sense of doom.

It has been a loooong time since I've written a story like this. But it was quite enjoyable and I hope you like it as much as I'm beginning to! Critique is always welcome :)