Author's Note: *looks at calendar*
…
Wow.
…
This is late.
So, I've been on an unofficial hiatus for about a year on my main story. Whoops. Therefore, this one-shot should help me in getting back into the flow. Or maybe it'll be a start to a new, year-long hiatus. Either way, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems owns it all. I only own the story being told, and even then, it's only part of it.
The clumsy pinkette dashed across the astral plane, her destination being Corrin's treehouse. There had been recent reports of invisible soldiers wandering through a certain Outrealm Portal, and though she would have normally chalked it up as strange requests meant to bother her lord, she took note of what appeared to be just that in the castle. She had immediately taken chase, but only made it three steps before tripping on a carpet that possessed a folded up bump. Taking the time to smooth it out, she had finally realized that she should tell her lord about the strange occurrence. In doing so, she managed to trip over the Pearl Spring, run into the Peach Tree, and bump into Jakob, who had been carrying a steaming hot pot of tea on a tray. Miraculously, it had only managed to spill onto Felicia, but since she had been previously drenched in the waters of the Pearl Spring, it didn't hurt. Too much.
"I… I need to ask Lord Corrin to maybe… maybe live somewhere other than a treehouse." Felicia muttered to herself, panting with exhaustion as she scaled Corrin's ladder. "Or-or maybe at least consider installing some stairs."
The door to Corrin's treehouse was normally open, as he was a trusting young man, but it was currently locked shut. Of course, his treehouse had several windows that were wide open, but that wasn't the point. What was more important was the sign pinned onto the door. Felicia leaned in to get a closer look.
"I-it's says 'Off to Accessory Shop… I really want a new hat?'" Felicia smacked her head in realization. She had remembered Jakob bringing up something about Corrin perusing the accessories, but she had been so flustered that she had initially brushed him off.
"And that was the first thing I passed by…" she recalled, the Accessory Shop being located on the other side of the Astral Plane. She reluctantly began to descend down the ladder, and she made it two steps down before tripping, falling several feet and landing face-first. Felicia silently whimpered.
Felicia had finally reached the Accessory Shop, taking a short breather before entering, before swiftly grabbing the handle of the door and barging in. She was treated to the sight of her lord in a ridiculous get-up. Corrin, who normally wore his white Hoshidan Noble armor in a relatively regal fashion, had opted to be clad in a mere Bath Towel and Fox Tail. But this was not all, for as he turned to face Felicia, she took note of his Einherjar Mask. But the real icing on the cake was his headgear. Appalled at who would let Corrin wear an outfit such as that, her thoughts were interrupted by the one running the shop.
"Oh, that looks wonderful on you!" The person running the Accessory Shop gushed in delight. Her graceful appearance and regal blue hair seemed to betray the fashion sense that she clearly didn't possess. "The Bear Hat and Fox Tail help to bring out a wild side of you that most people probably don't see!"
Corrin chuckled at her exclamations, oblivious to his less than stellar appearance. "Thank you, Lucina. I wonder why more people don't try to get fashion advice from you. It is clear that you're a true authority on this subject." He stated this unironically, and then decided to address Felicia. "What's the matter Felicia? You look particularly distressed today."
The shock of Corrin's outfit had worn off, and Felicia's mouth started working again. "I-invisible soldiers! At the Outrealm Gate, milord! I-I tried to follow them, b-but I tripped… we, we must move out to stop them before they cause any more havoc."
"I completely agree. I shall gather five of our soldiers to investigate the portal. Meet me over there in ten minutes." Corrin started to leave but was stopped by Felicia.
"M-milord! D-don't you think that maybe you should change out of that outfit?" Felicia stammered in confusion. "P-people may wonder as to why you're dressed in such an… interesting outfit."
"I understand your concern, Felicia," Corrin nodded in understanding. "I shall make certain to tell everybody that Lucina was the one who has bestowed upon me these wonderful accessories."
"And I would be honored." Lucina smiled in response. "Would I be able to join your party? It has been quite some time since I've seen some action, and I wouldn't want my sword hand to go dull."
"Excellent. Now I've only got four more to go! See you in nine minutes and thirty-three seconds, you two!" Corrin jumped out of the window of the Accessory Shop, which was thankfully open, leaving one of the ladies slightly confused and the other satisfied at a fashion job well done.
"Corrin, are you sure these fighters are suitable for a small investigation?" Felicia wondered. "I have no doubt in their abilities, but this just seems a bit… much?"
The first fighter, Lucina, spoke up. "Do not fret, Felicia. I am certain that Corrin knows what he is doing… but I do worry for one person in particular."
The second fighter, a white-haired young man dressed in dark brown robes, addressed Lucina's concerns. "You needn't worry for me, Lucina. Though I may have recently forgotten most of my memories, I still have enough wits about me to remember how to fight."
The third, a blue-haired Vanguard with a massive sword, also moved to reassure her. "Don't worry about Robin, Lucina. He knows that he's got friends fighting for him. And he's more than capable of defending himself."
The fourth, another blue-haired swordsman who bore a passing resemblance to Lucina, had summed up their thoughts. "We should all be able to take care of ourselves. Don't worry, Corrin. We are all prepared to investigate this strange occurrence."
"Anyway, perhaps the thrill of battle would help to dislodge some memories from my stubborn head." Robin half-heartedly chuckled. "The air would definitely be refreshing, at the very least."
"And we should depart right away, if that is the case." Jakob, the fifth and final member, remarked. "I suppose those invisible soldiers won't wait for us."
"I don't think so either, Jakob! But, I've been thinking about calling our group something. Something that rolls off the tongue. Something innocuous, yet inspiring."
"Maybe the Shepherds?" suggested Robin. "... I wonder where that name came from? Maybe it was something from my past. Lucina, are you okay? Your face looks as if you just ate spoiled bear."
"R-really? I wonder why? P-perhaps it is butterflies in my stomach from the anticipation of battle." Lucina stammered. "Yes. That must be it. Corrin, may we leave now?"
"Of course. I'll drop the subject of our army's name for another time. Onwards, Super Cool Corrin Fighters, through the Outrealm Portal!"
"Whoa." The land that Corrin and his group arrived at was normal looking, but strange. Normal looking in the sense that they had landed in a plain-looking forest, strange in the sense that they had never seen that forest before. The 'whoa' had come from Corrin, who didn't have much experience with forests in general. "Where are we?"
"I have no idea, but this place seems oddly… familiar?" Robin scratched his head in confusion. "Ah! There's a signpost here, and it's written in Hoshidan. How convenient. Hmm… 'Halidom of Ylisse.' That name is pleasing to my ears, and I'm not certain why."
"Hey, do you need help?" An assertive voice rang out behind Corrin and his six-man band, and they turned to see who it was. Most of them. Corrin just yelped in surprise.
"Did I startle you?"
"No, I'm sure Corrin is fine, Chrom." Robin responded to the man's question, not realizing that he had just blurted out a name without knowing the person.
"Oh! Have I met you somewhere before?" Chrom scratched his head in confusion. Surely he would have remembered if he had met a man with such a strange appearance.
Robin was thinking the same thoughts Chrom was having. "I… I don't think so? That name just came out of nowhere."
"Hmm, well, since you know my name, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you who I am. I'm Chrom, the captain of the Shepherds. The delicate one standing beside me is my little sister, Lissa." Chrom gestured to the Cleric standing beside him, her face indignant at Chrom's words.
"I am not delicate!" Lissa fumed, clearly having received this treatment one too many times. "Ignore my brother, he can be a little thick sometimes."
"Milord. I don't believe I've ever seen these people before." the man standing behind Chrom sighed. "Perhaps it would be wise to not tell them our life stories before we confirm who they are."
"I see no harm in telling these people our names!" Chrom scoffed dismissively, before turning back to Corrin's group. "This is Frederick the Wary, my stalwart knight, my personal aide, and my ever present second-in-command."
"And I shall carry those titles with pride. At least one of us should be the voice of reason in this group." Frederick decided to give up arguing. "But I have to ask, who is the leader of your party?"
"Oh! Th-that's me!" Corrin raised his hand. "Why?"
"Why are you dressed in only your smallclothes?"
"Well… y'see… we were in a rush…" Corrin started to explain, now feeling a small sense of embarrassment at having met three complete strangers in a Bath Towel. "We were trying to hunt down a certain group… say, have you seen some warriors? Perhaps they were invisible?"
"Invisible warriors? Our halidom has been invaded? They could be from neighboring Plegia!" Frederick gasped in surprise.
"Milord, perhaps it would be best if we didn't try to stir up confusion. This is a different world from what we're used to. We wouldn't want to start any wars or anything of the sort." Felicia nervously whispered.
"Ah, I mean, did I say invisible warriors? I must have been mistaken! What I meant to say were invisible warthogs! Yes, our prized invisible warthogs, our warthogs that are invisible and prized, the invisible prized warthogs that belong to us that are ours and are both prized and most definitely warthogs!" Corrin nonsensically rambled, digging himself a deeper grave with each and every word that came out of his mouth.
"Milord, you're no good at improvising." Felicia sighed.
"Warthogs, you say? And they're invisible?" Chrom shook his head in disbelief. "Sounds about as ridiculous as undead creatures."
"Yes, but it is true! They are a very dangerous type of beast from our homeland. They're… very efficient guard animals…" Corrin started.
"And they can even destroy towns! They are very, very dangerous! Think of the worst wild animal you can! These warthogs are much worse!" Felicia added.
Corrin continued. "Yes, Felicia, that is true. If you spot one of these invisible warthogs, you should run away as fast as possible, but if they get too close, hold nothing back when you fight them! "
"But aren't these your beasts?" Chrom wondered. "You don't seem to care about their wellbeing."
"That's because… um… it is more important that nobody is injured in their rampage! We've… went to great lengths to make sure everyone stays safe." Corrin stammered, hoping that his explanation would suffice. "They are about as dangerous as armed warriors! Which they aren't."
"I have to say, I find your behavior very suspicious." Frederick examined Corrin, his eyes narrowed. "At best, your story is suspicious. At worst, you're trying to fool milord into a trap. In addition, Felicia referred to you as Lord. Would you care to explain why you have such a title?"
"Ah, um, well, that's because–"
"That's because Corrin is a prince!"
The two parties were speechless, the land overtaken by a silence for several uncomfortable moments, which was eventually broken by Chrom.
"Well, since we did learn something about Corrin, I guess it's only fair that I tell you about me as well." Chrom started. "Err, let's see, I love taking long walks in the fields of Ylisse, eating pies with my friends, and I am a prince as well."
"Really?" Corrin gaped at the underdressed man in shock. It was then that a scream rang out. "Was that a scream! It must have come from the warriors! I mean warthogs! That person needs help! Let's go!"
"Alright, milord!" Felicia sighed before dashing off to join them, the rest of Corrin's group following.
Chrom considered his options, wondering whether he should assist the strange party. "Lissa, Frederick, we have to help them! Come on Shepherds, we're going warthog hunting!"
The Shepherds reached Corrin's group and decided to help him. Corrin agreed, but was pulled aside by Robin right as he was about to start leading. Robin wished to make a personal request.
"Corrin, could I make a personal request?" Corrin nodded in affirmative to Robin's question. "Alright, so, would it be possible for me to lead our troops this time?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Well, you see, it's because I'm a tactician and– oh. You agreed?" Robin paused in slight confusion, wondering why Corrin complied so quickly.
"You said it yourself, you're a tactician, you've proved your skills against me in battle, and this invasion doesn't seem to involve enemies that are too powerful. Anyway, you've given me tactician related assistance before, so I trust that you'll be able to lead the party in a situation such as this."
"Oh, that's great! I won't disappoint, Corrin!"
"So, it looks like we can only take 5 people into battle, hmm? Let's see, there's Corrin, Lucina, Marth, Ike, Felicia, Jakob, and me." Taking two seconds for deliberation, Robin decided to not include Felicia and Jakob in the skirmish. "But perhaps I could include them. As Allies. And so the plans have been finalized."
"I still do not understand why I must be stationed next to this… highly suspicious fool." Jakob scoffed to himself, making sure Frederick was within earshot of his remark. "I wouldn't have done this if milord Corrin hadn't strongly insisted I stay here."
"Excuse me? You're one to talk. How do I know if you aren't spies from Plegia? You lot haven't done a single thing to convince me otherwise. And your leader's claim of being a prince from a mythical land? I believe that is rubbish. At worst, your group is attempting to assassinate my lord, and at best, you're all a bunch of pitiful jokers." Frederick finished his denunciation of Corrin's party, taking down three of the invisible warriors in the process.
"Me, a joker? Says the person who serves a supposed prince who traipses around wide open fields with a sleeve missing!" Jakob skillfully threw a dagger into a ninja's eye while making a retort.
"Your prince is dressed in a bath towel and a hideous pair of bear ears." Frederick involuntarily shuddered at the thought of bear. "Disgusting creatures."
"… milord believes it raises his defense when he raids the castles of alternate Corrins." Jakob sternly muttered, still not entirely sure as to how Corrin's 'armor' worked.
"Yes, because logic dictates that mortification makes you stronger."
"You ought to be silent! Milord Corrin is the best individual I know, and there is no limit to my devotion to him!"
"No limit you say? I'd say I feel similarly in regards to my liege. I believe there is only one way we may settle our differences."
"I agree."
"We'll knit." Jakob and Frederick simultaneously took out their sewing kits, Frederick from a pouch on his horse, and Jakob from the same place he kept his infinite supply of daggers. They started sewing, disregarding everybody else around them.
An explosion was heard in the distance.
"Hey, Jakob, don't you think you should go check up on Corrin? It sounded as if the explosion came from his direction. Your left!"
"Got it!" Jakob threw a dagger in the direction Frederick specified, hitting a Samurai. "I seem to recall your Chrom being positioned near milord, but that fact is inconsequential. The sweater I am fashioning with my needle and thread shall heal at least fifty percent of his HP. Your twelve o'clock!"
Frederick's lance pierced the belly of a Spear Fighter who had attempted to sneak up on him. "And mine shall heal at least sixty."
"So, Corrin, apparently you're a prince?" Chrom mentally scratched his head in confusion, his two physical hands busy embedding the Falchion into a warthog Samurai.
"Yes, I suppose I am. Prince of Hoshido." Corrin nodded in confirmation. "And you, Chrom? You're the prince of this place, right? The Halidom of Ylisse?"
"Yeah. I've got this brand on my shoulder to prove it."
"Oh. That looks really cool. I must admit I am a bit jealous. But I have proof of my lineage, too! Well, kinda." Corrin cleared his throat. "Blood of the dragons of old, course through my veins and give me strength! Dragon Fang!" Corrin somersaulted towards an invisible ninja, piercing his stomach with his arm, which had transformed into a lance. When that wasn't enough to kill it, Corrin's arm then transformed into a mouth. A fanged mouth that unleashed a deadly ball of water upon the poor ninja, causing it to dissipate into the great invisible ninja warthog field in the sky.
Chrom was speechless. And a little bit jealous. "I am speechless. And a little bit jealous. All I have is the Falchion, holy sword of evil's bane, smiter of dragons, and royal treasure passed down for generations. Wanna check it out? I can use my backup Rapier while you look at it."
"Sure." That was the only thing Corrin said before the Falchion was launched at him, blade first. "AHHHHHHHH!"
An explosion was heard in the distance. "So Felicia, you've been protecting me for a while, and we haven't talked much. What are you into?" Lissa nonchalantly struck up a conversation with Felicia, ignoring the loud blast and dragon's cry that most likely came from Corrin, unless her brother was secretly a dragon and he hadn't told her about it. She was attempting to find a comfortable way to sit, a difficult task because of her inexplicable metal framed skirt.
"Sh-should we be having this conversation?" Felicia was currently occupied with two of the invisible warthogs, one ninja warthog, and one Oni Savage warthog. Being forced to parry both at once was a difficult task, even for a fighter as talented as Felicia, yet she was able to manage, dual-wielding a pair of Flame Shuriken. She was nicked by the ninja's Silver Shuriken. "Agh!" Felicia cried out in pain, invisible blood already escaping from the cut.
"I got it, Heal staff." Lissa had managed to find a way to sit and disinterestedly cast Heal on Felicia, more focused on their conversation than the battle. "Chrom can handle things worse than an explosion, so I'm not that worried. Did I phrase my question strangely? Um, okay, what do you do in your free time?"
"Hiyah!" Felicia threw a Flame Shuriken, landing a critical hit and killing the more tough Oni Savage. Fighting the ninja one on one proved to be a much easier task, and it swiftly went down. "Are… are there any more enemies?" Felicia quickly scanned the area.
"I don't think so!" Lissa cheerily replied. "I guess that means we can have a conversation now!"
"I guess so…" Felicia turned to face Lissa, walking to where she was sitting. She made it three steps before she slipped on the slightly moist grass.
"Are you okay?" Lissa got up as quickly as she could, jogging to the maid. "I can Heal staff you if you're injured."
"N-no, I'm used to this stuff…" Felicia got up even faster than Lissa had. And then she sat down. "I'm a little bit clumsy… during battle, I never seem to mess up, but whenever I try to do my maidly duties or even walk at times, this always happens."
"Y'know, I know a really nice girl who has a similar problem. I bet you have a crush on your lord too, huh?" Lissa sat down, joking with Felicia, but she made no claims to deny it. Lissa's eyes widened in shock. "I was just joking! Don't tell me you actually like Mr. Bath Towel guy! I mean, not that he doesn't look nice! No! It's just that he seems a bit… interesting?"
"His choice of costume is certainly… unique, but he doesn't usually wear that. His typical armor is usually pretty regal looking. Honestly, we were in a rush because we had to chase after our warthogs."
"Yeah, heavily armed warthogs with opposable thumbs, upright postures, and human weapons." Lissa grinned knowingly at Felicia. "I bet that he tried really hard to come up with that one."
"Hey! He tried, and his flaws make him more lovable!"
"I guess that's true." Lissa admitted. "My brother can be really dorky sometimes, and just dorky most of the time, but I still love him. It's like an unwritten rule. You have to love your siblings, no matter the circumstances."
"I think Corrin could relate to that notion."
An explosion was heard in the distance. "Err, was that in the direction of Chrom and Corrin?" Robin worriedly asked a strangely serene Lucina.
"Probably. Wouldn't worry too much, though. Fa- Chrom definitely isn't dying to this bunch of nameless ninja." Lucina mentally scratched her head in thought, her two physical hands busy embedding the Parallel Falchion into an invisible warrior warthog ninja.
"I dunno… Chrom seems like he's kind of a… klutz? Wall breaky? Most likely to break things?"
"Fa- Chrom. Chrom does… seem like the type of person to do a thing like that."
"Like, if Ylisse's national treasure was a sacred shield, Chrom would be the type to wear it on his shoulder." Robin envisioned Chrom's figure, shield awkwardly slapped onto his bare shoulder, meant to bear the brunt of any attacks aimed towards him.
Lucina stared at Robin in wonder, considering the possibility of him lying about his amnesia. "Robin, are you certain that you've lost your memory?"
"Absolutely, 100 percent positive, why?"
"N-no reason." Lucina turned away from Robin and found the closest ninja. "Radiant power of the sun! Illuminating gleam of the moon! Lend me your power so that I may crush my enemies! Aether!" Lucina shouted her battle cry as her sword was coated in a golden sheen, hoping that it would distract Robin.
It did. "Now that's just inefficient! I mean, Aether activates, at its earliest, right away! And at its latest, it's usually after an 'Anything can change!' or an 'It's time to change fate!' Do you need to do that six second chant to actually use the skill?" Robin threw up his hands in exasperation.
"No, not really. It just sounds nice. And what about your taunts, Mr. Master Tactician? Three steps ahead, checkmating, scale tipping time?"
"It's 'time to tip the scales!' And fine, I guess those cries are okay every once in awhile. Maybe every five critical hits, perhaps. What were we talking about again? Oh yes, Chrom and Corrin. I believe you can handle yourself, I'll just see what happened to our two princes."
"Did you just throw a dragon-slaying sword at a guy who can turn into a dragon?" Corrin stared at Chrom incredulously.
"Did you just turn into a dragon and summon two pillars of water out of nowhere?" Chrom stared at Corrin incredulously.
"I guess I did… I'm not even sure where it came from either… couldn't you have thrown it so the hilt would hit me?"
"I guess I did… and to answer your next question, I don't think I can physically throw it that way. I've tried many, many times with Frederick. None of them worked, but he had a Silver Lance equipped, so he was fine… even with the scabbard on, throwing it manages to make the scabbard slip off and cause the sword to point at the enemy…" Chrom and Corrin both stared into the distance, disoriented by the attack Corrin pulled off. Chrom's sword was currently plunged hallway into the ground, conveniently within grabbing reach of him.
"I-I had a traumatic flashback to when I fought Marth and Lucina…"
"Is everything okay here?" Robin jogged over to the two, both sharing dumbfounded looks on their faces. "Okay, you don't seem to have experienced any physical trauma, at least. Corrin, maybe you should go and help Marth and Ike."
Robin started to gently push Corrin towards the direction that Marth and Ike were fighting in. "Y-yeah, maybe I'll do that that's a great idea thanks Robin you're a pal." Corrin swiftly mumbled, dragging his feet towards his destination.
"Now that that problem has sorted itself out… it's nice to meet you, Chrom." Robin held out a hand to shake.
Chrom shook his head from his shocked stupor. He reached for Robin's hand. "Likewise… I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name."
"My name's Robin."
"Robin, hmm? Sounds foreign. Then again, your entire group has names that sound a bit foreign. And you're the one leading the charge?"
"Yes, I'm the resident master of tactics and proficient magic and blade user."
"Swords, tactics, and tomes? You sound like a force to be reckoned with! We don't really have a tactician in our group, and we've been lucky enough to have only been dealing with unorganized ruffians. We can't just keep on hoping to always fight mindless warriors, though."
"I strongly empathize with you, Chrom." Robin's face was marked with a combination of concern and deep thought. "It's sounds familiar, somewhat. Sadly, my place is in Corrin's army, whether it is as diligent fighter, competent tactician, or reliable friend."
"I see… thanks for taking my group into consideration, even though you rejected us a few seconds later. I can only wish for a tactician as good as you!"
"It could happen." Robin grinned, imagining himself fighting alongside Chrom's soldiers. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard, and his thoughts were fleshed out with many people he didn't recognize. Robin shrugged it off as an overactive imagination. "But in the meantime, I'd like to point out a potential flaw in your armor…"
"Doesn't this battle make you feel alive!" Ike exclaimed, currently surrounded by two ninja, three Oni Savages, and two something, back to back with Marth. "It takes me back to when we fought alongside each other during that whole Subspace debacle."
"It does? That is certainly an interesting comparison." Marth replied. "I'd have thought that you'd make a comparison to your time with the Greil Mercenaries."
"No, those battles felt different. Fighting those battles didn't feel good. Knowing that it's kill or be killed, to have the blood on your hands, that feeling is completely different. Subspace was intense, and there were times where it got pretty rough, but it felt good. We were battling things without souls, mindless puppets of a mastermind. That was different. Killing those shadow creatures was just vanquishing generic evil."
"I see what you mean, good friend." Marth nodded in understanding. "This battle is certainly different from the ones we faced in our realms. But perhaps we have delayed in our fight for too long."
Ike noticed that none of the invisible warriors had moved. "And they didn't attack during my melodramatic speech. How convenient. I guess we should get started then. And Marth?"
"Yes?"
"Sorry for being such a downer. I think I kinda killed the mood."
The two swordsmen prepared to attack. "It is not a problem. We all need some introspection to keep us grounded in reality."
"Coming through!" Corrin, having recovered from his catatonic state, had charged towards Marth and Ike in dragon form, worried about how neither was moving. He trampled one of the ninja and stabbed an Oni Savage in the stomach with his incredibly sharp head horns.
"I win!" Corrin proudly declared. Marth and Ike looked at each other. "Are you guys okay? You weren't moving, so I thought you were both paralyzed. You two seem perfectly fine."
"Do not fret, Corrin, we were merely reflecting."
"But you don't have any mirrors."
"… nevermind."
Though many ninjas kept spawning from the forts, the small band of warriors had reached the leader of the warriors. Chrom and Robin stepped up to deal with him.
"Alright Chrom, here's the strategy. You start waving your sword around to distract the enemy."
"Right."
"He'll attempt to charge at you, so just parry his blows. His weapon doesn't seem to deal much damage."
"Right."
"When you're doing that, knock the weapon out of his hand and then strike him horizontally."
"Okay."
"I'll follow up with a well-aimed Thoron blast, and then you can slice at him again at a 75 degree angle. Then I'll rush in with my Levin Sword and pierce him with it, dealing the decisive blow."
Chrom was silent for a few moments. "So you basically just want me to stab him."
"Well, if you'd like to put it that way, then su-" Robin was caught off guard by the invisible warrior, who had opted to attack, as Robin had the edge of his foot within the attack range of said warrior. The blow the belligerent brigand dealt to Robin sent him flying.
"Robin!" Chrom cried out dramatically, arm stretched toward him.
"I… I'm sorry, every-augh!" Robin cried out in pain, his head having hit a rock. He had fainted.
"No! You fiend!" Chrom turned to face the invisible warrior who had dared to attack his new friend. "Now I'm angry!"
Chrom dashed forward, sword gliding through the air, until he reached his target, slicing the warrior at a 74 degree angle. And then it dissipated into nothingness. The motley crew gathered around Robin's unconscious body.
"Well. That was certainly anticlimactic." Corrin remarked. "But it looks like our tactician is kind of out of it."
"Hey Chrom~." Lissa started. "I think it's time to do our shtick!"
"Oh yeah!" Chrom nodded. "Our find-an-unconscious-body-on-the-ground shtick! I thought we'd never be able to do this one!"
"Wh-what is that shtick exactly?" Corrin asked.
"It's this one. A-HEM!" Lissa cleared her throat, preparing to start. "Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING."
"What do you propose we do?" Chrom responded, a giddy grin on his face.
"Milord, this is an inane activity." Jakob sighed. "Why don't we use logic and perhaps apply a Sun Festal or-"
"Shhhh!" Corrin hastily shushed. "This looks interesting, and I wanna watch."
"I… I dunno…" Lissa shrugged, tilting her head at an angle as if to feign confusion. Robin began to stir. "Right on time."
"I see you're awake now." Chrom kindheartedly smirked,
"Hey there, sleepyhead!"
"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Give me your hand." Chrom reached his hand out, and Robin groggily accepted it, being pulled up by Chrom. "You all right?"
"Y-yes. Thank you, Lissa." Robin teetered in place for a while. "Huh? You sound oddly… masculine?"
"I don't believe Robin has fully recovered yet, milord." Jakob sighed, raising his staff. He walked over to Robin and promptly pushed him to the ground again."I shall Sun Festal him."
"Hey, Corrin, do you think we should let Robin rest at the nearest town?" Chrom asked the other lord as Jakob healed Robin. "I believe they'd have nice Vulneraries there to help Robin fully recover."
"I should be able to just pull one out of my Convoy…" Corrin reached into the air, flailing his arm around in vain. "Oh crap. I just realized we aren't in battle or My Castle, so I can't do that. He should just be fine with the festal."
"Good job, lord Corrin! Minimizing contact with people from other realms is optimal!" Felicia whispered behind him.
"Yes, I completely agree with Felicia. We're tampering with the very forces of space and time itself, and man should never have that power! Well, unless a goddess were to help them, of course." Lucina whispered, also awkwardly huddled behind Corrin in an attempt to hide her face.
"Well, I've heard that the town is having a Bear Festival. There's gonna be bear jerky, fried bear, grilled bear, bear stew, and the like." Chrom offhandedly mentioned. "But if you aren't-"
"I'm in then." Corrin immediately shook Chrom's hand, ignoring Felicia's and Lucina's hushed pleas to leave. "Where to, Chrom?"
"In that general direction!" Chrom pointed towards a quaint little town in the distance, but not before noticing a certain dark-robed man. "Is that another unconscious person? Lissa, we must seize this opportunity!"
"Agreed, big bro!" Lissa announced, and the pair dashed off to repeat their shtick once more. "
"AUGH!" Robin cried out in pain.
"We'll catch up to you guys once Robin recovers!" Corrin happily waved, practically drooling at the thought of bear meat.
"I… I remember!" Robin clutched his head. "I remember everything! W-we have to leave!"
"Wait, what, why?" Corrin gaped at Robin's plea. "But the bear meat…"
"No time to explain!" Robin hastily scrambled to his feet, pushing Jakob to the ground in the process.
"Oh, I'm sure that you could take a few seconds."
"Hey! Guys! Look at what we found!" Chrom and Lissa came back over to the group, a hooded figure in tow.
"Oh gods, I suppose we'll have to see how this plays out." Robin sighed.
"Say hi… um… err, do you remember your name now?" Chrom sheepishly scratched his head.
"Yes, I do. My name-" the hooded figure pulled his hood down. "-is Robin."
AN: FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY. After a period of time that is best described as "much too long," I'm finally finished with this one-shot. But XeroAegis! You might say. Where have you been for the past year or two? I don't know, reader, I don't know. But I'm back~.
TIME FOR ONE MORE YEAR OF HIATUS!
Okay, hopefully, the next time I release a story, a year won't have passed. I can only hope. I'm still wondering what I should do with my main fanfiction. I don't want to end it, per se, but I don't know what I should do. Definitely reach the part where Chrom SPOILER WARNING FOR 4 YEAR OLD GAME defeats Gangrel. Don't know what I'll do after that. Hmm. Well, stay tuned I suppose, for the next goofy adventure with our friends from Fateslandia (I will change this when the continent is given a name), which will maybe come soon. Perhaps I should a sequel to this. But I'm also interested in writing a story about Fates's hottest girl, Flora. As always, suggestions and criticism are appreciated. This was Fire Emblem Fates: Amiibo Festival (or alternatively, The Free DLC Chapter of Fates but with Robin and Lucina, and Ike and Marth Were There Too, I Guess), and this is XeroAegis, signing out!
Okay, maybe not just yet. Have a short stinger.
"Th-they destroyed those invisible people like they was nothin'!" A bandit hiding in the trees was sweating bullets. "And the place they said they was goin' to was the place the boss is gonna be raidin'! I oughta tell him to bring reinforcements!" The scraggly bandit scampered away, presumably to tell his boss to bring reinforcements.