Super Smash Bros. is owned by Nintendo. Mega Man is Capcom's.
He asked for a moment of peace.
Maybe because he was tired, tired from all the strenuous matches he was put through. He wasn't even a fan of combat, but he joined this fighting realm. The realm's God, Master Hand saw potential in him due to being a known warrior in his world — a warrior fighting for everlasting peace.
It was because of such power that Mega Man received the invitation to join the World of Smash. He was hesitant, but persuasions from family and friends led him to take the challenge. Of course, he knew what he was getting into, but as long as no living being was legitimately harmed... all would be fine. He was promised this by the Smash God and so far, it was kept.
Yet, there were times the battles were long and excruciating... especially if there was a tournament. In fact, he was in one and was heading to the finals. The Blue Bomber worked hard to reach where he was, but he couldn't keep himself from feeling overwhelmed. Tomorrow was the day, and he took a walk out to relax himself. He didn't care if the stars were out and was recommend to get rest by friends... he just needed to do this.
Mega Man walked through a hilly path; looking up at the starry sky... he wondered if the stars aligned were the same as the constellations back in his world. It was a beautiful sight, and it had been long since he had peace to himself. Yet anxiety over the final match lingered through, what if he made a screw up that would cost the entire match? He pushed himself to keep those troubled thoughts under control.
Breathe Rock, you'll do fine.
As he strolled through the hills, he heard a faint sound... it was melodic. At least it seemed to be, Mega Man steered to another direction, willing to look for the source of such tune. Just who would perform music at such a late hour? Not that he had issue, but it was late... Mega Man found it odd. He searched and searched, and each step he made to the direction where the sound was from, increased.
I shall find the origin of such melody, he thought, determined.
And when he took the final step to the location, he stopped and was stupefied.
Near a lone tree on top of a hill, a figure was shown performing. Mega Man could not a good look as he was behind the person, so he inched in... inclined to find out who the musician was. Right when he was about to reach his shoulder, the performer stopped his music piece and turned. He gasped at the sight of the android, in which Mega Man immediately pulled his hand away.
"Oh! My apologies... Link," Mega Man blurted out, avoiding tension. He didn't expect to meet the Hero of Hyrule here, and much less composing a song.
Link lightly frowned; for his music was interrupted. Even so, he moved on. He had more prominent issues to deal with, such as the appearance of the Blue Bomber. Being a reserved man, Link kept his connections to other Smashers limited; and Mega Man was someone he hardly interacted — with some exceptions.
"Mega Man, what brings you here?"
"I could ask you the same question," Mega Man mirrored back at the veteran. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
"Well I could..." the Hylian replied. Although, Mega Man was right... it was late and a good night's sleep was a thoughtful idea. It did not help that Link loved to sleep, but something held him back for it.
"...I'm a little stressed out so I thought playing music would calm me for tomorrow," Link finished, Mega Man drew out a curious look.
"What do you have planned?" he inquired.
"The final round for this month's tournament of course," Link replied firmly. Mega Man's eyes flickered in shock, realizing who he would face.
"What, no... you're my opponent?!"
This time it was Link's turn to be hit with surprise and had questions of his own. Mega Man was the other contender? "Are you saying you made it to the grand finals?!"
"Yes, woah... I can't believe this. I didn't think I would end up meeting my opponent," Mega Man remarked, he looked away as this was such an awkward predicament he situated himself in.
Link chuckled, amused by the moment at hand. "Me neither. I was supposed to meet them at the arena, not here. And it's you out of all the Smashers."
"Yeah, funny how things work that way."
There was a moment of silence that circled around them, Mega Man laughed awkwardly to avoid looking like a fool while Link did the same. He didn't know what to say to the Blue Bomber other than wish him luck. After all, the two would duel in the finals. What could they possibly say to each other as they were rivals?
To end the weird silence, Mega Man led his eyes to the instrument Link held. "What is that? Is that where the music came from?"
Link blinked, looking down at his vessel flute and lifting it for a closer view. "Oh, this... is an ocarina."
"An ocarina?"
"It's an ancient wind instrument, see these holes on it? You place your fingers on them and create songs."
"May I take a look at it?" The Blue Bomber politely asked, extending his hand out. The Hero of Hyrule nodded and placed the ocarina on his palm. Mega Man enclosed his hands around the instrument, careful to not let it get a scratch. He inspected the ocarina, feeling its transverse shape and the different sizes of holes scattered around it.
"This is ceramic," he mumbled, stating its properties.
"Yes, they are very delicate. You must handle ocarinas with care," Link explained while Mega Man placed a finger on one of the ocarina's holes. "They can be made from different materials besides ceramic. Like glass, metal, or wood — and can come in a variety of different shapes and sizes."
"That's interesting."
"Are there ocarinas in your world, Mega Man?" Link asked in slight surprise, wondering if the instrument existed in his realm.
"Maybe, I just never paid attention that sort of stuff," Mega Man replied, handing back the ocarina to Link. "Seems fun to play."
"They can be. Hyrule seems to admire these relics... I decided to pick it up and learn some songs. The one I have is modeled after a powerful, magical ocarina only told in Hyurlean legends. I do not know if it actually exists, the tale has been around for generations. Who knows if people have modified it to their liking? The legend itself is pretty vague anyway."
Mega Man chuckled. "People tampering with history? What a surprise."
"Not necessarily, again most of it is legend."
Of course it would be, if there was one thing Mega Man picked up for his Smash fighter database on Link... was the many incarnations of him. It just so happened that this Link was one of them. Thus, he assumed that this ocarina legend must be related to a previous Hero of Hyrule who existed long ago. Way before the Link who stood in front of him.
A legend that was probably real, I wonder what happened... Mega Man mused deeply.
"Moving on," Link said, changing topic. "I'm just going to play a few more songs and then I will head back to the mansion."
"Oh, well don't stay up too late," Mega Man reminded the Hylian. "You got a match tomorrow."
"You can stay and listen if you want," Link suggested at the robot, he lightly smiled... hoping Mega Man would take his request.
Mega Man halted at the invitation. "Thanks, but I don't want to be tired for tomorrow's match. I am not going easy on you."
Link laughed lightly at the remark, seeing the determination his opponent had for the tournament. "As expected of you Mega Man, but I feel music will ease me of stress. I don't know if you share a similar sentiment."
"Everyone has their own coping mechanisms," replied Mega Man. "It's the reason why I am out here. I decided to take a walk because... I honestly feel the same as you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I don't know who is going to win tomorrow's match. I mean we made it this far, that's an achievement I say."
"Well I have participated in plenty of tournaments and won a few, but for a newcomer you are doing quite well. I'm impressed."
Mega Man smiled shyly at the compliment from the Smash veteran. "Th — Thank you. And... I guess I will leave you to your music, Link. Good luck, and see you tomorrow."
"You as well, Good luck."
And so the Blue Bomber proceeded to leave, leaving Link alone. The Hylian made no hesitation to pick his ocarina back up, his fingers gently pressing down the holes as he blew through them. A serene melody flowed out, and the music carried all the way to Mega Man. When it did, the blue android stopped again, hearing how smooth and placid the tune was. It was so relaxing; each note Link pressed was slowly taking him out of any remaining worries. It was like an enchantment, a sort of charm that drew him back.
Around the middle of the song, Link stopped. Mega Man was snapped out of his trance and looked back to see what happened. What was the cause of such interruption?
From there the robot heard Hyrule's warrior spur out the words, "You're still here, Mega Man?"
His mouth was agape, Link detected his presence? Mega Man was speechless; Link's back was even turned on him! How did know he was still here?!
Oh geez...
Link smirked at catching the Blue Bomber snooping up on his song. "I thought you left."
"I... well... I was but..."
"But what?"
Mega Man bashfully played with his gloved hands, ready to admit something. "I... really liked the song you were playing. So I... stayed."
Link tried to not chuckle, but it was difficult because he found the situation so entertaining. Seeing Mega Man in such a vulnerable state to reveal that he liked his music was hilarious in its own merit. Yet, pleasant to know.
I guess that will do.
"Why don't you just give up and stay for a bit?" he advised at the embarrassed android. "I don't mind having a listener, besides I can tell you are actually enjoying the music. Let it relieve you from any remaining stress for tomorrow's tournament. Come here, don't be shy."
Hearing such words made Mega Man think, on one hand he knew he had to sleep. Yet on the other, Link's kindness and invitation to hear his music appeared as a nice tranquilizer. After all, his troubles were almost lifted just by simple notes on Link's previous song; perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea...
"I... as long as you don't stay up all night," Mega Man mumbled, approaching Link and sitting on the grass next to him. Hyrule's hero grinned, happy to see his opponent finally give in.
"I won't, I know we are going to need sleep," he assured. "But for now... just listen."
"I'm listening."
Silence went around them; indicating Link it was the time to perform. He took a small breath and blew into the mouthpiece. Musical notes poured out rhythmically and Mega Man's gaze softened. It sounded like a lullaby, maybe because it was so tranquil. Link's fingers tapped through the ocarina's holes, emitting notes of highs and lows. He played and played, while Mega Man lay down on the grass, closing his eyes and listening to the tune. He slightly nodded in approval, feeling immersed in the song.
This is so relaxing... I... I could get used to this...
Again, he felt his troubles being lifted. Mega Man didn't know how Link did it, but the fact a single instrument blew off any troubles was enchanting. He didn't think that this fighter was capable of such magic. He only saw Link in battlefields as a hardened warrior... and yet, beneath he found a simple musician.
Perhaps, music was the answer for peace after all.
As Link continued his song, his eyes moved down to view the android in a calm state. The Hero of Hyrule smiled lightly, his idea was working. He knew he had a good reason to play the theme of the legendary Ocarina of Time, it was one of the most beautiful musical pieces ever created. To Link, it was such an innovative and peaceful song, anyone could fall to its charm.
He managed to get one tonight. Seeing Mega Man in such a relaxing state was such a pleasure to watch. If anything, Link wanted to assure his opponent that tomorrow's match would be alright. They would give it their all, but wouldn't be a bloodbath or anything of sort. Just a professional and respectful match. He continued his melody, playing it clear as possible.
The fight could wait. For tonight, they were in peace.
It's been a long time since I uploaded something, right? Yes, and it's to show everyone that I'm not dead. I know I've been stagnant in updating some of my stories and I apologize for that. I'll get to updating them eventually...
On a positive note, there is a new fanfic project I'm working on with a friend. There's a link to it on my profile if you're interested.
Anyway, this piece was an idea that I had for quite a while? Just never got to actually write it out until now, but I wanted to write something featuring my favorite characters in both Smash and gaming. Plus, the lack of Mega Man in Smash fanfiction saddens me... ol' Blue Bomber deserves love.
Also, I'm aware that the Link in Smash 4 is NOT the Hero of Time Link, his design is based off the Hero of Twilight's like Brawl. However, considering with how Smash handles canon, I thought it would be okay to incorporate a silly headcanon I have of Sm4sh!Link knowing how to play the ocarina and a vague legend about it. Yes, it serves as a nod to the Hero of Time/previous Link in Smash 64 & Melee. It's sad to see him gone since Brawl. I started Smash 64 with Link as one of my mains and while I still use him in Smash 4, it's not the same Link. So there's some personal feelings to this piece.
Finally, the Ocarina of Time OST is one of my favorite video game soundtracks. I just had to incorporate its theme in the story.
Comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading.