Smile for the Sake of Everyone

Chapter 2
Every Soul Contains a Whisper of Light

(Uploaded on December 20, 2018)

Summary: As a newly reunited duo traverse the unfamiliar World of Light, Mario can sense that Kirby isn't feeling quite right – and as one of his oldest friends, it's his duty to figure out what's up.

(That's what close friends do, right?)

Notes: This chapter is set early into Adventure Mode: World of Light, from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Mario has been rescued by this point, but no one else has.

There are many heroes in the multiverse, many saviors who will fight to keep the peace.

Many of them, in addition, are renowned from pulling everything back from the brink—and through magic, might, or even their will, they often end up creating the greatest miracles everyone has ever seen.

But even they – these champions of light – can end up fracturing.

Sometimes… even miracle makers need a little miracle of their own – to bring them back aloft, keep them steady so they can face their next challenge.

After all—not everyone can be an island; not everyone can be a tank to absorb all enemy fire. Not everyone can still keep on standing…

…especially when the ones they're meant to protect have already fallen anyway.

And at this moment in time, when it seems like everything else—friends, world, and all—has been lost to the far-off reaches of light…

One hero will find that little miracle of his own, thanks to a friend rescued from the clutches of eternal darkness.

And it'll be just what he needs to keep moving forward.

[Kirby]

World of Light
Plains

Something about the night sky here just… doesn't feel natural.

The stars don't feel natural, the clouds don't feel natural—

Just like this whole world doesn't feel natural.

This whole landscape is just a hodge-podge of locations practically stolen from our dimensions, mixed together in a way that gives off the feeling that it was designed with no rhyme or reason (don't take my word for it, anyhow). I admit, I haven't gone through a lot of it yet – but it's uncanny.

Hey, though! The uncanniness helps to distract me from my inner turmoil, so… I guess I'll take that as a 'good-enough' thing.

I continued to stargaze as I lay on the grassy floor.

…at the very least, the constellations haven't changed. It still looks pretty.

Very, very pretty.

…

…

…

…It's been a day or so since I lost my fr—s-since Galeem took the entire multiverse to use as his playthings, with this World of Light being his amalgamation of what he stole. And just to add insult to injury, he's taken the Spirits of everyone else – the other non-Smashers unlucky enough to be caught in his blast radius – and stuck them into clones of my friends.

The friends that he killed.

(…that disgusting overpowered deity; how dare he do something like that—!)

A-Ahem! Anyway… The only thing I can do at this point is to traverse this unfamiliar world and rescue these Spirits from their prison, and hopefully—hopefully—they'll help me find a way to take down Galeem. (They're pretty good at powering people up, surprisingly enough. They also really like snacks.) And along the way… I might be able to rescue my fallen friends as well.

I mean, I've already got one back on my side.

And lemme tell you, that feels so much better than anything else that's happened lately.

(But he's not Meta, or Dedede; and those two, they deserved so much more—)

Ugh, I'm rambling in my thoughts again. What's—What's wrong with me?

And—why is it so much more difficult to smile now?

"You seem like you could-a use some company."

I blinked and turned around. Standing not-so-far away from my sitting place was Mario, still adorned with his trademark red cap – which I've been reliably informed is alive now, for some reason (It—he, probably—may be asleep right now, now that I think about it) – and looking as alive as he'd been a week ago. It's a relief to see him standing here, his eyes no longer glinting with that twisted, malicious red and acting in ways he shouldn't ever be acting—

…

…I mentally sighed. There I go again.

"Yeah," I finally said, my eyes looking down to the floor. "I… I really could." I brought my gaze back to the starry sky hanging above us. I didn't bother to protest – wouldn't do it even if I had it in me – as Mario took his place beside me, his eyes similarly drawn upwards to go stargazing.

It's just me and him, staring into the sky.

Just me and him.

Just me… and him.

The two of us.

…

…

"So!" the red plumber suddenly spoke up, sounding ever as jolly as always (something I'm kinda jealous of right now). "Are you-a doing okay? I can't imagine that you'd be unaffected by the horrors that happened yesterday."

"I'm—I'm fine, th-thanks," I answered quickly—maybe a little too quickly. "J-Just the usual 'us vs. annual Eldritch Abomination' thing, n-no big deal!" I shakily smiled, trying to soothe Mario's worries… and not very convincingly at that, judging by the increasingly concerned look on your face. "We—We can get through this fine, really! We've gotten through worse!"

Mario hummed, sounding very unimpressed by my words. "…I don't think it's me you have to be worried with," he replied. "You haven't been smiling as much this journey. And even when we were going through Subspace, you always had a smile on your face. Always." I frowned. …he's perceptive. Then again, he's always been that way. "You know you can tell me what's-a up, right?"

"…it's nothing, r-really," I tried to convince him again. "It's—It's just your imagination! C-C'mon, now, m-most people would get a little apprehensive when it comes to big adventures like this!" I've never been, of course, b-but—you get the idea!

"Except most people don't have all of their friends die in front of them."

I flinched. And he noticed. He's right on the money with that.

…I've fought against Dark Matter, and ended their campaign to consume the Gamble Galaxy.

I've struck down Star Dream and Void Termina from destroying every world they would've come across.

I've conquered Tabuu, together with the other Smashers, even after he turned all of us into trophies during our first clash against him. Heck, that battle is even pretty similar to this current crisis, too!

M-Minus the whole 'disintegrated by beams of light' thing, of course…

…ergh.

It all comes back to that, doesn't it?

…

…why?

"Why are you so insistent about this?" I whispered, looking away from Mario. "It's—it's fine! I'm fine!" (…I think I'm trying to convince myself more, at this point…) I—I just gotta keep saying that, and—and it'll become a reality, right? I promised myself I'd smile for the sake of everyone, and I can't just let that go! Not for a second!

They'd—They'd never forgive me, if I did! (I wouldn't forgive myself, anyway…)

B-But… I… I can't—it's getting a-a little too much now—

Ughhhhhhhhh!

"I know you're not-a fine because I'm not-a fine, either," he sternly stated. "I don't know everything that's-a going on in your mind, but… you really shouldn't just hold it all in like that." His face became more sympathetic. "…it's okay to cry when you feel like you have to."

"…" I didn't respond. All the turmoil inside me that I was trying to keep at bay was steadily cracking through my walls, one by one. A few tears sparkled from my eyes – but I was determined enough not to let them fall.

I couldn't. Not now.

"…how are you still so… so… so okay?" I asked, spinning around to stare with a distressed expression. "I know it's only been a day or so, b-but—" I bit my mouth. What… What else could I say without looking like a massive hypocrite right now?

"…this isn't my first time dealing with hopeless situations like this," the red plumber confided in me, "though they weren't quite as severe as this one's been. Did… Did I ever tell you about the time the Shroobs invaded the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Shroobs?" That term was new. "N-No, I don't think so."

"You're in for a tale, then." Mario lounged back onto the grass, laying his arms behind his head. "It was… a while back, let's say. A whole bunch of aliens, armed with technology both incredible and terrifying, came to our planet to leech it dry of all our resources – material… and otherwise." I shivered. That sounded… a little too close to the Robobot invasion of two years prior. "Luigi and I, we tasked ourselves with-a stopping it – but they did almost catastrophic damage to the kingdom. Everywhere we went, we found the aftermath of their actions: people drained dry of their life; towns, utterly wrecked and polluted with purple 'shrooms; destruction littered all about…" A frown. "It was… honestly horrifying to see."

…did I say 'a little too close'? I meant 'very, uncomfortably close'. Dear Galactic NOVA…

"H-Hey… Weren't there others trying to stop the invasion?" I asked. "Like, it wasn't just you and your brother… right?" I mean, during our own Robobot crisis, we had Dedede sheltering people; the Animal Buddies protecting their environments; Bandana Dee saving as many people as he could… The point is, I wasn't the only one clearing the planet of the Haltmann Works Company's influence – and when you're just a single person, every little bit of help counts.

Mario's reply, however, astounded me. "Well," he bitterly chuckled, "I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the kingdom, there were others trying to help. For the most part, though… it really was just the two of us. That's how bad it really was."

I gawked. I really, honestly gawked. "Are—Are you serious?"

He smiled sadly at me. "No. Sad to say, but… I'm not." His head tilted back to the stars above, and he continued, "Despite all that… do you know why I never lost hope?" His little beam became more triumphant. "Because I knew that together, Luigi and I would find a way to put things back together. Not only that—there were always-a those who assisted us along the way, those who willed for us to save the day like we usually did. We were never really alone, even through our darkest moments. And I know that the same still applies here, too."

Well, it's nice that he's optimistic – kind of like I usually am, funnily enough – but… that doesn't change the here and now. "That's cool and all," I replied, "but what does that matter when—when we've got no one at all now!? No hope, even!?"

A hysterical edge entered my voice as I finally unleashed it all—all the pain and agony I had miraculously kept inside for twenty-four long hours. "L-Look at us! Look at everywhere!" I directed my hands toward the entirety of the World of Light where we lay in now, distorted and darkened despite the midnight moon's determination to make it shine. "Nobody's left! The only things left are the Spirits of those who used to be here! We're not gonna find anybody sitting around, living life as usual! There's not gonna be any populated towns or cities or anything! Everybody is GONE!"

I let out an agonized scream to the sky, pounding the ground once more like I did yesterday. Tears slid down my cheeks, and I couldn't stop them from falling continuously onto the floor. "And—and—and I don't know if I'll—if we'll—be able to bring them back at all! Meta Knight, Dedede, Samus, Link, Pikachu, everyone! It's just us against the world—against Galeem! And it's—it's terrifying!"

Mario skootched closer to me and put an arm over me in sympathy, and all the while, I lay there and practically bawled my eyes out, right then, right there. I don't know how long I sat there crying – but Mario was there to comfort me for whoever much time I did, which was a pretty long while.

"It's okay," he soothed me as my tears died down a little. "It's okay. I know how you-a feel. You're not the only ones who's lost things—friends, loved ones—in that attack. I lost Luigi, and Peach, and Yoshi, and so many others. And it does tear at me to think that they're being held hostage by that Tabuu wannabe. However… we still do have a hope. Just look up."

I stopped my crying long enough to did as he asked – and I noticed the Spirits we rescued floating free in the wind. Tron Bonne, Eevee, Celeste, even the Guardian. And despite some of them not exactly having much in the way of true sentience – or an actual body, for that matter – all four of them were seemingly having… fun, just flying about as free as they could be. It was… mesmerizing, given our current state of affairs.

"You see?" Mario smiled. "The acquaintances we've met, the friends we hold dearly – they're not really-a gone for good; just merely out of our reach for now. So long as we hold a hope in our heart that we'll find them again… then by some miracle, we'll surely get to-a see them. Be it Pauline or Starlow – or for you, Marx or Bandana Dee." I think there was something twinkling in my eyes now at his words. It's like… It's like what I find myself preaching to Kaede, to the Ultimates, to the Star Allies all the time – and here it is, repeated back at me at my lowest moment.

We… We share a lot of traits, don't we? Down to our protagonist-made status as a Hope Bringer…

…why was I even worried again?

"The fate that spins for us without end – it moves forward because of the actions we-a make. And I don't think the action you want to take is 'fail to save all our friends and worlds,' now. So c'mon," he thrust an open hand toward me, "how 'bout we continue on? There's still the rest of an adventure waiting for us to complete. What are we waiting for?" He flashed a bright grin at me, and I couldn't help but return it a little.

You know, in different circumstances right about now, it'd really be me saying this to someone who really needs it. I guess that just goes to show – even the greatest miracle makers in the world need their own little miracle.

And… maybe that's okay. I'm not perfect, as much as I'll joke about it, and there are just some things that are too big for me to handle alone. I won't have to, though; Mario's here to back me up.

So long as I have that, that one glimmer of light remaining… I can hold on to my faith that I'll rescue the other Smashers, the fallen Star Allies, and restore our multiverse to its former glory.

"…alright," I conceded, taking his hand and letting him pull me up. "Let's-a-go, Mario."

"That's-a the spirit!" With the mascot plumber by my side, we made our way back onto the plains path and walked forward to wherever the trail may take us. There's a lot of weird stone structures in the distance, and I think I'm seeing some more of those glowing, Spirit-infested portals (or Smasher-infested, who knows) within it.

So that'll be our next destination.

…don't worry, guys. We're coming to save you.

And I promise – we'll make things right again, somehow.

[Mario]

I admit, being trapped in a dark void, unable to do nothing as a malicious 'Lord of Light' uses your fallen trophy to create twisted, Spirit-inhabited clones to roam the world is… not exactly the most comfortable feeling. I was trapped for only a few hours, sure, but it was a horrific few hours – and Galeem, as I learned he was called, made… very good use of my trophy in that time. I can't tell you how many clones he's made at this point – but it's enough to fuel whatever plans he's got for a long while.

And imagining that fate applied seventy-two-fold to every other Smasher who was at the Subspace cliffside…

…it's even more unpleasant.

If Kirby had gotten captured, too, and hadn't been able to warp away…

…well, I wouldn't even be here to tell you any of this.

Luckily, he wasn't. He wasn't, and he managed to save me from eternally going through such a vile fate. However… something tells me he didn't escape the situation without spawning his own trauma.

A thousand years old he may be, but that won't stop his still-rather-bright-and-happy-for-his-age nature from crumbling ever so slightly by… well, everything that had happened today and yesterday. He'll put on a brave face and keep charging on forward – but without somebody to keep him anchored, he'll only be going through the motions.

Which I guess is my job, now. Not that I'm complaining; I didn't befriend practically my entire world – and the galaxies beyond, for that matter – without being good in helping people out.

Heh—and to think, just twenty-six years ago, Kirby was merely a newly-minted protagonist I had come to see, doing nothing more than giving back his home's stolen food supply.

Now? He's the only hope to save our sector of the multiverse from eternal imprisonment by a demented god of light. What a… remarkable jump in threat level, seriously. (But I suppose it's been building up in his 'verse for all these years.)

I'm aware trauma like this won't go away in a few days. It'll be a long while before he'll think about this in retrospect with anything resembling a reminiscent tone. In the end, though – I know everyone will be here to guide him—and themselves—through the pain and sorrow of what'll be another bad dream.

I'm proud of how large our squad has gotten by this point. From the humble days of us twelve Nintendo faithfuls, to an expanded crowd of twenty-five; the wide thirty-nine from Brawl, the big fifty-eight of the Smash 4 duology—and finally, to the absolutely massive seventy-four (eighty, when Master Hand finishes inviting all the DLC characters) that makes up our new Ultimate tournament.

I know this for a fact: when we finally reunite, I know we'll conquer anything that'll stand in our way.

And Kirby'll love every minute of it.

I'm sure he's itchin' to bring some payback on Galeem just as much as I have, if not more so. I'll be glad to let him have first blow, too; that Lord of Light really doesn't know who he's been messing with.

Until that day can come to pass… I'll be here by Kirby's side, waiting to fulfill that promise to its fullest.

And right now? There's nowhere else I'd rather be (except maybe at home, with everybody celebrating the start of the Ultimate tournament).

So—as I always say…

Let's-a-go save our World of Light!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate came out a while back, and let me tell you: it. Is. Amazing. It was every bit worth the hype. And World of Light was just as great; I found a lot of joy matching up Spirit sets and clashing against each and every foe in my way. I'm even almost at 100% completion now (which took a while, believe me).

So to celebrate, I thought I'd write another one-shot set during it. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to adapt the whole thing – I still have Star Allies, Unite! to complete, amidst a flurry of other fics – but I hope I can satisfy you all with this chapter, at least.

In contrast to Harmony Never Really Dies, Kirby's on the other end of the tragedy spectrum this time. Where once it was him comforting Kaede, now it's him who needs to be comforted. And he's definitely not alright now; how could he be, when everything he's ever known and loved has fallen in one fell swoop based on the whims of a god he knows nothing about? It's a far different tale than the Subspace Emissary, and lord knows it's taking him a lot just to keep walking forward. (Everyone's got a breaking point somewhere, right?)

I would've added others besides Mario, but I don't want to clutter up things again and make this approximately three times as long as it really needs to be. (Sorry, Cappy lovers!) Mario's the perfect person for Kirby to be by right now anyway, given his status here as one of Kirby's oldest friends besides Dedede. Their dynamic's alright, all things considered.

…I wasn't intending on giving Mario his own section, but hey—this chapter's at a 3k word count now, so I can't complain. Fits in pretty well alongside Kirby's part, too!

Well, that's all for now – see you around, everyone!