Smash HQ - Medical Ward - 8 PM

Aeon woke up on a hospital bed, most of his body bandaged due to the bruises he had taken in the whole day. He sat up and looked at his nightstand, finding a small box with a note reading "Hopefully this helps you in the future, alot of guardians pitched in for this - Ashei, Funky and the Guardians" Inside there was a Life Shroom, red head with yellow stars and the small set of eyes. Aeon smiled and set the box on the nightstand again then watched as Dr. Mario entered.

The doctor yawned then asked "Was it really necessary for you to get injured again?"Aeon replied with and awkward smile "Probably not." making the doctor sigh and ask "You wanna be taken home or stay? So i can tell my brother to-" Aeon cut in with "I'll stay, i don't wanna be a bother to Luigi." Dr. Mario nodded and left to room, going to the visitors room to inform Luigi about Aeon's decision. At this moment Aeon looked at the clock and sighed, knowing he wasn't gonna get much sleep at this point.

He sat up, let his legs hang off the edge of the bed as he carefully got off and stood up, still feeling abit weak from the beating he called training. He peeked outside the door and left his room with his present, noticing the halls were quite vacant of people, be it patients or nurses. He made it outside to the garden where he heard someone playing guitar, and singing. The sky was a peach orange/pink and the voice was of a woman, but the language wasn't any Aeon knew. He walked into the garden until he found the source, a woman sitting on a fountain. She had red hair and wore a red dress under what seemed to be a nun tunic, that was just the black sleeves, and a white apron.

-Insert theme: Song of the Ancients (Devola) from Nier: Gestalt-

She held a lute and played her song while singing in this strange language that Aeon couldn't pinpoint. But he could recall this song from somewhere as he listened to her play, eventually sitting down on a near by bench as he listened. Aeon pulled out his wallet and stared at his photos, the song helping him recall the good times, spending whole days with his brother, sister and cousins playing multiplayer video games for hours on end. He sighed as he put his wallet away and noticed the music had stopped, and the woman was gone.

-Song Ends-

Aeon looked around the garden for the mysterious woman and came across nothing, just the empty gardens. He sighed then could hear the medical staff calling for him, he sighed and returned, prepared for the scolding of a lifetime. All the while the woman watched him from a safe distance, watching him get scolded by the doctor and be sent back to his room, genuine curiosity growing within her. She noticed a camera catch a glimpse of her and ran away, for now.

South Smash City - K. Rool's Pub - 9 PM

Luigi sighed as he sat with Corrin F, Lucas and Ashei, Funky working his night shift and bringing them their respective drinks. Lucas smiled at his banana smoothie then asked "Why did you want to meet up Corrin?" Luigi nodded to this as he took a sip of his Godfather cocktail, asking "Yeah, i am needed back at evershade valley for the night shift."

Corrin took a sip of her rum and answered them "I need your help to train Aeon... He has all of tomorrow and i already got little Mac and his trainer to help... You guys in?" Ashei took a sip of her whiskey and replied "No can't do, my team is down so I'm gonna be on patrol..." Lucas cleaned his smoothie mustache off and replied "Sure, I'm off tomorrow. When and where?" Luigi answered both of their questions with "The mansion, 7 AM." Corrin smiled and replied with "Alright, I'll tell little mac to meet us there. Besides that, how was your day?"

Luigi gave a small groan and replied with "Had to sign transfer papers and get special permissions for equipment over at Evershade... Hope the mansions pay off.." Lucas finished his smoothie and answered "I spent the day on patrol, stopped some Mr. Saturn's from going on a strike and helped out at the gardens, met a nice lady there." The team went silent as Lucas mentioned that, then Corrin asked "Did she look like a nun with messy red hair?" Lucas nodded and held a photo of her and informed "She let me take a picture."

Luigi looked at the image and asked Lucas "Hey Lucas, can you bring us a smoothie?" Lucas nodded with a small smile and left the three to talk. Ashei spoke up "The invader... She isn't one of us..." Luigi nodded and replied "Lucas says she isn't bad, and she didn't hurt him, so-" Corrin cut in in a cold tone "No Luigi, she isn't one of us, she's an outsider who has deleted fifteen civilians who had made physical contact with her. She is a threat and must be captured and sent back to which ever hole she came out of."

Luigi nodded and took a sip of his drink, then asked in an alarmed tone "Wait, Lucas said the gardens. The medical ward is right in front of the gardens." Both women went wide eyed as they put two and two together, with Ashei pulling out her radio and reporting "Invader sighting at the smash gardens, repeat. Invader sighting at the smash garden." Rob however muted her call in and replied with "Noted, well send champions to investigate." Master Hand floating over Rob as he ordered "Send in Snake... Capture alive.." Rob nodded and radioed in the private signal "Snake... Gardens.. Alive."

Peach's Castle - 10 PM

Mario was getting dressed for an evening out with Peach, his red shirt and blue overalls replaced by a fine suit and bow tie. He sighed as he knew he had to keep Peach happy, but the truth of it all was, he didn't love her. Yes, he had saved her countless times, and yes he had put his life on the line even more times, but he only did it because it was the right thing to do. He finished by combing his hair and then stepping out of his room and waited at the lobby.

It took Peach just a little over a minute, even though she had been getting prepared since before Mario arrived, but the wait was well worth it. She wore a pink formal dress that had a slit exposing her right leg and had her hair up in a ponytail. She smiled and spoke in a smooth and warm tone "Glad to see you dressed so sharply for our dinner date." Mario smiled and replied with "I could say the same about you, ready to go?" Peach smirked and replied with "Born ready."

Mario smiled and took Peach by her hand and walked her out the castle and into the city, where after ten minutes they arrived at "Toadsworth's Ristorante" Inside all the patrons were dressed elegantly, many men in tuxedos and women in dresses enjoying the retired king's humble establishment. Mario and Peach were taken to their seats near the window overlooking the mushroom kingdom, making both smile and reminisce on the old days when it was just the mushroom kingdom. Now however the world was much bigger and the responsibility of taking care of it was greater. Mario sighed and looked at peach, who had a dreamy look on her face.

She smiled at Mario and asked "How was today at smash HQ? Heard from Zelda that there is a new member." Mario replied with "It was good, got rid of a blooper infestation and yes, we did receive a new member. He is a gamer." Peach let out a small gasp and asked "Has he, you know, helped?" Mario scratched the back of his head and explained Aeon's first mission "Well he was the one who took care of the Gooper Blooper along with Funky. So i would say he is helping out quite nicely."

Peach smiled and both placed their orders to a shy guy waiter then continued with Mario adding "But it seems he is abit short tempered... He already has gotten into an argument with Marth... Twice." Peach gave a small giggle then asked "It was Marth's fault wasn't it..?" Mario let a small chuckle escape him and nodded, but changed the subject by asking "How are the preparations for the festival going?" Peach gave a determined smile and replied in a high and mighty tone "This will be the best festival we have worked on yet!"

Mario smiled warmly and their food arrived, a large plate of Osso bucoc alla Milanese, Tender veal shanks, braised slowly in white wine, served with an array of vegetables, a serving of aromatic gremolata, a condiment made with lemon zest, garlic and parsley, added to complete this mouthwatering dish. Mario cut a piece of for Peach while she asked "We still got all of tomorrow, should we also open the party areas and race tracks?" Mario served the blonde princess and replied while serving himself "Why not? Link said he would get some rangers to allow guests into the hylian wild lands."

Peach smiled and started eating while Mario continued "Along with this i think Red and Cynthia are opening the region borders to our citizens for the first time, Shulk is gonna let captain toad search the bionis, along with the archaeology team, and Dream Land will allow picnic trips on Cookie Country." Mario started eating as Peach smiled warmly and asked "And Luigi? I heard he was preparing something for the people of the far western mushroom kingdom." And in an instant Mario sighed and lowered his tone "... I shouldn't be saying anything... But the project has hit some bumps... We are doing so well and he is stuck having to struggle.."

Peach pouted and replied "Then help him, he's your brother and he needs help." Mario took a sip of some red wine and answered her "I have tried, but he is stubborn... He wants to get out of my shadow... Wants to do something for himself." Peach sighed and muttered bitterly "Men and their pride... If you don't help him then i will Mario, he needs to stop being alone and allow others into his life... Maybe let someone rent out a room in his mansion.. I mean he is always alone... No one but him.."

Mario sighed and reminded Peach "Last time that happened Luigi was sent to therapy for a year... He is still scared of-" However he was cut off when Peach's phone sounded off, the iconic world 1-1 theme playing as she answered "Hello?..." then she went silent until she replied with "Uhh no it's fine...yes the castle... See you there..." She looked at Mario and quickly demanded "Make sure your brother doesn't come into town... She's here for the festival." Mario dropped his fork and quickly nodded, getting up, going to pay for the dinner then hurrying to Smash HQ.

Smash HQ - Gardens - 11 PM

The mysterious woman sat alone by the fountain, lute beside her as she heard foot steps then asked "You are here for me correct?" Snake came out of the shadows and replied with "Nothing personal... Just come with me... Please." The woman nodded, getting up and walking beside Snake, leaving her Lute on purpose with a note, hoping that it would reach the hands of the correct person. Snake took her through the basement secret passages, avoiding any cameras or ears, their steps echoing through the dim halls before absolute silence.


And managed to write the next chapter for you guys, didn't take as long as i thought.

Thank you guys who keep supporting the fic, i will try my hardest to pump out a special chapter for July 30th.

Like Always, i'm still in the Trenches, and hope You Enjoyed.