Spoilers: For Metroid Fusion, surprisingly.
~Chapter Nine: Bus Ride~
The Smashers were abuzz as they waited outside the mansion for the bus, bags of luggage strewn on the ground as goodbyes were exchanged with Master Hand, Crazy Hand, and R.O.B. The robot, having no home to return to, would be living in the mansion from here on out. A bittersweet ending for him, but at least he'd be somewhere he wasn't alone.
The same couldn't be said for Samus. She'd stated multiple times that the moment she set foot in her world again she'd be a felon, and it was that reason why Sonic broke off his goodbyes with the Ice Climbers and approached her curiously.
"So you never quite explained the whole 'I'm a felon' thing, Sam. We will be able to contact you, right?"
Samus sighed and ran a hand through her bangs. "You'll be able to contact me no problem. I'll be in my ship most of the time trying to keep away from the Galactic Federation. I blew up one of their stations when I found out they were illegally breeding Metroids, so they're pissed at me."
"Oh... is that all?" Sonic teased, Samus narrowing her eyes.
"Don't get smart with me, you rat." she seethed, causing Sonic to glare at her.
"Don't call me a rat," he growled.
"Then lose the attitude."
Mario, sensing tension between the two, made his way over and stood between his two friends.
"Is he bothering you?" Mario asked Samus.
"Yes."
Raising an eyebrow, Mario turned to Sonic. "Why?"
"Hey, I just wanted to know why she was a felon!" Sonic defended himself, throwing his hands up.
Mario sighed, and turned to Samus. "Come on you two, make up. It's the end of the tournament; you clearly like each other enough to want to stay in contact, so stop making it harder on yourselves."
Sonic and Samus sighed, then turned to each other; Sonic holding his hand out.
"Friends?" he asked, sounding hopeful. Rolling her eyes, Samus shook his hand.
"Friends," she sighed. Mario smiled, then looked down the road.
"Just in time too, the bus is here."
Indeed the large bus braked in front of the stop, the doors opening to reveal Kapp'n sitting in the drivers seat staring at the diverse group.
"Aye, make sure ye have everything ye need, 'cause we ain't comin' back if ye forget anything."
Immediately, the Smashers grabbed their bags and began to board the bus one at a time. Sonic noticed the seat behind Mario and Luigi was free and quickly slid into it, staring out the window at the mansion.
He thought it was strange how he was going to miss it so much, considering he was extremely hesitant coming here in the first place. He could remember the bus ride coming to the mansion, the way his anger had flared when Mario was mentioned. Now he was friends with him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Sonic jumped, not realizing someone had sat next to him. What startled him the most though, was the fact that it was the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom herself, Peach.
"Uh," Sonic stumbled, not exactly knowing what to say. It's not like he'd never spoken to Peach before, but...
Peach giggled, clearly amused by the way Sonic had no idea how to speak to her. Meanwhile, the last of the Smashers had boarded the bus, the doors closing and the engine roaring to life as Kapp'n began to drive away, Master Hand and Crazy Hand waving goodbye while R.O.B sadly put his head down; not wanting his friends to leave. Most of the Smashers waved back, then immediately began chattering amoungst themselves as Kapp'n whistled a song.
"So," Peach began, clasping her hands together. "I'm excited to meet your friends."
Sonic, still in a mild state of shock, ran a hand through his quills and nodded. "Yeah, you know there's one I think you'll get along with quite well. She's about as pink as you are."
Giggling once again, Peach smiled at Sonic; an amused look in her eyes. "I'm sure I will," she said honestly, then looked at the two capped plumbers in front of them. "You know, I'm happy you're friends with Mario," she murmured in a much quieter voice then before. "That rivalry of yours was ridiculous. And nothing ever gets solved by fighting." she shot a particularly nasty glare in Bowser's direction. "I wish some people would learn that."
Wow. Now, Sonic had never thought that Peach was a ditzy princess, but that statement proved how much of a sharp tongue she had, and how vicious she could get when she wanted to. It made him wonder why she was constantly getting kidnapped, but he decided that wasn't a very kind question to ask. Instead, he steered the conversation to what was currently on his mind - the Olympics.
"So do you play many sports?" he asked. "Mario mentioned something about playing sports on your down time once."
"Oh, of course I get involved!" Peach began to list off various sports, from tennis to kart racing to soccer. Sonic couldn't help but snicker quietly, they really DID play too many sports in their spare time. And throw a lot of parties, apparently. It did sound like a lot of fun though, and Sonic wondered if his friends would be down for some friendly racing sometime. When the world wasn't at stake, that was.
Realizing he hadn't been paying attention for the last couple of moments, Sonic tuned back in to Peach who was still rambling off sports. Finally, she stopped, pondering if she had listed all of them.
"I think that's it..." she murmured, smiling down at Sonic. "So you and your team better watch yourselves out there!"
"Oh we will!" Sonic shot back with confidence.
Peach smiled in amusement. 'Him and Mario really are similar,' she thought, before peering out the window. "It seems we've arrived."
Turning his head, Sonic realized that they'd made it to Smash Plaza, the bus stopping outside a futuristic looking building that Sonic recognized as the one with the teleporters in it. Opening the doors, Kapp'n turned to the Smashers.
"Make sure ye take all yer belongings with ye, or it'll all go to donation!"
The Smashers began to stand, taking their luggage and yelling 'Thank you's' to Kapp'n as they filed out of the bus. Peach rose and grabbed her luggage, grinning at Sonic.
"Thank you for conversing with me," she exclaimed sweetly, following Mario off the bus. Staring at the back of the plumbers hat, she giggled to herself, almost as if she knew something no one else did.
Taking his bags in his hands Sonic exited the bus, making sure to thank Kapp'n, and followed the rest of the Smashers into the building where a couple of Mii's were directing them into the teleporter rooms.
"Alright, listen up!" a blonde Mii with a hint of a southern accent spoke. "We're gonna call your home worlds one at a time, so listen carefully or you're gonna miss your ticket home! Got it?"
The Smashers nodded, and a Mii with black hair spoke next.
"Those of you headed to the planet Doppel please follow me, as your teleporters are in a different area."
As Sonic and Mario's crew wandered away with the black-haired Mii, Diddy Kong and Donkey Kong watched with sad eyes; Peach turning and giving the two pats on the head before leaving with the rest of the group. The room they were led into was a lot brighter than the one the other Smashers were in, and the Mii headed over to a control panel, pressing a few buttons and glancing at the screen in front of her.
"Alright, I would like for all of you to please step in to that big teleporter there, because we're gonna send you all at the same time. Please make sure to take any and all belongings with you."
"How many times are we gonna be told that today?" Sonic whispered to Mario. Beside them, Yoshi giggled.
"Okay, is everyone in the teleporter?" came the voice of the Mii. After confirming that yes, everyone was present, she went to the control panel and shut the door with a click. After a few more button presses the machine began to hum, and Mario and Sonic exchanged a glance, they were minutes away from competing in one of the most watched sporting events. And for Mario and Luigi, there was the potential chance of seeing their parents again. The atmosphere was a mixture of excitement and nervousness, as a white glow surrounded the pod and in a flash of light they were gone, whisked off to the Planet Doppel. The Mii sighed, and glanced at the now empty pod.
"I guess their adventure truly begins now," she mused.
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Guest: Well, here you go! I update every Wednesday unless something out of my control happens, I'm glad you're liking the story so far!
