All I'd Give

Samus pulled off her helmet and blew her nose one last time. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and the hair on the top of her head was flattened from wearing the helmet. Quickly, she pulled herself together and stood up.

"Sam, didn't you go already?" asked Falcon.

"Yeah, but that George guy sidetracked me, and I forgot there was another story I wanted to share, if Master Hand doesn't mind," explained Samus.

"Go for it," said Master Hand.

"First, however," Samus slyly went on. "Excuse me while I change into something more comfortable…"

She pressed a button on her Varia suit. Piece by piece, the armor opened up, unveiling a slim, athletic figure clad in a two-piece blue catsuit. The bounty huntress sighed in relief as she stepped out of her armor.

"You won't believe how stuffy it is in there," said Zero Suit Samus.

"Well, you didn't start fighting in your Zero Suit until Brawl, so technically, you're not going twice, are you?" said Master Hand.

"Guess not," said ZSS.

The heels of her jet boots clacked against the floor as she made her way to the podium. "So," she began. "Let's talk about Subspace."

Master groaned.

"Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad, considering," said ZSS. "And Mario, Ness and Zelda and everyone else are right—the L played a prominent role in the affair. Let's not forget how he revived our butts after Tabuu attacked us with his Off Waves, yes?"

"With a little help from two friends," winked Luigi.

"Once we were all revived, we began our trek through the Great Maze. We faced those who tried to stop us earlier, as well as diabolical, shadowy versions of ourselves," said ZSS. "I was fighting Ridley for the zillionth time, and I was bodying him. I mean, I was really wrecking him. But—the battle isn't the important part of my story. It's afterwards…"

2008

ZSS stumbled away from her archrival's limp form, catching her breath. The battle had been harsh, more so because Ridley had been recruited by Tabuu to stop the Smashers from foiling his plans. But with or without her Varia Suit, she had defeated him. Her Paralyzer, Plasma Whip, and jet boots had done their work, and had done it well. She remembered her first mission without her armor and how she was underestimated because of it. If only they could see her now.

"Sammy!"

She turned and smiled as Luigi approached. He seemed out of breath, as well.

"I saw the whole thing," he panted. "I wanted to pitch in and help, but—the Primids…"

"How many Primids?" she asked.

"Crowds of them."

"Wow. You defeated them all by yourself?" ZSS asked. She saw the answer to her question in the form of the fallen Primids littered behind Ridley.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

"Yeah. Just a little shook up. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's walk the talk; time is wasting."

"Okeydokey!"

The two Smashers continued through the Great Maze, reviving more allies and destroying more Subspace Army troops in their way. There were Mites, Buckots, Glires, Glices, Glunders, Jyks, Shellpods, Generators and other crafty creatures waiting to surprise them. There were ambushes and booby traps adding to the peril. But ZSS and Luigi were among the quickest and most agile Smashers on the roster, with the former being a "gunner" as well as a "brawler" with her long-range Paralyzer and Plasma Whip. She found herself reminded of the encounter with the Polygons nine years ago as Luigi took a protective stance around her and led the way. He still had her back after all of this time, after everything that had happened to him.

"Hey, L," said ZSS after they took down a Shaydas together.

"What?"

"How do you know where you're going?" she asked.

"I don't," confessed Luigi. "That's just the point. We just keep on walking and brace ourselves for what's ahead, like everything in life. Right?"

"Right."

"The others…?"

"We decided to split up," explained Luigi. "That would throw the Subspace Army off guard. Our rendezvous point is toward the end of the Great Maze. I looked up and thought I saw some sort of door leading to Tabuu's lair. That's where we agreed to meet."

"Thank you, L," said ZSS.

"We're not out of this yet," warned Luigi.

"For reviving us, I mean. You're an unlikely hero."

"Sometimes, you have to put others ahead of you," said Luigi. "You have to put your fears aside for the common good. I don't want Tabuu ruining what we have in this tournament. Compared to living in the world he can create if we don't stop him, this Great Maze is tame."

"Did you know about Tabuu's plan before you were accosted and turned into a trophy?"

"I thought it was just a rumor," shrugged Luigi, "and I had things weighing heavily on my mind. I got the skinny through Ness and Triple D, and I knew something had to be done."

"If we make it out of this, and you want to talk to someone about—that incident…"

"Aw, that's so sweet, ZSS. But I feel mildly better now," said Luigi. "I started talking to Mario and Peach about it, and I see Dr. Toadley every two weeks. I mean, I still feel guilty over helping advance those villains' schemes, even against my will, along with injuring my own brother, but I've come to realize that it wasn't my fault, I can't undo it, and the next time something like that happens, I'll be ready for it. I also learned how to better control my feelings."

"You mean, they played on your emotions?" asked ZSS.

"You can say that," sighed Luigi. "I was the viable host for the Chaos Heart because of my kindness and generosity, but deep down, I was green with envy over Mario getting most of the credit."

"I see."

"So, they took that and used it as a weapon of mass destruction. They turned me into a cruel, merciless person with a suave exterior who happily did their bidding. But one of the villains decided that I was no longer needed, and, you know."

"Ouch," winced ZSS.

"Mario came and retrieved me, and we later teamed with Peach and Koopa to take down these guys. We fought the count first, and once we defeated him, his love for his one and only drove him to redeem himself. But then the jester came along and activated the device he put in my brain…"

"The Floro Sprout," breathed ZSS. "Hey, watch out!"

Luigi spun and began battling the small swarm of enemies as ZSS assisted. "I'm surprised you know about it," he said as he threw punches.

"I've done my homework, L," retorted ZSS.

"He turned me back into my diabolical alter ego, merged me with the Chaos Heart, added himself to the mix, and—there it is," sighed Luigi. "On your left!"

ZSS knocked the Primid away with a scissor kick. "I can safely deduce that the side of good won," she said.

"Yes. Just as it will in this case." He blasted five fireballs straight in one enemy's face and sent another fleeing for its life, wetting itself. "I think we got them all. Clear on your side?"

"Clear."

"Moving on," smiled Luigi.

They continued in silence for about half a mile before Luigi spoke up again.

"The count and his love neutralized the Dark Prognosticus or whatever. They wed, and their shared passion halted the destruction of all worlds. After that, everything went back to close to normal. Koopa went back to his Princess-snatching self, and we all got ready for Brawl."

"May I ask you a question?" queried ZSS.

"Ask away."

"What would you give to stop Tabuu from terrorizing the Smashers again?"

"Anything," Luigi said instantly. Then, his eyes flashed dangerously. "Everything."

"Me, too."

"Now let me ask you a question," said Luigi. "What would you give to prevent Ridley from turning another child into an orphan?"

"Oh, don't get me started, because I have a laundry list," said ZSS.

"I've got you," Luigi said quietly.

"I've got you first," ZSS intoned solemnly.

They held hands and continued to fight their way through the Great Maze, eventually meeting up with the other Smashers and defeating Tabuu.

But that was a story for someone else to tell…

2013

"It's amazing what we discover about each other under pressure," said ZSS.

Luigi nodded. "I was glad I had that talk with you."

"Well, MH, this is the first Subspace related story, but it sure isn't the last. Just warning you," ZSS said wryly before turning back to Luigi.

"Happy b-day, L. Again."

She walked off the podium as the audience clapped.

"Thank you, Zero Suit Samus, for sharing that experience," said Master Hand. "Are there any more volunteers?"

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