It Came from Lucina's Head

Chapter 35: One Month Later

"Ness! Pass it up here!"

"Okay!"

Ness punted the Soccer Ball past Kirby, between Luigi's legs, over Lucas' head, and into Toon Link's possession. His team was able to carry the ball several yards up the field, where Toon then reeled back for a powerful kick.

"Not so fast!" came a bypassing Captain Falcon. "Falcon KICK!"

The F-Zero racer slid past Toon Link in a fiery blaze, singeing the freshly cut grass beneath his feet and taking the Soccer Ball along with him.

"Darnit!" cried Toon.

"Ha ha!" cheered Falcon, juking around the opposing team's defense. "Too fast for you!"

"More like too slow!" shouted Sonic, whizzing by Falcon and stealing the ball in an instant. "You gotta be faster than that if you wanna keep up with me!"

"Why you little-"

Falcon was cut off by the sound of Ike's whistle, who was currently refereeing the crazy soccer game.

"Falcon, you're off side," he said. "Get on him."

"What does it look like I'm doing!?" shouted Falcon, kicking up dirt and sprinting after the blue hedgehog.

He ended up colliding with Donkey Kong and tripping over his own feet, earning some laughs from the Mii spectators watching from the bleachers.

"You know, I almost feel sorry for him," said Samus, who was sitting at the bottom row of the bleachers next to Lucina and Mario. "Sonic is so fast he makes these sports kind of unfair."

"It's weird to me," replied Mario. "When we ran the Olympic games with Sonic and his friends back in 2007, anyone could beat him at the 100 meter dash. He wasn't nearly as cocky as he is now."

It was a warm summer weekend; the perfect day for a nice relaxing game of soccer. All of the Smashers had gathered outside of the mansion to enjoy the sunshine, but more importantly, to host the annual Super Smash Bros. open house. Various tables, booths, and other activities had been set up on the grounds as Master Hand requested roughly a week ago. The Smashers were expecting a few more newcomers to join the ranks this year, but no one knew any of the specific details. Most of them were happy seeing their friends again, and it was also a nice break from the tournament (even though they would be back to beating the crap out of each other come Monday).

"Come on Captain Falcon, use that head!" cheered Lucina, cupping her hands around her mouth into a makeshift megaphone.

"My head?" said Falcon aloud as he stampeded at Sonic, who was winding up for a power shot. "Oh I got it!" He charged with all his might, lowering his head and slamming Sonic in the back with the top of his helmet. Sonic immediately fell to the ground, losing control of the ball to Pac-Man.

Ike blew his whistle. "That's a foul."

"What?! Gimme a break here, Sonic's too damn fast!"

"You're just too slow," snickered Sonic, curling up into a ball on the ground. "Ow! My foot! My ankle! My whole leg! It hurts!" He grabbed his limb and began rolling around.

"I didn't even touch your leg!" retorted Falcon.

"Come on ref, he's bluffing!" said Pit in Falcon's defense.

"Sonic still got hit so it's a free kick," replied Ike calmly, holding the ball up in his hand.

"I should get two free kicks!" said Sonic. "Or three, or four! The pain is excruciating!"

"You can't seriously be buying all this…" muttered Falcon.

Lucina sighed.

"I didn't mean for him to use his head like that…" she said.

Samus and Mario laughed while they watched Sonic jump to his feet and get in position for his free kick. Apparently his leg was completely fine.

"Man, this game sucks," mumbled Dark Pit from somewhere higher in the bleachers. "Every two minutes someone gets on the ground and grabs their leg like it's falling off. The ball barely gets from one end of the field to the other without Ike calling foul."

"Jeez, why do you always have to be such a pessimist?" said a young girl sitting next to him, her long pale-blonde hair blowing elegantly in the breeze.

"Make this entertaining," replied Dark Pit nonchalantly. "You're the Goddess of Nature; can't you just spawn a giant plant monster in the field or something?"

"As much as I'd like to," said the girl, "I'm afraid I can't do that. Master Hand might kick me out."

"Pfft. It's not like he's paying attention or anything."

The group looked further down the lawn to see Master Hand scolding Crazy Hand next to what appeared to be a giant inflatable slide. The slide was very colorful and stood almost as high as the mansion itself! King Dedede, Diddy Kong, and some Waddle Dees were in the midst of sliding down, jumping off, and running back around for another ride.

"I told you a million times already!" shouted Master Hand. "We don't need a giant slide!"

"You said we needed more attractions for guests!" replied Crazy Hand. "You didn't give me any instructions so this is what I came up with."

"The guests aren't even using the slide!" Master Hand turned to the giant ride as Dedede came to a stop at the bottom. "Dedede, get off of that! You're still being punished for what happened last month!"

"It ain't my fault!" he whined. "Wario ate my garbage disposal thingy…"

"Then find another one," replied Master Hand seriously. "Your job is to pick up the trash that anyone drops. And I better not see you dumping any of your tasks on the Waddle Dees. Now get back to work!"

"Grr…" Dedede glanced over at the bleachers, where a young black-haired witch in a red dress was sitting by herself away from the other people. She noticed Dedede look at her, and promptly tossed her ice cream cone on the ground with a sneer. He sighed. "Fine…"

"I really don't see why you're complaining," said Crazy Hand, getting back to their original discussion. "You asked for something fun that wouldn't go unnoticed. This slide fits the bill perfectly if you ask me!"

"Not when it's costing us so much money!" replied Master Hand.

The two hands continued bickering, while Shulk and a few of his friends from Bionis were busy chatting and munching on some appetizers at a nearby table.

"So that one on the right is Master Hand," explained Shulk. "And the one on the left is Crazy Hand. I think they're brothers… No, they certainly are brothers."

"Intriguing," replied a taller man with straggly black hair. "I wonder how they can speak so clearly without the need for a mouth or face. What do you think Fiora?"

A young lady with light brown hair next to Shulk almost dropped her fork as she attempted to swallow the 2D spinach puff she had put into her mouth.

"Oh sorry," said the man. "I didn't realize you were eating."

"It's okay, Dunban," replied Fiora. "Um, I'm not sure. They must be using some kind of telepathy to speak."

"Hey Shulk," said a bulky man at the table. "You think I could beat that hand in an arm wrestle?"

"I wouldn't chance it," replied Shulk. "Those two are stronger than they look."

"Riki want to wrestle too!" chimed a furry animal next to the man. "Riki can beat finger-beast any day!"

"Shush Riki," chuckled Fiora. "They'll hear you."

In the midst of the discussion, Wario waltzed up to the table with a pointy stick in his hand and a small garbage bin. He was dressed in his usual yellow attire, but the "W" on his hat had been replaced with the Smash Ball symbol.

"I hope you're enjoying your time here at the mansion," he said in the most drawn out and unimpressed tone imaginable.

Everyone at the table exchanged glances before their gazes inevitably fell to Shulk.

"Friend of yours?" asked Dunban.

"Oh, uh, yes," replied Shulk. "This is Wario. He's another fighter in the Super Smash Brothers."

"That's Mr. Wario to you chumps," he replied, sticking his chin up high. "I'm one of the strongest and most well-respected Smashers in the mansion." He grimaced. "So don't get in my way."

"Hey garbage boy," came Falco's bypassing voice from behind. The bird man tossed a half-eaten corndog at Wario, which bounced off his head and landed in the garbage bin.

Wario gritted his teeth in annoyance, the members at Shulk's table sitting there and awkwardly staring.

"Um, right…" said Dunban. "Well Mr. Wario, it was a pleasure meeting you."

"Yeah, whatever." Wario grabbed some of the finished paper cups and plates on the table and hobbled off to another area of the grounds, mumbling some colorful words under his breath.

"He takes some getting used to," said Shulk, rubbing the back of his head.

Wario made his way around the mansion, mainly sticking to some of the booths the Smashers had set up to entertain and inform guests. He really only did this just to see if there was any free food he could get his hands on, but more often than not he came across something two-dimensional, which was pretty sad since Game and Watch was the one organizing the food at this event.

He eventually, came across Princess Peach and Palutena, who were hosting the Homerun Contest event in the open field.

"Oh, hello Wario!" greeted Peach, who was setting up another Sandbag since Little Mac had beaten the previous one into oblivion. "What brings you here?"

"Take a guess," he muttered, picking up a wrapper with his stick and shoving it into his garbage bin. "Master Hand put me and the other bad guys on garbage duty all because of that stupid thing with Lucina last month." He frowned. "And you know what the worst part about it is? That little brat Ashley is sitting by the bleachers and watching the soccer game!"

"Who's Ashley?" asked Palutena, patting the Sandbag down and picking up a Homerun Bat. "Next!" A young monkey with absurdly long arms and a funny face (presumably a member of the "DK Crew") stepped up to the plate and received the bat from Palutena. He then began examining the Item curiously.

"You know, Ashley!" replied Wario. "She's the one who made all that Dream Tap! So how come she's not getting punished for it?"

"Well for one thing, she's not a member of the Smash Bros.," said Peach matter-of-factly. "And secondly, it's your fault that the Dream Tap got out of hand. You started it when you gave Falcon that dose during Lucina's party remember?"

Wario stomped his foot on the ground in annoyance.

"I was just doing him a favor!" he replied. "See, this is the reason why I don't do nice things for people. I always get the short end of the stick!"

"As long as you learned your lesson, that's all that matters," said Palutena before turning her attention to the monkey. "Alright, Lanky Kong was it? Let me explain the rules: You have 10 seconds to beat up the Sandbag, and then right before the timer runs out, I want you to nail this thing with everything you've got! I recommend using the bat since it really helps. Any questions?"

Lanky shook his head, stretching his long arms around his body in anticipation.

"Okay, then let's get to it!"

Palutena, Peach, and Wario all took a step back from the plate, giving Lanky some room. The timer began counting down and the little monkey went completely bananas, whacking and socking the poor Sandbag like there was no tomorrow. He finished off with a crazy windup, wrapping his arms numerous times around his body before performing a ridiculous spin attack, slamming the Sandbag with the bat so hard that it travelled at least 3000 feet.

There may not have been any style or grace in the hit, but it certainly was powerful.

"Good job!" said Palutena as she and Peach both clapped their hands. "You got over 3000 feet, so here's your prize!" She handed Lanky a trophy of Donkey Kong, which the young monkey accepted graciously before running off to show his friends.

"Pfft, that's nothing," commented Wario. "I could break 4000 with a Wario Waft."

"Why don't you show us then?" asked Peach. "Oh wait, you can't because you're on garbage duty." She stuck her tongue out with a playful wink. Wario just rolled his eyes.

"By the way Wario, is Ganondorf around?" asked Palutena. "I haven't seen him all day, but I thought he was supposed to be helping you?"

"Nah, you kidding?" replied Wario. "Ganondorf wouldn't be caught dead picking up people's trash. He's shut himself away in his room. Probably sulking or something, I don't know."

"That makes sense," said Peach. "Could you imagine Ganondorf picking up garbage? I'd have to get a picture of that…"

Palutena set up another Sandbag as another contestant stepped up to the plate. This time it was a Smasher, and a very familiar one at that.

"Oh hi R.O.B.!" said Palutena warmly, giving a smile to the robotic character. "Wanna try some Homerun Contest?"

R.O.B. narrowed his eyes at her, pausing momentarily before putting his arms up into the air cheerfully.

"Absolutely!" he replied. "I haven't played Homerun Contest in forever!"

Wario was taken aback by his outgoing response.

"Well, aren't you enthusiastic…" he muttered.

"Okay, here you go!" said Palutena, handing R.O.B. the bat. "I think you already know the rules?"

"I'm good!"

Soon enough, the timer began counting and R.O.B. went to town on the Sandbag. He threw out punches and flaming thruster attacks, finally finishing the job with a bat swing and sending the Sandbag on a journey 4000 feet across the field.

"Hey, nice job!" said Peach. "You're a natural!"

"I admit, I'm a little rusty," replied R.O.B., rubbing the back of his head. "Get it? Rusty?"

They broke out into a fit of laughter at his joke, but Wario couldn't help but feel a little weirded out by the robot's optimistic attitude.

R.O.B. was never really the same after he got rebuilt. He looked exactly like he always did (save for the paint job, now sporting a sleek silver finish as opposed to the cream and red) in the sense that every piece of him was intact. He had a head with two perfectly round eyes, robotic claw-like arms, and even thrusters on his lower portion that gave him hovering abilities. Even his voice was the same! The one thing that they weren't able to salvage from the wreckage however, was his artificial intelligence, which meant that he had to be reprogrammed from scratch. What this resulted in turned out to be a new and improved version of R.O.B., one that wasn't so serious all the time, but still maintained that loyal charm he always had.

To Wario, that just meant they had another goody-two-shoes hero in the mansion.

"Man, I miss the old R.O.B.," said Wario. "He wasn't so happy all the time."

"Am I not as nice as the old R.O.B.?" asked R.O.B. anxiously.

"You're fine, R.O.B.," replied Palutena. "Don't listen to Wario. I'm just glad you came out to play since the old R.O.B. would have probably spent the whole day inside doing work."

"Yeah!" chimed Peach. "Now we can catch up on all the times we missed!"

"Hurray!"

R.O.B. put his arms up in cheer, but Wario still didn't look very impressed. He eventually moseyed off on his own again since Master Hand wouldn't be too pleased with him if he found out he was lollygagging. He resumed his duties of picking up garbage, bypassing the Pokémon and some other Smashers as he made his way back over to the soccer game.

Charizard was giving free tours around the mansion grounds being the giant Flying Pokémon that he was. His tours were open to everyone, but most of the Smashers who joined in usually just wanted to experience the thrill of flying. Smaller characters like Pikachu and Villager could ride doubles, but they made sure to prioritize giving rides to the open house guests.

There were other booths spread throughout the grounds to provide information and entertainment to guests. Besides the Homerun Contest and buffet table, Lucario and Mewtwo had both set up a meditation stand, inviting newcomers to relax and concentrate. It was an exercise for the mind, and even though it looked kind of dumb at first, Miis began flocking to it when they saw Mewtwo lifting things up with his psychic powers.

Next to this attraction sat Wii Fit Trainer's yoga sessions, where she played calming music and invited guests to experience the magic of yoga. Olimar and some of his Pikmin had joined in on this occasion, which was pretty funny to watch. Who knew that White Pikmin could even bend like that?

A bit further down, the Koopalings had set up a dunk tank where they took turns taking a spot in the hot seat. Guests could come up and try to dunk one of them in the pool if they threw the ball at the target. There was a small fee of one Smash Coin per throw, but they were ordered to charge guests because of Bowser, who was picking up some garbage nearby. He figured if Master Hand was going to punish him, he might as well have gotten something out of it.

There were plenty of other booths and attractions nearby to entertain people like Greninja's Water Shuriken Toss, Rosalina's Story Time, Jigglypuff's Karaoke, Marth's Sword Training, and Meta Knight's Revenge (one versus one swordplay with no holds barred). Despite how successful the open house was turning out, Master Hand honestly wasn't expecting a lot of newcomers to be joining the ranks. If anything, the open house was more or less a way for the Smashers to relax and reunite with family and friends that they hadn't been able to see for a while because of the tournament.

One thing he did mention to the Smashers before the event however, was that he was going to recruit some new characters known as Mii Fighters. The Miis (which made up about 75% of the guests attending the open house) were skilled warriors, possessing the ability to specialize in different types of weaponry such as swords, guns, or simply unarmed combat. They came in all shapes and sizes, and they certainly were an enthusiastic bunch. A large group of Miis in the bleachers were cheering on the soccer game that was still currently underway.

"Megaman, heads up!" called Falcon, booting the ball up the field.

Megaman received the pass, ducking underneath Yoshi who tried to intercept him.

"I'm going for it!" he said, unleashing a powerful kick and sending the ball surging to the opposing goal.

Goalkeeper Fox dove for the shot, but Megaman had put a little spin on the kick, causing the ball to curve away from Fox and hit the goalpost. Ike blew his whistle as it ricocheted into the net, earning a series of cheers from Megaman's team, as well as the spectators.

"Nice shot," said Samus, who was still seated at the front row with Lucina and Mario. "Megaman's a lot faster than he looks."

"At least their team is working together," replied Mario. "Captain Falcon is notorious for being a ball-hog."

"Yeah, I noticed he's not doing that at all this game."

"He learned his lesson, I'm sure," said Lucina. She noticed another Smasher approaching them from the corner of her eye, but of course she had to turn her whole head when she recognized who it was.

"Good afternoon everyone," greeted Robin, walking up to the three Smashers in the bleachers. The soccer game resumed as the other spectators began cheering again. "Enjoying the open house?"

"Oh yes, definitely," replied Lucina with a smile. "This game is really getting intense."

"Why don't you pull up a seat, Robin?" asked Samus, patting the spot next to her.

"It's okay," he said. "I just came over here to tell Lucina someone was looking for her."

"Really?" replied Lucina, somewhat surprised. "Who? Um, if you don't mind my asking?"

He smirked. "Come with me and I'll show you."

Robin walked off, beckoning for Lucina to follow him. She promptly got up and scurried to his side while Mario and Samus returned to their game. Robin had actually been sitting with them earlier to watch the excitement, but found himself wandering off to grab a drink. He meant to get one for Lucina as well, but he was stopped when someone had approached him and asked for her.

"Who is it?" asked Lucina again, confused as to why Robin didn't tell her upfront. "Is it someone I know?"

"Oh, you know him alright," he replied casually. "I was surprised he even showed up today."

They continued walking past the various booths and attractions, making their way to where the tables and umbrellas had been set up. There were some characters from different realms seated and talking amongst themselves, including Shulk and his friends who gave them a wave as they passed. Lucina soon noticed the table that Robin was talking about, recognizing a blue-haired man sitting across from a young woman in a gown similar to that of Robin's.

She ran to him.

"Father!"

The man stood up before she jumped into his arms, the two embracing each other beneath the shade of the table's umbrella. Robin came up from behind as well, unable to hide the grin on his face after witnessing Lucina's reaction to seeing Chrom again.

"Hey there Lucina," said Chrom, noticing that Lucina was hugging him a little too tight. "How have you been?"

She pulled away from him staring at his face, thankful that he hadn't changed one bit since they last met.

"I've been good," she replied with a smile. "How about you? And Mother?"

"We've been getting along," he said with a smirk. "She actually let me sleep inside the castle last night." The two shared a laugh, followed by Chrom putting an arm around her. "Gods, you look so mature now. How long has it been?"

"Almost a year." She glanced at Robin who shrugged his shoulders. "I've been training really hard though. Master Hand has barely given us a day to rest since the tournament was taken off suspension."

"Ah yes, I heard about that." Chrom had a bit of a curious look in his eyes. "Come, sit down with us and we can talk. I'll get some extra beverages over here on the double." Robin and Lucina both took their seats at the table while Chrom glanced around for any sign of a servant. Unfortunately, most of the Waddle Dees were still giving Master Hand a hard time with the giant slide, so the only thing that really stood out to him was the plump man picking up garbage nearby. "Excuse me, sir? Would you be so kind as to bring us some punch?"

Wario turned around with a grimace on his face, realizing that as long as he was under Master Hand's rule, he had no choice but to be polite to the guests. He immediately put on an overly happy and fake smile.

"Oh yes, absolutely your majesty!" replied Wario. "I would be more than happy to get you and your friends some punch! After all, it is what I'm paid to do! I'm getting paid a lot of money for this job, but the money doesn't mean anything to me! I'm just happy to serve you!"

With that, Wario stormed off in the direction of the punch bowl, while Lucina and Robin just exchanged an awkward glance. Chrom chuckled.

"What a nice fellow," he commented. "I'll be sure to leave him a tip when he gets back."

"Err, I'd recommend against it," replied Robin. "He's actually a Smasher and he's not getting paid to do that. He owes Master Hand some community service hours for something that happened a while ago."

Much to Lucina's dismay, the "something" that Robin was talking about just so happened to be the same "something" that was giving her problems for an entire week. She couldn't wait to talk about that with her father.

"Alright then," said Chrom. "Anyway, first thing's first: Allow me to introduce you two to the Super Smash Brothers' newest member." He gestured to the woman sitting next to him, who gave Robin and Lucina a wave as well as a "Hi."

Both Robin and Lucina were curious about this woman's identity the moment they noticed her at the table. What came off as surprising was the fact that she was dressed in the exact same robe as Robin, which was odd because his gown was unique among Ylissean tacticians. From the colors, to the buttons, to the very fabric in which it was woven, this robe appeared to be an exact match. Not only that, but her hair was also the same pale color as Robin's, although it looked to be much finer than his and certainly much longer. Even though it was done up in the back, it still draped over her shoulders. If Robin didn't know any better, he would have thought that he was staring into Pandora's Mirror of Truth, the same mirror that spawned Dark Pit from Pit's own reflection.

"This is Robyn," said Chrom, "with a 'Y.' She comes from the same realm as us in Ylisse."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," said Robyn with a smile.

"Um, you too," replied Lucina, although Robin was still dumbstruck. He just kept staring at the girl, analyzing the uncanny similarities in her face.

"Allow me to explain," said Chrom, noticing that Robin's brain was on the verge of a meltdown. "Robyn comes from a timeline that mirrors our own. You will notice that besides her gender, she is an exact match to Robin, even possessing the same fingerprints and blood type. In some ways you are one in the same person, but in other ways you are not. For example, I can tell just by speaking with her that her personality is nothing like yours, Robin."

"Thanks, Chrom," replied Robyn sarcastically.

"But… This isn't possible," said Robin, still trying to wrap his head around this. "How can there be two of me?"

"The same reason why we take orders from a giant disembodied hand," came a voice from behind. The group turned around to see Captain Falcon standing there with a tray of drinks in his hand. "Oh, sorry. Wario gave these to me and told me to deliver them to you guys." He set the drinks down on the table, the skin on his neck shining with sweat from the soccer game he just stepped away from.

"Thank you, Captain Falcon," said Lucina, receiving a glass of punch from the racer. "Oh, by the way Father, this is Captain Falcon, another member of the Smash Brothers. Captain Falcon, meet my father Chrom, and Ms. Robyn."

"Hey, I recognize you," muttered Falcon as he put a hand to his chin. "I saw you in one of Lucina's dreams!"

Chrom gave Lucina a questionable look, but she simply dismissed Falcon's comment.

"It's a long story," she said.

"Ah, it's quite alright," replied Chrom. "After all, I also recognize this Captain Falcon." He gave the F-Zero racer a glance. "He's one of the more iconic Smash Bros. members if I recall correctly."

Lucina suddenly remembered the conversation she had with Robin a while ago. She could recall him telling her something about how Chrom had a pretty negative opinion on Captain Falcon seeing as how he wasn't the brightest guy and always found himself jumping from one girl to the next. It was probably part of the reason why he wanted Robin to keep her away from Falcon, but she knew that this was really just a misunderstanding. Captain Falcon wasn't a bad guy at all! A little headstrong sure, but he definitely wasn't bad.

"At your service, Dad!" said Falcon. "I mean, Chrom!" He stuck out a hand and gave Chrom a firm handshake. "If you need anything, just holler my name and I'll come runnin'." He immediately turned his attention towards Chrom's female companion. "And for the lovely lady: To what do I owe the pleasure?" He took up Robyn's hand in his own, earning a small giggle from her.

"Well you're quite the charmer," she replied warmly.

"Wait just a minute here," interjected Robin. "If she's me then how come we don't look anything alike?"

"Well for starters, she's a woman," replied Chrom nonchalantly. "Like I said, you both come from separate timelines. It's just like how Lucina comes from a timeline in which Ylisstol had fallen to Grima. You are your own person, yet you both share very similar characteristics physically."

"Ew, I hope not…" muttered Falcon, imagining the possibility of what could be under Robyn's robe at the thought of her being too similar to Robin. "Hey hold on! We already defeated Grima in the nightmares! So how could Lucina come from a different timeline?"

Chrom glanced at Lucina yet again, forcing her to dismiss Falcon's comment yet again. She wasn't prepared to talk about the nightmare stuff right now, and she kind of hated how she forgot to tell Falcon more about her dark background in the past. He was pretty much oblivious to all that grim stuff, but she never really felt the need to tell him about it anyway.

"Just ignore him," she said before waving a hand and taking a sip of her drink.

"You said that she would be joining the Smash Bros. this month?" asked Robin.

"You can ask her yourself," replied Chrom, gesturing to Robyn. "Come on, don't be shy."

Robin was still nervous, mainly because he wasn't quite sure of the consequences of interacting with someone who was exactly the same as him. Didn't this break hundreds of laws of physics and biology?

"Um, right sorry," said Robin. "Robyn?"

"I'll be joining the Smash Bros. this month, yes," she replied. "I'm prepared to offer everything I can to ensure the betterment of the company."

"Well, I'm sold," said Falcon casually. "Hey Robyn, how's about you and me go for a little stroll around the mansion? I'll give you the grand tour."

"Really?" she asked eagerly. "That would be so generous of you."

"Of course!" replied Falcon. "You're going to be staying with us after all, so you might as well get acquainted with the place. I'll introduce you to the others; I'm sure they'd love to meet you!"

"Certainly!" Robyn immediately stood up, not even bothering to finish her beverage. "Oh, I mean, unless there's anything you'd like to discuss here."

Chrom glanced at Robin who shook his head.

"I'm alright for now," said Robin. "But I would like to talk to you later if that's okay."

"Give him time," commented Chrom with a laugh. "He'll get used to you soon enough. Run along you two and have fun."

"Awesome!" said Robyn. "Come on, let's go!"

"Alright!" cheered Falcon. "Adios amigos!"

The two ran off, Falcon grabbing her hand and leading her back to the hectic soccer game. Lucina watched them go, giving a smile when she noticed Falcon look back at her with a wink.

"He seems different than I remember," said Chrom all of a sudden.

"I beg your pardon, Father?" asked Lucina, turning back to the table.

"Captain Falcon. From the way the Smashers described him, I always thought he would be a little younger. He's got to be at least five years older than me though."

"He makes quite a name for himself around here, that's for sure," replied Robin casually. "You should see how he acts when he's not trying to make a good first impression."

Robin flinched when he felt Lucina smack his leg from under the table.

"Anyway, Father," said Lucina. "I'm so happy to see you again."

"Same here, Lucina," said Chrom. "I still can't believe how much you've grown. I can really see your mother in your eyes."

Lucina smiled warmly, but Robin was looking a little awkward sitting between the two. He wasn't sure if Lucina was going to mention anything to Chrom about them dating. Only a handful of Smashers were even aware of the thought, so he was debating whether or not telling Chrom would be the smart thing to do.

Well, what Chrom didn't know couldn't hurt him right?

"So how are you two fairing in the tournament now?" asked Chrom.

"We're doing alright," replied Lucina. "I've won about 78% of my matches as of last week."

"I'm a little less than that," said Robin. "There are some Smashers that I just have no hope of beating, like Diddy Kong and Sheik. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Sheik all day…"

He said that last sentence under his breath, but Lucina did hear him. As a matter of fact, Sheik wasn't anywhere on the mansion grounds, but Zelda certainly was as she was helping to organize Charizard's flying tours. Neither Robin nor Lucina were aware that Sheik was merely Zelda's alter ego who never showed her true face during social events. For all they knew, Sheik was just another competitor in the tournament.

"I'm glad they're keeping you on your toes," said Chrom. "All that training sure looks like it's paying off."

"It definitely is," replied Lucina. "The techniques you taught me have brought me far. Oh! That reminds me. I have to introduce you to the Hero-King Marth later on. He's another competitor that I have yet to defeat."

"Meeting him would be a great honor," said Chrom. "It would be very humbling to see him in person."

Robin couldn't help but laugh internally at Chrom's comment. Marth was probably one of the most down-to-earth Smashers in the mansion, and didn't have a big head despite his title.

"He's currently hosting a sword training booth somewhere around here," said Robin. "We can go now if you like."

"It's fine," replied Chrom. "I'm just happy being able to speak with you two again."

Robin recalled the specific orders Chrom had given him before the original tournament had gone underway. He was supposed to look out for Lucina, and look out for her he did. Of course, this was during a time when they didn't know any of the Smashers, however, most of them were great friends now. He wondered if Chrom was still expecting him to uphold his duty, since there was no way he was going to discuss this with Lucina present.

Another thing that was bothering him was whether or not Lucina was going to talk to him about the nightmares.

It happened a while ago, but nobody could forget the incident. They could all laugh about it now; that doesn't mean that it didn't happen. Lucina had no reason not to tell Chrom either since everything turned out great in the end, didn't it? She basically saved the Smashers from certain doom, so surely that was something worth boasting about?

She couldn't forget though, especially not after seeing Chrom again. She still had a vivid memory of him transforming into Grima, stabbing her in the side with his own blade, and attempting to kill her friends. She knew it really wasn't him, but the thought was still haunting her. She knew she had to tell him somehow.

"So there weren't any problems while I was away?" asked Chrom. "You both seem to have adapted quite nicely."

Robin noticed Lucina hold her tongue, at which point he knew she wanted to say something. He went ahead of her instead seeing as how she was feeling uncertain.

"Nope, no problems at all," replied Robin. "Besides the tournament, things have actually been kind of uneventful around here."

"You don't say…"

"Well, there were some things going on, but it's really not worth getting into. We got a returning veteran late in the season this year, which is something that doesn't normally happen."

"Oh, that would be Mewtwo, correct?"

"Yeah, Mewtwo. He didn't travel very far from here though." Robin crossed his arms. "As a matter of fact, we found him in the hidden facility beneath the mansion."

"What was he doing down there?"

"Oh, you know, just… Sleeping."

Robin didn't really know why Mewtwo was down there, but that was how he understood it. He didn't want to go into too many details however seeing as how he didn't feel like explaining to Chrom what they were doing in the facility.

Lucina stared at the contents of her punch glass uneasily.

"Lucina, are you alright?" asked Chrom.

Lucina looked up at him, still kind of lost in thought at what she wanted to do. She glanced at Robin who gave her the same worried look, which made Chrom curious as to what was going on here.

"Father…" she said. "There's… something I have to tell you."

And so, she told him everything, from the very first night when she encountered her first demon, to the final night that ended with a Final Destination battle against Master Core. She made mentions about her friends such as Robin, Captain Falcon, Ike, and some others who had all helped her to get through her troubling times. She also told Chrom about Grima, and how she had visions from the past. Lastly, she made sure to mention that she had encountered Chrom in her dreams, albeit an evil and sinister version of himself since it was really Grima in disguise.

As she told her story, Chrom did not remove his gaze from her. He listened to every last word, noticing how much it was hurting her to remember so many tragic events. He knew she had come from a corrupted past, so the fact that these nightmares were affecting her so much only proved how dangerous they were.

"I knew it couldn't be you," she said. "I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me." She looked down. "I held strong, fought my way through, and my friends were there by my side every step of the way. It's the same reason why the tournament has only recently been restarted. Master Hand never would have allowed such a thing otherwise."

Chrom clenched his fists on the table, the ice cubes in his untouched glass now dissolved into the drink.

"I…" he responded. "I had no idea this was happening to you."

"It's alright though, Father," she said. "I'm happy for the way things turned out. I feel stronger, braver, and satisfied with the fact that nobody was hurt in the end." She bowed her head. "And I have you to thank for teaching me everything I know in order to prepare me for this tragedy."

Chrom shook his head, while Robin remained deathly silent. He wasn't sure if it was his duty to say something at this point, but figured that if Lucina wanted him to speak, then surely she would have given him a sign.

"You should not thank me," replied Chrom.

Lucina looked up at him, a somewhat surprised look on her face.

"What?" she said.

"I didn't do anything," continued Chrom. "The nightmares, the monsters, Grima… You defeated them all on your own, Lucina. You had your friends there to guide you, but I certainly didn't have any say in it. I would feel bad for taking any kind of credit in this." He bowed his head to her. "This victory is yours and yours alone, Lucina. I am proud of you."

Lucina's lips slowly curled into a smile, small tears beginning to form in her eyes. She didn't expect anything less from Chrom, but she was really relieved to finally get that off her chest. Chrom opened up his arms.

"Come here, you," he said.

Lucina got up and went around, giving him a big hug. Robin couldn't help but smile. He was just happy seeing her happy, and in the long run he was glad that Lucina finally told her dad about the nightmares.

It saved him the trouble of doing it at least.

"Feel better now?" asked Chrom.

"Yes," she replied, wiping her eyes. "Much better."

"Good." He stood up. "Say, why don't we go see the Hero-King now? That'll probably cheer you up."

"Let's do that," replied Lucina. "I'm sure Marth will be pleased to finally meet you."

"Lead the way, Robin."

Robin got up, leaving his drink where it was.

"Okay, right this way," he said. "His training area should be over there somewhere."

He started weaving his way between the tables, gesturing for the other two to follow him. Chrom walked casually for a while before approaching Robin from behind and taking a firm hold of his arm. He ended up pulling Robin a bit further up, leaving Lucina to walk by herself. She tilted her head slightly in confusion, noticing the two talking to each other in whispers.

"Don't get any funny ideas, wise guy," said Chrom quietly, gripping tightly on Robin's arm.

"W-What?" replied Robin, realizing where this conversation was going.

"I saw the way you were looking at her. Lucina isn't going to be dating anyone in this mansion while I'm around, you understand?"

Robin's face immediately began to turn red. "Wait, hang on! I can explain!"

The two men continued arguing up ahead while Lucina tailed them from behind. Despite them trying to be quiet, she could tell what they were talking about, and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

It seemed that things really were back to the way they were before. The tournament was up and running, Master Hand was barking orders, Wario was being a pain, and Captain Falcon was back to chasing girls. It was almost like her life had never changed. Now the nightmares were nothing more than a memory, or a story that Rosalina would tell the kids before bedtime.

In a way, Lucina was glad about her adventure. She learned a lot about herself and about the residents of Smash Mansion. Fitting in had always been a problem for her at the start of the tournament, yet now, she truly felt like she belonged. They were one big crazy and uncontrollable family. They were the Super Smash Bros. And come what may, no freak of nature or force of evil could ever split them apart.

Lucina scurried after her father and boyfriend, noticing the Duck Hunt Duo sitting by themselves on the grass nearby and holding up a wooden sign. They appeared to be about as unenthusiastic as always, the Dog maintaining that half-opened stare, while the Duck was looking off in some other direction. Her eyes scanned the words on the sign, which were scribbled on messily as if whoever wrote it was in a rush to be somewhere.

"Don't hold your breath."

It was a peculiar choice of words sure, but she seemed to be the only one on the grounds who noticed the sign. Were they trying to say something to her? She ended up stopping on the spot to stare at the sign for some time, not even paying attention to any of the other events or activities going on around her. She felt her spine shiver and her skin tingle as memories from the last month were beginning to rise, but these memories weren't something from the nightmares. No, what she was recalling this time, was something that Samus Aran had said to her the day after she witnessed that Horror movie.

Lucina glanced down at her hand, noticing that it was shaking. She slowly brought it up to her face, praying that her doubts were nothing but overthought lies.

She took a deep breath.

She closed her eyes.

And she squeezed her nose.