Location: Antimatter Plane

"I am not of your world, but I know everything about you. Because everywhere in your vast multiverse, everything's the same. Everyone is predictable. Everyone is dreaming and wishing on stars. Everyone is seeking a better life for themselves or for others. And that's how your multiverse is divided. Those who want for themselves... And those who want for others."

"What do you want? What type of life form are you? Are you here to get hold of the most wonderful thing you can imagine and hang on to it as long as possible? Or do you want to leave the universe a little better off than it was before you were in existence? You all chose whether we know it or not. You all decide to give or take. And sooner or later you all will learn…"

"That your hopes and struggles are pointless."

"So you may prepare your heroes, build your monuments to a so-called "free world", but take heed... There will be no victory in strength. For where there is matter."

"There is Antimatter."

~x-o-x-o~

Location: World- 785

The Ancient Ruins

R.O.B, also known as "The Ancient Minister", didn't know that in the cosmic crisis already in motion, his world was about to be destroyed. However, he was the first to note the temperature changes that suddenly overtook his world. The polar ice cap was melting at a rate greater than global warming would've suggested.

Countries within a thousand miles of the north and south poles sweltered under unbearable heat and humidity while a sudden, blistering ice storm circled the globe at the equator. Tornadoes ravaged the swamp and hurricanes blew terrible winds and rain over the desert.

The red skies came next. They blanketed the globe, blotting out the sun and stars, casting the world in a deep, dark scarlet haze.

He investigated the aberration but found nothing wrong. Yes, the sky was red, but no, there were no apparent toxins in the air, no discernible reason for the change. What was going on?

"I don't get it. The weather patterns are completely illogical.." He muttered, picking through various data files. Calculations zipped through his mechanical mind. "They're not based on ocean currents. There's no reason for the sudden polar warming or the tornadoes or any of it. And those red skies, nothing makes sense… unless." A thought had come to the operating buddy. A memory of an enemy long past. "No, that's impossible. We defeated Tabuu ages ago."

R.O.B closed his opened files. Skies don't shift color for no reason. Something weird was happening, but he had no idea what. "Give me a clue," he said aloud. "Anything will do."

R.O.B started when he heard a deep baritone voice reply, "The red skies are just the beginning."

R.O.B looked, but no one was there. "Master Hand?

"Indeed, R.O.B. But this is not the time for idle chit chat. In a few moments, a wave of antimatter will sweep over your world and destroy everything." Master Hand continued

"What?! What is the meaning of this?!"

"I'm sorry, R.O.B, but your world is already dead. However, there are other worlds that can be saved. I'm going to recall you and the others shortly. Then I can explain everything in person."

And so it went. R.O.B disappeared in a bright flash of light. In a few solitary moments, the skies turned black as the antimatter wave washed over the world. Matter met antimatter and both were eradicated in one bright flash of light. Within the time span of a minute, an entire world was destroyed… and it wouldn't be the last.

~x-o-x-o~

Location: World- 108

Smash Manor

On top of the still walls of Smash Manor, Master Hand gazed upon the night sky. One by one, stars began disappearing. First one, then another, then another. Entire worlds were blinking out of existence faster than the eternal being could count.

"Are you not aware?! Can you not feel that presence? A disaster is approaching!"Master Hand called out telepathically. Before long, a high pitched shrill of a voice responded.

"Don't be so dramatic, bro. But I can't lie, I feel it too." This voice was Crazy Hand, the chaos to Master Hand's order.

"The very thing we feared is about to come true..."

"We still got our powers, right? We could hold 'em off. We still got time. We could sti-."

"If Antimatter is encroaching on our universe, then all shall perish," Master Hand crushed his brother's optimism with a single harsh statement. "That destiny, no matter how powerful we are, is inevitable... But… there is hope."

"You mean the Smashers? No duh, I'm surprised it took you this long to-"

"No, that's not what I meant… Not fully. Do you see them? Those lights out in the distance?"

"The stars?"

"They're not just stars, brother. They're worlds, worlds that haven't been annihilated. They have heroes we can call on, villains who are willing to form temporary alliances."

"O' yeah. I get it, now. Like when we fought Tabuu."

"Exactly."

"But those world's are kinda wimpy, aren't they? Do you really think they can help?"

"I cannot answer that. But I feel it. Not just those lights, but countless ones. Stars, gathering, shining ever brighter—blinding brightness… I feel such a sense of fate in this… Perhaps victory is in a simpler, smaller soul…"

~x-o-x-o~

Location: World- 985

Mushroom Kingdom

"Tesoro mio…"

The words were unsteady, clumsy. They fumbled off of Mario's tongue as he nervously fidgeted with the box nestled in his pocket. Princess Peach stopped to look back at the sweating hero. Her Celeste eyes sparkled under the Mushroom Kingdom's setting sun. They were set that special look that she always gave him. The one, solitary gaze reserved only for him. The one that made him feel like they were the only two people in the world.

"Hmm?" Peach hummed. More sweat began to collect on Mario's brow. He was trembling now, much like Luigi did when they were kids. "Mario? Are you okay? You're really pale."

Mario was not okay. His stomach turned as air rushed out of his lungs. He shut his eyes tight.

"Maybe we should-"

"I have something to tell you!"

The words came out louder than intended. Peach's eyebrows raised. After a brief paused, she regained her composure. "What is it?"

Mario was turning paler each second, but all the same he muscled through. "Cuore mio, can- can I.. umm… can I just say how beautiful you look tonight?"

Peach blinked, not expecting the compliment, but smiled nonetheless. "Why thank you, Mario. You look very handsome."

"No, I mean…" Mario took a deep breath, steadied his heart beat, and took both of her hands in his. "Peachie, Amore mio, you are my everything. Ever since the day we met, I've ever only known you to be an amazing, beautiful, fearless woman." He started.

"When Bowser kidnapped you.. When he tried to marry you, I thought about something… About us, and... I don't know what a little old plumber like me can do for you, but what I do know is that you complete me." He took a breath, and she gasped as he knelt down onto one knee, still holding one of her hands as he reached into his pocket, producing a box. Inside was a ring bearing a diamond carved into the shape of a Star. "Princess Peach Toadstool, Voglio passare il resto della mia vita con te. Will you marry-"

"Yes, yes, yes! Absolutely yes!" Peach's eyes brimmed with tears. She reached up with her free hand to wipe them with a smile on her face she couldn't get rid of. "Oh, of course I will!" she exclaimed breathlessly, and as he stood up, she swept him into a kiss, finally letting her tears fall free. It was truly the perfect night - the perfect moment - and nothing could ruin it.

"I hope I'm not interrupting."

Almost nothing...

The two lovers separated and looked skyward, a familiar deep baritone voice catching their attention.

"Master Hand?" Mario rose to his feet. As he did, a strong smell hit his bulbous nose. "What's that smell?" As he continued to sniff the air, Peach's high-pitched shriek hit his ears.

"Mario, look!" The Princess pointed skyward. The golden rays were replaced by a deep crimson as oily black clouds rolled in. Harsh winds tousled between the two lovers and rain the same shade as the sky poured down.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but there's an emergency that needs our attention… I have to recall you. I am so sorry..."

"Oh… Of course…" Peach looked off to the side, rubbing her newly acquired engagement ring. Mario took her hand in his and their eyes met once again. Her smile returned as both disappeared in a bright flash of light...

~x-o-x-o~

Location: World- 32

San Francisco, California

Log Entry [text]

"Audio Log. Number… who cares at this point? It doesn't matter anymore… I keep telling myself that I had no choice. That it was either me or them. That if I didn't then Malignance wins or some foreign government takes over the world… or something. But my brain knows the truth. It knows that I killed those people. It knows that I, Volta, Ethan Blair, killed those people. Yes, I know, they were too far gone for me to save them… but maybe I could've done something! Anything! Every night since I defeated Malignance, I've woken up from repeated nightmares. It's been months and I haven't slept a full night since."

"There are days where my head just doesn't work. I try so hard to focus and it's like trying to run through water. My brain fogs up and thoughts go nowhere at all. Sometimes I think it's natures anesthesia, anything to numb the pain, to wipe out the trauma. Then there are the times of clarity, sudden moments when I can see every detail and feel every feeling. The trigger can be something like sports on TV, a turn of phrase, a smell. At the start I hoped it was a process to wipe out the bad memories, to stop me reliving them to well meaning askers. Now I know it's not so simple. It provides some protection, but the price is the flashbacks and the times of confusion; the stronger the blocks become the more intense the flashbacks are - as if the neurons are fighting for their lives, anything not to wither away…"

It was the magic hour, when the sun dyed everything in gold. When it finally stopped raining and the clouds disappeared, allowing some sun rays to reach the city. He left his apartment and started walking down the street. The light was sweet and the cold autumn breeze after the rain welcomed him like an old friend. The calm sound of the soft wind caressing the autumn leaves covered his ears. Some of them fell over him while walking, and he smiled. He missed the smell of the rain, the fallen leaves and the autumn sun. It was late July. He could feel the early autumn breeze running through his veins and caressing his lungs. It lay deep inside his heart, filling him with a nostalgic, calm happiness he had no memories of having felt it before.

The autumn breeze tousled Ethan's hair and kissed his cheeks. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his oversized hoodie. The warmth that had been in the wind last week had either evaporated into the sky or leached into the earth. The light breeze touched the leaves, and they danced in the air of November.

Ethan's sugar gray eyes scanned the city space around him as he sucked air through his teeth. Though the neighborhood was mostly re-built, there were some derelict buildings that remained. Next to the fancy architecture of the new they almost looked like they were beamed in from an old-fashioned horror movie; nothing good ever comes from buildings so beaten down by endless waves of Malignance's Raizers and Heroes. To the local kids (for whatever reason) they were more alluring than the corner candy store and at night a few would break in with flashlights, eager to find a souvenir to show back at school. There had been a few cases of teens falling through rotten stairways, but mostly they only hang around long enough to break another window or lift an old photograph from a wall, or else a peeling of yellowed wallpaper that blistered.

A plasma screen behind a glass display window like an unwelcome mirror. Ethan didn't even know why he was watching. He didn't laugh when he was supposed to, he didn't feel any tension during the drama, he barely followed the plot. He just sat there. Watching.

In his younger days, the television would've meant fantasy, looking at the lives of others, being a fly on the wall - not watching a poor copy of himself. An actor, dressed in a costume identical to the Volta suit, fought another actor, this one dressed in the Scorch suit. Ethan's vision blurred as an wanted memory came back, his senses began to betray him as the smell of smoke and sound of crackling flames rushed back into his mind…

~x-o-x-o~

"Sorry, kid, it's nothing personal. I have to do what the robot wants."

Volta dodged Scorch's flame-powered haymaker and countered with his own sloppy electricity-powered punch to Scorch's stomach. Scorch stumbled back a few steps before regaining his composure. The Flame Hero was smirking (though Volta couldn't see it under the helmet). "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."

"Please, stop!" Vota cried, breathlessly, "I don't wanna fight!"

"That's a shame. Really it is," Scorch rushed forward, becoming a ball of pure flames hurtling through the open air. Volta dodged over to the right, leaving a trail of sparking and lightning in his travel path. Scorch's attack fizzled out.

"Mr. Wolfe! Stop this, we don't have to fight! Think about your daughter!"

The flame powered hero returned to his normal state and turned to face Volta, "You're not getting it, aren't you." Scorch spoke with chilling fury as his skull-like helmet retracted revealing his face. Hector Wolfe had dark brown hair, matted down with blood. His tanned skin was colored with bruises and scars. A normal look for a boxer, Volta guessed. "I'm not fighting because I want to… I don't wanna murder a kid… but I have to… for Mary… for her future. So now, It's her or you, and I'm choosing her every time….

~x-o-x-o~

The screen cut to black as the ground below Ethan shook violently. Falling to the concrete, Ethan's vision darted from point-to-point in horror. A foghorn sounded, definitely not a good sign. Maybe it was an earthquake? No, that wasn't right, they didn't predict one. The sound was deafening as it ripped through the otherwise tranquil eve. One blast after another, in rapid succession. These bursts were evenly paced out - and getting closer.

Hugging his knees and curling into a ball, Ethan's ears latched onto a mysterious new sound. At first the sound was no more than the soft rustling of leaves in a summer wind, then it became more like a child stomping on crunchy brown paper. Ethan scrambled to his feet as he heard a soft whimpering. Still, the crunching continued, the cry of the horn was laid over the top. Ethan stood still, unsure if this was reality or a dream, perhaps a nightmare. The sounds became louder, no longer like a distressed infant and more like a wounded child.

Ethan resisted the urge to vomit as his trembling intensified. His chest surged with a stabbing pain. He was choking, but on what?! Air?! No. It didn't matter, he didn't have time to panic. He had to get up! He had to fight! He had no choice! With unsteady footing, Ethan rose up and dashed off toward the center of the chaos.

~x-o-x-o~

"A smaller, more honest soul? True, a simple spark can ignite hope and breathe fire into the hearts of the weary and rally the masses. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly your universe's greatest attribute... Which is why I will focus all of my power to stamp it out."

"How does it feel, Hand? Knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing? That your guardians will fail you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes?"

"Your faith in these Guardians was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are an undeniable threat. However, divide them. Place doubt in their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away."

"Of course, they won't realize it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But this is merely the first move. So you send your guardians. Your heroes and villains. And when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send him to the same pitiful demise. This is the beginning of the end of all, Master Hand. And I can't wait to watch your multiverse burn."

~x-o-x-o~

The crowd moved like a multi-headed beast that shared only one brain, their thoughts in lock-step as much as their feet. Ethan moved passed as he read the mood of the people. They swirled in unseen currents beneath the dark surface of their faces. The sound of their feet on the aging pavement and the howl of the alarm rising above them. Squeezing past the remaining citizens, the young adult found himself standing alone on a lone, empty street.

Ethan's breath grew heavy as his heart beat against his chest. His vision blurred as his eyes darted around until something caught his eye. At first the afternoon sun must have deceived him, or else his eyes were confused and dazzled by whatever was attacking him. The smell of ink filled his nostrils. For a minute or two he could make out nothing at all but dark lumps of shadows, mass of blackness which stood in the center of the street.

Then they stood up.

The shadows stopped in a single jerky movement, lengthening and growing with the afternoon sun. The lack of light that had bothered Ethan so much at first became human-like. From the oily shadow, two white dots cut through with a wicked smile forming shortly after. From one, followed two. From two, followed four. Four black, featureless shadows stood, all of their mouths twisted into sinister grins.

"The hell?" Ethan said, stepping backward before falling to the ground.

Ethan poked his chest and was met with a long forgotten sensation. Clenching his teeth, a chill went down his spine as a disk shape device pushed past and emerged from within the hero's skin in a flash of pain. Shutting his eyes tight, the world was etched in charcoal, the once vibrant hues of the plants were no more than a vivid dream. Ethan slightly raised his left fist to his chest in silent remembrance. It had been months to the day that he had last said these words and the blanket of evil that obliterated peace had faded and thinned. Throwing his right open palm into the air, Ethan called out.

"Power Up!"

…

Nothing happened...

"Wha-?" A strong blow to the stomach knocked the last syllable out of Ethan's mouth. He skirted along the pavement before hitting a nearby streetlight. Ethan groaned in pain as he put a palm on his chest. His hand brushed against the Emitter's cold metallic material. It was there, so why didn't it activate? Maybe a malfunction?

He didn't have time to think for a blast of shadowy energy hurtled towards him. Ethan rolled to the right, the sound of the blast whizzing past him entering his ears.

"Why can't I transform?!" Ethan thought, rolling out from another blast. Thoughts ran through Ethan's brain and one in particular stuck out. "...Emitters respond to the user's desire and will… Have I lost my will to fight? Am… Am I gonna die, here? Is this the end?"

The sky turned a deep shade of crimson as shadowy clouds rolled in. Crimson rain fell to the ground. Resignation drowned any will Ethan had left. The young man simply sat on the ground and looked skyward as another blast rushed toward him. As the blast got closer and closer, Ethan's mind wandered here and there, events passed by his eyes, and his senses took in their last sensations… Peace. A peaceful silence that comforted the former Volta in his presumably last moments. Just then, a strong flash of light swallowed Ethan whole. The Shadows' eyes widened in horror as the light burned them away, returning them to the nothing they emerged from.