The Elephant Has Left the Building

The Smash Mansion was buzzing with excitement on New Year's Eve. A decade, a century and a millennium was about to come to an end, and the Smashers were more than ready to usher in Y2K. All twelve of them were gathered in the Main Hall, eating puff pastries, crab cakes, sandwiches and all types of desserts as they prepared to send off the 90s in style.

Falcon mingled with the crowd until he spotted Samus, clad in a sparkling, aqua party dress which stopped just above mid-thigh. Her blond hair was styled in bouncy curls which tumbled over her shoulders, and teal eye shadow accentuated her eyes. The Space Warrior smiled when she saw the good Captain approaching her.

"Hey, Sammy," said Falcon, kissing her on the cheek. "Enjoying the party?"

"I am," she replied. "The whole world is watching. This could be the moment when the world's computers fail and all of the airplanes drop from the sky. Or—the New Year will come just like any other New Year, and life will go on as always."

"You know I don't believe that stuff," chuckled Falcon.

"Neither do I," said Sam, "but I have a basement stocked with snacks, essentials, a TV, several music players, the hottest CDs and a Nintendo 64, just in case."

Both laughed softly.

"Well, whatever happens," said Douglas, "we'll still have each other. Right?"

"Right," said Samus.

They kissed, and then they headed over to the dance floor, arm-in-arm.

Meanwhile, Fox was introducing his fellow mercenaries to the other Smashers.

"…and even though Falco and I tend to snark at each other, we're still very good friends," he was saying.

"That's the truth of it," said Falco, his arm around Fox. "After what Andross did to Fox's old man, I was there for him. We avenged James McCloud together."

"You didn't want to participate in this tournament?" asked Link.

"Eh—not really," said Falco. "Maybe if this Master Hand decides to hold another one…"

"Don't worry," said Fox. "I'm sure there will be another tournament. This one has really gained popularity."

"I hope we see you on the battlefield, Falco," said Ness. "You seem like a really nice guy."

"Ditto," smiled Falco.

"Guys," said Luigi when the Star Fox team had departed. "There's someone I'd like you to meet, as well."

An auburn-haired young woman wearing a yellow dress with a sunflower print was on the plumber's arm. "Hi," she greeted cheerily.

"Hi," replied the Smashers.

"This is Princess Daisy of Sarasaland," said Luigi. "Have you guys played Super Mario Land?"

"Yeah—that's the one where Mario had to save Daisy from that alien," said Fox.

"I met her shortly after that," said Luigi. "I was instantly smitten with her. But I waited for about two years before telling her I loved her. It was worth the wait."

"It's really nice to meet you all," said Daisy.

"Same here," said Link.

"Y'know, I'm a bit of a tomboy myself," said Daisy. "An affair such as this would be just my cup of tea."

"Mine, too," a dulcet voice chimed in.

Heads turned as a blond-haired woman in a pink dress glided over to Mario and gave him a kiss.

"Oh—my—God," gasped Link. "That's—Princess Toadstool!"

"It's okay—you can call me Peach," said the Mushroom Princess. "Sorry I can't stay for long; I need to head back to the MK to make sure things don't get rowdy during our New Year's Bash. But Mario—wow. You've made a lot of lovely friends."

"I have," said Mario, "and I'm sure MH knows that you're not completely defenseless. You'll get your chance to show off your own fighting skills, never fear."

Peach smiled. "Let's hope we don't wind up sent back to the Dark Ages at midnight," she said.

She kissed Mario on the cheek before taking her leave.

Paula joined the crowd, bearing two cups of soda, one which she handed to Ness. "Thanks for inviting me," she said.

"You're welcome," replied Ness.

"A little birdie told me that Fox and Falcon are back on your good side," she said.

Ness bit his lip. "Not quite," he said, "but we're working on it."

"They seem a lot nicer, though," said Paula.

"Yeah," said Ness. "They get points for that."

"What about Luigi and the others?" asked Paula.

"Well, Samus and Falcon are an item again, DK was attending to a personal matter during the worst of it, and Link and Luigi—I can't speak for them. But we're just taking things slowly."

"Works for me," mused Paula.

They looked toward the dance floor, where Luigi and Daisy were currently sharing a slow dance. Luigi spotted Falcon dancing with Samus not too far away, and a steely glint briefly came to his eyes. Just like Link, he'd grown to care for Sam deeply as a friend, and he hoped she knew what she was doing. The same racer currently holding her close and whispering loving words in her ear, the same racer who surprised his fellow Smashers on Christmas Day, was the same one who called him names and physically assaulted him on at least two occasions. He turned back to Daisy and buried his face into her shoulder as they continued to dance.

"Is everything okay?" Daisy asked with concern.

"Yeah—I'm fine," Luigi softly replied.

Falcon smiled as he twirled Samus and swept her into a dip, and then he glimpsed Luigi giving him the side-eye while he danced with Daisy. So many messages were behind that side-eye, and none of them good.

"Hey," said Samus as Falcon drew her back up. "He needs some time. A lot of hurt was done, and he's still a little upset."

Falcon nodded. "Let's get something to drink," he said.

They headed to the bar, where they saw Pikachu and Kirby sitting at a table together, laughing over something.

"Carry on," said Falcon.

In another part of the Main Hall, Fox traded jokes with Falco, Peppy and Slippy over drinks and a basket of cheese fries. And over his colleagues' heads, the vulpine also saw Luigi. His head was pillowed against Daisy's shoulder, his eyes were closed, and his face—Fox would never forget that look for as long as he lived. The gesture he and Falcon pulled off on Christmas was only the icebreaker. It wasn't the beginning of the end—it was the end of the beginning.

This Y2K thing is starting to look better in comparison, he thought.

"Uh—Fox?" said Peppy. "Something on your mind?"

"Nah—just these rumors about the world's computers," said Fox, just as Luigi's eyes snapped open, searing into the mercenary leader.

Fox looked away and then told his Star Fox colleagues another joke.

There were less than 15 minutes remaining until the big ball drop. Luigi stood in the Smash Mansion's backyard, a Poppin' Purple Tanqueray in his hand, mulling over the events of the past year—and of the past decade. He was so excited and so nervous, because he had no idea where the New Year, the new decade and the new millennium would take him. And at the stroke of midnight, his boots would begin to tread along that new road—while carrying the scars he'd obtained along the old road with him.

His jaw had fully healed from Falcon's punch some time ago, but the same couldn't be said for his heart. Even the racer's Christmas present to him, to the rest of the Formidable Four and to the other Smashers wasn't enough. He left a mark—and it would always be there, staining their once-pristine friendship.

Because a piece of paper had inflated the good Captain's ego.

And Fox's too.

He'd agreed to give both of them another shot, and nothing else. He wasn't automatically gonna get mushy with them again just because of a big breakfast and some grandiose speeches about how sorry they were. He appreciated those gestures, and he appreciated the efforts they were putting in to change. But the fact of the matter was—he'd still have the memories. They'd follow him after the tournament long concluded, when he was back in the MK. And they'd linger at night when he was trying to get some sleep.

The man in green lifted his glass to his lips and took another sip, feeling the cool night air around him. He would learn to trust Douglas again, and he'd learn to trust Fox again. Things wouldn't completely return to the way they were, but they'd be pretty d—n close.

"Luigi…"

He turned. Fox and Falcon stood there, also nursing drinks.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Falcon.

"A lot," said Luigi. "Leave it at that."

"Look, L," said Falcon. "What we're asking of you and the others is hard. We accept that. But I think we've done a really good job."

"Yeah? Well, it's only been six days," said Luigi. "I don't know if you're gonna slide into that behavior again."

"I can assure you that we won't," promised Fox. "But we just—we just can't end the decade like this."

"I know," Luigi said softly, "but I look at you and—I can't forget. But if you truly mean what you said, and if you're really willing to change your ways, then we can make it work."

Fox and Falcon nodded.

"I'm sorry I punched you," said Falcon. "It was stupid and wrong, and I showed poor judgement."

"As did I," said Fox.

"I'm sorry, too," murmured Luigi.

"What the Hell for?" asked Falcon.

"Getting on your case about Sam. It was none of my business. If I hadn't, then maybe you wouldn't have lashed out like that."

"Luigi, you were right," said Falcon, "and if I'd listened, then maybe I wouldn't have lashed out."

"And while you instigated the incident in the lounge, it wasn't right for me to take the bait," Luigi went on. "We'll share the blame for that. Deal?"

"Deal," said Falcon.

"There we go," said Fox. "Let's start Y2K on a hopeful note."

He strode forward and held out his hand to Luigi.

Slowly, hesitantly, Luigi took it.

Falcon slung his arm around Luigi's shoulders, and the three of them walked back inside.

The twelve Smashers sat around the television, falling silent as the ball started down. So many prospects and promises were behind that 60-second descent, so many goals that seemed unreachable at first but could be accomplished as time passed. An air of suspense hung as the ball's descent continued, everyone holding their breath and bracing themselves for the moment their whole world went dark and the latest technology was rendered useless. The chances of that actually happening were slim, but still.

And if it didn't happen, then the prospects would be even brighter and sweeter. Many things could happen in the decade, century and millennium to come. There could be another Smash tournament, and even another one after that—and these tournaments could grow even bigger. The Smashers could embark on more adventures, together and apart. And while more mistakes could be made, people could also learn from them.

Samus slipped her hand into Falcon's, and they smiled deeply into each other's eyes. Fox exchanged looks with his Star Fox crew. Mario laid a hand on Luigi's shoulder as they sat together, along with Ness, Jigglypuff, DK and Link. The younger Mario Bro locked eyes with Fox and Falcon—and he nodded.

10—

9—

8—

7—

6—

5—

4—

3—

2—

1—

The clock struck twelve.

And the world kept on turning.

"Happy New Year!" everyone shouted as the Main Hall erupted in a shower of confetti and ribbons.

Douglas swept Samus into a tender kiss, and Ness did the same with Paula. The Mario Bros just hugged wildly, while everyone else blew their party horns. Polygons served sparkling grape juice to everyone, and they toasted to the new millennium before filing outside, where the sky came to life with a fireworks display.

Master Hand had joined his Smashers outdoors, and now he observed the scene unfolding before him, his eyes misting over with pure happiness. That tier list had put these new friendships to the test, but in the end, the Original Twelve had found their way back to each other.

The End


Thank you for reading. Please, stay safe!