"And that's basically our side of the story," Dante finished, having just finished his take on the scenario he explained to the SuperChargers. "Once we entered through that portal, we ended up back here in the Legacy, met Min Min, Robin, and Shulk, and shortly after waiting near the transporter while exchanging our sides of the adventure… you guys. Cloud just gave me this little jewel for safekeeping, of course."

"I have a little question: if Sans's door didn't work earlier, how exactly did it work when he was taking you to Alphys's lab and even near Mt. Ebott?" Pit asked, scratching his head.

"Good question…" Dante replied, letting Mewtwo take the Air Topaz through telekinesis. "I might have to ask Sans about that. I'll see if he and the others are done listening to your skinny blue friend's story." The Devil Hunter got back onto his feet, walking with the ex-SuperChargers towards the skeleton that was still listening at the entrance to the Smash Fortress's throne room where the other fighters were.

"So anyways, Hat Kid and I were with the Skylanders as they all worked together with the Doom Raiders to defeat the Darkness, and the portal network in our universe was restored," Alchemo finished, hoping the Smashers had just listened to the whole thing instead of leaving like Dante. The fighters talked about this story among themselves, some even thanking him for elaborating on the current conflict.

"Thank you for filling us in on that information," Ike answered. "I guess that should clear things up for us."

"Not exactly…" Ryu mentioned as the room quieted down. "We don't know how severe those Rifts were on our portal network. We don't know if we can even go home at this point, and Sozo and Hakai have mysteriously vanished without letting us contact them through other means. Hey, skeleton! What's your opinion?" Sans tapped a finger on his chin, trying to think of a good answer. Flowey soon emerged from Sans's hoodie, having been carried along all this time.

"Looks like we're gonna need a serious brain dump on this one," Flowey mentioned, sticking out of the hood part of the skeleton's comfy clothing. "What do ya think, Sans?"

"You might be onto somethin', flower,'' Sans replied. "It might take a while for the both of us to figure out some kind of thoughtful and logical conclusion, but maybe it might be sped up a little faster. Are there any brains in this mansion? Show of hands." Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Mega Man, R.O.B., Olimar, Lucario, Palutena, Rosalina, Byleth, and the Mii Gunner all raised their hands.

"I'll help too," Mewtwo telepathized, with the Inkling walking up to him to give her aid. "And so will Clementine."

"So will I," Shulk reckoned. "Everyone needs to know what happened with the Hands. Robin, do you want to join? You were with me and Min Min." Without a single word uttering from his lips, the white-haired tactician left the throne room with the Homs and everyone else. A majority of the Smashers in general wanted to explore different parts of the Smash Fortress anyway, even if they were uncertain on what exactly happened. Dante approached Sans and the fighters that were picked to assist him, with that monster flower hiding in the skeleton's blue hoodie.

"Hey, Sans?" the Devil Hunter asked. "I was wondering… how come your door didn't work when you tried entering into that world you desire, yet it worked when you were taking me to different places?" The skeleton looked back at Dante, pondering about that question the half-demon was asking him about. He took a quick glance at the fighters that were paired up with him, with the six-petaled flower he took with them hiding in his blue hoodie.

"I have no idea, but if I had to guess… maybe transportation across a planet's surface and transportation to other worlds may be different," Sans answered as best as he could, not exactly giving a clear definition as his boney fingers brushed over his skull. "I dunno. Guess we're just gonna have to figure this one out. You can run off now. The rest of us are gonna figure out what exactly is happening…" The skeleton took his seat near one of the tables in the empty throne room, ready to discuss how exactly he and Sherry, the Inkling, Olimar, Byleth, R.O.B., Mega Man, Zero Suit Samus, Samus, Rosalina, Palutena, Lucario, Mewtwo, and Shulk were going to figure this out.

Dante walked across the throne room, opening up the doors in front of him as he traveled across the stone pathway to other sections of the Smash Fortress. The sky had never been clearer, and the warm sunlight was around to prove it. The low tide was coming in, exposing clusters of white barnacles mixed with freshwater algae. Shadows from the islands floating by were cast over the Smash Fortress, and the Son of Sparda was interested in the ruins on each island.

They seem to tell different stories of which grand buildings used to stand erect, and he wondered just how they crumbled into decay. Was there something horrendous that happened to that advanced civilization, if there ever was one? What are those blue crystals even made out of? But he was asking himself too many questions by this point. The Devil Hunter walked to the end of the stone pathway, where he stopped in front of an ebony-black door with silver nails on its boards.

The door was slightly open, much to Dante's surprise. He had a high suspicion that maybe one of the fighters within this huge place must have entered through here, and it wouldn't necessarily hurt if he were to take a quick peek. The Devil Hunter slipped through the door, his eyes gazing upon the beauty of what he perceived as real.

It was like a church, with the evidence of aligned pews and stained-glass windows behind an altar to prove it. However, there were no signs of religion depicted anywhere, not even on the curved ceiling and the quartz pillars. It only seemed to consist of themes revolving around light and dark, along with abstract scenery to deliver these messages. Even the stained-glass windows depicted that theme.

Imprinted on the windows were two angels with blank faces, their backs spread against each other. One was golden, the other was violet, and their wings of black and white phased through each other and gave off the colors of gray. In the golden angel's hands, a spear of colorful feathers rested, identical to Galeem's wings. A hammer composed of tentacles like Dharkon's was held in the violet angel's tight grip. Above the two angels was a pair of symbols that supposedly stood for the sides of light and darkness. The symbol of light seemed to be a gleam with its rays stretching out in eight different directions, a pair of wings that looked like what the Seraph of Order bore. As for the symbol of darkness, a large eye with a slit pupil and three spiked tentacles on each side were present, symbolic of what the Seraph of Chaos looked like. And there, standing in front of the altar analyzing the scenery of this fortress's section, was Steve himself.

The blocky player examined the strange church portion of the Smash Fortress, his body remaining perfectly still as he looked up and around. To Steve, he had never seen anything like this, not even in his world. He was so used to blocks and pixels that anything from another world felt alien to him. As the player lowered his head to look back at the pews, he spotted Dante himself between the two rows.

"Nice to see you here," the Devil Hunter greeted, waving his hand at the blocky player. "I… don't recall formally meeting with you. I'm Dante, the legendary Devil Hunter and the Son of Sparda. What's your name?" Steve didn't say anything, simply staring at Dante with a curious eye. The blocky player walked down the steps at the empty altar, crouching as he snuck up to the Devil Hunter with caution.

"Just relax. I'm not here to attack you," Dante continued, laughing a bit as Steve stood up straight. "I'm just asking for your name. That's all." The player reached into his pockets and pulled out a note, scribbling what he meant to say on it. He gave the note to Dante, which read as followed:

"My name is Steve," the note read. "You must be new in this world too, aren't you?"

"Hm… Depends on what you mean by that," Dante replied. "But yeah. This world has got a strange kind of feeling you and I have never felt. It's kinda interesting having a chat with blockheads like you. I didn't really mean that as an offense. You… look completely different from the other fighters I've seen. If you technically even are a fighter…" Steve knew what Dante was talking about and shook his head, still standing completely straight due to how he was built out of cubes. Dante soon recognized that the Player was starting to grow some darker pixels that were supposed to be a beard, and even then it was hard to notice unless you squinted in close or had enhanced vision like the Devil Hunter.

"You've got something on your face there, buddy," Dante mentioned, pointing his finger to his own chin to give Steve a clue. "It's kinda like… a pixelated smile." The door at the end of the church room echoed throughout the vast place, and Min Min herself was walking on the pathway between the rows of pews while admiring all that exquisite interior decorating this empty and cavernous place.

The ramen bomber brushed her hand over the sides of the pews, just feeling the amount of details that went into such abstract carvings. She brushed the noodle bangs that were blocking her eyesight to the side so she could look up at the fascinating paintings on the ceiling. Each picture seemed to have some kind of meaning when analyzed with a critical eye, but it was hard to describe since the artistic aspect of these paintings overwhelmed the entire thing. All she could figure out was that a group of humans were reaching their hands out to the ground, extracting minerals and using nature to craft limbs. The ones behind those humans extended their hands to the sky, giving praise to unidentifiable beings above.

The beings in question were hard to describe, some in shapes she didn't seem to recognize. There was something about those creatures that rubbed her off the wrong way, and none of them were exactly alike, even though many had similar features. Their true forms in these paintings have been concealed from the censorship applied by the original artists, knowing whatever these all-knowing creatures are they would drive fear and madness into anyone who looked upon them.

But Min Min didn't care for that.

All she cared for was how beautiful the drawings on the church's ceiling looked. But just as she blinked, she began to see something truly horrid. It was gone in a flash, but the image alone just appeared in her head.

She only saw a glimpse of light about to burn her alive, her skin torn off by the intense heat and dissolved into black ashes as she screamed for help. Someone to save her. Anyone from another world before she saw nothing but the blinding white.

"Min Min?" Dante asked, snapping the ramen bomber out of her pseudo-daydreaming. "That's probably your name, right? Remember me? I went with the other fighters while we were searching for that 'chosen one' from your world. Guess you really were the one we were looking for, huh?" Min Min chuckled at that remark.

"...At least I'm glad the other guys from the ARMS League congratulated me on getting the part," Min Min answered. "I had no idea I was going to be one of you guys. And hey: who knows? Either you or that blocky guy might even be another one of these fighters." The Devil Hunter glanced back at Steve, laughing as he placed his hands on his hips.

"You really are something else, kid," Dante spoke with a smile on his face, pulling Steve close to his side. "But who knows? I might be one of those fighters you guys are looking for. Hell, even this literal blockhead might be a fighter too. It could be anyone."

"Yep," Min Min responded. "Which reminds me: I don't think I've told you my side of the story during this whole portal network issue thing, have I?"

"Can't say you have," Dante answered. "But it's fine. We wanna know your side of the story. Plus, I think Shulk and Robin mentioned they were… stuck here with you?" Min Min sighed deeply, clasping her hands together.

"Alright," Min Min began. "I don't know much about what happened throughout the duration of the incident, but I'll tell you what I know…"


Hours ago…

The quiet city sounds that could be heard in Civiltatula echoed throughout a starless night, with a waning moon partially concealed by the clouds floating overhead. Min Min was dressed up in her night wear without her noodle ARMS and mask, which was a pair of dark-blue shorts and a baggy t-shirt with a panda eating a bamboo stick imprinted on it. The place Min Min was living in was a small apartment with some empty ramen bowls placed near the stove, with the city lights glistening outside her window. The martial artist herself was sitting on her bed, attending a video chat on her laptop.

"So… do you know that whole thing of some warriors from other realms coming to visit us for that fighter they were looking for?" Min Min asked.

"Yeah! What about it?" Ribbon Girl asked, her video camera showing the popstar in another part of the world. In the webcam chatroom Min Min was using, Spring Man and Ninjara were also present.

"Well apparently, I'm the one they were looking for all this time," Min Min replied with excitement, hoping she didn't come off as too braggy. "I hope you guys aren't jealous. I don't want to feel like a bad person just because I'm some chosen one…"

"No no… It's great. It's great," Spring Man assured the ramen bomber. "Shame I wasn't the guy they were looking for. But what a timeline that would be, huh?"

"We still support Min-chan's place in the multiverse," Ninjara pointed out. "We wish you good luck on your future and will notify the others shortly after we disband."

"Does your family know about this, Min Min?" Ribbon Girl questioned.

"I talked with them about it before I left," Min Min added. "I didn't get a clear answer, but I think they were with me on this. Just like how they were when I first signed up for the ARMS League. Well… I'll be chatting with you tomorrow. This apartment's pretty empty, considering I'm planning to move my stuff over to this new mansion they have past the Ironwood Forest. You're free to drop in for a visit whenever you want, though!"

"We'll make sure of that!" Spring Man finished.

"I gotta sleep now," Min Min told her friends. "I'm logging off for the night. I'll see you guys soon!" Ribbon Girl, Ninjara, and Spring Man gave the ramen bomber her goodbyes as she closed her video chat browser and turned off her laptop, placing it on the small desk next to her and pulling the sheets over her shoulders. She tilted over to the side and was about to fall fast asleep. She then heard a knock at her door, which was locked at the time she was getting ready for bed.

"Who is it…?" Min Min sighed with a tad bit of exhaustion in her tone.

"It's Sherry, the Mii Gunner Ultimate," the voice replied outside. "I need to remind you to get enough sleep for tomorrow. Sozo and Hakai are finally planning to bring the dragonlings that were sent to another dimension back to Arcus."

"...You mean the same dimension Cirrus came from, according to what I heard?" Min Min asked. The silence alone was enough to confirm the ramen bomber's answer. "Alright. I'll get some rest. I'll meet with you guys tomorrow."

"At the city center," the Mii Gunner reminded. "8 AM, sharp. Don't be late. Every fighter living in this town at the moment needs to know." Min Min heard Sherry's footsteps fade away from inside her room, knowing well aware for certain that she'll have to wake up soon.


The ramen bomber dashed across the streets of Civiltatula, attempting to reach the city center of the town in the early morning. She knew she must have overslept by mistake, and so she ran as fast as she could to where the Mii Gunner advised the fighters to meet up with the Master Hand and Crazy Hand. Eventually, Min Min made her way to the center of the town, trying to catch her breath after running such a long distance from her apartment to her destination.

"You're late, I presume," Sherry told the ramen bomber. "We were waiting for a half-hour until you showed up."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Min Min panted, resting her hands on her thighs as her breath fogged up the chilly morning air. "I… kinda stalled in my morning shower. No hard feelings, though?" Besides Min Min and the Mii Gunner being the only fighters here, there were also Shulk, Robin, Duck Hunt, R.O.B., Mr. Game & Watch, Wii Fit Trainer, the Swordfighter and Brawler Ultimates Reborn, the Ice Climbers, the Piranha Plant, and a small crowd of Mii Fighters and Subspace Army creatures, just to name a few.

Everyone that was currently in the city square quieted down as they saw sparks of golden and violet electricity fly to the middle of the group. More began to cluster up until eventually the figures of the Master Hand and Crazy Hand holding each other close like they were clasped together faded into view. The sparks disappeared, and the two Hands split from each other as they transformed into their true draconic forms, concluding their magnificent entrance. The fighters and those with them needed no reminding as they knelt and bowed to respect the authority of such majestic lords ruling after their deceased leaders.

"We're all glad you can make it here at this time," Sozo spoke out. "Do not be alarmed by the absence of some of your other teammates. Some are inside the fortress they claimed as the resting place for the Smashers past the Ironwood Forest, while the rest of the team is safe and secluded in their own worlds as we've heard from recent reports. We hope they will be visiting us soon. But now for the matters at hand. Cirrus had a word with me, my brother, the ex-Ancient Minister, and the Ultimates Reborn. They said they have found the right place where the dragons that will be returning to this world will make their first settlement."

"Ever since we all had to fight against two brothers that were abhorring one another - after we were forced to live five years under tyranny and another five under disharmony - my sibling and I have been waiting for the day to bring back the dragonlings that were sent off for their protection many ages ago," Hakai chimed in, trying his best to keep that chaotic impulse of his to himself by standing still and trying not to get too sporadic in the way he moved and talked. "We hope you all understand the sudden abrupt change. Should you get the chance to visit any one of them, please be careful around them. They may have grown wild and feral after thousands of years within their dimension; millions if you count Subspace. There may also be far more that have never even set foot in the realm their ancestors came from and may have adapted their own way of living. One can never know for sure… not even me."

"So things will still go on as normal for the most part," Sozo continued through explanation. "We'll be making some kind of… acquaintanceship with the new dragons. Hope the both of us cleared things up for you." The small crowd applauded after the speech, with some Miis and Subspace creatures remaining questionable but optimistic by this sudden decision. "Now return to your homes, everyone. R.O.B., Ice Climbers, Mr. Game & Watch, Duck Hunt, Wii Fit Trainer, Ultimates Reborn, Piranha Plant, Shulk, Robin. Please welcome our latest recruit: Min Min from the ARMS universe. Min Min… you will be joining us on our trip to where we will summon the dragons back into Arcus: the Yoeka Skerries."

"Sounds perfectly reasonable," Gilbert answered with a quick reply. "Hey, Sherry. You've still got that transporter hooked up to your arm cannon? The very one that can take us anywhere across the planet?" The Mii Gunner recognized what the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn was trying to tell her, and she picked up the question as quickly as possible.

"Yeah, I think I do," Sherry added. She pulled up her arm cannon and tapped the metallic shell of the weapon once, bringing up a holographic screen as the current fighters within the city center gathered close. "Sozo? The Yoeka Skerries, was it?" The dragon with the golden eyes nodded as a simple reply, and the holographic map the Mii Gunner created exposed the map that consisted of a collection of small, rocky islands. From what Mr. Game & Watch saw as he looked behind himself, R.O.B. had his head hung low in sorrow while the rest of the Mii Fighters and Subspace Army creatures left. The monochromatic entity moved close to the robot, beeping in every stiff movement he made as he tried to learn why was R.O.B. sad for some reason. Popo and Nana seemed to have noticed as well.

"Is something wrong, R.O.B.?" Nana asked. The robot didn't really say anything, and instead simply hung his head low. Even though the ex-Ancient Minister couldn't even say a word, let alone only talk through beeps, the Smashers near R.O.B. could understand that the kind of pain he was feeling might have something to do with his kind. Even after ten years (twenty if you count the period he was alongside the captive fighters), that trauma still hasn't left him.

Sieg comforted the robot with, "R.O.B., we understand if you aren't getting used to all these new species without being reminded of your own… and we wonder if there's anything we can do to help you recover from that incident." There was still this ounce of unforgiveness the ex-Ancient Minister had for Ganondorf. Even though the Demon King and the other villains on the team have reformed in some way, the death of an entire species isn't something R.O.B. can just forget so easily. The robot simply beeped in lament, his words unrecognizable to many of the Smashers.

"Hm… maybe there might have been some kind of blueprint you used to make more of your kind, but it's been lost for so long no one knows if it even exists anymore," the Mii Swordfighter guessed considering the brief history between the parents of the Ultimates Reborn and Ancients. "But believe me. I know what it's like… to lose someone close to your heart. And I know death isn't something you can recover from that easily. Sherry… Sieg… do you guys feel the same way, even after losing your parents?"

"We were in the room with you," the Mii Gunner pointed out, stopping her work on the transporter hooked up to her arm cannon. "If they were alive today, what do you think might be their reactions to us being friends with their enemies?" The Mii Swordfighter and Mii Brawler laughed at that silly question, even though the pain in their hearts that still lingered inside would never truly go away. Min Min decided to comfort the robot as best as she could after laughing from that comment, liking to imagine what that might have been like.

"Hey, don't feel down," Min Min advised, hugging the robot's chest as best as she could. "People find ways to cope with death. You can't stay sad forever. Whatever kind of freaky technology your species made, I'm sure one day we might find the instructions to build a machine that can bring your kind back. I mean… that's probably what I assume might be the issue." As Sherry resumed her work and got the transporter ready while Sozo and Hakai took off to the skies in their Hand forms, the ramen bomber and the white-haired tactician were the only fighters to recognize that Shulk's eyes flashed with a sign of a future vision.

"Shulk?" Robin asked, shaking the Homs back into reality. "Is something the matter?"

"...We can't go to the Yoeka Skerries," Shulk answered with a look of worry on his face.

"Huh? Why not?" Min Min questioned. Pointing to the sky in fright, Shulk focused all the attention on a mysterious, glowing rift that appeared out of nowhere. At first, it didn't seem like much of a problem, and even the two Lords of Arcus paid no attention to them… until more of the rifts began to appear across the sky at an alarming rate.

"Uh… Sherry?" Gilbert asked, looking up with an inner feeling of dread as though something bad was going to happen from those rifts. "Can you finish up, please?"

"Almost done…" the Mii Gunner answered, oblivious to a rift opening above her until it was too late for her to take any action. Dropping down from the sky, above her head, was a flaming rock accelerating at high velocity. Nana and Popo joined hands, using their free ones to unleash a small blizzard above the Gunner Ultimate Reborn and freezing the flaming rock. The Ice Climbers then took out their mallets and jumped over Sherry, whacking the iceball into snow before it even hit her. The Mii Gunner quickly retracted the holographic screen back into her arm cannon as she glanced around on the horror around her and her friends.

She exclaimed with an, "Hey! What's the big idea?" before larger rifts began to open up, dropping clutter from other worlds. Some were the sizes of small kitchen appliances while others were as tall as skyscrapers. Shulk cut his blade through some of the junk as it began to fall around Civiltatula while Min Min equipped her Megawatt ARM and shattered some of the heavier junk.

The Brawler Ultimate Reborn jumped into the air and kicked a sofa falling from the sky, which scattered across the road into a rain of splinters. The Master Hand and Crazy Hand were instantly aware of the horror taking place, and they knew for certain that this event was not from this world. For some unexplained logic and reasoning, there was a strange, benevolent force that just seemed to show up without warning.

The ex-Lords of Arcus fired lasers from their fingertips in their Hand forms, realizing that the destruction of all this rubble destroying a few buildings was going to kill hundreds, even thousands, of many Mii and Subspace civilians unless immediate action was to be taken.

"Gather up as many as you can within the city," the Master Hand commanded, flicking a piano onto a part of the road where there was no one in the line of fire. "Take them all to your fortress and stay there until my brother and I fix this mess. The summoning of the dragons back into Arcus will have to come later." The Smashers in the team nodded and split up, each one attempting to use their own methods of rescuing as many civilians as they can.

Min Min raced across the streets as more junk began to fall around the town, some of the larger furniture hitting the hovering cars and knocking them out of the single-file lines that were perpendicular across one another. The ramen bomber stretched out her ARMS to grab the passengers about to fall onto the concrete road several stories below them. While she ran through the icy streets, trying her best not to slip, some of the Shadow Bugs came to her aid and clustered up into cushions for the Miis to land on the street safely. The ramen bomber continued using her ARMS, stopping for a brief moment to jump high into the air and grab onto another futuristic car just below her.

"Hey, what gives?" the Mii driving the car asked in irritation as he rolled the window down and peeked out, surprised to find the ramen bomber kicking loads of furniture from other worlds away from the cars.

"Park your vehicles! Quickly!" Min Min ordered, activating her Dragon ARMS to burn the antique items that were about to crush the lane. Several Miis driving the cars began to quickly park their vehicles and evacuate from the zone that just became dangerous, and some of those same vehicles were hit by the rain of appliances and equipment, including the automobile the ramen bomber was standing on.

Min Min snatched the Mii out of the car beneath her, carrying him in her right ARM as she hopped across the falling cars and grabbed more Miis from their vehicles. When she jumped off the last one with every Mii she could grab, the Shadow Bugs came to her aid and formed into some kind of soft pillow for her and the Miis to land safely.

She placed her hand on one of the Mii Gunners that she nabbed, telling everyone, "Head to the Ironwood Forest. There's a fortress northwest of the woods. You should be safe there. I'll meet up with the other fighters!" The Miis knew what to do and ran off with the Shadow Bugs that cushioned their fall, all while trying to avoid the rubble of the buildings that weren't so lucky in this rain.

Min Min ran to another part of the city, shielding her head as broken glass and titanium shards rained around her. She eventually found Shulk and Robin attacking the furniture with the Mii Fighters while protecting the Miis that couldn't defend themselves. The Homs recognized the ramen bomber simply standing there until she kicked a table lamp away from herself.

"Get the others to the Smash Fortress, Min Min! We'll be meeting with you soon!" Shulk commanded, slashing through a velvet couch coming his way. The ramen bomber nodded and dashed past the Ultimates Reborn on her way to the Ironwood Forest, by which the three chieftains were accompanied by other Mii Fighters to lead the rest of the city's inhabitants to safety.

Min Min knew that Sherry, Sieg, and Gilbert had gotten this one in the bag, so she ran ahead towards the Ironwood Forest and volunteered to help Popo and Nana lead the evacuating Miis down the path to the Smash Fortress for safety. While more Rifts began to open up across the sky and even on the ground, the ramen bomber made sure all the Miis and Subspace Army troops they and the other fighters managed to rescue were inside the Smash Mansion safe and sound. Just about a few minutes later, the Mii Swordfighter, Gunner, and Brawler came inside with the other few residents that were living in Civiltatula, their faces covered in dirt, snow, and bruises. Shulk and Robin ran up to comfort the Ultimates Reborn while Min Min squeezed in and gently led the Subspace Army creatures and Mii citizens down the hallway with the fighters that were born in Arcus.

"Are you three alright?" Robin asked Sherry, Gilbert, and Sieg, wiping the dust off the Mii Brawler's shoulder. "Did you get injured? Is everyone in the city okay?" The voices of the Miis filled the room as most of them were filled with worry over the perpetual conviction that others weren't so lucky to survive the casualty.

"...I think the entire city has been cleared," Gilbert coughed, resting his hands on his knees while catching his breath. "Good news is: those rifts that just showed up out of nowhere… suddenly stopped pouring that rain of interdimensional furniture. Bad news is: we can't seem to find Sozo and Hakai. They just… told us to get everyone here and they just simply vanished." An outbreak of confused emotion began to silently spread across the Miis and the creatures of Subspace, with R.O.B. the most distressed due to his previous connections with the Hands as the Ancient Minister.

"For whatever reason, I just can't get my arm cannon to work…" the Gunner Ultimate Reborn mentioned, attempting to activate that holographic screen from her arm cannon. However, all that came out was nothing but glitchy static that was impossible to recognize. "If I had to guess, the Lords of Arcus must have gone off to the Yoeka Skerries, but those rifts must have interfered with our technology that we can't even warp anywhere."

"Can we still reach out to our friends?" Nana asked with anxiety, sweat dripping down her face as she hugged Popo.

"...I don't know, but… it doesn't look like we can at the moment," Sherry responded, deactivating her arm cannon. "Who knows how effective that disaster was? And we were unprepared for that. My cannon was detecting abnormal amounts of magic spiking up all throughout the planet, so it may be best if we just wait here and stay low… at least until these rifts stop opening up and raining junk. Let's just hope there weren't any that opened up in this place."

Shulk then asked, "Well… is there a way to figure out why these rifts are opening up? Or how we can find a way to combat them?"

"We have no idea, Shulk," Sherry added. "Hopefully we can figure something out. Until then, it's probably best that we remain careful and wait until our friends get back to Arcus…"


Present...

"... That's basically the most I can remember of what happened," Min Min finished with the story she told Steve and Dante, scratching the noodle hair underneath her bowl-like hat. "For the remainder of the whole day, we had to wait around until many of the fighters could use the transporter aboard the Legacy to get back here, and even then… what they saw wasn't pretty." The Devil Hunter placed a hand under his chin, thinking about the story the ramen bomber told him.

Dante questioned Min Min with, "You said your dragon buddies were over at the Yoeka Skerries, right? So why don't we use Sans's door to get there?"

"That… sounds like an interesting idea," Min Min replied, "especially since we know the door Sans uses hasn't been affected by this transportation issue… as far as we know."

"Whaddya say, girl? Do you think we can ask that skeleton later once he's done researching with the other Smashers?" Dante asked, holding his arms behind his head.

"Well, at least once we get the full idea of the long-term effects," Min Min finished. The ramen bomber ran down the aisle towards the only door to the outside of the Smash Fortress, waving goodbye at the Devil Hunter.

"Alright, take care. Steve and I will meet with you again inside another part of this castle… eventually," Dante added, glancing over to the blocky player. "Alright, buddy. I'll be heading out and taking a good look at the place and check out that chick they call Bayonetta. I've heard she's got a sweet tooth for men like me. Catch ya later, Steve." Dante also ran down the aisle too, leaving Steve all alone within the church part of the fortress.

The blocky player continued to look around the walls supporting the large dome high above him, admiring such beautiful textures and paintings that he never really saw in his own world. Everything seemed to be well-rounded and non-blocky, and even then the angles decorating some of the parts of the church were never really cubic in terms of geometry. It seemed as though the memories it had of that terrifying nutcracker were gone from his mind, only remembering that his game was undergoing maintenance after someone spawned in too many Ender Dragons and Withers… or so he believed.

"You just can't stop runnin' from yourself, can ya?" a raspy voice called out to Steve, almost frightening him in a way. Steve jumped from the sound, quickly moving his head back and forth to wonder who spoke to him like that. It may have just been Dante pulling a prank on him, but he knew even Dante would never sound like that or even say those words… no matter how much of a prankster he was.

"Cuz even if you keep forgettin'... I'll always keep comin' back to haunt ya," the voice called out to him again. Steve turned toward the sound, finally spotting the one who was speaking to him: that grotesque replica of the friend Banjo and Kazooie once knew, with his cubic eyes so horrifyingly realistic and the gaps between the yellowed teeth in his ugly mouth uneven and crooked. "Oh right… that Pokémon with those psychic powers. He's drained your memory quite a lot, huh? Cuz he's afraid you'll become me again? Am I hearing that right?" That creepy replica of Steve slowly approached the real blocky player, who was currently unable to move from his spot like he was in a lucid dream he couldn't control.

"You are quite the nutcase, aren't ya?" the grotesque Steve laughed, his mouth stretching almost across his short body in such an uncanny level. "Willing to forget something so beautiful, so… fascinating, that you would rather die instead of diving into what people would normally consider revolting and petrifying just because you wouldn't want to risk seeing the possibilities of a new perspective underneath." Steve simply turned his head away from that disgusting figment of his imagination talking to him, refusing to believe anything he vomited out of his mouth. Even that nauseating clone of Steve seemed to notice.

"You know what interests me, bud? That we're just two sides of the same coin. How every step we take is in perfect synchronization with each other, like conjoined twins in a way. Only difference between you and I? The Lord of Games created the both of us, but it was that… special spark of determination that brought only you back to give you that second chance, this time without me and a new identity. Just to be friends with that bear and bird again. What makes THEM so special, huh? Am I no good for YOU?" Steve simply had no comment, still keeping silent as he was unable to change the expression on his face aside from blinking. Even then, the blinking looked like two frames of pixel changes by just coloring over the eyes.

"Oh sure. Ignore me, like you always do," the uncanny version of Steve growled in irritation. "I was only brought back after you encountered Banjo and Kazooie again. And yet you didn't know jack shit about 'em. But they're gonna get worried about you at some point. You're starting to blink and grow that smile-like beard - a perfect replica of my past self. Eventually you're gonna snap and bring me back. You're gonna ditch 'em and satisfy yourself cuz you're not gonna have much of a choice. But why even listen to me? I'm just in your head, after all. Besides… it'll be fine for us to wake up soon." Steve blinked again, no longer seeing that horrifying replica of himself talking to him.

The blocky player began to wonder if what he just experienced was all a dream… or if he was starting to wonder about the truth of where he came from.


Over in a room with two rows of benches with desks descending down stone slabs, Byleth was helping Sans graph some calculations on a large chalkboard stuck to the wall. It was mostly just Byleth doing all the work while Sans just lounged around and simply told the professor what to write from the books collected by the fighters that volunteered to help. They were mainly just books on quantum physics and how magic in alternate dimensions works.

"Perhaps we might need to find something to prevent this evidence from slipping into a margin of error," Mewtwo telepathized, viewing the scientifics and the calculations written and drawn on the chalkboard with a critical eye as he simply floated there in midair while the Smashers were doing the rest of the work. "If we want our sources to remain accurate on the subject matter, we need to use sources to prove our theories correct."

"Sounds interesting… if you've probably got the items necessary," Mega Man answered as he put down the book he was currently reading through. Luckily for them, Mewtwo came prepared with just the items for the task: his Rift Engine with the Dark Element and that white pellet he carried along.

"Hm… yep. Maybe these might help in our research," Sans replied, carefully studying the two small objects by just a long stare. "Thanks, Mewtwo. Anyways, if we were to divide that by the square root of…" Rosalina was also pitching in with helping sort the books out when she heard light taps at the window next to the door outside of the classroom. She soon recognized it to be one of her red Lumas, dancing around and leaving waves of light to communicate with its mother that read as follows:

Mama! Mama! Cone quick! The other Lumas and I have found a toy chest in our bedroom!

Rosalina raised her hand and asked, "Excuse me, but… I'd thought I'd remind you that I need to leave because my Lumas discovered something rather interesting. Is it fine if I go?"

"Oh, no worries," Palutena answered in a ladylike manner. "Just do what you need to do without any rush. We've got plenty of time." Rosalina curtsied and made her leave, following the red Luma that was beckoning her.

Rosalina made her way to the top of the second smaller dome, her elegant dress brushing against each step on the stairway. The scent of old, polished dark oak filled yet another large room, which was made to resemble some kind of library with the roof of an observatory dome. There were books just like in the other, much larger library, but noticeably disorganized. A brick fireplace next to the wall was decorated with watercolor drawings in portrait frames, and there were beanbags with plushies of mushrooms and stars gathered near a leather rocking chair on a blue rug that had galaxies and planets bedecked upon it. Several Lumas were hanging out in the room and having fun in such a wondrous place. Some were scribbling on the paper laid on the tables with coloring pencils, while others were looking through the toy chest next to the fireplace.

The Lumas experienced great joy when their mother floated into the library, making her giggle as they hugged her and showered her in affection. The red Luma that brought her here showed her towards the toy chest, by which many of the Lumas present were curious about the playthings sitting there. It was rather clear that the chest seemed to have been here long after it was abandoned, considering there was plenty of dust both outside and in.

"Interesting… the Comet Observatory didn't have these many toys," Rosalina pondered, taking out a stuffed bear with a missing button eye and a sock monkey with noodly arms. "Alright, alright. You can play with them, but remember to put them back in the chest when you're done. I wouldn't have to clean this up all by myself, now don't I?" The Lumas in the room all reached into the toy chest, taking out the playthings they wanted to entertain themselves with.

Rosalina watched as the Lumas danced around and played with their dolls, stuffed animals, and whatever else was in the chest. When she glanced into the open casket, she realized that her own children missed one more toy found in the chest. She took it out and analyzed the doll for herself.

The doll was entirely made out of apple wood, big enough for its body to fit in her hand. The joints were segmented, with its boots a deep mahogany. Another thing she noticed was the cape, which appeared to be the color of the ocean on the outside and a glistening gold on the inside. The cape was wrapped around its neck by a yellow collar, and it was spiked from the top and the bottom. Its hat was also that exact same blue, with a golden pattern like the holding end of a key imprinted on the front. Underneath the right side of the hat were two orange curls sticking out like hair, along with a slight pointed nose, rounded ears, and eyes of red.

The eyes seemed to be poking out underneath the hat, with eyelids that closed when Rosalina tilted the doll back and opening again when she tilted it straight up again. There was also a line underneath each eye that extended beneath, and the doll's mouth was that like a nutcracker's. When Rosalina took a good look at this peculiar doll, she began to feel signs of nostalgia just by analyzing it. She probably knew it may have once belonged to someone else, but there was something she could neither describe nor use the right words for it. When she turned the doll around and lifted up its cape, she came to the conclusion the doll had its name imprinted on the wooden back:

"Geno?" Rosalina read in a curious tone. She heard some footsteps from below the room where she and the Lumas were supposedly staying, and Rosalina probably knew that whoever came here might want to accept the Geno doll as a gift considering that she may have a love for toys but what she truly desires is the joy from the generosity of giving. And who knows? Maybe whoever came here into this very section in the Smash Fortress may find some use in this wooden puppet.

"Rosie?" Cloud Strife's voice could be heard as he walked up the stairs and set foot in the observatory look-alike, admiring how playful all the Lumas were acting around him. Rosalina approached the 1st-class SOLDIER, hiding Geno behind her back.

"There you are," Cloud abbreviated in a completely normal tone. "I was beginning to wonder where you were. The guys researching what's going on with our teleportation devices have told me you were here. Any idea what's with all these toys?"

"Oh, nothing much," Rosalina chuckled, adjusting the light blonde bang covering her right eye. "It's just that the Lumas found a chest full of these playthings and wanted to bring me here. As they got the toys they desired, I took note of a strange… doll I found at the bottom of the chest. I didn't know what it was doing here, but I probably thought it might be a strange gift I'd like to give you. His name is Geno, and he's all yours." The blue maiden presented Cloud the wooden puppet, much to his unexpected surprise.

Cloud then asked, "So… why are you giving this to me?"

"No real reason," Rosalina easily dismissed. "Just thought I'd give you something. For being a good friend."

"Thank you," Cloud replied, taking the doll from Rosalina. "Geno is this little guy's name. Is that right?"

"I think so. His name must have been carved into his back."

"Ah, I see. Well, I'll get back to you soon. I'll be checking in on Diddy Kong and Falco next." Cloud took a good look at the doll he was holding, knowing well that he probably wouldn't play with it… but at least his lamp desk would look good with Geno sitting on it. Before Cloud could leave the observatory look-alike, Rosalina stopped him by asking him a simple question.

"Hey, Cloud: about your current relationship with Link, are you and him…?"

"What?" Cloud was quick to discourage with a slight blush in his cheeks, shaking his head while maintaining eye contact with the woman of divine origin. "No no no. Me and Link? We're just good friends. There really isn't anything romantic going on between us. At least, from my perspective. Probably…"

"Understandable. Well, you're welcome for the toy, by the way." The 1st-class SOLDIER nodded and left the room with his new gift.


Hat Kid paced around the floor of the large library with the magical books, with a lot on her mind and so much to progress from just a few days. At least she was glad to be alone, and yet she didn't really feel all that happy. She just wanted to get back to her home planet, but at the same time she wanted to make friends. Hat Kid could at least try making friends with some of the fighters here… maybe with someone more comfortable her age.

There are plenty of kids living here, Hat Kid thought to herself. Maybe I can look around and find someone to be friends with. The alien girl left the library, climbing up the stairs near the main entrance to the Smash Fortress. She made her way to the rooms at the top, wandering through the small hallway until hearing the sounds of the younger fighters chatting in Kirby's room.

Hat Kid slowly opened the door, peeking into the room to see what was going on, and she was surprised to find Kirby, Young Link, Toon Link, Villager, Ness, and Lucas interacting with each other in the pink puffball's place. Kirby was sleeping on the floor without a care in the world, Young Link and Toon Link were playing against Villager and Ness in a video game, and Lucas was watching the boys play as he waited for his turn considering their game only had room for four players.

While Hat Kid took a closer look at the boys bonding with each other, Lucas glanced over at the door and saw the alien girl that was watching them. Hat Kid instantly recognized that the boy from Tazmily Village spotted her, and she let the fear of rejection grip her as she backed away from the door. The alien girl sat next to the door, pulling her hat over her head in embarrassment.

"Um… hello there," Lucas cautiously called out to her, alerting the alien girl by surprise. "I just saw you near the door. Do you wanna come on in?" The Smashers playing their game paused their session when they heard Lucas chatting with someone outside Kirby's room.

"No… not really," Hat Kid replied, feeling a bit nervous in her introduction to some strangers close to her age. "I just… I just want to talk with someone, but I'm afraid I might leave a bad impression."

"...You can come in, if you want," Lucas added. "You're free to talk with us." The alien girl poked her head in, her fingers nervously twitching with worry. She had never seen such kids before, and she didn't exactly know how to interact with anyone. Even when she did, it didn't exactly feel natural to her. Hat Kid slowly walked into the room, bearing a weak smile on her face and proceeding closer to the television with caution.

"That's an interesting game you're playing," Hat Kid asked the four young fighters that were currently playing. "What's it called?"

"Brawl Street 2: Battle Royale," Ness answered. "Young Link wants to take a break so you can-"

"Ah! Careful where you step!" Young Link warned the alien girl as she was walking. Without even knowing it, Hat Kid accidentally tripped over a sleeping Kirby and landed on her face. Kirby was suddenly woken up over this, and the Smashers in the room were surprised by this. Hat Kid pulled her hat over her head, her cheeks and ears red from her foolish action.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't know where I was walking! I..." Hat Kid exclaimed as she sat on the carpeted pink floor and bowed her head, worried that she may have gotten the young fighters mad for waking Kirby up as she feared.

"No… it's alright," Lucas told her as he reached over to lift up her hat while Kirby was hugged by Villager in comfort to ease the pain he got from Hat Kid tripping over him.

"Huh? You're… not mad?" Hat Kid cautiously asked, peeking out from beneath her hat.

"Why would we be?" Toon Link replied. "We kinda suspected it was an accident, and we know you didn't mean it. Why are you so scared about it?" Hat Kid swallowed the saliva that built up in her mouth, trying to combat her introverted self and just talk with these boys.

"I just… I'm just worried that you might not wanna be my friend," Hat Kid nervously answered, "considering I went through so much just to lose a friend I made. There were a lot of things that happened to me, and it's… become quite difficult to socialize with anyone. I just want to be friends with Mustache Girl. I want to be friends with her again, but… I've messed up back then and now I'm worried that I messed up again here."

"Hm… perhaps we can be your friends in the meantime?" Lucas asked. "If you really want to get your friend back, you can learn a thing or two from us. We're kids, just like you. Maybe we might bond better and have fun while doing it. And hey: take it from a boy who's been regarded as an introverted coward his whole life. Maybe you can learn something from our personal experiences. Or maybe you can just play with us. It's the first step in making friends, if friendship is so important to you."

"Yeah, I… guess I can start with that," Hat Kid replied, petting Kirby on the head. The alien girl sat down in front of the TV between Villager and Toon Link while Lucas took the fourth controller. At first, Hat Kid seemed to be less encouraged by these kids offering to be her friends in the meantime, but after a while of playing a few rounds with the boys she was starting to feel a bit more comfortable, especially when this was a new game and they were going easy on her to let her get used to playing it.

After about a few minutes of playtime, they heard some knocking at the door. The young fighters paused their game and looked behind themselves to see Bowser Jr. alerting them about something important. Even Kirby was eager to listen to what the young Prince of the Koopas had to say.

"Hey, I just came by to tell you something important," Bowser Jr. alerted. "That skeleton friend of yours had managed to crack the code for our little transportation issue. We're all heading down to the big classroom to hear what he has to say, so… whatever games you're playing you better finish up. Meet me and the Koopalings downstairs if you don't know where to go." Bowser Jr. left the young fighters alone after having alerted them of what to expect.

"Oh... I forgot I had to go back to my ship," Hat Kid replied, standing up as the rest of her newly-acquainted buddies did the same. "My parents might be worried sick about me, but probably not since I know they're gonna be stiff as always…"

"Stiff?" Ness questioned, curious about how the planet Hat Kid came from works. "Depending on how things go, maybe you can invite us over to your world."

"Maybe… if my mom and dad are fine with it," Hat Kid responded. "Now come on! We don't want to make your other friends impatient." The alien girl ran out of the room, waiting for Young Link, Ness, Villager, Toon Link, Kirby, and Lucas to follow behind.


The fighters living within the Smash Fortress all took their seats in the classroom, quieting down with their banter as Hat Kid came in with the young Smashers and the Koopalings. Cloud Strife was sitting between Ridley and Captain Falcon, hiding that Geno doll in his hands so he wouldn't be embarrassed for playing with some child's plaything. The Mii Gunner, Mewtwo, Clementine, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Mega Man, R.O.B., Olimar, Lucario, Palutena, Rosalina, Byleth, Shulk, and Robin had their seats closest to the large chalkboard in front of the whole house.

"Aight, can I have your attention, please?" Sans asked, attempting to quiet down the fighters wondering what exactly was going on. "Thank you. Now: before we begin, it's important to take a look at the equations on this board. So you can thank Byleth and Palutena for trying to come up with some logical conclusion to your little issue. Now I guess we can begin…" The short skeleton stretched a metal rod and pointed it at a quick sketch of that ten-headed Hydra.

"Y'all know what this is, right?" Sans continued, looking back at the fighters listening to the talk. "I'm sure some of you are already familiar, but for the rest of ya, allow me to explain. If our final theoretical conclusion is accurate, this was that beast that messed up your little transportation system. How come, I hear some of you asking underneath your breaths. Well… allow me to clarify." Sans used his blue-and-yellow telekinesis to lift that metal rod of his over to a spot on the chalkboard no one could normally reach unless they could fly.

"From what we could gather from the guys that became what were called Skylanders in the last world they visited, that Hydra was completely submerged in liquid magic, by which we'll get back to later," Sans continued. "What I want to focus on is that this Hydra managed to swallow those little Rift Engines they carried along, which served as alternative sources for warping them to other islands. Am I getting that right?"

"Yeah, you got that right," Fox McCloud replied, knowing that Sans didn't need correcting but it was good to help him out anyway.

"Okay. Anyways, as I was saying, these Rift Engines have the ability to take you to whatever destination you think of… as far as I know. Now when that Hydra swallowed ten of these little guys, it was warping itself across different dimensions while it was still soaked wet in all that magic. Told you we were gonna come back to that. My theory might be that the droplets of that magic that Hydra carried through the Rifts it opened fell across different worlds, including my own. And said magic must have severely altered the transportation magic of these worlds at random.

"For my door, if I had to theorize, not many Rifts opened up… so I guess that could mean I couldn't access other worlds but I could get where I needed to go in my town. But for you guys… yeah, it doesn't look good."

"Wait, what?" Peach asked, followed by concerned indignation among the Smashers. Soon, Flowey poked out from beneath Sans's hoodie.

"Hey, can you guys keep it quiet so Smiley Trashbag can finish!?" Flowey shouted until everyone kept their mouths shut.

"Thanks, Flowey," Sans thanked, continuing with his theory. "Anyways, those Rift Engines know which SuperChargers are their owners upon assigning a certain element to them, but here's the thing: they also know of the worlds you visited and have transferred the magic that soaked that Hydra through the Rifts it opened up, and somehow that magic must have screwed with your omniversal teleporter REALLY good. It basically means that you can't just visit other worlds through your transporter anymore, and if anyone from another universe wants to visit they would have to access a special kind of portal in their world to visit yours through said transporter."

This only caused more concern among everyone living in the Smash Fortress, and Mario asked, "Well… if-a the transporter is now only a one-way exit, how are any of-a us gonna get-a back to our worlds if we want-a to leave? This is like-a the whole issue during the ten years after the First-a Subspace War."

"If I may, I'd like to fill in on something," Shulk pointed out. "While we were waiting for the Rifts to calm down, I realized that the portals to the world Isabelle entered and the world Hat Kid came from are still up, meaning we have ways of getting back to our worlds. I say this because I've seen lots of inactive portals across the garden islands, but none of them turned on when I stepped on them. Perhaps they may have something to do with those books in the library."

"Hm… maybe," Sans replied. "But you might wanna be careful when entering those portals. If our calculations are correct, anyone who enters said portals would end up somewhere random and would have to find the portal that takes you to your transporter elsewhere. Bear in mind that these aren't the full equations. I'm just telling you what we've figured out."

Once Sans finished clearing things up, the Super Smash Brothers talked about this situation among themselves. Many found it to be something they may have to get used to for the time being, while others were hoping this wasn't permanent.

"How long would these new changes to our transportation system last?" Corrin asked, raising his hand up.

The short skeleton sighed as he simply answered with, "Have no idea, but hopefully not for very long. I think you can still use those pellets of yours as communicators. That's all we could figure out at the moment. Sorry, guys. Thank you for taking the time to listen to what we had to work with, though." Hat Kid sighed with relief, having been waiting at the door to leave the second she heard the portal to take her back to her ship was still up and functioning. Just as many of the fighters were getting up from their seats, the alien girl ran towards the entrance to the garden.

"Hat Kid, wait up!" Toon Link called out to her. Hat Kid turned around and saw the two young Links, Ness, Lucas, and Villager run up to her, followed by Clementine, Sonic, Fox McCloud, Ridley, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Pit, Mewtwo, and Banjo & Kazooie. Mario, Min Min, and Duck Hunt came up to the alien girl too after noticing she was about to leave.

"We just wanted to say thank you for staying by our side, kid," Sonic told Hat Kid, giving her a thumbs up. "You were alright, in my opinion."

"I can't believe I have to say this, but… it's been a blast having you around," Bowser growled, crossing his arms across his torso and looking away as small puffs of smoke sizzled out of his nostrils.

"Thanks for hanging out on our wild adventure," Fox added, followed by the Duck Hunt dog and duck barking and quacking in approval. "If you want to head back to your ship, just go through the portal that doesn't have 'DOOM' marked on it. That one's reserved for Isabelle… for some reason."

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Hold everything!" Alchemo's voice could be heard just near the throne room, and the skinny blue alien was hopping as fast as possible until he skidded right in front of Hat Kid, making her giggle a bit in shock when Alchemo slipped and fell on his rear.

"I just wanted to bid you g-goodbye before you leave… an-and all," Alchemo told the alien child, mumbling in his words as he adjusted his big glasses. "I'll stay around here for as long as I can and get better at my gift of magic. Just like I promised Master Eon! Just… thought I'd remind you I'll be doing that..." The skinny blue alien squatted low, placing a hand on Hat Kid's shoulder.

"Take care, okay?" Alchemo finished, offering nothing but a bittersweet farewell. "Say hi to the Skylanders for me, and hope we meet again soon." Hat Kid offered a hug to the blue alien, and Mario and Kirby joined in the group hug.

As soon as Hat Kid parted away from them, Lucas added, "Oh, one more thing before you go." The kid from Tazmily Village tossed her one of the many white pellets the Smashers had.

"So you'll always have us to talk with," Young Link replied. "That way your social skills would be better once you talk to your old friend again, as well as make some new ones." Hat Kid smiled with a tear in her eye as a result.

"Thanks, guys," Hat Kid answered. "Thank you all for dragging me to such insane worlds. I'll be sure to visit you again when I get the chance! Bye~!" The alien girl ran down to the garden as all the fighters wishing her goodbye waved out to her. Hat Kid went on over to the correct portal and jumped on the floating platform, looking back at the Smashers with a blushing smile on her face. The alien child disappeared in a flash of light, gone from the Smash Fortress.

Sans was just walking by and noticed everything going down over at the garden, but he pretended to act like he had no idea what just happened. He asked, "Hey, um… what did I miss?"

"Oh, nothin' much," Banjo responded. "We just had to bid goodbye to Hat Kid."

"Wow," Sans chuckled. "She just couldn't wait to go home, couldn't she?"

"Nope," Ridley growled gleefully. "She was nothing but a nuisance, and I'm glad to be rid of her."

"Ridley!" Min Min spoke with concern.

"I'm only kidding," Ridley laughed as a sign of false alarm. "But going off-topic on a more serious note, we should be getting ready to pack up and head to the Yoeka Skerries soon. Sozo and Hakai must have been seriously hurt by those Rifts."

"Yeah, you should," Sans replied, glancing over to the setting sun just outside the window. "But it's getting rather late here. Perhaps we can rest for now and plan tomorrow, and not to mention there's more of those fighters you're looking for out there. They may even be quite unexpected…"

"Understandable-a," Mario answered. "And besides, there's these thoughts of an ancient horror that's gonna destroy all worlds, and it's best we recruit these chosen warriors and learn more about who we were meant to be…"


When night came around, and everything was quiet and at rest within the Smash Fortress, Sans was wandering the empty halls. The skeleton left no sound in the footsteps he left behind, filled with caution as he made sure nobody was around, not even the likes of Meta Knight or Dante. He checked in on Flowey, who was asleep in a flower pot next to the stairs to the rooms upstairs, before making his leave to the library.

When Sans got to a clear location within the library, Sans snapped his fingers, and that bedroom door of his appeared behind himself. The skeleton slowly approached the door, his boney hands ready to twist that golden knob.

Let's see if this thing works again, now that the whole issue with the Rifts has been cleared, Sans thought to himself, focusing on what location he desired most. Through his own cognition, he could make that place he wanted to visit clear in his head. With a few deep breaths, the skeleton opened his bedroom door. Much to his relief, he saw nothing but darkness there… and nothing more.

Nothing but pitch black instead of the pigsty that was his room. Sans entered into the darkness, closing the door behind himself and basking in the realm void of light. For a moment, the skeleton could feel the sweet release as he tried to focus his vision on what he wanted to see. There, within the dark, he saw what he needed to see.

A field of lavender, glass-like blades of grass stretched as far as the eye could see, waving in the soft wind that blew from all directions and glittered from the jewels stuck to the roof of a limited space. Almost like a cave, in a way. Trees with coral-blue trunks and leaves of ember dotted the landscape, giving a scarlet light to whatever darkness shrouded this place. Sans looked below himself, now feeling a cobblestone path below his salmon-pink slippers.

With his hands in his hoodie's pockets, Sans walked ahead, taking in the peaceful atmosphere of the world he found himself in. Soon enough, the cobblestone path Sans was walking on came to a halt, and the skeleton was standing in front of some kind of raggedy-old tent filled with loose patches and plenty of unstitched holes. Sans walked into this quaint little shop, and the only light inside this place came from a lantern hung on the wall behind the shopkeeper.

"Hee hee… it's been a while. Welcome back, old friend," the shopkeeper spoke in an elderly, welcoming voice, their face hidden in the shadow the lantern cast over them.

"Hi, Seam," Sans greeted. "Sorry. I was too busy being lazy."

"As always," the shopkeeper chuckled until they stopped just as they were about to cough. "Classic Sans. Tell me: what brings you here this time? Must it be the odds and ends I'm willing to part with for a few Dark Dollars?"

"Actually… it's something more than that," Sans replied. "Do you still have that old diary?"

"Why, of course," Seam was eager to reply. "Let me just… get it from under this counter real quick…" After taking out some kind of brown, leather book, the face of the shopkeeper could be seen clearly. Seam took on the appearance of a stuffed feline cat with blueish-gray fur, dressed in brown and fuzzy clothing swathed all over their body. They looked exactly like the toy cat in Jevil brief memory flash, but the rips that disfigured their appearance were replaced with stitches and black patches. Their right eye button was still intact, albeit decorated with a scar below said button eye, but their left eye seems to be empty and almost closed.

Sans took the book Seam gave to him, which was marked with the ten symbols of the elements found in Skylands, though whether that's the case or not it didn't matter. The skeleton opened up the book, flipping through the first couple of pages until he got to what he was looking for. There, written in strange symbols like the ones that W. D. Gaster uses, was a passage dedicated to the dissection of a Rift Engine… at least according to the sketches drawn in it.

"The Rift Engines some of the Smashers used… they look exactly as they are described in this diary," Sans told the old shopkeeper. "'But why would they do that?' you might ask."

"I would be torturing myself with that question too…" Seam replied. "Pray tell what happened, at least."

"Well, there was this kid that came back with them, and he told the entire story. He said the issue with my door's portal network was the result of some calculated planning from… let's just say a strange prisoner with an odd manner we're both familiar with."

"A… strange prisoner?" Seam questioned, filled with worry and dread in the hopes that it wasn't real. "...No, you can't be possibly talking about HIM… are you?"

"I'm afraid I am. At least, that's what I managed to figure out from those kid's words."

"Then if what you say is true… then that wouldn't make any sense. After all the trouble we both went through to lock him up, why and how would he suddenly be released? Darkners become inanimate in the light. Normally, he is incapable of causing so much chaos."

"That's the problem," Sans continued. "He wasn't created like me and was instead made into a pureblood Darkner. He was made to have the same characteristics as the lot of ya. And the only way this curse of transforming into inanimate objects in light could be permanently removed is if…"

"Some kind of summoning spell using pure, concentrated darkness to pull him out of his prison did exactly that," Seam finished. "And I fear the worst yet to come should he find someone that agrees with his maddening ideologies."

"Same here, bud. Do you plan on helping us should that time come?"

"It wouldn't matter, Sans… the worst has yet to pass, and I know you oh so much. I know you'd be willing to toast with me… to the end of all worlds."