The two ships moved slowly through the light-blue sky of the world. Both of them headed for a common objective: something bright and glowing in the sky. And that something was not the sun.

"There he is," said Ryu. "He's waiting for us, isn't he?"

"He probably thinks we're heading right to our doom again," guessed the blue Inkling. "Think he can just zap us with those light beams again, huh? Wrong."

"Wrong, indeed," replied an anxious Pit. "That ball of light's got another thing coming if… hey, is it me, or is that cloud moving particularly fast?"

Marth strode past the angel, squinting at what the latter was indicating. Something white. Something closing in fast at rocket speed.

Marth backed away in surprise. "That's no cloud."

"Say again?" asked Samus.

"That's no cloud! BRAAAACE!"

Everyone dove to the deck as the big white missile zoomed forward… and plowed right through the hull of the airship with a sickening crunch of wood. It burst from the other end, looped around in the sky, and unclenched a fist.

"Master Hand!" gasped Falco. "Wait… the rest!"

"Snake, damage report!" called Samus. Mario climbed to his feet, staring out at the open air. Where he expected to be a floating fleet of white gloves… he saw only sky and clouds. He turned to the deck below with a shrug.

"Just one?" Bowser noticed from Mario's stance. "Pah! He seriously thinks just one hand will be enough to do us in?!"

"Significant damage to the hull," reported the mercenary. "We're still airborne, but not for long if that thing keeps tearing through the ship."

Bowser gulped. "Uh, then again…"

"Great Fox! Take evasive action!" Fox yelled into his earpiece. "Everyone else, let's take it down!" He whipped out his blaster and pulled the trigger. An ominous laugh echoed from the false Master Hand as projectiles struck him. He lowered down to the deck, performing a beckoning gesture.

Smashers ran in to engage the floating hand with battle cries and weapons raised. Master Hand was ready for them, however. He smacked some of them to the side and flicked away a jumping Pikachu like a bug. He slapped Charizard in the face and delivered a whopping uppercut to Bowser that sprawled him onto his shell.

Mega Man, Samus, and the Inklings held back, hitting the hand with heavy suppressive fire. Drawing back from the ship, Master Hand pointed with two fingers. And shot off bullets of his own. He blasted several Smashers back, intercepting their next moves and blowing holes in the deck. A single double-bulleted shot decimated the steering wheel in embers and flame, knocking Mario and Kirby away.

"Uh oh…" moaned the plumber.

Fox and Falco activated their reflectors, knocking the bullets back at Master Hand. The hand staggered back and shook itself. It launched into the air and dove down, drilling right into the deck and plowing through. It punched another hole through the hull and flew out, flinging five fireballs at the ship.

The fireballs smashed into both the hull of the ship and the sail, burning up the latter in a flash and depriving the ship of its means of staying airborne. Master Hand dragged a finger along the deck of the slowly-sinking ship, conjuring a spiky field that hurt anyone who touched it. Simon threw a flask of Holy Water and Charged Shots flew from Samus and Mega Man. All three attacks hit their mark, causing major damage to Master Hand.

He pointed at Link, zapping him with a laser only for his shield to block the move. Master Hand threw rings at the charging Mario and Kirby, the heroes jumping and sliding under them. DK and Bowser moved to pin the hand down, but a snap of his fingers stunned them and he teleported a safe distance away. He fired another laser that bounced off mirrors, striking anyone who couldn't dodge in time.

"We're going down!" cried Shulk. The small Pokémon, Kirby, and the Ice Climbers clattered to the deck while everyone else grabbed hold of something. Above them, Master Hand chortled victoriously…

...until a beam of yellow energy blasted right through him.

With a defeated moan, Master Hand burst into flame and exploded into dust, leaving only the Great Fox in its wake.

Fox smirked. "Thanks for the assist, Slip and Pep!"

"Uh, we're not out of the woods yet!" shouted Mega Man. "Look!" From his position in the sky, Galeem's core glowed as bright as a star… and fired off a massive beam of light.

"ABANDON SHIP!" screamed Marth. Everyone made a run for it…

BRAKOOM! The beam reached the ship in blinding light, decimating it to wrecks and splinters in a single blow. While debris fell to the ground below, so did the Smashers who flailed helplessly save for the flying ones. Those airborne could do nothing but watch: they couldn't possibly save the rest in one fell swoop.

From behind Galeem, metallic platforms whooshed through the air and past the flying Smashers. They positioned themselves below the falling champions, earning hard landings and air knocked out of lungs. The engines of the Great Fox cut through the ringings in their ears, followed by the main weapon charging up. The platforms holding the Smashers began to rise back into the sky, the flying Smashers touching down beside their allies.

The Great Fox's cannon unleashed another blast of energy, the beam making a straight shot for Galeem. The entity's only reply was a simple observation from his core… until its shimmering, floating wings enveloped the bright orb and took the brunt of the blow.

The wings retracted when the beam faded, allowing Galeem to blast another beam of light right at the Great Fox… striking right by its top wing. Fire and smoke rose from the impact. "No!" cried a disbelieving Fox.

Another small explosion rocked the Great Fox. The assault carrier began to turn away and retreat from the area. Fox could only watch as it flew off. He felt a sense of deja vu wash over him: the time the Halberd was pierced from bow to stern and utterly annihilated. Even though the Great Fox wasn't blown to bits itself, that hit looked critical. But still, they'd lost their only support for this battle…

"Kirby of the Stars," The voice was calm, yet booming at the same time. Everyone turned to the god-like being with game faces on and weapons/fists ready. "You have done remarkably well since we last spoke. Consider me impressed. You have gathered whatever friends you could… but you still are unprepared. The remainder of your allies still rests in my possession."

"And it's not just us!" replied the Mii Swordfighter. "The very spirits you've enslaved have joined us to take their revenge!"

"Revenge… such a petty concept. An effort to erase what gave you pain… yet pain you still feel afterward."

"Speaking of pain, we're gonna give it to you real good!" roared Bowser. "Try and zap us with your light beams now, Galeem!"

"That would be too easy, as tempting as it would be," replied the entity. "Even if I chose to, you would resist slightly better than before. My soldier's test of your abilities proved useful… in a way, you are correct. This will not be like our previous encounter at all. While having you fall to your demise would rid me of you for good… that is not how I decide your fate. Henceforth, it falls upon me to purge you from my world."

"Well, why don't you go ahead and try?" taunted the orange Inkling.

"You still believe you can resist?" spoke Galeem. "You forget. On that day we met, the skies crumbled and gave way to my new world when yours ended. I am Galeem. I am the Lord of Light and the creator of this perfect world. I am the rising sun that brightens the dark. I… am… eternal."

She paused. Something in her mind triggered at those words. She found herself lost in a void where only a single sound could be heard: a singing voice.

"On that day, when the sky fell away

Our world came to an end

In our eyes, did a fading sun rise in the dark?

Glimmering shadows…"

"Hey, are you okay?"

She flashed open her eyes. Beside her, the blue Inkling stared at her with a concerned face.

"I… I'm fine," came her answer. "Come on. Let's get this guy." But while her voice was focused, her mind was racing. Those words… they were similar to what I heard! Could he tie in to who sent it to me? Or could he have been responsible? No, no time. You can ask when we've beat him.

"Come." Galeem spread his wings as the platforms combined into a single huge one the size of a football field, his core shining brighter than ever. "Face me… and fail as you did before."

"Let's get him!" called Falco, rallying the Smashers. Everyone charged towards the shining entity who barely seemed fazed at their move. Six crossed orbs appeared from thin air, glowing with blue light. Smashers closeby dodged to the side, blue beams striking where they once stood. Ranged fighters scored hits on Galeem's core until his wings blocked their shots and swatted them away. Kirby dashed in with a flurry of acrobatic strikes, but a quick blast of light forced him to back off.

"Gonna crack that ball wide o-" Bowser lunged for the floating core, only for it to blink away. "Huh?!" The wings flew off to the other side of the platform, where the core flashed back into view. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"

Galeem's wings configured themselves into spirals, digging right into the platform. They drilled through the surface, creating large holes to serve as hazards. Yoshi balanced perilously at the edge of one until Snake pulled him back.

A group of Smashers rushed the core at once. Little Mac, Ryu, and Captain Falcon landed heavy blows, Simon struck from afar, and King Dedede teamed-up with the Ice Climbers to deliver a triple-hammer pummeling.

Galeem's core flashed brightly, emitting a bright shockwave that knocked his attackers back. He summoned a blue orb that broke into smaller projectiles and chased after fleeing Smashers, teleporting away afterward. While some hit their mark, Pit and Diddy flew through the sky and fired at the orbs pursuing them, blowing them into smoke.

Samus, Mega Man, and the Mii Gunner opened fire on the moving core, tracking their target and scoring successful shots. One of Galeem's wings straightened itself and swung low, forcing them all to the ground. Pikmin after Pikmin flew past the core, prompting him to smash Olimar to the platform. Lucario jumped atop the wing and sprinted up, landing a powerful Aura strike. The Pokémon kicked himself off, using his Double Team to teleport away from the following drill-wing.

Yoshi pointed heroically at Galeem and charged, the other Pokémon racing after him. Squirtle, Ivysaur, Pikachu, Pichu, and Jigglypuff joined Yoshi in striking at the core alongside Bowser and Donkey Kong- the latter heavyweights slammed their fists on the orb as hard as they could- while Charizard weaved his way around the wings and blasted fire at the being.

Galeem teleported his core away, resulting in a hard punch from Donkey Kong hitting Bowser in the snout. While Yoshi and the Pokémon had a laugh at this (followed by an apologetic look and an irritated snarl from DK and Bowser), everyone was sent scurrying when small rays of light showered on them like small meteors.

Next up were the swordsmen. Link, Marth, the Mii Swordfighter, and Marth lashed out at the core and deflected strikes from the wings. Sheik tag-teamed with Lucario to keep the appendages busy while Peach threw vegetables at the core. The Villager handed her some of his radishes to use as ammo and fired his slingshot, Isabelle cheering him on with pom-poms.

Link's final strike sent the core clattering to the ground. Fox and Falco opened fire while running towards the core, showering it with lasers. The Inklings rolled into formation to join the StarFox members, spraying ink on the circular orb.

The core flashed with an intense light, forcing everyone to throw up their arms and squeeze their eyes shut. Galeem split his core into threes, each of them shooting out energy projectiles in the form of fireballs. Ness and Lucas rushed in to protect the small Pokémon, throwing up PSI Magnets to absorb the shots and heal themselves.

Pac-Man and Mr. Game and Watch wailed on the core with their own attacks but clumsily collapsed to the ground when Galeem teleported himself away again. He reappeared beyond the platform. "Enough of this! Even an all-powerful being like myself can have their patience tested!"

The core flashed again, this time summoning cyan copies of fighters and sending them forth. Snake clashed with an image of Zero Suit Samus, Ryu traded blows with a Dr. Mario image, and Toon Link traded sword blows with a Marth image. The Wii Fit Trainer spiked soccer balls at Galeem, to which the entity's wings deflected. Duck Hunt fired off pixelated blasts at his own attackers, wiping them out with each shot.

Mario grappled with an image of Lucario, keeping his grip on the fake's arms. The copy soullessly stared at him… and its body began to glow and flash. Mario paused, wondering what the heck was going on.

BOOM! The copy blew up in his face, sending him sliding to the ground on his back. More sounds like that followed: the copies were self-destructing and hoping to take anyone else with them. Mario rose to a sitting position… where a determined pink puffball stared at him with a hand extended.

With a glare of his own, Mario took Kirby's hand and allowed the other hero to help him up. The two nodded to each other, turning to face Galeem. The entity summoned several laser beams that appeared from thin air, piercing through anyone who stood in the way. Mario clenched a fist, Kirby narrowed his eyes… and they both broke into a high-speed sprint.

One by one, Galeem knocked away every Smasher who came for him like they were no challenge at all. From the corner of the heroes' eyes, everyone looked beaten and down on their knees. But it wasn't too late. Mario and Kirby rushed Galeem at the same time, hammering with strong and swift blows from the both of them. Mario headbutted the core and strongly knocked it into the air with an uppercut. The core was sent sailing upward, where Kirby awaited…

"HYAAAAAH!"

Kirby came down hard, his Cutter blade appearing to slice the bright core in half. But while no such weapon would be capable of such an act… Galeem bounced to the platform as if he was a standard ball. His wings spasmed and flailed around as light from the core flashed wildly like a lightbulb fighting to stay active.

And finally… gold flashes erupted across Galeem's form and wings, strong enough to blow pieces off the majestic appendages. The core flickered in and out like a dying light source.

"Is that it?" Pit gasped. "Did we get him?"

"I… yeah! I think we did!" Shulk answered.

"YEAH! We won!" cheered Bowser. The Inklings pumped their weapons high in victory. In the sky above and around them, golden flashes lit up the air like fireworks. The Master Hands floating off in the distance moved in and turned to their master. And Kirby… Kirby was relieved. He'd beaten Galeem at last with the help of his friends from other worlds. Their previous defeat had been finally avenged. Now, all that was left to do was find the rest of their friends and free them.

Elsewhere among the celebrating crowd, the orange Inkling stared at Galeem's weakened form. The words, both the ones spoken by him and the voice from her dream, rang the same tone. Galeem couldn't have been the one, could he? If not, did he even know of it?

"This… this cannot be…" the entity said. His tone felt different. Sad. Distraught. Hopeless. "I have existed since the beginning of time. I am the creator of all there is. I gave life to your worlds… to all of you… and this is how I am repaid? The maker defeated by his own creations? A god… vanquished by lower lifeforms?"

"Oh, no," said the Mii Swordfighter. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. Don't do this. Don't you dare do this."

"I am NOT feeling sympathy for the thing that vaporized and imprisoned us!" snapped the blue Inkling, shaking his head and arms in denial. "Nuh-uh! No way!"

"And yet… you cannot comprehend the chaos you have just unleashed."

"Huh?" a confused Mario uttered.

"What do you mean?" asked the orange Inkling. "What 'chaos'?"

"When I was born… when my light first shone on the blackness of the universes…" came the saddened voice of Galeem. "Reality had to balance itself or risk being shattered. Mario… Link… Kirby… Samus Aran… Fox McCloud… all of you heroic souls should know this the most."

The Smashers looked to each other anxiously. What was Galeem talking about here?

"Where there is hope… there is also chaos. Where there is love, there is also hate. Where there is happiness, anger. Where there is order, anarchy."

"What are you saying?!" spat out Snake.

"Where there is good… there is also evil," came Galeem's words. "Where there is light…"

"Uh… guys?" asked a nervous Pit. "Wh-what's happening to the sky?"

Everyone whirled behind themselves… and their eyes went wide at the sight. Cracks. Cracks in the sky. Cracks growing bigger and bigger. Pieces fell away, revealing nothing but blackness beyond.

"...there is also darkness."

The last of the pieces fell away, leaving a giant black hole in the sky. And beyond the hole…

"Hahahaha... hahahaha... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The voice rattled the clouds louder than thunder. The sky shook with an otherworldly howl. And the very souls of the Smashers… filled with a chill.

"YES! FINALLY, AFTER AEONS OF IMPRISONMENT IN THE DARK CORNERS OF THE MULTIVERSE! I AM FINALLY, FINALLY FREE!"

A blue iris shot open in the void. A black, dilated pupil rested in the center, surrounded by an orange color. At the sight of it, everyone jolted back in horror. The Master Hands floated into a formation while Galeem could helplessly watch.

"I TOLD YOU YOUR DEED WOULDN'T LAST FOREVER, MY OLD ENEMY," boomed the voice. "AT LONG LAST, YOUR LIGHT HAS DWINDLED ENOUGH FOR ME TO BREAK FREE OF THE CHAINS YOU PLACED ME IN! NOW, OBSERVE AND WATCH YOUR WORLD PLUNGE INTO DARKNESS!"

More hands emerged from the blackness, fingers twitching and moving in chaotic patterns. "Crazy Hands?!" gasped Captain Falcon.

The Master Hands soared forward valiantly, meeting the newcomers with fists clenched. The Crazy Hands flew up to face them, punching and grappling the Master Hands. Gold puffs indicated the fall of a hand, and soon the Crazy Hands were left unchallenged as the last of Galeem's defenses fell.

"What... what did you do?" gasped a horrified Marth, turning to the weakened Galeem. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Galeem only fought to keep his form in the air while Crazy Hands approached him. The entity gave off a bright glow, encasing himself in light. And from the light, he spoke a final message.

"You have doomed us all."

And then, he was gone. Off at the speed of light with a golden trail indicating his path.

"NO! GALEEM, YOU COWARD!" roared the newcomer. "RGH! NO MATTER! I will finish this war later. Now… everything in this world shall be mine. As will all worlds!" Ominous, spiked tentacles emerged from the hole in the sky, spreading the gap wider for the rest of the being to reveal itself. A single eyeball attached to the large appendages floated out into the world, the Crazy Hands forming up around him.

"What… what are you?!" stammered Samus, her arm cannon shaky. Everyone stood completely terrified at the sight of this new arrival, who turned his eye to meet them.

"YOU. You are the ones I've had my eye on for so long. You are the ones responsible for my return. You are the ones who have brought about the end of all you know. And you are the ones… who have never known death."

"Uh… death?" repeated Pit.

"AND I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU!" roared the voice. "ALL OF REALITY WILL BE MINE TO RULE! ALL UNIVERSES WILL SUFFER AND WITHER UNDER MY EYE! I AM THE EMBODIMENT OF CHAOS, DISHARMONY, AND DARKNESS ITSELF! I! AM! DHARKON!"

The sky completely shattered, leaving behind a horizon of corruption and darkness. The Crazy Hands, maniacal laughter emitting from them, floated towards the Smashers with ominous intent. The group huddled together, bracing for the fight of their lives. The hands stretched their fingers wide...

"NO!"

The hands turned back to Dharkon.

"NOT HERE! I wish to see them suffer first…" His eye turned to the blackened horizon. "Go! Bring me every soul Galeem still has in his possession. And every spirit that inhabits them! They will be MINE to control!"

Gasps rang out along the Smashers as they remembered who they had not yet found. "Luigi!" yelled Mario.

"Princess Daisy!" gasped Peach.

"Richter…" uttered Simon.

"Ken! No!" cried Ryu.

"Meta Knight! Oh, no!" groaned Dedede, a distraught Kirby by his side.

"PIKA!" cried Pikachu, thoughts turning to Mewtwo, Greninja, and Incineroar.

"Lady Palutena!" screamed Pit. "And Pittoo!"

"Sonic!" cried Mega Man. "No!"

"Everyone…" Marth was flooded with thoughts of his allies from his world.

"Junior!" howled Bowser. "You monster!"

The Kongs howled when they remembered K. Rool.

"Cloud!" gasped Snake.

Link and Toon Link shared a silent glance, thinking of their third counterpart.

Sheik remained silent, her own thoughts focusing on her princess self.

The Mii Swordfighter and Gunner looked to each other in great worry, their thoughts turning to the Mii specialized in close-quarters combat.

The platform beneath everyone crumbled and broke apart, sending them falling and tumbling through the air. Dharkon's eye flashed with a purple glow, summoning a humongous portal that glowed with dark-purple colors. The Smashers fell through into the swirling, malevolent abyss, leaving Dharkon to howl with menacing laughter that shook the very ground.

"THE WORLD IS MINE! EVERYTHING IS MINE! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

But among his victorious moment, one speck of multicolored light remained. A lone spirit, peeking out from behind a rock. "The worst has happened!" she cried sorrowfully. "The event trillions of years prophesied has come to pass! The ancient evil returns at last! Everything plunges into chaos and blackness! And my champions… at their weakest.

But all is not lost. They must gather the rest of their allies. They will need… help. My help, most of all. Yes… the time has come. If they are to succeed and defeat him as they did Galeem, they are to know of me. To know how I became… well, what they see before them. No, no time to waste. I must help them! Now!"

She flew off at a darting pace, leaving a trail of colored fire in her wake. She dove through the dark rift, undetected by the looming evil of Dharkon and his Crazy Hands. And the portal shrank and sealed off, leaving behind a changed, corrupted world where everything was swallowed in shadow. A world where hope was all but lost and chances of victory were bleak… but not impossible.