The squad of dark servants trekked across blackened earth. One of them, a metal-encased Inkling clone, stooped down to examine a footprint in the dust.
"Are we getting close?" asked a Bayonetta puppet. The Inkling stood with its weapon at the ready, giving the witch a slight nod. A gesture from it sent three Duck Hunts forward, sniffing the ground. Behind them, a Link clone and a Lucario puppet trailed the hounds. A Pit puppet twirled its blades eagerly. And lastly, a King Dedede puppet marched on with two Pikachu clones by its side.
Unlike Galeem's soldiers, their eyes glowed a dark, sinister violet instead of a bright red.
The trio of dogs suddenly halted, displaying their teeth in a synchronized growl. The small force stopped at the Inkling clone's command of a raised fist. Suspicious, the Link puppet narrowed its eyes and turned to the Pit clone. The dark angel stepped forward, fused its blades together, and drew back an arrow. The bright projectile streaked forward like a missile…
...and connected with something invisible to the naked eye. Green and orange light flickered for the briefest of seconds before vanishing. By then, it was too late.
"We have arrived," spoke the dark-eyed Bayonetta clone. "Begin the attack."
The air before them shimmered, the same colors from earlier revealing themselves and fading away. In their place stood a large stone temple. The troops marched towards the main entrance, intent on completing their objective. They neared the dark entrance marked with an arch…
"GO! GO! GO!"
Lasers and fire blasts flew from the shadows, taking the dark soldiers by surprise. The Link puppet raised its shield, blocking a fireball while another struck the Dedede clone. Lasers smacked harmlessly on the Inkling clone's metallic surface, who returned fire with its own weapon. The Pikachus and Duck Hunts sprinted forward past the backtracking Bayonetta puppet, shooting off its twin handguns. "It's them! Kill them all!"
The Smashers charged from the temple's entrance, meeting the enemy head-on. At the front of the pack, Fox, Falco, Samus, Mega Man, the Inklings, and the Mii Gunner laid down a volley of suppressive fire to keep the enemy occupied. The Bayonetta puppet cartwheeled and somersaulted away from shots, firing off her own weapons. Link ran up to the Pit clone, his shield absorbing arrows sent his way. Duck Hunt summoned his Wild Gunmen, who engaged enemy Wild Gunmen called by the three duplicates in a shootout. The Lucario puppet sprinted through the incoming fire, dodging between lasers and jumping to deliver a strong kick. Ryu blocked the attack with both arms, grabbed the clone by the leg, and flung it aside.
Pit rushed out onto the field, taking in the enemy's numbers. "Uh… does anyone else think there's a little more than what recon showed?"
"What does it matter?" Red answered, directing Squirtle at the two Pikachu puppets. The Water-type Pokémon obliged, riding a small wave towards the two copies who had the real Pikachu on the ropes. "There's still more of us than there are of them!"
An arrow from the Link puppet whizzed past Pit's face, startling the angel. "Okay, fair point!" he hurriedly replied, sprinting towards the Dedede puppet. The penguin puppet whopped a stomping Charizard across the head with its hammer, sending the dragon crashing to the ground. Pit gave a battle cry, plowing into his target's pudgy belly feetfirst. The Dedede clone toppled and fell, leaving it wide open for Pit to leap back up and perform a dive attack.
"Falcon Kick!" cried the captain, flying for the Bayonetta puppet. The false witch cartwheeled to the side, swatting away attacks sent its way. Captain Falcon popped it into the air with an uppercut, followed through with a jumping punch, and hopped off the clone with an explosive Falcon Dive. "Yes!"
"HADOKEN!" Ryu's fireball connected with the Lucario puppet's Aura Sphere. The two fighters locked wrists and somersaulted away, the fake Pokémon conjuring a bone staff. It lunged with a yell, jabbing and swinging at Ryu. The World Warrior blocked and dodged each strike, deflecting the weapon away, and…
"SHORYUKEN!" The Lucario puppet was sent flying into the air, where a unified Charge Shot from Samus and Mega Man blew it to oblivion. From the smoke, a spirit flew free.
Pit bashed the Dedede clone to the ground with his Upperdash Arm, leaving it open for a large Ground Pound from Donkey Kong right to the head. Diddy finished it off with a volley of peanut shots. Nearby, the blue Inkling tossed a Splat Bomb that blew behind the metallic copy. The clone spun and opened fire, leaving the Inkling to dive into the blue-painted trail laid out before him. Hopping from King Dedede's hands, Kirby turned into a pink block and crushed the curious clone.
Little Mac landed a solid haymaker to the back of the Bayonetta puppet's head, lending Captain Falcon a hand. "Come on!" called the captain, commencing a quick combo to the fake witch. Little Mac vaulted over, delivering a strong uppercut to the wannabe witch's head. It sailed into the air with a cry, leaving it prone to a Fire Blast from Charizard. When the smoke faded, a spirit was all that remained.
The two Pikachu clones went all-out, knocking Squirtle and the real Pikachu to the ground. One of them bit Pikachu on the ear while Squirtle retracted into its shell. His attacker used Iron Tail, sending the shell spinning like crazy. "Squuiiiiiiirrrrtttllllllleeeee!"
Yoshi and the Ice Climbers struck from above, ambushing the two Pikachus. Yoshi headbutted one of them and kicked it towards Shulk, who proceeded to finish the stunned enemy with a Back Slash. The Ice Climbers hit the other one with their hammers, knocking it back to Bowser on their final blow. "Alley-oop!" he cried, jumping up and crushing the surprised foe with a belly flop.
Link and Marth stabbed the Pit puppet from both front and behind, downing the fake angel before it could land a hit with its Upperdash Arm. Nearby, the Mii Swordfighter and Sheik moved in a blink, slicing at the Link puppet as if they were two ninjas. As soon as they stopped, the dark warrior fell on its face.
Mario and Charizard combined their fire powers, unleashing a blazing torrent on the three yelping Duck Hunt puppets. The Mii Gunner locked onto her targets through the rising smoke, taking whatever shots she could on moving silhouettes. And without even looking, she blasted a drawing Wild Gunman to her right into pixels.
"That's all of them," reported Mac, lowering his arms. The swordsmen sheathed their weapons and the ranged fighters paused to check their ammunition. Pit fused his blades back into their bow form, holstering it on his back. "Chiaki was right," he told the others. "Those guys were way different than Galeem's puppets."
"And not just in appearance," Ryu continued. "I could feel violent intentions from them… just like the Satsui no Hado. Only stronger."
"They weren't holding anything back," Red said, patting his Charizard on the neck. Nearby, Squirtle toppled onto his back in a dizzy manner, and Pikachu rubbed his bitten ear. "Those guys weren't just trying to beat and recapture us… they were out to kill."
"Which means things are gonna be harder from this point on," deduced Shulk. "But still, they're just copies. They're no match for the real deal."
"But this can only mean something else," realized Marth. "The rest of our friends will also share these traits. They, too, will seek to destroy us by any means necessary."
"Then, like always, we need to be prepared for anything," replied Captain Falcon. "Fox, what's the call?"
"Chiaki said Dharkon had guardians of his own," answered the ace pilot. "Powerful figures like Giga Bowser, Galleom, and Rathalos. And they're all out there somewhere." he gestured to the three paths leading away from the temple: a ruined highway, a sturdy wooden bridge, and a rope bridge.
"We'll have to split up if we're to take them down quickly," Samus concluded. "But if everyone heads out, the temple will be vulnerable to attack. And we can't allow anything to happen to Chiaki and the other spirits."
"Alright, here's the plan," Fox announced, drawing everyone's attention. "We'll divide into three teams, each to cover a different direction. If you don't hear your name in any of them, you're to stay here and defend the temple. Keep watch for any of Dharkon's soldiers. Got it?"
Mario gave him a thumbs-up.
"Alright. Link, Sheik, Toon Link, Mii Swordfighter, Bowser, and Pikachu, you guys take the west path. Free anyone you find and bring them back here."
"Understood!" replied the Mii.
"Simon, Peach, Samus, Mega Man, Pac-Man, Marth, Pit, Ryu, and Lucas, you head east. If you see any more puppets, take them down."
"You got it!" shouted the angel.
"Mario, Lucario, the Kongs, Inklings, Kirby, Dedede, Falcon, Yoshi, and Ness, you take the north path. Falco and I will join you."
"Oh, yeah!" cheered the plumber.
"Alright, everyone else, stay here and watch the temple."
"You can count on us!" called Red.
"Okay, let's move!" On Fox's commands, the designated teams broke off in separate directions. The Smashers Fox did not call out assembled a perimeter by the temple, keeping an eye out for anything strange… as in anything besides the weird, distorted space around them.
…
The stretch of the highway led Link's group into a deserted, destroyed city. Chunks of skyscrapers were taken out, artificial towers were toppled, and whole blocks were busted up. Every single building was a husk of its former self.
"Piiiikaaaa!" Pikachu's cry echoed out for miles, reverberating through shattered windows and torn-up streets. An eerie silence was all he heard in return. "Pika…"
"You said it. This place gives me the creeps," commented Bowser. "Best to keep moving."
The group continued down the highway, which looked just as beat as the city. Link hopped across exposed holes, Sheik and the Mii Swordfighter avoided weakened areas that could crumble at any moment, and Bowser carefully moved aside wrecked broken-down cars. As they trekked, snowfall came down in hushed, tiny flakes to cover the white blanket below.
"This whole place is dead," commented the Mii. "No sign of any life…"
"Or anything at all," added Sheik. "I feel no wind."
"If we did, it'd be a chill. Like the one running up my spine right now," Bowser finished. In front, the two Links stood on guard with swords and shields at the ready. Link had to admit that he, too, was on edge. This city was a grave, a wasteland. Devoid of anything that could've ever lived here.
Creak.
Link whirled towards the sound with a grunt, his stance making the others freeze. He glanced towards another abandoned car, its door hanging open on one hinge. Link approached cautiously, looking into his reflection in the window. He looked… weary. Just like everyone else when they were thrust into this dark realm.
His eye caught something else in the reflection: a speeding purple fireball.
BOOM! The car exploded into violet flame, knocking back into the arms of Bowser. Pikachu cried out in alarm, the entire section of the highway holding the vehicle crumbling apart. Chunks of cement, as well as the entire vehicle, fell to the snow below and crashed in a shattering of glass and an angry crunch of metal.
From a distant building, a figure jumped from the rooftop and sailed through its arc as if it was flying. It touched down onto the highway expertly, eyes blazing purple. Pikachu stood on all fours, placing himself between it and his friends.
The light purple Lucario broke into a sprint, rolling away from an Electro Ball Pikachu sent its way. It vaulted off another car, slamming down with an Aura-imbued palm strike. Pikachu jumped high to avoid it, smacking his enemy in the face with an electrified tail.
The Mii Swordfighter tossed three Shurikens of Light, which the Lucario clone easily avoided with a twirl. It lobbed a purple Aura Sphere at the swordsman, who vaulted to the side. Pikachu struck with his tail again, following up with an overhead head bash.
Link drew his bow and jumped over the fallen foe, firing three arrows at it. Pikachu jumped off of Toon Link's shield, spinning wildly in an electrified state. "PiiKA!" He crashed back down in a Homing Attack-like move, smashing both the puppet and the weakened section of road. The road gave way, sending the puppet falling to the ground below.
"Well, that takes care of him," said the Swordfighter, sheathing his weapon. "C'mon, we gotta keep-"
"WAHAHAHAHA!"
At the sound of maniacal laughter, Link slid behind the car the puppet had jumped over. Pikachu and Toon Link followed his example while Sheik and the Mii crouched down behind a concrete barrier separating the highway from open air. Having no choice himself, Bowser shimmed past another car and tucked into his shell.
A white glove rocketed past the group, shooting past in the opposite direction. The Mii peeked out. "Okay… I don't think it saw us."
"How can it see us?" asked a standing Bowser. "The thing doesn't have any eyes!"
The Mii sighed. "Not my point… wait, look where it's headed!"
The Crazy Hand, with two more flying in, zeroed in on the exposed temple. The Smashers stationed there immediately set to work and began to fight. Red flew his Charizard into the air, where it proceeded to bite down on a finger. Duck Hunt kicked cans and threw clay pigeons at the hands, pixelated explosions riling them up. The dog scampered away when one hand dropped and flailed around like a fish out of water. The Villager scattered when one hand crawled after him, launching a quick Lloid at it. The tree-like rocket exploded on impact, leaving the hand to shake itself. Closeby, Isabelle tried latching on with a fishing rod.
"You think they can take three of them?" asked Bowser.
"Yeah, pretty sure," came the Mii's reply. "Let's go."
The trek along the highway came to an end when the road did. A curve indicating an exit led onto a fallen, rotting trunk of a gargantuan tree. The rest of the highway was crumbled and cracked beyond repair, leading right to the ground.
"We'll take the exit," said the Mii, leading Bowser and Toon Link into the curve. "We'll meet you up ahead." Nodding at his words, Link proceeded down the remains of the highway with Pikachu and Sheik right behind him. No sooner than they were separated, they were ambushed.
From up high, a giant R.O.B. emerged from further down the tree. Two Inklings popped out of nowhere and charged at the Smashers. And down below, clones of Greninja, Incineroar, Pikachu, and Charizard rushed to attack Link's group. Pikachu assisted Link with three of the fake Pokémon while Sheik made a sprint for the swooping Charizard, jumping onto its back.
Link deflected the Greninja's water blades, slashing the clone back. It shot a water jet at him, the stream hitting Link's shield and redirecting into the Incineroar's face. The cat-like fighter yowled, releasing Pikachu from its grip. The electric creature engaged its own copy while the Incineroar clone growled. It charged at Link just as he flipped away and detonated a Rune Bomb in the Greninja puppet's face.
Link somersaulted over the charging puppet, throwing a boomerang at the back of its head. Pikachu emerged victorious in an electric clash, shocking his opponent to defeat. Link delivered wild strikes to the Incineroar, bashing his shield across its face. He backpedaled, allowing Pikachu to dive in at high voltage. The Incineroar managed to catch Pikachu but resulted in it getting zapped in a yellow aura. With a groan, it fell...
..as did the Charizard when it crash-landed into the snow. Sheik vaulted off, her needles vanishing. Spirits flew from popped trophies. From above, one of the Inkling puppets was sent falling to its demise, and a fireball exploded over the sounds of laser blasts.
"Pika!" Link and Sheik turned to where the little Pokémon was scampering off to: towards some red vein-like vines that looked absolutely sickening and an island in the middle of a purple lake.
While Pikachu got a head start, two more puppet fighters burst from the brush to attack Link and Sheik. Two copies of Marth and Lucina clashed blades with the duo, who pushed them back and retaliated just as forcefully. In a combined effort, both warriors fell under Link and Sheik's own weapons… and the sounds of snarls and fires reached Link's ears.
Pikachu jumped around with short electric bursts, facing off against what looked like Incineroar. It fought like the real deal… but if this really was Incineroar, it looked… different. Link had to get a better look.
Link examined the fighter as he and Sheik drew closer. Incineroar was coated in dark fur, a mix of black and purple. With eyes gleaming in similar colors, he scratched off some fur on Pikachu's cheek, earning a cry from the smaller creature and botching his landing. Another roar came from Incineroar's throat, a blast of purple flame shooting from his belt. Pikachu jumped high to avoid it, bouncing off Incineroar's face.
Link threw a boomerang, watching it swirl through the air. Catching a glimpse of the object while shooting more purple fire at the acrobatic Sheik, Incineroar swatted it away with another growl, performing a lariat on the quickly-approaching Sheik. Turning to Link with bared teeth as the warrior approached, Incineroar growled…
...and ignited his claws with purple flame.
With a loud roar, he lashed out at the surprised Link with wild and savage strikes that created sparks on the Hylian Shield. Desperately holding his ground, Link realized something about his enemy. Normally, Incineroar focused on wrestling moves and the occasional pose for the crowd. But now, his style was completely altered. It had gone from stylish to savage. From precisive to unrelenting. It was as if Incineroar himself had gone completely feral.
Was this part of Dharkon's doing? Changing how a fighter fought entirely?
Incineroar tore the shield from Link's grip, kicked him to the ground, and pounced on top of him with a snarl. He rose a searing claw, ready to slash the hero across the face.
An Electro Ball struck Incineroar from the side, sending currents of yellow lightning across his form. He vaulted back up, flexing his claws at the sprinting Pikachu. The smaller Pokémon jumped, slamming into him at full speed and knocking him right into the purple liquid. Pikachu cried out, electrifying the entire lake to finish the fight. The waters churned in a mix of purple and black colors.
A trophy of Incineroar emerged from the lake. Link scooped it up and placed his hand on the base. Soon, the red cat-like creature was laughing and ruffling Pikachu on the head. Sheik had her arms crossed in satisfaction.
Link gestured with his head. Now that business was done here, it was time to head back to the others. Everyone nodded, following him back the way they came.
Moving past the fallen tree came a path adjourned by volcanoes and hazardous pools of lava. Up ahead, the Mii Swordfighter and Toon Link were finishing off three copies of Mega Man while Bowser drop-kicked a King K. Rool clone right into the lava. At the sight of the new arrivals- particularly Incineroar- the trio nodded in thanks.
Lastly, two Inkling clones, one of them larger than the other, pointed their weapons at the Smashers. Bowser and Incineroar lunged at them with Pikachu by their side. Link held back, seeing one spirit fly close to a building… and making monster-like noises.
Link curiously followed the spirit inside with the Mii tailing him. On one of the building's walls was a picture of a spirit with boosted offense and defense, but with limited mobility.
Link deduced this to be another useful technique that spirits could learn. He'd need to put some of them to work. Before he could, the Mii glanced outside and tapped Link on the shoulder.
"Looks like those last two were guarding the entrance to something. Let's drop off some spirits here and follow everyone else through."
…
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
The red clone of Dark Samus collapsed to the ground, smoking holes in its armor. Mega Man's Mega Buster converted back into a hand. The puppet itself converted into a trophy… where a spirit burst free.
"Ah, it is you. It is ironic to be bested by you again, Mega Man. This time not of my own free will."
The Blue Bomber stepped forward, his auditory sensors identifying the voice logged within his memory banks. One of Dr. Wily's original Robot Masters dubbed DWN-033. Also known as…
"Gravity Man?"
"Indeed. When you and your allies defeated Galeem, I thought myself free… until I found myself in the clutches of something worse. The last of the Master Spirits, as well as their dojos, were transported into this horrid place. Ugh, it disgusts me. In parts of this incomprehensible world, gravity is thrown out of its normal state! Even to the point of nonexistence!"
Mega Man crossed his arms and glared at the Robot Master. "You're another one of those teaching Master Spirits, right? What have you got here?"
"Piqued your interest, have I?" Gravity Man replied. "Within this structure, my new Gravity Style experiment will leave the subjects able to defy gravity itself! They will excel astoundingly in rapid ascension, breaking gravitational laws. Unfortunately, their aerial maneuverability and overall movement velocity will be exponentially reduced."
"So, in other words…" Mega Man repeated. "If we have a spirit with your style, we can jump higher but move slower."
"Precisely! Now, we must proceed to the experiment at once! Send forth the first four test subjects!"
Mega Man raised a brow, calling four spirits towards the building. Gravity Man's means of teaching were… bizarre, he'd say that. But if quickly fleeing into the air would do the trick, he was all in. "Alright, here's your first volunteers. Lemme know if your little 'experiment' turns out to be a-"
"WAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Mega Man yelped in alarm. His internal CPU scrambled for a command. Cover, now!
Gravity Man and the four spirits hovered into the building while the Blue Bomber darted into the tunnel he emerged from. "We part ways, Mega Man, and yet the planet does move!" called the Robot Master. The maniacal laughter echoed through the darkened sky. It wasn't long before another sound was picked up: a chain of large explosions from above.
Mega Man sprinted through the tunnel until he reached the surface. He approached a ruined, cracked statue near upturned earth and breaches that gave a bright purple glow. There, he saw his friends… in the midst of recovering. "You guys okay?"
"A Crazy Hand flew overhead and carpet-bombed us," reported Samus. "But lucky for us, it had more important matters to attend to." With her cannon, she gestured towards the temple. When Mega Man turned to look, he saw not one, but three Crazy Hands attacking the temple! Luckily, the Smashers positioned there met the three hands with all they got. Snake fired off his rocket launcher at one hand, Little Mac downed another with a strong haymaker, unleashing a flurry of blows on it. The Wii Fit Trainer jogged away from a hand that rained down a stream of laser beams from its fingers.
The first Crazy Hand dropped circular bombs from its palm, sending Squirtle and Ivysaur into a panicked retreat as explosions popped up behind them. Another Crazy Hand slapped Olimar aside, leaving the astronaut to fall right off the edge and into a malevolent abyss. Thankfully, his Winged Pikmin flew in and saved him from this fate.
"I'm sure they can handle themselves," Pit reassured. By his side, Pac-Man gave a wink and a thumbs-up. "C'mon, let's keep moving."
The group continued forward with Ryu and Simon taking the lead. Lucas lit a fingertip with PK energy, looking in every direction for any sign of enemies. The grassy path faded into stone, where gears, pipes, and other technological pieces laid scattered and amassed. Their journey led them across a shattered yellow moon that had bits blown off of it. Mega Man's thoughts turned to Gravity Man's earlier words. Since this natural satellite wasn't smashing into the ground, gravity must not be playing its part.
Nothing about this world made sense to him. At all.
After the moon, giant cogs and gears filled their path. Mega Man offered to take the lead since he had the most experience hopping across platforms. He told himself he was lucky that these gears weren't connected to anything and moving. Otherwise, he'd be crushed and permanently deactivated. Pit offered to help Peach across and Simon kept his balance on a golden strip of metal. And lastly, Lucas couldn't help but laugh when Marth temporarily lost sight of Pac-Man among the yellow and golden circles everywhere.
A metallic pathway led the Smashers towards one more giant gear: this one cracked, surrounded by large rubies, and definitely in no shape to function. But even the trek along that was perilous, and not because of a purple fog that threatened to blind them.
While the rest of the group moved on, Ryu traded blows and strikes with a Sheik Puppet. Blocking a high kick to his head, Ryu swept his opponent's legs and followed up with a downward strike. The clone sprang back up, struck a ninja-like pose… and vanished into thin air.
Ryu was jolted from all sides, every retaliation he made hitting nothing but empty air. He paused, closing his eyes and anticipating his enemy's next move. Behind him, the Sheik puppet revealed itself in the middle of a spinning kick. Flashing his eyes open, Ryu snatched the leg, threw the puppet to the ground, and hoisted it back up.
Ryu walloped the puppet across the face with several swings, finishing up with a strong kick. The puppet flew backward, smashed into another gear, and fell into the darkness below.
Ryu looked to the side. There was a swirling portal just out of reach, but the section of the gear was busted. Everyone had to go the long way. Tightening his headband, the World Warrior ran off to regroup with them. He needed to move closer to the center of the gear- and into the thick fog- to make his way around the broken fragments.
Pit, Marth, and Simon fended off a team of four Meta Knights. Mega Man, Peach, Lucas, and Pac-Man worked together to topple a giant electricity-spraying Pichu, and Samus held her own against a metal Ridley clone. One by one, each of the enemies fell and released their grip on the spirits held within them. After a quick perimeter check, Samus gestured for the team to move forward.
Marth nodded in acknowledgment, already running ahead… until a glint of metal caught his eye. "Huh?"
"HRAH!" A dark sword-wielding figure lunged from the shadows. Marth acted quickly, moving his own blade to meet his opponent's. The figure wore a mask that covered their eyes… but the mask was all Marth needed for clear identification.
"Lucina!"
"You've gotten faster," remarked the future princess, discarding her mask to reveal burning violet eyes. "But it won't help you." She clashed blades with Marth, a piercing thrust enough to break Marth's guard. She cried out, moving in for the kill…
Pit jumped into her path, blocking Lucina's falchion with his twin blades. "Ha!" he shouted. "Betcha thought this was just between you and him, huh?"
"Grr! Just a child!" Lucina swiped to the side, breaking Pit's guard and kicking him across the face. The angel stumbled back, shaking his head of dizziness…
...and a violet wall of flame erupted right in front of him!
"Whoa whoa WHOA!" he yelled, stumbling back into Simon's arms. He nodded at the vampire slayer in thanks, stood back up, and turned to Lucina in confusion. Through the flames, the warrior princess smiled devilishly and raised her falchion… which was coated in purple fire.
"What the heck?!" gasped Pit. "Your sword can't do that!"
"Normally, no. But when Lord Dharkon retrieved us from Galeem's hold, he saw the weakness Galeem's champions had. Their own power wasn't enough to beat you… so he made us stronger. He gifted us with new abilities you would never see coming."
Pit's face fell. "'Lord' Dharkon? Seriously?"
"Yet another way in how he has tainted your soul," growled Simon. "Whatever it takes, we will purge you of his malice! RAH!" He lashed his whip towards Lucina, who meagerly deflected the head with a twirl of her blade. Marth leaped back into battle, his sword meeting Lucina's in a skill that equaled each others'. The flames dissipated, leaving Pit with an open. Fusing his blades into a bow, he drew back an arrow of light with two fingers. He intensely watched the duelists, straining to hold it back for long.
Come on, Marth… gimme a clear shot.
Each warrior desperately attempted to turn the tide in their favor, tiny sparks flying from each clash of their blades. Marth ducked under a swipe, jabbing Lucina in the torso. Seeing his opening, Pit let go.
The arrow shot forth and struck Lucina, adding to the damage. With a cry, Marth lashed out with a spinning slash that connected three times in a single moment. "NOOOO!"
A flash of dark colors flooded Marth's vision, forcing him to shield his eyes. The trophy of Lucina fell through the murkiness, clattering to the ground. Marth exhaled in relief, placing a hand on the base. The darkness around them temporarily faded, giving way to light.
Someone groaned through the brightness. "Father… forgive me…"
"Do not fret. All is not yet lost," Marth replied, offering a hand to the recovering princess. Lucina lowered her arm, blinking in confusion. "Marth…? I feel… cold."
"Long story," said Pit. "We'll bring you up to speed in a bit."
"Come," added Simon as Lucina was helped to her feet. "We must press on. More of our allies await… as well as a dangerous foe."
"Well then… I am at your side."
The group continued across the shattered gear, moving through the purple fog and navigating the golden labyrinth. By the time they approached the entrance Ryu spotted earlier, the rest of their friends were engaging two more puppet fighters. Mega Man blasted at a sprinting, boomerang-throwing copy of himself- sliding under one of the projectiles- while Ryu traded hits with a quick-moving Sheik. A strong Shoryuken and a Charged Shot dealt the final blows.
From the puppets rose the spirits of Quick Man and Gray Fox. All that remained was the swirling portal that led to parts unknown…
…
To the north, the final group of Smashers emerged at the end of a twisting maze. Before them was another bridge leading across a deep gap. "Phew!" gasped Cappy. "I thought we'd never get out of that labyrinth."
"We ran into two Mega Men in there, each of them with a Ray Gun," reported Fox. "Almost no cover. We would've been easy pickings for them." Falco holstered his blaster with a nod of approval.
"Chiaki's words rang true about Dharkon's minions," added Lucario. "I encountered a Greninja copy that emitted a sleep-inducing mist when it vanished. I managed to match its speed, but the slightest mistake would have been costly."
"And I ran into a fellow racer of mine," finished Captain Falcon. "Doctor Stewart. He's got a Runner Style that teaches spirits how to increase their speed. It could be useful for anyone agile."
"Sounds like that's it for the maze," said the orange Inkling. "Now let's go find this-"
"WAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Get down!" cried Fox. He and Falco dove for cover, DK tucked himself into a ball with Diddy in his arms, and the Inklings dove into colored puddles. Everyone else stepped away from the path, watching as a Crazy Hand rocketed right up to them…
...and past them.
"Yoshi?" asked the dinosaur.
"Hey, it's not after us!" called Dedede. "Look! It's going to the temple! And there's… two more already there?"
Everyone came out of hiding, their eyes turning to the temple. The Ice Climbers whacked bits of ice at one hand and Mr. Game and Watch stabbed another with a key. The hand grabbed the two-dimensional figure, crushed him in its grip, and slammed him to the ground. A third hand rained down bombs on the Smashers, the explosives getting countered by Lucas' PK Thunder, Ivysaur's Razor Leaves, and Snake's missiles. Charizard flew through the sky, another Crazy Hand chasing after and trying to snatch him up.
Shulk foresaw one hand flying up from behind. He jumped above the five-fingered foe, slicing at its middle finger with the Monado. He landed perfectly while the hand crashed to the ground. The Mii Gunner strafed along the ground, firing laser blasts at another hand. She dove to avoid a crushing slap, launching a grenade at the hand and firing a missile at another.
"Three hands?" the blue Inkling spoke up. "Is fifteen fingers too much for them?"
"Not a chance," answered Falco. "Just look at them. They've got this."
"He's right," said Fox. "Let's keep moving and find that guardian."
The Smashers continued across the bridge and approached a split path. Fox ordered a split tactic, some of the Smashers going down one path and the rest down the other. As they progressed, they kept their eyes peeled for any more ambushers.
In a village-like area, an Inkling clone wielding a hammer smashed Kirby into the ground, batted away Ness' PK Thunder move, and knocked Mario aside. The real Inklings engaged, spraying the copy with orange and blue ink. Yoshi snatched the hammer from the puppet's grip, swinging it like a baseball bat. The puppet flew right through a building, reducing it to rubble. And from the dust came the spirit of Amy Rose.
Elsewhere, Donkey Kong landed strong punches on a King K. Rool clone, stunning the crocodilian copy. Lucario slid underneath the ape, striking the clone with a kick and a two-handed palm strike. Donkey Kong snagged Captain Falcon and threw him with a shout.
"FALCON PUUUUNCH!"
The explosive hit knocked the puppet right off the edge. But instead of falling, the clone activated its propellerpack and hovered into the air. Diddy Kong was five steps ahead, flying behind the copy and shooting the contraption to bits. With nothing to support it, the puppet plummeted into the abyss. The soul of Tyranitar flew back into sight.
King Dedede hammered away at a puppet of the Koopaling Wendy, knocking away falling Bob-ombs while he did so. Diddy hopped onto the Clown Car, whacking the puppet and causing it to lose control. A final heavy swing from Dedede obliterated the vehicle, while a quick volley of peanuts finished off the puppet itself. Released, the soul of Pandora floated away.
When the eleven Smashers rejoined, they drew nearer to a multicolored space filled with cubes and triangles. The whole scene looked like something out of a kaleidoscope. And in front of them, four paths branched off, each of them holding a puppet fighter awaiting them.
Ness charged at a copy of Mr. Game and Watch. He readied a PK blast… but screeched to a stop when seven more copies holding hammers stepped out from behind the puppet in 2D fashion. Ness steeled himself, lighting up both hands and thrusting them forward with a shout.
Lucario and Donkey Kong faced down copies of Greninja and King K. Roo. While the two Pokémon fought with speed, swiftness, and agility, the two heavyweights collided and struck with brute force. The K. Rool puppet threw its crown, to which Diddy Kong snatched it out of the air. Mario jumped high, stomping on the puppet's head. He flipped behind them, running off down the path.
Yoshi battled against a copy of himself, clashing their heads together. He kicked his fake in the nose and threw a Deku Nut for good measure. He charged at his stunned enemy, landing in a good combo ending with a tail-whip.
Kirby and the Inklings faced off against copies of a Mii Swordfighter dressed like Vince the painter and an Inkling. Kirby kicked the Mii in the face, blocking strikes from the paintbrush with his Cutter blade. He cartwheeled away, continuing his attack with his Star Rod.
Mario charged ahead while puppets fell behind him. Up ahead, three clones of Mega Man spotted him. One of them snapped a Beam Sword to life while the second readied its Buster. The third activated its Spark Shock weapons and stabbed them at the ground. Electricity surged into existence, the other two robots immune to it. Mario jumped over the shocking current, landing a stomp on one of the puppets' heads. He ducked a Beam Sword swipe, punched that puppet in the torso, and flung out a Motion-Sensor Bomb that blew when it ran right over it.
The other Mega Man puppet swung a hard fist. Mario blocked, bashed the robot with an uppercut, and grabbed it by its legs. Spinning around like a wrestler, Mario threw it into the third Mega Man puppet, knocking them both to the ground. The third puppet aimed its Buster… but Mario ran up, grabbed the arm, and redirected the cannon to shoot the puppet in the head.
He didn't stop to see the spirit rise out from the wrecks. Mario pressed on down the path, turning around multi-colored corners that perplexed him to the core. After a series of turns, Mario came to a stop… at a dead end.
Was this the wrong way? It looked like it. He'd have to backtrack and- "Hm?"
Up above, purple specks of light were glowing in the sky. Specks… that got bigger and bigger by the second. "Wah!" Mario yelped, diving for cover. The bright purple lights, or meteors now, smashed into the ground with violent explosions. One of the lights slowed to a halt, catching the plumber's confused glare.
A pair of dark-purple heels touched down. Mario turned his head up, looking over a violet dress swarming with galaxies, some that appeared to be moving in spiral patterns. The figure's hair was as black as outer space itself, and her crown twinkled with the light of stars. Her eyes revealed themselves, displaying swirling voids of violet.
"My, my," spoke Rosalina. "I am surprised your mind hasn't broken from the insanity of this world yet. Then again, it does appear to be too early for that. You have just arrived, after all."
"Rosalina!" gasped Cappy. "Don't worry, we'll get you back!"
"It is far too late for that, my dear. Just as it is too late for you." The woman raised her wand in a commanding gesture…
"What? Hey! Aaah! Put me down!"
Mario's hand flew to his head… where he felt only hair. Above him, a purple Luma with mean-looking eyes laughed like a demon and held Cappy in its hand.
"Mario! Heeeelllllp!"
Before Mario could jump towards the dark Luma, more of them flew in and surrounded him from all sides. If they had mouths, they'd be deviously grinning. Instead, they glared at Mario with evil eyes and sinister laughter. Rosalina pointed at Mario with her wand, her next words cold.
"Tear him apart."
The Lumas swarmed Mario like little ghosts, whizzing around him and laughing as they did so. Mario swatted at them as if they were bees, but it did little to fend them off. One Luma pulled on his mustache, snapping it back painfully with another giggle.
Mario lit his palms with flame and spun around like a twister. The Lumas were sent flying, some of them with burning trails, and flew away with impish screams. Without losing a beat, Mario chucked a fireball at the Luma holding Cappy, blasting it away and releasing the hat.
"How DARE you harm my children!"
Mario broke into a sprint, snatching Cappy and placing him back on his head. The two of them shared a grateful look before Mario jumped high, ready to land a pyrokinetic punch on Rosalina.
The woman raised her wand again… and the fiery fist froze before contact. Mario found himself suspended in midair, confusion on his face. Rosalina tipped her wand upwards… and sent Mario floating in that direction. The plumber cried out, scrambling for his sense of direction as he floated.
Rosalina let out an amused chuckle as she levitated into the air. "Oh, Mario," she said to the tumbling plumber. "You are so predictable. You have Lord Dharkon to thank for my new manipulation over gravity itself. If we were to fight here or anywhere else… I have the advantage."
She pointed her wand to the ground and swung it upwards just as fast. The ground crumbled and broke into fragments; fragments that rose upward. When they reached Rosalina's level, she spread her arms out, ceasing their ascent and leaving them to float in the air. Mario swam through the air, catching onto a glass-like fragment.
He jumped off and onto platforms expertly, using vertical surfaces to launch himself off. Rosalina drew back her wand, summoning dark Star Bits to gravitationally throw at the hero. Mario jumped and spun in zero gravity, the Star Bits sailing past him or destroying the previous floating surface he was on. He launched off another piece of ground, twirling so that his feet connected with Rosalina's form. The woman floated back, firing off more Star Bits at him. Mario flung his cape, sending the projectiles back at her. While several hit their mark, Rosalina froze the remainder and cast them aside.
Mario swam up to her and landed some hits, including a downward punch that sent her sailing towards the ground. Rosalina caught herself, setting down gently. With a glare, she pointed her wand at Mario… and thrust it down.
"Waaaaaah!" Mario felt himself falling as gravity pulled him back down. He hit the ground hard, the impact rattling his body. From all sides, the floating pieces of ground came crashing down, threatening to crush him if he didn't move quickly. Mario bounded to his feet, dashing around the plummeting debris smashing down all around him. He jumped over a piece that came down in front of him, landing another strong punch to Rosalina.
"ENOUGH!" she snapped. "This ends now!" She pointed her wand upward, the tip glowing a bright violet. Mario braced himself, preparing for another gravitational shift… but felt nothing different. He looked back to Rosalina… and gasped in horror. Instead of swapping gravity, Rosalina was creating a large swirling void above her that was already inhaling.
A black hole!
Mario turned and tried to run, but Rosalina increased the void's pull. An unseen force snatched Mario from the ground, propelling his screaming form towards the dark vortex.
And suddenly, something flew in and intercepted the plumber's trajectory. Something bright, sparkly, and carrying a pink, round rider. "Hi!"
Mario gave Kirby a thumbs-up, the latter steering the Warp Star around to a furious Rosalina. He drew his Star Rod, jumping from the crashing Warp Star as Mario did the same. Rosalina flicked her own wand, sending Star Bits at Kirby. The pink hero sidestepped, flinging stars from his own wand. The celestial projectiles smacked into Rosalina again and again as Kirby kept up the attack. Star Bits collided with actual stars until Rosalina dropped to her knees. Kirby drew the glowing Star Rod back… and with a cry, shot out a large star that blew Rosalina off her feet in a flash of both darkness and light.
Mario shook Kirby's hand in thanks, turning to the toppled trophy of the Luma caretaker. He tapped the base, filling the area with a bright white. The light faded in less than a second, revealing Rosalina in her standard blue dress and her Luma its normal yellow.
"Mario?" she whispered. "What happened? Is everyone all right?"
Mario gave the woman a thumbs-up… before Cappy made a hesitant noise. "Well… not everyone. We could use some help saving them."
Rosalina stood, patting her happy Luma. "I will assist you, as thanks for releasing me. Now, where are we needed?"
Kirby hopped on his Warp Star, launching himself into the air. Rosalina followed suit, creating Warp Stars for herself and Mario. The two of them blasted off after Kirby, flying through the sky with arms spread wide. "Wahoo!" Mario called as he soared.
On the ground below, Lucario landed the final hit on a Ryu puppet, watching the spirit emerge. Kirby steered his Warp Star into a portal everyone was going through, waving for Mario and Rosalina to keep up. The woman altered their flight path, sending them both through the rift…
