Authorial Nerd: I'm more familiar with Boston than I am with New York, so it made sense to me, I suppose.

The inside of the massive ship, the Halberd, was busy, with crew members constantly rushing up and down the halls. Despite only coming up to half her height, Samus found it kind of amusing how the Meta Knights scuttled about with such energy. Hefting tridents, axes, and maces twice their size-the appearance of the creatures running around her feet was almost comical.

The weird look of the crew did little to waver the tension in the air. Within the cold, metal halls of the ship, everyone, from Mario to Fox to the man with the pointy green cap next to her, waited against the wall as they were taken away and had their words dissected letter by letter.

No one said anything. A few of them exchanged nervous glances. Samus would hardly say there was anything similar between all of them, but she could say for certain that right now, they all had the same question on their minds: what was going to happen to them?

"So," Link said, turning to her, "Isn't your name is Samus?"

"That is correct," she replied.

"Why are you following the Space Pirates?"

"I found them stealing gemstones in the capital. I followed them here."

"You came from the capital? How?"

"On my ship."

"Okay."

An awkward pause followed.

"Hey," Link said. "Do you think you can give me a ride there when you catch them?"

"No."

"But why?"

"My ship only has one seat. You wouldn't fit."

Link frowned, and a hand came up to his chin. He lost himself in his thoughts, and Samus inwardly sighed in relief. Just as she was getting comfortable again, he spoke up.

"Well, if you only have one seat-"

"What? Are you going to ask for my phone number now?"

"Phone number?" Link blinked. "What's that?"

A slam shook the walls, as a door flung open. Pikachu quietly slipped back into the hall, glancing left and right as he crawled back to Link, hopping back on his shoulders. The captain of the ship, Meta Knight, closed the door behind him as he followed not far behind.

Almost immediately everyone else crowded around him.

Fox spoke first. "Alright, are you going to tell us what is going on?"

"I am afraid you do not need to know," Meta Knight replied, brushing past all of them due to his smaller size. "This is classified information. It is none of your business."

"Well, if the Space Pirates are involved," Samus said, putting a foot in front of the masked warrior, "then it is my business."

"And if Andross is involved, it is mine as well."

A sigh passed through the metal mask. "No, it is not. Please understand this situation is on a different scale than any of you are used to." Meta Knight shot a meaningful glance at the eight people gathered in the halls. Normal people would have wilted under his harsh, yellow glare. There was nothing normal about the group before him.

"What's so different about this, then?" Fox asked. "It's Andross and Space Pirates. How dangerous can it get?"

"As I said before, it is not your business. Now leave me be. I have guards to assemble."

"Well, I don't see why they shouldn't know," a voice rang out somewhere. "If they are interested in the stone, I say let them in"

Everyone's eyes went around the room, and an unsettled mumbling went between them. Everyone except Meta Knight, who turned his glare far down the hall.

"I know your Meta Knights are already stretched thin trying to manage threats all across the galaxy," the voice continued, slowly growing louder, "so what's the harm in letting this lot take care of the stone?"

"Master Hand. Why are you here?"

A few people in the group straightened when they heard the name, recognizing it as soon as it reached their ears. With a rumbling chuckle, a giant, white hand drifted into the dim light of the corridor.

"Is it so strange for me to check up on an ally in this time of crisis?" he said.

"If you are here to hire my help in this mess you've made, I have already given you my answer. We will not act as your personal army, and you have no place at the head of such a powerful force."

Master Hand chuckled again. "And I could say likewise. But that is not why I am here."

"You do not need to concern yourself with the stone."

"And I find it funny how you are doing so yourself, considering your usual behavior."

Meta Knight's yellow eyes narrowed behind his mask. "If this 'harbinger of the shadow dragon' or whatever they may be named get their hands on these stones, there is a risk for all of us. That is enough of a slight against me."

"Then I do not see what harm you see in letting these warriors and heroes have control over this," Master Hand said, motioning to the colorful group standing idly in the hall. "They seem to know the people making up the group. Letting them investigate might be motivation enough for them."

"Payment would be nice too," Fox cut in.

Yellow eyes flicked between Master Hand and Fox. Meta Knight let out a low growl, but eventually, he gave in. "Very well," he said, storming past Master Hand. "Come with me. We shall discuss this somewhere more private."

Master Hand floated after him, laughing as he moved along. The group hesitated to follow, exchanging uneasy looks before they finally broke out after him. Boots, feet, and metal plates of armor clanged against the metal floor as they shuffled forward like a disorganized herd, footsteps ringing out loud enough for any crew members to hear them from miles away.

Samus walked onward, so completely focused on the shifting crowd before her that she didn't notice Link slip in beside her with the two Pokemon on his shoulders until he started talking.

"Who's that Master Hand guy?" he said.

"Hm?" Samus glanced at Link from the corner of her green visor. "Oh. Master Hand is the marshal of galactic law."

"Meaning?"

"He enforces the order all over the galaxy. What he says is law, mostly because he set the laws himself."

"So I think it's safe to assume that he's here because something bad is happening."

"Yes."

Link nodded, and he absentmindedly reached up and tousled the tuft of fur on Jigglypuff's head. The pink Pokemon leaned into his touch with a smile, and it gave a content hum.

One by one, they filed into a room off to the side. Meta Knight closed the door behind them as the last of the group stepped past him, as he had done with the interviews before.

"Now," the floating hand said, his booming voice carrying over to everyone present, "I know you all might be itching for a fight, considering who your enemy will be, so I'll make this quick."

A screen behind him flickered to life, and a set of five gemstones circled around it.

"Five months ago, the Space Pirates stole a gemstone from the Oreburgh Mining Museum, on the planet Kanto. Three months after that, two similar gemstones were taken by the Space Pirates from an armored convoy. Just yesterday they took another gemstone from the Galactic Federation Capital, and today they came for the very same gemstone we have on this ship."

"That's all well and good, but why are they stealing these gemstones?" Fox said.

"You know, I ain't exactly stupid," Mario said, waving his hand around, "but could you try not to talk circles around us? Just get to the point."

If Master Hand had eyes, he would have given them an irritated glare. "I was getting there. Anyway, the colors of these gems, blue, green, black, red, and yellow, match up with an old legend from the planet Fe."

"So we're acting on a fairy tale, then?" Fox huffed.

"Hardly. Take a moment to stop and think. What did the leader of the group call himself?"

The room immediately descended into silence. Master Hand looked around the room, only getting blank stares in return.

"Messenger of the dragons. Right?"

The attention of the group turned to Link on the other side of the room. Master Hand pointed a giant finger at them, waving up and down excitedly.

"Something like that," he said. "The legend says that if all five gemstones are brought together, they will revive an ancient and very powerful dragon. We don't know how powerful the dragon is. It could only be strong enough to level a city, or it could be strong enough to destroy a planet."

"Sounds like something Andross would love. Though I don't think he believes in legends or fairy tales."

"While normally, we would have locked away this last gemstone somewhere deep underground, Meta Knight suggested that we use the gemstone as bait to lure out this ringleader. And that is where you come in. Even though this dragon's power is unknown to us, Fe itself greatly lacks in technological might, despite its tactical prowess, and it is a risk we will be willing to take. Any questions?"

Link raised a hand. "This is a story from Fe, right? If it's from Fe, then why are the different bits in space and on other planets?"

"We do not know." This time, it was Meta Knight who spoke, stepping out of the shadows. He had been so quiet and so still, everyone forgot he was there. "It happened long ago. Perhaps the gemstones were lost in time, or perhaps the gemstones we've been chasing are fakes. We only have one in my possession, so we can not compare them. The council of Fe is secretive, so the information on these gemstones we have is limited."

A frown crossed Mario's face. "That's not very neighborly of them. You think they might tell us a thing or two, with the whole breakout going on right now?"

"I should hope so. I will be traveling over there to search for a missing companion of mine. I shall ask the council about this while I am there."

With that, Meta Knight disappeared. The only sign he had ever been there was the swinging door beside them.

"You're doing the galaxy a great service, helping us take down this mysterious threat," Master Hand said, bringing their eyes back to him. "The last gemstone will be housed in a bunker beneath one of Dreamland's castles. Your job is to catch whoever comes for it. Good luck."

So Master Hand is basically the Nick Fury of this story, though I suppose it was the obvious choice.

Now the team's all here (except for Kirby), the stakes have been set. I know it looks like I brought in Meta Knight early, but it's because he is part of the Kirby games. That'd be like if I didn't use Bowser or the Koopalings because they appeared later on in the Smash games.

Anyway, the next few chapters should be fun. Looking forward to seeing how they turn out!