For the next couple of years or so, it was really, really good to be a Super Smash Brother. Their victory at Altea had made interdimensional news, and before they knew it the ragtag group of heroes had become overnight media darlings. ("Terrific." Falco had grumbled. "We save the universe twice and don't get a word of praise, but we save a couple acres of grass and everybody loves us.") This prompted the Smash Brothers to agree to compile evidence of their victory over the Hands and Giga Bowser – set as it was in the middle of the universe, there were no witnesses and little cause for anybody to believe that such a titanic battle had occurred without their notice. It took a while for Samus to slave the photoreceptors in her helmet to the Great Fox's mainframe computer, but when she was done everybody was in awe at the incredible first-hand view of the various battles that now played. Now all that remained was to release the tape to the public.
Mario was the only one with his reservations, as he felt that the Super Smash Brothers didn't need any publicity. He said they did better for themselves working behind the scenes. But even his objections were silenced in the wake of the rush of good press the Super Smash Brothers received once they released the tape and their victories were made known. While Smash Central was designed to simply be an outpost for them to keep tabs on the various universes, it was now officially recognized as a government-sanctioned headquarters, and the Smash Brothers were all deputized and sworn in as official keepers of universal peace. They truly had arrived.
And of course, the true proof of their success was the merchandising frenzy that erupted to capitalize on their success. T-shirts, toys, action figures… suddenly the Smash Brothers were seeing their faces everywhere – and a pretty good profit from their respective royalties. Everybody loved them. There were talks of a major motion picture in the works (apparently they were hoping to cast Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo in the lead roles, which made Mario and Luigi laugh hysterically for some reason), but it went over-budget, and most of the material ended up in a hit Broadway play based on the Smash Brothers, entitled Smashing!,which the Smashers appreciated, but wouldn't be caught dead seeing. People who had nothing better to do wrote fan fiction about them online. Heck, a major game company even made a best-selling video game about their exploits, although it took some major creative liberties (they all thought that the backstory of them being dolls was too weird), and Fox complained that his character was too hard to control. Nonetheless, life was really looking up. Even the Smash Brothers who had their doubts about staying with the team now saw no reason to break up. If all went well, things would go swimmingly.
That was when the deaths began.
Although the Super Smash Brothers were always on call, the next two years saw a rash of mysterious deaths. Deaths that came without warning and had seemingly no explanation. Nobody knew who was doing these killings, or why. But they happened all the same, random and systematic at the same time.
First there was the mass extinction of the Kremlings on Krockatoa Isle. They could only assume that one of K. Rool's infamous experiments had backfired, but there was no indication as to what had slaughtered the Kremlings. They all simply lay as though they had died where they stood, with no signs as to a struggle. Despite the fact that these were wicked creatures, many of the Smashers were nauseated at the sight. Donkey Kong, on the other hand, was enraged. Somebody or something had denied him his final battle.
Then all of Lylat was in a stir when the festering planet Venom inexplicably exploded, killing Star Wolf and the remnants of Andross' loyalists. There were no survivors. General Pepper was flustered, as usual, and Star Fox's reaction was decidedly nervous. Planets never explode by accident, Slippy ominously pointed out. But they would never get any clues as to who was responsible from the nebulous gas cloud that Venom now consisted of. Like the Aparoid homeworld, it was wiped out beyond recognition.
Not long after that Samus Aran found the flagship of the space pirates drifting aimlessly in space. Boarding cautiously, she expected a fight, but instead found a tomb. Ridley and his crew had all been killed very suddenly. Samus would have investigated further, but a small flashing light caught her attention. True to form, the automatic self-destruct had once more kicked in. She was barely able to flee for her ship before the vessel exploded, making it forever impossible to tell who was responsible.
The deaths mounted. Blood Falcon's ship exploded during a race. The cloud of Dark Matter shattered in the skies of Popstar as though somebody had torn it in two. Pokey Minch disappeared without a trace. By now the populace was panicking, and they demanded to know why the great Super Smash Brothers were not stopping this massacre, even though it would have been impossible to tell when the next strike would be, and nobody would know about it until it was too late. Some feared that the general public was in danger, but that seemed to be paranoia; it was pretty obvious that this mysterious force was targeting villains, and villains alone. No innocents were harmed in any incident. And there were those who whispered that the Super Smash Brothers themselves were committing these assassinations to settle a few old scores, but of course that could not be true. After all, they insisted, they had three prominent villains among their ranks. And what of those villains? Therein hangs a tale.
Bowser was furious. At the emergency summit meeting he ranted that they were going to get him next, and that there was nothing the Smash Brothers could do to save him. Ganondorf declared that the Smash Brothers needed the aggression to hunt down and exterminate this foe, rather than sitting back as helpless bystanders. Mewtwo simply commented that all of the murdered received exactly as they deserved, but that it was his duty to punish whoever was responsible nonetheless. The other Super Smash Brothers listened to the grandstanding villains awkwardly. They were already torn between being pleased at their enemies' deaths and sickened by the brutality of it all, and now the three team-mates they trusted the least were on the verge of falling out with them.
"Guys, c'mon." Mario pleaded. "We'll find out what's going on. We're doing our best…"
Perhaps, Mario. Mewtwo coldly replied. But it is obvious that your best is no longer good enough for us.
And with that, three Super Smash Brothers stood and walked out on their fellows. Mario sat down, and none of them said anything for a long time.
"Good riddance." Captain Falcon said at last. Most of his fellows chided him for his callous manner, but more than a few secretly agreed with his sentiments.
While Bowser, Ganondorf and Mewtwo were never officially removed from the team, their true allegiance was with the newly-formed Villain's Alliance, wherein they pooled all of their resources to stop this common threat. Bowser's technology, Ganondorf's dark sorcery, Mewtwo's unparalleled mental powers; together they spent months scouring the Nintendoverse, looking for some sign of where this phantom fiend was hiding. Finally they found it – and it was closer to home than they had imagined.
There was a breach in the Universal Hub. Most breaches were massive and led to the respective worlds of the Smash Brothers, but this was small – barely the size of a pinhole. But when Mewtwo mentally probed it, it relayed this message, which echoed ominously in their minds.
I know what you are looking for, oh last of the villains. I am the one you have sought all this while. You three are the last on my list. If you wish to combat me, come forth with the might of your armies. It is the only way you can expect to survive…
The three villains looked at one another. Without a word, they knew that this was a declaration of war. And they would respond in kind. But where would they find enough room to amass their armies?
"Lemme handle it." Bowser replied. "I can handle the ol' plumber."
It seemed that he could. Although many Smashers were outraged, Mario agreed that the villains could use the grounds of Smash Central to gather their forces, as it was only a short distance from their destination anyway. "Regardless of what happened here or there, we're still brothers." He remarked. "Smash Brothers. And if this will help you save your lives, I won't deny you that."
Unlike Marth's similar situation, there was no multitude of Smashers jumping up to pledge their aid to the villains, especially since the scars of their falling-out were still very fresh. Mario offered his aid, but was turned down. Mewtwo declared that they had only one addition request: that Donkey Kong lend his might to their combined forces. Perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise that the big ape accepted, beating his chest. "Gonna smash guy who smash K. Rool without tellin' Donkey." He grunted.
After the villains left to gather their reserves, Donkey Kong tagging along with them, Mario was hit with a series of scathing remarks from several Smash Brothers.
"They decided they didn't want our help before." Falco snorted. "Let 'em tough it out on their own."
"Having their armies here will only put us all in danger." Peach quietly remarked, hating the fact that she disagreed with Mario's call.
"We have compromised our ideals." Roy stated sadly.
"Okay, okay!" Mario said at last, weary but not defeated. "I know you guys all think I'm some sort of sentimental idiot for helping them out, and I can see why. But they're still part of our group. They're like family to us. We may sometimes be in opposition to them, and we may be bitter that they walked out on us, but this is not one of those times. Tomorrow will be a very important day for them… maybe some of them will be killed; I don't know. But now is their most desperate hour, and not the time to be pointing fingers and turning our backs on fellow Super Smash Brothers. Those ties… they run deep."
Everybody muttered in semi-agreement, but by then the meeting was effectively over. Most of the Smashers wasted no time getting out of there once Mario waved to dismiss them. Luigi lingered, however, and took the time to look back at his brother, who was sighing heavily. This was one of the times that he wasn't jealous of Mario being their leader. It wasn't easy at the top.
And that brings us to…
17 years ago
"So this is what it has come to." Link muttered at the sight before him. "A place dedicated to upholding the peace is now a place to prepare for war."
Most of the Smash Brothers had returned to their home universes the night before, wanting to clear the area before the villains came crashing back in. Mario and Luigi had stayed behind to supervise. As well, Zelda had insisted on staying, and since Link was sworn to protect her, he stayed behind, regardless of the trepidation he felt. The four stood near the front gates of Smash Central, watching the incredible and terrifying sight before them. It was a sight that nobody from the Mushroom Kingdom, or Hyrule, or Kanto, or anywhere, for that matter, would wish to come across.
There were an estimated three million beings on the grassy plains surrounding Smash Central that day. Bowser had gathered what must have been his entire army. Koopas of all shapes and sizes stood at attention, Lakitus hovered overhead in clouds, thousands of Goombas waddled in line, and hundreds more monsters and creatures that Mario and Luigi had faced over the years were all amassed in a single spot, all awaiting their orders from Bowser.
Ganondorf's army was no less impressive; the sky was black with flocks of bloodthirsty Keese, Redead shuffled and moaned eerily, skeletal Stalfos, grunting Moblins and drooling Lizalfos stood armed to the teeth, and a herd of feral Dodongos roared impatiently. A line of Bombchus hopped up and down, as if they couldn't wait to explode. Chances were they'd all have the chance.
Mewtwo, as per his mysterious ways, had resources that most of his fellows were unaware of. Thousands of vicious Pokémon, all trained to the peak of their abilities, stood behind him. Charizards, Venusaurs, Tauroses, Rhydons, Tyranitars, Feraligatrs, Granbulls, Houndooms, Skarmories, Aggrons, Metagrosses, Sharpedos, Glalies… it was a sight that any Pokémon researcher would give anything to witness. And each of these Pokémon had one thing in common, although it took an extraordinary amount of empathy to discern; all were Shadow Pokémon. Artificially augmented to remove such things as compassion and sympathy, they were the ultimate fighting machines. And under Mewtwo's mental guidance, they would hesitate at nothing.
"Well… uh… at least they're not coming after us, right, Mario?" Luigi asked, trying to lighten the mood. It failed miserably.
"Nope." Mario sighed, not even listening.
Link still scowled as he watched the assembled villains – including some of his most hated enemies – organizing themselves for the coming battle. This was not right. This was not what he joined the Super Smash Brothers for. Turning to Zelda, Link prepared to make another incensed comment, but he paused when he saw what his princess was doing.
One arm was wrapped across her torso, her hand grasping the elbow of the other arm, almost as though she was trying to shield herself from a chilling wind.
Princess Zelda of Hyrule had been raised to never show weakness, even in her most trying hours. Despite being a graceful and elegant young woman, she was as steadfast in the face of trouble as the strongest man could ever be. She seldom screamed, and Link was one of the few people to ever see her cry, and even that was a rare occasion.
However, in all the years he had spent with her, Link had begun to pick up on subtle physical traits of hers. He had noticed that whenever she was confronted with grave news and was still struggling to deal with it, she would wrap her arm about herself, as though it provided her with a modicum of comfort as she collected her thoughts. And that was what she was doing now. Her face was unreadable, but the position of her arm spoke volumes.
"M'lady?" Link asked softly, his arrogance quelled for the moment at his regent's distress.
Zelda's eyes closed, as if in prayer. She did not turn to him as she spoke. "Link, may I ask you to perform the task I asked of you earlier?" she asked, meaningfully.
Link fought back a grimace. He had never in his entire life contradicted his princess on anything, although this was as close as he had ever been to wanting to. "As you wish, princess." He somehow managed to say, before turning away and heading down the hill towards the armies. He winced as he approached Ganondorf's contingent, with countless combat memories rushing back to him. A Lizalfo hissed at him mockingly, and for a moment his hand rushed to the hilt of his sword, but he caught himself and marched up to Ganondorf himself, who was apparently finishing a dark incantation to strengthen his army.
"Ganondorf." Link's voice was flat. He never could get used to speaking casually to his old foe, and this was definitely not the best time for it either.
"Ah. And what brings you here, Hero of Time?" Ganondorf asked, nothing but pleasance in his smooth baritone voice. It unnerved Link much more than sarcasm could.
Link reached into his pouch, pulling out a fine golden chain. "Her Grace Princess Zelda confers upon you this trinket." He forced out. "And she… she expresses her hope that you will find the strength to conquer your foes, whoever and whatever they may be." He didn't even bother looking up as Ganondorf's massive gauntlet-clad hand closed about the chain.
The Gerudo King smiled deviously. "Well wishes from the princess, but not from you, I take it?" he asked with a grin.
Link clenched a fist. "I am following my orders, Ganondorf." He ground out. "Whatever contention we have between us is irrelevant here."
Ganondorf responded with a slight chuckle. "Still a boy." He murmured. "Link, for all your heroism you have much to learn." He declared. "A true warrior always affords his opponent with as much respect as he affords himself, no matter what differences they may have."
"You afford me no respect, Ganondorf!" Link shot back. "I am simply returning the favour."
"Perhaps." Ganondorf said at last. "But I am not like you, Link. Gerudo are thieves… scoundrels. We pride ourselves on our reputation of duplicity and deception. Not like you, my boy. I would have thought that Hyrule's greatest hero would have enough strength of character to wish his foe well when his battle was not with him."
Link did not answer, and he desperately fought back the voice inside his heart that told him that Ganondorf was at least partially right.
"Well, we won't keep you." Ganondorf said at last. "As I have an army to attend to. Tell the good princess that I accept her wishes with great thanks. After all," he added. "Our next meeting will likely not be this… courteous." His face contorted into a very meaningful smile.
So it was back to business as usual, then. Link barely was able to nod before turning away, a clawing anger building in his chest as he headed back up the hill. "Princess Zelda is a saint, Ganondorf." He muttered, only to himself. "For only she could find it in her heart to show respect for such an undeserving demon as yourself." And as he reached the top, he turned back once more. "It is more than my heart is capable of." He added, sadness in his voice.
Meanwhile, Mario finally seemed to break out of his trance. He started heading down the hill towards the Koopa Kontingent.
"Hey Mario!" Luigi called. "Where are you going?"
"I need to talk to Bowser." Mario replied. "Want to tag along?"
"Uh… no thanks." Luigi replied. "I'm afraid… uh… that is, I'm afraid that I need to stay here and keep Zelda company."
"Okey dokey." Mario shrugged, and turned away.
"So…" Luigi mumbled, trying to think of something to say. "You seem quieter than normal today, Zelda."
"Do you feel the winds, friend Luigi?" Zelda replied.
"Well, it's actually a bit humid today…" Luigi replied.
"No, I refer to the winds of fate." Zelda interrupted. "They are altering their course. I can feel it."
"Oh." Luigi said, not quite sure how to respond. "Is that… good?"
"It is not for me to say." Zelda replied at last. "But there are changes coming. I know it in my very soul."
Luigi lowered his head. "I get scared a lot, y'know." He sighed.
"We all do, my friend." The Hyrule monarch replied, looking at the sky with vision beyond natural sight. "Some of us are simply better at hiding it."
Mario politely made his way through the lines of Koopas, trying to reach Bowser. A few snarled as Mario bumped into them, but other tittered in delight and whispered to their friends that they nearly met the great Mario. Finally Mario made his way to the front, and found Bowser arguing with a very familiar face.
"Lord Bowser, I will not stand for this." Croaked an ancient voice. Mario gazed upon Bowser's oldest servant, Kamek the Magikoopa. Age had certainly taken its toll on him; he walked hunched over now, using his wand as a walking stick, and even with spectacles sporting three-inch-thick lenses, he was nearly blind. His toothless beak quavered as he spoke. "You are not going off to war without Kamek at your side!"
"Ah, gimme a break, Kamek." Bowser replied. "I know that your old peepers are going, but even you should know that I'm not a kid anymore. I can go to war without you just fine."
"I raised you, boy!" Kamek insisted. "I raised you like you were my own hatchling, and I made you the mighty king I see before me today! It was I who first directed your attentions towards invading the Mushroom Kingdom, and it was I who…"
"Oh, cry me a river, you old has-been." Mocked a similar-looking figure hovering on a nearby broomstick. Kamek scowled. It was Kammy Koopa, Bowser's current second-in-command… and Kamek's most gifted former student. "You can't even stay on a broomstick going faster than 2 miles an hour anymore!"
"Hey! Shut your beak, you old hag!" Bowser snapped, shaking a fist at Kammy. "You don't get to insult this old has-been! Only I have the right to do that!"
"I apologize." Kammy grumbled.
"Now, Kamek." Bowser continued, trying to sound courteous. "It's not that you're old and washed-up. Okay, I guess it is. But… uh… hey, you've done enough for me! Go back to the Old Magikoopa's Home and drink coffee out of a straw and bore people with those rambling stories of yours! You don't want to be in some old war, anyway, right?"
"Yeah, you could break your hip for the eighteenth time." Kammy muttered under her breath.
"Very well." The aged Koopa wizard huffed. "Best of luck, Lord Bowser. You'll need it with her at your side." He turned away, muttering to himself. "One side, miss." He snarled as he shoved Mario aside. "Make way for an old turtle."
"Man, his eyes are worse than I thought." Bowser commented. "What's up, Mario? Wanna volunteer your services as a punching bag? That Bloober we brought along isn't in very good shape anymore, if you know what I mean…"
"No, but I need to ask one more time." Mario replied. "Are you sure you don't need my help?"
Bowser shook his head and let out a wheezing cackle. "Mario, Mario, Mario." He chortled. "You just don't get it, do you? This is a villain's war, right?"
"Uh-huh." Mario nodded.
"Well, what kinda villain would I be if I got help from my arch-nemesis, right? C'mon, Mario! I'd never hear the end of it from these guys! I gotta rep to think about, you know!" Bowser replied. He then leaned down and whispered. "And if anybody finds out about that little amnesia thing that happened to me in Beanbean Kingdom, it won't be a very pretty sight, if you catch my drift."
"Gotcha." Mario replied. "So, uh, good luck and all that, I guess."
"Ah, we don't need luck." Bowser replied. "We're Koopas! We can handle anything!"
"Yes sir!" the Koopas replied, saluting.
"Sire!" Kammy replied, returning to the conversation on her broomstick. "The armies of Ganondorf and Mewtwo are ready to battle!"
"Excellent!" Bowser replied. "Koopa Kontingent, fall in!"
"Well, I won't keep you." Mario replied, turning away. "Good luck!"
"Oh, and Mario?" Bowser asked, even as the armies began marching.
"Yeah?" Mario called.
"Tell Princess Peach she'd better keep her castle security in check… because when all this is over, I'll be in the mood for another 'game'… if you know what I mean!" He burst into a fit of that booming bass laugh that Mario knew very well.
Mario shook his head as he climbed back up the hill. Some things really don't change. Joining Luigi, Link and Zelda, the quartet watched as the three armies marched across the plains, Bowser, Ganondorf, Mewtwo and Donkey Kong in the lead, and disappeared into the breach. The dimensional portal closed, one last burst of Bowser's laughter audible before everything was suddenly silent again. Almost eerily silent.
"Well, they're in." Mario shrugged.
"What do we do now?" Luigi asked.
"We wait, Luigi." Mario replied. "We've done everything we can. Now we just wait and hope for the best."
Zelda collapsed.
"Princess!" Link cried.
"Zelda!" Luigi gasped.
The three stooped to help the Hyrule princess to her feet. Her normally pale skin was now ghostly white, and she trembled in their arms. One hand clutched her heart.
"M'lady, please." Link insisted, worry in his voice. "What is the matter?"
Zelda tried to regain her breath. "I feel… I feel as though something terrible shall happen… as though this calm is the harbinger of a deadly storm…" She stayed on her feet, but one arm still held onto Link.
"Don't worry, Princess." Mario soothed. "They'll be alright. Have faith."
"I do not wish for you to remain here, my princess." Link insisted. "Please. Say that we may return home, where you will be safe."
"…Yes." Zelda said at last. "I think it would be best if we return to Hyrule now. I bid you farewell, dear Mario Brothers. Forgive me for my…" she tried to come up with a fitting word.
"It's okay, Princess." Mario assured. "Just get some rest and you'll be fine. You'll see."
"Until we meet again, good day." Link replied as he helped Zelda through the door.
"Goodbye Link, Zelda!" Luigi waved. The two brother stood around in silence for a few minutes.
"Well, I'm gonna hit the sack." Mario yawned. "We can just crash here for tonight, keep an eye on things…"
"Yeah…" Luigi muttered, scratching his head. "Too bad we don't have any monitors in that universe. We could at least watch the action. But I won't lose sleep over it."
The two plumbers made their way inside Smash Central and soon were sound asleep in the dormitories. Everything was tranquil.
At 3:00 in the morning, Hyrule Castle was suddenly roused with a panicked scream coming from the royal bedchambers. Impa, the oldest servant in the castle, crashed into the Princess' room with a candle in one hand and a sword in the other. Instead of finding an attacker, all she found was Princess Zelda sitting up in bed, her hair and nightgown dishevelled as tears streaked down her face. "Princess?" she asked, her warm motherly voice uncertain in the half-light.
Zelda, seeing her trusted servant at the door, buried her head in her arms and burst into sobs. "I felt it… Nayru's wings, I felt it…"
"What is it, m'lady?" Impa asked, sitting on the bed next to the trembling princess and putting an arm around her, like she used to do when Zelda was but a child. "What dream would torment you so?"
Zelda tried to regain her composure. "It… it… was no dream, Impa. I saw it… I felt it… death, blood… the screams, the heat of a thousand suns… I felt it all." She shuddered and Impa held her tighter. "Something terrible has happened in the realm where the villains clash… I felt it just as certain as if I were there."
A scrabbling of feet, and suddenly Link and several royal guards burst through the door. "Impa! What has happened in here?" Link demanded, but paused when he saw the look of horror on Zelda's face. It told him everything. Link waved the guards away, as he knew there was nothing they could do. There was very little he could do, either, he reminded himself.
Slowly Zelda climbed out of bed and approached Link. Impulsively she wrapped her arms about him, her head leaning against his strong chest. Impa, sensing that her work was done, quietly exited the room. Neither noticed. Link gently embraced the princess in kind, his arms trying to still her trembling. "Don't cry, Zelda. I'm here…" he whispered, not noticing that he had failed to address her by her royal title.
"It happened, Link." Was all she said. "It happened."
They stayed that way for the rest of the night.
A universe away, in the land of Onett, a boy named Ness shot out of a deep sleep as perspiration poured down his face and his heart hammered in his chest. He had felt it, too.
The next morning Mario and Luigi were awakened by pounding at the door. The morning was a blur to them, as Link, Zelda, and Young Link arrived, followed by Ness, followed by a few others, all either demanding to know what had happened, or claiming that they knew what had happened. Finally they all got their acts together enough to search the area near the breach, looking for a clue as to what had happened.
When they reached the spot, they found the ground scorched and cracked where the portal once was. Whatever mystic energy fuelled the portal was all gone. And lying in the centre of the crater was Donkey Kong, clutching Ganondorf's sword.
Mario listened for a heartbeat. "Luigi!" He yelled. "Get Dr. Mario to Smash Central as fast as he can! He's still alive!" Luigi ran to fetch the doctor as Mario and Link struggled to lift the big ape onto their shoulders.
Hours later Donkey Kong regained consciousness. Naturally everybody had questions, but answers were not as readily available. The shock of what had happened affected his memory, as did something else that had seemed to affect his mind in that strange dimension.
The way Donkey Kong told it, it was as though the armies had gone insane. They had suddenly turned on each other, attacking each other viciously. Donkey Kong was the only one in the melee who seemed to still maintain his senses. He vaguely recalled seeing Ganondorf screaming an incantation, and then using the Triforce of Power to transform himself into a massive swine-beast, who proceeded to slaughter all in his path. All he remembered after that was seeing strange purple energy consuming the fallen and the still-living, hearing a voice whisper something in his head, and then being thrown back through the portal…
The Super Smash Brothers lowered their heads. They had suffered their first true loss as a team.
There was a memorial service at Smash Central two days later. They were all there – all 22 of them. It was an extremely difficult process for all involved. There was no real eulogizing, no outpouring of grief. Just cold, stony silence for the three Smash Brothers that had left this world forever. Perhaps they were villains. Perhaps they were not to be trusted. But that didn't mean their deaths were cause for celebration. Instead everybody felt hollow inside.
"This is such crap." Captain Falcon finally muttered.
"Falcon…" Marth started to say.
"I said this is such crap!" Falcon repeated, not caring about making a scene. "You know what this is all about, don't you? This is the perfect way to get rid of us! It's foolproof!"
"What?" Mario asked.
"Somebody – God only knows who – is trying to get rid of us!" Falcon said, his voice rising. "And how do you get rid of heroes? How do you get rid of them without having to kill them? You get rid of the villains! Because without villains, there's no freakin' point of having heroes around, is there?"
Nobody had a good answer.
"And now we'll never know!" Falcon ranted. "They're all dead, and we'll never even know who did this! What are we gonna do now? Who are we gonna 'Super Smash' now that the bad guys are all dead? Jack all, that's what!"
"Falcon, calm down." Samus sharply reprimanded. "You're…"
"Screw this. I'm outta here." Falcon fumed, storming away.
Nobody tried to stop him. They just continued their stony silence. After that came picking up the pieces, and nobody likes that.
For a while Mario wondered if the deaths of the villains would have repercussions from those seeking vengeance, but that never really happened. What was left of Bowser's empire was snatched up by his squabbling children and divided seven ways. At odds as they were, none of them would ever have enough power to threaten the Mushroom Kingdom again. The Gerudo simply accepted their loss and went back to their thieving ways, waiting another 100 years for a new male to be born and assume the throne. Mewtwo was unmourned in Kanto, as he was a Pokémon without a trainer, and thus without anybody to love him. He wasn't even a real Pokémon; nothing more than a laboratory experiment. Only the Super Smash Brothers mourned his passing.
The Smashers spent the next several weeks in their home dimensions trying to adjust. Princess Peach confided in Mario that she never would have guessed in a million years that she would weep upon Bowser's death, and yet she wept all the same. Mario found his thoughts going back to Bowser's final threat – or promise – before marching off to his doom. He had vowed that he'd once again go back to kidnapping the Princess, and everything would be normal again. Now Mario realized that things would never be normal again in a lot of ways. A large part of his life had been removed forever.
In Hyrule, Zelda went through the traditional Hylian mourning rituals, and Link was never apart from her side. Although Link would never truly like Ganondorf, he could admit, upon his demise, that he was a strong and tenacious foe. And even though Link forever despised him for the tragedies he had caused, he found no joy or comfort in his death. It was during such a revelation that Zelda made a miraculous discovery in the throne room; in the centre of the room sat the Triforce of Power, returned to Hyrule after the demise of its bearer. The two debated what must be done with it; wondering if it would be better to seal it away forever than to allow another madman to possess it. The Triforce, in its wisdom, made the choice for them, moving on its own volition and merging with the third person in the room, and the one who would never abuse its power: Young Link. The golden emblem appeared on the younger Link's hand, and the triangle was complete once more.
In all, it truly was the end of an era. But the biggest tragedy was yet to come.