Mist, Samus, Fox, and Krystal stepped up to the Greil Mercenary base, their ears perked. The unmistakable sounds of swords clanging together.

The noise led them to a small training ground, one that Ike had often used while growing up. Mist felt a strong sense of nostalgia wash over her as she caught sight of Ike dueling with Boyd.

It was just like when they were kids. Although they were older, she and Boyd had gotten married and had children together, and Ike had been gone so long, nothing had really changed.

"Oh my." Krystal breathed as Boyd lunged forward, axe raised, intent on breaking through Ike's defenses. Ike barely even moved. He shifted his hand upward, and the iron sword he was using easily blocked Boyd's blow and sent him reeling. With another expertly placed strike, Boyd was on his knees, with Ike standing over him.

Mist could not herself.

"Some things never change." She quipped, as she stepped up behind him. She reached for her staff and gave it a careless wave over Boyd. He winced as the healing magic washed over him.

"You were watching that?" He asked, turning towards her as he staggered back to his feet. "I was- taking it easy on him."

"That's what you said last time." Mist admonished him. "Remember?" She turned to Ike. "The day before you joined the Company."

"As a matter of fact… you did."

"Ugh." Boyd slumped his shoulders, looking dejected. There was laughter coming from the sidelines. Mist turned and noticed Titania, Oscar, Rolf, and two new people she did not know. Samus came up from behind her.

"It was a good fight." She told Boyd, in a no nonsense kind of way. "Most people would never have been able to get that close to him."

Boyd looked surprised at being addressed in this way, and seemed at a complete loss for words.

"When did they arrive?" Samus asked, nodding at the couple standing with Titania.

"Just now." Ike said. "Want to say hello?"

Samus said nothing, but they walked off to greet their new guests regardless. Mist shot Boyd a glance.

"She doesn't mince words, does she?"

She shook her head and took his hand as they followed behind Ike and Samus. The man and woman she did not know had stepped forward to greet them.

"Congratulations!" The woman, a beauty with long black hair beamed brightly. She had a slightly swollen stomach and seemed slightly unsteady on her feet. "To both of you."

"Thank you." Ike said. "Did you find your way alright?"

"Oh, we managed." The woman said, waving her hand absentmindedly. "Oh, Krystal…"

"Tifa." Krystal acknowledged. "A pleasure to see you again."

"And you as well." Tifa said, beaming. "Where is Marcus?"

"Playing with Ike's niece and nephew." Krystal responded.

"Niece?" Tifa responded, surprised. "As in-"

"My kids." Mist told her, smiling, as she stepped forward. "I'm Mist."

"Oh!" Tifa smiled warmly and took her hand. "We've heard so much about you… I'm Tifa Strife. This is my husband, Cloud."

Her husband, who was standing just behind her, smiled at her somewhat, but said nothing. Mist too notice of the long, thick sword strapped across his back. Finally. Someone normal.

"Are you Smash Brothers too?" Mist asked. Tifa giggled.

"Cloud is." She said. "I'm a little bit… uh, incapable of Smashing at the moment." She lay a hand across her stomach and cast a longing glance at Cloud. Mist beamed radiantly.

"Ooooh, congratulations." She said.

As they were talking she noticed more and more that Samus was looking more and more uncomfortable. Mist was beginning to get worried and was about to ask what was wrong when the conversation shifted back to the guests.

"Who hasn't gotten here yet?" Tifa asked. "Who are we waiting on?"

"We saw Diddy Kong and Isabelle." Fox said. "But I think more are already here…"

"Sonic isn't coming." Krystal said, placing a hand on her forehead.

This news seemed to surprise her husband, who gave her an inquisitive look. She shook her head at him and turned to Samus.

"Sorry." She said. "But he doesn't care for weddings."

"Why not?" Samus asked blankly.

"Amy Rose."

There was a brief murmuring among the group. All other than the Greil Mercenaries seemed to understand.

"Uh, Amy Rose…?" Mist asked.

"A friend of Sonic's." Fox explained. "She is… uh-"

"Completely in love with him." Ike finished. "But he wants nothing to do with her."

"He probably expects that she's going to ambush him at the wedding." Tifa explained.

"That's exactly what he thinks." Krystal murmured, rubbing her head. "He's so easy to read…." Fox rubbed her shoulder affectionately and she leaned into him.

Mist giggled. "He sounds like you, Ike!"

Ike started. "What?" He asked blankly. "Me?"

"You didn't want anything to do with your admirers either." Mist told him. "Remember Aimee?"

Samus gave Ike a hard look.

"Aimee?" She said sharply. "Who is this woman?"

"She was a Trader that we dealt with on the road." Ike said. "She sold us supplies and such."

"She REALLY liked you." Mist said, fluttering her eyelashes. The group, other than Ike and Samus, laughed.

"Will she be coming to the wedding?" Samus asked him.

"I'm not sure." Ike said. "What happened to her, Mist?"

"She's still traveling the continent, selling her goods." Mist said. "She comes by and asks about you occasionally, but…"

"I imagine we will see her again." Titania said. "I mean, Ike getting married is going to be quite an event, isn't it?"

Ike looked at her. "No it's not." He said. "It's going to be small, and quiet…"

"Ike, it's not going to be quiet." Mist said. "People are going to come from all over… the news that you're back must have reached Daein by now…"

"People aren't going to travel all over the country just to see me-" Ike began, but Mist and the other Mercenaries all shook their heads.

"Ike, people have been wanting to see you come back since you left." Mist told him. "The entire continent is going to come if they could. I-"

She stopped speaking. The instincts that had been finely honed by years of fighting against and alongside laguz kicked in. The familiar sound of padding feet slamming against the forest ground hit her ear.

Samus seemed to have heard it too. She stepped forward, as if expecting an attack, as two cats, colored orange and blue, leapt out of the undergrowth and made a mad dash towards them. They sprung into human shape mid stride.

"Ikeeeeeee!" Ranulf cried, as he stepped towards them arms outstretched. "It's been too long!"

Behind him, the orange cat slowed to a stop and transformed into a girl. The cold, calculating eyes of Lethe shone brilliantly in the darkness. Mist was a little taken aback by her expression: She seemed positively livid about something.

"Ranulf!" Ike said, surprised, as he stepped towards them. "Lethe! What are you doing here?"

"We came to see you, of course." Ranulf said cheerfully. "We came as soon as we heard… we dropped everything and raced straight here."

Lethe's eyes were flittering over the crowd. They stopped somewhat at Fox and Krystal, who were staring inquisitively at them, before moving onward. They settled on Samus and they narrowed in deep dislike.

"Congratulations on your wedding!" Ranulf said, clapping Ike on the shoulder. "Who's the lucky lady…?"

"Oh…." Ike raised his hand, and Samus stepped forward. Ranulf stared up at her.

"This is Samus." Ike said. Ranulf smiled widely.

"Nice to meet you!" He said. "I'm Ranulf. I'm-"

"Ike has told me all about you." Samus said. "You're from Gallia, and fought alongside Ike in both wars." She spoke matter of factly. "You really helped him understand the Laguz."

Ranulf laughed, but he looked somewhat embarrassed. "Uh, what else has he been saying about me?" He asked. "Nothing bad, I hope."

"Not at all." Samus said. "He had nothing but praise for you. You're one of the reasons he wanted to have the wedding here. So you could come."

"Samus, you don't have to tell him that-" Ike said quickly. But before Ranulf could respond to this information, Lethe had pushed herself past him.

She curved her head upward and bared her teeth at Samus. Samus stared down at her, not at all intimidated.

"May I help you?" Samus asked calmly. Lethe let out a dangerous hiss.

Mist felt a strong sense of worry well up within her: Laguz, in unarmed combat, were far stronger than any beorc. If Lethe wanted to, she could easily rip Samus' head clear off. But there didn't seem to be any trace of fear in Samus' expression. If anything she seemed rather unimpressed.

"You're… the one…?" Lethe said. "The one who-"

"Lethe." Ike said, cutting between them. "What are-"

Samus pushed him back away to close the distance between them. She raised herself to her full height, and once again Mist found herself marveling at how tall she was.

"Yes?" Samus asked. "You were saying?"

Lethe stared back, seemingly unbothered by her fearlessness. Mist felt that she had to intervene.

"That's enough." She said sharply. "Lethe, don't be rude."

Lethe ignored her. Her gaze was fixed solidly on Samus.

"Why…" She said. "Why would he choose you…?"

"Lethe." Ranulf said sharply. "Back off."

It was her military training. She could not disobey an order from her superior. She backed away, but her eyes never left Samus. Ranulf sighed.

"Lethe, what are we going to do with you…"

She said nothing.

"My apologies." Ranulf said. "I think we need to have a little conversation about Beorc etiquette. Please, forgive us…"

He gave Lethe a look, and the two of them took off back into the woods.

"What was that all about?" Ike asked. Samus bent her head.

"I have no idea." She admitted. "But she didn't like me for some reason."

Mist almost found herself giving an exasperated sigh. She could hardly believe. The soon to be married couple were equally clueless!

"It's no matter." She said. "Ranulf will talk to her, I'm sure." She turned back to Cloud and Tifa. "Maybe we should go talk to Isabelle and get you settled in."

"Ooooh, that sounds wonderful." Tifa said. "Uh, does that sound good to you, Cloud…"

"We have plenty of Gil…" Cloud said. "I don't think Tom Nook will fleece us or anything."

"That's good." Tifa said, relaxing a little. "I mean, with the baby coming I'm not sure how I feel about camping out like we used to…"

"I'll take care of it." Cloud told her, and she smiled at him. Mist found herself forgetting the entire incident with Lethe entirely as the group made their way back to Isabelle's little village. The group found themselves chattering amongst themselves almost like old friends. Mist was already beginning to feel attached to this strange band that Ike had brought along with him, these… Super Smash Brothers.

As they walked though, Mist began to feel more and more as if Samus was very out of place. She spoke very little, and responded to questions in very short terms. It was such a strange contrast with how confidently she had handled staring down Lethe. Mist once again found herself wondering what her story was.

When they reached Isabelle's home, they were shocked to discover that a rather large, yellow table had been set out in front of the building. Isabelle, alongside another young woman, were sitting amicable and chatting over tea. They looked up as they approached.

"Oh…" Isabelle stood up and tottered over to them. "Cloud!"

"Hello Isabelle." Cloud said, bending over and patting her head. Isabelle flinched, as if expected to be hit, but let out a blissful sigh as he scratched her ears.

"Cloud, stop teasing her." Tifa commanded, as Cloud pulled his hand away.

"No… I don't' mind, really." Isabelle said, her eyes wide. "Actually…. I… uh, rather like it. If everyone could do that… that would be great…"

She blushed, raised a paw to her face, and shook her head.

"A-anyway…." She said. "Um, I was just speaking with Zelda about her housing arrangements…"

"Sheik and I will be staying together." Zelda said brightly, as she got to her feet. Mist found herself taking a liking to this girl immediately. She had a bright, warm charisma to her that made her come off as extremely charming.

"What about Link?" Cloud asked. "Is he with you?"

Zelda coughed, looking a little embarrassed. "Actually… I haven't seen him at all." She said. "We didn't come together."

"Really?" Krystal asked, surprised. "Why ever not?"

"Well…" Zelda raised a finger to her face and pouted somewhat. "We're not THAT close…"

She lowered her hand and raised her opposite one, taking on a mirrored position. "Although I WISH we were…."

She crossed her arms and sighed. "Alas, it was not meant to be…"

She took notice of Mist and suddenly looked very embarrassed. "Please excuse me." She said quickly. "I didn't mean to-"

Mist giggled. "No, no." She said. "It's fine. I understand. I know what it's like."

Zelda warmed up a little bit, and smiled at Ike.

"This is your little sister, isn't it?" She said. "She's exactly as you described her."

"This is Mist, yes." Ike said, nodding. Zelda smiled at her and held out her hand. Mist took it and shook it warmly.

"A pleasure." Zelda said. "I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule. It is an honor."

"A Princess?" Mist repeated, surprised. She cast a look around to search for attendants or bodyguards, but saw nothing. Whenever she saw Elincia these days she was always accompanied by her husband and at least four armed men.

It had only just dawned on her that she had never heard of this 'Hyrule' before Zelda answered her unasked question.

"I don't like being watched over by guards day in and out." She said. "I've only been kidnapped once, and I doubt it's going to happen ever again…"

She laughed, as if it were some joke. Mist found herself smiling slightly although she didn't quite understand.

"Besides, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." Zelda said. "I am a Super Smash Brother now, after all…"

Mist had been meaning to ask someone other than Samus. "What is a Super Smash Brother anyway?" She asked. Zelda's smiled brightened.

"I can explain it to you, if you like." She said brightly. "I-"

"JUMBO!"

Isabelle screamed as a brown and red object slammed into the table. The rather expensive looking tea set that had been sitting quietly moments before smashed into a million pieces. Fox stepped forward, drawing what looked to be some kind of weapon.

The thing that hit the table rolled over and slid onto the grass. The group relaxed slightly as they saw who it was.

"Banjo!" Mist found herself befuddled as the brown thing, that greatly resembled a small bear, seemed to suddenly grow a second head. This head turned and smashed its beak against it's brown head. "All you had to do was hit the landing!"

"Uh-huh." Banjo said. "But we're here Kazooie!"

He beamed at all of them, and the second head, that Mist now realized was another creature entirely, turned around to look at them.

"What are you looking at with those dumbfounded expressions?" The bird head demanded. It swayed back and forth threateningly.

"Kazooie." Fox said, lowering the weapon. "Just what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Kazooie demanded. "I just barely survived a crash! Banjo almost crushed me!"

"I would never have let that happen, Kazooie…." The bear re-assured her, scratching his nose. Isabelle let out a frustrated moan.

"My tea set…." She scrambled on the ground and began cleaning up the pieces. Banjo looked down, embarrassed, at her.

"Uh, sorry Isbelle."

"Sorry is right!" Kazooie shouted at him. "What were you thinking?"

"Kazooie, wasn't this all your fault?" Fox asked. "Aren't you-"

"My fault?" Kazooie whirled on him, indignantly. "My fault?"

"You are the one who flies." Fox told her. Kazooie huffed, but said nothing more.