Chapter eleven

The minister's lament

At the edge of a vast desert, a massive cliff jutted out into the sky. Beyond the cliff, the sea seemed to stretch out forever. The setting sun painted both a deep copper. The tranquility of the location belied the momentous events that had happened there, some years ago, some mere months. One solitary figure stood at the very peak of it, motionless.

Meta Knight knew exactly where to land the Halberd; he'd done so twice before. The group disembarked and climbed up the gradual rise to the cliff. Pit pointed out the landmarks to Palutena as they walked: the icy peak, the spire at the edge of the ruins, and the valley they had all come together at.

R.O.B. stood at the cliff's peak, his head pointed towards the horizon. As the group approached, they noticed the rust and moss caking various parts of his body.

"Seems you were right, Samus," Zelda said. "But how did you know he would be here?"

"It's as close as you can get to there," Samus said, pointing up and into the distance. The location she pointed at was empty, but they all knew what had once been there. "And that's where he lost everything."

R.O.B. didn't react to their approach. As Zelda walked in front of him, she noticed his black, lifeless eyes. "He's deactivated," she noted.

"For some time, too," Samus said, scanning him with her visor. "His internal wiring's a mess, but I'll see what I can do about it." She pulled out a toolkit and got to work. The other fighters gave her space, and milled around or simply enjoyed the view.

Fox walked to the edge of the cliff and looked out across the calm ocean. "So peaceful," he said to Zelda, who was gazing out as well. "It's hard to believe that there's two gods buried under all that water."

"Don't forget the battleship," Ganondorf added. "That thing was the finest vessel I've ever commanded."

"We destroyed it in five minutes," Fox reminded him.

"Gentlemen, please," Zelda said before Ganondorf could respond. "I do see your point, Fox. Looking at things now, it's hard to believe all the things we've been through. We've overcome all the odds, beaten foes far greater than us."

"And now we have peace," Ganondorf said. He scoffed. "God, I hate peace."

To his surprise, neither of the heroes rebuked him.

"What good's a mercenary without strife?" Fox asked. "It's not like saving the world gives you a lot of transferrable skills."

"Not all peace is hollow and unsatisfying," Zelda said. "There have been many peaceable eras where humanity flourished. But…I must admit, it has felt more hollow, of late."

Fox stared down into the water. "It doesn't seem fair, though," he said. "We saved the world – why can't we enjoy it?"

Ganondorf cackled. "We're warriors, boy!" he said, clapping Fox on the shoulder. "Born and raised. A world without fighting is a world we don't belong in."

"I…guess," Fox said, awkwardly squirming out of the big man's grasp, knees buckling. "But aren't we supposed to be fighting for something? If it's peace we're fighting for, why doesn't it feel rewarding?"

"Fighting is its own reward," Ganondorf retorted. "If you were a Gerudo, you'd understand. You fight so you can fight some more later."

"Really," Zelda said, turning away. "Then perhaps, by handing over my kingdom to you, I truly did thwart you."

She walked back towards the group. Ganondorf attempted a smart comeback, but found none. He turned to Fox, but he had fled as soon as Ganondorf's attention was drawn. He grunted in frustration, then trudged back to the other fighters.

Samus seemed to be wrapping up her repairs. "I can't make any promises," she said, "but that ought to do it." She closed up all of R.O.B's panels. "Now I just need a spark." She glanced at Pikachu, who had already hopped up to the robot. "Right here, child," she said, pointing at R.O.B's core. Pikachu placed his paw on it, and a small spark jumped from him to R.O.B. "Good boy," she said," scratching him on the head.

R.O.B.'s eyes flashed on, and his head jerked up. He vibrated as his system rebooted, then ran through his full range of motion in a diagnostic check. Once that was done, he looked around at the crowd that had gathered.

"Hey, buddy," Samus said, standing in front of R.O.B. and looking him in the eyes. "How long have you been standing here?"

R.O.B. regarded her for a moment, then released a series of beeps and whirs that sounded like they could be Morse code, or possibly binary.

"Uh…" Samus said, feeling foolish for asking.

"My, that is a long time indeed," Zelda said, hand to her chin. "You should have contacted one of us."

Samus turned to her. "How did you…" she began, then trailed off as she saw the Triforce of Wisdom glowing brightly on her hand.

The robot had apparently decided he had taken in all the visual information he needed regarding the group, as he now turned his head away from them and angled it upward, looking exactly where Samus had been pointing moments before.

Samus took off her power suit's glove and snapped her fingers in front of R.O.B.'s face. "Hey, enough of that," she said gently. R.O.B. looked at her curiously.

Samus removed her helmet. "I know what you're feeling," she said. "I've felt the exact same thing before. They're gone now, and you can't change that. There's a gaping hole right in the center of you." She clenched her fist. "But you have a responsibility to move on, for their sake. Do you think they would be happy to know that the last of their kind just stood here until the end of time?"

R.O.B. lowered his head in shame, and let out another series of beeps, these lower in pitch.

"Don't say that," Zelda said. "Your life has meaning yet. Come with us, we are embarking on a journey of great purpose."

More beeps, this time questioning in tone.

"The greatest purpose possible," Zelda replied. "The fate of the world – every world."

R.O.B. considered this, then looked down at the water.

"It's not them that threaten us," Zelda clarified, "but a threat of a similar nature. At least, we believe so. So, are you interested?"

He stood motionless for a few seconds, the whir of his processors the only sign of any thought whatsoever. Then, he nodded.

"Splendid," Zelda said, clapping her hands together. "Then let us be off." The group now turned and headed back down the cliff. R.O.B. joined them, deliberately staying as far away from Ganondorf as possible.

Zelda prepared to follow, but she noticed one figure had not moved. Mewtwo was still standing at the cliff, staring down into the copper-tinted water. "Mewtwo?" she said, walking up to him. "Are you okay?"

"I am deep in thought," he said simply.

"About what?" Zelda asked.

"That shield you have, I believe you called it Nayru's love," he said. "It is supposedly impermeable, correct?"

Zelda looked down at the water, knowing exactly what he was getting at. "Supposedly," she said.

"When that monster, Galeem, pierced that shield, what did you feel, in the moments before you were obliterated?"

Trusting that he was going somewhere with this, Zelda answered without hesitation. "Terror. Abject and complete terror."

Mewtwo nodded. "I felt just the same when my own guard failed me. My body filled with adrenaline, and time seemed to slow as my doom approached. I had never been more fearful in my life."

Zelda gave no reply, waiting for the follow-up. Mewtwo stared even harder at the ocean.

"I never thought…I would miss that fear. Long for it, even."

He fell silent and turned away, moving to catch up with the group. It was a strange thing to say, but Zelda knew exactly what he meant.

xxxxxxx

AUX CALL

Push Select

"Snake, are you there?"

"What do you want, Colonel?"

"I have some news for you."

"Didn't I tell you I was on vacation?"

"Yes, you and half my team. This isn't an assignment, it's an invitation."

"What, Smash Bros again?"

"Yes. They say there's a new threat they need your help with."

"There's always another threat, isn't there."

"So, will you go or not?"

"I'll consider it. Like you said, it's an invitation, not an assignment. I've turned it down before, and I might do it again."

"If you say so, Snake."

"Uh…do you know if Samus is in attendance?"