The group stood on the edge of the vortex, watching the violet colors spiral around with the Spirits that were the incorrect answers for all the quizzes so far, with some new faces.

"I suppose you're welcome for the effort I put into your mission to defeat the darkness," Byleth spoke. "What do you think? Do you think I did a good job helping you get back to your friends?" Samus, Bowser, Pichu, Lucas, King Dedede, Lucario, Isabelle, and Piranha Plant looked behind themselves to see the teammates they have rescued so far: Rosalina & Luma, R.O.B., Greninja, Wolf, Corrin, Ike, Mewtwo, King K. Rool, Meta Knight, and Luigi.

"Now then… this is the only quiz I have trouble with," Byleth continued. "Marx said this last test determines your luck, meaning that whatever you get by chance you HAVE to fight. No second thoughts. If you lose, then I guess you're just sucked into some horrible dimension or dangerous trap."

"So… what's the question?" Mewtwo telepathized.

"Who was responsible for driving the Ancients to extinction during the First Subspace War?" the professor answered. "But I don't know what is this 'Subspace Army,' or even which kind of Ancients. It just leaves me with more questions than it does answers…" The teammates exchanged looks, knowing of what happened.

"Pick Ganondorf," Samus answered. "The one who dons the appearance of when Hyrule and the Twilight Realm collided." Byleth looked at her, confused by what she meant.

"How would I know about this… Ganondorf person?" Byleth asked. The bounty hunter looked at the swirling vortex, watching as the Supporters danced around the powerful force. There, she saw her target. A grey Ganondorf puppet, controlled by an alternate version of Ganondorf… one of which looked exactly like the real Ganondorf twenty years before he changed his look to a more nostalgic version.

"Watch and learn, anime boy," Samus told Byleth, instantly jumping off the light path and landing in the vortex. The bounty hunter began to wobble and float around like crazy, almost like she was in a giant rubber hamster ball caught in a whirlpool.

"Wait!" Byleth called out, getting nervous as Meta Knight and Lucario jumped into the vortex. "If you're certain that… Ganondorf clone is the right choice, make sure NOT to touch any other puppets!" Mewtwo accidentally bumped into Byleth as he jumped in, knocking the professor into the vortex. Byleth was shocked by the fact that every single one of the fighters just jumped in without any second thoughts.

Soon, everyone was being tossed and turned within the vortex, trying to avoid touching as many Supporters as possible. Samus almost reached her target before Luigi rammed into her at high speed, knocking her off-course.

"Watch where you're going, asshole!" Samus snapped.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Luigi apologized, watching as R.O.B. spotted the gray-clothed Ganondorf Supporter as well. Knowing that the Ganondorf banished to the Twilight Realm was the right answer, the ex-Ancient Minister used the boosters below his tiny wheels and blasted himself to his goal. As soon as R.O.B. was starting to run out of fuel, the robot extended one of his arms and successfully managed to tap the Ganondorf Supporter on the shoulder right before a Pichu Supporter was about to hit him.

With a bright flash, R.O.B. and the gray Ganondorf Supporter were nowhere to be seen, and everyone was frozen in place whether they were fighters or puppets.


The ex-Ancient Minister was suddenly transported onto the roof of Hyrule Castle, getting ready to face an alternate version of Ganondorf from another timeline possessing the clone of THEIR Ganondorf. Even after twenty years, R.O.B. was still afraid to confront the Gerudo King after what he did to his people, and this was evident as he was trying to space himself out using his eye lasers and gyros.

The Ganondorf Supporter had boosted attack power and increased speed, meaning it was hard for R.O.B. to dodge the puppet's attacks. The robot tried stringing up neutral airs into each other, but the Ganondorf Supporter was just too powerful considering he was always hit out of them. The more R.O.B. tried dodging the puppet, the more he began to remember something.

They were repressed memories from long ago. They may have been glimpses, but they were slowly starting to return to him. He began to remember ruling his kingdom in a glorious, utopian society. His island was a fruitful and earthly paradise. As the Ganondorf Supporter held him to the ground with darkness-covered hands, draining away the robot's health, the images of how R.O.B. founded his people came to be.

R.O.B. remembered finding an ancient gap permanently frozen in stone. Sculptures reminiscent of fire and ice geysers stuck to the sides, fading away into dust just like the abandoned town on its edges. The robot was fascinated by the technology they had, most of which was preserved in the halls of the larger buildings. The remaining weapons of Raifujin left behind by the Shadow Bugs were sitting there, collecting dust.

The robot began to remember in flashes of carefully analyzing the technology before building machines on a lonely island to replicate these weapons and create new ones. It wasn't long before he created more robots of his exact type, and they quickly created a floating city out of the island they were on. However, every gift must come with a price.

A battered and bruised R.O.B. was kicked in front of the grey Ganondorf Supporter, and he began to drag the heavy sword along as he walked closer to the robot. At the same time, R.O.B. could see glimpses of the past. He could see the Subspace Army creatures spread across the island, turning the technology of the Ancients against their creators. Despite everything R.O.B. had ever done to protect his civilization, all the technology he possessed fell under control of the Shadow Bugs. He remembered the Master Hand bringing him the message from Tabuu… that his home has been reduced to a factory after what he had discovered.

A gateway into Subspace… and the truth of other worlds.

And all he remembered of Ganondorf, the main general of the Subspace Army, was what he did to everything he ever worked for.

Everything he loved.

Everything he cared.

Even robots can cry.

R.O.B.'s eyes gleamed with a faint red glow of determination the second the grey Ganondorf Supporter was about to swing his weapon. The ex-Ancient Minister could feel a new power growing within him as he stood up, watching the huge sword swing in front of his face the split second he put up his shield. With the right timing, R.O.B. parried the attack.

Much to the Ganondorf Supporter's surprise, a rainbow aura suddenly flashed around R.O.B. as golden eyes pierced into his soul. The gray robot quickly transformed into a laser cannon, unleashing his true power as soon as the puppet fighter was knocked forward. He began firing an array of lasers before unleashing a powerful beam. The beam quickly grew in size, maximizing all damage in this special move. All that R.O.B. could hear was the cry of the Ganondorf Supporter's defeat.


The vortex and everyone caught in it remained frozen for a while, wondering if R.O.B. even made it. None of them could move from their spots, clearly stuck.

"So… if the little robot guy survives, I just wanna say we did it," Samus spoke. "Everything we have ever been through has led up to this point. And it was nice knowing all of you."

"I guess," Ike responded. "I'm just glad we got to experience this wild ride." A few seconds later, R.O.B. reappeared in the vortex in a bright flash, with the Twilight Realm Ganondorf Spirit with the yellow transparency and rainbow aura floating into the center of the vortex. Everything remained silent in the Mysterious Dimension for a while, with everyone staying in place.

"Did it work?" Lucas asked. Just then, the vortex began to move, spinning faster and sucking all the Supporters of the Mysterious Dimension in. The fighters were shocked by what was happening, and they were drawn in by the strong force right down to the center. They were certain that this alternate version of Ganondorf was the correct answer for the question provided, and they were confident wherever the vortex would open it would take them there.

But there was only one way to find out.


The Piranha Plant was the first to wake up in this strange realm. The sky was whole, displaying stars far and wide. The carnivorous flower balanced himself on his flower pot, noticing a tiny crack underneath. He walked over to Byleth, licking his face and waking the young professor up. Byleth stood in place and looked around in front of him, watching as the other fighters within the group saw where they were.

The hard ground looked like molten lava had just cooled down, complete with markings and jagged edges. Despite there being no plants or atmosphere, the air and gravity were completely normal. Marx was standing right behind them, not sporting any wings whatsoever.

"Well, you did it," Marx spoke to the Smashers as they didn't turn around to face the jester. "You had bested all my tests fair and square. And you know what? You actually cooperated for once. Before we begin with our little playtime, let me ask you a question. Do you think that even the worst beings in the multiverse can change? That creatures like Galeem and Dharkon can make a difference, if they just try to fight back against the insanity controlling them? Heh heh… don't bother answering that question. Besides, do you know what is the driving force of this world? The strength to persist before, during, and after death? The will to keep living? The resolve to change fate? Determination." The fighters turned around to face Marx, wondering what he meant by those words.

"It gives them the ability to save. I don't really know what they can save, but I know they just can. I've lived here long enough to know there was a reason why most of you were called here by the Hands of Arcadia. It's because the bodies you possess aren't real. Your real bodies are gone. Reduced to dust. The Master Hand and Crazy Hand have seen your determination power the stars within your souls and have chosen you. They have given you THEIR determination to bring you back. But what do I know? I'm just Dharkon's adorable little jester who's just wasting your time with stupid nonsense that I made up. So, let's get started… on the real game!"

Marx ascended into the air, letting a black mist consume him as he transformed back into his true form. His eyes gleamed for a quick second before the mist cleared, and the small jester laughed maniacally. The fighters readied their weapons, preparing for a fight with the boss of the Mysterious Dimension.

Marx began to float around and teleport when each Smasher got close, giggling as the heavier fighters like King Dedede and King K. Rool tried to reach him in the air but could not due to their slow mobility. Pichu latched onto him, headbutting him with electrical damage.

"Ah, you are all clearly idiots," Marx sighed as he spread his wings and unleashing four circle blades from his body, knocking Pichu into Piranha Plant. Wolf got underneath two of them and reflected the projectiles back at the jester, while Lucas and Rosalina absorbed the other two. Marx soared up into the air, spitting out an icy ball onto the ground. Isabelle quickly pocketed the projectile, tossing it back at Marx the second he teleported again even though he wasn't frozen by it. Byleth whipped the Sword of the Creator around Marx's foot, dragging him down so that Bowser, Mewtwo, and Greninja could pummel him.

"Oh no… you guys are hurting me," Marx spoke with sarcasm as Lucas's PK Fire was burning him. "Whatever will I do- How about this!? BOOM!" The jester fired a powerful laser from his mouth, hitting Meta Knight and Samus. Marx teleported again, warping to and fro as Lucario, Ike, and Corrin tried using aerial attacks.

"If you wanna find out what goes on in my head... why don't I take ya there!?" Marx asked before splitting his body in half, generating a powerful black hole. Most of the fighters were being drawn in, and those like Meta Knight and Mewtwo flew in and carried their friends away from the black hole before it vanished.

"You guys clearly don't know I'm the shadow lurking underneath," Marx's voice echoed. A large shadow appeared underneath Luigi, much to his surprise.

"Luigi, get out of the way!" King Dedede shouted. The green plumber was knocked back as soon as Marx unleashed a powerful uppercut from the ground, laughing as he did so. The jester began teleporting around again, dodging certain attacks like Byleth's Areadbhar and King K. Rool's Blunderbuss before flying high into the air.

"You know… this place could really use some decoration!" Marx shouted, dropping a shower of seeds onto the fighters. They began avoiding the rain, watching where they stepped as thorny vines sprung up from the ground. Marx's shadowy form appeared on the ground again, this time under Byleth's feet. The professor quickly dodged out of the way, pulling out the Failnaught and charging up his shot in midair. With a powerful projectile, Byleth ripped Marx's eyes straight out of his sockets, leaving the jester to cover his face with his talons.

"Ah! My eyes! Don't you have any idea how long it takes to regenerate them!?" Marx shouted, starting to cry out shadow balls that bounced around in an irregular manner. As soon as Marx uncovered his face, he terrified Luigi and Lucas with two gaping-black holes of where the most expressive parts of the face should be. Marx began blindly teleporting back and forth, unable to attack the fighters because he couldn't see temporarily. This resulted in the fighters successfully landing attacks on the jester at the price of him crying out shadow balls. As soon as Marx's eyes grew back, he looked at the team of fighters with flames of rage in his star-filled violet eyes.

"You stop it this instant, you horrible, cheating mortals!" Marx snapped, grabbing ahold of his own wings and ripping them off with his teeth. In their place, fiery branches of veins sprung out from his back.

"Well, this is new," King Dedede noted, surprised that Marx has learned a few new tricks within the Mysterious Dimension that go along well with his insanity. The jester's veins began slithering around the fighters, trying to stab right at them before Ike and Corrin began cutting off the bronchioles closest to them. Upon the pain, Marx retracted those appendages and snapped the dislodged wings back onto his body.

"You can't escape me! I am the master of this game!" Marx growled, teleporting right behind the fighters. "I… see… EVERYTHING!" The jester's eyes began to multiply, filling up his sockets like compound eyes before spreading around his small body. Soon enough, Marx transformed into a ball of blinking, starry eyeballs of violet that stared right into each of the group's souls. Every eye began to glow, getting ready to fire multiple lasers across his body.

"Everybody, take cover!" Meta Knight warned, trying to dodge the lasers shooting out from Marx's multiple eyes while laughter accompanied the jester's malice. Each fighter hid behind the jagged rocks, with Byleth charging straight in for Marx. The jester had 360° vision and basically spotted the professor running in towards him, and he aimed all his lasers right at Byleth. Before Byleth was struck, Greninja approached Marx from behind and slashed straight at the jester.

Marx's eyes vanished and returned to normal, and he was screaming in agony as he began bouncing around the realm like a super-rubber ball on coffee. The other fighters watched as the defeated jester began to shed the hexagon scales on his wings, by which they fell off him. Marx landed on the ground in a purple flame, collapsing on the ground in defeat. The hat he wore fell off, exposing two small horns and a wig of messy violet hair that were otherwise hidden. The horns on his head had strange markings, the likes of which were in a strange language that was untranslatable.

"Woo! Finally! We did it!" Byleth cheered, running over to the friends he made. He hugged Rosalina and began twirling around with her in his arms, with the other fighters congratulating in victory.

"We'll be free from this planet forever!" Luigi resounded in relief. However, as everyone was about to relax, they could hear Marx's soft cackles. They turned around to see the violet flames on the cosmic jester were gone, and he was back to his cute form. The jester gave off a little grin as he walked over to one of his wings lying on the ground.

"Congratulations," Marx spoke, picking up the golden appendage and sticking it back onto his body. "You have beaten me at my own game. And you know what else? You finally have access to the Dharkon Void and take down that cowardly Seraph of Chaos, leaving me to get kicked out of his Army of Darkness. I am so impressed."

"That's strange," Lucario spoke in confusion as Marx walked over to his other wing. "Weren't you suppose to… vanish? Like all the other bosses?" The jester laughed at that question, sticking his other wing back on with the one he already reattached to.

"Oh, you have no idea," Marx responded, flapping his golden wings and creating the flashing, multicolored hexagon scales again. He began to ascend into the air via levitation, floating towards the two-tone hat he got back up without.

"Rosalina must've probably told you I'm not like those other bosses," Marx continued as he picked up his hat and dusted it off before placing it on his head, tucking any strands of his violet hair sticking out. "You're clearly a lot stronger than you look, but do you remember what I told you at the beginning of the battle? That you're probably not the real versions of yourselves?" Marx tightened the red bowtie below his face, teleporting to the other fighters.

"What about it?" Rosalina asked, holding on tight to her Luma.

"What I'm trying to say is… there are those that are just as strong as me. And the one that surpasses even my own abilities is… the She-wolf." The Smashers looked at Marx in confusion, wondering what did he mean by this "She-wolf."

"Oh, yes," Marx continued, floating around the group. "I have read only a few passages about her. What she can do to manipulate others to her goals. How she works. She sees how each person ruins themselves, and lies to them about manipulating their past. She doesn't change anything because she doesn't have to. They have already fallen into insanity long ago." Marx's pupils dilated and began to slip, starting to make the fighters uncomfortable as that face went along with those sentences.

"A great day approaches. A time will come when she will regain her power and destroy everything. Light… darkness… order… chaos… peace… freedom… all gone. With strength, wisdom, speed, courage, loyalty, forgiveness, and teamwork, she'll live again. But!... She'll be in for a big surprise once her family comes to play. Everything that you have worked up to this point will change, and the stars that protect you will eventually die. Sooner or later, you'll fall into her trap, and you'll become another one of her mindless soldiers hellbent on corruption and insanity! Until then… I bid you adieu." Marx tipped his hat and bowed at the Smashers, slipping his hat back on. A white vortex spawned behind him, causing the cosmic jester to vanish from the fighters. Byleth noticed the device he was trying to get from Marx, which was just lying on the ground. He quickly ran over to it and picked it up before anyone noticed.

"Sírveme de defensa, Dios mío," Meta Knight told his companions. "If what Marx said is true, then we must all be in grave danger."

"I've lived here for quite a while," Byleth responded in doubt. "Whatever Marx says is all a lie. Trust me." Just then, the ground began to rumble underneath the fighters, and the sky began to crack open. The land of the Mysterious Dimension appeared behind the starry sky, and a path of light leading straight back to the entrance portal appeared.

"We need to leave! Now!" Samus told her companions, grabbing ahold of Pichu and running on the light path. Luigi, Ike, Corrin, and Wolf followed behind her, and just about every fighter in the group followed behind. The realm where they fought Marx was being sucked into the vortex, drawing everything that radiated chaotic energy into itself.

Byleth and his companions began jumping from one light path to the other, trying to avoid the trees and buildings flying towards them in their direction. It was a struggle of anxiety, with each of the Smashers often splitting up from each other only for their paths to merge back together again. Luckily, they all managed to make it at the portal and go through, with the Mysterious Dimension collapsing behind them.


Samus, Luigi, Bowser, Pichu, Mewtwo, Meta Knight, Ike, Lucas, King Dedede, Lucario, R.O.B., Wolf, Rosalina & Luma, Greninja, Corrin, King K. Rool, Isabelle, Piranha Plant, Byleth, and Mii Gunner all emerged to the other side, watching as the blue portal exploded into a violet blast, with every Spirit trapped within the realm float away in freedom whether they were the incorrect answers or not.

Those that were rescued in the Mysterious Dimension looked at the new world of Draxia in fear. Floating islands, blackened clouds above and below roaring with thunder, webs of vines and roots connecting other islands to itself. Rosalina walked over to the fighters freed from the darkness, trying to comfort them.

"Terrifying, isn't it?" Rosalina asked.

"Mamma mia," Luigi cried. "I just-a hope my brother's okay."

"He is, and so is everyone else," Samus told the green plumber, watching the Spirits in the sky soar towards a large ship, with one part looking exactly like the Undying Light from before. "Let's go. The Dharkon Void is probably open to us by now." The bounty hunter got a head start, and Byleth followed her with the Piranha Plant in his arms and the mysterious headset in his pockets. Soon enough, all the fighters within Group C tagged along, finally heading back to their friends.