Ragnarokk struggled in the tight grip of the Arcadian Master Hand, trying to grab the dragon-tooth weapon attached to her waist. This proved futile considering how the Hand of Creation kept his grip tight as he flew up north. The brown-skinned dragon warrior tried to pull herself out, instantly recognizing the Master Hand with the golden aura as her old mentor Sozo.
"Sozo!" Ragnarokk shouted. "It's me! Ultima! Well, her mind and soul anyway. Don't you recognize me? Don't you recognize my voice?" The Master Hand, upon hearing the voice of the human form of the Goddess of Oblivion, for a moment felt freedom. Memories began to flood back to him, even though they were merely just glimpses of images. The images themselves were nothing more than a blur thanks to Galeem's brainwashing having severely affected him, but there was a small sign of coming back to his senses as his hold on Ragnarokk slightly loosened.
Maniacal laughter rang out from the darkness on the planet, and a Crazy Hand rammed into Sozo like a drunk truck driver hitting a monorail train at max speed. The impact was so great that Ragnarokk was knocked out of the Master Hand's grip. She was suspended in the air for a split second to catch a glimpse of the Crazy Hand who attacked Sozo. The Crazy Hand just so happened to have a violet aura apart from the others, unexpectedly reuniting her with a familiar appearance.
"Hakai!" Ragnarokk gasped. However, before she could react, the Master Hand snapped his fingers shortly before grabbing the black-haired warrior and burying her deep into a landmass he spawned out of nowhere. When Ultima looked around, she saw the monochromatic futuristic ground of the Final Destination burying her up to her waist. All she could do was watch as the two Hands recklessly attacked each other, the both of them controlled by their individual captors so greatly they couldn't even recognize each other anymore.
The Master Hand began shooting finger bullets, proving ineffective against the Crazy Hand as aura-based projectiles emerged from his five digits, circling around himself. A brainwashed Sozo danced around the aura balls, grabbing ahold of Hakai and wrestling him into the ground, right near the spot where Ragnarokk was buried in.
Using her earth abilities, the Goddess of Oblivion pulled herself out of the ground with ease. She unsheathed her sword, letting it glow with raw magic as she watched the Hands tackle each other blindly. Sozo and Hakai weren't controlled by Galeem and Dharkon because of reasons related to power. They were driven mad by common instinct, believing that one side can overthrow the other without any lasting consequences.
"Sozo! Hakai! Please stop fighting!" Ragnarokk shouted, avoiding the constant lasers and projectiles flying her way. The Crazy Hand quickly extended his index finger at the warrior, coated with ice that would've frozen her if she didn't dodge in time. She knew even though the light and the darkness were mortal enemies, they did share the same enemy. However, they would often target each other due to the natural instinct given to them.
"I don't want to fight you!" Ragnarokk shouted, using her brute strength to knock back two spiked balls two-thirds of her side. Those spiked balls were from the Master Hand, by which he was targeting the Crazy Hand. Hakai then began unleashing powerful black holes from the snap of his fingers, and Sozo responded to it by sending dancing rings of light. Not taking the pressure any longer, Ragnarokk split herself into two clones, each one of them zipping up to the Hands as fast as a lightning bolt and bearing a strike as equally impressive to match.
"You two need to cut it out!" Ragnarokk's voice shouted from the two clones, each one of them slicing deep into the glistening silk of each one. Both the Master Hand and the Crazy Hand growled in pain, and Ragnarokk quickly reverted back to normal on the Final Destination stage to watch the chaos unfold. Sozo and Hakai wreathed in pain and slipping sanity as the silk covering their bodies began to shed off. The bones in their fingers were cracking like dry sticks, with their innards twisting like ground meat within.
Swarms of black mist emerged from the shattered silk, breaking free from being encased within the Master Hand and Crazy Hand after a long period of time. Sozo's cloud of darkness was tainted with golden specks, while Hakai's swarm had a violet tint within them, allowed Ragnarokk to tell which is which.
Still driven by the commands of their respected leaders, the swarms clashed into one another, unaware of waves of shadow pouring over one another and drowning out the golden and violet specks. The two shapeless entities who were once the Hands Ragnarokk came to identify them by seemed to merge with one another, the both of them still determined to blind one side with the other. They began to twist together, transforming into an amalgamate of sorts that hated itself without a single trace of mercy or sanity. One of the first forms this new creature took seemed to tower above the stage like a giant, clawing at itself as the two beings fought for control in this new form. Ragnarokk's face went pale as the creature began moving its arms around, trying to hit the blade-wielding warrior as she danced around the swinging limbs.
The giant quickly slashed its arm across the stage, creating a flash of light that significantly knocked back Ragnarokk. Terrified by what she had done to get herself in this situation, Ragnarokk unleashed a powerful fireball at the giant. The titanic creature growled as pieces of itself flew onto the Final Destination stage. The pieces of gold and violet seemed to attach themselves to the bits of the two swarms, by which Ragnarokk noticed.
"Sozo… Hakai… do you remember me?" the human Goddess of Oblivion asked, losing her balance once the giant thrusted the stage upward, sending six electrical orbs in her way at the exact same time. The giant began to claw at itself, tearing off more pieces of the swarms that have brought this monstrosity into existence.
"Please stop!" Ragnarokk snapped. "This isn't you! You are not mindless servants to Galeem and Dharkon!" Without thinking, the warrior stepped on one of the gold pieces, shattering it into a mist of its color. The pieces of the swarm fused to it flew away from the giant, forming into a tiny ball that gleamed with a faint bit of light.
A curious Ragnarokk stepped on a violet piece on the ground, and the pieces of the swarm attached to it went off the stage as well, creating another tiny entity that flashed with a little bit of darkness within it. Then, she knew what to do.
"Do you remember what you taught me? What you taught the Dragosmos of this realm?" Ragnarokk asked, zipping out with lightning speed into the air until she began to levitate ten feet off the ground in order to avoid the giant's vacuum mouth and unholy wail. Ragnarokk then summoned thorny vines from the stage, successfully impaling the giant and making it lose a lot of its body. The brown-skinned warrior sent forth a wave of lightning to destroy the golden and violet specks, freeing more of the swarm fused to the pieces and flying over to the two orbs in midair. The orbs of the freed swarm started to get larger, gaining more of an apparent shape for each one.
Just then, the impaled giant began fighting with itself again, with memories starting to become clearer and more animated. There was something involving with being the sons of a ruler over dragons, teaching students about a culture… things got fuzzy from there as the light and darkness assumed control once more.
The merged entity began transforming into a scorpion-like, quadrupedal beast with a large, unhinged jaw. Ragnarokk dashed toward the creature, instantly pulling up a wave of water the moment she spotted it generating lightning around itself through a violet bolt. She splashed it upon the beast, which electrocuted the creature and made it shed off more of its body. As Ragnarokk sent out a mist dense enough to shatter the gold and violet pieces below her feet, the beast jumped from its edge of the stage and came back with a bite on the other, powerful enough to tilt the stage towards its direction.
Spikes generated on the beast's body, which were tall enough to reach Ragnarokk in the air no matter how high she flew. One of the spikes sprung up right in front of her face, to which she broke it in half. The creature roared from the pain as though the spike was a part of its body, and it began shedding more of the swarms that composed it.
"I understand how painful this must be for you, but trust me when I say this: I'm trying to save you both!" Ragnarokk shouted, impaling the beast with the spike through the back. The beast roared in defeat, with the mist below Ragnarokk's feet shattering all the light and dark specks into golden and violet mists and freeing more of the swarms. The fused creature began to twist once more, transforming into five edges that behaved like floating swords.
Ragnarokk began to surround herself with icicles, flinging them straight at the edges as they charged up a powerful slash. The five blades emitted a brief flash of light that slashed across the entire stage, hitting the dragon warrior as a result. She quickly transformed into metal the second the edges approached her, slashing rapidly without knowing she was invincible through the whole duration of the move. She quickly slashed with her blade, which was coated in fire, and made the amalgamate shed more of the swarm mixed with the golden and violet particles attached to the black pieces of the swarms. The mist accompanying Ragnarokk went to work shattering the colored pieces while she kept attacking the edges.
As the edges sent out a series of spinning projectiles, the memories Ragnarokk was trying to get through to them became clearer. The corrupted Hands began to remember they weren't always in this form. The memories of the Dragon Clan and the events before that were flickering in and out rapidly, but they were starting to remember again. Galeem's and Dharkon's brainwashing took control once more, and now the edges were slashing across the stage one at a time, with the largest of the five slamming down in the center.
"It's time for you two to wake up!" Ragnarokk shouted, transforming her dragon-tooth sword into a magic-powered axe, and she struck down all five of the blades in lightning speed. In roars of defeat, the edges unleashed whatever swarms were making the three forms it had. Loads of the swarms mixed with the golden and violet particles were vomited out of the merged entity, with the mist beside Ragnarokk attacking all of the specks and freeing more of the swarms from Galeem and Dharkon's control. The swarms merged with the two balls, taking on more shape reminiscent of the Master Hand and Crazy Hand but lacking the silk that made their bodies. In fact, they were shifting between their cursed form and draconic form.
Soon, all of the swarm from the merged entity left behind some sort of core that looked like the Smash Ball but glowed with the golden color of Galeem's light and the violet color of Dharkon's darkness beneath its glassy surface. Ragnarokk pulled out her sword and began attacking the core, its electrical powers destroying the golden and violet specks the second they were released.
Through each slash and restoration of the swarms, Sozo and Hakai began to remember more about their past. They remembered the face of their own father Lord Ceresor, the wars they went through to establish peace between worlds, the scars they earned, the wings and family they lost… they began to remember more and regain their original draconic forms the more of the cleansed swarms that core of theirs shed. As Ragnarokk attacked the core more, its smooth surface began to crack, causing her to launch it farther from the stage before it drifted back to the center.
Eventually, she slashed at the core so hard it shattered into multiple pieces, with the golden and violet specks shattering as the bodies of Sozo and Hakai were restored back to their full draconic forms, scales and all. But there was one problem. Two, to be precise. Because the two dragons were transformed in their current appearance, they didn't have the wings that were ripped from their bodies thanks to Galleom, so now their unconscious bodies were falling from the sky. The stage Ragnarokk was standing on seemed to vanish into mist, and now she was falling too. Thankfully, she had her powers to back her up, and she was now blasting through the air through fire blasts protruding from her hands and feet. With her powerful strength, she grabbed ahold of the tails of her mentors, holding onto them tight as she tried to slow down the landing. Eventually, Ragnarokk successfully managed to get Sozo and Hakai to the crystalline ground, gently placing their knocked-out bodies down. The Super Smash Brothers arrived in time out of nowhere, having just followed Ragnarokk far up north.
"Ragnarokk!" Corrin shouted. "We were so worried about you! Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am," Ragnarokk sighed, knowing she was in good company. "And look who I found." The fighters looked to where the human Goddess of Oblivion pointed out to, revealing the two general dragons from thousands of years ago. The both of them had the armor they once bore, as well as only one wing with a hand-shaped scar on each of their bodies. Sozo was the first to open up his golden eyes, waking up in a realm of no familiarity. The same went for Hakai.
"Where… where am I?" Sozo asked himself, sitting up and looking around. "Hakai?" His brother looked around this new planet with violet eyes.
"Sozo!" Hakai sighed in relief, letting his brother nuzzle into his chest as a sign of comfort. "Hope you didn't miss me."
"Miss you? I had been impatient for you to return so much I became sick from having to wait!" Sozo answered. The two one-winged dragons looked back at Ragnarokk and the fighters, slowly starting to become aware they were important for the mission. They looked at the brown-skinned warrior, wondering who she was.
"Finally," Ragnarokk sighed. "I thought we were never gonna get you guys back…"
"Ultima?" Sozo asked, starting to interpret the Goddess of Oblivion's voice as familiar. "Whatever… happened to you?"
"It's a long story," Ragnarokk answered. "Basically, I was split from Tabuu and need to fuse with him by help of the Diamond of Universes. Do you know where I can find him?"
"We… don't know," Hakai answered. "It's been so long ever since we've been dragons. I don't even know if I can recall any memories of when I was a Crazy Hand." Mario stepped up to the two dragons, taking off his red cap.
"Hello," Mario introduced. "It's-a me, Mario. I'm… one of the warriors you summoned a long time ago. We all are, and the people you see right in front of you are who you called here." Sozo and Hakai looked at the Smashers, wondering what they were all doing here.
"Now it's starting to come back to us," Sozo remembered. "You all were called here for a greater purpose, from what we've learned, with your trophy transformations temporarily disabled after Tabuu's defeat." Joker and the six survivors stepped in, walking up to the two dragons.
"I've seen a dragon before in my homeworld," Byleth spoke, rubbing the scales below Hakai's neck and hearing him purr. "My name's Byleth, professor of Garreg Mach Monastery. I take it you recognize us?"
"You must be the survivors, we presume," Sozo answered. "I suppose we never got a proper introduction ten years ago."
"Now then: these brave warriors have restored my memories, and I need to re-fuse with Tabuu and stop my brothers once and for all. Do you know where he could be?" Sozo and Hakai looked at each other, starting to remember something, almost as if everything was coming back to them.
"Lucky for you, we know just the place," Sozo answered, standing up and unfurling his wing. "While you were busy rescuing the last Primaries, we might have sensed another realm where the person you're looking for is. That realm is below the planet, and it may have the power to help us conquer both light and darkness."
"Can you take us there!?" Marth asked.
"We can open a fracture in the planet's crust, and upon neutralizing the light and darkness fueling Arcus we could significantly weaken Galeem and Dharkon," Sozo answered. "However, only those born on Arcus and not brought here though Smash Balls can enter."
"Why?" Meta Knight asked.
"A strong magic has grown beneath the crust, and not even you can survive underneath," Sozo answered. "It would be safer for us if the woman with Ultima's voice, my brother, and I were to enter."
"But… how are you gonna break that kind of fracture open?" King K. Rool asked.
"I think they can transform back to their Hand selves," Ragnarokk answered. "I figured since they're pretty much powerless in terms of strength and flight compared to Galeem and Phoenix, I thought after saving them they might have the ability to swap between forms… right? I've heard about how you can shift into different bodies on numerous occasions." The golden-eyed general looked at the other fighters, he and Hakai starting to think about the new trick they might preform now.
"Everyone, stand clear!" Sozo warned the fighters, who all backed up except for Ragnarokk. The golden-eyed general spread his right wing, concentrating his energy into transforming himself into the original Master Hand once again. The scar on his wing glowed a bright golden, letting his body shift into the form he took for thousands of years. The now-transformed Master Hand slammed down on the ground and created a crack in the ground. The fracture was small, but it was wide enough to let a rainbow of colors flow through. Hakai unfurled his left wing, and the hand-shaped scar on it flashed a bright purple. The violet-eyed general transformed back into the original Crazy Hand, and he floated into the air and finger-drilled back down upon the fracture. The widened fracture began leaking with color, with the radiant energy swirling around like cream mixed with coffee.
"I recommend you all head back to the Legacy and prepare for the final battle," Ragnarokk told the Smashers, enveloping every single one of them in a golden light and warping them back to the humungous gunship before she used her powers to transform into her true form: the glowing-golden woman the size of Tabuu with abstract bird wings and the violet eye in her chest. Her dragon-tooth blade received an overhaul in its original design: dual blades that looked like alien samurai swords with weird markings and such. She pointed her blades at the two Hands, and both Sozo and Hakai began rubbing each other's backs until their silky skin generated static electricity. They grabbed ahold of Ragnarokk's blades, charging them up to maximum power. She slammed the blades deep into the crack, widening it so that all three of them could jump in.
"You two take care stabilizing the light and darkness while I fight Tabuu," Ragnarokk told the Master Hand and Crazy Hand. Soon, all three of the powerful deities dived in, feeling powered up by the magic surrounding them. As though it was out of nowhere, the Master Hand and Crazy Hand arrived on another Final Destination stage. Light Puppets and Dark Puppets dropped in, each one based on a fighter rescued from either Galeem or Dharkon depending on who was their captor at the time of their reawakening. Puppets of Kirby and the seven survivors were absent considering how they… well, survived.
The Master Hand began tossing out rings of gold from a safe distance as the puppets attacked on another, while the Crazy Hand began walking around like a spider on the stage. The puppets themselves were weak enough to be knocked out in a few hits, but a large number of Light and Dark Puppets was dropping fast upon Sozo and Hakai, dealing plenty of damage to the transformed dragons. Regardless, the Hands did not flinch and kept on using their abilities to take down the puppets several at a time.
Ragnarokk appeared in a different part of the realm, spawning alone right behind who she was looking for all this time: Tabuu. The God of Construction kept his butterfly wings unfurled, keeping his back on his second half despite sensing her presence.
"I know why you're here," Tabuu spoke after a minute of silence. "You have finally come back after all this time… my Ragnarokk."
"It's nice to see you too," Ragnarokk answered, keeping the Diamond of Universes on her chest. "Looks like we'll finally become Ultima again. Now come on. Fuse with me." The golden goddess held out her stone in front of her body, to which Tabuu turned around and floated towards her. However, the Chains of Light and Darkness still binding him made it so that when Tabuu touched the stone, it burned his hand. Tabuu backed away in pain, by which Ragnarokk noticed.
"Oh yeah… the binds tethering you from the outside," Ragnarokk noted, comforting the Construct God. "Sozo and Hakai are with me, and they're neutralizing the light and the darkness. Hopefully those chains come off in time. Then we can hopefully re-fuse together."
"The re-fusion would not be that simple," Tabuu sighed. "We need the Super Smash Brothers to reawaken the Smash Balls within them and finally take down the Seraphim of Order and Chaos once and for all. And to do that, we need to trigger their inner instinct."
"We're not going to die, are we?" Ragnarokk asked in worry, wondering if this was all they were leading up to. "I mean: you haven't seen me after so long! I'll be damned if our brothers try to end our lives at the worst possible moment…"
"Think about it: you're putting the blame on us for not choosing to do something," Tabuu replied, watching as the chains around his wrists and ankles were beginning to fade upon the Master Hand and Crazy Hand taking out more of the puppets. "But it wasn't you fault. It wasn't our fault. Things sometimes happen not because of choice. Whatever your brothers did to end up as cosmic horrors had this happen to themselves. There was nothing we could do anyway… but we can inspire the other fighters to awaken their true potential." While Hakai and Sozo were taking down more of the Light and Dark Puppets, the chains binding Tabuu began to face away more, and the burn inflicted on the God of Construction began to drop by a degree.
"So… when the Super Smash Brothers get in trouble, we'll have to eventually step in their place, even if it means the end of our lives?"
"Suppose," Tabuu sighed. "After all, we probably wouldn't even be around by the time the fighters learn the truth. From what we've uncovered, we are just mere specks compared to the horror that awaits our companions. Galeem and Phoenix will only be a taste of what they'll face from now on. All we need to do… is prepare them for that day."
"Sooner or later?" Ragnarokk responded in the form of a question. Tabuu nodded, starting to feel the Chains of Light and Darkness loosen on him. While Ragnarokk was busy comforting Tabuu, the Master Hand and Crazy Hand formed together until they became the silhouette of a dog, "barking" until the last remaining puppets were knocked off the stage by the powerful bark soundwave.
A gleam of gold and violet glimmered on Tabuu's limbs. The burn smarting his hand was completely healed, and for once he felt lighter. He no longer felt like carrying the world's weight on his shoulders. He felt like he had the energy to move around and escape the realm of eternal darkness he was trapped in for so long. Is this what true freedom felt like? Upon this freedom, Tabuu gently held the Diamond of Universes in Ragnarokk's palms, feeling how cool the jewel was. The gemstone began to glow in radiant colors, to which the golden goddess began to feel complete as she hugged Tabuu in a caring manner. A bright golden light engulfed the two god-like beings as they felt their physical forms combine into one.
In another part of the dimension, Sozo and Hakai watched as the last Light and Dark Puppets left behind traces of a rainbow light, which grew brighter and seemed to push back against the two opposing forces. Both the light from Ragnarokk and Tabuu fusing by the power of the Diamond of Universes and the glowing essences of the puppets glowed into each other, expanding across the far reaches of the planet.
"We better get out of here," the Master Hand told his brother, teleporting close to the only way out to the surface.
"Right behind you!" the Crazy Hand answered as he also warped to the fracture. A glowing-rainbow light appeared from where Ragnarokk and Tabuu once were, spreading apart their prism of wings and taking flight out of the mysterious realm. Sozo and Hakai were the first to exit the fracture, transforming back into their draconic selves once they got close to the crystalline ground. As soon as the glowing draconic figure followed out behind them, the fracture grew wider, with crystals of black and white dissolving in the air as a golden aura quickly spread across the planet. Galeem and Dharkon high up in the air were too blind to even notice as usual.
Behind the dragon, a mist of darkness floated out of the growing fracture. Upon closer inspection, these were none other than the Shadow Bugs, and they were floating down south to the Super Smash Brothers.
Back on the Legacy, the other fighters have gathered all of the Mii Fighters onto the deck, waiting for a sign that Ragnarokk and the original Hands pulled through.
"I'm so nervous…" Isabelle trembled. "What if we die?"
"We're not gonna die," Joker answered, picking the assistant mayor up. "Don't be ridiculous, puppy. How many battles have we made it out alive?"
"Guys!" Zero Suit Samus called out to the fighters, alerting them to the side of the deck. The Smashers and a few Mii Fighters looked out to the side and saw the light and dark crystals decorating the planet vanish underneath a golden light. Even though the half-and-half sky didn't change, both light and darkness were conquered as the planet was restored to the appearance it had when dragons dominated it.
Mountains of a soft shade of golden-green stuck out of the landscape, with exotic, multicolored plants so foreign and mysterious words alone are not enough to describe their beauty and instead rely on the minds of others to picture what they looked like. A crystal-clear ocean spawned underneath the seraphim and the other Hands in the distance, with floating islands of black crystalline and mechanical elements dominating underneath them, possibly as a result of conquering both light and darkness. A cream-colored sky with golden-peach clouds on Galeem's side on the right clashed with a fiery orange sky obstructed by dark blue clouds with stormy-red outline on the left.
Down on the lower and larger portions of these ancient futuristic islands, Light and Dark Puppets fought with each other. Like the seraphim and the Hands above, they too were blind in their determination. They were so focused in trying to take down the opposing side that they didn't even notice Sozo, Hakai, the Subspace Army, and the hidden figure flying out of the expanding crack.
The glowing figure stayed in the air for a while, and Sozo and Hakai soared to the Legacy in their Hand forms. After transforming back to normal, the two Dragosmo generals looked at the Mii Fighters gathered upon the ship, and the Miis were just as confused as the draconic figures. Slid, upon realizing this, zipped between the two brothers and introduced the Miis to the dragons.
"I figured you guys haven't met each other, not really counting your ex-leaders since we know they've already met these two," Sonic told the Mii Fighter army. "These are the true forms of the Arcadian Master Hand and Crazy Hand: Sozo and Hakai initially. I… take it you two dragons remember encountering the Mii Fighters' ancestors?"
"Of course we have," Sozo answered. "We clearly don't mind their… fashion choices."
"Mario looked up into the sky, surprised to see the Subspace Army soaring right towards the Legacy in a dark violet cloud. The Shadow Bugs rained down upon the deck, forming into the Primids and Subspace creatures – with versions of both the First Subspace War and the Second Subspace War present. Upon anger for attacking them in the past, some of the fighters like Chrom and Lucas pulled out their weapons. However, the Subspace Army did not attack, and instead the other fighters that grew closest to those fighters held them back.
"Looks like they're here for the same reason we are," Simon told the Smashers. "Is that true?" The Primids, as though they understood, nodded as a response.
"About Ragnarokk… did she do what she had to do?" Robin asked, looking at the distance and spotting a glowing orb of light in the distance far from Galeem and Dharkon.
"Let's hope so," Sozo answered. "Looks like you all are ready."
"Do you think after this battle we can finally return home?" Link asked. "We can finally head back to the worlds and timelines we came from as though it never happened?"
"It might probably happen, and you could leave once the Spirits break free from the planet," Hakai answered, transforming into his Crazy Hand form. "I hope you have a plan."
"We do," Cloud Strife answered. "While the Mii Fighters and Subspace Army take care of the puppets, Ultima and you two will hold back the bosses while the rest of us confront Galeem and Phoenix." Sozo, upon getting the idea, transformed into the Master Hand, and the two dragons took off into the air towards the glowing figure who stretched their rainbow-prism wings.
"Alright," Sherry ordered the fighters. "Let's arm ourselves for war and get into our ships. Move out!" Sonic looked back on the glowing figure the Master Hand and Crazy Hand on their side were approaching, watching as said figure was shifting more into her draconic form and let out a ferocious roar.
"Something on your mind?" Fox asked, startling the blue hedgehog.
"It's nothing," Sonic answered, keeping eye contact on the Star Fox mercenary. "I'm just surprised at how fast time flew on this planet. Twenty years ago, I was just like one of you guys minus the vast knowledge of literally every universe in existence: another prisoner on an alien planet. Now we're in the middle of a full-blown war involving the fate of our universes. Who knows if my own home planet even exists anymore?"
"All that matters right now is saving our worlds," Fox spoke. "Now come with me. You'll be coming with me in my Arwing."
"I think I can use something else for transportation," Sonic responded. "I think…" When Fox heard that comment, he simply walked off to his ship hidden somewhere around the Legacy. Sonic began to feel the Legacy start to move out north towards the floating crystalline island battlefield. He began to hear the deafening roars of some of the ships flying overhead. Examples included a series of futuristic jets with sharp curves and titanium skin getting into formation. Shadow Bugs were attached at the bottom of the little spaceships, possibly as a means of dropping in on the enemy like aerial bombs. The Halberd, for whatever reason, was restored to its former glory, and its jet engines were loud enough to burst his sensitive eardrums if he was any closer to the ship itself. Other ships like the Falcon Flyer and the Hocotate ship soared through the air, floating near the Legacy. Kirby was on his Star Allies Sparkler, with the survivors riding on the back.
"The Chaos Emeralds… where are they?" Sonic muttered to himself as he reached behind his back to see if the seven mythical jewels were trapped somewhere in his blue quills.
"Looking for these?" Mega Man asked. When Sonic heard the android's voice, he turned around to see the blue bomber holding the Chaos Emeralds in his arms.
"Where did you get those?" Sonic asked, walking over to the humanoid robot to pick up the Chaos Emeralds.
"The Legacy stores treasures like these around the place," Mega Man answered. "I managed to stumble upon these and figured they belonged to you. Better get ready. Within a few minutes, we attack." As soon as the blue bomber walked away, Sonic automatically harnessed the raw energy of the Chaos Emeralds surrounding him, and he once again transformed into a Super version of himself before taking off into the sky. It only took a couple seconds before the Mii Fighters and Subspace Army troops on the Legacy piloted the humongous gunship up north towards the opposing forces of light and darkness, by which Sozo and Hakai accompanied Ultima as she fully transformed back to her draconic self.
High up in the air, the setting sun and rising moon combined their light on the two opposing sides and generated a pure beauty which was obstructed by the Master Hands and Crazy Hands attacking one another by command of their leaders. The Seraphim of Order and Chaos were shooting lasers of concentrated light and darkness at each other, not losing their deadly gaze on one another. They were not wasting their chance to blow off their lifelong hatred of the opposing side. They had grown mad thanks to their weak minds.
"I will purge every sin from the multiverse, even if it means burning away all these worlds to do so," Galeem snarled. "But most of all, my true purpose of order and perfection will come into play once I scorch your filthy face from every reality in existence… Dharkon!"
"You may try, Galeem," Dharkon growled, "But whatever you do, your light will eventually drown within the darkness, and there will soon be nothing but despair and chaos!" The Lord of Darkness charged up a powerful beam of darkness within his mouth and fired. Galeem did the same, except he fired a beam of light. Just when the two beams were about to collide with one another, an explosion of pure magic was fired between them, generating a blast so powerful it knocked back the seraphim. A familiar voice rang out in the air, giving Galeem and Dharkon a sense of familiarity.
"You two stop this right now!" the voice rang out. Galeem and Dharkon turned around to face the noise, and there they saw the royal empress armor decorating a scaly coat of midnight black complete with golden eyes and wings like prisms that exposed all the colors of the rainbow. Right next to her were Sozo and Hakai in their Hand forms on each side, making her look like she had literal hands. The sunlight and moonlight behind the forces of light and darkness shone upon Ultima and all the ships behind them.
"Look at who we have here," Dharkon chuckled. "Do you really think all the power you have in your fleets can stop what I have in store?"
"You're not taking any more freedom from us!" Super Sonic snapped, levitating next to the Crazy Hand. "And we're addressing this to the both of you!"
"Quite an impressive threat level you brought with you, sister!" Galeem scoffed, simply amused by the fact that his physical strength is all-powerful compared to the hundreds of fleet ships packed with a combined army. "If you really think you can stand up to my power, you are gravely mista-" Before Galeem would finish his sentence, Dharkon slashed one of his tendrils at the Seraph of Order, to which he quickly dodged the attack.
"So, you think you're smarter than me, taint?" Galeem snarled, spreading open his six wings. "Then let us finish this once and for all!" Galeem telepathically commanded his Master Hand army to charge right at the Legacy and the ships surrounding them. Dharkon did the same thing by roaring at the Crazy Hand army to attack. Soon, the two armies of Hands charged at the forces opposing them, pushing each other away to take down the enemy they shared. With a powerful roar, Ultima told the ships to fire with everything they've got, and both the Legacy and the Halberd began shooting lasers that mowed down the incoming Hands until there was nothing but golden and violet powder.
Ultima flew straight for Galeem and Dharkon while Sozo and Hakai dived down to the futuristic crystalline islands and began plowing through Light and Dark Puppets that charged straight for them with lasers emerging from their fingertips. Both the Halberd and the smaller ships that were not the titanium jets landed on the largest of the islands, with Sonic transforming back to normal after having drained the powers of the Chaos Emeralds and the Super Smash Brothers running into the battlefield as a few Dark and Light Puppets charged right at them.
Byleth, Pit, Dark Pit, Joker, the three Links, and Bayonetta began firing arrows and bullets, taking down the first few puppets while Bowser, Sonic, Wolf, King K. Rool, Ken, Clementine, the ex-Ultimates Reborn, and the others jumping above them and attacking plenty more of the puppets. The futuristic planes began firing lasers at a few of the corrupted Hands in the two armies while the Shadow Bugs rained down upon the False Characters. The Legacy got near the same island, dropping a bridge onto the crystalline ground while the Mii Fighters charged down towards the armies of light and darkness.
High above the air, upon a stage almost as large as the armies attacking down below, Galeem and Dharkon were wrestling each other with their colossal wings and tendrils, looking at each other in eternal wrath. Ultima rammed between the two coated in flames, pushing them apart from each other.
"How nice of you to join the party, sister!" Galeem snarled, cloning himself into three and spitting a barrage of fireballs at Ultima. The Queen of Arcus flew out of the way, letting Dharkon get hit in the process. Enraged, the Lord of Darkness transformed his tendrils into a mallet, flying straight at Galeem and whacking the Seraph of Order with it. Galeem teleported to another part of the stage, creating a cross net of lasers throughout the air. Dharkon was about to dodge the attacks, but Ultima pushed him into the attack by swinging her tail as though it was a barbed mace. As Dharkon was knocked onto the stage, he looked down upon the Super Smash Brothers, Mii Fighters, and Subspace Army pushing back against the Light Puppets and Dark Puppets with help from the original Master Hand and Crazy Hand. He noticed the aura from both of them was gone, meaning there was only one thing.
"Those traitors…" Dharkon snarled, standing up and cracking his neck as six orbs of darkness appeared behind him. The orbs slowly started to shift in shape, transforming into clones of Omega Flowey, Ganon the Demon King, Clubberskull, Dracula Vlad Tepes, Porky Minch, and Marx. The clones of the bosses that served him glared at Galeem with violet eyes and red auras. Galeem got the same idea, and six orbs of light flashed behind him. Clones of Petey Piranha, Galleom, Rayquaza, Giga Bowser, Duon, and Rathalos appeared by his side, which glowed with red eyes and white auras. The two teams of boss clones charged at each other, with Ultima avoiding the fire. The dragoness peaked over the stage, looking down upon Sozo and Hakai, who had transformed back into their draconic selves and began burning the puppet fighters.
"Sozo! Hakai!" Ultima called out, to which they could both hear her thanks to their keen hearing. "Galeem and Dharkon have got backup! You need to get them off the stage and let the Super Smash Brothers come up here! I can't do this without them!"
"You heard Her Majesty," Sozo told his brother, shifting back into the Master Hand. Hakai whacked a few more puppets off his back with his wing before transforming into the Crazy Hand, and the two warped onto the stage to where the ultimate fight was going on. While Ultima was busy attacking her brothers with boiling water mixed with lava, the twelve boss clones stopped their fighting and looked at the two Hands. They both snapped their fingers, generating a soundwave strong enough to startle the bosses before hitting each one of them with punches. Hakai and Sozo began moving around the certain projectiles sent from the bosses, like Galleom's missiles and Dracula's aura orbs, before holding each other and transforming into a powerful missile that knocked out all the bosses that could not fly. Only the clones of Marx, Dracula, Omega Flowey, Rayquaza, Rathalos, and Galleom putting as much fuel as he could into his thrusters managed to fly back to the stage while the other bosses held on tight to the crumbling platforms. Thankfully, it wasn't long before the combined missile of Sozo and Hakai made a U-turn after their first hit and pounded the floating bosses down one at a time.
All the commotion going on alerted Mario, who caught eye witness upon the battle going on up high. The red plumber knew the only three of the last dragons by their side needed their help, but there was a ton of puppets spawning onto the islands out of nowhere. Thankfully, all the Spirits they rescued emerged out of the Legacy in a spire of flame, diving down upon the puppets. The Normal types teamed up with the Mii Fighters and Subspace Army and began taking down plenty of the puppets. The Master Spirits, upon having no access to touching solid materials, quickly entered the bodies of other puppets considering they were just hollow shells for them to possess and show off their skills just fine.
"Link!" Mario called out to the Champion of Hyrule. "Get the other Smashers! The ex-Ultimates Reborn are coming with us too!" Link managed to whistle as loud as he could, alerting only a few of the fighters in the battlefield.
"We're going up!" Link yelled as loud as he could, calling out to more of his friends. "Follow us!" Link dashed ahead behind Mario, who began climbing up the crumbling platforms to the top. Kirby arrived too, with Fox, Marth, Sonic, Zelda, Ryu, and plenty more. Since they normally had the ability to fly, Dark Samus, Mewtwo, Meta Knight, Pit and Dark Pit with Palutena and her assistance with her Gift of Flight, the Pokémon Trainer on top of Charizard's back, Villager and Isabelle with balloons, Rosalina & Luma, Corrin in his dragon form, Bayonetta with Crow Within, Ridley, King K. Rool with his propeller pack, Joker with Arsene's Wings of Rebellion, and Hero with his Zoom spell all got a head start and flew straight for the topmost stage, avoiding all the attacks from the boss clones on the way up probably as a result of the only sane Hands helping them in the fight.
"Well this stinks," Ganondorf groaned, jumping upon the platforms one by one as a means to catch up with the other fighters.
"Relax, Ganondorf!" Sonic spoke with a cheerful attitude as he began avoiding Galleom's hand upon the climb. "If it's not for these bosses, this might be an awesome exercise! Nothing's more important than stretching your glutes!" The fighters continued their climb as the Master Hand and Crazy Hand began holding back Galleom and Ganon the Demon King with punches and magical finger blasts.
"Incoming!" Popo told the others, holding onto his partner Nana as they dropped down a few platforms to avoid a thorny vine emerging from Omega Flowey.
"Aw shit!" Ryu groaned upon encountering the terrifying creature once again in clone form. Terry Bogard jumped right in front of him and channeled his chi, slamming his burning fist into the monster's TV screen face with his signature Buster Wolf move. Rayquaza began soaring through different parts of the stage, tackling the Marx clone while destroying certain platforms. While the fighters were busy climbing up avoiding the attacks of the boss clones with help from the Dragosmo generals, Mewtwo appeared out of nowhere and abducted Clementine, warping her onto the topmost stage where the only fighters to make it onto the stage were helping Ultima attack both Galeem and Dharkon. The sky in the background was spinning around, but the cream-colored clouds were always clashing with the stormy-red skies.
"You went against the promise the three of us made together!" Ultima roared, teaming up with a draconic Corrin to spit boiling-hot water in Galeem's face while Dharkon danced around the stage coated in electricity with his tendrils drilling in front of him. While Mewtwo was busy teleporting certain fighters like R.O.B. and the Piranha Plant, some of the other Smashers successfully climbed onto the stage until everyone was here. Snake soared into the air holding on tight to his cypher, by which he began planting C4s on Dharkon's head.
The brief explosion coming from the C4s blinded Dharkon upon the point where Sonic the Hedgehog grabbed onto his neck and kicked him straight into Galeem, who was spitting out an orb of electricity which split into smaller versions of itself. Ness, Lucas, and Rosalina quickly absorbed some of the projectiles while others like Fox, King Dedede, Mii Gunner, Joker with Arsene, Mario, and Dr. Mario began reflecting the rest back.
Corrin transformed back into his humanoid form and teamed up with Byleth and Robin to tackle down Galeem while Ultima harnessed the power of the Diamond of Universes to send out powerful bolts of lightning at Dharkon.
"You see what these fighters you claim to be weak are doing?" Ultima asked as she was being hit around by Galeem's drilling wings and Dharkon's thorn spray. Eleven quickly got on top of the dragoness's back, healing her with one of his spells as best as he could before jumping back onto the stage and resuming the fight alongside his friends.
Byleth slammed the Aymr upon Galeem's head once the Lord of Light unleashed cross-shaped bombs that detonated across the stage. The dragon was knocked down onto the stage, leaving him wide open for attacks from Banjo & Kazooie, Falco, Ike, Kirby, and Sieg. Ultima was just about to impale a weakened Galeem with icicles surrounding her, but she was knocked down by Dharkon's tendril mallet.
"Everybody! Get out of the way!" Captain Falcon shouted upon Dharkon's mallet falling down upon Galeem. The bounty hunter quickly ran in and pushed his pals out of the way to avoid being crushed by the tightly-packed tentacles. Galeem, upon being hit by the mallet, pushed it away and growled with a malicious choir in tune with an angel's voice as he teleported to another part of the stage and continued fighting with Ultima while most of the fighters in the group attacked Dharkon.
"They're trying to sustain balance!" Ultima responded, holding on tight to her brother's fore claws about to scratch her face until she bled to death. "Whether good or evil, they're striving to do the right thing! You can change and fight back against the insanity controlling you! You and Dharkon can!" As soon as Dharkon was struck down by a lightning bolt from Pichu and Pikachu, the Seraph of Chaos landed on the stage with a heavy thud and left the Smashers to attack him.
Upon noticing that, Galeem trapped Ultima within a web of light that burned to the touched, and he transformed his wings into a spear that was just about ready to impale his brother. This time, the Smashers were just about ready for that kind of thing to happen again, and they quickly dodged Galeem's spear attack as it impaled the side of Phoenix's chest. The Lord of Darkness growled with a bellowing roar, soaring up into the sky and unleashing lightning from his mouth. It stretched across the stage, stunning all the fighters that were still touching the ground. Those with good jumps managed to get onto either Galeem or Dharkon, while the rest tried to break Ultima free of her light cage.
Cloud Strife held on tight to Galeem's horns, riding him like a bull into Dharkon's attack involving him ripping a hole into space and time with his tendrils. Cloud jumped off, and Galeem was caught in the initial attack as tendrils in different places thrusted right through him. Regardless, Galeem pulled through, and he began tackling Dharkon to the ground on the stage as he kept his guard up on the Smashers approaching them. Anyone who was going to use close-range combat was met with a golden fiery mouth.
"The Super Smash Brothers will pull through in this fight!" Ultima snapped, allowing the power of the Diamond of Universes on her chest to dissolve the light cage around her. "They may be weak at strength… but you two are the ones weak at heart." The dragoness charged right for her two brothers, with the additional damage dealt by the projectile users. She began to claw at their faces in midair, attacking them like some sort of ravenous wolf. Whether it was the darkness or light, Ultima began avoiding all of the projectiles from Galeem and Dharkon and striking back with a furious anger every chance she got. However, she left the rest to the Super Smash Brothers as they kept attacking the seraphim. What they didn't know was that Galeem was ready to unleash a special attack, as well as Dharkon.
The second all of the fighters in the group significantly weakened the draconic beings, Galeem surrounded himself with four orbs the colors of his eyes, which unleashed a powerful wave that stretched across the stage. Dharkon produced something similar to, except it was a wave of pure darkness as usual. It seemed as though this was their special attack, and they were both about to win over the fighters before going back to attacking each other again.
Thankfully, Ultima knew what was about to happen next to all the fighters. They would become like what had happened with the beams of light. Upon that, Ultima soared in-between the two incoming waves that would pretty much kill these chosen warriors. In an act of sacrifice, she took the blow. The dragoness let herself get hit by both waves at the same time, letting the Diamond of Universes absorb the rest. Before the Super Smash Brothers were hit by the waves, they suddenly noticed the waves vanished, and Ultima remained.
"Ultima!" Pit exclaimed, looking up to see the severely weakened dragoness that took the blow.
"What have you done!?" Ken asked in confusion. Ultima could feel all this raw energy spiraling out through her, smiling with a known fact that Galeem and Dharkon had weakened themselves more in physical strength. This was the moment of sacrifice her Tabuu self was talking about. The Diamond of Universes began to crack, showing this was a breaking point for the gemstone itself. The ten jewels that made this fusion of a gem could only stay together for so long. Sooner or later, the ten stones are going to separate and escape to other universes and different timelines. She knew for a fact that the Super Smash Brothers may even have far more power than her.
"Take care of the rest of the planet for me… will you?" Ultima weakly asked, turning towards the fighters on the stage. "You can manage the… rest on your own… as long as you are determined…" The dragoness looked at herself, watching the dust fade from her body. Sooner or later, she knew she may meet up with the Almighty Father, and she gave up her last breath in the welcoming arms of sweet release as her body faded into a white background. The Smashers watched as the Diamond of Universes ascended into the air, shattering into ten glowing pieces that vanished from Arcus, never to be seen again. Upon all that happening, Galeem and Dharkon simply brushed it off as a weird fever dream and continued fighting one another.
"We… lost Ultima?" Sonic asked, slumping on the ground in confusion. Kirby was just as terrified as the blue hedgehog, and the two of them hugged each other tenderly.
"No no no… this can't be happening!" Sheik pointed out. Most of the fighters on this team began to feel shocked by the even that happened before they were hit by literally every ounce of Galeem's and Dharkon's true powers, but they all felt some form of confusion, loss, grief, and relief. Relief that they may have had a far worse fate set in store for them.
"It seems as though Galeem and Dharkon aren't affected by the death of their sister in the slightest," Mario spoke, holding the empty locket in a small pile of ashes of what remained of Ultima. "It's blind determination, as always. They're not gonna stop fighting each other." The fighters slowly but surely bowed their heads in confused sorrow, uncertain of what to do next. However, someone within the group was breaking the golden silence on the stage with a song… on of which was Ultima's medley.
Colors weave into a spire of flame
The fighters turned around to face a grieving Sonic the Hedgehog, who was starting to feel compassion for Ultima for everything she had ever been through. And he was singing this song in memory of her.
Distance sparks call to a past still unnamed
Galeem and Dharkon slowly and eventually stopped attacking each other when they heard the blue hedgehog sing, and they listened with curiosity.
Bear this torch against the cold of the night
Sonic sighed in grief, not saying another word… until Fox McCloud stepped beside him and began to finish the verse.
Search your soul and reawaken the undying light
Sonic looked up at the Star Fox mercenary, slightly surprised that even he was singing alongside him. The blue hedgehog slowly began to feel hope return to him once more as he stood up and continued to sing.
On that day, when the sky fell away
Our world came to an end
For the most current lyric, Pit and Dark Pit joined in with the singing, starting to feel a bit more hopeful in a time of need. Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf also participated.
In our eyes did a fading sunrise
In the dark, glimmering shadows
Bayonetta fired her Bullet Arts at Galeem's face before Dharkon's, hearing Roy, Peach, Daisy, and Lucina join in before it was slowly building up through the other fighters.
Silence grows in the spaces between
Stretching out beyond time
Rising up as a chorus of souls
Find a voice, flickering through the void
As a few more voices began to join in with the singing while attacking a confused Galeem and Dharkon to the point of irritation, only Donkey Kong, Dark Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Pichu, Mr. Game & Watch, Olimar, R.O.B., Villager, Greninja, PAC-MAN, Duck Hunt, Inkling, Incineroar, and Piranha Plant were the only ones unable to sing but were still filled with hope as the song went on.
These little sparks cling onto life
Everyone caught in the struggle
And then the storms of change, they fan the flames
Scattering ashes to the wind
Not taking the annoyance any longer, Galeem and Dharkon had decided to continue attacking each other despite having been weak in their powers now. They still saw the fighters as mere mosquitoes compared to the real fight. Regardless, throughout the song, the fighters that continued the song in their own voices began avoiding their attacks and kept on striking the two draconic figures.
Every soul contains a whisper of light
Gleaming faintly as it dwindles from sight
No escape, no greater fate to be made
In the end, the chains of time will not break
Those that could not sing began to tackle the two dragons, dealing as many hits as they could before they got back up and began unleashing their tendrils and wings at each other as weapons.
Colors weave into a spire of flame
Distance sparks call to a past still unnamed
Bear this torch against the cold of the night
Search your soul and reawaken the undying light
Down on the crystalline islands, the Master Hand and Crazy Hand armies were starting to weaken, possibly as a result of their leaders losing, which allowed a few Mii Fighters and Subspace creatures to tackle down one or two at a time. The dwindling number of Light Puppets and Dark Puppets as a result was increasing faster, and the original Master Hand and Crazy Hand could not hold the boss clones off from the topmost stage any longer with their attacks. Regardless, they began to hear bits of the song and kept moving forward.
As fate spins, a thread without end
New life draws its first breath
Blossoming, in a soil reclaimed from the past
Where destiny holds fast
As for the fighters themselves, they kept on dodging the attacks from the two seraphic dragons and landing their hits, filled with hope that they can accomplish victory like this. From nets of light to tendrils appearing in different parts of the stage through portals, they were starting to get through it all.
Here where we stand, hand clenched in hand
Everyone caught in the struggle
This is the day we finally find our way
Stepping into our tomorrow
As the Smashers kept on fighting against two blind idiot brothers, their determination to attack grew only stronger. As a result, Galeem and Dharkon began to show signs of fear from evidence of them teleporting around the stage, leaving behind cross bombs and X bombs wherever they go.
Every soul contains a whisper of light
Growing louder as it calls to unite
From the distance sings a chorus of souls
Rising slowly, stirring heat from the coals
Colors weave into a spire of flame
Distance sparks call to a past still unnamed
Bear this torch against the cold of the night
Light will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight
As though they were quick reflexes, Galeem and Dharkon unleashed powerful beams at the fighters, hoping this time they would be gone for good. However, the setting sun and the rising moon dimmed their lights down to make way for a new kind of aura. The two dragons suddenly became terrified by the new kind of transformation that was revealed on one of the first fighters in the group: Mario. The red plumber was the first to receive a rainbow aura and golden eyes: pretty much a sign that a Final Smash has been placed on hold.
"What the-!?" Galeem asked. "How is this even possible!?"
"In order to summon a Smash Ball, you need to bring it in through sheer power!" Dharkon responded in fear in his otherwise usual grimdark tone. "Fear is what drives all these universes around!"
"But you are wrong about one thing," Mario answered in a vibrant echo within his voice.
"Determination doesn't come through power and fear," Marth spoke for Mario, also bearing the rainbow aura and golden eyes.
"It comes from strength," Cloud said, transforming as well. "Not just from physical abilities of the body but from the health of mind as well."
"It comes from wisdom," Zelda noted.
"It comes from speed," Sonic remarked. "Speed that you would be using to protect your friends by choice of free will."
"It comes from courage," Link continued.
"It comes from loyalty," Joker added.
"It comes from forgiveness," Fox piled on.
"And most important of all… it comes from teamwork," Banjo noted.
"Because that's what makes us… the Super Smash Brothers," Terry finished. Soon enough, all of the fighters in the group began to glow with the aura of the Smash Balls within them, unleashing their Final Smashes upon Galeem and Dharkon while they sang the last verses of Ultima's song.
Every soul contains a whisper of light
Growing louder as it calls to unite
From the distance sings a chorus of souls
Rising slowly, stirring heat from the coals
Colors weave into a spire of flame
Distance sparks call to a past still unnamed
Bear this torch against the cold of the night
Light will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight
All these Final Smashes. All these powerful moves occurring at the same time. All being inflicted upon the seraphic beings who got what they deserved. There wasn't any other punishment worthy for all they've done. With the Mario Finale, the Mighty Jinjonator, Grand Cross, Triforce Slash, and many more, both the Lord of Light and the Lord of Darkness felt deadly blows from left to right. Soon enough, the light and darkness within the sky began to merge, into a faint orange, and the setting sun graced the seaside.
Upon defeat, all of the Master Hands and Crazy Hands that weren't Sozo or Hakai began to break apart in Swarms of their own, fading away into clouds of dust. The same thing happened for the Light and Dark Puppets, who dropped dead to the crystalline ground and faded into dust before they could land a blow upon the Mii Fighters or the Subspace Army. The floating islands began to break apart too, and the Subspace Army quickly dissolved into Shadow Bugs and helped carry the Mii Fighters and their ships towards the Legacy, the Halberd, Falcon Flyer, Arwings, Hocotate, and many more included.
Soon enough, as soon as the sky brightened up once more, the stage below the fighters was fading into dust, and they were all falling through the sky two hundred feet in the air towards the ocean. Even though there was clearly water at the bottom, the exact speed they were falling would result in a splat similar to falling off an 80-story building onto hard concrete. Thankfully, the Spirits that could fly tried gathering up the Smashers and tried pulling them up, but their combined weight was too heavy to pull all of them up at once. Sozo and Hakai in their Hand forms managed to form a cup together to collect all the Smashers within their… well, hands.
The fighters watched as the remains of Galeem and Dharkon crashed into the ocean, the lights within their bodies fading into black. As the titanic waves of sea foam calmed down, the bodies of the Lords of Light and Darkness sank deep into the ocean, leaving behind orbs of gold and violet in their midst upon the crystal-blue surface. As the Super Smash Brothers were dropped onto the deck, they quickly ran over to the side to see the two orbs draw in all the energy around them. All the Spirits they had managed to rescue throughout the ten years they had been on this planet appeared right behind them to witness the event.
A gleam of light twinkled in each of the orbs before humongous shockwaves of golden light and violet darkness spread throughout the planet, shattering the barrier that was keeping all the Spirits trapped in Arcus. The shockwaves then expanded across the solar system, then the galaxy, then the universe and every other universe out there, until everything that had been destroyed was restored.
The fighters looked up into the sky to see the stars twinkle in the atmosphere, to which all the Spirits on the Legacy applauded in victory.
"Yes! Yes!" Daisy cheered, hugging Luigi while spinning around with him in her arms and making him blush. "We did it! We finally did it!"
"We'll finally return home!" the Sans Spirit spoke out from the crowd, feeling a rainbow aura surround himself as he floated up into the air. "Last one to their homeworld is a rotten egg!" Soon enough, a few Spirits began soaring into space, and eventually every Spirit on the planet was returning to their universes. They began soaring through the air in a multitude of colors, going deep into space until the highest point where the fighters could see the Spirits escape was nothing more than a star gleaming as bright as a supernova millions of light years away. There were plenty of Spirits inviting the fighters to join them back on their homeworlds.
"Well… looks like this is it," Mario told his friends. "We have finally made it up to this point after so long. Sozo? Will we… ever forget about this place? About the pals we made here?"
"Seems like only the Spirits can," Sozo answered truthfully. "You will still remember the adventures you went on this planet. And for that… Hakai and I are forever grateful. Your legends will be remembered on this planet for generations to come. And now you all can fulfill the dream of freedom you so well deserve after so long." Mario looked back upon the friends from different universes he made, how they all acted different in the roles they were presented in: hero, villain, or somewhere in between. He admired the different quirks in their personalities, helping them stand out from the others in some way.
And now he was going to say goodbye to them.
"We're-a going to miss you guys," Mario told his pals. "Hope we can meet again in the future. But for now… I guess this is goodbye." All the fighters in the large team got together in one big group hug, all of them feeling satisfied with the ending they had gotten in the end while also feeling sad that they have to go. Just then, Sonic realized something.
"This is the perfect spot for a group photo!" Sonic noted with sudden realization, and he quickly dashed to the other side of the Legacy before returning back a couple seconds later with a camera.
"Okay, everyone! Look this way!" Sonic told the fighters. Upon setting the camera up, Sonic dashed into the group photo at the split second the timer on the camera's shutter was finished. Before the camera fell, Sonic ran back in and held onto it as it printed a copy of the photograph. The blue hedgehog dashed over to his friends with the photograph in his gloved hands.
"What do you guys think?" Sonic asked. The other fighters really enjoyed the group photo as they included the whole crew of the Super Smash Brothers – Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Dark Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Daisy, Bowser, Ice Climbers, Sheik, Zelda, Dr. Mario, Pichu, Falco, Marth, Lucina, Young Link, Ganondorf, Mewtwo, Roy, Chrom, Mr. Game & Watch, Meta Knight, Pit, Dark Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Wario, Snake, Ike, Pokémon Trainer (with Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard), Diddy Kong, Lucas, Sonic, King Dedede, Olimar, Lucario, R.O.B., Toon Link, Wolf, Villager, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina & Luma, Little Mac, Greninja, Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, Mii Gunner, Palutena, PAC-MAN, Robin, Shulk, Bowser Jr., Duck Hunt, Ryu, Ken, Cloud, Corrin, Bayonetta, Inkling, Ridley, Simon, Richter, King K. Rool, Isabelle, Incineroar, Piranha Plant, Joker, Hero, Banjo & Kazooie, Terry, and Byleth – all within the same frame.
"Nailed it!" Sonic chuckled. "A little memory of what we had together. Besides, this photograph might be updated by the time some new fighters wanna join our squad."
"Maybe one day," Red responded, calling back his three Pokémon with the Pokéballs he had. "Right now, I just wanna get back to my homeworld and be the very best like no one ever was. Who knows? Maybe I might catch a few rare Pokémon like Mewtwo and Lucario one day. Probably not." Soon enough, all of the fighters except for the ex-Ultimates Reborn, the Wii Fit Trainer, Duck Hunt, R.O.B., Ice Climbers, and Mr. Game & Watch stayed behind. As the rest of the fighters were getting ready to jump in with the Spirits and return to their homeworlds, Sonic stood in place while the others walked off.
"Sonic… are you coming?" Fox asked. The blue hedgehog sighed, twiddling his fingers to think of a reasonable response.
"I… think I want to stay here," Sonic answered with a reply that even confused the fighters a bit. "This world is the gateway to other universes, the likes of which we have never seen before. I've got places to be and would like to… discover those worlds before I return to my home planet. And I hope one day we can all be called here together again and go one adventures through different worlds and alternate timelines. To make a long story short… I just wanna get things prepared for your return in case there are other worlds in need of our help." Fox laid a hand on the hedgehog's shoulder, knowing the decision Sonic made was wise in his own sense.
"Let's hope this choice of yours was worth it," Fox told the blue hedgehog before hugging him tightly with a pat on the back. The two broke apart the hug, and Fox McCloud grabbed ahold of Falco Lombardi and Wolf O' Donnell before jumping in with the other Spirits and ascending high into the air.
"See you guys again someday, I guess!" Falco called out to his pals, still holding on tight to Fox as he grabbed ahold of a Spirit from their universe. Mario walked over to the blue hedgehog, pulling out the old photo he still had in his blue overalls this whole time. It was torn and bent at the tips, with a couple burn marks on the sides and the permanent marker writing almost worn off to the point where it was unreadable.
"So you can compare our old photo to the current one," Mario told Sonic before hugging the blue hedgehog. The red plumber broke apart the hug and gently grabbed ahold of Peach's delicate hand, who in turn took hold of Bowser's hand as he carried on his spiky back his son Bowser Jr. and the Piranha Plant. In Mario's other hand, he held tight to Luigi, who was holding Daisy's hand with the utmost care, with Rosalina hugging tightly to her Luma while the Princess of Sarasaland roped her into the Mario gang with an arm lasso around her waist. Dr. Mario, King K. Rool, Yoshi, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, and Wario grabbed tightly onto Bowser's shell, and the whole group jumped in once Mario held on tightly to a Spirit from their respected universe.
Once Mario and his friends from their universe were gone, Byleth walked over to Sonic and the fighters who didn't have their memorials destroyed. The professor pulled out the device he still carried with him, giving it to the blue hedgehog and covering it with Sonic's other hand.
"A little gift from me to you," Byleth told Sonic. "Hope it might help you in your research. As for me? I've got some I need to attend to in my timeline. The professor managed to spot one of his students within the Spirits escaping, and he dived in and ascended into the sky. One after the other, each warrior from their world was jumping in with the Spirits and floating freely into space, never to be seen again for quite some time.
But here was the thing. Quite some time. As Sonic watched his otherworldly friends leave after giving Meta Knight a comfort hug, he looked up into the starry sky as he watched pillars upon pillars of Spirits escaping, finally free to reunite with the bodies that were restored for them back in their worlds. He looked back at Sieg, Gilbert, Sherry, the Wii Fit Trainer, Popo and Nana, Mr. Game & Watch, and the ex-Ancient Minister, holding the photographs and the strange device in his hands with a bit of determination in his mind. There were plenty of universes undiscovered, and the strange device he held might provide the answers he needs from the mysterious dream he had that may uncover all the secrets of the multiverse.
This journey to defeat Galeem and Dharkon was only the beginning.
