Captain Falcon's Theatre (pt. 3): Disaster
The snow's falling and we're deep into the night. As promised, this chapter will show us what happened to Peach during the adventure. What exactly did she suffer through? Read to find out.
The heralding of snow is marked by a sort of beauty unlike any other…
The whiteness that overtakes the terrain is filled with peaceful bliss, something that the other seasons fail to provide…
It is pleasing to the eye and lures many into its grasp…
Its presence is often enhanced by other phenomena of the winter, such as the aurorae of the sky…
However, this beauty is tainted by the sorrowful grip of death…
The freezing temperatures force many types of life to flee from the curses present, such as frostbite…
The few that are unable to escape are left to perish, slowly and with agony overloading every nerve…
In addition, the so-called bliss can instead be interpreted as a form of coldness and isolation due to the harsh properties the snow itself possesses…
In a way, it is comparable to the black rose in regards to properties…
Both are beautiful, both are tainted with death…
An hour before midnight…
"Why do we have to wait until tomorrow?" Dedede sighed to himself. By this point, he was resting on a spare mattress placed inside a spare room of Captain Falcon's estate. The room itself was very empty except for the bed, the inactive lamp hanging overhead, and a solitary window at the far wall; the lattermost feature was gathering ice at its very edges due to the freezing temperatures outside. The estate was, thankfully, outfitted with an air conditioning system that kept the area warm and gentle, but that was the least of the king's concerns. For the past few hours, he was plagued by a disease of worry that appeared to stem from the kidnappings of R.O.B. and Jigglypuff; with Falcon's decision to wait until tomorrow, the king, normally one so apathetic and greedy, now feared that he and the others would not be able to reach the duo before they were injured or even killed. It was understandable that the good captain had to rest up for the Platinum Cup, but still…
If only he and the others could just venture out into the city to successfully rescue R.O.B. and Jigglypuff, perhaps with the Falcon Flyer in their possession…
Furthermore, there was a nagging voice attempting to fill his head with pessimistic thoughts, not letting up for a single second. Its sole purpose was to torment him, nothing more, nothing less...
They're dead… They're already dead… There is no point in searching for them… It's not worth dragging your teammates with you… You will only end up in more trouble than you can imagine…
"No, they're not dead yet," Dedede retorted. "If the attackers wanted R.O.B. and Jigglypuff dead, then they would've resorted to murder back at Sand Ocean. There must be a reason why the two are being held captive. Interrogation? Hostage holding? I don't know the exact reason. What I do know is that they are in danger and need to be rescued as soon as possible. If Falcon's not gonna look for them, then I will. Who knows how guilty I will feel if I refuse to do anything…"
You refuse to listen… The behavior that you exhibit will be your downfall… You should listen to what Captain Falcon had ordered you to do…
The king nodded his head in disgust. "Shut up. You're only saying that so that you can prevent me from commencing my search. Well, you're not going to stop me."
Wait…
Ignoring the voice in his head, Dedede rolled out of his bed and proceeded to quietly stroll into the trophy room on the second floor, where Red was resting. Unlike the previous area, Red's resting place was decorated with shelves of trophies belonging to the legendary racer, all of them adorned with his name at the base of each: Douglas Falcon. Most of them were also colored gold, which was the perfect color for a powerful shine to happen… except that there was no light. In the center of the room was the trainer himself, immobile and conveniently placed on a mattress. There was a blanket covering up much of his body, which only served to further shield him from the cold chills of winter.
"Hey, Red," the king whispered. As he spoke, he began to gradually approach the Pokémon owner to make his voice more audible. "Wake up. I need you for something…"
Red was unresponsive. In fact, he was sailing away in the sea of unconsciousness, far away from the coastline that was his active consciousness. He was so deep within the dark waters that they left him unable to hear Dedede's voice to any degree, which forced the bulky monarch to resort to physical action.
"C'mon, can you please wake up?" Dedede sighed again. He shook the trainer ever so softly, and before long, there finally came a reaction. Red's eyes opened to reveal the king grabbing him by the shoulders; the trainer nearly pulled back at that sight but calmed down immediately afterwards.
"What do you want, Dedede?" he weakly sighed. Pushing the blanket away from him, it was revealed that he was only wearing a pair of long trousers, with his usual attire being absent for the most part. "I'm trying to rest up for tomorrow…"
"I need you, Peach, and Kirby to get on the Falcon Flyer with me," the penguin-like being replied. His face was filled with an aura of determination. "We're going to get R.O.B. and Jigglypuff back."
"Wait a minute, why now? Do you remember what Falcon said to us a few hours ago? We're supposed to wait until tomorrow to rescue the two of them. If you try taking the Falcon Flyer without his permission-"
The king was quick to interrupt. "Forget what Falcon said. He doesn't realize that the attackers might already be planning to kill those two, especially if the people that we're dealing with are… You know who I'm talking about."
The trainer paused for a moment to absorb the comment. Maybe Dedede was just being irrational, attempting to take the advanced, jet-like vehicle without the good captain's permission. Not only would Falcon be infuriated, but none of the remaining Smashers in this group were experienced pilots to begin with. If the kidnappers, who were most likely dangerous foes, failed to knock them out of the sky, then their inexperience would just do the trick.
But…
R.O.B. and Jigglypuff were still important to the Smash Brothers, right? Besides that, there was the possibility of the kidnappers planning to murder the duo at this very hour. Master Hand would be gravely concerned, if not outright disturbed, if there were deaths in the organization. Maybe there was a strong reason behind Dedede's behavior after all, reckless as it initially seemed.
"Okay, fine…" Red finally sighed. "I'll get my stuff together and wake the others up."
"Good," Dedede grunted. "Once you're done, meet me at the front of the estate."
A few minutes later…
"Okay, so we're going out to rescue Jigglypuff and R.O.B.," a fully-clothed Red announced. "I know that it's very risky to take the Falcon Flyer without asking for Falcon's permission, but given what Dedede just told me, I guess we have very little choice. You guys have your stuff together? Once we leave this place, we're not heading back until our rescue is successful."
"Poyo," Kirby chirped, nodding his head in the affirmative. "Poyo-poyo."
"I have everything with me," Peach also replied. Her hair, unlike the previous two days, was now in the form of an elegant ponytail. "So, where are we heading to first?"
"We're gonna head to the abandoned factory from before," Dedede answered with a grim tone of voice. "I have a feeling that the Lords are responsible for the kidnapping, though I can't claim to be a direct eyewitness to their actions. We ought to pay them a simple ol' visit."
"But what if they aren't responsible?"
"Then… I guess we'll have to search all over the city, long and hard. It won't be easy, either; Port Town's got a whopping number of areas to visit."
"There's only one way to find out." As the princess stopped speaking, she and the other three Smashers began traveling a short distance to a garage located at the opposite site of the estate. During this stroll, there were what appeared to be stones decorating the trail that connected the front and back to each other. Some were dark, almost completely black with the night's shadow in consideration, while others were about as bright as the house they were very close. Additionally, there was what appeared to be a massive track over the wall surrounding the estate; the Smashers assumed that it was only present for practice as the bounty hunter's reputation of reclusiveness would rule out all chances of him allowing others to utilize it. Upon reaching the other side, the Smashers stood face-to-face with a large door composed out of solid steel, which marked the entrance to the garage. Despite its large size, it appeared that it could easily be opened with the combined strength of the foursome. But…
"Well, what do we have here?" Red mumbled. Right next to the door was an electronic lock with a digital interface. The interface itself was decorated with a series of numbers, ranging from zero to nine, which glowed with a soft, greenish aura. Almost immediately, a problem presented itself to the heroes. No one had any idea as to identifying the correct code for unlocking the door.
"Looks like we can't take the Falcon Flyer," the princess sighed. "Only Falcon knows the code to this door as well as to the one in the living room, and it's not like he's going to lend the vehicle to us right now. We'll definitely need to wait until tomorrow."
"No," Dedede rebutted. "No electronic lock is gonna stop me from rescuing those two." Approaching the door with a slow, deliberate pace, he raised his hammer before harshly pressing it against the lock.
CRACK!
Sparks zipped out from underneath the area of impact, which was followed up by a small clicking noise emerging from the doorway. With the display in pieces, the greedy king then proceeded to tap into his raw strength to raise the door to the inside; the door itself was very heavy, and it caused his muscles to unleash a ridiculous amount of lactic acid to set his whole body on fire. Not since his most intense Smash battle with Snake did he feel this degree of fatigue. Eventually, Red had to summon his most powerful Pokémon in his party, Charizard, to assist with the heavy lifting. The dragon-like Flame Pokémon grappled the side of the door opposite to Dedede's and thrusted the whole thing into the ceiling within seconds.
"Poyo," Kirby mumbled as he and the others stepped into the garage. As the lights were switched on by a sensor mechanism, two vehicles were present in front of all staring eyes, however tired they were. The first was the Blue Falcon, the vehicle registered for F-Zero competitions by Captain Falcon. No longer stuck in high speeds, its bluish aura was now able to glisten in the light of the garage, which added a sort of mechanical beauty that few could ever witness. Since the G-diffusers were not active, the vehicle was flat on the ground, unable to travel a single centimeter. The second was the thing that had been sought for by the Smashers during the past couple of minutes: a slate-colored vehicle with its golden anterior shaped into a falcon's head.
"Let's get inside," Red muttered. Manually opening the ramp via an emergency handle, the quintet ventured into the bridge, that same area where most of its members were resting on the first day's very morning. This time, there was hardly any light aside from the garage's whitish bulbs, while all the computers inside were completely shut down and devoid of any activity. Perhaps one could say that it was literally dead, if it was ever a living being.
"Where's the button for the startup sequence…?" Dedede mumbled, unsure of the correct switch's location. Owing to the dim lighting within the interior, his eyes began straining themselves to discern one thing from another. "I could've sworn that it was around this part of the panel."
"Charizard, can you light this area up?" Red asked of his fiery companion. With no hesitation, Charizard let out an affirmative grunt before intensifying the flame at the end of its tail. The room was painted with a faint shade of orange as the heat began to settle into the room, much to the comfort of the chilled Smashers, and that warm glow was just enough for the king to finally locate the button responsible for engaging the ignition. With one single press of a button, followed by a few seconds of delay…
Whoooo…
"It's working," Red commented. "Y'know, maybe Falcon should invest in a security mechanism for this thing, just in case a foe tries to steal it."
"Now, I just need to lift up this thing…" the king mumbled. After tapping the G-diffuser button, he struggled to move the vehicle with the steering stick, although this did not seem to do anything. For that moment, the Falcon Flyer was an immovable giant floating in the air, unable to be commanded by those inside. Dedede's lack of familiarity with the controls certainly was the primary cause for this. Such was the case until the king pulled a nearby lever backwards, but when he did so…
THUD!
"Careful!" Red barked. As soon as the Falcon Flyer had struck the wall behind it, the young Pokémon Trainer stumbled a short distance before toppling over. "You could've smashed the thing!"
"Well, sorry!" Dedede retorted. "I'm not too familiar with flying this thing!" Slowly pushing the lever forward, the Falcon Flyer began to crawl out of the garage. Once it was out into the frozen world, the king increased its acceleration gradually before entering top speed; he also pulled the steering stick backwards to gain an increase in altitude. It was here that he realized the way the vehicle's behavior would change depending on speed; when slowed down or still, its functionality was more reminiscent to a hovercraft, but when pushed closer to the absolute top speed, it was more like a fighter jet. He would have to store this important detail into his memory, for if he were ever to forget it even once…
Back at the estate, Falcon began to stir himself awake after hearing a faint thud from his garage. His body was, due to drowsiness, a bit shaky and even slow, but this was not enough to outright chain him to his bed. Removing the blanket from his half-clothed form, he stumbled out of his room and into the hallway leading out into the main area, which was then illuminated by the flick of a switch. The colors were once again vibrant and majestic instead of subdued and dark, bringing back the beauty from before, although this was the least of the good captain's concerns because of a darker, more fearful thought lingering within his mind…
"I hope they aren't stealing the Falcon Flyer," he sighed, even when his mind clearly stated to him that such an event was already happening. Slowly guiding himself down the stairs, he made his way into the garage, only to be chilled by what was now missing…
"Damn it," he growled. As he spoke, he quickly retreated to his bedroom. His heart raced dramatically as he feared what was likely about to happen to his partners. "I don't know how they were able to get past the locks, but they're going to get themselves killed if I don't use the helmet right now…"
His feet finally stepping into the bedroom, Falcon swiftly pulled his widely recognized helmet from its resting spot and immediately activated a signal capable of overriding manual control. The following words then flashed across the screen:
CONNECTING TO FALCON FLYER MODEL 1.1…
"I hope they aren't too far from here," the captain puffed in a voice that was half-hopeful, half-worried. Retracing his steps back to the garage, he attempted to figure just who exactly was responsible for spearheading a rescue mission without his consent. Was it King Dedede? The bulky penguin seemed to be the most plausible candidate because he was with R.O.B. and Jigglypuff at the time that they were captured. Maybe he had felt some degree of guilt in him, which was odd due to his usual personality. But then again, maybe disastrous situations could make even a miser like him more altruistic, even if there was a bit of irrationality involved… That alone was one of the many things about thinking souls that would sometimes fascinate Falcon.
What about Red? He appeared to be legitimately concerned about the kidnapped duo, especially when he asked whether they were still being held at Sand Ocean or not. However, he was not the type of person to commit crazier acts, like stealing a high-tech vehicle. It was highly unlikely that he was the one who decided to drag the others with him, but it was not outright impossible…
Kirby? No; he did not have the mindset needed to perform a more… reckless act. Peach did not fall under the category either, mainly due to her royal duties demanding a stricter form of rationale from her.
But then, who could…
ERROR. CONNECTION INTERRUPTED; OVERRIDE FAILED.
"Just as I thought," the captain sighed in defeat, lowering his helmet, "They must have figured out that I was attempting to take the Falcon Flyer back and disabled the link to this helmet." As he stepped into the icy exterior of his house, he overheard some… sparking?
Pik... Pik…
"…?" the captain vocalized in confusion. As he twirled around to face the doorway, he noticed intermittent flashes of electricity emerging from one side. Under closer scrutiny, the sparks were revealed to be the type that would appear when an electronic device was busted.
And, lo and behold, there was a smashed display that originally kept the garage's door locked.
At Jigglypuff and R.O.B.'s location…
"Do not feed me any more lies," the larger figure, Magnus, snarled. At this point in the night, he had already paralyzed the robot with a burst of electricity that froze the latter's motors, while his servant had the Balloon Pokémon partially frozen into a block of ice. "Our stealth squadrons have already seen you with the wretched man known as Captain Falcon, both at Sand Ocean and at Port Town. Now-"
"Puff?" the puffball asked, interpreting the last part as confusing. Were there actually spies at both stadiums at the time of yesterday? "Jigglypuff?"
"Do not interrupt me, fool," the bulky man growled. "But… to answer your question, we did have spies stationed at both stadiums to make sure that no living being spoiled the surprise in case I was suspected of anything. Everything was fine until Sand Ocean, when you and your penguin friend decided to sniff us out. Now that we have taken care of all problems, I will ask this: will you assist us in collecting the staff piece for the Svärtad Orm, or would you rather suffer the fires of our wrath?"
R.O.B., despite having limited higher thinking, immediately realized that Magnus's offer was morally wrong. As tempting as it was, it would only cause him and the Balloon Pokémon to contribute to the suffering of innocent souls as well as the total annihilation of all known realms in existence. Such an action was not acceptable, not by the Smashers or by anyone with a clear conscience. He would have to stand firm, no matter how deadly the consequences were.
"I'm sorry," he beeped. "I will not join your ranks. As a Smasher, I have a duty to protect innocent people and ward off evildoers like you."
"Puff!" Jigglypuff chirped with confidence.
"Very well," Magnus hissed. With dark magic, he began to conjure a strange weapon in his hands. The low lighting made it difficult for both captives to discern its exact properties, but it seemed to be long and was decorated with a spike at one end. But before either one of them could do any further analysis…
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"Warning!" R.O.B. electronically wailed. Each blow caused his computerized vision to enter a period of static, with intense, ear-shattering noise as an unpleasant addition. "Intense damage to cranial area detected! Memory loss imminent!"
"Jigglypuff…" the Pokémon gasped. Its air-filled body attempted to shatter the ice keeping it glued to the floor. "Jigglypuff! Jigglypuff! Jigglypuff!"
"Shut that thing up, will you?" Magnus ordered. With full obedience, his subordinate proceeded to freeze the rest of the puffball's body, effectively preventing any sort of escape. The morbid room echoed for a few seconds before the husky captain continued to batter the robot with his weapon. R.O.B. fought back with laser beams from his eyes, but this action would all be in vain when the behemoth captain's weapon slammed right into his face and destroyed one of his eyes.
"I can do this all day," he snarled. "If you refuse to accept our offer, I will make your death as slow and as painful as humanly possible. Do you wish to change your mind now?"
The robot slowly cocked his head upwards. Deep dents were now on his chassis, and sparks zipped across at a ferocious rate. "No… I-I-I will not c-c-comply…"
"Hahahahaha! I knew you would say that. Now, let's continue with the pain, shall we?"
CRACK! CRACK!
The Falcon Flyer was now away from the lights of the night-tinged Port Town. The subdued properties of the farthest outskirts started to assume dominance, and with the darkness of the night looming overhead, they appeared to be even more eerie than last time, almost haunting to some. A layer of snow added a shade of white over most of the earth, but it failed to improve the poor visibility within the area. If anything, it only made the landscape harder to navigate because of its ability to make certain landmarks unrecognizable. This was not a problem for the Falcon Flyer, however, for its ability to remain airborne allowed it to overcome all obstacles and find a safe landing place… even if the pilot was a bit shaky with the controls.
"Woah, steady now…" Dedede mumbled. His right hand pulled back on the lever, but it did so at too fast a rate to safely allow the vehicle to be halted. A large jerk threw all occupants forward, with Red and Peach completely falling over. "Steady…"
"You really aren't familiar with flying this thing, are you?" the royal princess groaned.
"No, I guess not." Landing the Falcon Flyer at the factory's parking lot, the king switched the ignition off before letting down a ramp that allowed access to the outside world. Bitter chills contacted skin as they were once again exposed to the winter spirit and her effects on the landscape; the chilled Kirby was shivering greatly because, unlike the others, he had no clothing to keep himself warm. Charizard, on the other hand, was hardly affected by the sub-zero temperatures, as its tail's flame could keep it warm, maybe to the point of melting the nearby snow.
"Alright then," Red grunted. "Let's get in there and show the kidnappers who's boss."
"Poyo," Kirby agreed. As he and the others strolled into the snow-coated hideout, the cold winds became suppressed to some degree, although the environment did not become much more comfortable in comparison to well-shielded areas, such as Falcon's residence. The blackness from before was even more apparent as this time of the day-night cycle, and with R.O.B.'s absence from the group, proper navigation was now close to impossible. Even Charizard's flame could not reach the luminosity required to improve vision because of the factory's sheer size.
"Stay on your best guard, buddy," Red quipped to his longtime companion. The orange-skinned dragon only nodded in response before intensifying its flame slightly, just enough to create a balance between clearing the darkness and remaining hidden from the dark forces that resided in this forsaken place. Dedede kept his hammer raised for any signs of danger, anticipating an incoming battle. Kirby did the same thing with his own version of the renowned weapon. Peach and Red remained close to the others, being careful not to fall behind.
"Let's check the rest of the first floor," Red ordered. "Maybe we can find Jigglypuff and R.O.B. down here."
"Good thinking," Dedede commented. "I'm not really a big fan of bloody carnage, truth be told." The Smashers then continued into the section of the first floor not covered by the previous visit. There were now stacks of boxes for every couple of meters, some of them even reaching to about half of the factory's total height. Rusted shelves loomed overhead, and the clear majority of them harbored nothing but total emptiness; the proprietors of years ago were likely too lazy to store the boxes onto the shelves… or perhaps they lacked the necessary equipment. Regardless, the place still appeared to be a total mess. After passing row after row of disused equipment, the Smashers noticed a door at the very corner of the floor.
"Let's see what's behind that door," Peach whispered. As the door was gently pushed open, the rear portion of the factory was brought into clear view, albeit barely due to the lack of functional lights. There were three massive doors that presumably led to the loading docks outside of the structure, with conveyor belts right next to each one. These small pathways were connected to a larger variation that appeared to lead somewhere else into the factory, though where the exact destination was specifically remained out of clear sight. Unlike the front, there were no wires littering the floor, and the windows were so dirty to the point of completely blocking all view of the outside world.
"Rrgh…" Charizard grunted, taking note of the decaying scenery. From the look on its face, it was undeniably clear to the others that it was a bit concerned, maybe even a bit disturbed.
"Yeah," Red replied. His hat was readjusted to provide more comfort. "Just looking at this place gives me the chills. I'm hope we can find Jigglypuff and R.O.B. within the next couple of minutes, 'cause I feel that this place is gonna give me nightmares if I stay here for any longer."
"You're not the only one who's thinking about that," Dedede added. As the Smashers led themselves to the very end of the area, a door at the very end awaited all of them. For some reason, this door seemed to possess an ominous vibe, more so than all the other entryways. Maybe something disturbing or dangerous was just on the other side, waiting to traumatize or even mutilate the heroes of the journey. A faint voice could be heard on the other side, though there was no way to decipher what was being spoken because the assumed speaker was communicating in a foreign language.
"Get ready to fight if we have to," Red ordered. The duo from Dream Land brought out hammers to smash a few foes, and Peach prepared her frying pan for battle. Charizard was ready to incinerate some foes with its fiery breath. Red grasped the handle tightly, but as he did so, a chill suddenly shot across his body. If the unseen hostile, no, hostiles were ready to ambush them, and if they had gotten stronger from before, then there was no telling how much damage could be inflicted, especially considering the good group's reduced size. Quickly swinging the door open, the young man and his group encountered…
"Jigglypuff and R.O.B.?" Dedede gasped. "But where did the unknown guy go?"
"I don't know," Red answered. In front of him and the others were a frozen Jigglypuff and a damaged R.O.B. The Balloon Pokémon's still expression was that of fear, maybe even pain. The former Ancient Minister, now on reserve power and with many of his functions offline, was horribly smashed at multiple areas of his body. "The Lords are probably just playing tricks on our minds."
"Charizard, can you please melt the ice?" Peach requested. The Flame Pokémon unleashed a small fireball as a sign of compliance to the princess's order. In mere seconds, the ice was reduced to a gentle sensation of wetness to the puffball, shielding it from the harsh, skin-freezing pain from before. With its nerves partly dulled by the cold, it struggled to maintain its footing for a couple of seconds; some of the others compared this event to an infant taking its first steps. Meanwhile, Dedede began carrying the injured R.O.B., since the robot's disabled motors left him unable to move on his own. With the two captives rescued, the other Smashers immediately exited the room and, through the same doorway that they initially passed through, the entire factory, that one place of nightmares within an isolated part of Port Town's metropolitan area. With everything accomplished, the trip back to the Falcon Flyer would be free of all problems…
…or so the Smashers believed.
"The intruders are still not aware of our presence," a cloaked Lord muttered. He was within proximity of the Falcon Flyer, although he stayed out of earshot of the Smashers. "If the robot had taken advantage of its advanced vision capabilities, we would have been spotted by now, but since it is severely beaten, we are safe for the time being."
"Is the trap ready?" Magnus, whose voice was heard telepathically, asked. Once again, a sinister vibe manifested itself in the husky captain's voice, screaming a sort of twisted glee that could only originate from sadistic acts.
"It is set up. Once the vehicle leaves the area, I will activate the timer on the explosive. The blast should be able to eliminate all those inside, either through its fire or the ship's subsequent crash."
"Excellent. There shall be no escape for those fools…" Magnus's words continued to echo inside the servant's mind as the Falcon Flyer initiated its noisy takeoff.
Inside the Falcon Flyer, about two minutes later…
"Alright," Red muttered, "We should be better prepared for tomorrow. R.O.B.'s a major cause for concern, though; looks like Falcon must repair him again."
"Yep, it seems that way," Dedede concurred. "But R.O.B. looks even worse than before. I don't think that Falcon alone will be able to repair him this time."
The trainer paused for a moment to consider the possibility mentioned by the king. "I think you're right. Besides, he appears to be on the bare minimum of power needed to function properly. If we wait too long, well… You know what will happen next."
"We'll need to…"
Beep…
"Poyo?" Kirby chirped. His ears suddenly caught the sound of beeps emerging from the back of the vehicle. As far as he was concerned, beeping was not a sign of the Falcon Flyer's normal operation. Something was not right, he believed. Determined to investigate, he slowly approached the source.
"Where are you going, Kirby?" Peach asked, curious about the puffball's new behavior. She began to follow him in a bid to catch wind of what he had just detected. Approaching the back, her ears also began to hear the strange beeping.
"Hey, there's a strange beeping sound in the back," she announced, concerned by the new abnormality. Her heels shuffled slightly as she began to crouch down for better hearing.
"A beeping sound?" Red mumbled flatly. "That's not normal, right? I mean, we've haven't heard it in all of our trips before this one, so I'm guessing that there must be something wrong with this vehicle."
"I guess so, but I just can't shake the feeling that we're dealing with something very dangerous."
Beep… Beep… Beep…
"Wait a minute, it's getting louder," Dedede grunted. "Something tells me that beeps indicating a malfunction don't do that over time…"
Beep… Beep… Beep… BEEP…
"Jigglypuff…" the Balloon Pokémon puffed. It proceeded to approach the pink duo, with Charizard following suit. The beeping continued to get louder.
BEEP… BEEP… BEEP BEEP BEEP…
"…!" the princess exclaimed, sudden shock striking her body like a bolt of lightning. In a swift motion, she tossed Kirby right into Jigglypuff. Then…
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!
The events in the aftermath of such a massive blast happened all too quickly for anyone to comprehend. Charizard was thrown backwards by a strong force, its body being hurled right into the chair where Dedede's husky form sat. The collision was painful, especially for the wings and head that absorbed the full brunt of the impact. In the few seconds that followed, the Flame Pokémon was left dazed, with the world around it being a blurry canvas of numerous colors. Meanwhile, the two puffballs rolled across the ground, with each rotation partially flattening their bodies into an assortment of pink blobs. They would have slammed head-on into the bottom of the dashboard if Red had not caught them in time. The back of the Falcon Flyer was now a messy assortment of twisted metal and wiring, with some pieces sparking or, due to the massive amounts of heat absorbed, inheriting a bright orange color. With the jets no longer functioning at their optimal capacity, the personal vehicle of Port Town's famous bounty hunter was now losing altitude at a rapid rate. The winter's freezing air began to take over the warm environment from before. A loud siren could be heard over the wind's harsh blowing.
But all this was nothing compared to what happened to the crown monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom. Having sustained the massive explosion's full power, her body was rendered a terrible mess; her legs and right arm were charred, bloody stumps that ended above where her knees and elbow used to be, and her dress was scorched in several areas. Large patches of skin were also burned, and they were burned to the point where no medical procedure could rejuvenate them. Two pieces of rubble had punctured the left side of her chest and her right eye, leaving a shade of red around the areas of impact.
"Oh, no…" Red gasped, his eyes catching the horrific sight of the princess. He already began to fear that it was too late to save her. "PEACH!"
"Damn!" Dedede yelled. His arms struggled to pull back on the steering stick due to massive system damage. His strength, great as it was, did little to assist him. "I can't keep this thing afloat! We're gonna crash!"
"Find… somewhere… to land…" R.O.B. weakly blipped. Even through all the chaos, his voice was more subdued and devoid of any urgency. It was assumed that this was a secondary effect of the damage inflicted by the Lords, albeit for a very short length of time.
"But we're over the ocean; there's nowhere to land! Unless you want me to toss this thing into deep water…" The king's face tensed as his comment progressed. Was he to follow the former Ancient Minster's order, or could he...?
"Set it… on a course… to Captain Falcon's residence…"
Unable to argue any further, Dedede was left with no choice but to follow through with the robot's plan. "Okay then, I better get as close to the islands as possible…"
"Charizard, try to keep the ship up!" Red ordered. The dragon launched itself outside the Falcon Flyer's damaged form and soared right to its underside to sustain it. It was nothing more, nothing less than a difficult task; as strong as the final evolution of Charmander was, the vehicle's ludicrous weight already placed a heavy amount of strain upon its body in seconds. The agony inherent in the tiresome task was never experienced in Smash battles, for even the most proficient of opponents within the Smash Brothers had never pushed the Pokémon to the absolute limit of its physical strength. Strong winds were also a problem, as they kept blowing its wings backwards.
It was nothing more than a living hell for Charizard, even if it only lasted for a short length of time. The one and only glimmer of hope was in the form of Falcon's residence, visible from approximately less than two kilometers away.
"Must… keep it… up…" Dedede groaned. The steering stick continued to creep forward despite some external assistance from Charizard. But worse still was the fact that the speeding vehicle was now near the outer edges of Falcon's residence, and if the Smashers did not leap out of the vehicle in time…
"Red," he grunted. With no other option at hand, he proceeded to abandon his position as pilot. "We have to ditch this thing!"
"Okay," the young man responded. Approaching the shattered rear of the ship, he raised his voice to ensure that his trusted companion heard him. "Charizard, come back and take me out of this ship!"
"Rargh!" the dragon-like Pokémon responded. Abandoning its previous task, it retreated into the ship to deliver its owner from a fiery death. When this action was witnessed, the two puffballs held hands and simultaneously puffed their way out of the doomed ship. Their floating bodies were helpful in defying gravity to some extent, shielding them from falls that would otherwise be completely fatal. Dedede proceeded to carry both R.O.B. and Peach with his wide arms.
"Okay, let's abandon ship!" he announced, but with barely any energy left in their bodies, it was unlikely that the wounded ones could fully understand his comment. With the help of his famed Super Dedede Jump, the husky king leaped into the cold air of Port Town, creeping ever closer to the clouded skies. After reaching the apex of such a magnificent move, he and his allies began to descend into the ocean below…
WHOOSH!
…until they were rescued from a watery crisis by Charizard, who now had its teeth deep into the king's robes. Dedede was forced to lock his hands together to avoid slipping out of his fancy garment. Nearby, the Falcon Flyer collided into the largest island's F-Zero course, exploding with a piercing sound that would have caused nearby ears to bleed.
A few minutes later…
"Why did you take the Falcon Flyer without my permission?!" the bounty hunter yelled at Dedede. His middle-aged face was tinted a bright shade of red, for he himself was frustrated with his partner's actions.
"Look," the king rebutted, "I had to do it. I assumed that if you waited until tomorrow, then Jigglypuff and R.O.B. would have been killed. And that's very strange, considering that you are usually quick to save innocent people. Also, you should know that the kidnappers were indeed the Orm's Lords, which makes my cause even more justified."
"But that doesn't justify you smashing up the Falcon Flyer by launching it into one of my personal courses!"
The king felt a newfound anger flaring up from within. Now he was being blamed for something that was beyond his control, he believed. "WHAT?! It was an enemy bomb that disabled your precious vehicle! The bomb was most likely set up by the Lords to bring a nasty surprise to us while we were heading back to this place! You think that was my fault?!"
Falcon's redness continued to intensify. "Even if you weren't responsible for trashing my vehicle, your irrationality has caused Princess Peach to get seriously injured. Do you understand just how much Mario is going to be pissed when he hears of this?!"
"Okay, now you're just trying to blame me for everything. The same bomb that was planted on the ship was what left the princess badly injured. We had no idea that there was an explosive until after it went off! And yes, I do understand how much Peach means to Mario; don't think I'm oblivious to their general interactions with each other."
The captain proceeded to silence himself for a few seconds. He was too furious to properly think right now, so there was only the option of venting superheated steam from his mind. In fact, continuing a conversation at high levels of anger would only cause him to mutter irrational statements. Slowly breathing in and out, he forced the redness on his face to slowly fade in a manner reminiscent to a metal cooling down.
"Okay…" he sighed calmly. "I'm sorry that I got upset with you. Now that you've revealed to me all the details, I know it's not entirely your fault. Still, don't take any of my vehicles without permission, understand?"
"Yes, I get it," the king muttered slowly. "Now, how are we supposed to get Peach to a hospital?"
"I'll have to contact Stewart for this one because the Falcon Flyer is busted. As for R.O.B., he'll have to stay here for the time being because there isn't a mechanic that is available right now. I'll fix him in the morning, before I head out to Fire Field for the Platinum Cup."
"Okay."
As the scene fell into silence, Falcon proceeded to establish contact with an old friend of his via helmet…
Inside the Port Town Downtown Hospital…
"How bad is it?" Red muttered. He and most of the Smashers, save for R.O.B. and Charizard, were gathered around the bed where Peach, unconscious and still suffering from her injuries, rested. The princess herself was dressed in a white garment worn by hospital patients and had a small respirator mask over her mouth. Bandages were draped over the wounded areas of her body, and her crown was missing, presumably lost during the explosion. There were machines and tubes right next to her bed, many of which were connected to her body through intravenous needles and a few other forms of physical contact. Meanwhile, the room was a sleek white color, a common motif in many buildings of this time period, and small, square-shaped windows were located at the far wall. Visible was a grand view of Port Town's many buildings, at least those on the eastern side of Downtown; although they were distant, colorful signs and high-speed vehicles continued to dominate the landscape for every single minute that faded out of existence. Fluorescent lights loomed overhead, with each one shining over a certain corner of the room.
"It's very bad," Doctor Stewart sighed. "With three of her limbs missing, she won't be able to do most activities without the help of prosthetic replacements. She can only see out of one eye and has third-degree burns over large parts of her body. Also, while I was running my analysis of her, I realized that she has a punctured lung due to impalement."
"She's not going to live, is she…?" Falcon questioned with uncertainty in his voice. Worry crept into his heart like a disease as he feared for her life. If her life was lost, then the Smash Brothers would lose a longtime fighter, one that was dedicated, energetic, and very adept in strategy. Worse yet, if Mario, the one person that the princess had deep feelings for, ever caught wind of this…
"No, not without some… help. Aside from Falcon, do any of you remember me mentioning my involvement in a certain medical project funded by the government?"
"I have," Red muttered. "In fact, only Dedede, Jigglypuff, and R.O.B. haven't heard your comment at all."
"Well, now that the circumstances have changed, I feel that I should reveal the details to all of you. The government has recruited me to work on an experimental project involving the creation of combat cyborgs for the military. These cyborgs are not the ones that you usually see around here, such as Mighty Gazelle, who has gotten a reasonable amount of fame as an F-Zero pilot. In fact, they are meant to provide a whole new level of firepower and versatility in situations too serious for ordinary soldiers to handle. We already have several subjects that have undergone this procedure, with all of them so far being associated with military organizations."
"Poyo?" Kirby asked. The puffball now sought to learn more about this secret project, especially since Peach was very likely to become a test subject of it.
"When we pick out test subjects, we usually select military personnel who have been seriously wounded during active duty, though there are also a few others who willingly undergo the procedure. So far, no civilians have been selected due to the project currently being reserved for the military, but there is recently some discussion about selecting a few civilians at random."
"Can you perform the surgery on Peach?" Dedede asked.
"Normally, bringing a civilian into a project like this would be forbidden, but since she is a part of the Super Smash Brothers, who are anything but civilians…" The doctor's voice then trailed off.
"Well?" The king scratched the back of his head, waiting for the answer. Tension filled his body as he waited; if the princess was to perish, not only would there be one less member in the Super Smash Brothers, but Mario would be deeply dismayed, perhaps to the point where he would end his mental suffering in the most permanent way possible.
"I'll get my team to perform the surgery on her, though the government will more than likely need some documentation of your group's existence, preferably before the operation is finished."
"Okay," Falcon grunted. "I'll ask Master Hand to provide some official documentation." As he proceeded to exit the room, he began to connect with a certain maiden back at the Smash Mansion. Seconds later…
"Lillian…?" he spoke again. "This is Captain Falcon. I need to tell you something important." Silence followed for a few seconds before the maiden responded.
"What is it, Falcon?" Lillian asked. Her voice seemed slightly shaky, as if she had been crying a few minutes before. Falcon did not care for this detail, however.
"Princess Peach has been seriously injured by the Lords. She's clinging to life at a hospital in Port Town. I'm not sure if she's going to live for the time being, but…"
"Hmm… I can sense her vital signs reaching critical levels. How did she sustain serious injuries?"
"The Lords apparently attached a bomb to the Falcon Flyer, which must have exploded when Peach was nearby. This is some serious news for us, as the Smashers are in danger of losing one dedicated fighter, but it's going to be especially devastating for Mario. If, no… When he hears of this, he's going to be way beyond upset. Do you know how much she means to him?"
The maiden let out a soft sigh. "You mean to tell me that the two of them have strong feelings for each other?"
Falcon's voice dropped slightly in pitch. "Yes; they absolutely love each other with a burning passion, even to the point of becoming irrational at times. It's amazing how two people can develop such a powerful bond with each other… Do you think that you can deliver the news to him?"
"I will. By the way, what will you do about Peach?"
"A friend of mine and his team will turn her into a combat cyborg, but somehow I can't guarantee that she'll survive. Also, I need you to ask Master Hand to provide an official copy of the Smash Brothers organization's charter. The government of Port Town will probably be asking for proof of our existence."
The maiden sighed once again before severing the telepathic link. With nothing else to do other than waiting, he strolled back into the room slowly to announce his improvised plan.
"Alright," he muttered, "For tomorrow, I will have you guys stay here at the hospital. Now that the Lords have a better idea of who we are, they'll try to hunt us down. Also, I need you to hand over a copy of our official charter to Stewart, since the government will likely be asking for proof of our group's existence."
"What about you?" Red asked.
"Stewart said he will lend me one of his spare vehicles to get myself to the rest of the Grand Prix."
The Pallet Town denizen yawned in a quiet tone of voice before speaking again. "Okay. Let's head back, because I'm starting to get tired…"
With no other word, the group departed for Falcon's solitary residence…
Two hours later, at an operating room within the hospital…
"Are you ready for this?" Stewart asked. Replacing his usual attire was a surgical uniform that was a pale turquoise in color, with a surgeon's mask over a part of his face. Contrary to the comment, his eyes were locked onto Peach's damaged form. The princess was stripped of most of her clothing, now clothed only in her pink underwear. Life-supporting machines surrounded her and did all that they could to keep her alive.
"We're all ready to go," a member of his team commented over the room's intercom. The English-accented man was out of clear sight from Stewart as he was operating the robotic arms that loomed over the operating table like metallic tentacles. "But I hope that Falcon gets the official evidence soon."
"He will in due time, but for now, let's start the operation."
The arms proceeded to approach Peach, as did Stewart and another surgeon whose skin was darker than his co-workers…
I just want to say that this adventure is really piquing my curiosity, big time. We don't know much about the Lords at all, and while it's obvious that they want to revive the Svärtad Orm to destroy worlds and generally wreak havoc, the primary motive behind such destructive behavior is beyond me. Were these people discriminated against, and if so, by who? The country where Lillian resides? Or maybe they're the product of something darker...? I know I'm just getting ahead of myself, but I think the maiden is hiding things from us.
Also, I sincerely hope Peach lives through the operation. If it's successful, she'll become a super-powered cyborg with high destructive potential, which will aid us in our mission.
-Red
There you have it, folks: Peach's exact fate during the adventure. And no, Stewart wasn't looking at her in a perverted fashion. Now, the Platinum Cup will go on, but for how long? Magnus certainly isn't going to be playing fair forever…
A/N:
-According to the official F-Zero canon, the islands where Falcon resides at have a track on each one, designed to keep the good captain's racing skills sharp while staying out of the public eye.
-Although I've failed to mention this back in the first part of this theatre, Peach's ability to create streams of water with tears originates from Super Princess Peach on the DS, where she had the ability to tap into her emotions to take down hapless foes.