Into a Ravaged City

Time to get the two groups together. Read on to see if the Smashers can fight at least a portion of the invading army… and if Fox and Wolf manage to avoid getting jailed.

Why did she become so corrupted? She was once the purest in the entire land, but she is now the most twisted embodiment of pure evil and terror. I tried to redeem her, but my efforts were fruitless. She even scoffed that her soul enjoyed bathing in the blackest of evils! As much as I hate having to deliver punishments to her, I must now resort to the only option left for me, the only one which—I certainly believe so—will ensure the permanent sealing of her soul.

I must create a mechanism for a magical seal with the help of the most powerful magicians from every corner of Terramythica. They are sure to look down upon me for my past actions, but I see no better option.

-An unsigned letter written at an unknown time

"This looks like a safe place to park the Blue Falcon," Captain Falcon muttered. Having departed from the rails of the bullet train system, he and Wario were inside one of Björnstad's suburbs: a quiet district with no passerby to witness either Smasher parking his vehicle. Simultaneously, Olimar's battered ship gently landed on an open area containing an inactive fountain of an unidentified man in king's robes.

"Man, why did he choose this-a spot?" Wario grumbled under his breath, frustrated at the prospect of having to travel the rest of the way on foot. He had hoped of riding his precious motorcycle all the way to the city, and his frustration was only heightened by the suburb's distance from the city; the towering skyscrapers were not too far away, but it would still require significant effort to travel on foot.

"Let's get down to finding another way into that district," Falcon ordered. "The tracks are out, and it's not like those heavy artillery units are not going to let us simply pass by."

"Whatever you-a say, Falcon. I just-a HATE walking long-a distances." The miser and his two available allies, with one of them emerging from the now-deactivated ship, began their travel back to Downtown Björnstad, using the colored skyscrapers as a reference point. There was hardly a problem produced by hostile forces, yet the silence here was almost unnerving. Falcon tried to figure out what could have befallen the residents of this place, but his efforts were fruitless. The lack of any major struggle here, especially with the area being free of bloodshed and extreme property damage, was the weakened specter of relief that, despite its best efforts, could not comfort the middle-aged driver. Wario and Olimar maintained their calm exteriors, but even they had to internally admit that the atmosphere coating this urban block was starting to leave them a bit shaken. The three Pikmin remained close to their leader and dear friend.

"Hey, where is-a everybody?" Wario grunted. "You'd-a think a few people would-a still be here by now."

"I cannot say," Olimar replied. The small Hocotatian nearly tripped over a small rock in the road but quickly recovered before he could fall. There were only a few active lights to illuminate the area, and even their soft presence was not enough to entirely dispel the cloak of midnight's mighty influence.

"I just hope the people that lived here are okay," Falcon sighed quietly. "Same thing goes for our allies in the air. It seems that a battle awaits them, and you both know who they'll be facing, right?"

"Uh, duh," the overweight biker puffed. "Those cultists in-a black and their vehicles. Nobody else is-a there to oppose us."

"Not quite," Olimar interrupted. "While fleeing, I noticed some heavy artillery on the side of this kingdom attacking our aerial group as well."

"Huh, they don't seem to know who we are." Falcon kept his eyes on the skyscrapers while he replied to the smaller fighter's earlier comment. "Stefan will know how to talk the kingdom's forces into not attacking us; after all, he is a member of the ruling family. It's unlikely he'll fail in his efforts." After checking the cold area around him to ensure that there were no enemies nearby, he increased his walking speed to reach Falco's group sooner, with Wario and Olimar following suit.

With Falco's group, same time…

"What should we do: fight or flee?!" Peach shouted hurriedly via commlink; her question was directed towards Falco. She was actively evading shots from both armies and simultaneously restrained herself to avoid firing back too soon.

"We'll do our best to take out the vehicles belonging to the Lords," the pheasant, also evading powerful blows, decided. "That way, we can convince the Rosträdgårdian troops that we're on their side. I wish Stefan were here to diplomatically help us, though…"

"We'll deal with the diplomat-style stuff later," Samus asserted coolly. "Right now, we need to clobber those cultists or we're not going anywhere." Setting her gunship's weapons to the highest power setting possible without sacrificing much-needed energy for other systems, the Chozo-raised warrior fired twin laser beams at the aggressive vehicles operating under the control of the vile cultists. Kirby, knowing that his Warp Star would not do much on its own, chose to soar downward like an attacking hawk and swallow a Lord operating a heavy vehicle's secondary turret. He barely avoided the shots directed at him and, after the successful capture, absorbed his target's powers. A miniature variant of the typical cultist's robes immediately materialized over the puffball's pink body, giving to him a sinister aura that was hardly noticeable in the heat of battle by the other Smashers. Shadowy spheres were formed by his hands to attack the opposing cultists but not the relatively innocent Rosträdgårdians. Falco made the risky decision to drop a Smart Bomb onto the darker vehicles, almost damaging a Rosträdgårdian unit in the process, before resorting to laser fire. Bowser fired two massive cannonballs onto his desired targets, but his vehicle was fiercely struck by a speedy round before he could attack again. The King of the Koopas felt a massive jolt pushing his person backwards, yet his internal organs seemingly did not travel with him in the first second or so, causing them to soar to his front side. Diddy, being a blindingly fast Smasher like he usually was, powered up his Peanut Popguns and fired flaming shots that contributed to the attack—if only slightly due to the low power of the peanuts relative to the other weapons. Bowser Junior, coming to his father's defense, sprayed one Lord-operated vehicle with electrified paint.

SPLACK!

The targeted machine immediately felt an extreme overload coursing throughout its components, rendering most systems useless. An opportunistic Kirby took advantage of the situation by launching a giant icicle at the very center, destroying nearly all mechanical components and slaughtering the operators inside. Nearby, Peach launched a missile from a small chamber housed inside her right leg, with highly explosive results. Her left forearm opened its underside to reveal a special weapon powered by a miniaturized electrical generator; this new weapon, largely resembling a compact railgun, had two metallic blades nearly converging to a single point at the end—complete with high-voltage currents in between. With the help of her right eye's advanced targeting systems, the cyborg princess unyieldingly unleashed a powerful bolt that not only left one enemy vehicle fried but caused two more nearby to temporarily deactivate.

"Gotcha," she muttered under her breath. Afterwards, two rounds—one from the Royal Army, another from the Lords—struck two members of the aerial group. The first, launched from a Rosträdgårdian unit, hammered Peach with enough force to launch her backwards. The other quickly dented the front of Samus's gunship.

"Ouch, that left a bit of a mark…" Peach noticed a deep dent on her chest area, topped by a small opening that was barely noticeable. Furthermore, said area also lost some of its color from the impact, exposing a metallic grayness underneath the pink layer. She was not too concerned, however, given her body's auto-repair system; any mild damage dealt to her would be fixed over time. In an ironic, astoundingly uncommon example of teamwork, she combined the bolts of her active weapon with cannonballs fired by a recovering Bowser. This resulted in spectacular explosions that illuminated the battlefield below.

"Damn it…" Samus groaned, irritated by the front of her precious vehicle being dented by the cultists. "I'm going to make those fanatics pay for the repair costs." She fired a spherical shot into another vehicle after making a few adjustments to her gunship's cannons. While attacking, Falco and Kirby came to her defense by launching piercing beams and dark spheres, respectively. Diddy continued to fire explosive peanuts as usual, teaming up with Bowser Junior to ensure that the cultists did not besiege Rosträdgård's magnificent capital any longer. Meanwhile, some Rosträdgårdian ground troops gradually noticed the attacking pattern of the airborne Smashers.

"Commander," a female driver announced, "It seems that these new arrivals are only attacking the Orm's Lords. They are not directing their firepower towards us."

"Are you sure?" her commander asked over the commlink. "For all we know, they could be planning to destroy us after eradicating the Lords."

The subordinate kept her vehicle's camera on the Smashers, who were indeed attacking just the evil worshippers of the Svärtad Orm. "I repeat, they—that is, the visitors—are not directing their firepower at us."

"Then focus your fire on the Lords. We will figure out the intentions of our guests in due time. In fact, a certain squadron now has two of them in custody for questioning."

"Understood, sir." The young driver redirected her main weapon towards the ring of Lord-operated vehicles, which was starting to shrink gradually due to the Smashers and their offensive power.

Near the city's central castle…

"Ouch, not too hard…" Fox mumbled weakly under his breath. He was being escorted to the royal family's residence by the soldiers that had cornered him earlier, and one of them had just yanked him with enough force to cause discomfort. His greatest concern, however, involved the status of Wolf, who was nowhere to be found at the crash site. He feared that Wolf might have suffered an unpleasant fate, with his fears heightened by the potential brutality of the Rosträdgårdian troops. So far, they were certainly willing to resort to violence when necessary, but one question remained: were they anywhere near as vicious as the cultists they were fighting against?

Upon entering the castle, the vulpine pilot kept his head lowered while he was escorted to the lower floors. Predictably, most of the castle's beautiful architecture was out of sight, leaving only the ground visible. At the end of the trip, he was forced into a chair inside an interrogation room. The room itself consisted of light-colored limestone and was illuminated by a single light fused into the ceiling's area.

"I'm under arrest," Fox moaned. "Shit…" All the soldiers involved in the escort exited the room, with one of them locking the door to prevent the Star Fox leader from escaping. A calm silence overtook the air as the soldiers marched away from the door, yet Fox was far from relaxed. For all he knew, he could be subjected to a fate worse than death, as could Wolf. To keep his calm, he continuously bit his lower lip and clasped his hands together while trying to keep his breathing rate slow.

Just stay calm, Fox. If you don't overreact in front of these guards, you may get outta this one alive and well. And don't worry too much about Wolf; be certain that he'll still be alive when the sun rises. Don't panic… at all.

He repeated these mental instructions at least twice as his muscles tightened in anticipation for his fate, waiting in tension. He knew not how much time passed while in confinement, but what was certain was that the long wait was followed by a duet of figures entering the room. One of them was a guard who had originally been involved in the mercenary's escort, but the other was an entirely new figure to him.

Holy hell… I'm now face-to-face with a monarch.

With Mario's group…

"Well, that was-a quick," Luigi commented. True to its status as one of the fastest vehicles in civilian transportation, the bullet train transported the Smashers as close as it possibly could to the grand city of Björnstad, stopping at a station a few kilometers away from the outer edge. Upon stepping out of the posh vehicle, some of the Smashers were confused about being farther away from their goal than intended.

"Okay, we're a little too far away from the buildings," DK remarked concernedly. "Why stop here?"

"Part of the track ahead was destroyed in an earlier attack," Stefan immediately answered. "Also, let's not forget that entering the city via direct routes would be a death sentence. Fortunately, I know of a secret underground route that can take us to the central palace without having to suffer casualties."

"Oh, right…" The ape kept his weapon in hand as he and his co-Smashers exited the train with Svante and the Rosträdgårdian prince. The trip from the station was a relatively short one, stretching from the starting point to an abandoned building only a few meters away. Nothing was special about the destination in question; its exterior consisted only of gray, featureless walls, a single door with a silver knob, and no windows. In a way, it was the odd child of stone when compared to the few others—architecturally richer in nature—that were nearby. Stepping inside, the fighters were introduced to an empty room with a single light from above and doors that were permanently locked. Nothing else was present.

"I don't see any secret passage here," Snake grumbled. "I don't know about you, Stefan, but I think it makes no sense to enter a building with nothing inside."

"Ah, but what is visible on the surface does not always show what lies beneath," Svante quipped with a smooth tone. He utilized his magic to expose a hidden property of the floor. By casting a green light onto the center, he managed to expose a metallic door with a handle on one side of the circumference.

"There is secret passage," Yoshi squeaked quietly.

"What's in this-a secret passage?" Mario asked of Stefan. He was keeping the Staff of Björn underneath his sweater for safety reasons. "I hope there's-a nothing dangerous inside."

"Inside this passage is a secret train that allows for safe passage to the palace's interior," the prince responded. "No Lord or living hostile creature has discovered its existence, so we should be safe during our travel." His pulling of the lid allowed everyone else to descend via stairway, leaving him to seal the passage off once the old building was cleared. Svante concealed the lid with his magic, hoping to let no evil entity follow the group. Mounted lampposts with blue lights dotted the limestone walls of the passage, blessing the travelers with an azure comfort in which they could relieve their physical tension. Even the haunting echoes of their footsteps failed to break their temporary relief. The descent lasted for what felt like a minute before a large, featureless room with a train came to light. This new vehicle was almost identical to the one above the surface except for the essence of silver having blessed the surface with a different hue.

"Pika-pika," Pikachu chirped quietly. As the heroes entered the train, Stefan activated the ignition to provide a jolt to the engine. With the engine online, he immediately commenced the travel to the central palace. Compared to the golden giant aboveground, the speed of the silvery train was much slower despite reaching maximum speed sooner, but it was still fast enough to reach the destination at a relatively brisk pace. Because of the speed at which the Smashers were traveling, it did not even feel like a minute had passed before the opposite end of the railway, marked by a swollen U-turn, was illuminated by the train's frontal lights of pure whiteness. Aside from columns holding the roof up, the only notable feature in the room was a set of double doors with the kingdom's emblem printed on the center.

"Fast and quick," Snake muttered, "Just the way I like it." As soon as the brakes brought the wheels to a complete and gradual halt, the group exited the posh comfort of the train and entered the doorway amid a sustained but subtle choir of footsteps.

"What's-a next, Stefan?" Luigi mumbled. "If-a Falco and his guys are in-a trouble, and I hope that's-a not the case, then we should-a help them soon."

"You will earn your chance to assist them in due time," the prince sighed. "Right now, we must meet with my mother, the queen of this fair kingdom. She needs to be convinced that you all, the Smashers, are working to save Rosträdgård and defeat the evil cultists, but I must also show her my status as a member of the living. I can bet that she's been worried sick ever since Lillian and I were initially captured by the Lords."

"That makes sense," Ness complimented. After ascending a stairway with lights of many different colors, the Smashers and Rosträdgårdians encountered a stairway leading up to what appeared to be a dead end. Initial worries were quelled when the young prince utilized his emerald to magically open the path to the palace's main hall.

"Man, this is one beautiful palace," Dedede chirped. "I'm glad those cultists haven't ruined its aesthetic appeal." Indeed, the hall was stuffed to the limit with architectural beauty, possessing magnificent—maybe even unreal—designs that not even the Smash Mansion could rival. Many neo-Gothic elements of the Lord-associated base in Altea were present, albeit in a purified state—free from traces of evil. The arched ceiling contained paintings of various women on the walls, juxtaposed against a background of sky-related natural phenomena and colorful nebulae. These mighty examples of humanly beauty were of different hair colors, height, complexion, and even skin hue; the lattermost aspect was extremely subtle due to little variation, but it was still noticeable by even the most absent-minded. Winged variants of the women appeared as statues below the long canvas, presumably representing their divinity. Chandeliers were present in grander sizes relative to those in the Smash Mansion, and their lights were filled with the rainbow spirit, blessed with her life force. Bright lampposts were on the walls to further brighten the limestone room and its objects. A stained-glass picture of the fully assembled Staff of Björn was above the entrance, surrounded by a sea of white and blue. Besides the red rugs leading to different exits on the room's perimeter, the marble floor was marked by what appeared to be a caricature of three moons, with each lunar body corresponding to its counterpart in Terramythica's orbit. The floor's face was polished such that a clear reflection could be easily observed. On the lower part of the walls were numerous portraits depicting various scenes of Rosträdgård's natural environment.

"Now to find her," Stefan sighed. Just before he could guide the Smashers to where he believed his mother to be, he was immediately approached by two guards, each one clad in the same uniforms as the guards who escorted Fox. Their plain yet armored uniforms were painted gold and silver, had the Rosträdgårdian coat of arms on the chest area, and came with a utility belt. Both guards also had helmets on their heads to connect with the rest of the uniform. One of them, a woman, also had a shotgun-like weapon in her hands.

"Prince, you have returned," the woman greeted. "We were beginning to fear that you were dead. And pardon me for asking, but who are those beings behind you? I sincerely hope that they are not allied with the cultists."

"Nothing to fear, madam," the prince confirmed. "These people are allies who have chosen to assist us in our time of need. They agreed to reunite the Staff of Björn after a fateful encounter with my sister."

"Where is Princess Lillian, sir?" the second guard, a man, questioned. He was quick to notice Lillian's absence among the group members.

"She has been kidnapped by the Lords despite her temporary residence being relatively secure. We will search for her in due time, but I must first speak with my mother." Stefan tried to keep a straight face in the face of an unpleasant memory that threatened to break his mental strength.

"Oh, the queen. She is in the interrogation rooms, questioning an anthropomorphic fox. I have never seen a creature like it before."

"Thank you for your information." Heading to the rooms were located, Stefan guided the Smashers and made sure that none of them were falling behind. After delving into the plain architecture of the same pathway unwillingly taken by Fox, he eventually encountered a room with a glowing light at the top. This green sign was, per the prince's observations, an indicator that the room was occupied. Upon hearing a familiar voice speak, he gently knocked on the door's cold surface.

Tap-tap…

Click…

"Who demands my presence?" a woman from the other side of the room spoke. Of the travelers next to the door, only Stefan recognized her voice.

"Mother, I have returned to this beloved home," he sighed. "Please open the door." A slight gasp could be heard beyond the door's barrier, something that bespoke the woman's reaction to her son's return.

"Stefan, my son, is that you?" After the door swung open with excited quickness, the young monarch and his allies were introduced—or reintroduced in Stefan's case—to the appearance of the Queen of Rosträdgård herself. They were also exposed to the unexpected presence of a Smasher who was supposed to be with Falco, next to a guard accompanying the queen.

"Fox?" Mario muttered. "What's-a going on with you?" While acknowledging his vulpine ally, he took some time to examine the queen's appearance. She was a hazel-eyed woman with the same hair color as her two children, but her eyes were washed in a sea of hazel, removed from the familiar green hues. Her complexion closely resembled Lillian's, albeit in a more mature format due to age, and her hair was curlier compared to that of the princess. She was draped in a long dress of the Victorian variety, complete with various shades of gold and silver. The skirt area was marked with the Rosträdgårdian coat of arms, the waist area was marked by a corset-like pattern that utilized the brightest of golden and silvery hues, and the chest was home to a diamond brooch that shined like a star in the nighttime under the soft light. The woman's right hand had a golden ring with a garnet on top, and the nearby wrist was decorated with a platinum jewelry band. White flats decorated her feet, and a silvery tiara with a sapphire at the center completed her uniform.

"About time you came," the Star Fox pilot grunted. "I was afraid that you guys were never gonna come to support me. Hey, have you guys seen Wolf by any chance? As much as I don't like him, he is still needed for our mission."

"We have not, unfortunately," Marth replied. Seconds after speaking, he froze as the voice in his head returned to haunt him with its chilling influence.

Many victims surround you… It would be wise for you to slaughter them all and take their blood on this spot. You have no chance of conquering your thirst, Marth. You may have been able to separate your precious sister from the gift of vampires, but can you separate yourself from it?

"Shut it." The Hero-King tried to keep his voice down as he ordered the voice to stay quiet, but one Smasher overheard his words.

"Pichu?" the perceptive Pichu asked. "Pichu-pi?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm doing fine, dear Pichu." While Marth suppressed the demon in his mind, he focused on Stefan, the prince who was ready to introduce his mother to the Smashers.

"Smashers," announced the young monarch, "This is my mother, the one and only Queen Ingrid of Rosträdgård. She has been leading this kingdom through the tumultuous war, especially since my father's tragic death at the hands of the Lords. I wish that you receive her warmly."

"My son, who are these people?" the queen, now known as Ingrid, asked her son. "Are they affiliated with the Lords?"

"Not at all. In fact, they—the Smash Brothers—have engaged in bitter combat with those cultists to reassemble the Staff of Björn and save our kingdom from peril. They are also responsible for safeguarding Lillian prior to my arrival at their homeplace. Sadly, the cultists must have somehow gotten past their defenses to kidnap her."

Ingrid felt a deep irritation in her mind as she heard the news about her daughter. "So, the Lords have kidnapped Lillian again. And to think that your abandonment of her during your escape from the Lords was terrible enough…"

"No, Mother, that is not what happened. Lillian and I encountered the leader's personal Legionär, and it overpowered us. After Lillian nearly died at the creature's hands, I wanted to save her, but I was too weak to fight back. I was not going to take an unnecessary risk by getting myself killed; she even ordered me to flee. Furthermore, the Smashers had made sure that their area was well-defended from-"

Ingrid's voice rose in pitch due to her anger. That colossal failure on her son's part was unacceptable, she believed. Meanwhile, some of the Smashers and Svante stepped away upon hearing her angry words. "Even if that monster had you both in a corner, the fact that you chose to abandon your sister to a fate worse than death is utterly disgraceful! What were you thinking, abandoning her like that? And to top it off, after that incident, you refused to show your face at this palace for many consecutive days! Why?!"

Stefan lost some of his cool and chose to equal the strength of his mother's voice. "I was searching for Lillian! After I lost contact with her while she was being rescued in another area, I asked almost EVERY town that was not leveled by the Lords for her location! It was only thanks to the Black Guard that I even managed to pinpoint her position at all! And as a complication to further lengthen my stressful search, I nearly died because of an ambush from the Lords, and if Svante here had not stepped in to save me at a desperate time, I would be dead right now! And need I explain to you that the monster was far too powerful for me to take on and that it and its cohorts had Lillian almost completely surrounded?!"

"You should have used your magic to stop that group. Maybe that would've saved you the trouble of looking for her!"

The prince continued to defend himself in the argument. "Again, they had her completely SURROUNDED, and they would have noticed my attack and chosen to finish me off for good!"

"This is ridiculous. Now I need to pour more resources into the war to save Lillian, and this would not be happening if you had chosen to save her the first time around!"

"Uh, Stefan?" Mario muttered. "I don't-a know what you and your-a mother are arguing about, but I believe there are-a more crucial things to focus on now."

"…?" Both Ingrid and Stefan froze upon hearing the plumber's words. During the argument, they had almost forgotten that the city needed to repel the invaders immediately and that the Smashers had to earn the trust of the monarchy to help Rosträdgård win the war against the Lords. For now, they would have to slide their argument under the rug before dealing with the situation in Björnstad.

"We will talk about this later…" Ingrid privately sighed before turning her attention to the Smashers. "Greetings, dear travelers, I am the queen of this besieged kingdom and mother to Lillian and Stefan, Ingrid. You came to help us battle the Orm's Lords, correct?"

"That's-a true, Your Majesty," Mario confirmed confidently. "We've-a battled those fanatics for the Staff of Björn, which I have right-a here." He removed the magical weapon from his sweater and presented it to the queen, who came to be momentarily mesmerized by its mere presence. Despite knowing the legend behind its creation, she had never observed its brilliant aura in person. Its beauty turned out to be stronger than what mere representations could hope to achieve, she believed.

"I give you much praise for your valiant efforts to reunite the staff before the Lords could succeed with their plan. You were also right to protect my daughter for so long as you could and assist Stefan when he came to your home. However, I find it concerning that the Lords managed to kidnap Lillian while she was supposed to be secure in your home."

Mario quickly recalled the events whose effects nearly shattered the Smashers' unity. "I don't-a know how they got to her location without-a forced entry, but we'll-a find out soon enough. Also, there was a theft-a committed by potential traitors in our-a group, who are currently not-a here. Regardless, we'll-a do our best to save-a Rosträdgård and your daughter. Name's-a Mario."

Ingrid quickly recalled what Fox was telling her during his interrogation; what he said about the existence of the Smash Brothers was now undeniably true. "And I thought your furry friend was conjuring a story to save himself from further interrogation, but I digress. Now that you and your allies are here, Mario, this city has a better chance of survival… if your group is as powerful as my son has implied. To help deal with the heavy artillery outside, I would guide you to special cannons outside the palace, but there is one problem; the generator powering those mighty weapons has been damaged by the electromagnetic barrier around the city. I need you to reprogram the stations holding up that barrier so that the repair team can reactivate the palace's defense systems once they fix any affected components."

"An electromagnetic barrier, huh?" Snake commented. "But won't all electronic items in this area get fried?"

"Not necessarily. Some objects, including our vehicles and the lighting system of this building, are shielded from electromagnetic effects. Back to the subject of the barrier, I will have palace security escort you to each station in groups; there are two in total."

"A necessary form of assistance, considering that some of our members are likely on the city's outskirts now," Meta Knight sighed, remembering that some Smashers chose to travel ahead in an aerial group. "We have yet to find out what happened to Wolf, however."

"I don't-a know what could have happened to-" Luigi started, but he would be cut off when the door from whence he and the others emerged slammed open.

Slam!

"Unhand me, assholes!" Wolf, currently being escorted by two guards, snarled fiercely. Despite his attempts to resist, he was strongly restrained and could do little to halt his forced movement.

"Well, here he is," Dedede remarked. "Your Majesty, we need him for our journey. Can you tell the guards to release him? I know he's kinda aggressive and all, but we could use his skills on the battlefield."

Ingrid stared at the struggling Wolf for a moment to consider her decision. It was certainly plausible that the lupine mercenary could attack the guards if given the chance, but if what the penguin-like king said was true…

"Release him," she ordered, with the guards immediately complying afterwards. Wolf, now free, sighed with great relief as he came to be reunited with the Smashers.

"Good riddance," he grunted. "And I thought I was gonna be jailed for sure. I see that you guys are still kickin', which is all the better for us. Oh, and it looks like Fox's doin' just fine."

"So, shall we start?" DK muttered in a slightly excited manner. With a subtle gesture from Ingrid, the guards proceeded to escort the Smashers from the hallway and into the main hall, leaving the queen and her son—along with Svante—behind. It was at that point in which she finally addressed the elderly man directly.

"Svante," she whispered, "You must have been the one who came to Stefan's aid at a bleak time. On top of your work in the Black Guard, I forever thank you for your kindness."

"Heh-heh, I was simply doing what was necessary and humane," the older man replied. "Now that we are here together, we should be preparing plans to find your daughter."

"We should," Stefan agreed. With nothing else to do in the hall, the monarchs and the kind man began their trip to the family room to lay out the foundation for a rescue mission.

Outside the barrier…

WHAM!

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Bowser yelped. A stray shot from a hostile vehicle inflicted enough damage to hinder the Clown Copter's ability to fly. Smoke sprayed from the affected area, the engine fell into a noisier and weaker state, and Bowser himself nearly fell dizzy as the attack subjected him to an extreme physical push. Kirby and Samus mixed magic and technology to defend the giant Koopa; the puffball summoned giant energy spears, weapons that glided alongside the lasers of the huntress's gunship. All affected vehicles—of which there were few—were damaged to the point of destruction, and those that got off easy were struggling to handle attacks from two different angles. Even the successful destruction of a few Rosträdgårdian vehicles did little to reduce the near-suffocating pressure on the cultists. Automated laser fire was directed at Diddy, whose jetpack was enough to whisk him away from the slower cannon shots. His evasive skills were far from mediocre, but while avoiding a barrage of shots, he made the mistake of soaring head-on into the invisible barrier.

ZAP!

"What!" As his jetpack fell into deactivation, he desperately squeezed his popguns onto his body to avoid losing them mid-descent. Due to his orientation prior to touching the barrier, he was facing the dark sky above him, an aspect of the environment that changed little in the relative sense despite the fast fall. One laser nearly fried the front of his cap, although it ultimately left nothing more than a small burn on the edge.

"I'm so screwed now," he whimpered, but fate would swiftly and decisively refute his claim when Kirby, whose Warp Star was unaffected by the barrier, came to his rescue. Temporarily exiting the fight for obvious safety reasons, the pink puffball settled Diddy onto a street from which, unbeknownst to either Smasher, Captain Falcon's group was not too far away.

"Thanks, Kirby." After watching his pink ally soar back into the fight, he caught a glimpse of Falcon and his two partners.

"Diddy?" the bounty hunter asked, obviously confused about the smaller ape's presence. "I thought you were with Falco's group. What happened?"

Diddy kept his popguns close as he told his story. "Long story short, my spare jetpack got fried by what Peach claimed to be an electromagnetic barrier around the city—which I couldn't see—Kirby rescued me, and he brought over to this lonely street. Good thing I didn't lose these spare Peanut Popguns from my room. I see that your vehicles aren't with you."

"Right, our path on the ground was cut off, so we had to turn around and find a safe place to park. Olimar, on the other hand, had no weapons for his ship, so he decided to join us. Wario complained about walking long distances, and… Well, that's about it."

"You just-a had to say it, didn't you?" Wario, not reacting well to the last remark, groaned.

"Regardless of whether I touched a nerve, we need to get a move on. For all we know, the guys in Mario's group may have reached the city already. From what I saw earlier, we can't directly enter the central area by traditional routes, so we need to find an alternate route." Falcon maintained his focus on the skyscrapers as he explained the plan.

"How are we supposed to do that-a, fly? Those-a tanks have the area surrounded."

"I can theoretically use flaming peanuts from my popgun to signal one of our guys in the air," Diddy suggested. "The problem is: they're too far away and caught up in the battle for them to notice us. Plus, I don't think my peanuts will reach a high-enough altitude."

"Let's try your method first," Falcon recommended. Diddy fired flaming peanuts into the air, which reached a surprisingly high level of altitude and came close to the aerial group, but the attention span demanded for the distant battle meant that no flying Smasher initially noticed the shots. Noticing this, he supercharged one shot and aimed high to better capture the attention of at least one Smasher. The burning peanut caught the attention, albeit barely, of Kirby, who was fleeing a cannon shot accompanied by a few lasers. Accordingly, the Dream Land denizen soared to where he believed the shot originated. Upon reaching the group of four…

"Poyo?" he asked, wondering what the group was intending to do.

"We need to get past that heavy artillery," Falcon demanded. "Think you can get us into the city, preferably toward where the central palace is?"

"Poyo-po." Having nodded in the affirmative, he stretched his mouth wide open and began inhaling the four fighters and Olimar's Pikmin into his mouth, just stopping short of hurling them into his endless void of a stomach. He pressed his body against the Warp Star as he traveled into the central district, staying aware of his surroundings. His reflexes were slowed due to the temporary increase in his weight, giving him less versatility regarding his steering ability; he could not steer as quickly, and his maneuvers were delayed. This resulted in the Warp Star nearly getting fried by a cannon shot and some minor damage from the laser beams. Nevertheless, he made it to the tallest building in Downtown Björnstad—which he assumed was the central palace of the city—and lowered his Warp Star before launching the four Smashers inside his mouth sideways, right next to the palace's front entrance. At that time, the Smashers in Mario's group and their Rosträdgårdian escorts were just emerging from the main hall's comfort. They came to be surprised when the smaller group soared towards them.

WHAM!

"What the?" DK asked. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Ouch…" Wario moaned. His back took the full brunt of the landing, resulting in pain that lasted for some time.

"Wario and I couldn't get to this place on the ground, so Kirby had to escort us," Falcon answered. "Also, Olimar's ship wasn't fit for battle, and Diddy's jetpack was roasted by some electromagnetic barrier. We may be better off utilizing our skills to help your group."

"Well, we're-a gonna all the help that we can get-a," Luigi commented. As he spoke, the escorts opened the gates beyond the palace entrance to reveal two platinum vehicles that were essentially weaponized, bulkier versions of what Svante had. "Let's-a split up now. How should we split up-a?"

"Let me think-a…" Mario whispered.

Back with the aerial group…

"Take this!" Bowser snarled. Still recovering from his condition, he fired multiple shots into two enemy vehicles, resulting in serious damage and grand explosions of heavy dust and short-lasting infernos. Meanwhile, Samus and Bowser Junior were both struck by lasers, though the latter was much worse off due to his propeller being struck directly.

"Woah!" he yelped. While slowly descending, he fired several cannonballs to reduce pressure on him, and Falco fired a Smart Bomb for much-needed protection. A stray laser grazed Bowser's left arm to leave a burn mark. Kirby was nearby launched from his Warp Star when an explosive projectile struck the magical vehicle directly. Peach and Samus continued to fire energy beams to destroy and cripple enemy vehicles, while Bowser Junior swapped out his electric paint for a fiery variant, melting enemy steel in the process. Despite their setbacks, the Smashers were gradually turning the tide of the battle in favor of the Royal Army, something which both sides took note of.

"Commander," the same female driver from before noted, "We're getting close to pushing back the Lords for good. If everything goes well, we may end this bloody siege."

"Indeed," the deep voice at the other end asserted. "Our capital city needs not further harm from insane cultists who seek to revive an unholy beast from the depths of Hell." Meanwhile, one driver fighting for the Orm's Lords, a man with a green variant of the evil organization's logo, noticed the decreasing number of vehicles commandeered by his comrades. Hoping to earn some backup from the headquarters at the Isola del Inferno, he proceeded to contact the leader directly via his vehicle's communications system. He could overhear the sounds of distant explosions as several other vehicles, Lord and Rosträdgårdian, were blown to smoking pieces.

"Lieutenant," the masked man sighed, "What is your concern?"

"Sir, we are losing vehicles because of new hostiles in the area," the subordinate explained. "They seem to be assisting the Royal Army, but their origins are unknown so far. Do you have any idea on who they might be?'

"In fact, Lieutenant, I do. You may already be aware of a certain thorn in the side of our organization, one that has stolen the staff pieces away from us. This organization, the Super Smash Brothers, may already have entered this world, hoping to tear the loyal servants of the Holy Serpent apart. The members are to be eliminated on sight. If what you say about the loss of our vehicles is true, then I am having you hold your ground until the order to withdraw comes. The base at Vindfält, our most crucial, is being reclaimed by Captain Eriksson and his squadron; with the future help of Agnetha and her subordinates, my ship can take off and lay waste to the city. It will signify the beginning of our victory."

"We will continue to battle the enemy until you give the order, Mästare." The cultist aimed his cannon at Peach, whose railgun was ready to rain electric hell upon its targets.

"Excellent. Be prepared to withdraw all vehicles on my command; our remaining ground troops will attempt to defend the generators controlling the barrier of Björnstad." The leader severed communications and left his servant to send the aerial Smashers crashing down.

"Just-a hope nothing terrible happens," Mario muttered under his breath. The Smashers not in the air were divided into two groups, with each one being guided by one of the Mario Brothers. Mario's group, destined for the shield generator in the north, consisted of most members of the plumber's original party, what was left of Marth's, Roy, Young Link, Meta Knight, Fox, Olimar, Rosalina, and the two rodent-like Pokémon. The other group, led by Luigi, was heading towards the southern generator, and it consisted of available members from Falco's group, those from Captain Falcon's, and those from Samus's who did not choose to travel with Mario. Palace security accompanied both groups in armored vehicles. Along the way, fighting between sinister cultists and valiant soldiers were witnessed on the streets. Barricades from both sides were up to provide protection from opposing fire, but they also blocked certain roads from being accessed. Accordingly, detours had to be utilized to compensate for the reduction in available routes as well as potential hazards on the road. A security officer was firing away at opposing threats with the laser-powered gun at the top of the vehicle.

"Marth, you look troubled," Ike commented, noticing the grim facial expression from his brother-in-arms. "If there's anything that you want me or anyone else here to do, don't be afraid to speak up."

"I'll be fine for the night," the king replied. "However, as for the later days, I'm not entirely sure. If there's no available method of halting my transformation aside from killing Lina, then I at least wish for something to slow it down." While falling silent, he felt his body lock up as the bloodlust within his mind strengthened itself. On top of that, the voice that had previously spoken to him was back to torment his mind again.

You will bow to Lina Lindqvist's will, "Hero-King". If you believe that you are going to be luckier than your delicate sister, whose special ability would have reflected magic at its strongest, then you are sorely mistaken. You cannot even hope to reverse the blossoming of your gift if you don't know where your future mistress is. Surrender to the sweet smell of fresh blood, boy.

"Go away…" Of the nearby Smashers, only Pikachu and Ike visibly stared at him. The concerned Pokémon, additionally, felt that its ally was already near the point of reaching total corruption, as much as it wanted to deny such a scenario. Disturbed, it redirected its focus at the scenery outside as the vehicle drifted further away from the central palace. Bodies of belligerents and civilians were littered in places that were once flourishing with life, many buildings had their infrastructure damaged—with the smallest ones being decimated outright—military vehicles were reduced to smoking heaps of metal, broken weapons were present at certain points, and the belligerents that were still living launched magic spells and projectiles from more conventional weapons, further reducing the safeness of the city. Another noticeable change was the general decrease in the size of urban structures, transforming the environment into something like the suburb encountered by Falco's group, albeit on a grander scale.

After what felt like a sixth of an hour, the weaponized transport machine reached its destination: a ten-level building with an antenna-like device on the roof. Solid marble formed the structure holding the levels up, and the windows had a Victorian-themed aura around them, essentially a simpler form of what the palace possessed. A subtle green glow was noticed at the very top of the device. Blast shields kept the front doors as well as all glass obscured from the outside world. Mario, realizing that the way inside was blocked, wondered if there was a powerful asset which could be used by the Rosträdgårdian soldiers to gain entry. Sure enough, one guard rushed his way out of the vehicle and placed an explosive charge on the front entrance. Five seconds was all that the device needed to punch a hole through the steel and reveal the glass doors behind it.

"Our path is clear," the driver commented. "Let's take back the building." On his cue, the remaining guards exited the vehicle with the Smashers in tow. Marth, whose body was still frozen by his growing bloodlust, had to be shaken back into reality by Ike before joining the others in their assault on the building. As the Smashers and their Rosträdgårdian allies exited the vehicle, they noticed numerous corpses of fallen soldiers and several vehicles that had long stopped burning—a clear indicator that the Royal Army had attempted to reclaim the building before.

At the central base of the Lords…

"My master," Lars commented, "High Priestess Lindgren is ready to assist Eriksson with her army. She has recovered from her injuries and now boasts an increase in overall combat performance. She awaits you."

"Excellent, Lars," the leader, in the room with Lillian's sleeping form, replied. "I shall open a portal to her destination at once." Keeping the princess wrapped in a blanket, he left her alone as he and the elderly captain teleported to the portal room in which the reconstructed Agnetha awaited with her squadron. Her subordinates consisted of a mixture of cultists with blue variants of the organization's logo and those wearing stealth suits. The redhead herself wore a new copy of her old cloak and sported a more elegant version of her old uniform, with pronounced frills, colors of red, blue, violet, and black, a polished diamond on the bosom, violet gloves, and a dark red choker.

"Are you ready for your next assignment, dear Agnetha?" the mysterious man sighed. As he spoke, he powered up the portal and created a pathway to the desired destination.

"Ready?" she replied before leaking a sinister moment of quiet laughter from her mouth, not hesitant to expose her evil nature. Her blade was removed from its sheath during her laugh. Her malevolent expression was illuminated by the portal's glow. "I will spill the blood of everyone who opposes us to the ground, and those who beg for mercy will receive none…"

"Reclaim the base before it is too late." The leader watched the captain and her army enter the portal immediately. When they finally disappeared from plain sight, Lars approached his master with a question in mind.

"Do you believe that the prototype serum given to her will be stable in the long run?" he sighed, fearing that his co-captain could become unstable.

"To be truthful, I have not a clue. Many subjects who tested the original product fell into instability and had to be euthanized for their own good. So far, the finalized version has no visible problems; why, you even claimed that she boasted an increase in combat performance."

Lars locked his eyes on the portal. "That is true; in fact, after many tests, she can now pose a greater threat to our enemies compared to her past performance. But I somehow cannot shake the feeling that something may go horribly wrong at the worst moment possible."

"Have faith in her, Lars. I am confident that she will succeed in her mission and provide much help to Eriksson." The leader and Lars exited the room to resume their normal business.

Beep-beep…

-Mister Game & Watch

I am terribly sorry for the delay, but college was putting such a massive chokehold on my creative output. Thankfully, I do not have much classwork to complete when this upcoming summer is over, so that is a good thing. About the story, we will see how the Smashers do in the next chapter. And Marth's doing his best to fight his bloodlust, but will it be all for naught?

A/N:

-Agnetha's title mentioned near the end of this chapter will be elaborated upon in the later part of the story, as will the serum that had been given to her by the leader.

-Vindfält's name comes from the Swedish vind (wind) and fält (valley).

Read and review, and I will see you all later.