Armistice Day
"Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on."
-Criss Jami
Truce (n): an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting or arguing for a certain time.
-from Google Search
It was as if scales had been dropped from Fox and Falcon's eyes.
Whenever they walked into a room, the temperature dropped twenty degrees. Falcon found it increasingly difficult to woo Samus after that disaster of a Team Battle. Fox discovered that he could barely hold a conversation with anyone in the C tier. Their lovely, glossy bubble of a world had popped after suffering mortifying defeats at the hands of the worst fighter on the roster. In Falcon's case, he had no one to blame for self-destructing or making avoidable mistakes. In Fox's case, no one had made him blurt those words out in front of God and everyone. They couldn't help but take note at how little they spent practicing; they always thought their wins were guaranteed. But had they spent some time in the area, they would've seen how fiercely Luigi threw himself into his sparring, as did Samus in her two piece, Link in a light, cotton tunic, pants and boots, DK in his red tie, and Ness in his baseball cap, T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes. Even Kirby and Pikachu strove to keep their skills top notch! It took a few more trouncings for them to finally acknowledge their flaws. Winning the C tiers back, however, would be an uphill battle.
In the days following their recent defeats, Falcon and Fox began spending more time in the Training Area, not to flaunt, but to practice. Sometimes with one another and other times with surprised Polygons. They knew something was wrong if the Polygons manning the Training Area barely knew who they were. With their help, the A tiers pinpointed their weaknesses and started composing strategies to improve their offensive and defensive games. Their swagger had toned way down, and they began to treat their opponents with the respect they deserved. No more loud bragging and boasting, no more excessive taunting and getting caught up in stage hazards as a result. No more endless hours of obnoxious gangster rap. No more deliberate provocations of opponents. All of that was over for them. Luigi had lectured the both of them good and strong after his blistering vanquishing of them, and the two turned his words over and over again in their minds. And what he had to say bore a lot of truth.
Of course, Douglas would sneak peaks at Samus in her sports bra and gym shorts, working up a sweat as she lit into a punching bag, a Polygon or a fellow Smasher. She'd arrive at the Training Area or the gym with her hair pinned up and ready to go. Her body was so swift and limber that maybe she could fight without that hi-tech suit of hers. He'd wisely wait till she'd exhausted most of her explosive energy before making small talk with her. She'd remain coolly formal at first, but as they days floated by, she felt the knot of anger loosening from her chest, her hurt and frustration scattering to the wind like grains of sand. With his good looks and smooth way with words, Douglas began to melt her heart all over again.
The same could be said for Luigi. Once he finally got Fox and Douglas to see their follies, he watched them vigilantly, wanting to see if they followed his advice. And they did. They clocked in more hours at the gym and took it seriously. Engaged in a match, they held their tongues and exercised more caution. He even noticed that the audience was jeering at him less; seeing the higher tiers blunder must've been their wake-up call. Or maybe they noticed how he was no longer reacting and got the hint. Luigi didn't press the matter, instead taking to his blog and trading stories with Isai, Sir Meta Knight and others who decided to follow him. Ever since the day with that black marker, his temper gradually boiled itself down to a manageable level. Pressure relieved itself from his heart, and now that those two were finally laying off on their bathroom and shower pranks, he was actually starting to move past that fateful night. The drunken insults barely mattered anymore. Douglas and Fox had seen the light, realized what they'd done and were sorry for it. It would take more time, but their misdeeds would eventually be erased, and everyone would move past it, whether they entirely forgot about it or not. By taking the opportunity to change their ways, they'd taken a step in the right direction.
Gradually, Luigi felt better enough to invite the racer or vulpine to spar with him. Often, they'd be the ones to extend that invitation, much to the plumber's surprise. These spars were still a little tense, but once he saw that they were taking him as seriously as any other fighter, Luigi relaxed. But he wasn't going to get too chummy with them just yet—he was still pretty guarded when it came to their interactions with his fellow C tiers. Falcon and Fox were undeterred in their mission to prove to everyone that they'd changed. Whenever they felt that familiar cockiness welling up, they'd remember losing due to the silliest mistakes or how the others rarely wanted to spend time with them nowadays. In that Training Area or even his room, Luigi would have his favorite tunes on full blast and go one-on-one with two fighters in serious need of attitude improvement. With each passing skirmish and match, they softened up the man in green, and Ness, Samus, DK and Link started catching on. Once Luigi started softening his stance, so did the other C tiers. Then, the B tiers and finally the S tiers. Fox and Falcon were feeling great! They were sitting in the ice cream parlor, splitting delicious sundaes with Kirby and Pikachu. Or, they were out in the yard, playing baseball with Ness. Or, they were in the lounge, having drinks with Mario and Link. Or, they were strolling around with Yoshi and Jiggs. Or, they were playing board games and card games with some of the fighters. Falcon even broke out Twister one morning and invited Ness, Jiggs and Luigi to his room to play.
To which Luigi replied, "Don't push your luck."
It was true that their relationship improved by leaps and bounds in the days, weeks and months following the black marker incident. It was visibly clear that the boundaries drawn by the tier list were fading. However, while Falcon was gradually regaining the favor of his fellow unlockables, he still had work to do before the Formidable Four united once again.
The first tournament was in its final months when Ness awoke to find a mint under his pillow. He stared at it curiously before phoning Luigi in the room across from him.
"Yeah, I have one, too," said the man in green.
Jiggs reported that she had a mint under her pillow, too.
Samus, meanwhile, had discovered a box of jewelry under her bed, along with a box of chocolates. She had a hunch as to who sent these and why.
The other Smashers stirred awake to find some sort of gift under their pillows, beds or both. It led to lively debate regarding who'd perform such a gesture and what would drive them to do so.
When they headed to the cafeteria for breakfast, their questions were answered.
Nicely decorated tables and plates full of food greeted them. There were bowls containing fruit, hot chocolate packets and cream and sugar. There were several boxes of donuts and breakfast pastries. There was soft music playing overhead. And greeting them were Falcon and Fox, clad in cooking attire.
"Wow," Luigi said finally. "You did all of this?"
"Yes," Fox said solemnly. "We hope you like it."
Kirby's mouth watered. "Poyo," he said dreamily.
"Would Jiggs, Ness and L come with me?" asked Falcon. "I have something special for them."
Ness and Jiggs sneaked a quick look at Luigi, who nodded, his vigilant stare fixed on the good Captain. Silently, they followed the Captain to a small, private room, where an amazing sight greeted them.
"Whoa," gasped Ness.
The four walls were each painted a specific color to represent the four secret fighters. Gold for Captain Falcon, blue for Ness, pink for Jiggs and green for Luigi. On the circular table waited four plates of cheesy omelets and chocolate chip pancakes. In the center sat some butter and four flavors of pancakes syrup. There was also a variety of beverages to choose from, from milk to juice to smoothies. On the different colored walls hung mementoes of each unlockable's home world. Mute City. Big Blue. Onett. Fourside. Pokémon Stadiums and Gyms. Certain landmarks in the Mushroom Kingdom. Even the New York City skyline, the Met and the Apollo Theater. Happy music played from a CD player resting beside the open window.
On a far table sat a cake, with toppers in each of the four's likenesses. It was a half-sheet of cake in the shape of the Smash symbol, created in orange, blue, pink and green frosting. Beside it rested a cake cutter, cake server and four plates.
"Oh, my gosh," Luigi said finally. "It's beautiful."
"Thanks," said Falcon. "It wasn't easy, you know."
"I can make myself right at home here," warbled Jiggs.
"And you even brought pictures of the Runaway Five?" breathed Ness. "Do you have some of their albums?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," nodded Falcon. "Would you care to have a seat and help yourselves?"
"Sure," smiled Luigi as they all picked a place at the table to sit and dig in.
"I would like this to be a fresh start for the Formidable Four," Douglas said after a while. "In that craze with the tier list, I almost forgot what we stood for. But I've been thinking about it, and—I guess I've been a bit of an idiot."
Luigi, Ness and Jiggs cleared their throats in tandem.
"You were more than just a bit of an idiot," said Ness.
"We could barely stand to be around you," Luigi added frankly.
"Fine—I was a complete idiot," relented Falcon, "but cross my heart and hope to die, that piece of paper will never interfere with the Formidable Four again."
"What do you say, L?" asked Ness. "Should we believe him?"
"It depends," replied Luigi. "He did say and do plenty of hurtful things, especially to me, that shouldn't be overlooked."
"I regret that I ever did them," said Falcon. "Just tell me how I can rectify things with you guys."
"How about getting back in the game and helping us show those eight back there what secret fighters can really do?" suggested Luigi.
"Yes!" Tear prickled at Falcon's eyes, tears of joy, which he flicked away. "We can shake up this tournament! The Formidable Four is back, baby!"
"You can bet your Blue Falcon it is," smiled Luigi.
Luigi, Falcon, Jiggs and Ness formed a huddle and then stacked their hands in a show of team spirit.
"Formidable Four, always and forever!" they cried.
Meanwhile, Fox was giving a similar speech to Mario, DK, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby and Pikachu. He was so nervous that he found himself stumbling over words. His audience just gazed at him evenly, occasionally leveling forkfuls of food into their mouths.
"What Falcon and I are trying to say," Fox told them, "and I don't know how to find the right way for it, is…"
Falcon suddenly sidled over and put an arm around Fox. "We're sorry," he stated with finality, "about everything. We were foolish and stupid, and we really miss you hanging around with us."
That was the icebreaker. It was what they all wanted to hear for so long. Everyone in the cafeteria began to applaud the duo and make gestures of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Then, Samus was in front of Falcon, helmet off, face expressionless. The racer cupped the Space Warrior's face in his hands. "Sammy, I…"
She shushed him. "I know," she said quietly. They kissed and kissed and kissed.
A few moments later, Luigi, Ness and Jiggs emerged. Now, the twelve Smashers stood together, eyes twinkling with warmth and friendship, once again regarding each other as equals.
"All these months ago, we were strangers meeting for the first time," intoned Luigi. "Now, we're like a family. We are a family."
"He's right," added Mario. "Once the Original Twelve, always the Original Twelve. No matter what."
"Amen," smiled Link.
"Okay," said Ness, placing his hands on his hips and nodding.
"Let's promise never to let some piece of paper come between us again," said Fox.
"I promise," said Douglas.
"Pika," said Pikachu.
"Poyo," added Kirby.
One by one, the Smashers promised to maintain their special, new bond by any means necessary.
Through a crack in the door, Master Hand observed the scene, his eyes misting over with pure happiness. That tier list had put these new friendships to the test, but in the end, the Original Twelve had found their way back to each other.
End Book 1
Monkey999Boy: Not many guests faithfully follow my stories. Thank you.
SolarEnergy07: I know, things were pretty shaky for a while, but Fox and Falcon finally pulled through. For a while, at least, in Fox's case. Stay tuned.
This story doesn't run in complete chronological order. I will jump back and forth in time. Just so you'll know...
Reviews are appreciated!
