Yeah, that's right. This fic ties into Ultimate in all its entirety. So not only is EVERYONE HERE(TM), but also...
IT'S WORLD OF LIGHT TIMEEEEEEEEEEEE and there will be a buttload of feels. Get some tissues, my dudes.
Content warnings for this chapter: Strong language, and Adventure Mode/World of Light spoilers. I'm also trying to like... put my own unique spin on the interpretation of what happens in WoL. I'm even adding I guess... a survival aspect to it? You'll see what I mean.
Also, Galeem and Dharkon use they/them/their pronouns in this fic. And Samus and Zero Suit Samus are (obviously) counted as one character in this fic so I'll count her awakening as the Zero Suit version's. The only time she's in her Power Suit (for now) will be the opening scene. However, as established in a previous chapter, Sheik and Zelda are separate characters. Or rather since Sheik is technically Zelda, she's just the Zelda from BOTW in disguise while Ultimate Zelda is from ALBW.
title namesake - As The Rush Comes by Motorcycle
Hiding in my Skin, Broken from Within
Chapter 17 - As The Rush Comes
The sun set over the cliffs overlooking the ocean on the outskirts of Smash City, dyeing the cloudy sky shades of dusky pink and orange. The only sounds that could be heard were the wind blowing and the waves crashing upon the cliffs. Just then, Fox McCloud, leader of the space squadron Star Fox, broke the silence by pulling out his blaster and announcing, "Don't let a single one get away!" By that, he was referring to the swarm of fake Master Hands that floated in the sky. Behind Fox, ready to follow his orders, were all the other Smashers - Mario, Kirby, Link, Samus, Palutena, Zelda, the Ice Climbers, Solid Snake, King K. Rool, Mega Man, Isabelle, Mewtwo, Simon Belmont, Captain Falcon, Robin, Rosalina and her Lumas, Shulk, the Inklings, and many more. Everyone was there.
And sure enough, in the sky above all the fake Master Hands, was that mysterious creature Lucina saw in her dreams - the mysterious orb of light with metallic iridescent "wings" of some sort. The fake Master Hands followed the commands of this strange, menacing being.
"We'll each need to take down about ten," Marth suggested, in an attempt to strategize.
"Stow your fear," Zelda tried to encourage everyone. "It's now or never!"
"We'll win this," Pit declared, determined to emerge victorious. "I know we will!"
However, before any of the Smashers could act, the fake Master Hands seemed to unravel and convert themselves to pure energy before gathering into the core of the mysterious creature. Just then, a vision came to Shulk.
"What...?"
In the vision, he saw himself and all his allies being vaporized by beams of light. He turned around and tried to warn them all, but the words couldn't come out.
He knew, deep down, that it was futile.
A black hole seemed to materialize where the creature once was, and then... came the beginning of the end. Beams of prismatic light shot at everyone. Link was the first to try to fend them off, slashing at them with his Master Sword and blocking one with his Hylian Shield, before another one engulfed and vaporized him. Samus didn't fare any better. Overcome by despair, Shulk just stood there and didn't fight back as another beam wiped him out.
In an attempt to divert the beams, Zelda tried to use Nayru's Love and Mewtwo attempted Confusion, but neither worked and the two were vaporized. Meanwhile, on the ground, Pikachu and Sonic were fleeing from the beams. Sonic reached out to Pikachu only to see it vaporized, and soon, Sonic himself faced the same fate.
Bayonetta tried to dodge the light beams using Bat Within, but that only got her so far before she, too, was engulfed by the light. Red commanded Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard to attack the beams with Triple Finish, and Bowser breathed fire at them, but as expected, the light claimed them as well.
It was becoming clear this situation was hopeless to everyone pretty quickly. Snake only hid in a cardboard box, resigned to his fate after seeing his girlfriend vaporized before his eyes, joining her soon after. The Inklings, holding on feebly to hope, splatted some ink on the ground and tried to hide in the puddles in squid form, but that proved useless.
Lucina... Captain Falcon thought in the midst of the chaos, frantically looking around as he saw his comrades vanish one by one. I have to find her... we have to escape together!
Meanwhile, a distance away, Lucina was running toward the light, hoping to try to save whomever she could, when her parents, Chrom and Robyn, embraced her in an attempt to shield her.
"Mother! Father! What are you two doing?!" Desperately trying to break free, she reached out her left arm as she cried, "I have to...!"
Seeing Lucina a distance off, Captain Falcon dashed to his Blue Falcon and leapt into the open cockpit in the hopes of driving to Lucina and getting her to hop in and escape with him, but before he could land, the beam of light vaporized both him and his vehicle. The last thing he saw was Lucina's shocked, heartbroken face before... nothingness.
"Captaiiiiiin-!" Lucina cried before another beam of light swallowed her and her parents.
After that, nearly everyone else followed. Lucario... Greninja... Palutena... Falco... Pit... Dark Pit... Rosalina... Diddy Kong... Duck Hunt... Ryu... Cloud... everyone, even the Assisting Fighters and the visiting non-Smashers who still remained in Smash City like Pigma Dengar, Kazuhira Miller, Rex, Spring Man, Yuri Kozukata, Dunban, all of them were gone. Even some potential fighters who weren't currently at Smash City but were reached out to by someone there were vaporized, as well as people from the Smashers' own worlds that weren't reached out to. Bandana Waddle Dee... Fiora... Elma... Shantae... Black Shadow... the Chorus Kids... Rayman... and more...
The only one who had managed to escape intact was Kirby, who rode his Warp Star at a fast enough velocity to completely warp out of the danger zone, and crash landed onto the cliffs, where the world before him appeared to have changed. A new, lifeless world, full of Spirits... and the allies he lost who were sealed away, that he had to try to save.
Nobody was there... except Kirby.
"Ugh..."
As Captain Falcon came to his senses, the first thing he noticed was a droning, "angelic" yet ominous chorus-like sound filling his ears. He felt weightless, as if he were floating in water or even the zero gravity of outer space.
What the hell just happened...? He thought as he began to muster the energy to open his eyes. The Master Hands... and that creature... there were beams of light... I saw everyone vaporized by it. Including... me. I...shouldn't even be alive...
Just then, he remembered Lucina's panicked face as the last thing he saw before he was vaporized.
"Lucina-!" He cried as his eyes flew open, and could not believe what he saw.
"What in the shit...?!"
Surrounding him, as if a bubble, were clouds of pearl-like light, shining in various light colors, as the prismatic wings from the creature he saw earlier circled around the clouds. It was beautiful, but also deceptive, empty, oppressive.
"Where the hell am I?!" He looked around frantically and saw he seemed to be the only one in this bubble of light.
"Am I...the only one here...?" He asked himself, feeling anxiety creeping up on him. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down. "No... I should at least... try to call for help. See if anyone else can hear me."
At the top of his lungs, he began to call for whomever came to his mind.
"Snaaaaaake...!"
His voice echoed into the light-filled nothingness. Even so, he didn't give up just yet.
"Samus...! Shulk...! Cloud...! Bayonetta...!"
Is she okay, at least...? He then immediately called out for the woman he loved.
"Lucinaaaaaaaaaa...!"
But nobody answered him.
"No..." He murmured, curling into a fetal position as his voice started to crack. He could feel an emptiness in his heart and loneliness weigh heavy on his soul. "I'm... all alone...? Is everyone else... gone...?"
Did I... lose her...? I was careless... I tried to protect her, and... now I'll... probably never see her again... This is exactly what I hoped to avoid...
He closed his eyes and began to weep. "What kind of guardian... what kind of lover... am I, to let you slip through my fingers like this...?" His chest heaved as he held his head close to his knees and sobbed.
"Lucina... please... forgive me..."
Just then, as he opened his eyes, he saw an image surface through the clouds of iridescent light. "Huh...what is that...?"
Floating as close as he could, he saw what looked like... himself. He was standing upright, his arms bound to his torso by glowing chains, the lights on his visor off, as the same metallic wings, one golden and one light blue, seemed to surround his body. "Is that...my actual body? Then... am I seeing things through my conscious, which is sealed away in this dimension of light...?"
Just then, the lights on his visor turned on, but instead of their usual white, they were a menacing red. "W-what the hell?!"
Captain Falcon's body, which seemed to be under the control of that mysterious creature, then sprang to life under its control, as a light blue aura surrounded him and he pushed his arms outward, breaking the chains on his torso.
"That... thing is controlling me? The bastard..."
As the corporeal Captain Falcon stepped off the platform he was standing on, the scenery seemed to change in a flash of light. Particles of light floated upward, changing the indiscernible landscape to a platform floating around Port Town Aero Dive. Just then, the real Captain Falcon, the one who was observing everything from the light dimension he was in, heard a familiar voice break the silence.
"Galeem!" Solid Snake grunted. "Let go of my friend right now, you asshole!"
"Snake...!" Falcon gasped, his heart filling with hope. Perhaps, everyone else was alive and in the same situation as him. Maybe even Lucina, too. Just then, the Captain recalled the name Snake called the being controlling his real body. "Galeem...?" He pondered. "Is that... the name of the creature we saw...?"
"So you must be Solid Snake," were the words that came out of Captain Falcon's lips, but the voice was not his own. "How did you break free from my control?"
"Galeem controlled Snake too...?" The real Captain thought.
"Kirby saved me," Snake answered Galeem, who was controlling Captain Falcon. "He was the only survivor of the first wave, and he managed to save so many of us so far. Mario, Pikachu, Mega Man, Link, Little Mac, Fox, Lucas, the Villagers, Peach... And we won't give up until everyone's been saved and we can finally go home to Smash City."
"Kirby...survived?" Falcon questioned. "Is that why... we all didn't just cease to exist when we were vaporized?"
"Ah, I see I indeed missed one," Galeem spoke through Captain Falcon. "If I had only captured him, I would erase all of you and shape the world in my perfect image... but it is no matter to me right now. I will not let any of you ruin the progress I have made in shaping the world to my will. Just try to save your friend...!"
"Snake...!" The real Captain Falcon tried to call out to Snake from the dimension of light he was in, to no avail. "Can you hear me?!"
Snake did not seem to hear the real Falcon, however. He only got into a fighting stance as he declared, "Oh, I will, Galeem. I'll do anything to free him, and everyone, from your scummy mind controlling grasp...!" He then ran toward the controlled Captain Falcon, who also rushed in for the attack.
"Galeem...!" Captain Falcon shouted angrily, hoping for his words to somehow reach Galeem. "Don't you dare make me hurt him!"
But nobody replied. The Captain, the real one, could only watch in horror as his body, which was controlled by Galeem, hit Snake with a Falcon Punch.
"Ugh..." Snake grunted as he fell to the ground. "So, Galeem... you're not pulling any punches, are ya?..." Looking at the Captain Falcon standing before him square in the eyes, he declared, "Cap, can you hear me? I promise I'll get you out of there, buddy... If you'll pardon the cliché, I'd sooner die than hurt someone who's been like a brother to me all this time..."
"Snake..." The real Falcon whispered, starting to tremble. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he thought, He's right. I don't want to hurt him either... and I won't let it happen!
"Do you hear me, Galeem?!" Captain Falcon, the real one whose consciousness was sealed away in the bubble of light, yelled. "You're not gonna use me to hurt my friends any longer...!" He began to punch at the wall of iridescent clouds when the prismatic wings closed in on him and encircled him.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me...!" Gathering energy in his fist, he shouted, "FALCON PUUUUNCH!" and punched the prismatic wings, which shattered upon impact. As this was happening, Snake had grabbed Captain Falcon's body from behind as Galeem, controlling the Captain, tried to make his body squirm out of Snake's grasp.
"Unhand me, fool...!" Galeem berated Snake through Captain Falcon's lips as they made their puppet struggle in Snake's grip.
"Hey, Cap..." Snake strained, trying to keep Falcon's body still. "If you're in there, now would be a good time to give me a sign...!"
"I'm here, Snake...!" The real Captain Falcon called out as he drifted to the image in the clouds. Once he managed to touch it, he could see everything clearly, and feel Snake gripping him.
"S...Snake...?" He grunted in his own voice. He could still feel a lingering remnant of Galeem's control gripping him, but in this moment, he had enough mental fortitude to resist.
"I'm glad..." Snake slowly released Captain Falcon from his grasp. In an attempt to keep Galeem at bay, Falcon slowly turned to Snake as Snake backed away a bit, remaining perfectly still afterwards. It was more like he had tried to will his body to stay still, as Galeem could seize control again at any moment.
"Snake... you're alive...? And this... Galeem is controlling me?" Falcon slowly moved his head around. "Where is everyone? Where are we...?"
"Apparently, when Galeem vaporized everyone but Kirby, they recreated the world to their liking. We've been dropped in a dimension that's...clearly not Smash City."
"We're...far from home...?" Looking down, he asked timidly as his voice began to crack, "Where is Lucina...?"
"I...I don't know..." Snake answered him solemnly. "She might be close by, though."
"If I lost her... I..." Tears began to stream down his face as he lamented, "If anything happened to her...if she's not here... I..."
"I'm sure she's alright," Snake consoled him. "You want to save her, don't you? Come with us."
"Snake..." he wept, trembling, as he collapsed to his knees. The gratitude that was overcoming his heart was quickly weakening Galeem's control over him.
"I know you must have been scared and alone in there," Snake said, crouching down next to the Captain and placing his right hand on Falcon's left shoulder. "But you're not alone anymore... you're safe now..."
"Snake... I..." The aura of light around Captain Falcon dissipated and the lights on his visor returned to their original white hue, signaling his breaking free from Galeem's control. He then embraced Snake in a brotherly hug as the scenery changed to what it was before the particles of light changed it - a race track, which was only one part of this new world Galeem created. The sky above them was cloudy, with bright light shining through the clouds. A yellow light shone through a canyon some distance from them. Looking around, the Captain observed the other details of this new world.
It seemed to have a lot of different areas, from a volcano area, to icy mountains, a jungle, several city areas, and more. Needless to say, he wasn't in Smash City anymore.
"Galeem...did all this?" He thought aloud.
"Looks like it," Snake confirmed. "We don't know much about this... deity, if you could call them that, at the moment, but what we do know is that they captured the other fighters and imprisoned them. And the non-Smashers... they've been made into Spirits, and those Spirits possess copies of us, which is part of why we've been imprisoned. Galeem makes clones of us and puts the Spirits in those cloned bodies."
"That's...an unsettling thought..." The Captain remarked, shuddering in fear.
"And these Spirit fighters seem to randomly attack us during our journey, but once we defeat them, they, too, are freed from Galeem's control and accompany us, giving us strength in battle or even helping us clear obstacles that the fake Master Hands throw our way. Plus, there only seems to be so many of them, it's not like there's an infinite supply." Pausing for a moment, Snake continued, "We did free the Spirit of someone from Lucina's world, Tharja, from Galeem's control. She was possessing a clone of Lucina, which is why I thought Lucina can't be far."
"Ah..."
"Apparently, Galeem even brought over some tough enemies that we have to defeat if we're to break the protective barrier surrounding them," Snake elaborated. "After Kirby saved me in some base area a ways away from here, I had to fight a familiar face... you remember Galleom?"
"Yeah... Galeem even brought that thing here?"
"Yeah," Snake said. "From what Mario tells me, Bowser transformed into Giga Bowser when he tried to save him, and defeating Giga Bowser weakened some of the barrier. It looks like we may only need to defeat one more such enemy before we can defeat Galeem and go home."
"I see..." Captain Falcon replied. "Only thing is, we don't know where it is... and we should at least try to find everyone else first..."
"Yeah." Standing up, Snake reached out his hand to his friend. "Can you stand?"
"I think so..." Taking Snake's hand, Captain Falcon slowly stood. Thinking for a moment, he then said, "...We should try to find Shulk."
"Shulk?" Snake questioned. "What for?"
"Remember what Cloud said before we left New Los Angeles?" Falcon asked Snake. "He said that Shulk, Palutena, Robin and himself were investigating something about Galeem and the Hands... if we can find any of them, we could, if you'd pardon the pun, shed more light on this matter. They have to know something about why this is all happening."
"Fair point..." Holding his right hand to his chin, Snake wondered, "Why Shulk specifically, though?"
"I don't know why..." Falcon began, "But... I have a feeling he's not far. Plus, with his visions, he can help us find everyone faster." Looking to the side pensively, he then said, "Maybe even find Lucina..."
"I see," Snake replied. "Mario, Link and Lucas have been searching the upscale town area for Spirits, and some supplies we can use."
"Supplies...?"
"We don't know how long we'll be here, and at the very least, I'll say Galeem is merciful enough that they made it possible for us to survive. We're searching for materials like first aid supplies, food, medicine, firewood, anything necessary for setting up camp whenever we need to rest... that kind of thing."
"Makes sense," Falcon answered him. "It's always good to be prepared."
"Yeah," Snake agreed. "Mario said to meet him and the others by the bridge over there once they finished searching the city." He pointed in the direction of the bridge. "Follow me."
"Alright."
...
When they got there, they ran into Mario, Link, and Lucas, along with Simon, Pit, the Inklings, and Marth.
"Greetings, Snake," Simon greeted Snake. "It is good to see you well."
"And you, Belmont," Snake greeted back. "You managed to get any supplies?"
"Indeed," Simon confirmed. "Mario split some of the supplies he found with Lucas, Marth and myself."
"Snake brought you up to speed, right, Captain?" Pit asked Falcon.
"Yeah, he did," Captain Falcon confirmed. "I guess you guys are able to cover more ground when you split up."
"Naturally," Marth concluded. "If you have any more ideas to find everyone faster, however, I'm all ears."
"As a matter of fact, I do," The Captain answered Marth. "We should try to find Shulk. His visions can help us find everyone faster, as well as where to find that last enemy to break Galeem's barrier."
"Sound plan," Simon approved of the idea. "Lead the way, Captain."
As the group crossed the bridge, they came to a crossroads: the north path leading to a mountain range filled with train tracks; the east path leading to an alien-looking teleportation-based maze; and the south path leading to a beach area that wound around the aforementioned maze.
"So...what now?" Simon inquired.
"Hmm... we should definitely split up," Snake suggested. "But first... I want to do some reconnaissance of the lower path first. Just wait here." Motioning to the male Inkling, he told him, "Come with me, kid."
"Ngyes!" The Inkling boy cried happily as he and Snake ran down to the beach. Within a minute, they returned, with the Inkling boy looking dismayed.
"Blaugh..." The Inkling boy cringed.
"So..." Snake began to report his findings, "Looks like the south route has a fork too, but of the two branching paths, one of them is through the water and it seems to lead to an island in the distance. Little Inky here apparently doesn't like that." The Inkling boy briefly glared at Snake over the nickname he gave him. "And no way in hell can any of us, barring the Inklings, swim that far, so we'd need a Spirit to help us cross. Any ideas?"
"Sheik has Lapras's Spirit, but she's over in the icy mountain area where, last we checked, she was going to save the Ice Climbers," Pit explained.
"I'll go get her," Link volunteered. "Meet me back here within an hour or so."
"Okay," Snake said. After Link ran off to find Sheik, Snake then asked, "Have we decided which teams will take which path at least?"
"I suppose Pit and I will explore the mountains up north," Simon offered.
"Sounds good to me!" Pit agreed jovially.
"In that-a case, I volunteer that me, Lucas, and the Inkling boy take-a the south route," Mario stated. Turning to the Inkling boy, he continued, "And don't-a worry, little one, we won't go anywhere near the water, okay?" The Inkling boy and Lucas nodded in agreement.
"Guess that leaves me, Captain Falcon, Marth, and the Inkling girl on the east route," Snake concluded.
"Sounds fine," The Captain agreed.
"Woomy!" The Inkling girl stated her approval.
"Of course," Marth said.
"Okay then," Mario announced. "Let's-a go!"
The three groups then went their separate ways, promising to meet back within an hour as per Link's request. Simon and Pit stuck to the north path, which seemed to mostly consist of Spirits. As Mario's team headed south, Lucas requested to temporarily split from the team to enter a warp pipe nearby, saying he had a feeling his friend Ness was on the other end of the pipe. Mario and the Inkling boy obliged. As for the remaining team of Snake, Captain Falcon, Marth, and the Inkling girl, they made their way through the alien maze, rescuing Mr. Game and Watch and various Spirits in the process. Once they made it out of the maze, they saw Mario, the Inkling boy, and the newly-rescued Red and Leaf and their Pokemon on the other side of some impassable rocks blocking either end of the path.
"You guys head back to the bridge and wait for Link and Sheik there," Snake instructed Mario's crew. "Where's Lucas?"
"He said he felt Ness's presence on the other end of a nearby warp pipe," Mario explained. "You know how it is with these-a PSI-powered kids. He should-a be back soon."
"Alright," Snake said. "Wait for him and whomever he returns with there, and then wait at the rendezvous point." After Mario and his crew ran off, Snake then noticed yet another fork in the road: one path leading to a portal containing a pocket dimension much like the ones Peach, Bowser, and Snake himself were rescued from; and the other leading up a waterfall.
"Damn, Galeem sure has a fetish for forks in the road," Snake sassed. "There is a chance, though, that that pocket dimension might have the key to breaking Galeem's barrier."
"Hmm..." Looking around, Captain Falcon looked up the waterfall and, using his visor's built in camera, tried to zoom in to the top. "I...I think I see Shulk up there..."
"Really?" Snake questioned. "Guess your intuition wasn't far off. I'm guessing you wanna free him, then."
"I'll go with you, too," Marth offered. "Shulk only wanted to help when Galeem attacked, and he must be upset over not being able to do anything... I'll help you reason with him."
"Well then, I guess I'll go with the Inkling girl and Mr. Game and Watch into that pocket dimension, just in case something's there," Snake asserted. "Meet me here once you save Shulk."
"Got it," Marth agreed.
...
Once Marth and Captain Falcon finished scaling the path up the waterfall, freeing more Spirits from Galeem's control along the way, they saw Shulk standing before them, breaking free from his chains, his eyes turning red and the familiar aquamarine aura surrounding him; a mark of Galeem's control.
"Get ready," Marth advised the Captain.
"Don't have to tell me twice," Falcon replied as the familiar particles of light transformed the scene before them to Gaur Plain.
"So," Galeem spoke through Shulk, "I see what you two are trying to do. You want to make use of this young man's visions to find your friends and gain an advantage over me, do you not...?"
"'Make use of'? That's cold, Galeem," Captain Falcon dissed the deity. "I guess an all-consuming god like you has never known what it's like to have friends or loved ones."
"Friends? Love?" Galeem made Shulk say in their voice instead of his own. "Those things are transient. My vision is eternal."
"Enough games. Where is Lucina?!" Falcon's patience was running thin. "Answer me!"
"Captain, please..." Marth tried to dissuade the Captain.
"I am afraid I do not know," Galeem answered their former puppet. "The world I created is vast. She could be anywhere, and this boy alone may not be enough to help you find her."
"You liar...!" Falcon lunged at the Galeem-controlled Shulk before Marth grabbed his arm. Turning around, he saw Marth solemnly shake his head and then let go of the Captain's arm, at which point the Captain grunted and gritted his teeth.
"Besides, saving this boy will prove to be harder than anyone thus far," Galeem stated as they made Shulk hold his right hand to his chin matter-of-factly, his facial expression remaining stoic all the while. "You remember what it was like to witness me controlling your bodies, and your consciousnesses struggled to break through? You both had a drive, a reason to want to be free."
"What are you implying, Galeem...?" Marth asked apprehensively.
"I can feel it..." Galeem proclaimed, making Shulk raise his arms to the sky. "The regret... the raw sorrow plaguing this boy when he saw his visions were useless and he could not change the future. I know the stories of everyone I've captured... and I know this boy has only known such intense despair one other time before... that time he thought he lost his sweetheart and his visions couldn't save her either... what was her name? Ah, right... I believe it was Fiora. I bet he doesn't know I have her too, somewhere."
"Guh-!" Captain Falcon gasped. He remembered Shulk's story about Fiora, how happy he was to see her alive again, and how the two became virtually inseparable. "You're keeping her from him too?! Galeem, you monster..."
"I'm flattered," Galeem mocked the Captain, making Shulk cross his arms and grin in a smug manner. "But my point is: this boy right here... he simply does not want to come out. He feels he is too much of a burden to you all."
"That's not true...!" Marth argued. Making eye contact with Shulk, he called out to him, "Can you hear me, Shulk?! Everyone's alive! We need you!"
"Marth, don't..." Falcon began, before seeing the impossible happen. Shulk's voice suddenly shifted back to his own instead of Galeem's, his facial expression hollow and devoid of all hope.
"Ugh... Captain? Marth?" Shulk weakly asked.
"Come with us, Shulk," Marth tried to convince the Hom. "Everyone's okay. We just need you to help us find everyone else and go home..."
Shulk remained silent for a moment, then monotonously asked, "Why...?"
"What...?" Marth could not believe what he heard.
"When I had my visions... I tried to warn you all, but... I knew... deep down, that there was no way to win..." Shulk let his gaze sink to the ground, his bangs hiding his eyes. "The words... they just wouldn't come out. I'm the reason we're all in this mess."
"Shulk..." Captain Falcon murmured solemnly.
"Please, guys... I'm useless. These visions were never a blessing, only a curse." Turning to the side as he still looked down, he continued, "Just leave me be... There is no way we can win."
"Shulk, please!" Marth tried to reason with Shulk. "That's not true! We need you!"
Unfortunately, Galeem once again seized control as Shulk's voice changed to Galeem's and they made him lift his gaze to meet his friends'. "You heard the boy. Leave him alone. Has he not disappointed you enough?"
"That's where you're wrong, Galeem," Falcon challenged the deity. "He never disappointed us. He's our friend, and we're not leaving him!"
"You really think you can still reach out to him?" Galeem boasted as they made Shulk draw his Monado. "Go ahead and try...!" Galeem then made Shulk dash at Captain Falcon and Marth. The two dodged Shulk's attack narrowly, before Marth called out to the real Shulk, "Listen to me, Shulk! There was a survivor of Galeem's initial attack! It was Kirby!"
Shulk lunged at Marth again, a tense expression on his face, as Marth parried the blow with his Falchion and continued, "It's thanks to Kirby we're all still alive, and if we can get everyone together again, we can get rid of Galeem and go home!"
Deciding to humor them, Galeem temporarily allowed Shulk's conscience to surface. "But... can we even beat Galeem...?" Shulk asked in his real voice, sounding hopeless still. "Kirby was only lucky he survived..."
"And he saved so many of us so far," Captain Falcon tried to reason with Shulk. "And with you, we can save even more. We need you, Shulk... and so does Fiora."
"F...Fiora...?" Shulk stammered. "She's...here...?"
"Somewhere in this vast new world, yes," Falcon confirmed. "We need you to bring everyone home...even her."
"You aren't useless," Marth tried to encourage Shulk. "The outcome wasn't your fault... and there's still a chance if we band together."
"Marth... Captain... I..." Shulk began to tremble. Hope began to well up in Marth and the Captain, thinking they finally broke through. Galeem, however, sensed they were losing control of their puppet and immediately resumed control.
"Stop it!" Galeem raged, making Shulk's teeth grit in anger. "Why must you keep trying to find ways to win a battle you clearly have no hope of doing so?!"
"Because..." Marth began, "The future can always be changed! Right, Shulk...?"
"He's right, Shulk," Captain Falcon tried to encourage Shulk. "And you... can help us change that future."
"Nnn..." Shulk's consciousness broke through, this time of his own will. His eyes began to well up with tears as the aura of light surrounding him vanished and his eyes returned to their usual blue color. As the scenery reverted to the top of the waterfall Marth and the Captain found him on, Shulk looked down and wept, tears raining from his eyes.
"I'm sorry...guys..." He sobbed. Walking over to him, Marth tenderly placed his right hand on Shulk's shoulder to comfort him. "It's okay," Marth reassured him. "You're free now... and soon, everyone will be too."
"Thanks, guys..." Shulk wiped away his tears and then asked, "Where to now?"
"Follow me," Captain Falcon told him. "You okay to walk?"
"I believe so..."
The three headed down the waterfall path to just outside the portal Snake, Mr. Game & Watch and the Inkling girl entered earlier. Within seconds, they emerged, having just rescued Diddy Kong.
"Excellent, we've saved another one of our own," Marth said.
"Yeah," Snake told Marth. "Unfortunately, we didn't find any guardian to fight in there. Guess we gotta keep looking." Noticing Shulk standing with Captain Falcon and Marth, he remaked, "I see you've saved Shulk, too."
"Hey there, Snake," Shulk greeted Snake. "I know... I didn't really do much to prevent this situation we're in... in fact I didn't do anything at all..."
"It's okay, kid," Snake reassured the Hom. "What matters is what you can do now to help us."
"O-of course," Shulk nodded humbly.
"Would you... happen to know where Samus is?" Snake asked him. "We've still got fifteen minutes to spare before we meet up with Link and Sheik back at the bridge."
"Let me see..." Taking a deep breath and focusing, Shulk's eyes then started to glow blue. After a few seconds, he pointed in the direction of the path leading to the waterfall and said, "When you reach the waterfall, there should be some train tracks on the opposite path. Based on my vision, Simon and Pit have hit some switches that will take the train where you need to go. Once you're in the mountain area, head northeast through the volcano area and you should find her."
"Thanks, Shulk," Snake thanked Shulk before running off.
"Hey, Snake!" Captain Falcon called out to his friend. "Be careful, yeah?"
Snake wordlessly gave the Captain a thumbs up and a confident grin before continuing on his way. Once Snake left, the Captain then asked Shulk, "What about... Lucina? Can you find her? What about Fiora...?"
"I'll try..." Shulk focused once again, but no visions came to him. "I'm not seeing anything..."
"I...see..." The Captain looked down solemnly.
"It's okay," Shulk said, trying to console Falcon. "I'm sure they're somewhere deeper in this vast world, like Galeem said..."
"Yeah...probably." Turning to the others, the Captain told them, "Let's head back and wait for Simon's team, Link and Sheik."
...
When Captain Falcon and the others arrived at the bridge, they were reunited with Mario, the Inkling Boy, Red, Leaf, and their Pokemon; Lucas, and two Smashers Lucas managed to rescue: Ness and King Dedede. Within a few seconds, Simon, Pit and Snake returned, with a newly rescued Samus in tow. King Dedede also came with the Spirit of Bandana Waddle Dee, a fighter from Kirby's world who was interviewed by Robin and Zelda.
"So we just saved Ness, King Dedede, and Samus too," Falcon commented. "We're making good progress." He then looked to the side in a melancholy manner.
Lucina... He thought. Please, give me a sign... where are you...?
"Captain..." Shulk tried to reach out to Falcon. "I promise, we'll save Lucina soon..."
"Thanks, Shulk." Within a minute, Link returned with Sheik, the Ice Climbers, and Fox's comrade, Falco Lombardi.
"And Falco too, it seems," Snake remarked.
"Alright, I'm here if you guys need a ride to the island south of here," Sheik said. "But first... I imagine you all are pretty tired. Perhaps we should rest?"
"Sounds-a good," Mario agreed. "I'm a bit-a hungry too."
"Same here," Link said. "Let's set up camp for now."
...
Heading down close to the beach, the combined team of Smashers set up camp for a few minutes to eat and rest. After taking a sip from a bottle of milk, Samus commented as she sat on the sand, "The sound of the ocean waves here is really soothing."
"Yeah," Snake agreed, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend as he sat next to her. "But...this beauty is deceptive. It's not real..."
"I know..." Samus looked down.
"But don't worry. We'll make it out of here..."
Taking a bite of the tempura shrimp Mario found when searching for supplies, Captain Falcon looked on at Snake and Samus, happy that they were reunited, but feeling a bittersweet ache in his heart, wishing Lucina were with him at that moment. He began to feel desperate without any sign of her anywhere.
It's not fair... Mario has Peach again, Snake is back with Samus, but... you're not here... I miss you so much... He took in a deep breath to calm himself. Take it easy, Captain Falcon. Don't get desperate… that's what Galeem wants…
"Something wrong, Captain?" Shulk asked him as he sat next to the Captain on the same towel laid out on the ground, taking a bite of his rice ball.
"Just... wondering how this world and everything in it is able to exist the way it does." Looking up, he continued, "And... how this all started in the first place... Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot," Shulk replied.
"As we were leaving New Los Angeles, Cloud was telling us that Bayonetta's suspicion of something being amiss with the Hands was correct," Falcon began. "Cloud then explained that he, you, Robin and Palutena were accessing the information archives... mind filling me in on all that happened?"
"Ah," Shulk said. "So basically, Lucina told Robin that she saw the creature we later came to identify as Galeem in her dreams, and paired with Bayonetta's testimony of the Hands' bizarre behavior as of late, we decided to enter the information archives section of the Smash City Library, which required top secret access. Luckily, Lady Palutena had such access. We first tried searching in the main database computer for anything involving prismatic wings, but there was nothing. We then tried searching for Master Hand and Crazy Hand, but... their information pages had been replaced with...gibberish."
"Creepy..." The Captain shuddered. "What then?"
"Even though she wasn't a Smasher at that time, Palutena knew of what happened during the Subspace Incident in the third tournament," Shulk continued. "So... she suggested we look for Tabuu, the instigator of that incident. We got an 'ACCESS DENIED' message, and we were soon locked out of the database. That's when... things got crazy. A bunch of shadow clones of the Smashers materialized and started attacking us, and we had to flee."
"Go on..."
"When we escaped the Library, the clones were everywhere, attacking everyone. The Smashers took on the clones while everyone else fled to safety. As for us, we tried to find the Hands, and sure enough, they were at the town square where they revealed the Inklings a few months ago. That's when... the weirdest thing happened. The Hands just... exploded and became a shadowy mass that could change shape at will. After we defeated the mass, it left behind a strange orb, which we assumed was its core. We wasted no time in destroying it, but when we did, it showed one last image of the cliffs... and the rest is history."
"You still don't know why this is all happening, then?" The Captain deduced.
"Unfortunately," Shulk said. "I suppose we'll learn more as we go on, though. All we know so far, is that Galeem wants to reshape the universe to their will, but we don't know why. Maybe they'll let something slip when we free more of our friends."
"I guess so..."
Once everyone had ate and rested enough, Sheik announced, "Okay, so are we ready to proceed?"
"Yeah," Snake said. "What's the plan?"
"Since I have Lapras, up to two of you can come with me to the island." Turning to Shulk, Sheik asked him, "Do you know if the enemy we need to defeat to gain access to Galeem is there?"
Focusing, Shulk managed to get another vision. Once it was done, he answered her, "As a matter of fact, it is. It's a dragon called Rathalos, and Toon Link and the Mii Gunner are there on that island too."
"I see," Sheik replied.
"Can I come with you, though?" Shulk volunteered. "I also saw the Spirit of Shantae in my vision. She's someone I interviewed a while ago."
"Very well," Sheik obliged. "Anyone else?"
The two Inklings, who were naturally hydrophobic, promptly shook their heads and made distressed noises. Just then, Falco said, "I guess you can count me in, too. Even though I, personally, prefer the air."
"Then it's settled," Sheik declared. "Everyone else, try to get the others to meet up at the ribbon area close to where we found Peach and Bowser."
"I know-a the way," Mario told the others. "Follow me."
...
Within thirty minutes, Captain Falcon and the others met up with the other Smashers that were rescued thus far: Lucario, Dr. Mario, Pikachu, Pichu, the Mii Swordfighter, Jigglypuff, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, Little Mac, Donkey Kong, Mega Man, Bowser, Peach, Yoshi, the Wii Fit Trainers, the Villagers, Pac-Man, Fox, Olimar, Alph, and Ryu. And, of course, the one who made saving everyone possible in the first place: Kirby. Several Spirits accompanied them, including the Spirits of four Assisting Fighters, Spring Man, Ashley, Riki, and Yuri Kozukata; and two potential fighters who were also interviewed, Rayman and the Chorus Kids; among many others.
"Kirby!" Ness called out to Kirby.
"Poyo!" Kirby happily turned around and ran to Ness, knocking him to the ground in a hug.
"Hahaha, good to see you too," Ness chuckled, patting his small pink friend. "Oh, we managed to find one of your friends as a Spirit, too." The Spirit of Bandana Waddle Dee peered out from behind Ness and waved to Kirby happily.
"Hiiii!" Kirby waved back with an innocent smile.
"Heh... how cute," Samus remarked with an adoring smile. "I've heard of Bandana Waddle Dee, or as he sometimes likes to be called, Bandee. He has potential as a fighter, and I'd like to see him join Smash City someday."
"Same here," Snake agreed with his lover. "And everyone else who ended up here as a Spirit... soon, we can fight Galeem, and these Spirits can return to their bodies... they can't stay like this forever. They deserve a chance to be free just as much as we do."
"True..."
Everyone else looked around calmly, except for Captain Falcon, who looked up to the cloudy patch of peach-colored sky above everyone, where Galeem floated in the air, still ensconced in the safety of their barrier.
Galeem... He thought with a scowl, clenching his right fist. You smug bastard... once Sheik and the others defeat Rathalos, that barrier is going down. Then, you'd best believe your ass I'm coming for you. I won't stop until you return Lucina to me...
"Captain...?" Shulk timidly asked the Captain as he approached.
"Shulk..." The Captain began, trying to keep his anger at Galeem in check. "You're back already?"
"Yeah," Shulk confirmed. "Once I freed Shantae's Spirit, there was a warp pipe leading back to the main continent. I decided to take it while Sheik, the Mii Gunner, and Falco went into the pocket dimension there. They're probably saving Toon Link right now."
"Heeeey!" A translucent young half-genie girl with long purple hair bound back in a ponytail greeted. "Name's Shantae. It's great to meet everybody!"
"Same here," The Captain told the Spirit of Shantae with a reassuring smile. "I hope to see you join us someday, Miss Shantae." Turning to Shulk, he then pointed at the sky with a serious expression and said, "Look up there."
Shulk did as the Captain commanded, and saw two staircases of light in the sky on either side of Galeem. "I... know the way to one of those staircases. It's along the path where Lucas saved Ness and King Dedede, in the warp pipe close to the beach past the bridge."
"Good," Falcon said. "I was thinking we get a head start and head on over. Once Rathalos dies, I wanna make a beeline for that dickwad Galeem..."
"Are you sure...?" Shulk asked reluctantly.
"Very," the Captain confirmed, his voice brimming with conviction. "Please... don't try to stop me."
"...I won't," Shulk reassured him. "But...what about everyone else?"
"Tell them to stay here for now," The F-Zero racer instructed the wielder of the Monado. "And to wait for you to return to give further instructions. I'll go on ahead."
"I'll meet you there."
This chapter was originally longer, but it was pushing 15K and... for the sake of pacing I'll leave it here. Only time I'll go THAT long is in the finale, probably.
Also, as I write this closing note, E3 is approaching, but when this is posted, it'll probably be well after that. I have a beta reader now, and quality checking takes a while, but it's worth it to continue to deliver a quality work, especially as we near the finale. As a result also, for the final chapter, the cameos that appear in the end may not be accurate to the actual reveals. I'm fully still expecting Erdrick from Dragon Quest and/or Banjo & Kazooie as per some popularly backed rumors at the time of this writing, but I'm still hoping for Neku and Elma to be confirmed. An epilogue will most likely follow with the E3 confirmed characters, anyway.