Hiding in my Skin, Broken from Within

by Rie Sonomura

Her fear of abandonment. His desire to atone for the sin he committed against her, as well as to be seen as who he really is inside. Will they come to terms, heal from the pain, and let down their barriers? Falconcina. Content warnings in appropriate chapters; there will be some sensuality and spoilers for various games represented in Smash. WoL tie in in ch 17. NOW COMPLETE.

24. Finale - Eternal Blue

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS

THIS IS IT... THE FINAL CHAPTER! I'VE COME SUCH A LONG WAY AND NOW, THROUGHOUT ALL MY YEARS OF FANFIC WRITING, I FINALLY, FINALLY COMPLETE A MULTICHAPTER FIC! EXPECT SOME MINDBLOWING TWISTS AND APPEARANCES, AND A FLUFFY, SATISFYING ENDING!

Content warnings: violence, blood, mind-screw hallucination scenes, a suggestive joke at one point, Xenoblade X spoiler near the end (a certain character's appearance), vaguely referenced Persona 5 spoilers, partial nudity, and vague hints of Heroker (with DQ11 Hero as that's his default appearance) if you squint. Potentially super long, too. Also brief dialogue coding to differentiate Galeem's dialogue from Dharkon's: in addition to being bolded, italicized and underlined for both, Galeem's dialogue has [square brackets] and Dharkon's dialogue has {curly braces}. Oh and... check the end of the previous chapter. I added a pretty BIG update, lmao. (and yeah, KOS-MOS just got shot down for FP5 according to leakers... season 2 maybe?)

But oh my God... thank you all so much for sticking by until the end! There will be a follow up fic later, taking place several months to a year afterward, but for now, let's see this long, heartfelt journey through to the end!

...actually, screw it. after chatting with reviewer Fosco21 on FFN, original plan to include an epilogue as opposed to it being a separate fic has, in fact, been reinstated! I'll still mark it as complete after this chapter though, just expect a random update out of nowhere despite the Complete mark I guess?

Before I get started, I'd like to thank the following people: princessviolet (my beta reader from chapter 15 onward), Krosshair (for helping me get un-stuck after chapter 19), snow x fairy (can't use the periods cause I think it'll nuke some text on FFN; left some reviews), Smash King24 (reviewed, faved and gave some tips), everyone who's reviewed/faved/followed on FFN, everyone who's Kudos-ed on AO3, and my readers on FFN, AO3 and Wattpad! This wouldn't have been possible without your support, and I urge you guys to check out the people I've namedropped, they're awesome!

Also, I'd like to thank several of the amazing authors in this section, but two in particular come to mind for me to name: Shana Hager ("One Loose Thread" serving as a big inspiration for Falcon's characterization and the conflict with Lucina in chapter 9, and "We're In The Endgame Now" providing some inspiration for the characters' POV when they're captured by Galeem or Dharkon, as seen here and in my companion fic Blue Bird Lamentation) and Crystal Rose of Pollux (you KNOW who they are if you've been following their amazing WoL saga and "The Devil's In The Details"). Just... EVERYTHING about their saga inspired a lot of the plot elements and interactions in the latter half of this fic. They are PHENOMENAL and deserve a shout out here as well!

And one last reminder - Super Smash Prose, a Smash Bros. fanfic Discord server, is open! The ID is gDK48ua. If that invite ID no longer works, PM me (if on FFN) or if you're reading from elsewhere like AO3 or Wattpad, search "Super Smash Prose" on the r/fanfiction subreddit.

Anyway, it's time. Let's do this.

Chapter namesake - Eternal Blue from the Azure Striker Gunvolt OST

---

Hiding in my Skin, Broken from Within

Finale - Eternal Blue

"Ugh..."

Lucina slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was lying on some sort of stone platform suspended in midair, with a series of platforms above it interconnecting like a spiral staircase. It was then she took note of her surroundings.

The platform was situated high in a bright, dusty orange-colored sky, thin clouds of light blowing in the wind in the distance. She concluded this had to be the dimension Galeem and Dharkon took their battle to, with her in the midst of it.

Her and... him.

Looking to her right, she saw her lover, Captain Falcon, also lying on the ground, face down and unconscious. Getting up, she walked over to him and crouched, nudging him awake.

"Babe...?"

"Ngh..." The Captain groaned as he came to. "Did... we make it?" Getting up, he looked around and couldn't believe what he saw. "Where... are we?"

Reaching for her beloved's hand and grasping it, Lucina told him, "This looks like it's a dimension of Galeem and Dharkon's creation. I guess this is where we can finally fight and defeat both of them at once, and finally be able to go home."

"If I had to guess... I'd imagine that is why we can face them both at once now." Looking up, Falcon pointed at somewhere in the sky. Looking in the direction he was pointing, Lucina saw Galeem and Dharkon firing beams of energy at each other.

"They're still at war with each other..." Lucina pondered. "But at the same time, I heard what Palutena said. They also have common enemies now... us."

"Exactly," Falcon nodded. "Which is why we need to be careful. We should expect a lot of resistance along the way..."

"Not to mention, after Dharkon gave me that 'dream', they said they'd make me regret ever leaving them..." Lucina shuddered in fear for a moment. "They mean business."

"I imagine Galeem feels the same way about me," Captain Falcon agreed. "They bade me farewell and said that the next time we met, they wouldn't show mercy." Turning to his lover, he encouraged her, "So let's give it our all and take both of them down for good!"

"Of course." Lucina's face bore a determined look as she continued, "With the training I've received... with everyone counting on us... and you by my side... let's challenge fate!"

"Speaking of..." The Captain mumbled, holding his left hand to his chin in thought, "I wonder how everyone is holding up..."

"Hey, guys!" A familiar yet disembodied voice echoed. "Can you two hear me?"

"...Elma?" Falcon asked.

"We Spirits are staying here, to assist the other Smashers," Elma explained. "Galeem and Dharkon just summoned a bunch of Phantom Fighters, and the other Smashers are trying to hold their ground."

"Oh!" Fiora's voice exclaimed. "But you've got a helper on the way!"

"A helper...?" Lucina murmured before noticing a figure leap in toward her and the Captain seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hold up... a PIRANHA PLANT?!" Falcon shouted in surprise.

"Bandee says you should have seen the look on Mario's face when Piranha Plant was made into a fighter," Elma chuckled. "Oh, and if you'll pardon the pun, the Hands' hands are full, but they have a few more new faces on the way to aid you."

"But what if something happens to the Plant?" Lucina questioned.

"Crazy Hand said she will pull the Plant out of there after a certain point," The voice of Shantae's Spirit echoed. "Master Hand will beam some of the other new faces in there as necessary, and Crazy will pull them out to give the other Smashers a hand. You guys just gotta make sure to stay safe." Sighing, she continued, "If only I could be helping you guys out..."

"Don't worry about that, Miss Shantae," The Captain called out to reassure her. "We'll do our best, and come back safely."

"That's the spirit!" Fiora called out. "Press on, and on, and ON!"

"Yo!" Pearl's Spirit yelled. "Our connection's startin' to fade, but I just wanna say: let 'em have it!" She then grumbled, "I would, if only I could summon the Princess Cannon..."

"We would sing for you," The Spirit of Marie, one half of the Squid Sisters, began. Her cousin and the other half of the ironically-named duo, Callie, finished with, "But I guess all we can do for now is hype you up, so go go GO!"

"D-D-DROP THE SEA BASS ON THOSE SCRUBS!" The Spirit of DJ Octavio bellowed.

"I have faith in you, Douglas," Dr. Stewart encouraged his long time friend. "You, and your loved one. Give it your all!"

"Come back safe, sis!" Morgan called out to his sister.

"I will, my dear little brother..." Lucina replied with a smile.

"I cannot believe I'm saying this, but you had better not die in there, Captain," Black Shadow's Spirit announced. "You only have my permission to die when it's at my hands!"

"That's... a strange way of motivating someone, Black Shadow," The Captain snarked, "But I'll take it!"

"Weyo!" The Octoling boy's voice cheered.

"Heehee..." Marina giggled. "He's saying to kick their... hey! You shouldn't use that word!"

"Hey guys, it's Anju," Anju's Spirit called out to them. "It's been a while, and I know you two worked very hard to become stronger up to this point. Put what you've learned to good use!"

"You can do it!" Lin's Spirit cheered them on.

"Give 'em hell!" Lily Flyer's Spirit said. "Or... whatever plane of eternal punishment cosmic beings face!"

"...I don't think such things exist in that context, Lily," Viridi's Spirit mused. "And I should know; I'm a goddess! One who would totally smite those aberrations to nature if I could, mind you, so you guys will have to do it for me!"

"For our freedom!" Spring Man's Spirit declared.

"We're all counting on you!" Elma called out.

A cacophony of cheers and encouraging words from the other Spirits echoed throughout the dimension, gradually fading.

"They all... believe in us..." Lucina held her hand to her chest. "Even those we've never met before..."

"Our very existence is on the line..." Falcon murmured. "We can't let them down... and we won't. Let's go, Lucina!"

"Right!"

Drawing her Falchion from its sheath, she led the Captain and Piranha Plant onward. Within seconds, they ran into the first form of resistance: a Galeem-created clone of Samus in her Zero Suit.

"I've got this!" Lucina cried, slashing at the clone and sending it flying. Immediately afterward, a Dharkon-created Phantom Fighter of Chrom showed up.

"...Father?!" Lucina gasped, hesitating.

"That's not your father!" Falcon called out to Lucina. "That's just a Phantom Fighter created by Dharkon! They're just trying to intimidate you!"

"Well... it's working..." Lucina let her sword rest at her side. "I just... can't bring myself to do it, fake or not..."

The dark clone of Chrom lunged at Lucina, at which point the Captain shouted, "Lucina, look out!" Leaping in front of her, he shouted, "FALCON... PUUUUUNCH!" and punched the phantom Chrom, sending the clone falling off into the abyss.

"I... sorry, babe..." Lucina sighed. "I just... tensed up. My training should have made me more aware..."

"But I know it can't be helped, sweetheart. You love your dad, and can't imagine hurting even a fake likeness of him." Chuckling dryly, he added, "That situation was somewhat ironic too... considering, you know... that's how our feud started back then."

"Don't worry... It's in the past now," Lucina reassured him with a soft smile. "Let's keep going."

The couple and the Piranha Plant continued to ascend, noticing Galeem's wings hovering close by, followed by Dharkon inching their way close to them, forcing the group to take the longer path to the right.

"Dharkon?!" Lucina gasped. "What are they doing here?"

"They're not talking to you, are they?" The Captain asked his lover.

"I... now that you mention it, no..."

"They must be so focused on fighting Galeem that they don't notice us... they just happen to be obstructing part of our path."

"Hopefully neither they nor Galeem will notice us..." Lucina murmured. "We mustn't stop now. No way to go but up."

The three continued their climb, noticing Dharkon eventually retreating and gaining access to the platforms they were originally blocking. Eventually the three reached a wider platform where more Phantom Fighters flanked them - light clones of Mario and Peach, and dark clones of Luigi and Daisy. Despite seeing the Captain, the Plant, and Lucina as a common enemy, the light clones also tried to fight the dark clones.

"Here we go again..." Captain Falcon muttered before noticing Piranha Plant quite literally pipe up, hopping up and down excitedly.

"I think it's saying to sit back and watch. That it will handle this..." Lucina suggested.

"Really?" Stepping aside, he beckoned to the Plant, "They're all yours, buddy."

Grinning wide with its sharp teeth, the Piranha Plant proceeded to go to town on the clones, first spitting a metal spiked ball at the clones of the Mario Bros. like it was nothing, then growing spikes on its head and swinging it, smacking the clones of the princesses away. When the Dharkon-created clone of Daisy hovered back toward the platform, Piranha Plant began spinning the leaves on its stem like a propeller and shot upward, striking the clone and sending it flying into the horizon.

"Daaaaaaaamn!" The Captain exclaimed.

"Imagine if Mario saw this..." Lucina giggled. Noticing Piranha Plant pointing one of its leaves upward like a human hand doing a similar gesture, she commented, "Oh, I think it's saying it's okay to continue climbing."

"Didn't know you could talk to plants," Falcon sassed, grinning mischeviously.

"Babe, please..." Lucina puffed her cheeks in an irritated manner. "I'm just good at reading cues is all."

"Hahaha, you're so easy to tease, it's adorable," Falcon laughed. "Anyway, let's press on. Remember your training..."

"Of course."

Heeding the training her lover gave her, Lucina fought more Phantom Fighters as she climbed, making sure to maintain awareness of her surroundings and not fall. The Captain and Piranha Plant followed her. As they all ascended, they noticed the skies turning a slightly darker shade of blue as both Dharkon's tentacles and Galeem's wings hovered in the distance. Before long, they noticed they appeared to be climbing into outer space, as they could see the planet Smash City was situated on in the horizon, and stars shining dimly in the sky.

"Is this... outer space?!" The Captain murmured in disbelief. "How is there still gravity? How are we still breathing?!"

"I... don't know..." Lucina answered him. "I guess this is the peak of Galeem and Dharkon's reality-warping powers..." Noticing Galeem inching closer to Falcon, she cried, "Watch out!" and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him toward her as Galeem obstructed the path to the right, just as Dharkon obstructed the left path earlier. Piranha Plant swiftly dashed over to the couple before Galeem claimed their turf. Once her lover was safe, she noticed his body was in close proximity to hers, and she without a second thought wrapped her arms around him protectively.

"That was close..." Lucina panted, holding on to him tightly.

"Nice save," The Captain praised her with a grateful smile, hugging her back. "Let's hope Galeem didn't notice us this time."

"Indeed..." She felt that familiar warmth within her upon hearing his praising words, as well as the gentle heat of his embrace. Breaking the hug, she glanced up and said, "Come on."

The three climbed even more and found themselves at another wide platform with more Phantom Fighters, this time with light clones of Palutena and Ryu, and dark clones of Bayonetta and Ken. Unlike the last ambush, however, the light and dark clones seemed to be on two teams together despite them being of opposite alignments. In particular, the clones of Palutena and Bayonetta did not attack each other, neither did the Ryu and Ken clones.

"Light and darkness... working together?" Lucina questioned.

"I think... Galeem and Dharkon may have noticed us..." Falcon remarked, sounding somewhat tense. "They're putting aside their differences to try to take us out now... we need to be extra careful."

"Right!"

Captain Falcon managed to take out the fake Palutena and Ken, while Lucina defeated the false Ryu. Piranha Plant was trying to hold its own against the fake Bayonetta, until the clone of the witch used a Wicked Weave - just like the real Bayonetta - and sent it flying off the platform.

"Oh no!" Lucina gasped as she watched Piranha Plant fall into the abyss, before it suddenly started glowing white and seemed to teleport upward, seemingly out of the dimension she and the Captain were in.

"...What just...?" The Captain tilted his head to the side.

"Don't worry, you two!" Crazy Hand's voice called out to them. "I sent the Plant back to help everyone else back here. Master Hand will be sending another helper on the way soon, but for now, you two are on your own, so try to survive until then! We cannot pull either of you two out before you defeat Galeem and Dharkon!"

"Got it!" Unbeknownst to Captain Falcon, the Dharkon-created clone of Bayonetta was sneaking up on him while his back was turned, ready for the kill.

"Babe, look out!" Lucina shouted, dashing to the fake Bayonetta and delivering a series of slashes, shattering the clone like glass.

"Wha-" Turning around, he saw Lucina standing before him, the clone of Bayonetta nowhere in sight. "Heh. This is the second time you've saved me thus far, three if you count that time you saved me from Black Shadow... I really have trained you well."

"I was trained by the best." Lucina smiled affectionately at her trainer-turned-boyfriend before continuing, "You heard Crazy Hand. We should try to survive until the next helper arrives."

"Right."

Without Piranha Plant to assist them for the remaining leg of the ascent, Lucina and Captain Falcon continued their careful climb. As the planet Smash City was situated on slowly sank below their view, they noticed the sky turning an even darker shade of purple as Dharkon's tentacles floated in the horizon.

"Ah..." No matter how many times Lucina saw the sheer darkness of the future Dharkon wanted to create, the sight still unnerved her every time. She stood still for a moment, shivering in fear.

"Lucina?" Her lover asked her. "Remember, Dharkon's only trying to intimidate you. This future of infinite darkness can be prevented if we defeat them. Same goes for Galeem. So... let's not stop now, sweetheart. We've come so far. You've come so far..."

"Of course..." Lucina nodded. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't be afraid anymore. Everyone's counting on us..."

"Yes... I will fear Galeem and Dharkon no longer!"

The two resumed their ascent, and once the planet completely vanished, the stars in the sky began to shine brighter, in shades of dark blue, purple, rusty orange and yellow from left to right.

"We're almost there...they have to be close..." Falcon panted as he and Lucina reached the top. Once they did, though, they witnessed a disappointing reality.

Galeem and Dharkon were far off into the distance, with Dharkon situated around the area of the blue and purple stars, and Galeem on the side of the sky with the orange and yellow stars. They seemed to still be firing beams of light and dark energy at each other.

"Dammit..." The Captain sighed in a disappointed manner. "So close, but so far..."

Looking around, Lucina noticed more Phantom Fighters emerging - Galeem-created clones of Sheik and Simon, and Dharkon-created clones of Rosalina and Richter. "Don't forget that they can create these things to fend us off..." She muttered. "Don't let your guard down!"

"What would I ever do without you, sweetheart?" The Captain grinned before he and Lucina proceeded to attack the clones and defeat them.

"Is that it...?" Lucina asked apprehensively, noticing Galeem and Dharkon still fighting each other. Just then, more Phantom Fighters appeared - this time, there were light clones of Isabelle and the female Inkling, and dark clones of Young Link and Robin.

"Apparently not," The Captain answered her. "Let's hope we get the big guys' attention when we're done with these small fries."

"Yes!"

Exhaustion, however, was beginning to catch up to the couple. The two were in pretty rough shape by the time the dark Young Link clone was the last phantom remaining, especially with how they were looking out for each other, making sure their partner was safe. Once the fake Young Link was finally defeated, Lucina and Captain Falcon could feel Galeem and Dharkon staring daggers into them.

"Well... that did it..." The Captain said between gasps for air as he hunched over and placed his hands on his knees. "We finally... got those bastards' attention..."

[I see. So you two actually did it... put your lives on the line and traversed your way to us, knowing neither I nor Dharkon would show you the faintest bit of mercy...]

{Did you really think we wouldn't notice?}

"You know damn well why we're here!" The Captain declared, standing upright and pointing in an accusatory manner at them. "We want our universe to be restored, and for everyone to be able to go home! Not only that, but separating us is going too far!"

"You two have vastly different visions for your ideal universe," Lucina added, "And not only do they clash with each other, but they cause a lot of problems... the universe needs balance, and you two want to disrupt that balance. We can't let you do that!"

[A noble goal. But know that you will die trying.]

{Why wait for you two to come all that way to die at our hands, though? Let's have some fun now...!}

"Wha-" Before either of the two could react, they saw purple and yellow lights emanating from Galeem and Dharkon, which proceeded to engulf everything.

...

"Huh...?" This time, Captain Falcon was the first to come to his senses. Slowly standing up, he saw he was standing on the platform at the start, but there were no platforms above. Instead, the sole platform was situated seemingly between dimensions of light and darkness.

Noticing Lucina lying on the ground next to him, he crouched down next to her and gently nudged her awake. "Hey... Sweetheart?"

"Ah..." Lucina moaned, slowly getting up and noticing where she and the Captain were. "What... is this place?" Looking around, she saw an unfamiliar figure standing next to them. "Hey babe, who's that?"

"Who's what - oh..." It was then the Captain noticed who Lucina was talking about.

Standing there was an anthropomorphic, somewhat cartoonish bear stretching his arms. He wore yellow shorts with a black leather belt, a string necklace with a tiger's tooth, and a blue backpack on his back.

"No way... Banjo and Kazooie? They're here, after all these years?"

"Banjo and... who-ie?" Lucina held a finger to her chin, puzzled. "What peculiar names..."

"Oh trust me, sweetheart, these two are a big deal," Captain Falcon told Lucina. "They were supposed to join in the second tournament, actually, but... let's just say a rival organization bound them with a contract. It would seem, though, that the organization found a loophole that finally allowed them to join. Oh man, the Kongs and King K. Rool are gonna be so excited when they find out...!"

"Wait a minute, they...?" Lucina asked before the Captain held out his hand, as if to say to be quiet and let him handle things. The Captain then called out to the bear, "Hey, Banjo! Nice to finally meet ya!"

"HEY!" A female's voice piped up before Banjo could return the greeting. Emerging from Banjo's backpack was a large orange bird with yellow-tipped feathers. "You say hi to Banjo, but not to me? Rude much?"

"Haha, sorry about that, Kazooie," Falcon chuckled, making a gesture as if he were scratching the back of his head bashfully. Turning to Lucina, he explained, "There you have it. The laid-back bear is Banjo, and his snarky gal pal is the bird, Kazooie. I've heard stories of their unparalleled teamwork to stop the witch Gruntilda from unleashing her nefarious plans."

"I see..." Approaching the duo, Lucina asked Kazooie, "Say, Kazooie? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, why not," Kazooie replied.

"What exactly... is your relationship to Banjo? Are you two partners, friends, or maybe... something more than that...?"

"No comment." Kazooie looked to the side with a blank expression.

"You'll have to excuse Kazooie," Banjo spoke up. "She's a bit shy."

"Am not!" Kazooie protested. "Don't make me peck at you, Banjo!"

"Hahaha, she's such a kidder," Banjo laughed, prompting a grumble from his avian companion. "Anyway, nice to meet you guys. What are your names?"

"You can just call me Captain Falcon," Falcon said. "This here is Lucina."

"Guh-huh!" Banjo bowed in courtesy. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Falcon and Mrs. Lucina!"

"M...Mrs.?!" Lucina gasped, blushing slightly. "I'm not... married to the Captain, or anything..."

"Married...?" The Captain whispered to himself, holding his right index finger to his lips.

"He calls every woman a Mrs., regardless of whether or not they're married," Kazooie clarified. "Except for Gruntilda, her sisters, his own little sister Tooty... and me, of course..."

"Anyway, guys," Banjo began, "Master Hand sent me to help you guys after Piranha Plant was sent back to help the others. And judging by where we are..." Noticing the dark void on the left side of the rift, and the brightly lit sea of clouds on the right, he continued, "This seems to be some kind of pocket dimension? And... whoa!"

"What is it?" The Captain asked the bear.

"Did you guys see that?" Banjo pointed upward, and the Captain and Lucina looked in that direction. They could see orbs of yellow light with the images of a giant robot, orange-scaled dragon, and Giga Bowser clashing with orbs of purple light with the images of Demon King Ganon, Dracula, and a suspicious looking small purple creature with a jester hat. All of these were once Galeem and Dharkon's respective guardians.

"Hold on, I recognize one of those," The Captain remaked. "That robot is Galleom. Ike fought it during the Subspace incident."

"Subspace...?" Lucina questioned.

"I'll tell you all about it when we get home, dear," Falcon told his lover. "I will say it was one hell of an adventure... that's where we fought Tabuu... who we now know created Galeem and Dharkon."

"So, what's the plan, guys?" Banjo asked before noticing the "guardian orbs" shooting yellow and purple flames at the group. Kazooie interjected, "Guessin' we gotta make a decision on who to fight first. Better make it snappy...!"

"Eeny, meeny, miney..." The Captain murmured as he glanced at the orbs before deciding, "...Galleom!" He leapt and kicked the orb with Galleom's likeness in it, and everything went white.

When the group came to, they appeared to be standing in a wide hangar area of some high tech base.

"'Eeny, meeny, miney, Galleom'? Really?" Lucina teased the Captain. "I'm pretty sure the rhyme doesn't go like that..."

"Hey, it was the best I could come up with!" Falcon retorted. "Let's see you try to do better next time!"

"Is that a challenge, babe?" Lucina boasted.

"Hey, not to interrupt your little lovers' competition," Kazooie began, "But here it comes! You ready, Banjo?"

"Let's do this, Kazooie!" Banjo grabbed Kazooie from out of his backpack and held her in front of him like a weapon. Within seconds, Galleom converted from tank mode to its combat stance, letting out a loud somewhat mechanical roar.

"Wow, that thing's massive..." Lucina murmured in wonder.

"Hey... Kazooie...?" The Captain asked Kazooie. "You... ok with Banjo using you like a weapon like that?"

"We do it all the time, it's no biggie," Kazooie shrugged. "I can do tons of awesome stuff. Watch this!" As Banjo held her in front of him like a rocket launcher, Kazooie rapidly shot magic eggs from her mouth, exploding upon contact with Galleom.

"I don't think that'll work forever..." The Captain muttered.

"Hey, don't worry!" Banjo tried to reassure him. "We got -" All of a sudden, Galleom grabbed the duo in its hands and started shaking them violently up and down.

"Banjo! Kazooie!" Lucina called out to them.

"Guh-uh-uh-uh..." Banjo cried as he was shaken. "Gettin...dizzy..."

"Come on, Lucina!" The Captain called out to her. The two started dashing toward the mechanical beast and began relentlessly attacking its legs, prompting it to release the bird and bear after a while. Once Banjo and Kazooie were released, however, Galleom started stomping side to side as if throwing a temper tantrum.

"Looks like it's getting angry..." Lucina observed.

After it finished its "temper tantrum", Galleom got into a "winding up" pose.

"Everyone, get back!" Captain Falcon commanded his allies. They all retreated to a safe distance in the nick of time as Galleom spun around wildly with its fists out.

"Gosh, I'd sure hate to be hit by that..." Banjo remarked timidly.

"That thing doesn't scare me!" Kazooie boasted, still remaining confident in the face of this threat.

After it was done spinning, Galleom reverted back into tank mode and started shooting missiles at its opponents.

"Missiles! Look out!" Lucina shouted. Banjo and Kazooie managed to cut it close when dodging, but otherwise escaped unharmed. Lucina, however, found herself losing her balance after dodging a few.

"Lucina!" Falcon shouted as he dashed to her and tried to push her out of the way of the last missile, but the shockwaves on the outer edge of the blast radius knocked them to the ground.

"Ugh... You okay, sweetheart?" The Captain asked his lover, struggling to stand from the pain.

"It... hurts..." Lucina strained. Noticing Galleom's back thrusters lighting up, she muttered fearfully, "Oh no..."

"What's wro-" Turning his head, Falcon saw why his lover was so afraid. "Crap..."

"Time to show our secret weapon," Kazooie proclaimed, perching on Banjo's shoulders and covering him with her wings.

"Kazooie! Are you nuts?!" The Captain yelled.

"Don't worry, Captain!" Banjo reassured him. "We know what we're doing! Just lemme know when it starts driving, Kazooie!"

"OK!" Kazooie affirmed. Once Galleom started boosting toward them, Kazooie shouted, "NOW!" and Banjo started dashing toward the mechanical beast-tank as he and Kazooie started to emanate golden sparkles from their bodies.

"This is suicide...!" Lucina gasped. She was soon proven wrong when the duo successfully slammed into Galleom and actually sent it screeching backward, converting into its combat form all the while, its feet leaving skid marks on the metal floor.

"How...?!" The Captain was stunned at the sight.

"That's the magic of Wonderwing," Kazooie explained. "We become invincible and super fast, but... we can only use it four more times after this until the next day. Don't ask me why, it just... works that way I guess."

"Hey, don't get distracted now, Kazooie," Banjo told his partner. "Let's finish this thing off!"

Carrying Banjo on her back like an ostrich, Kazooie ran over to Galleom, who was a bit stunned after the Wonderwing blowback. Wasting no time, Banjo then grabbed Kazooie by her ankles and swung her down upon Galleom, effectively delivering the final blow. Kazooie hit the ground with a smack once the attack was done. As Galleom died, the scenery slowly faded to white until the Captain, Lucina, Banjo and Kazooie found themselves on the same platform between dimensions as before.

The Captain and Lucina were still injured, so Banjo, finding a nearby Heart Container, took it and handed it to the couple sitting on the ground. After their wounds were healed from touching the relic, they stood.

"Banjo..." Lucina began. "You used Kazooie... like a sword?"

"Yup!" Banjo confirmed. "You're a swordfighter, I see. Believe it or not, I, too, was originally-"

"BANJO!" Kazooie interrupted her partner. "You remember what the contract says. We're not supposed to discuss these, ahem, trade secrets!" She made air-quotation marks at the "trade secrets".

"Right, I forgot, sorry," Banjo scratched the back of his head and chuckled heartily.

"You alright, though, Kazooie?" Falcon asked Kazooie. "You finished Galleom off like that, sure, but that looked like it hurt..."

"Eh, I don't mind it," Kazooie shrugged. Her eyes bore a slight look of pleasure as she uttered, "I actually... kinda like it."

Realizing the implications of Kazooie's statement, Lucina and Captain Falcon started to blush. "W-well, if that's your thing, I'm not judging or anything..." The Captain muttered, looking away in a slightly embarrassed manner.

"Who's next?" Banjo asked. "I'm still raring to go!"

"We'll let you decide this time," Lucina said.

"Okay... gee..." Looking at the orbs swinging by, Banjo spotted the one with Demon King Ganon's likeness. "Oh hey, is that Ganondorf? Link's sworn enemy? Time to beat him to the punch!"

"Well, yeah, but..." The Captain began, "Galeem and Dharkon - the big bad guys we're trying to stop, right? - they've apparently been screwing with timelines, so this Ganon is from a different time period as our Ganondorf, and I guess that also explains Giga Bowser-"

"Let's go!" Banjo shouted, crouching on all fours as Kazooie popped out of the backpack and pecked at the orb with her beak, prompting everything to go white once more.

The scenery changed to that of town ruins on fire, the skies above covered in dark purple clouds.

"...So wait," Banjo began, "Ganondorf is also a Smasher? And he's also..."

"J-just-" The Captain stammered, sounding a bit frustrated. "It doesn't matter! Look, I know you're eager to meet everyone, you've missed out on a lot, you're confused about some things. That will all be explained in due time, I promise! Namely, after the universe is restored! Which we'll do after we defeat Galeem and Dharkon, so for now, just give us a hand!"

"Babe, did you really have to be so..." Lucina trailed off.

"Trust me, I'd love to give him a proper catch-up, but we just don't exactly have the time for that right now," The Captain elaborated, his tone sounding somewhat urgent.

"No, it's fine," Banjo dissuaded him as he noticed Demon King Ganon approaching. "I came here to help you guys, and later on, the other Smashers, so I'm good for now. Let's do this!"

The team managed to take down Ganon with their combined efforts. When they all returned to the central platform, however, Banjo was well out of shape.

"Whew..." He sighed. "I only used two more Wonderwings that fight, and I'm already winded..."

"So then...I guess you've reached your limit?" The Captain asked the duo.

"Looks like it..." Kazooie panted. "I can only take being Breegull Bashed so many times..."

"I thought you said you liked that...?" The Captain asked her teasingly, grinning in a somewhat smug manner.

"Shut uuuuuuup...!" Kazooie grumbled, looking down as Falcon burst into hearty laughter. "It gets tiring after a while, too, you know!"

"Just teasing," the Captain said. "Anyway, hope you guys will be able to hold your own."

"Here." Lucina offered them a wedge of cheese found close by and split it in two with her hands, handing one half to Banjo and the other to Kazooie. "Wouldn't want to lose you guys after we just met. Just survive down there until the Captain and I defeat Galeem and Dharkon."

"Aww, thanks!" Banjo thanked her after eating his portion and his minor injuries were healed. "We'll do our best!"

"You do your best too," Kazooie encouraged Lucina. "Hope you and your boyfriend stay safe."

"You knew...?"

"It's really freakin' obvious how you two tease each other, but also protect each other. Those are my relationship goals if I'm being honest!" As she and Banjo began to glow white before being teleported back to the other Smashers, she added, "And no, I'm still not telling what my relationship to Banjo is!" Within seconds, the bird and bear duo gave the couple a thumbs up and shot upward to the sky in a beam of light, joining the other Smashers on the other side of the dimension.

"Guess it's up to us to decide the next guardian to fight..." The Captain trailed off pensively. "Just hope our next helper is on the way."

"I guess I'll choose this time..." Lucina volunteered. Closing her eyes and grabbing the hilt of her Falchion, she muttered, "Eeny meeny miney mo..." and as she swung her sword up she cried, "Catch a Risen by the toe...!"

The scenery faded to white. When it cleared, the two found themselves at a plain surrounded by mountains, the sun shining brightly in the cloudless sky.

"Catch a Risen by the toe?" Falcon teased his girlfriend. "You know what they say about people who live in glass houses and throwing stones..."

"Baaaabe..." Lucina griped before noticing an unfamiliar shape approaching out of the corner of her eye. Turning around, she announced, "Here it comes!"

Within seconds, Rathalos, a giant dinosaur-like dragon with reddish-orange scales, strange black patterns on its wings, and black horns on its head, descended.

"This must be Rathalos..." Captain Falcon got into a battle stance. "The last of Galeem's guardians to fall originally before we fought them the first time and gained access to the Dark Realm we found you in. Let's do this, Lucina!"

However, he noticed Lucina just standing there, not drawing her sword. "...Lucina...?"

"No..." Lucina shook her head, trembling. "A...dragon...? Just like..." She held her arms to her chest and shivered, a terrified look in her eyes.

"Just calm down, sweetheart!" The Captain called out to his lover. "That's not Grima! It's Rathalos! Just focus and we can take it down!"

Lucina, however, just stood there, shuddering and murmuring fearfully.

"I guess it's not everyday she gets to fight such a large dragon... I can see how Rathalos would remind her of Grima..." Noticing Rathalos taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Watch out!" and tackled her out of the way of Rathalos's sonic boom bellow.

"Ah...?" Lucina murmured, sounding a bit out of it.

"Just stay there, sweetheart," He comforted her, placing a hand on her shoulder as she sat up. "I know this must be... making you relive your trauma with Grima. It's okay... just sit tight. I'll handle this." He dashed off and opened up on Rathalos with an aerial Falcon Kick, descending upon the dragon from an angle.

"Babe..." Lucina tried to stand, but she felt fear holding her back.

I promised myself I wouldn't be afraid anymore... of Galeem, of Dharkon, of anyone or anything. Then why...?

Watching her lover take a few hits but keep on going, her eyes began to flood with tears as she looked down, her tears splashing on the dirt below. He's putting his life on the line for me... this isn't what I wanted... why? Why won't my body move?

"Auuuugh...!"

Looking in the direction of her lover's pained cry, she saw him fall to the ground unceremoniously.

"Babe...?!" Her palms were sweating and her heart began to beat rapidly. The Captain lay on the ground in agony, barely moving. It was then she noticed a pitfall seed nearby, as well as Rathalos leaping back a short distance.

It's probably going to try to charge attack Falcon... Lucina strategized, taking deep breaths to calm down. I should use this...! Grabbing the pitfall seed, she ran to her lover's side and tossed the seed just ahead of the two of them. When Rathalos ran to them, the trap triggered and its talons were swallowed by the ground, making the rest of its exposed body vulnerable.

Now's my chance...!

"You will not hurt him...!" She shouted as she leapt at the dragon, furiously hacking and slashing at it.

"Uhhhh..." The Captain groaned as he slowly came to. Sitting up, he saw Lucina going berserk on Rathalos. "...Sweetheart?!"

She did not hear him, only screaming and attacking furiously as images of her loved ones in her future dying at Grima's hands flashed in her mind.

No more... I won't lose anyone like that ever again... She did not even notice Rathalos breaking free from the trap.

Slowly standing, Captain Falcon called out to his girlfriend, "Lucina...!"

"Huh...?" Before she knew it, Rathalos was standing on its own two feet. She immediately raised her Falchion to try to parry its next attack, which, unfortunately for her, was a spinning tail whip. The sword absorbed some of the blow, but the shock sent her flying backward.

"I've got you...!" The Captain yelled, extending his arms to catch her as best as he could. She ended up slamming into him, knocking them both onto the ground.

"Guh..." The Ylissean grunted.

"You alright?" The Captain inquired. "You... seemed to be going a bit berserk back there..."

"I... don't know what came over me..." Lucina held one of her hands to her head, as if she had a headache. "Are you alright, babe?"

"I... think so... still hurts, but I think I can..." Suddenly, he saw Rathalos charging toward them again, and this time, neither of them had a pitfall seed. He wordlessly huddled close to Lucina in the vain hope of shielding her, when...

"R-CANNON!"

Out of nowhere, a blast of ether energy shot at Rathalos and exploded, stunning it in its tracks briefly. The two looked in the direction of the shot and saw their next helper.

She was a female android, about 5'6" tall, with crimson eyes, long light blue hair, a metallic white leotard for body armor, cream-colored thigh high boots with her left boot stopping shortly above her left knee, metallic "sleeves" on her arms, starting in an open shape below the shoulders and ending with black gloves on her hands, and a metal visor on her hair just above her eyes with the following word engraved on it: "KOS-MOS", with "KOS" on the first line and "MOS" on the second line.

"Kosmos Obey Strategical Multiple Operation Systems. All systems functional." Her voice was monotone, understandably robotic, and her facial expression remained stoic as she spoke, presumably since her AI didn't support emotional display. "I can ascertain that you two require my assistance."

"KOS-MOS...?" Lucina murmured.

"You know her...?" Captain Falcon asked Lucina.

"Greetings, Lucina," KOS-MOS greeted the swordswoman. "It is nice to see you again, after the Golden Chains incident. Would you happen to know where Miss Fiora is?"

"So that's where you know her..." The Captain deduced.

"I'll explain later, KOS-MOS," Lucina told the combat android. "For now, we need you to take out this...dragon!"

"Affirmative. Do not worry yourselves. My scanners indicate that this battle is very psychologically taxing for you, Lucina, and your partner's injuries will reduce his effectiveness in combat by about 40%."

"Rude... is sass part of her AI?" Falcon remarked as he slowly got up. "I can handle myse-" He crumpled to the ground again in pain. "Ouuuuch!"

"The algorithms I have been programmed with do not support the comprehension of this 'sass'," KOS-MOS replied. Getting into a fighting stance, she declared, "Eliminating enemy threat." Her right arm began to glow before transforming into what was seemingly a long drill.

"How is she doing that?!" The Captain marveled.

"Fiora told me that KOS-MOS is composed of all mechanical parts, possibly built with... nanomachines? Was that the word?"

"Nanomachines, huh... wonder what Snake would think of her..."

"Hyaaaah!" KOS-MOS cried as she thrust her spinning drill-arm at Rathalos, tearing through the lower area of its right wing. As the now crippled dragon struggled to fly, KOS-MOS somersaulted backward through the air gracefully and, landing on her feet, announced, "Charging." Hunching over slightly, light energy began to gather around her abdominal area until something that looked like a long, thin crystal emerged from her back. She then stood upright and a large volley of lasers shot from her abdomen as she shouted, "X-BUSTER!" Rathalos couldn't take the laser assault for long and perished, the scenery fading to white once again before Captain Falcon, Lucina, and KOS-MOS were back at the starting platform.

"Enemy has been exterminated," KOS-MOS said in her usual robotic manner. "Your orders, Lucina and Captain Falcon?"

"I... how did you know my name?" The Captain stammered.

"The being called Master Hand informed me to protect you two on the way to eliminating the threats named Galeem and Dharkon," KOS-MOS explained. "It goes without saying that he told me your names." Turning to Lucina, she continued, "And I will reiterate that it is good to see you again, Lucina."

"Same here," Lucina nodded. "About Fiora... she's currently a Spirit, and she fights alongside Shulk in Smash City right now. She hopes to become a fully fledged fighter someday. I'd like to see that happen, too."

"She did mention a 'Shulk' during the Golden Chains incident," KOS-MOS clarified. "Is anyone else from that journey participating in this Smash tournament as well?"

"There's Ryu and Ken, for starters," Lucina began. "My father, who was also there during that time, finally got his chance, too. I don't know of anyone else, though..."

"I see," KOS-MOS replied. "I imagine I might see more of them when I am called back to assist the others after this next fight." Noticing her partners' condition, she remarked, "You require healing. Activating Hilbert Effect." Gathering energy around her body, she emitted a light lavender aura that healed Lucina and the Captain's injuries.

"Such amazing technology..." Falcon remarked. "KOS-MOS, who's in charge of your development?"

"That would be Ms. Shion Uzuki of Vector Industries," KOS-MOS answered him. "This Hilbert Effect, while initially purposed for drawing the Gnosis into our plane of reality, can also be repurposed for healing use. I also have access to a wide array of weapons."

"Gnosis...?" The Captain muttered before saying, "That's a can of worms I don't think we should open right now." Noticing the guardian orb with the likeness of the strange purple creature shooting balls of dark energy at him and his companions, he shouted, "Whoa!" and shoved them out of the way.

"Babe...?" Lucina asked, before noticing KOS-MOS taking out an energy pistol. "Target acquired. Engaging." She aimed the pistol at the orb and shot it.

The three found themselves on the surface of an unfamiliar planet, the sun setting over the dark sky as the stars and nebulae dimly lit the sky.

"Where is it...?" Captain Falcon pondered. "I don't see anything..."

"My sensors indicate that our opponent is behind us," KOS-MOS responded. The three turned around and saw a strange small purple creature with large, cartoonish bug eyes, brown shoes, and a jester hat with one half being blue with white circles, and the other half red with white triangles.

"Aw, this lil' thing's kinda cute," The Captain giggled. It was then that the unexpected happened - dark energy began gathering around the creature as he levitated into the air. His eyes glowed purple as the miasma enveloped him, followed by his re-emergence in a more powerful, imposing form. Those once adorable bug eyes now had a look of madness in them, his once babyish, innocent smile was now wide with two fangs, his small brown shoes were now larger, and he had two bone-like wings with holographic hexagons below the "bones".

"What the CRAP?!" The Captain yelled in shock, flinching.

"Marx..." Lucina began. "Meta Knight told me about him once. Marx is a master of deception, seeking nothing but absolute power. He even got the sun and the moon to fight each other once..."

"Graviton readings rapidly increasing," KOS-MOS observed. Materalizing two Gatling Guns from seemingly thin air, she declared, "Disabling auto-safety. Target must be destroyed at all costs!"

"KOS-MOS, wait-" Captain Falcon tried to warn KOS-MOS, but to no avail as KOS-MOS began rapidly firing at Marx, seemingly riddling him with bullets.

"Is he dead...?" Lucina asked. Once the smoke cleared, Marx was still alive.

"Negative," KOS-MOS said. Just then, Marx's eyes turned completely black, before launching several of those black "eyes" at the fighters like balls.

"Oh come ON!" Captain Falcon complained as he kicked the "balls" away and as Lucina and KOS-MOS dodged them. "Could this freak be any creepier?!"

"Changing weapons." KOS-MOS then materialized a scythe and swung at Marx three times, but only hit him twice before he warped out of the way.

"Where'd he go?!" The Captain shouted.

"Scanning..." KOS-MOS looked around, but Marx was warping all over the place. "Cannot lock on to target." Just then, Marx appeared above them and seemed to split himself in half, causing a black hole to materialize and suck the three fighters in before they could react. They were then thrown at a high velocity from the sky, the pain of the impact reverberating through their bodies. Of course, the humans in the group wondered if the android with them could even feel pain.

"Are you two alright?" KOS-MOS asked them.

"Y-yeah," The Captain grunted, trying to mask the pain he felt. "We'll be okay... what about you, though? Don't you... feel pain?"

"Pain..." KOS-MOS murmured, slowly standing, her tone of voice starting to sound less robotic. As the other two stood, KOS-MOS turned to them, her eyes now blue instead of red, and asked them in a much more human-sounding tone of voice, "Will feeling pain... make me complete?"

"Huh...?!" The Captain was understandably confused.

"Blue eyes...?" Lucina murmured, before realizing the risk the android was facing and protesting, "What are you planning to do, KOS-MOS?! Don't be rash!"

"The safety of my masters takes precedence above all else." Turning to Marx, she told her partners with an almost human-looking compassionate expression, "And right now, you two are my masters." Leaning back slightly, she began focusing a small transparent ball of blue energy onto her chest as she said in an increasingly human-sounding tone of voice, "Maximum output reached." She then shot the ball of energy at Marx, which enlarged and enveloped him completely. KOS-MOS then shouted, "Relinquish your pain... unto me!" in a tone so human sounding, so emotional, it was somewhat eerie to hear from an android.

Or perhaps it really wasn't eerie at all.

The orb exploded, weakening Marx drastically to the point he collapsed to the ground, but he wasn't dead yet. KOS-MOS then blinked, her eyes reverting to their usual red color, before wavering where she stood and slurring in her usual robotic voice which sounded somewhat glitchy, "Enerrrrrrrrgy output-put-put exceeded-ed-ed. Shutting...down..." She closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground.

"KOS-MOS...!" Lucina cried, running to the android. Captain Falcon, however, took advantage of the window of opportunity KOS-MOS created. "FALCON... PUUUUUNCH!" He dealt the finishing blow to Marx, who let out an unearthly screech as he died.

"I really can't stand creepy shit..." he murmured.

The three were returned to the starting platform. The first thing Falcon noticed was Lucina cradling KOS-MOS in her arms, a sorrowful expression on her face.

"Lucina..." He crouched down next to her.

"Babe..." Her voice started to crack. "She's not... gone, is she? We just met her... well, I was reunited with her after so long, and... if we lost her..."

Suddenly, KOS-MOS's body began to glow white and her eyes opened as she said, "Recharging..."

"Don't worry!" Crazy Hand's voice called out to them. "I've got this!"

Getting up, Lucina told KOS-MOS in a greatly relieved, somewhat cracking voice, "I'm... so glad you're alright."

"Your concern is appreciated," KOS-MOS stated. "I am ready when you are, Crazy Hand."

"Hey, KOS-MOS!" Falcon called out to the android. "Do your best down there, yeah?"

"Affirmative. I wish the two of you luck as well." Looking forward, KOS-MOS said, "Coordinates set. Deploying," before teleporting out of the dimension.

"I just hope she doesn't hurt herself like that again..." Lucina muttered anxiously.

All of a sudden, an unfamiliar male voice spoke up.

"Hey, c'mon, c'mon!"

Captain Falcon and Lucina turned in the direction of the voice. Standing there was a tall, muscular, American man in his mid-twenties with long blond hair in a ponytail and blue eyes. He wore red and white sneakers, slightly bleached blue jeans with a brown leather belt, black gloves that exposed part of the back of his hands, a white tank top covered by a red sleeveless vest with a white star insignia on the back, and most notably, a red and white trucker hat with the words "FATAL FURY" emblazoned on it.

"Oh. My. God." Falcon was speechless.

"Babe... do you know who that is...?" Lucina questioned.

"The real question is, who doesn't?!" The Captain started geeking out. "That's Terry friggin' Bogard! He's a LEGEND! Master Hand would talk about him all the time, and now he's finally here!"

"Oh my God! Captain Falcon?!" Terry exclaimed, grinning wide with excitement. "Duuuuude! I'm your biggest fan!"

"I'm your biggest fan!" The two men began enthusiastically giving each other high fives and fist bumps.

"Of course, here comes the male bonding..." Lucina chuckled to herself dryly.

"Anyway, guys," Terry began, "We just gotta defeat these last two... guardians? I see Banjo, Kazooie and KOS-MOS have taken care of most of 'em."

"Why don't you decide, Terry?" Lucina suggested.

"Whoa, she's cute," Terry commented with a whistle. "Who's she?"

"Her name's Lucina, and she's mine," The Captain stated. "So don't get any ideas."

"Number one rule of the bro code - don't flirt with your bro's girl. Got it." Grinning, Terry added, "You're a lucky guy, I'll say that much."

"Thanks, I guess..." The Captain scratched his cheek softly with his left index finger. "Anyway, you gonna decide?"

"I choose..." Watching the remaining guardian orbs clash with each other, which were Giga Bowser and Dracula respectively, Terry decided, "Let's go for that overgrown lizard first!" He punched the orb with Giga Bowser's likeness, transporting the three to what looked like Final Destination. Standing right there was Giga Bowser himself, albeit one from an alternate continuity and thus not the same one fought back in the Light Realm.

"That's a big lizard, alright," Terry said, taking his hat off and spinning it around on his right index and middle fingers before putting it back on.

"Ya think?" Falcon sassed. "That's Giga Bowser. Just stay away from the spikes on his shell and you should be good. Oh, and he also breathes fire."

"Sounds like fun," Terry said optimistically. "Let's do this!"

"He sure loves a challenge," Lucina remarked. "I imagine he, Ryu and Ken would get along very well..."

The three defeated Giga Bowser with their combined efforts. Terry, however, was the real show-stealer with his special moves, including his flying axe kick which he called Crack Shoot, and his Power Wave, which sent waves of energy upon punching the ground.

Once they were back at the platform, Captain Falcon asked Terry, "So where'd you learn that fighting style?"

"My brother Andy and I are orphans. We lived on the streets for a while, so we learned to fend for ourselves," Terry began. "We were adopted by a man named Jeff Bogard and lived in Southtown 'till I was ten years old, when Geese Howard murdered our adoptive dad."

At least he can remember his childhood... Falcon thought. I can barely remember mine...

"So... you've known what it's like to lose a father too..." Lucina murmured sorrowfully.

"Hmm?"

"She... lost her father in the timeline she originally came from. He is in Smash, but he's the version from a timeline she saved," Falcon explained. "It's... a long story."

"Nah, I get the jist," Terry reassured them. "Anyway, while my bro Andy went to Japan to train, I sought out my dad's old mentor, Tung Fu Rue. Using the abilities he taught me, as well as those I learned on the streets, I guess you could say I invented my own fighting style."

"Interesting..." Lucina mused.

"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing more of the Legendary Wolf's abilities in action," Captain Falcon declared with a grin.

"Oh, you will," Terry told him. Noticing the Dracula orb was the only orb remaining, he commented, "Ready to bust up a vampire lord, guys?"

"Yes!" The three attacked the Dracula orb together, and were taken to what looked like Dracula's Castle.

Right there, sitting on the giant throne, was the Lord of the Vampires himself, Dracula. He was immensely tall, over 10 feet in height. He had wavy brownish-silver hair, pale skin, dark purple boots, and a black tunic with gold trim and a long black cape with red on the inside. Holding an empty wine glass in his hand, he bellowed, "Ha! Mankind." He tossed the wine glass at his opponents, who ducked in response as the glass shattered against a nearby pillar. "A cesspit of hatred and lies." Standing up, he said, "Fight for them, then," and tossed his cape behind his back as he finished with, "And die for their sins!"

"Oh great, he's the pompous type," Terry griped as he rolled his eyes. Within seconds, Dracula warped from the throne and rematerialized in front of them.

"Charrrrge!" Terry shouted as he, the Captain, and Lucina dashed at Dracula and attacked him, but to no avail as every attack phased through his body. Dracula then transformed into a bunch of small bats and flew to the other side of the hall, rematerializing, but not before the bats attacked the three fighters on the way.

"Why aren't our attacks landing?!" The Captain complained.

"Wait... when he rematerialized, his arm was raised in front of..." Lucina then ran to Dracula once more and leapt at his head, attacking it. Dracula cried in pain in response, stunned for a moment as Lucina then backflipped out of the way.

"So what you're saying is..." Terry began, "...We should have gone for the head?" Lucina only nodded in response.

"OH YEAH!" Terry shouted triumphantly. "Time to show these babies off!" Dashing toward Dracula, Terry yelled, "Power Dunk!" as he leapt into the air diagonally, then descended diagonally with his fist out, punching Dracula square in the face on his way down. He then shouted, "Rising Tackle!" and leapt upwards feet first, spinning and kicking Dracula in the face.

"Don't forget me!" The Captain ran to Dracula, leapt, and shouted, "FALCON KICK!" and kicked Dracula once again in the face on his way down. Dracula got down on one knee, panting.

"Is that it...?" Terry questioned. Just then, Dracula stood, shouted, "FOOLISH MORTALS!" and held his arms out to his sides as he transformed in a flash of light. Once the light faded, he morphed into a giant, part-lizard-part-bat-like monster with green skin, demon horns on his head, and a pointed tail.

"Man, you're ugly," Terry taunted Dracula. "Aight, time to let the wolf loose!" Charging forward with his left fist out, he shouted, "BURNING KNUCKLE!" and punched Dracula's true form, following by a series of kicks and punches before backflipping, crouching and raising his left fist, and shouting, "POWER GEYSER!" He then slammed his fist on the ground, leaving eruptions of energy in a trail, the third one exploding in front of Dracula and stunning him. Turning to his allies, Terry suggested, "So guys, I got a plan. Here's what we'll do..."

Once Dracula regained his bearings, he was first assaulted by Lucina's Dancing Blade as she hacked, slashed and jabbed relentlessly at him. Leaping backward, she shouted, "Now, you two!" Unbeknownst to Dracula, he was about to be caught in a pincer attack courtesy of Terry and Captain Falcon.

The Captain leapt at Dracula from the front, gathering energy in his fist and shouting, "FALCON..." Meanwhile, from behind, Terry was charging at Dracula with his fist out, asking, "Are you okay?..."

And then, once Terry's hit connected, it all came together.

"...PUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!"

"...BUSTER WOLF!"

The punches collided on both sides in a fiery explosion, destroying Dracula from the inside by the sheer impact of the punches alone. He let out a cry before exploding into red smoke, and within seconds, Lucina, Falcon and Terry were back at the platform.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" The Captain cheered.

"I know, right?!" Terry agreed, giving Falcon a high five before taking off his hat to brush it against his left thigh, putting it back on afterwards. "Welp, I guess that's it. Gotta go help the others now. All that's left are those big light and dark pricks, and everything should go back to normal when you beat the crap outta those guys. Who knows, maybe I'll treat you guys to some burgers or something to celebrate!" Adjusting his hat as he started to glow white, he pondered, "Say, where's that high school kid who moonlights as a phantom thief and that other guy? They should've been here by now..."

"Fighting alongside you was remarkable, Mr. Bogard," Lucina complimented Terry. "You do your best down there as well. I promise, we won't take long in defeating Galeem and Dharkon. Soon, everyone can go home."

"That unflinching determination is admirable, miss," Terry praised her. "I know you'll do fine. I will, too - I've got enough Buster Wolves to go around!" Turning to the Captain, he added, "And keep your girlfriend safe, okay? Women like that don't come every day... you've found one who's one of a kind! I hope you guys can find a way to stay together no matter what!" Before he teleported away, he shouted, "OKAY!" and pumped his left fist in the air.

As the two turned around and looked at the still-balanced rifts of light and darkness, Captain Falcon held Lucina's hand and asked her, "It's time. You ready, sweetheart?"

"Let's end this." The scenery faded to white once more.

...

The two found themselves on a different platform this time, one with three thinner platforms above, and another rift of revolving clouds of light and darkness, divided by an invisible boundary.

[So...it's time.]

Galeem emerged first, their wings flying in symmetrically from the light side of the clouds, followed by their glowing core.

[I almost can't decide who to kill first... Dharkon, or the two of you. Either way, once you three are out of the way, I'll erase everything else and start my new world order. Everything perfect and peaceful, in my image, as it should be.]

Just then, Dharkon emerged from the dark side of the clouds, their tentacles flying in rapidly.

{"New world order"? Don't make me laugh! Chaos and suffering is the way, and I will make sure you and these pathetic humans, and all life in this universe, suffer as much as possible! I want to hear your screams of agony...!}

Dharkon's tentacles and Galeem's wings clashed, holding them both still as they glared at each other spitefully before shifting their attention to the Captain, once the Lord of Order and Light's chosen, and Lucina, the former chosen one of the Embodiment of Chaos and Darkness.

{Ah, my once prized maiden has come to take me down... After all I've done for you, you still oppose me? Then you must suffer like the rest!}

"Done for me?!" Lucina countered. "All you've done is make me doubt myself, hate myself, make me feel like I was inferior and like I deserved nothing. You got stronger from my misfortune... and I won't have any more of it!" Drawing her Falchion, she continued, "It's thanks to the Captain... and all my friends, and the people I've met along the way, that I know I deserve to be happy! All these experiences are precious, and I won't take them for granted anymore!"

[Captain... you and that woman were once enemies, even before she became Dharkon's pawn. Why did that change? Why do you resist the call for order?]

"As a wise man - the same wise man whose dreams I once crushed - said, 'Anything can change'. And anyone can change too." Getting into a fighting stance, he continued, "I was a more sheltered person before I got close to Lucina. I was distant, plagued by regrets, insecurity, and my own personal trauma. Getting close to Lucina has helped me open up more, forgive and heal from the past, and even slowly heal from my own painful memories. It's not perfect, but it makes me happy all the same. Your obsession with perfection is unrealistic and unhealthy, and I'll make sure your vision doesn't come to pass!"

[But wouldn't you rather know what the future holds?]

"You ever hear the story of Pandora's Box, Galeem?" The Captain interrogated the being of light. "That girl was given a box she was explicitly told never to open, but she did anyway. All sorts of horrible evils and plagues flew out and cursed the world, but she closed it before the last evil could emerge - foresight. If humans had foresight, they'd know every misfortune they'd face every day, even the exact day they'd die... and they would live in fear." Smiling, he continued with, "That's why it's great not knowing what the future has in store for us - it's more exciting! We can make our own decisions and live life to the fullest... and when it comes to the one I love, I know we'll find a way to stay together no matter what the future holds."

{Even though you two will most likely face a lot of unbearable hardship along the way?}

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Lucina answered Dharkon. "Together... I know we can overcome anything. Even the two of you, threatening to throw off the universe's harmony."

{How dare you?!}

[Such bold words... but pride comes before the fall.]

"You're one to talk!" Captain Falcon taunted Galeem. "The universe...everything in it... needs balance. Light and darkness... order and chaos... happiness and sorrow... they need the other to exist, otherwise there's no value in any of those things."

"We will not stop fighting..." Lucina began, "Until we're all free to live our lives in harmony! We helped each other lift our burdens, and we will overcome the two of you together!"

[Very well. I suppose I will try to make this as quick and painless as possible... you won't even know what hit you.]

{Not me, though! Scream for me! It's music to my ears!}

Galeem and Dharkon began a synchronized assault on the two humans who dared to defy them, with Galeem firing beams of light as thin and sharp as piano wires, while Dharkon began shooting small laser bursts of dark energy at the couple. The two dodged both of their attacks in perfect sync, dividing focus as necessary as per their training. Galeem them spun their wings around like drills, while Dharkon began conjuring pillars of dark flames on the ground. It was a bit more challenging, but the duo managed to narrowly dodge both. Once that was one, Lucina went for Galeem while Captain Falcon began his assault on Dharkon.

[You think taking out Dharkon for me will earn you any favors, Falcon? It's too late for that...]

"To hell with your 'favors'!" Falcon retorted, not noticing the ball of light Galeem was launching at him.

"Babe, look out!" Lucina warned her lover. He got out of the way, and the ball of light hit Dharkon square in their eye instead, prompting them to shape their tentacles into a hammer and whack Galeem in their core.

"They're still very much at odds with each other," Lucina observed. "But we can't count on one to finish the other. We should deal the final blow!"

"Right!"

The two continued their assault on the cosmic beings until they let out a cry. The two deities disappeared for a moment before Galeem positioned their wings in a looping oval pattern and let out a stream of brilliant light, while Dharkon held their tentacles out in all directions and let out a piercing screech, emanating a dark red glowing aura.

"What...?" The Captain asked, raising his arm to shield his eyes from the light.

"Ugh..." Lucina winced, covering her ears.

---

Once the light cleared, Captain Falcon saw Galeem hovering before him menacingly.

[Time to do what I should have done so long ago...]

Charging their energy, Galeem began to aim at the Captain when Lucina shouted, "Babe, no!" and ran to him, shoving him out of the way. The minute she did, Galeem fired a beam that had a radius the size of a baseball. The beam burned a hole in her chest, right where her heart was. The minute the beam made its impact, her eyes became dull and lifeless and she groaned faintly before breathing her last. There was no blood dripping from her fatal wound, only burned tissue. Captain Falcon ran to her body, catching it before it hit the ground.

"Lucina, no..." He begged. "Please...sweetheart...answer me..."

But it was too late. She did not respond.

"She just... slipped through my fingers... I couldn't save her..." Tears began to rain from the Captain's visor-obscured eyes as he held her body close to him and wept. Unbeknownst to him, Galeem had claimed him as their servant once more, the aqua aura surrounding him again and the lights on his visor turning red again.

[Perhaps you may still be of use to me...]

The Captain paid no attention, only closing his eyes, hugging Lucina's corpse tighter and weeping, "I'm sorry, Lucina... Please... forgive me..."

---

Dharkon's screeching dulled Lucina's senses for what felt like an eternity. Once it stopped, she took her hands off her ears and saw Dharkon before her, glaring at her with unbridled malice.

{To think I saw something in you... I don't want to torment you anymore. I just want to gut you right here and now...!}

They sent a single tentacle with its sharp tip flying at Lucina at breakneck speed. Lucina could only stand there in hesitation and fear and look at her impending doom, too paralyzed by terror to respond.

"Sweetheart! Look out!" Captain Falcon shouted, pushing her to the side...

...and taking the full impact of the sharp tip through his abdomen as he choked.

"Babe...!" Lucina cried in despair, watching the dark red blood from the wound stain his indigo jacket. Within seconds, the tentacle retreated, facing a bit of resistance in pulling it out, but when it did, blood sprayed from the wound on the Captain's abdomen in front of him. He fell backward, with Lucina managing to catch him before he hit the floor.

"Babe, no..." Lucina's eyes began to flood with tears as she desperately pleaded. "Please... hold on... I think I should still have a-"

She was interrupted by her boyfriend's hand wiping away some of her tears. "Lu...cina..." He grunted weakly, trying with all his might to hold on. "I'm glad... I got to spend time with you..."

"Captain...!" Lucina gripped the Captain's hand. "This isn't the end! Please!"

"I'm glad..." His arm began to lower. "...I met you..." His arm rested at his side as he breathed no more, his visor lights turning off and the blood from his wound pooling on the floor around him.

"No..." Kneeling, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest and began to weep.

{What a deliciously fortuitous turn of events. You couldn't live with your failure. Where does that bring you? Back to me...}

Lucina could feel Dharkon claiming her as their own again, her eyes, which overflowed with tears, glowing purple and the crimson aura emanating from her once again. She paid no attention to this fact, though, as the only emotion she felt in that moment was heartbreak. Raising her head to the darkening sky, she let out a grieving wail, shutting her eyes.

---

"What?!" Lucina gasped as she opened her eyes. She wasn't under Dharkon's control anymore. Or rather, what she saw didn't even really happen in the first place.

"A...vision?" She mumbled. It was then she noticed something vastly different about her surroundings. The skies were all radiant, daylight bathing the clouds in a deceptively beautiful glow. To her right, on the other side of the platform, was Captain Falcon, apparently under Galeem's control, as the aquamarine aura surrounded him and the lights on his visor glowed red.

"Babe...?!" She called out to him, fighting the urge to cry. "I thought... you were dead... I saw you die from Dharkon's attack..."

"I thought you were dead," Captain Falcon solemnly answered her. "And... Dharkon? Dharkon's gone... Galeem killed them, and then tried to kill me, but you... sacrificed yourself for me."

"I..." Something about the whole situation didn't feel right to Lucina, but at the same time, she saw nothing but a universe of light, and her lover standing before her.

"I cradled your lifeless body in my arms..." His voice started to crack as he spoke. "I was once again chosen as Galeem's emissary, as the universe was restarted. Everyone's gone. And soon, I will be too... at least, let us fade away together, knowing we did all we could... I felt so alone without you, all this time..."

"Babe..." Lucina took a few steps toward him, but then hesitated. "Wait... how... can I know it's you?"

"You told me that I would be the light guiding your way out of the dark if we ever got separated..." Looking down sorrowfully, he said, "Please, Lucina. There's nothing here for either of us anymore... it's time we left..." Unbeknownst to either of them, a figure in a black cloak dropped behind the Captain.

"Babe..." Lucina blinked, tears flowing from her eyes. "It's okay... I'm here now..." She slowly walked over to him, but before she could get too close, the figure in the dark cloak leapt onto the Captain's back from behind. He had short, somewhat curly black hair, fair skin, wore a black leather suit and shoes under his cloak, red gloves, and a black and white mask covering the skin around his gray eyes. He looked to be about seventeen years old, and was as tall as Lucina herself.

"What?!" She gasped in surprise, recoiling slightly.

"You are not this woman's lover," the young man told the "Captain". "You are part of an illusion created by Galeem, to lure her into a deadly trap. To break this illusion, I'll reveal your true form!"

"Wait-" Lucina cried, but the young man reached for "Captain Falcon"'s helmet and yanked it off in one fell swoop. However, instead of revealing his face, there was an aquamarine light that started to glow brighter. The young man leapt to Lucina's side as the light enveloped them all. Once it faded, they were back at the original platform with the divide between light and darkness in the background. Standing before them was a Galeem-created Phantom Fighter of Captain Falcon - the true form of the "Captain" Lucina saw earlier.

"Galeem!" The young man pointed his knife at the being of light. "I am Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and I have come to take yours, and Dharkon's, hearts, and restore the universe!"

"How did you know...?" Lucina asked the young man.

"Master Hand sent me to help the two of you," Joker answered her. "Looks like I arrived just in time. As a Phantom Thief, I unmask the true form of all the evils in the world, and I could tell you were witnessing a Cognition of your loved one, or something similar." Glancing behind Lucina, Joker saw Captain Falcon, the real one, seemingly staring at something. "Is that... your lover behind you too?"

"What...?" Lucina turned around and saw Captain Falcon on the left side of the platform, and standing before him was a Dharkon-created Phantom Fighter of Lucina, although given what she experienced earlier, he was probably hallucinating.

"Try to reach out to him," Joker advised her. "I'll handle this imitation of your lover." Turning to the light clone of the Captain, he shouted, "Arsene!" and tore the mask off his face as a pillar of blue flame appeared in front of him. Emerging from the flames was a tall humanoid figure clad in red with a long black top hat, black bird-like wings, and a somewhat demonic ghostly face.

"I am thou... Thou art I... Call upon my name, and release thy rage!"

As Joker and Arsene dashed at the fake Captain Falcon, Lucina called out to her lover, "Babe! Captain! Can you hear me?!"

Captain Falcon, however, did not hear his true lover calling out to him. He just stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the "Lucina" standing before him. She looked just like she did before he freed her from Dharkon's control back in the Dark Realm, except she bore a regretful look on her face.

What the hell... He thought. I saw her die... Galeem killed her... but how...?

"Sweetheart...?" He cautiously called out to her.

"Babe...?" "Lucina" raised her gaze to meet his. "You're... alive? I saw Dharkon impale you with their tentacle... I heard your last words..." Closing her eyes, she sobbed as tears flowed down her face, "I held your body close as I lost my last remaining shreds of free will... and now... Dharkon has won. Everyone else died a painful, slow death from their corruption. And..." Wincing in pain, she rolled back the glove concealing the hand with the Mark of Grima on it. The mark was indiscernable now as the whole hand was a dark purple, red thorns protruding from her bloody fingers. She also rolled back the sleeve on that arm, showing more purple skin, sickly dark crimson veins, and crystalline ruby thorns protruding from some areas on her arm, blood dripping from the wounds.

"Lucina..."

"The corruption is claiming me slowly too... At least Dharkon killed you first, so you didn't have to suffer..." The fake Lucina explained. "I don't... have a lot of time left... but I figure if... I were to die in your arms... I'd forget some of the pain..." Looking up at him again as tears streamed down her face, she told him, "My biggest regret... is that even though I trained so hard... I couldn't protect you. I couldn't protect anyone. This is what I deserve..."

"Sweetheart..." Putting aside all reason and letting his emotions take over, the Captain walked over to "Lucina". "It's okay... If this is how it has to be, then..." He hesitated. "Wait. Is it really you? What's... something only the real Lucina would know?"

"You told me... you saw Young Link like a son to you..." Looking down solemnly, the "Lucina" standing before him lamented, "I also wish... we'd have one day settled down and started our own family..."

I don't know why, but... I have a really bad feeling about this... The Captain thought, biting his lip anxiously.

All of a sudden, a young man's voice yelled, "Get down!"

The Captain obeyed without a second thought, and a large ball of fire flew past him and enveloped the fake Lucina. When the smoke cleared, the fake's true form was revealed - a dark clone of Lucina. Turning around, the Captain saw a young man, about sixteen years old, standing before him. He had bob-cut brown hair, blue eyes, beige pants, green boots, a gray long sleeve shirt covered by a lavender tunic, a blue shield with a bird-like golden crest with a ruby in its center, and a sword with the same crest at the hilt.

"Who are you...?" Falcon asked the young man.

"You may call me the Luminary," the young man replied. "I was sent here along with Joker to help you and your lover." Recalling a memory for a moment, he then said, "Before I was granted physical form, I saw the Spirit of a young man who claims to have met you. His name, if I remember, was Neku Sakuraba."

"Neku..." The Captain murmured.

"He wanted me to ask you if you didn't let it get too late for you and her."

Looking behind the Luminary's shoulder, Captain Falcon saw the real Lucina, who met his gaze with a grateful, tearful smile.

"Yeah. I did." Looking back to the Luminary, Falcon continued, "If you see him again, tell him I've broadened my horizons... and I won't take any moment with her... with anyone... for granted anymore."

"Good." Getting in front of the Captain and drawing his sword, the Luminary continued, "He hopes to join you someday, but for now... be by her side, and defeat those power-drunk cosmic beings, for our freedom! I'll handle the impostor!"

As the Luminary fought the false Lucina, Captain Falcon ran to the real one and hugged her tightly. She did the same in response.

"Babe... I'm so glad you're okay..."

"I'm glad you're okay, sweetheart. I was so scared..."

"I was, too." Breaking the hug, she looked up at Galeem and Dharkon and said, "Let's put an end to this... once and for all."

The couple resumed their attack, this time with Lucina going for Dharkon and Captain Falcon going for Galeem.

"It's personal now!" The Captain declared. "Tricking us with painful illusions? Using fakes of the ones we love to try to kill us? That's going too far!"

"But we know... our real loved ones are always nearby," Lucina added. "And with this, we rise against those that once oppressed us!"

As Joker and the Luminary fought off the fake versions of the couple, the real ones unleashed a no-holds-barred assault on Galeem and Dharkon.

{Lucina, my maiden. You cannot escape the darkness within you, or your dark future.}

"You forget, Dharkon," Lucina said. "The darkness doesn't have to bind me! I can make my own future, and it will be a happy one...!" She stabbed Dharkon in their eye, effectively dealing the final blow as the skies darkened and they sunk into the abyss below with a pained, unearthly groan and the dark clone of Lucina vanished.

[See, Captain? Such filthiness is why light is necessary... to purge it...]

"There is ugliness in this world, I won't deny that," Captain Falcon stated. "But there is also beauty, the kind that already exists, and it must be protected!" Gathering energy in his fist, he continued, "And you forget something else light stands for... Hope!"

[Hope...?]

Galeem's question, of course, went unanswered.

"Falcon...PUUUUNCH!" The Captain punched Galeem in their core as the final blow. Glimmering light illuminated the skies as Galeem slowly fell and the light clone of Captain Falcon disappeared.

The light of hope.

"We did it..." The Captain murmured, out of breath, before collapsing to his knees. Lucina did the same.

"The show's over..." Joker softly uttered, looking on at the glimmering sky.

Soon, the couple, the Luminary, and Joker were enveloped by a white light and everything went white.

...

The four found themselves back at the cliffs just before what was once the cloud sea. Everyone was waiting for them - all the Spirits, all the Smashers, and the other new recruits: Piranha Plant, Banjo & Kazooie, KOS-MOS, and Terry. In addition, there were three other young men that looked somewhat similar to the Luminary. One of them had wavy green hair in a golden sea dragon-like hair ornament and turquoise clothing; one had spiky black hair and a blue tunic; and the other had brown hair, a yellow tunic, and an orange bandana on his head. The Kongs and King K. Rool were palling around with Banjo and Kazooie; KOS-MOS was conversing with her fellow combat android Mega Man, who once interviewed her; Terry was talking with Ryu and Ken; and everyone else was conversing with their friends or the Spirits of potential future Smashers. Everyone except for Snake and Samus, who hugged their long time friend after seeing he made it back in one piece; and Chrom and his wife and son, who embraced Lucina, relieved to see she was alive. After the emotional reunion, the Captain's friends and Lucina's family went back to the others, prompting the other three young men to walk over to the couple, the Luminary and Joker.

"You three..." The Luminary began. "You're... people chosen to obliterate the darkness too?"

"Indeed," the green haired young man said. "I'm Solo, from Zenithia."

"Name's Arusu," The black-haired one introduced himself. "I'm the son of Ortega, and I defeated the Archfiend Baramos."

"...You can just call me Guv," The one with the bandana said. "It's what Yangus calls me. Solo, Arusu and I were sent to help the others while you helped your companions here take down the main threats."

"I see..." The Luminary pondered. "It's an honor to meet you all, as well as being able to defeat the greatest Archfiend, Dharkon, with the assistance of these brave souls."

"I wouldn't call them an 'archfiend' per se. Just a power hungry demon," Joker commented. "We also defeated Galeem, the false god of light. Which..." Looking up at the sky, he asked, "Isn't that them?"

Everyone directed their gazes to the cosmic beings who fell into the ocean. Dharkon's remains emitted a purple light, while Galeem's emitted a yellow light, before the lights exploded, sending aura shockwaves all around the planet... and across the universe.

"! I can sense it..." Mewtwo spoke up. "Galeem and Dharkon are dead. The universe... has been restored."

All of a sudden, a whirlwind of rainbow pyreflies emerged from the ocean, slowly spiraling upward as the sunset sky gradually transitioned to night. They were all Spirits captured by Galeem and Dharkon, now free and able to fly home to their bodies.

"It's time..." The Spirit of Neku Sakuraba said out of the blue, standing before the four saviors of the universe. "You've done it, guys. We can all go home now...and so can you."

"Excuse me... Neku?" The Luminary asked Neku.

"Yeah?"

The Luminary informed Neku that the Captain was able to uphold his promise.

"Excellent. I'm happy for you two. Lucina, was it? You're his girlfriend now?"

"I am," Lucina nodded. "I promise, I'll protect our happiness together."

"You don't have to promise anything to me," Neku chuckled, his smile heartfelt and genuine. "Just do it." Turning to the four, he said, "Take care of yourselves, and live life with all ya got. I look forward to fighting alongside you guys."

"Same here," The Captain said, waving as Neku waved back before glowing and transforming into a small glowing ball which flew toward the Spirit-spout, headed on his way home. Soon, the Spirits of the Assisting Fighters and non-Smashers like the Squid Sisters, Lyn, Tom Nook, Akira Yuki, Yuri Kozukata, Spring Man, Ashley, Riki, Viridi, Pauline, Dunban, Fiora and Morgan regained physical form as they still lived in Smash City. The ones who weren't Smash City residents were ready to go home to their own worlds.

"Hey, Pearl, Marina!" Callie told the Spirits of Pearl and Marina. She and her cousin Marie struck a pose and enthusiastically shouted, "STAY FREEEEESH~!"

"Stop by Inkopolis again sometime!" Marina told them. "And..." She and her friend Pearl struck their own poses as they said, "Don't get cooked! Stay off the hook!" Before transforming into glowing orbs and flying home, with Pearl shouting "Boo-YAAAAAAAAHHH!" as she flew to the Spirit-spout.

"Still say our catchphrase is better," Marie snarked.

"Sankyuu!" The girl Inkling thanked the two Octolings as the boy Inkling waved at them. The Octolings waved back before transforming into their small octopus forms, aiming at the Spirit-spout before launching toward it and turning into Spirit orbs on their way home.

"Ooooooooooomiiiiiii~!" The Octoling boy cried happily.

"Oooooo-weeeeeeeeeeeeee~!" The Octoling girl shouted.

"It was nice to see you again, Shantae," Shulk told Shantae. "Maybe I'll see you at Smash City officially someday, too."

"That's the dream!" Shantae told him. "Until then!" She departed for the spout.

"Captain Falcon...!" Black Shadow bellowed.

"Ah!" Turning his attention to the Spirit of Black Shadow, he asked, "Are you...?"

"What? Going to kill you here? Don't be daft!" Black Shadow cackled. "Much as I hate to admit it, you have my gratitude for restoring our worlds! Just don't expect me to be so friendly when I see you back at Mute City!" He turned into an orb and flew back to his home world.

Everyone else was bidding "see you later" to their friends and colleagues. Kirby waved bye to Bandana Dee before Zelda gave him some well wishes of making it into Smash someday; Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser wished their old friend Geno good luck, and so on.

"See you at NLA, Elma!" Lin told Elma before she, Lao and Tatsu flew home to Mira.

"Well..." The Spirit of Elma told the Captain and Lucina, turning to them. "Guess it's time for me to go home. I hope I will get my chance someday." When she tried to revert into a Spirit Orb, however, there was a flash of light and she could not leave.

"What?!" Elma gasped. "Why can't I... let me try again."

It happened again.

"What is this...?"

"Elma!" The voice of Master Hand boomed as everyone's attention was shifted to Master and Crazy Hand, who approached Elma. "We have something for you!"

"Something...?"

Like when Piranha Plant became a fighter, Master and Crazy Hand counted down from three to one with their fingers before snapping their fingers, after which Elma was enveloped in a large pillar of light.

"What?!"

Elma was... transforming. Her silver hair became long, glimmering periwinkle hair; her green eyes were now a bright purple; her outfit was replaced with a high tech black bodysuit with a transparent plastic around the front of her torso, exposing her navel and part of her breasts; and her dark skin was now a pale bluish-green, with periwinkle "crystals" on her forehead. Most importantly, she was no longer translucent like a Spirit. She was fully corporeal.

"I'm... in my body?!" Elma could not believe what just happened. "This is... my true form, though. I..."

"Elma..." Master Hand began. "Congratulations. You have officially joined the ranks of Smash City's elite. We hope you enjoy your stay."

"Of course, we'll have to do something about what she's..." Crazy Hand began before Master Hand nudged her.

"I..." Joyous tears rained from Elma's eyes as shimmering sleet rained softly from the sky, as if a miracle had just happened. And it had. "...Thank you. I never dreamed this day would actually happen. It's... an immense honor."

"Congratulations." The Captain and Lucina hugged Elma, who hugged them back.

"Words can't describe my happiness..." Elma said. Realizing something, she told Master Hand, "Wait... I still have business on my home planet. Plus, my teammates there don't know of my true form yet... Is it okay that I take a while to resolve things back there?"

"Of course!" Master Hand reassured Elma. "We'll be waiting for you!"

"Thank you." Turning to everyone, she told them, "I suppose I'll see you all again in a few months your time. I hope to be back soon!" Elma then began glowing white and teleported upward toward the sky, heading back home to Mira.

"See you soon, Elma..." Lucina whispered.

"Guess that's it, then," Mario commented. "Everyone, let's-a go home to Smash City!"

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.

As Joker and the Luminary followed Mario to Smash City, the Luminary asked Joker, "So... you looking forward to your new life in Smash City?"

"Yeah," Joker agreed. "I've already taken care of things back in my home world, and fighting Galeem and Dharkon was somewhat... nostalgic. I could hear everyone cheering for us."

"You're so... cool? Is that the word?" Luminary tried to compliment the Phantom Thief. "I wish I had an ability like yours."

"You mean Arsene? He's my Persona, and Personas only manifest in those that exhibit a strong enough will," Joker explained. "But you're not bad yourself. You fight with a sword, but you can also use magic. Your character is admirable, too. You remind me of someone I knew back home, who had a strong sense of justice. Unlike him though, your justice isn't misguided. I just... admire you."

"Admire...?" The Luminary blushed. "Thanks... I really admire you too. You remind me of Erik back home... he's suave, confident, and... someone I really care about."

"Is that so?" Joker chuckled. "Guess we'll keep each other from getting homesick as long as we're here."

"That sounds nice... I hope our own friends can come visit us, too."

Meanwhile, while the rest of the crowd followed Mario, Terry caught up to the Captain and Lucina, who were still standing close to the view of the Spirit-spout. "Hey guys! My burger offer still stands, ya know. Just point me to any good establishments, yeah?"

"Sure," The Captain agreed with a grin. "Just... give us a bit of time here."

"Okay, I guess..." Terry conceded. "You guys already know the way to Smash City, so I'll wait for you two in front of Smash Tower!" He headed off to the rest of the crowd before noticing KOS-MOS observing the couple.

"Excuse me... Mr. Bogard?" KOS-MOS asked him. "What are the Captain and Lucina doing?"

"Hey, you don't get between a couple's romantic moment," Terry replied with a somewhat teasing grin. "Don't wanna look like a voyeur, now."

"Romance...?" KOS-MOS tilted her head to the side. "My algorithms do not comprehend this emotion."

"Well, you see," Terry began as he led KOS-MOS to the crowd with him, "When two people feel really strongly - in a positive way of course - about each other..."

Once they were alone, Captain Falcon and Lucina looked at the gorgeous sight before them, holding hands, as the gentle winds blew around them.

"Heh..." The Captain chuckled. "Not every day that a simple training journey leads to us literally saving the universe, eh? It's a bit hard to believe..."

"Yeah..." Lucina agreed. "So, babe... Have you... thought of a way for us to stay together, despite whatever may happen?"

"I have," The Captain nodded. "We'll just... cherish every moment we have together during this tournament. If either of us have to go, we'll go wherever the other goes. If you have to return to the future, I'll fight Grima with you until the end of our days."

"And I'll spend the rest of my life with you in Mute City if you have to go," Lucina replied with an affectionate smile. "But for now... let's make the most of our time together, and strive for a happy future."

"Of course, my love." Looking to the side for a moment, the Captain then asked, "Oh, and... Lucina?"

"Yes?"

"I couldn't have done all this without you... this time around, you were my strength."

"Thank you..." Lucina whispered, tears of joy coming to her eyes as she smiled affectionately. "I truly am happy I met you, babe."

"I am too..." The Captain embraced his lover, holding her close to him. Their faces drew closer until their lips met in a passionate kiss, her arms wrapping around him while her hair blew in the wind.

Colors wove into a spire of flame, distant sparks calling to a past still unnamed.

The two bore the torch against the cold of the night, having searched their souls during their journey together...

And reawakening the undying light.

The light of a hopeful future, finding their way and stepping into their... everyone's tomorrow.

The End