Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story.
"Watch out! Ganondorf is on the war path!" Lucas yelled, running away as Ganondorf prowled the grounds of the Mansion, grumbling to himself as a dark aura surrounded him.
"I never expected to come back to this place after all these years…" Ganondrof grumbled. "I was only here for the Melee tournament until I was replaced by some other counterpart of mine… not that I didn't mind. But what really infuriates me… is that I was plucked BACK from my reign of terror BEFORE I could get my hands on the Triforce from those brats! I can only imagine the looks on their faces when they realize I'm gone!"
In the Ocarina of Time timeline…
"Ganondorf!" Link pushed open the doors. "Prepare to be… uh… van…quished…?"
"Ya know, I thought the organ was oddly quiet all of a sudden…" Navi mused.
"Oh hey guys." Zelda said, casually filing her nails. "Ganondorf vanished."
"Where did he go?"
"Oh, you know, he was sucked into some portal that looked like the ones we were sucked into about, oh… ten minutes ago, I believe."
"Ten minutes?" Navi asked.
"Wait, is there another Smash tournament?" Link asked. "…And we didn't get invited?"
"Apparently, they wanted him." Zelda said. "Soooooo… care to break me out so we can get out of here?"
"But what are we gonna do about Ganondorf?" Navi asked.
"Simple, we can say Link vanquished him and threw him in the lava right after." Zelda said.
"Wouldn't people know that he'll somehow come back?" Link pointed out.
"Pffft! Yeah, because it's not like he won't come back a hundred years from now anyway."
Link raised his finger and then lowered it. "Good point…"
"Now get me out of here before he comes back!"
Back in the other timeline…
"Rrrgh! Of all the worst possible things that could happen… IT'S THIS!"
"Dude, take a chill pill." Dark Pit said, casually leaning on a wall. "It's not the end of the world."
"Quiet, angel! I DEMAND Zelda see the error of her ways and they ruined it all!"
"Can't you do it with the current Zelda?" He asked, pointing to Zelda who was currently having tea with Wii Fit Trainer and Peach.
"Tch, I could… but I want MY Zelda to learn her wicked ways. Gerudo Town hasn't recovered and it's all because of that Hylian King not sharing his kingdom! I wanted a good deal but he REFUSED! I will see retribution by any means necessary and I'm not going to let anyone STAND IN MY WAY!" He yelled.
"…Ya know, talking to you ain't worth it." Dark Pit said as he walked off.
"AAAAAARGH! I DEMAND JUSTICE!"
"Pichu Chu?"
Ganondorf looked down at the small creature in front of him curiously looking at him with a tilted head. "Away with you, filthy rat!" He yelled, raising his sword up.
"PIIII!" Pichu screamed and ran off. "Pichu Chu Chu CHUUUU!"
"That's more like it." Ganondorf grumbled and walked off, crushing a small toy RC car underneath his foot.
"Poyo Poy…" Kirby pouted.
Ganondorf still walked angrily throughout the mansion, spotting Young Link drinking Lon Lon Milk. The sight of him made him clench his fists in anger. He marched toward the young Hylian. "Hmm? Oh… hi Ganon-" Ganondorf suddenly picked him up by the throat. "-Doooof!"
"YOU. Seeing you here again makes me sick… WHERE is our Zelda?!"
"Nnngh, back at the castle… safe from you, you bozo!" Young Link winced. "Look, I was pulled from my time too, but you don't have to take it out on ME!"
"You told me long ago that you defeated me long ago… well, now that I'm here, things will change. You do not have the Master Sword and I WILL see to it that you are finally destroyed and then I will have Zelda see the error of her wicked ways!"
"Wh-what the heck are you talking about? Zelda is a saint!"
"YOU DO NOT KNOW HER AS WELL AS I DO!" Ganondorf squeezed Young Link's neck.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Break it up, you two!" Master Hand came flying in. "I heard all the commotion. Save it for a Smash match, you two! Put him down."
Ganondorf glared at Master Hand and dropped Young Link, making him land on his butt. "OOOF!"
"Gently!" Master Hand added.
"It is because of YOU that I am not delivering justice to my people in Gerudo Valley! Zelda needs to pay for her actions and I will NOT stand for this!" He yelled and walked off in a huff.
"Ugh… that was brutal…" Young Link groaned. "What was that all about?"
"Oh, I think I know what's troubling him. I think it's time to take him on a little trip…"
Back at DK Isle…
BGM: Jolene (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)
"I can't believe what I did…" Yang quietly said, sitting down on a chair. "I attacked all of you…"
"It's not your fault. We didn't know you were in there anyway." Ruby said. "Not to mention this was K. Rool's fault."
"Ruby's right. You didn't mean to attack us in that machine." Blake said. "Were you conscious in that… whatever kind of machine it was?"
"I'm not sure… I remember seeing you guys through that thing I was in, but it felt like I was in a dream. I couldn't move… I could feel my aura being drained, but it felt like I was living through a dream, but it wasn't…"
"So you were conscious but you couldn't do anything?"
"I was trapped… there was nothing I could do." Yang sighed. "All I could do was watch while I attacked all of you…"
"That wasn't you." Tifa told her. "Believe me, that was that… thing that attacked us. Not you."
"But I was inside of it!" Yang exclaimed. "I attacked all of you, I attacked one of my best friends… I… I even attacked my sister…"
"You know, this would be the part where Weiss would say "Chin up, there's no need to be dramatic"… or something along those lines." Ruby quietly said. "…What would she say?"
"She'd probably say that." Blake said.
"Besides, DK told us that he and Diddy were out of it for a while when they were in that thing and Dixie and Kiddy saved them. They weren't depressed, but they were tired for a while." Tiny pointed out. "Wonder how those two are doing?"
"So it has happened before?" Sky asked and turned to DK and Diddy. "Did you two know that you were attacking?" The two of them shook their heads and in their own ape language, explained the situation.
"They said they were in KAOS but they couldn't do anything because their power was being drained from KAOS. However, they knew they weren't attacking them. It was KAOS, who was made by K. Rool." Tiny translated.
"Aha! So it's settled then." Kazooie said. "The blondie over here wasn't attacking us! Problem solved!"
"So why does it feel like I was attacking everyone?!" Yang snapped. "It felt like I was attacking everyone left and right, not to mention it was using replicas of Ember Celicia, and I don't know where the HELL they are! Most other people would see this and accuse me of attacking when I've done NOTHING! So tell me, what did you guys think when I was in that hunk of junk?!"
"Relieved that you were okay." Ruby said. "And a bit worried… I mean, it drained your entire aura."
"Exactly! I'm a sitting duck at this point! I know I can tank hits like they're nothing, but now without my aura, I'm nothing! One hit and I'm probably gonna be knocked the hell out in an instant! I'd be damn lucky if I take two hits! You guys know very well that my semblance is that I take hits to make myself stronger… but where does that leave me? I'm no longer this sponge that I can soak these hits in, from what Carolina told me! Face it, I'm good as dead and I'm just going to be in your way, slow us all down and-"
"Yang, ENOUGH!" Blake snapped.
"…Sorry… I… I shouldn't have-"
"I get it, you're out of it, but there's no way to be like that." Blake said. "Honestly, do you even hear yourself? This isn't you."
"Yeah, I mean… it could be worse!" Kazooie said. "You could've lost an arm in the process!"
"Kazooie!" Banjo scolded.
"What, too soon?"
"You're right… this isn't me… but… I'm not sure if-"
End BGM
BGM: Respite and Sunlight (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
"Now now, firecracker." Cranky walked over to her. "There's no need to be moping around like this. Sure, your aura is gone and you've practically got a target painted on your back. But all is not lost, ya whippersnapper. I may be a crazy old coot, but that doesn't mean I have wisdom. Times are tough, yes, and life will knock you silly like a ragdoll. However! You can either dust yourself off, shake it all off and go for a few rounds, or you can mope around and declare "woe is me" for the rest of your life. From what I have heard, you are a strong human who doesn't back down from a fight, even though you're a "punch first, ask questions later" kind of gal. I think you can improve on this. If I were you, I'd take a step back, breathe, and take a good look at your surroundings. It's all about perspective. You have been a freight train for so long, but I think it's high time for you to check that temper of yours. Your anger will only get you so far."
Cranky pounded Yang's head with his cane. "Anger blinds you! It will lead to hate… it will lead to suffering! I'd say you need to go into anger management because I'm pretty sure your blood pressure is through the roof! Let your hair down and relax! There's no I in team, and last I checked, there's no I in Team RWBY. You need to be with your team instead of possibly jumping in and possibly getting your arm chopped off… or worse, getting yourself killed! So what if your aura is gone, you still have your team, they're your family, are they not? Practically sisters?"
"Yeah…"
"Then be with your family and try not to get yourself killed! So you were trapped in a bucket of bolts and you were inadvertently attacking your teammates… big deal! No need to run away with your tail between your legs and declare that it's all your fault. This doesn't sound like you at all! Now, while I concoct a potion that will try to get your aura back together, you should at least try not to get yourself killed! Do you understand!"
Yang sighed. "Yeah, I should…"
"Good, now don't be so mopey. It's bad for your health!" Cranky said.
"Yeah!" Funky walked in with Candy, as Blake immediately froze up when she saw her. "Cheer up, this might be only temporary!" He said. "By the way, I made these for you." He handed the weapons to Yang. "They're both Cestus. Figured this would fit ya." He said.
"What the heck is a Cestus?" Ruby asked.
"I read somewhere that a cestus is basically an ancient battle glove." Blake explained. "Thing of 'em like modern boxing gloves, except made with leather strips and sometimes filled with iron plates… or fitted with blades, spikes… or whatever struck their fancy."
"Woooow!" Ruby grinned. "Do you think they used them as guns?"
"Honestly? I wouldn't be surprised."
The Cestus in question were painted yellow, with some leather strapped around the knuckles. On the knuckles were some small retractable spikes. "Knowing you, you like firing out of your gauntlets, so I made sure these things fired an unlimited amount of spikes at your disposal." Funky chuckled.
"Yup, it's a gun!" Ruby exclaimed.
Blake rolled her eyes. "Doesn't that figure."
"Now, Yang, honey…" Candy smiled. "Here's something you might like for a big girl like you." She giggled, handing over a fiery guitar. "It's an Electric Bass Guitar. You can shred it and all your enemies will fall to the might of your guitar." She said.
"I… don't even know how to play guitar." Yang said.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Candy smiled again, winking at her.
"If you say so." Yang nodded, putting it away.
"Oh, and can you give this to the big boy when he's back on his errand?" Candy asked, handing her a Triangle.
"Seriously, how is no one hearing this?!" Blake exclaimed.
"Sure…" Yang nodded, taking the Triangle and sighed. "Sorry for being so down on you guys…"
"Don't worry about it." Ruby said. "I'm sure we'd be mopey too if one of us got our aura drained… not sure what that's like, but it wouldn't be fun."
Blake walked over to Yang, reaching for her hand. "Weiss may not be here, but I'm sure she'd say 'Get your butt up and let's keep doing what we usually do' or something like that." She said. "Come on, partner. We got an island to save." She said, winking.
Yang chuckled, putting up a smile. "Yeah! I'll mope when I kick K. Rool's ass to the ground!" She said, getting helped up by the faunus.
"Yeah, that's the spirit! We're family, Yang… practically sisters! We're gonna get you smilin' whether you like it or not!" Ruby grinned.
"Yeah… what she said." Blake chuckled.
Yang smiled again, hugging the two. "Thank you…"
"Alright! Now let's go get more of those bananas and such!" Kazooie exclaimed.
"Pig! Pig!"
"…Uh… what'd you call me?" Yang asked, glaring at Kazooie.
"Hey, I didn't say anything!"
"…Aw, dag nabbit!" Cranky groaned and turned around. "Will ya quit buggin' me, ya little scamp!"
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, I came across this little guy a long time ago, took him in to nurse him back to health and now he won't leave me alone… no matter how many times I try to get him to leave!" He said and then picked it up, placing it on his desk. "May I introduce to you, this Tepig!" He said, revealing it to be a shiny Tepig.
"Tep! Tep!"
"Oooooh! It's so cute!" Ruby squealed as the Tepig hopped off of the desk and walked over to Yang, looking up and smiling at her.
"Hey, little guy." Yang smiled, where the Tepig smiled back and gently nuzzled against her leg.
"Aww, he likes you." Tifa smiled.
Cranky had an idea. "…Say! Could you be a pal and take this little scamper with ya?" Cranky tossed a Friend Ball to her, where she caught it. "I found this a day after I found the little guy. He's mighty friendly! Besides, there's nothing I can do with it anyway… not at my age!"
Yang chuckled. "Sure." She smiled and aimed the Friend Ball at the Tepig. "You want to come with me, little guy?"
"Tep!" Tepig smiled and went inside the Friend Ball.
"So, was it abandoned?" Blake wondered.
"As far as I know, it was a local here on the island but I believe it got caught in a scrap and was left to rot, luckily I found it during my walks. Then I found that little contraption a day later. Didn't seem like it was abandoned because it shook three times before it clicked." Cranky mused.
"I see." Yang mused and looked at the Friend Ball. "I think I'll call you Dàhuô." She said and stuck it near her pocket.
"Come on, let's go. I think we can head off to Gloomy Galleon now." Ruby said. "Oh, and I believe Lanky and Chunky should be back from taking the blueprints back to Snide."
"Right. Let's go." Blake said as they took off.
End BGM
"Mmm…" Cranky folded his arms.
"Something the matter?" Funky asked.
"Something's troubling me." Cranky said. "I don't know what it is, but I feel like there are dark times ahead for all of us."
"What do you mean?" Candy asked. "Is it with that Grimm fiasco?"
"No, I feel like it's something much worse." Cranky quietly said. "I have this feeling that a great calamity will run rampant through Remnant… and I've a feeling that the Grimm will be affected by this… and not just the Grimm, but the enemies in the Mushroom Kingdom, Dreamland, Hyrule, Skyworld… and many more places will be affected by this too."
"You sure you're not going senile, dude?" Funky wondered.
"No… I don't think this is me going senile." He said and moved over to his potions. "I must make haste with this potion. There is no telling what calamitous future Remnant will hold."
"Are you saying Remnant will be a war zone?"
"…No, I fear it's going to be much worse than that."
At the entrance of Gloomy Galleon…
"Oh, good! The weird talking sign is gone." Ruby said.
"That's a relief." Blake said.
"Talking sign?" Tifa asked.
"Long story." Banjo chuckled.
"Soooo, Yang… do you have a name for your… uh… pestus?"
"Cestus." Blake corrected.
"Oh, right."
"Hmm… I'm still thinking about it." Yang said. Ember Cestus…? No, that's stupid. Cestus Celicia…? That's worse! She thought to herself.
"Come on, let's go in." Ruby said as they went into the portal.
BGM: Gloomy Galleon (Donkey Kong 64)
"Ugh… not what I had in mind with a dump like this." Ruby said. "This place feels so… gloomy!"
"I doubt it's that bad." Banjo said as they walked ahead, where they noticed a cell door. Chunky walked over to it and with his strength, he swung up his arms and the cage went flying up through the holes. They went inside to see that it was flooded, so they swam underneath to see if they could find anything, but they found nothing of the sort, even when they went up for air, nothing caught their attention so they swam back to shore and continued through their trek through the cave.
They noticed another cell door where Chunky lifted it up and they all jumped into the water below, finding a platform for them to swim to. "Alright, do you think we'll find anyone in here?" Sky wondered.
"Hopefully above water." Tifa hoped.
"Wait, I see something over there!" Banjo exclaimed as he pointed off to the distance and saw a ship approaching them, but when the ship got closer, it turned to the side and aimed its cannons at them. "Uh oh…"
"Ready… fire!" A Kremling yelled as they shot the cannons at them, but the cannonballs either hit the water beside them or went over them.
"My my, they're terrible shots." Sky said. "Even Risky wouldn't miss that much!"
"Oi! Quit aiming like intergalactic army troops who works for a guy with breathing problems and hit someone!" The Kremling ordered.
"We're trying!" A Kosha exclaimed.
"Try HARDER!"
Diddy Kong rolled his eyes and activated his jet pack, popping out his peanut popguns and flying up, shooting them all down and into the water, where he landed and shot down more Koshas that tried to hit him with their heavy clubs. Once they were all knocked off of the ship, he walked to the wheel and moved the ship closer, hopping down and letting down a ladder for everyone to climb on. They climbed up the ladder right after. "Hoo hoo!" Diddy smiled, high fiving Donkey Kong who then took control of the wheel, then the ship started sailing.
"Phew, well, at least we can try to find the Golden Bananas from up here." Ruby said.
"Yup." Blake nodded.
"Ooogh… Chunky doesn't feel so good…" Chunky groaned.
"Oh, do you get sea sick?" Tifa asked.
"Yes…"
Tifa was immediately by his side. "Easy, big guy… deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. Don't worry about anything else."
"Well, I guess I can go see if there's any food in this ship." Yang said. "Maybe a strawberry sunrise or two!" She chuckled and walked over, opening the cabin door… and suddenly, a club came swinging out and hit Yang on the forehead, sending her flying toward the bow of the ship. "AAARGH!"
End BGM
"YANG!" Ruby yelled, watching her crash into some boxes, groaning. She was immediately out cold with blood trickling down her forehead.
"Yang?!" Blake exclaimed in surprise.
"What the hell?!" Tifa yelled.
"I thought there were some intruders boarding my ship." A voice said as they turned to see a large Kremling holding a club with nails on the head.
"Who are you?!" Sky asked.
"The name's Kudgel… and by the looks of it, you are stowaways on MY ship! To think my ship would be overtaken while you're taking a nap." He said. "Well… too bad, now it's time for me to kill y'all!"
BGM: Snakey Chantey (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)
Everyone took out their weapons. "Chunky, protect Yang!" Tifa ordered.
"Right!" Chunky nodded and went over to the downed Firecracker, then Ruby quickly threw her boomerang at Kudgel, but he jumped through the air and landed between Ruby and Blake, swinging his club at Blake while backhanding Ruby. Blake used her semblance to dodge the attack while Ruby was knocked silly from the backhand, but she got back up while Sky used Wrench to attack Kudgel from above, clawing him in the face and dodging the swings.
Donkey Kong leaped through the air and punched Kudgel in the back of the head, but he elbowed him in the gut in return, grabbed his leg and then swung him down on the ground. He then swung his club down, but Donkey Kong rolled out of the way while Lanky spotted some TNT nearby. With a grin, he picked one up and threw it with his long arms, slamming it into his chest. "Ooof!" Kudgel grunted, leaving him wide open as Banjo came running in and swung Kazooie like a bat to hit him on the back of his knee. Kazooie then plopped out a grenade out of the backpack as Banjo threw it and hit Kudgel in the face. Kudgel then responded by pounding Banjo in the face and swung his club to knock him into Diddy.
Tifa jumped into the scene and quickly punched him in the gut, and then delivered an uppercut and then did a roundhouse kick to his left side. "Mmph!" Kudgel winced before swinging his club at Tifa, making her jump back.
"Chunky! Throw this!" Lanky tossed a TNT barrel to Chunky, where he threw it at Kudgel, where he saw this and swung the club to send it flying into the sky, where it exploded in mid-air. Tifa saw her chance and did a flip kick to his chin before power punching him in the gut again. Kudgel grabbed her arm right after and swung his club, knocking Tifa into Sky.
"Ooof!" Sky grunted as Kudgel grabbed Wrench and threw him to Ruby, where he charged at her and slammed into her to send her over to Lanky.
"At least make it a challenge for me!" He boasted, then noticing a ship coming in the distance. "Ah, backup! I didn't need any, but I don't mind!" He said, walking over to Chunky but Blake got in the way and used her whip to grab a hold of the club, but he yanked it back to bring Blake close to him and punched her in the face to knock her down. Chunky sweatdropped and put up his fists, though he looked a bit timid. "Out of my way, Kong!" He said, swinging his club but Chunky ducked and swung his arm to send him back.
"Ooof! Alright, now we're talking." Kudgel smirked and then saw the ship getting closer. "Ahoy! I didn't need any backup, but thanks anyway!" He laughed as he saw the ship turn around, aiming the cannons at the ship. "Huh? Oh, are you offering me a lift?"
"FIRE!" A female voice yelled, as cannonballs struck the ship.
End BGM
"ACK!" Kudgel fell on his face. "What the devil are you doing?! I'm on your side!" He yelled, and then noticed a bird-like creature flying over from the ship. "What is that… a messenger bird?" He wondered as it flew above him and then dive bombed him and slammed into his face with the talons. "ARGH!" He yelled, then the creature bounced off of him and landed near the gang, before transforming again.
Sky let out a gasp once she came to her senses after Tifa slammed into her. "Shantae!"
BGM: We Love Burning Town (Shantae and the Pirate's Curse)
"Glad we got here in time!" Shantae grinned.
"We?" Ruby asked, shaking it off.
"Yeah, Bolo and Rotty are with us too." She said, pointing to the ship where they saw Bolo and Rottytops waving them over, though the latter was in a cannon.
"Hello!" Bolo waved.
"Alright, pull!" Rotty exclaimed as Bolo pulled the trigger as Rotty went flying and smacked into Kudgel in the chest.
"OOOF!" Kudgel fell on his butt as Rotty landed in front of him.
"How's that for a zombie cannonball?" Rotty grinned.
"…Is it just me or does she sound like Caeda and Mae?" Blake asked.
"THANK YOU!" Ruby exclaimed.
"You're worried about that instead of what we're dealing with?!" Tiny asked.
"Sorry…"
"Argh… those may be some lucky shots, but you won't be landing another hit!" Kudgel yelled, and then Bolo fired a cannonball from the other ship and then hitting him in the chest. "MMMPH!" He cried, knocking the blueprints off of him.
"Booyah!" Bolo yelled while Shantae pulled out some healing potions for them all and tossed them toward them.
"Heal up!" Shantae ordered as they drank the potions while Chunky gave one for Yang.
"Ugh… ow…" Yang groaned as she got up. "Alright… you asshole… this just got serious…" She said, pulling out her Friend Ball. "Dàhuô, let's go!" She yelled, calling him out.
"Tepig!" The Tepig cried and got ready for action as Kudgel looked at the small pig and laughed.
"That small thing won't hurt me!" He taunted as Tepig charged at him, where he swung his club down.
"Dodge that and use… whatever kind of move you have!" Yang ordered.
Tepig jumped to the side and went underneath his legs and then turned around and used Ember, from his snout, and the Ember hit him on the butt. "YOOOOOOOOOW!" Kudgel yelled, trying to fan out the flames as Shantae went into her Elephant form and slammed into Kudgel, knocking him on his back where Rotty ran over to him, then pulled off her leg and swung her foot like a club onto his chest. "GAAAAH!"
"How do you like that?" Rotty grinned, reattaching her leg as Shantae picked him up with her trunk and then tossed him overboard, then she went back to her normal form.
"Bolo! Come closer!" Shantae yelled, where Blake grabbed a hold of the blueprints and then they jumped over to the other ship when Bolo got closer to them, and then Shantae had the ship get destroyed by firing cannonballs at it before they sailed off.
End BGM
"Ugh… did I seriously get humiliated by a pig?" Kudgel groaned, floating on a piece of driftwood.
Back on Shantae's ship, everyone was celebrating. "Woo! That was fun!" Shantae grinned and turned to her friends. "So, what'd we miss?"
Meanwhile…
"Just what do you think you are doing?" Gruntilda asked, watching K. Rool get up from his throne.
"Going to rub salt in the wound." K. Rool said, grabbing his pirate hat and putting it on with a smirk. "Yang's already weak… why not have some fun for a bit?" He smirked devilishly.
Meanwhile, with Ganondorf…
"What do you want?" Ganondorf asked, leaning on a wall, glaring at Master Hand who had a hat over his wrist.
"Come on, I'm taking you on a little field trip." He said, snapping his fingers as Ganondorf suddenly floated in the air.
"What are you doing!" Ganondorf yelled.
"There is something you need to see." He said and then floated over to the portal room and went into the Hyrule portal, where they ended up in Hyrule.
"Oh yes, Hyrule is flourishing…" Ganondorf rolled his eyes. "Thank you for rubbing salt in the wound."
"Hahaha! While Hyrule is flourishing, you are not seeing the bigger picture." He said and took off to Gerudo Valley, eventually stopping above Gerudo Town. "Now, what do you see?"
"I see Gerudo Town as a barren wasteland…"
"Oh no no no, take a closer look." Master Hand requested as Ganondorf rolled his eyes and humored him, and then his eyes widened.
What he saw was a bunch of Gerudo women looking much better than before, Gerudo kids were playing and laughing, Hylian women were chatting amongst themselves at a bar with the Gerudo. Zoras were relaxing in a fountain with some Gerudo, a strong Gerudo woman was arm wrestling with a Goron, and a lot of others were training with their weapons. He eventually saw the leader of the Gerudo, Riju, descending from her throne room and happily waving toward the crown. Ganondorf was speechless as Master Hand gently took them to the ground.
"Do you see now? This is way after the Ocarina of Time timeline." Master Hand said. "Your people are flourishing, and some of them even started doing business in other locations of Hyrule. Believe me, Ganondorf… they seem to not mind the desert winds as you do. If it helps, they built a small settlement in Hyrule near the castle, and when I went over there, they were having a grand old time. Your people may have been suffering through your time, but look where their hardships have taken them. They overcame their hardships and became what they are today. Do they look miserable… or do they look happy?"
"They… looked happy." He said and fell on his knees, tears started falling from his eyes. "In what timeline does this happen?"
"Well, according to Crazy Hand, I've heard that all three timelines merged into one again and this is the end result. Of course, this is my brother we're talking about so take that with a grain of salt, if you will." Master Hand explained.
"In the end… I've won. My people are no longer suffering." Ganondorf said.
"To think that maybe you should have thought about, oh, I dunno, continued negotiating with the king of Hyrule in your time before you threw a temper tantrum and destroyed everything in your wrath. While I am aware that you are the descendant of Demise, that doesn't mean you have to act like him. Be your own self, be someone who thrives… be someone who knows what the future holds. Be someone who… and I can't believe I'm saying this to a villain, be someone who's kinder to others."
"…It is not in my nature to be kind."
"True, but perhaps you can be a bit nicer and not blood thirsty."
Ganondorf chuckled, wiping his tears. "…I apologize for my behavior earlier." He said and then walked off.
"Where are you going?"
"Heading back to the Smash Mansion."
"Wait for me!" Master Hand exclaimed and flew off, unaware of Ghirahim watching the whole thing from a rock.
"You can't be serious… this is gonna throw a wrench into my plans!" He growled. "A kinder Ganondorf?! No! It makes me sick with anger just thinking about it!" He yelled, disappearing in an instant.
Meanwhile, with JNPR…
"So, you kids came over to ask me to join you guys in Smash?" Rodin asked, cleaning a wine glass.
"Yeah, pretty much." Nora nodded. "You can even open up your own bar in the mansion!"
"Heh, and to think I asked Bayonetta to take me with her the next time she went to throw down." Rodin chuckled. "Tell me something, how did you find me here anyway?"
"Bayo gave us directions." Nora said.
"And gave us a map." Ren added.
"She even says she's drag you there herself if you refuse." Jaune said.
"Heh, same old Bayonetta." Rodin said. "I'm in."
"You are?" Pyrrha asked.
"Of course, why wouldn't I want to see my girl over there, kicking ass like she usually does?" Rodin smirked and walked out of his bar.
"He kinda gives me the creeps." Jaune said
"Eh, I'm sure he'll warm up to you." Nora said. "Come on, let's go!" She grinned as the four followed Rodin.
Thought i'd squeeze in one more chapter for the year!
I originally was going to save Rottytops for Fungi Forest, but as I was writing Shantae saving the day with Bolo, I thought "You know what? Let's bring Rotty in too!"
Anyway, take care y'all and see ya next year! (And to those on the other side of the world, Happy 2020 to y'all! We'll be joining ya shortly!)