Notes: I know Veran has never been a part of the Smash-verse, but she is one of my favorite villain characters of all time, and given that she's only ever appeared in one game, I see it my duty to bring her into the spotlight wherever I can.


With his brother by his side, Luigi was definitely more confident than he had been in the middle of the match only minutes ago. The building was mostly an empty façade for the sake of the arena, with just an internal skeleton for support. A narrow ledge was in front of each row of windows, and upon one of these ledges was Ganondorf, leering down at the small army that had come to challenge him.

"So, the craven Man in Green from the prophecy grows a spine at last?" he scoffed at Luigi.

"Don't you say a word to my brother," Mario growled. "After everything you've done to him, you don't have the right to say anything to him!"

"Let him say whatever he wants, Big Bro," Luigi said, glaring up at the Gerudo King. "It doesn't matter—I didn't use the Negative Zone, even after his trick to try to get me to use it. I saved you using my Poltergust, just like before."

"Clearly, my ploys were lacking in their ability to motivate you," Ganondorf sneered. "But, soon, you will see that in order to protect those who are near and dear to you, awakening your inner darkness will be the only viable option to stop me."

"Not if we stop you here and now!" Mario shot back, hurling a fireball at Ganondorf. "You leave my little bro alone!"

Other fighters sent arrows and other projectiles at Ganondorf, as well; he shielded himself without much concern for the attacks. There would be other times, he decided, and he used his Triforce of Power to once again open a hole in Subspace which closed after him before any of the others could follow.

"That was Subspace!" Pit exclaimed.

"So that's how he got Dark Samus and Ridley here…" Ike realized. "There's no telling who or what else he'll end up bringing back with him next time."

"It doesn't matter what else," Mario said. "If he thinks I'm going to stand by and let him do whatever he wants to try to corrupt my brother-"

"Mario…" Luigi said. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but remember that you'll be his prime target."

"You think that matters to me?" Mario said. "I'm used to being a walking target—and I don't mind if it means keeping those who are important to me safe."

"Very noble, but very foolish, Plumber Boy," Bayonetta scoffed. "And that's why you never send boys to do a woman's job. Next time, just leave him to me. If he is right that it'll take dark magic to stop him, then it's better to hand the reins over to someone who knows how to use it."

"You can face him all you want," Luigi said. "In the end, he's going to ignore you for those who are closer to me." He clenched a fist. "I wish I was stronger."

"That's Ganondorf's entire point," Zelda said, gently. "He preys on people's doubts and desires; he wants you to be so desperate to get stronger that you'll relent and use the darkness to do it."

"But Luigi doesn't need the darkness—he proved that by using the Poltergust as his Final Smash and taking out both Dark Samus and Ridley," Mario pointed out. "We just need to train and prepare for whatever Ganondorf sends next." He glanced at Luigi, his expression softening. "C'mon, Bro—let's do some practicing."

Luigi cheered up a bit; perhaps that was exactly what he needed. He nodded and followed his brother to the training hall.

"We should all get practicing, too," Peach said, moving to follow them.

Daisy, Pit, Link, Zelda, and others began to follow her. About half of the fighters opted to train, while others, like Bayonetta and Kongs, seemed to opt for conserving their strength, at least for now.

"I think you're taking this a bit too far," Dedede called after group heading to the training hall. "Ridley and Dark Samus are in the Hands' custody now, and Ganondorf is just one fighter against all of us—you saw him run outta here just now, didn't you? Even if he comes back with some other villains he recruited, they can't stand against all of us!"

"It can't hurt to train, anyway!" Daisy called back.

"Meh, suit yourself," the penguin said, dismissively.

"You sure you don't want to join us?" Ness asked. "Especially since you have a new Final Smash now…"

"Nah, I'm going to focus on lightening things up around here," Dedede replied. "Everyone's on edge—they need to learn to laugh again at a good practical joke…" He trailed off as he noticed the Kongs heading off to where they had built their treehouse getaway, some distance from the mansion.

Kirby silently stared at the now-smirking Dedede for a moment before running off to follow the others going to train, as though deciding that he didn't want any part of whatever was about to unfold.


Ganondorf's escape into Subspace had led him to opening various openings into space and time in order to find the appropriate means of convincing Luigi that dark magic was essential to his survival. He had found what he was looking for in one of his multiple futures—a future where he had succeeded in gaining the entire Triforce, only to lose it, and his life, when the Hero of Time reincarnated—thus leading Twinrova to enlist the Sorceress of Shadows to aid in his resurrection.

"Veran," Ganondorf said, in approval, as he met her face to face and led her through subspace and into the forest surrounding the mansion. "Your efforts to bring about my resurrection are not ones I take lightly; I appreciate your loyalty to me. But, for now, I have need for you in this timeline, as I have mentioned."

"Hmm, yes, this 'Man in Green,' and the prophecy you described," she said. "You really think you can convince him to turn to the darkness?"

"With your assistance, I can't see why not," Ganondorf replied. "Your skills of possession will be most useful here."

"I see," Veran mused. "I should possess his brother?"

"No, that won't work," the Gerudo King replied. "Mario's strength and will are greater than you would expect of a mere plumber—he would be able to resist your control."

"Ah, then I am to possess Luigi himself?"

"No!" Ganondorf ordered. "Again, Mario is keeping a most watchful eye on him and their close friends and allies, including the princesses—even the slightest change in their behavior would be spotted in an instant. In fact, the slightest change in any of the fighters would not go unnoticed; they are all on high alert now."

"Then who is left to possess!?" Veran exclaimed.

Ganondorf silently indicated through the trees; Pauline was rehearsing with the band on the mansion grounds.

"…The entertainment?" Veran asked, skeptically.

"She is an old flame of Mario's, but they are still on friendly terms. He trusts her, but he will not be as vigilant in observing changes in her behavior when he would expect any threats to come to one of his fellow fighters."

"But if she can't fight, then what even is the point in possessing her?" the sorceress queried.

"Your skills in manipulation are legendary, my dear—even without possession, you can bend others to your will," Ganondorf said. "Right now, the biggest thing preventing the darkness from awakening in Luigi's heart is his brother's support. Plant some seeds of doubt in Mario's head about his brother's ability to resist the darkness. Lie if you have to—tell him that you saw Luigi trying to practice the Negative Zone behind his back. I want you to create a rift between the two brothers, and the darkness will do the rest on its own, as it did during the Brawl tournament-"

Both he and Veran were distracted as something large and green barreled past them out of the Subspace portal that Ganondorf had left open. The creature ignored the two of them, instead bounding away with some apparent purpose in mind.

"What was that supposed to be?" Veran asked. "It looked like an obese crocodile!"

"I believe that is exactly what that was," Ganondorf replied. "I had not intended for this, but it could very well be the distraction we need to allow you to possess Pauline without being noticed."


"HEEEEE-YAAAAH!" Mario yelled, as a vortex of fire shot out from his hands towards the unfortunate Sandbag.

The other training fighters stopped to watch and applaud; the Mario Finale was definitely one of the flashier Final Smashes, and no one was surprised that Mario was the first among the training crew to successfully use his Final Smash without the Smash Ball.

"You really are the best, Bro!" Luigi congratulated him, as Cappy danced around in excitement.

Mario looked back at his brother with a grin.

"You were still the first," he reminded him. "Why don't you try it again?"

"Um… alright…" Luigi said, with a nervous gulp. He concentrated, and, once again, the Poltergust materialized.

Mario and Cappy prudently dodged as Luigi unleashed the Poltergust on Sandbag.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, obviously surprised.

"From what I'm observing," Peach said. "Mario and Luigi had been sparring a little bit before they tried to use their Final Smashes." She glanced at Pikachu. "You'd been in battle recently; how about you try next?"

Pikachu nodded, and with a shout, unleashed Volt Tackle. After beating up on Sandbag further, the mouse let out a triumphant squeal and ran over to Samus, chattering excitedly in his own language.

"So that's it," Samus said, as she gave Pikachu a congratulatory skritch behind the ears. "As we fight, we can build up enough energy to use our Final Smashes. Daisy was right—this is a game-changer, and an important one; not having to depend on getting a Smash Ball changes things."

"Especially with Ganondorf causing trouble," Pit said. "But now we really know how to stop him! Dedede was right about us outnumbering him—imagine, all of us going at Ganondorf with one Final Smash after another! He'll have to surrender!"

"This will go both ways, Pit," Palutena reminded him. "There is little to stop him from using his Final Smash against us, as well. Though it is true, we have our strength in numbers-"

She was interrupted by Diddy Kong running into the training hall at top speed, chattering in a panicked tone. Fox and Falco both frowned, recalling Diddy's panic during the Brawl tournament.

"Something's wrong," Falco said. "I think there's been another attack…!"

Diddy nodded frantically, and Luigi paled.

"No…" he said, quietly, as Mario gripped his shoulder again. "I didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of me…"

"Did Ridley or Dark Samus escape!?" Samus demanded.

Diddy shook his head and motioned for them to follow him.

"You guys go on ahead," Bowser said, gathering Junior and the Koopalings in his arms, ignoring their protests of wanting to fight, too. "I'll get these guys to safety and join you later." His paternal instincts were kicking in so strongly, he neglected to notice that he had also picked up a very baffled Squirtle along with his own children; Red and Leaf knew better than to point this out right now.

The others followed Diddy outside; Pauline was watching them as they ran past the mansion and into the forest.

"Is everything alright?" she called.

"No!" Mario called back. "There's trouble—probably with Donkey Kong!"

"…Oh…"

Pauline was still wary of Donkey Kong after all the times he'd given her trouble, yet, she'd never wished for any harm to befall the big ape. With a sigh, she turned to the others.

"Let's take five, alright?" she asked.

The musicians nodded and began to pack up their instruments; Pauline had just started to follow the others when she felt a sudden chill behind her.

"Pardon the intrusion," Veran whispered in her ear. "But you've just been conscripted into the service of the Gerudo King."

She was enveloped by Veran's shadowy form before she could even say a word.

"Madam Mayor?" one of the musicians asked, looking up now to see the odd expression on Pauline's face. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine," Veran said through her. "Why don't you the rest of the day off? I have some important work to attend to."

She resumed heading into the forest where the others had gone; Bowser, having successfully placed his kids and Squirtle in a safe place in the mansion, had been barreling along through the forest, as well, overtaking her and nearly knocking her over in his haste to catch up with the other fighters.

"Clumsy beast!" Veran hissed. With a wave of her arm, she levitated Bowser and sent him crashing into a tree before continuing on her way.

Bowser stared, stunned, wondering where and how Pauline had suddenly obtained magical powers from. Shaking the thought aside, he got back on his feet and resumed trying to catch up with the others, but taking a longer, roundabout route to avoid crossing paths with the apparently ill-tempered Pauline again.

He arrived in time to see the other fighters attempting to back up Donkey Kong as King K. Rool squared off against him, bellowing at the new arrivals in an attempt to intimidate them into retreating.

"So that's it!" Bowser fumed. "I'll show that nuisance supertanker who the real royal reptile is around here!"

He moved to charge forward, but stopped in his tracks as he nearly tripped over someone lying unconscious and bleeding in the foliage.

"…Dedede?" he asked, quietly, before shouting to the others. "Hey! Over here! Dedede's down!"

"What!?" Luigi cried.

Mario glanced over worriedly as Luigi, Ness, Meta Knight, and Kirby now ran over to where Dedede was lying.

"Oh no, oh no…" Luigi gasped as he knelt by the fallen penguin. "Is… is he…?"

"He's alive, but… he's fading fast," Meta Knight said, bluntly.

Kirby let out a quiet whimper.

"You take care of him," Bowser ordered, and he leaped into the fray.

With Bowser bringing in the extra muscle, Mario now retreated to be by his brother's side, sensing that he was needed there more.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Not good," Luigi said. "And… and it's all my fault…!"

"It is not your fault!" Mario insisted, but he paused as Lucas now ran over to them.

"Ness, use this!" he said, handing him a Team Healer. "I had this with me in the training room, just in case."

"That's exactly what we need—thank you!" Ness said, and he threw the Team Healer at Dedede. There was another tense moment, but, at last, the penguin stirred.

"Ohh…" he groaned. "What hit me?"

Kirby didn't answer, but he did joyfully leap up and hug him.

"It was King K. Rool," Meta Knight said, indicating the battle.

"What? The real one!?" Dedede yelped. "…I guess he didn't appreciate my impersonating him."

"…You did what?" Mario asked, facepalming.

"It was just a little practical joke to lighten things up!" Dedede insisted. "You should've seen the looks on the Kongs' faces!" He rubbed the back of his head. "And then something hit me, and that was the last thing I remembered—guess the real K. Rool bushwhacked me…"

"At least you're alright," Ness sighed.

"I bet Ganondorf put K. Rool up to it," Luigi said, quietly. "Just like he did with Ridley and Dark Samus. He's still determined to come after my family and my friends!" He looked to his brother with a heartwrenching expression. "I don't want anyone else to die because of me, or come this close to dying! Never again!"

"I know, Luigi," Mario said, gently. "We won't let it happen again-"

"I won't let it happen again, Mario," Luigi insisted. "This is becoming too personal; I need to handle it myself—before something happens to you again!"

"…Luigi…. Fratellino… I promised to help you!"

"Maybe… Maybe the best way you can help me is letting me do this on my own."

Mario wasn't sure how to reply to that, and Veran, still in Pauline's body, watched in satisfaction. Perhaps manipulating the brothers would end up being easier than she first thought.

"Mario, you said you trust me, right?" Luigi continued.

"Of course!"

"Then… maybe just consider letting me do this my way, okay, Big Bro?" Luigi asked. "You know that, no matter what, your support means everything to me."

"And you've got it—always!" Mario promised, clasping his brother's hand. "Alright, Little Bro; we'll try this your way. I believe in you."

Veran scowled again as, in the background while the brothers exchanged their heartfelt words, Bowser now transformed into Giga Bowser again and swiftly subdued K. Rool, boasting that they could take him back to Master Hand, too, to restrain along with Ridley and Dark Samus.

Never mind, she said to herself. People are easy to manipulate. These two have their weak points, just like everyone else; I'll find them.