The rousing conclusion to the first part!

…I think it's rousing at least.

Important Info:

1) Meta Knight is based on the anime Hoshi no Kaabii, where he's more of a father/teacher figure to Kirby

2) Lucario is female and Greninja is male.

Disclaimer: Still not mine, never will be mine. But I still enjoy writing about them!

Mirror, Mirror (Part 2)

Sum: "That all you got, pretty boy?" Marth turned, blade ready only to be grabbed. "Better keep dodging." ~ Secret Character SPOILERS ~

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Mario threw Bowser away from Lucina. The Ylissean Princess gave the plumber a quick smile. "Thank you."

But suddenly, he launched past her, just barely missing a collision with the swordswoman. Mr. Game & Watch stood where Mario had been, a hammer and a sign being put away. She attacked, praying the Italian would be okay.

"Hah!" Using the flat side of her Falchion blade, the swordswoman smacked the flat figure away. "Mr. Game & Watch, why did you do that?!"

He didn't answer, only charged. Immediately, King Koopa stomped over claws raised in rhythm with Mr. Game & Watch's lit match.

"Ahhh!" She skidded back, her tunic ripped and bits of flames licking at her body. The swordswoman did the best she could and snuffed what she could as quickly as possible.

And then he was looming over her, a sign hanging by the side and hammer at the ready. Lucina attempted to get her blade up in time, knowing that it would most likely she wouldn't. To her surprise, Falco slammed into the 2D figure, and then gave Bowser a roundhouse kick. It was followed by a cross chop giving the two room to breath.

"You okay?"

She nodded, wincing at the pain that shot through her back. "I'll be okay." The Ylissean princess frowned. "But you could've handled that better! They're our friends!"

"Listen, they ain't them." The avian replied. "No need to be gentle."

"What do you mean?"

The ace pilot fired his pistol. "I mean, they ain't the real 2D and turtle. 'Sides, I just blasted a few copies of Bowser away."

"Copies? How is that possible?"

Falco shrugged, "Don't know." He suddenly grabbed her and in one smooth motion had pulled out his Reflector and activated it. Lucina gasped at the sudden action, but was grateful after seeing the charge of electricity ricochet of the barrier. Four shadowy Pikachus hissed as their attack was sent back to them.

"Guess, we gotta save the talkin' for later."

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Shulk was being overwhelmed by a group of shadows, their forms just barely identifiable; Pikachu, Marth, and Mr. Game & Watch. The Monado wielder paused, a vision appearing before him of Mario crashing into them, leaving him and the plumber wide open for the shadow fighters. He activated his Arts, specifically 'Jump'. The researcher used one of the shadows head to get an extra boost into the air.

Just in time as the plumber collided into the group, knocking many off their feet.

"Are you alright?" Shulk asked, as he knelt next to the Italian.

Mario pushed his hat up, "Ugh…I guess." He stood up, taking a glance at the stage where the five shadow swords rapidly cut the vanguard. "Find a way to help Ike!" The plumber shouted before rushing into the mass of doppelgangers.

"Alph, Rock!" The researcher waved them over. Alph hurriedly ran, pikmin in tow.

Rock activated his Leaf Shied and threw it. The shadowy Peaches fell back, freeing him up from their attacks. He rushed after the Monado wielder. "Where are we going?"

"To the Solo Teleportation Room."

A small group of copies ran after them.

"Oh Mario!" one of the Peaches cooed, her form much more stable and features defined unlike the other doppelgangers. "Come to your princess. Let me give you a goodnight kiss!"

The plumber hesitated, though a determined look was in his eyes.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Falchion met the blade in mid swing. The two swordsmen struggled against one another, before leaping apart. Marth took an extra step away.

"You can't run away, little emperor."

The blue haired swordsman hated how it mocked him and how it looked like an exact copy of his dear knight. Dark Meta Knight charged.

The emperor blocked the attack, retaliating with his own. Unfortunately, the dark doppelganger flipped over him swinging his blade down. Marth twisted around just in time, as the attack slide off his spaulder. And the fight continued.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Shulk immediately went to the control panel, Alph only a few steps behind.

"How's Rock holding out there?"

"Well, enough." The small engineer replied, after seeing an undefined Peach shadow fly past the doorway. He pulled out his Koppi Pad. "Mario said to help Ike." He connected his device to one of the input jacks, immediately pulling up the schematics.

"Yes, and we can do that a few ways." The Monado wielder stated, pulling up program-set up. "We can try sending one of us in there, supply him with items, or warp him out."

"…so either way, we'll have to over-ride the firewalls in place." The Koppi native murmured. He studied the mapping before him. "Wait! If we warp him out, what about Master Hand?"

Shulk hummed. "There is a possibility he would come with Ike if we're not careful."

"We can't let him loose!" the small engineer almost yelled. The Monado wielder didn't reply, his eyes scanning the information before him. "There are ten firewalls listed, but I can only see seven codes."

"Can you over-ride them?"

"I may be able to, but it would take too much time." Shulk replied. "Rock would have the best chance."

"Right," the small engineer nodded, doing a complete 180, and unhooking his Koppi Pad. "Rock! Break the firewalls!" The three switched places, Alph and Shulk running out to meet the shadowy figures and Rock hooking himself into the control panel. The robot scanned the codes, identifying the program used before tacking the firewalls. Just outside of the room, in the hallway the engineer and researcher were decimating the dark doppelgangers, even though some Little Mac and Sonic shadows had joined. By the time, they had cleared the area, Rock had finished breaking the seven barriers. "Done. However, I couldn't detect the coding for the three remaining firewalls, which limits our options. Even with the majority down, it's only possible to send a single item."

Shulk scanned the list. "If we can only send one, send a Smash Ball…wait, no."

"What? No? But a Smash Ball would be the most helpful!" The small engineer argued.

"Yes, but what if Master Hand gets a hold of it instead? The trajectory it takes is a randomized pattern which constantly changes with each attack. Similarly, the required strength to break the Smash Ball is randomized." The robot replied. "Should Ike be unable to break it, in Master Hand's current state the results could be disastrous for Ike and eventually for us...I believe I may be able to adjust the Smash Ball's shield lowering the strength needed to break it. However, that still leaves us with the possibility of Master Hand obtaining it."

"…I have an idea!" The Monado wielder's fingers flew across the keyboard.

The two watched, Alph frowning seeing what Shulk was doing. "But that's two items!"

"Yes, but if we can combine them, then the system will recognize them as a single item."

Rock scanned the second list the researcher had pulled up. "Who will ask for help?"

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Marth knew he had an advantage as Dark Meta Knight had skills similar to his knight; allowing him to effectively guard and counter. He flipped over the emperor putting some distance between them. Dark Meta Knight pointed his sword at Marth. "It's only a matter of time before you die. Why waste your last moments fighting the inevitable!"

"Hey!"

The Emperor of Akaneia knew that voice. Kuro strolled forward, muttering to himself. He gave Marth a pointed look.

Dark Meta Knight regarded him. "Where did you come from?"

The fallen angel rolled his eyes. "Duh! A mirror?" He gestured backwards, where a mirror stood a couple of yards away. The dark puffball saw Pit dancing back and forth, dodging the dark reflection of the electric mouse and reptile king. Marth watched the dark reflections. Dark Meta Knight had instantly accepted the fallen angel as one of their own.

Which may not be too far off, but he knew Kuro wasn't actually created by…whoever created them.

But what piqued Marth's curiosity was that Kuro wasn't even trying to correct the dark puffball. What was going on?

"So, this is one of the others…" He smirked. "I could use a bit of stretching."

Dark Meta Knight growled. "He's mine."

The fallen angel pulled his bow apart. "Psh…Don't worry; I'll leave him mostly alive for you." And charged. Marth's reflexives took over and he countered. Falchion shot out in a horizontal strike.

Kuro avoided the sword sliding below it and smirking. "That all you got, pretty boy?" Marth turned, blade ready only to have the fallen angel grab him. "Better keep dodging." He hissed and twisted, using Marth's own weight to throw him on the ground and away from the dark puffball and the mirrors. Dark Meta Knight watched as the fallen angel followed with a kick to the abdomen, projecting the Emperor of Akaneia father away. The dark doppelganger smirked, before joining in on the fun.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Pit really hoped Kuro knew what he was doing. "A little help!"

"THORON!"

The dark copy of the Koopa King was forced away from the angel. Three perfectly timed hits incapacitated Pikachu's reflection. Bubbles winced as it cried out in pain and to her amazement and shock, the small rodent's body shattered like a mirror; fragments flying into the air and dissipating. Bowser's reflection mimicked the others exit, after being dealt too much damage. The Captain of the Royal Guards raked a hand through his bangs. "Whew…okay, time to take care of these." He took a few steps back before summoning his Upperdash Arm. "Here goes!" He attacked the mirror, shattering it into pieces.

Bubbles smiled in satisfaction. "Alright, let's move."

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Crazy Hand danced away. "Lalalalalala!"

Dark Mind's patience was growing thin. He'd assumed that the unstable one would be fairly easy to incapacitate.

It was proving to be far more challenging than expected. Still, his minions were doing a fine job in scattering those fighters. However, there was a group having particular trouble with that pink thing.

And that stupid blue thing with the mask. It was helping the round, pink thing.

Disgusting.

He flinched, as another mirror shattered. He ordered the copies in that world to find whoever was destroying the mirrors and kill them. And none of them could get close to that disgusting creature! He screamed, throwing fire at the left hand. He wanted to get out! He wanted to get to that stupid pink thing! He wanted to kill it! Then he would have no resistance. "You are in the way, guardian! Move or I will destroy you!"

"You didn't say the magic word, so no!"

"Very well, then." He fired a wave of star shaped energy. "You will die and then I will find the round pink thing!"

"Him? Why, is there something wrong with me? I thought we had a special connection!" The hand threw a purple energy rod at him. It ricocheted off the lone mirror; Dark Mind's other one having been shattered moments ago. Crazy rapidly summoned bombs and threw them at his enemy.

Dark Mind teleported away, letting his mirror take the impact.

"Peek a boo! I have you!" Crazy laughed.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Marth blinked, wondering if he had imagined it. The mirror where Kuro came from, it was gone.

"Better keep your eyes here!" The blue haired swordsman raised his blade narrowly blocking the arrow. Kuro rushed him, silver bow in two. He swung Falchion, forcing the fallen angel to retreat and miraculously deflecting the dark puffball's attack at the same time. He back flipped away from the two, trying to keep some distance between them and himself. Marth countered Kuro's attack, slamming the flat of the blade into the others side. He didn't wish to hurt the fallen angel, and he had an inkling as to why Kuro was fighting him.

He'd been rather slow on his attacks making them easily block able. Any hits Kuro did land were punches or kicks, never blades. The Emperor of Akaneia danced away, scanning the area for Dark Meta Knight. An arrow slammed into his breastplate, knocking him off his feet.

And causing the dark puffball's attack to miss.

It was a dangerous game the two Smashers were playing at. Marth could see black forms scattered around, not quite detailed but enough for him to understand who they were reflections of. They stayed away, letting Dark Meta Knight and Kuro deal with the swordsman. If Meta Knight's reflection ever caught on to their game they would easily be over whelmed.

If the Emperor of Akaneia understood Kuro's actions correctly.

Marth parried an attack, grabbing the dark puffball and throwing him into the fallen angel. The swordsman winced, mentally apologizing to Kuro, turned and ran. He had to find another mirror to escape. There was a light speck. No, three! No four! Marth adjusted his route towards those colorful specks; an arrow harmlessly flew by.

As he got closer, he saw some familiar faces being chased by what appeared to be Dedede with a large halberd.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Pit flew through the double doors of the training room. The disintegrating shadows the only evidence of their presence. Bubbles hummed. "It seems they are actively hunting for us now. No doubt whoever is controlling them knows the mirrors are being broken...Pit?" She sighed, noting that he left her out in the hallway. "Geez..." The female tactician hurried in.

He frowned at the glass panel. Instead of a copy of the training room, he and Bubbles could see into another world. "Hey, it's Crazy!"

"What's he doing there? And where is there, exactly?" She questioned, watching the hand. "And who is that?"

"No idea…" The angel replied. The two Smashers watched Crazy Hand grab the other by the head and upper body. He then slammed him into the ground, formed a fist and fell into the others chest area.

Bubbles was observing the environment inside the glass panel. It was pretty barren, with only slightly darker shadows to indicate the floor. Then she saw a speck of blue and yellow. "Over there!"

Pit glanced at the mirror seeing two familiar figures running towards them, at neck-breaking speed. "Hey, is that Sonic and Pikachu?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the two rammed into the mirrors. The tactician and the Captain of the Royal Guards panicked for a few moments, but immediately it was replaced with confusion and awe as the two creatures flew through it as if it was an open doorway.

"Pit!" the female tactician cried. The Captain of the Royal Guards glanced from the blue blur and the electric mouse back to the mirrors. Crazy had gripped the head of the enemy again and was currently coming down at an angle, straight towards the mirrors. They screamed, Pit pulling his Guardian Orbitars out, and his fellow Smashers ducking behind him. They waited for the impending impact, but nothing happened. A few seconds passed by before Bubbles dared to peek. "I believe you can drop them."

"Pika, pik."

The Captain of the Royal Guards cracked an eye open and seeing nothing, he stored his items away. "Oookay…" Pit slowly said. The mirrors were fine, Crazy Hand was still there, having changed direction at the last moment and slammed the thing into the floor. "Everyone okay...?"

Bubbles stood up. "Yes...I'm okay, you?"

"Fine."

Sonic heaved a long sigh. "Yeah, I'm okay..."

Within seconds the set of mirrors were shattered, starling the pokemon and hedgehog. "Whoa there! What's this all about?"

"I'll explain it on the way." Bubbles answered. "We only have one more mirror..." She trailed off, her mind piecing together what Meta Knight had shared and what they'd just witnessed.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

"Oh, that's going to be seven years of bad luck!" Crazy commented, and if he had a face he would no doubt have a vicious grin. Never mind the fact it was Bubbles who had destroyed the mirrors from his world. He could only hazard a guess that the two mirrors, the one in this world and the one in the Smash world, were linked in some fashion. With them destroyed in the Smash world there were destroyed here as well.

He slammed Dark Mind into the shards, then again, and again, pulverizing the mirror bits into dust with Dark Mind. "Now, look at the mess you've made! You're got to be more careful! I can't even begin to image how many years you'll have bad luck now! BUT!" He pulled Dark Mind closer. "It will never be enough for you. Not for what you've done to brother." He hissed.

For the first time in his existence, Dark Mind felt fear.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

The sword swung, but Ike was fast enough to counter it returning its hit. After enough hits, the shadow particles had shifted shape; from five swords to a larger version of him. It was weird, seeing himself or sort of himself made up of dark pieces of something. Ike jumped, swinging Ragnell in a vertical arc.

It made contact with the doppelganger, scattering some of the particles that made it into the air. The thing didn't even flinch, and swung its version of Ragnell smashing Ike to the complete opposite side of the stage. He bounced on impact before skidding to a halt. He groaned, his body screaming at him to stop and just lay still.

Ike pushed himself up and swung Rangell again, just in the nick of time. His doppelganger flew back, giving the vanguard some breathing room. At the same moment his attack connected, an Assist Trophy appeared beside his feet. He grabbed it, calling forth help from the glass encasement. He could care less that items shouldn't be able to appear. All he wanted was an advantage. An armadillo appeared with a cowboy hat, but it was the object he was holding that swept some of Ike's tiredness away.

A Smash Ball.

Dillon took a few steps back and then threw the Smash Ball straight at Ike who immediately brought Ragnel down to strike it. The power coursing through him, it felt so good. The vanguard grinned, turning around and striking the black mass.

"GREAT…AETHER!"

The thing was helpless against the onslaught of attacks. Ike slammed the doppelganger into the stage, watching as the black particles disappeared leaving a round abject, about the size of a Smash Ball. The vanguard knelt down, leaning against Ragnell. He watched, with a owlish look as it gravitated towards the center of the stage.

"What is that?" He asked, tiredly. The colors weren't swirling, pulsing, with energy like the all powerful item.

Dillon shrugged. Ike made a move get up, but was surprised when the armadillo laid a hand on him back, pushing him back down. He watched as his companion slowly made his way towards the sphere, on guard should anything happen.

His eyes widen, and he rapidly motioned Ike over.

"What is it?" The swordsman crouched down and stared into the strange object. In the center of the frozen colors was a small, but familiar figure.

"Master Hand's in there!"

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Marth had immediately regrouped with Peach, Mac, Bowser, and Villager. He hadn't been able to tell earlier, but Mr. Game & Watch was among them as well.

And just a few yards away was a mirror! If they could reach it, they might be able to leave this place.

"Marth!" The princess cried, immediately hugging him. "You were dragged here too!"

The emperor gently pushed her away, seeing something forming around them. The six Smashers formed a circle, keeping their backs told each other. Their doppelgangers surrounded them. The swordsman shivered, seeing his undefined reflection and those piercing white eyes.

"So close…" Shadow Dedede laughed. "But not close enough! The poor, poor, stupid images!" The shadow figures parted, revealing the shadow penguin, shadow puffball, and the fallen angel.

"Kuro!" Peach exclaimed, her eyes a lite with familiarity.

The fallen angel sneered and pulled out his weapon. "Electroshock!" Shadow Dedede and Dark Meta Knight got a jolt of electricity before the actual weapon slammed into their bodies. The other Smashers watched as they flew over them and collided into a mass of doppelgangers.

"Way to blow my cover." He pulled out his silver bow charging into a group of shadows. Marth swung Falchion, more than happy to rid this place of the copies. The remaining Smashers charged into the fray. It was chaotic, with the Smashers attacking and countering and the doppelgangers countering and attacking.

Marth dodged, the tip of the silver sword nicking his cheek. He could hear Dark Meta Knight growl as he passed by. And then immediately a claw snatched him away. Bowser body slammed him, before tackling a group of shadow Sonics. Little Mac was pounding the copies of Mr. Game & Watch into the ground, letting Villager drop bowling balls upon them with ease. The Emperor of Akaneia countered an attack, destroying one of Peach's dark reflection. It didn't take long for the numbers to thin and eventually leaving Dark Meta Knight and Shadow Dedede.

The dark penguin readied an attack, "Fine! Try and live past thi-" He cut himself off. An unnatural silence followed.

…SNAP!

The two shadow creatures visibly shuddered.

Shadow Dedede hissed at the Smashers before running away, leaving the dark puffball. The lone doppelganger threw his cape around himself and disappeared as Little Mac rushed in for some quick punches.

Peach held back Bowser from chasing after the shadow penguin, stating "We should get out of here."

"Agreed," the emperor sheathed his sword. He saw Mr. Game & Watch and Villager had finished the last reflection. The boxer walked over, his eyes still watching the retreating form of Shadow Dedede.

Kuro trekked over to the lone mirror where he could see his counterpart just entering Peach's room. The angel broke into a grin, seeing Kuro in the mirror.

"Hey, Pittoo!"

Said angel growled, launched himself through the mirror and immediately put Pit into a headlock. "Don't call me that, you stupid, airheaded, bird!"

One by one they jumped through the glass, though at a much slower pace than the fallen angel who had finally let go of Pit thanks to Pikachu and Bubbles. Taking a quick glance behind him the swordsman surveyed the area, and then jumped through satisfied that the two reflections of the Popstar King and Star Warrior were nowhere to be seen.

"Marth!" Pit cried happily. The angel embraced the swordsman the moment he cleared the mirror. The emperor jumped at the sound of glass breaking. He turned around to see Bubbles and the mirror shattered.

"That's that." She smiled.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Master Hand was going to recover, according to Dr. Mario. That sent a wave of relief through the Smashers yet, Crazy was unusually somber even after the good news.

"He left some residue." The left hand replied when Alph asked him what was wrong. He was right.

"I can feel it," his brother stated. "It has a life of its own…" He grunted, shifting a little.

With their permission, Dr. Mario wished to retrieve a sample in effort to shed some light on what it was that now rested inside of their host. The Monado wielder offered his assitance in the reasearch, which was gladly accepted. Until, they determined what it was and how Master Hand reacted to Classic Run would be on hiatus until further notice.

"What did you do to that guy, anyway?" Pit questioned the left appendage, as the doctor prepped the needle.

If he was in a human form, no doubt Crazy would be smiling. "I can't say. This is rated T, but there are probably younger readers out there. So just to be on the safe side, let's leave it at 'He won't be bothering us anymore'."

"That's…very cliché, dear brother."

"I know!"

The needle extracted those dark particles, and they bounced around the glass encasement. Marth shivered at the mere display feeling ill.

Meta Knight had given his heartfelt thanks the Smashers for aiding Ike and Marth.

Alph had merely smiled, "I'm glad to be of help! Ike's going to be okay, right?" Shulk mirrored the Koppi native's response. "Happy to help and I'm glad that no one was severely hurt."

"Yes as am I. Ike is merely exhausted; he will recover with some sleep." The Star Warrior replied. After releasing the right hand from his imprisonment, Dillon had been kind enough to aid the knight in moving Ike from the stage to his bed. Meta Knight exited the clinic, leaving the others to their own devices. He needed to thank one more person who hadn't been present.

~ ~ ~ BOO ~ ~ ~

Kuro was sitting in one of the many trees in the new garden; Olimar and Alph were still trying to come up with an appropriate name. Ness had joked that 'New Garden' would eventually stick as that's what the other Smashers tended to call it. The canopy of leaves was a welcome sight compared to the rather empty and bleak scenery in the mirror world.

"Kuro."

He snorted, glancing down. "What do you want volleyball?"

The Star Warrior ignored the name. "I merely wish to thank you for your aid today."

The fallen angel stared at him, ruby eyes still guarded. "That it?"

Meta Knight nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Kuro."

He shifted, careful of his black wings, and for a brief moment he let his guard down. "...you're welcome, Meta Knight." Satisfied, he closed his eyes. "Now leave me alone, I need a nap."

Meta Knight had a small smile as he left. Sure, Kuro was rough, a bit egotistic, and willing to pick a fight, but he still retained some characteristics from Pit that told the knight he could trust the fallen angel in times of need.

OMG! I originally thought it'd be simple, but it just kept growling! Seriously, this thing was like 19 pages long! Totally needed to be a two parter! That's also part of the reason why Shadow Dedede didn't have larger part and action scene. My bad. I was excited to have him in there, but then...well the story just escalated...

Ahem, moving on. I was inspired after reading up a bit about Dark Pit. Now, he's going to be called Kuro for the duration of this collection. Mostly because typing 'Dark Pit' all the time is a bit annoying. And I'm not going to call him 'Dark' and yes I know 'Kuro' is a fan name, not exactly an official name, but whatever.

...And I sort of, kinda, like playing as Kuro...DON"T HURT ME! (And I like to write about characters I like so…yeah that's why Kuro's got some focus on this...)

Ugh...seriously, I didn't plan on liking the guy! With Lucina, Doctor Mario, and Kuro being clones, I was all like 'Pshhhh...clones what a waste.' And now, I'm all like, 'Eh, they're okay.'

Anyway, with Kuro being a reflection and all, well it got me thinking about Dark Meta Knight and Shadow Dedede. For those of you who don't know...

SPOILERS (ish?) FOR KIRBY TRIPLE DELUXE

...

...

In Dedede's Tour, you actually fight a shadow version of the king via the Dimension Mirror. Pretty awesome! And Dark Meta Knight! Way hard!

...

...

SPOILERS (ish?) FOR KIRBY TRIPLE DELUXE END

Plus, I had another oneshot for 'You, Me, and Him' that included Dark Meta Knight and Shadow Kirby, but I think this one is better. Anyway, I hope I tied up all those loose ends…if not, then I'll either adjust or make another one-shot to deal with it.

And yeah, Dark Mind was totally the cause of Master Core.

Oh, Happy (early) Halloween guys and gals!

ZeroGravityDog out!