The story was on hiatus for a while, but don't worry, I'm back now! Enjoy this chapter!

Mewtwo led the seven Smashers down a dark metal hallway. An eerie red glow provided a dim light, in which the Smashers could still barely see each other. After walking for a while, they stopped in front of a massive metal door.

"If this is the land of the dead, then why do you have a military prison?" asked Samus.

How am I supposed to know? I woke up one morning, and instead of being in the World of Trophies, I was here. All I know is that when you killed Tabuu, he ended up behind this door. Don't worry, he's restrained, so he won't attack us. In fact, he's barely tried to escape. I don't know where he would go, but it's rumored that there's a way back to the world of the living, and he's the only one who knows it. But of course he won't tell anyone.

"A way back?" asked Mario, not daring to believe it. "If we could get back, we could still stop Crazy Hand and save everyone's souls from being obliterated."

Mewtwo laughed loudly. This was not the response Mario had been expecting. Or maybe it was.

Stop Crazy Hand? Please. You're better off here. At least here you'll be able to enjoy the afterlife. Better than going back out there, being slaughtered, and enjoying the delightful privilege of having your soul doomed to eternal oblivion by a deranged spirit of destruction with unimaginable powers gained from an unknown source. But if you want to, be my guest. Tabuu might help you, if he's in a good mood. Which he never is, so there you have it.

Mewtwo stepped up to the metal door. The Smashers were unsure how he would open it: there was no handle, keyhole, or security device of any kind. It was basically a large metal wall.

Mewtwo closed his eyes and walked right through the center of the door.

"How..." gasped Sonic. "How did he do that? They're not ghosts, so..."

Mewtwo's voice came back at them loudly.

I've given you permission to enter, so you can walk through the door too. But don't think about trying this without a forgotten Smasher to help you. It won't work.

Pit was skeptical, but he'd seen some strange things in his time, including a goddess who used her own head as a weapon. He ran at the door and passed right through it.

"Guys? It's okay!" he called. "You can come...through..."

Pit's voice trailed off as he turned toward the center of the room. The other Smashers followed him in to see what the problem was.

"Oh," said Link quietly.

They were in a massive metal room, as big as the main hall of Hyrule Castle, with ceilings just as high. The room was completely empty except for a glowing red pod about ten feet long and eight feet high. The pod hovered in midair in the exact center of the room. The glowing red light it gave off reminded the Smashers of the light in the hallway. The pod was see-through, so everyone in the room could see who was imprisoned within it. Ike found his voice first.

"Tabuu," he said.

Tabuu had been facing away from the door, but when he heard Ike's voice, he turned around. He was exactly the same as the Smashers had remembered him. His face was blank and expressionless as he surveyed Mewtwo and the Smashers.

"May I help you?" he asked with mock politeness.

Mario stepped forward. "Tabuu. Crazy Hand has..."

"...gone on a destructive rampage with incredible new powers that nobody can possibly fathom where they have come from. He's also gained the ability to temporarily break apart all matter within a certain area, which is known as a fadeout. He murdered several other Smashers, although he's also cast their souls into nothingness, and their spirits will deteriorate irreversibly within twenty-four hours. The only reason you seven are here is because he accidentally didn't kill you through his own power. Now you want my help to find the way back to the world of the living so you can try to take advantage of your pitifully small chance to defeat him."

The Smashers were silent for several minutes after this speech.

Yes, I probably should've mentioned that being dead gives you the ability to mentally see what's happening in the world. You don't know how to do it yet, but I bet you can do it now if you try.

The Smashers closed their eyes and tried as hard as they could to see what was happening in the world. Lucario managed it first, since he had the most experience with mental powers.

I think I'm doing it!

Lucario willed himself to see the world. He imagined his mind soaring through space and looking out on the World of Trophies. But there seemed to be something blocking him. A shadow...

I can't...

Lucario pushed harder and harder, his eyes closed tight, using every bit of his mental powers. And suddenly, he broke through the mental barrier and he could see the World of Trophies. It was as if he were standing there in person.

And he couldn't believe what he saw.

An endless, barren wastland, stretching out in all directions. Lucario saw the ruins of Peach's castle, crumbling and collapsing. He saw destroyed buildings and trees that had been ripped out of the ground. And on the horizon, Lucario saw Crazy Hand.

Lucario had to remind himself that he wasn't really there before he dared approach Crazy Hand. Crazy Hand was bent over, muttering to himself. As Lucario approached, Crazy Hand turned toward him and screamed. The vision tore itself apart in streaks of red light and Lucario's eyes shot open as he found himself back in Tabuu's cell.

It's gone. It's all destroyed. Crazy Hand's the only one left. He's lost all control of his power, unless this is really what he wanted.

"Tabuu!" snapped Link. "How do we get back to the world?"

Tabuu looked down at them with mild amusement. "And I'd tell you that...why? The World of Trophies is of no concern to me. If I can't have it, no one can. Let Crazy Hand wreck it."

"He already has," said Samus. "Why, Tabuu? Can't you at least tell us why? All of the other Smashers have been erased from the earth, and we're dead. You're literally our only hope. What do you have to lose?"

Tabuu stared at her incredulously. "What do I have to lose? Are you even more of a fool than I'd thought? My ambitions were shattered...by all of you! I'm trapped here for eternity! The only thing I could possibly have left is the destruction of you and everything you love! Screw that, everything you know! You ruined me!"

"What about you?" challenged Sonic. "You tore apart the R.O.B.s' lives. There used to be hundreds; now there's only one. You put them through suffering nothing should have to endure. You forced them to kill themselves and each other."

"I don't care," said Tabuu simply. "I'm too busy laughing at Sonic the Sensible to care. When did you ever care about anything?"

Sonic snarled with anger. "I care about..."

"Yes, yes," said Tabuu. "Maybe you did once, but not anymore. You are the only Smasher of your kind. Now that all the others are gone, as Lucario saw, you don't have anything to be upset about!"

Sonic jumped up, spinning into a ball and smashing into the side of Tabuu's prison pod. The impact sent shock waves across the whole room, but the prison was not damaged.

"Please," mocked Tabuu. "I am the most powerful being in the universe. If I can't break the pod, nobody can break it. I would know; I've tried."

Tabuu spread his colorful wings, which were glowing with power. He closed his eyes and unleashed the Off Waves. They had absolutely no effect on the inside of the prison pod. Tabuu rolled his eyes.

"Really," he said. "All I did was try to annihilate the known universe, and look where they put me. Unbelievable."

"Fine," replied Pit. "We'll enjoy the nice, cozy afterlife with our friends the forgotten Smashers and leave you to spend the rest of eternity here. Meanwhile, the whole world will be destroyed. I guess you got what you wanted, Tabuu."

Pit turned away, and the others followed him.

I warned you.

"Shut up," snapped Ike.

As the Smashers headed toward the door, none of them noticed the sudden gleam in Tabuu's eyes.

"Wait!" he called.

The Smashers turned around and saw Tabuu watching them excitedly.

"I'll tell you the way into the world, on one condition," he said. "You'll have to take me with you."

Silence followed Tabuu's words.

"It's our only option," said Mario in a small voice. "It's also the only chance we'll ever have. We only have around twenty-four hours left to restore the World of Trophies. We're the only Smashers left; all the others are gone. The world we once knew is destroyed. It'll fade out of existence before long. We have to do this."

All the other Smashers murmured their agreement.

I always thought you were stupid, but I guess we could take Tabuu down, if it came to that.

"It's decided, then," announced Samus. She turned back toward Tabuu's cell. "All right, Tabuu, you're coming with us."

I'm planning on two or three more chapters, and I'll try to get them finished a bit faster this time! Thank you for reading (and putting up with the long waits) and please review!