Chapter Four: The Universe is Bigger than One Would Think
The Smash Castle's Launch Bay was positively enormous, and Ravio wondered how the Castle could even fit the room inside it. He figured maybe, like his bag of merchandise, the structure was somehow bigger on the inside. The domed ceiling of the room was clear, and gave a large view of the Final Destination, without the odd platform that Ravio was fighting on earlier. The room itself was cylindrical in shape, and could fit between 3 and 5 Great Halls inside it, but the size seemed a lot smaller when accounting for all of the strange modes of transportation that were docked in various spots around the room. Most of it was Flying contraptions, which Ravio assumed were 'Starships' like Samus mentioned. There were also other transports, such as a hovercraft, an odd rocket that looked in rough condition, two tanks, and for some reason, a glowing star. One of the biggest ships in the Launch Bay resembled Meta Knight, and another one which was almost as big resembled a flying pirate ship with propellers for sails and Bowser's face at the front, which Ravio found a little odd. At the front of the Launch Bay was a long, round tunnel big enough to fit Lorule Castle through, and if Ravio looked through the tunnel, he'd see space, like in Final Destination.
When the three Hylians and the Lorulean walked through the door, they saw a few Smashers, and Master Hand sitting- well, floating in front of a computer with large, translucent monitors and a special keyboard on which the Hand could easily type on. "Although we're waiting for a few others," said Master Hand, typing at the keyboard, "I'll still tell the Lorulean what's going on." "You can just call me Ravio, ya know!" "Whatever." "Just cut to the chase, Hand," said Zelda, trying to avoid conflict. "Yes, well," said Master Hand, "Using Ravio's dropped Fire Rod I was able to use the energy to pinpoint anything of Lorulean origin located outside the Lorulean dimension itself." "Okay, And?" asked Link. Master Hand ignored him and continued. "It looks like Lorule has been scattered across several dimensions, and only Lorule Castle has remained in its proper dimension." "That's how it always is with these things isn't it," Ganon mumbled. "So, is the plan to send everyone to different dimensions to get the pieces of land back?" asked Ravio, and when Master Hand confirmed, he said, "That's awesome, , but how are we going to return them?" "It isn't like we can just open a portal to the Twilight Realm to get there," added Link sarcastically, and after a moment he shot a sideways glance at Ganondorf, "can we?" "No," responded Master Hand, "But I can give you a device that, when activated in the middle of the piece of Lorule, it will activate a beacon that will tether the piece of Lorule to the Smash Castle. Then, I can return it to its proper place in Ravio's dimension."
Ravio had no idea what all Master Hand said, but apparently, some of the Smashers, including Ganon, understood because they all nodded and murmured their agreement. "So," started another Smasher, Captain Falcon, "How many dimensions have you targeted for Lorule?" "I can't be too sure, as this tracking method is not exactly reliable, but it could be anywhere between 4 to 10 different dimensions out of the thousands out there. It would take eons to search all of them even if all of the Smashers were participating. The best way to find out would be to place a pan-dimensional device in Lorule Castle itself, but we can't do that yet." "Actually," said Zelda, making Master Hand look at her in curiosity, "There may be a way to do that." If giant sentient hands could have an expression, Master Hand would be squinting right now. Then he 'nodded' solemnly as he got the same idea. "I see what you're getting at, Zelda, but it would be dangerous." "Please," said Link with a snort, "With Ganondorf, Zelda, and I, how dangerous could it be?" "I dunno ," said Ravio nervously, "If said its dangerous, maybe we should listen." "No no," said Master Hand, "I think the Princess is right. The only way we can really get all of Lorule back to its dimension is if we put the device in the middle of Lorule Castle." Link nodded, "Let's do it." "Okay- do what now?" asked Ravio.
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In about a half an hour, the Launch Bay was alive with the sound of various engines and the announcer-style voice of Master Hand as he tested the connections to all of the volunteer's comm sets, their dimensional beacons (that will warp them back to the Smash Castle's Dimension) built into their transports, and finally, the Tether Charm, which is the device that would allow Master Hand to send the piece of Lorule to its Home Dimension. As the various aircraft started up and began hovering near the tunnel, Link, Ganon, Zelda, and Ravio walked towards the massive entrance to the tunnel. "We aren't gonna walk down that huge tunnel, are we?" asked Ravio. "No way," said Link, "We'll go there in style!" It was then that Ravio saw three odd vehicles parked in front of the tunnel. One looked like a blue horse motorcycle with a shield mounted on the side and wheels with a Triforce design, one was a dark grey and purple motorcycle, and one was a sizable black and red motorcycle with a sidecar. "What-" began Ravio, but Link interrupted. "I talked my old pal Mario into letting us borrow these. I mean, I already have my own bike from that racing thing he invited me to..." "I noticed there's only three transports?" asked Ganon. "Oh that." said Link, "I figured that, being new, Ravio can't drive so..." Ganondorf pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Fine. I'll haul Ravio around. Let's get this over with." the Dark Lord climbed onto the bike and gestured to the sidecar. "Lorule isn't gonna save itself, Ravio. Get in the sidecar." Ravio quickly obeyed while Zelda and Link got on their respective motorcycles and started them up.
"Good Luck," said Master Hand, and after pressing a key on his keyboard, the round opening of the tunnel that led to space suddenly turned into a purple swirl that reminded Ravio of the magic used in Master Hand and Crazy Hand's attacks. Before anything could be said, Link revved the engine and took off, the rest of the vehicles following him. They went faster and faster and Ravio quickly put his hood back on and skewed his eyes shut, hanging on to both his bag of merchandise and his sidecar for dear life. In a few seconds, there was a huge blast of air and then an odd bobbing motion from the car, like they were floating in a great sea rather than driving on solid ground. Ravio peeked out from under the rabbit hood and his eyes widened in shock. They seemed to be indeed floating, but it was in a tunnel of purple-white light, like the portal at the end of the tunnel. All around him, even underneath the motorbikes, all of the volunteers' transports could be seen in the tunnel as well. As if that weren't shocking enough, some of the ships began disappearing. "Woah, check it out, !" said Ravio, and Link nodded. "How else do you think we got to Smash Castle." "When each ship disappears, they enter a different dimension," explained Zelda helpfully. Ravio watched as Meta Knight's ship, the Halberd, (which utterly dwarfed all the other ships, the motorbikes included) also disappeared in a brief flash of light.
"Our stop is coming up," said Ganondorf as a light on his bike began flashing. "Okay, hold on to your scarf, Ravio!" warned Link, and he hit a triangular button on his own bike that was flashing yellow. Instantly, the scenery of the purple tunnel spun, transforming into a familiar field with a very familiar castle in the distance. Colored energy surrounded the area in a dome shape, blocking the view to other parts of the kingdom, but Ravio knew there was only void beyond the energy. "Are we in the right place?" asked Link. "Definitely," responded Ravio with a grin. Then he hesitated. "Wait, what's the plan anyway?" "Uhhh..." said Link awkwardly. Zelda huffed. "The plan is to make the Ganon that took over Lorule believe that the Ganon from our timeline has decided to help." "And how am I going to do that?" asked Ganon. "As soon as the other me sees Ravio, he'll know it's a trick." "Well, then how d'you suppose we'll pull this off?" asked Link. Ganon grinned suspiciously, and Link edged away. "I know a way, boy. But I'll need a strong horse."
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Ravio shivered in the dark, moist tunnel, looking through a peephole in the wall and trying not to get his bag wet. Ganondorf had thought up a plan to get Ravio inside Lorule Castle and get the other Ganon's trust, but it required the merchant to be silent and take the secret passages within the castle. Right now, Ravio was looking through the eyes of a painting of the ancient King Joseph Nohansen Lorule, and from there he could see a throne where a large figure sat, his chin resting on a massive fist. However, the blazing purple torches lighting the throne room wasn't able to light the shadowy area over the throne, so Ravio wasn't able to get a good look at the guy.
Suddenly there was a loud bang at the door, and the now-familiar outline of Ganondorf walked in, two trussed up forms hanging over his shoulder. For simplicity's sake, Ravio thought he'd call the Ganon who took over Lorule Downfall Ganon, whereas the Dark Lord that came to help would be Twilight Ganon. "Not what I was expecting..." said Downfall Ganon as Twilight Ganondorf dumped the forms on the purple carpet. "I could say the same for you, King of Thieves!" chuckled Twilight, crossing his arms, "I've come to make a deal." The shadowy form of Downfall Ganon sat up in his seat, obviously curious. "And who do you think you are, trying to make a deal? You look Gerudo, but I am no fool. There cannot possibly be two male Gerudos unless..." "Unless I'm actually you." finished Twilight Ganon. "Hm. Prove it, imposter!" "If that's how it has to be, so be it!" exclaimed Twilight, before adding "I wouldn't trust myself either."
Ravio watched as Twilight Ganondorf held up his fist, the back of his hand facing towards Downfall Ganondorf. Hyrule's Triforce appeared on the back of the Demon King's hand, the triangle on the top glowing the brightest. Downfall stroked his chin thoughtfully, before standing up. "You have proven yourself, Ganondorf," he said, striding forward, "but it seems that I have finally overtaken a kingdom and acquired a Triforce of my own." This Ganondorf, the one from the Downfall timeline, looked almost identical to the Twilight Ganondorf. The only difference was that Downfall's armor looked lighter and more breathable than Twilight's, like it was made for a desert, and it was missing the big glowing gash on the breastplate that Twilight's darker armor displayed. Twilight scoffed. "What do you mean a 'Triforce of your own'? We both know there's only one, and according to the history books, this wretched kingdom destroyed theirs." "Hmph," harrumphed Downfall, "Well, if that was the case then why do I have this?" he showed the back of his fist to Twilight, and an hourglass shape appeared on the back of his hand. Later on, Twilight Ganondorf said that the hourglass shape was really the Hylian and Lorulean triforces interlocking, the Triforce of power fitting inside the empty space of each Triforce. On Downfall Ganon's fist, the whole Lorulean Triforce glowed purple, and the singular Hylian Triforce of Power glowed gold.
Twilight Ganon grinned. "You seem to be missing the Hylian Wisdom and Courage, Ganondorf." "Yes, well," Downfall looked slightly embarrassed, "I'm afraid the dimensions are sealed off now, and it seems like the Lorulean Triforce only grants wishes to the inhabitants of this dimension. "But how did you even survive?" asked Twilight, and when the other Ganon asked what he meant, Twilight clarified. "I'm talking about that whole loss to Link. Y'know, after merging with Yuga and all that?" Downfall cocked his head. "If you're from a different dimension how did you know about that?" "I have my ways." "So do I," Ravio noticed Downfall Ganon avoided the question about his survival. "Now," continued Downfall, "If you want to make a deal, tell me. If not, you leave." In response, Twilight indicated the trussed-up bundles he'd dumped on the carpet earlier. A brightening of the torches revealed that Zelda and Link were the bundles. "If we cooperate," said Twilight, "you can own the triforces of Wisdom and Courage, both from Hyrule." Downfall squatted to get a better look at the 'knocked out' pair of heroes, and while his back was turned Twilight signaled towards the painting where Ravio was watching. Silently, wearing a pair of lightweight boots, Ravio dashed to the massive throne and stuck an odd metal gear-shaped device onto the back of the royal seat. In a few seconds the thing was secure and Ravio ran back to the painting, shutting the secret door silently behind. As the merchant made his way back through the secret passage, he heard Downfall accept Twilight's deal, and then order a nearby Moblin to take the heroes to the jail. The Hylians (and Lorulean) had successfully infiltrated the captured Lorule Castle.
Hi again, and apologies if this chapter is shorter than normal, and thank you if you have read up to this point. The next few chapters are where the fun begins, if you want to know! My plan is to send the Smashers to other game universes to retrieve pieces of Lorule, so that means including some characters that we might want to see in later versions of Smash, like the Skull Kid, Splatoon, and Portal. If you all have any ideas as to what Smashers should go where (example: "Let's send Samus and Captain Falcon to Aperture Science") feel free to PM me or write your suggestions in the comments! The only rule is that it must be a game universe. See y'all next time!