Gamer4 in. And, as usual, I have nothing to say.

Disclaimer: No! No, I don't own Warriors or Smash Bros.! But I do own Taebus! Take that, society! (Inside joke.)

Chapter 18

During the Night

Down on the streets, things were happening that would change everything. Right now, a man was walking down an alley in the dark. As he walked down, he was cornered by a thug. The thug pushed him against the wall, picked him up, and held him there. "You got money?" he asked.

"If I did, what makes you think I would give it to you?" the man asked. His voice was cold.

In response, the thug pulled out a gun and aimed it at the man's chest.

It was over in less than thirty seconds. The man revealed the claws he'd been keeping hidden under his coat and sliced at the thug's arm. He picked up the gun and shot him. He then removed his coat altogether, revealing himself to the thug. Skin whiter than paper, eyes like chips of ice, with black hair and clothes. "Feel grateful," he said as he aimed the gun again. "You're helping a great cause." With this, he fired again.

XXXX

Back at the Smash Mansion, Firestar was dreaming. He was walking through a forest, still a twoleg, stalking prey. He followed it, but just as he was about to catch it, someone spoke. "Hello, Firestar."

The prey was scared away, and he turned angrily to face whoever it was who did it. He turned to see a beautiful woman sitting on a stump in the hollow, looking at him. "Who are you," he asked.

"I didn't think you would recognize me," she said. "You aren't used to seeing me like this. But, under the circumstances, I thought it best to appear like this."

Suddenly, Firestar knew. "Spottedleaf?" he asked. "Is that you?"

"Yes, Firestar," she said. "I come with a message from Starclan."

"But, they told us it was all fake. A story told to entertain others."

"Back in the clans, don't pretend you didn't hear the elders' stories about Lionclan, Tigerclan, and Leopardclan. They were stories told to entertain as well, Firestar. Does that make them any less real?"

"So you're saying that we are real?"

"I don't know, Firestar. What I'm saying is that it's a possibility. In this Universe, things are possible that some couldn't even begin to imagine. There are few who know exactly what can happen in this world. Some who do still don't want anything to do with some of it, because it's dangerous. Like the Master Hand. He knows exactly what can happen in this world, because he's seen it, and done it. In the space of one day, you've seen a mouse that has powers similar to lightning, twolegs that could manipulate fire, or even make cats into twolegs, even by accident. Is it really so impossible that in some way, the clans are every bit as real as you thought a quarter-moon ago? I don't know if we're real, but the possibility is very much so."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I'm not there anymore," Firestar said, looking back at her. "Even worse, Scourge is here too, Spottedleaf. You saw what he did to Tigerstar, I'm sure you did, and now he's here too, threatening them."

"Things could be worse than you know."

As they spoke, a twoleg came from the trees that looked older than any elder in any of the clans. He stepped into the hollow where Firestar and Spottedleaf had been talking. "Hello, Firestar," he said, extending his hand. "My name is Taebus."

"You're that guy they were talking about back at the Smash Bros.," Firestar said, looking at him.

"Yes. I go there, every now and again, though I can never stay. There are many things in the world that require my attention."

As he sat down on another stump, Firestar spoke again. "How could things get worse than Scourge being in this world?"

"I don't know if the Smash Bros. have told you about this yet," Taebus said, "but they were, a while ago, involved in a great battle, with an evil force. This force was known by one name: Tabuu. His evil spread from one world to the next, consuming it, until it was his. When he came to this world, the Smash Bros. fought against him. In the end, Tabuu was seemingly destroyed. I admit that even I thought he was gone for good. Every world Tabuu had taken before went back to the way they had been before Tabuu's evil consumed them. But, apparently, I was wrong. Last night, I realized that Tabuu wasn't as gone as we all had hoped. He was speaking with your -er- "friend" Scourge. If those two were to work together, there could be no measure to what they could do."

"It might not turn out as bad as you're afraid of," Firestar said. "Last time Scourge 'partnered' with someone, it didn't turn out so well for the other guy."

"I am aware of the Tigerstar-Scourge conflict that you witnessed shortly before coming here," Taebus said. "But Tabuu is altogether a different entity from Tigerstar. If he plans on betraying Scourge, which he probably does, he won't attack him head-on, as Tigerstar did. First, he'll wait until he's sure he's gained enough power to attack Scourge if things go wrong. He'll probably try to kill him in a subtle way, so that Scourge doesn't have a chance to strike back."

"Is that what Tabuu's like?"

"Tabuu is not one to share power. He intends to use Scourge only as a stepping stone, I'm sure of that. But until he doesn't need Scourge anymore, Scourge himself remains a problem. Tabuu, after being defeated, was left in a state where he couldn't do anything to help himself. In Scourge, he sees an opportunity to come back to his former strength."

"What can I do about this?" Firestar asked.

"For now, just stay as normal as it's possible to be in the Smash Bros., though it wouldn't hurt to tell your friends, and maybe the Master Hand about all this," Spottedleaf answered. "And don't worry, Firestar, you will return to the clans eventually. This much I do know."

"One thing I have to ask," Firestar said, looking at them. "Are you dead, Taebus? I mean, you're visiting me in a dream."

"No. I will come to the Smash Bros. very soon," he answered. "I am simply like Midnight, though you wouldn't have met her yet. One thing I have to say, though, I am touched that you care about this world you were tossed into. Now, get some real sleep, and maybe some real dreams. Just one more thing."

"Yeah?" Firestar asked, turning around.

"Be careful using the phrase, 'When hedgehogs fly' around the Smash Bros."

That's all for now. Thank you to everyone supporting this story. Please R&R, flames are bad, constructive criticism is fine. Gamer4 out.