Blue Eyes
(flashback)
There were clouds above him. There were clouds below him. There were clouds that stretched to every corner of the world. Everywhere the eye could see there were beautiful, glorious white clouds.
It was here that golden eyes met blue.
"My Lady…"
"I have waited a long time to speak with you again, my dear little meat-bag."
She said it playfully, almost jokingly. But it was quite hard for him to laugh along with her. She was too divine, too out of this world.
"Why am I here?"
"I believe the real question is why would you not be?" the goddess answered. "I had been hoping to speak to you for the longest time."
It was a small benefit here in his incorporeal state that he did not need sleep to sustain him. The energy flow through his Guardian's mind was sufficient enough. He faced his goddess, who was regarding him with an air of amusement.
Blue eyes frowned in doubt.
"I brought you here to come to terms with the events that transpired because of your defeat."
"Is that truly necessary?"
Did she think him weak?
"I do not know. Is it?" her smile was enough to get his blood boiling. Why did he have to worship such an unorthodox goddess?
"… I do not know…" he hesitated, then added, "My Lady… my Guardian shall awaken soon. Surely I must go attend to my duties as a-"
"Your duties," the goddess sighed, "Your duties… they were your excuse for so long, Marasu-san…"
"Don't call me that," never before had he been so bold before his lady. "And my duties are not an excuse, but a reason."
"A reason, then, for the fact that the last words you said to your sister were 'Tonight I ride'? Reason for the fact that the last words to your love were 'Fetch my sword'?"
Blue eyes narrowed in anger.
"Tell me, then, how I was supposed to speak!" he snapped. "Tell me, then, how I should have properly said goodbye, not knowing that I would soon meet defeat at the hands of a monster! Tell me, then, how much of a weakling I was for being unable to fight?"
"You are not a weakling…" the childish side of his goddess was coming out. Already he could hear the tears in her voice. "Marasu-san, if your Guardian has shown you anything, it's that you are no weakling…"
"Then what am I?"
"… You are a Smasher…" his goddess whispered. "You are a Lord, a Smasher, a lover, and a brother. You have braved many dangers in the name of your world and you have fought many enemies nobler and more deserving of your blade than Tabuu."
"… Why then…" he whispered. "Why, then, was it he that at last defeated me?"
"Fate has played many pranks before, dear Meatbag," his goddess replied. "The giving of the Triforce of Power to Ganondorf… the rebirth of the demon Formaltiis…" her golden eyes flashed. "The fall of the once greatest fighters in the known worlds."
"Once?" he repeated, unable to believe his ears. "Once, My Lady?"
"Your fall has facilitated something, Little Meatbag," the goddess said quietly. "While your bodies may rot within the halls of Tabuu's keep, your souls and abilities remain intact within your Guardians. Essentially, Marasu-san, your Guardians have since evolved. In many ways, they are now your heirs as well as your protectors, your partners, and in some cases, the last thing you possess in this world."
His hands curled into fists. "My Goddess, why are you here?"
"To help you come to terms with the inevitable farewell. After the day when you are freed of your bonds, never again shall you lay eyes upon your Guardian."
"NO! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" he had lost too much in his forcefully extended lifespan, felt too much pain. He couldn't stand the thought of losing yet another important person in his life. "I CAN'T ALLOW IT!"
"Marasu-san, fate has dictated-"
"TO HELL WITH FATE!" he snapped. Never before had he lost his composure in such a way. This was the Hundred Years' Rage, bottled up within him from the moment Tabuu locked him away. "FATE CAN BE THWARTED! FATE CAN'T DICTATE HOW I SHOULD LIVE AND DIE!"
His goddess was on the verge of tears. "M-Ma-"
"BEGONE!" he ordered. Never before had he blasphemed his goddess in such a way. "I TURN MY BACK ON YOU THIS DAY! BEGONE AND NEVER RETURN!"
All at once, her warm presence left him. Once again, he was standing in a deep void, an echo of his Guardian's sleeping thoughts. He stood there, trembling, eyes forever roaming. For a moment, he could've sworn that his lady was returning to him.
Guilt washed over him in waves. He had allowed his anger- all bottled up for a century- to get ahead of him. Because of his sharp tongue, he had reduced his goddess to tears.
Blue eyes turned to the ground and wept.
(end flashback)
History was repeating itself. He knew it from the moment the first Primid fell upon his Guardian. He knew it from the moment his Guardian's weapon, radiating a raw, terrible power, sliced the foolish foe in half.
He knew it from the moment his Guardian, Naskara, crossed blades with his own body.
He couldn't see.
He couldn't move.
"NO!"
"HEATHER!"
"WOLF!"
Blood in his mouth.
Blood in his eyes.
Blood on his cape.
"ZELDA!"
"LINK!"
"RINKU!"
"CIMAR!"
Everywhere.
Blood.
"WATCH OUT!"
"AHH!"
She could only watch as the boy, her little brother, was torn from her protective grasp, locked in mortal combat with what seemed like a hundred foes. It reminded him all too vivdly of Elice as she too was torn asunder from him. She moved to assist him, but the blade came out of nowhere, heading straight for her chest. Her armor saved her, but still, she bled.
With his approach came an aura of fear, decay, and dread. He shuffled like a tramp, yet treaded like a king. His slinky gait was one of a being both noble and cunning, a cruel reminder that no matter how much hate could ever radiate off him, no matter how much hatred that he felt for this wretched foe, it mattered not.
At the end of the day, he was still in many ways, a man.
His body was fast, too fast. His Guardian could just barely keep up with it. If it weren't for the fact that her weapon was as long as it was, it would have been utterly impossible for her to defend herself against his lightning fast strokes. Nask fought with the speed and valor of a tiger, but her efforts were for naught. In the end, it all came down to the fact that he was once one of the greatest fighters in the known worlds. And despite her power and how much she had grown since the day they met, she was still only a shadow of what he once was.
"How far the mighty Smasher has fallen," the wretched creature hissed, "How weak the strong have become."
"Ngh.."
Marth watched as his body pushed off the balls of his feet, leaping into the air for a powerful jump strike. She leaped out of the way just in time, striking him with her favored weapon while he was vulnerable. She gritted her teeth and channeled as much energy as she could into the powerful weapon. He felt the fleeting sensation of a cold, frosty morning.
Ice burst forth from the tip.
"Look how weak you are, pathetic Smasher," he whispered. "How utterly vulnerable. Do you not know what I can do to you in this state? I can torture you, Little Prince. I can gouge your eyes out, slowly skin you alive, shove a sword down your throat…" his voice filled with satisfaction as he said this, as if he was relishing each word on his tongue. "I can so easily make you watch as I kill each and every one of the people you love right before your eyes…"
He lifted his face, glaring at this hated man through blood-stained bangs. He opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a faint gurgling. He watched as the chain before him began to sway.
Tantalizing.
Hypnotic.
The jet black blade cleaved through the ice like it was nothing. Now freed, his body followed up with a great many lightning-fast strikes at its foe. His Guardian barely had enough time to counter these attacks before a Primid tackled her from behind. Dust filled her mouth, dirt stung her eyes.
But nothing hurt more than the accursed blade ripping through her flesh.
Sway…
Now it was his turn to take the reins. As his Guardian let out a single piercing howl, Marth pushed through the fog of unconsciousness that slowly seeped into her mind and was reborn anew. The searing pain in her shoulder, once a whisper to him, now pierced him like a red hot iron. Gritting his teeth, he managed to wrench himself free of the biting tip and strike, trying his best to ignore the pain blossoming from the wound.
Sway…
He felt himself floating again, giving way to the will of his Guardian as she once again took the reins of her own body and leaped to the side, slicing as many Primids as possible. Marth winced, knowing full well what would have happened had the Primids been able to pin his Guardian down. But their opponent still kept up with his relentless assault, obsidian blade weaving in and out of its allies, murderous intent shining in those horrid yellow eyes.
Sway…
As if in slow motion, his body caught up to them, stabbing and shoving Pit's body aside with much contempt. He could not help but be disgusted at this. Never before had the rules of chivalry been so disregarded.
But then again, this was Tabuu they were talking about.
"You are wondering how in the world I have become so much more powerful," the Hated One mused. "How when you Smashers defeated me- just barely, mind you- last time, you see now that it is utterly impossible to defeat me this time. Would you like to know how I came about this power, O Lord of the Emblem?"
Sway…
"I have no choice! I can't keep running! Your body will catch up to us eventually!"
"I know… but surely there must be some other way," he groaned. "You saw what happened to those three! I cannot allow you to end up like them as well!"
"There's not going to be a better time to—"
"WATCH OUT!"
She whirled, her weapon coming up just in time to meet the blade of a sword. His body used this moment to kick off her chest, sending her sprawling to the ground whereas it simply landed on both feet a few feet off. Taking full advantage of the vulnerable position his Guardian was in, he charged, blade whirling, yellowed eyes flashing.
"Any last words, O Prince of Altea?"
He struggled for breath. Struggled for words. Struggled for sound.
"F-F-Fuck… you…"
"HYAH!" Nask shouted, rolling out of the way and using the full range of her Naginata to slam it right into his body's crotch. Marth winced, knowing full well that a blow from there would hurt for a while. Not for the first time, he was thankful that he wasn't there in his body to feel it.
It turned out that his reflexes were still in top condition. Naturally, his body doubled over, clutching the sensitive area, face twisted in pain.
A fatal mistake.
"Vulgar, Prince Marth," he sneered. "I didn't know you've ever had it in you. I must say, you are quite the little swine for saying it." he shook his head. "But it does not matter. My, my, O Emblem Lord. How will your precious little wife feel once her dear husband rips out her heart and stomps on it?"
She swung her Naginata and drove it point blank to the ground, releasing a blast of ice like Marth had never seen before. The frozen water rushed towards his body in waves, too fast for the eye to comprehend. A frigid wind encircled the vulnerable Dark Smasher and it was not long until he was little more than a block of ice. For the first time, Marth was able to see what his face looked like when it was contorted in shock.
Nask landed on her feet, panting. Her chest armor was quite damp with her blood. For a moment, she regarded the icy prison, contemplating whether or not it was secure enough to hold Marth's body at bay.
"Will there be any better opportunity to strike?" Marth asked in answer to her question. Nask grimaced slightly but complied, reaching into a hidden pocket of her armor.
"In the name of my country… in the name of my goddess…" Marth summoned all the strength he had left into one final shout. "YOU SHALL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF THE NEXT DAWN!"
Ice cold laughter rang through the air.
Just as her hand closed upon a small, pulsing sphere, the icy prison which held the Smasher began to quake as Marth's body raged against its frozen cage. Nask's fingernails dug into her Smashball with renewed vigor, her teeth gritting as the Prince's body freed itself. Shards of ice cut her cheeks, but it did not matter now. Energy, powerful and raw, flowed through her veins.
It was time.
"Unleash the Final Embrace!" Marth ordered. It had been a long time since he had last been able to shout orders on the battlefield.
Nask leaped into the air, whirling her powerful weapon as she let out an indecipherable cry. She came down on his body with full force, piercing his body right in his chest. Yellow eyes widened in horror as the weapon wrenched upwards, sending it into the air. She wrenched her blade out and struck it once, twice, thrice, each strike sending forth a great chill. Finally, when she was done reaping every blow she had, she gave the body one final hit, slamming it down with enough force to cause an earthquake. Light filled the area, blinding all within the radius of her Final Smash.
At long last, yellow gave way to blue.
(flashback)
"Father! Father, are you here?" she called, trekking her way through the newly fallen snow. Once a thing of beauty to her, the snow had long since become nothing more than another instrument of torture. More pain came with the snow. More cold. More hunger. "Father! Father, where are you?"
She knew he could not be far from her.
"I am here, my dear," a voice answered. It was so soft, so weak. "I am trying to sleep…"
He was trying to sleep. Was it possible at all for one to fall asleep here? Was it not dangerous to lower one's guard when death could strike at any time?
"I brought you food, Father," she reported as she ran to him. "Look here! A quarter ration of bread!"
She watched as the pile of flesh and bone- the skeleton, the corpse- rose up from its spot. For the briefest moment, its eyes- blue, like hers- contemplated the crust in her hand. Then those eyes- black, like a corpse's- rose to her face. Again, they contemplated.
"My dear… there's something I must tell you…" his voice was a croak now. If there were any tears left to be had in him, surely they would be falling down. "So much to tell you… so much…"
"Father, you can tell me all you want to tell me later," she told him. She was practically begging him. "But right now, we have to mine the Essences. We don't want Lord Tabuu to be angry at us, right? We just have to fill our Essence Buckets and it's back in the warm factory! We can start making Smashballs again! Please, Father…"
"Tabuu…" tears rolled down her father's cheeks. "Tabuu, Tabuu… what a fool I was…"
"Father, don't say such things!"
"So much to tell you… Tabuu…" sobs wracked her father's body. "Your mother… the gas chambers… oh…"
"Father! Be strong!"
His skeletal hand shot out with surprising speed and latched onto the collar of her ragged shirt. His breath, stinking of corpses, felt ungodly hot across her face. "A deal… I… struck a deal… a deal with… with the Devil himself…"
He was delirious. It was all to evident to her ears. But the look in his eyes as he said this, the desperate, clinging way his breath blew across her face told her something else.
He could only be telling the truth.
She remained silent, watching numbly as he took a few gasping breaths. His breathing had long become ragged.
"My services… my soul… for your life… your mother… to late to save… but you… you…" he coughed. "You…"
Why could she not cry?
"So many others dead… rebels… people who could… save us… dead… because… of me…" her father wheezed. "F-For… F-Forgive…"
His grip on her collar was quickly slackening. His flesh was ice cold to the touch. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not summon the tears to cry.
"Water… S-Sakura… Sakura, my child… water… Sakura…"
Water. That would be the worst poison for him. The water here was retrieved from the earth, from the snow. It was always filled with disgusting bacteria, always flecked with blood. She knew that even if she helped him, he should not, could not drink.
His death rattle filled her ears.
(end flashback)
There were many things that she still remembered, many things that had been unable to escape Fate's cruel hand. She remembered walking through the gardens of her castle, her love at her side, smiling as the warm Mushroom breeze touched her cheeks. She could still remember how the lust of the Koopa King had driven him mad, usually ending up in her monthly kidnapping and rescuing. She still remembered how, though he had rudely and brashly taken her away from the man whom she admired, she would always find a way to bring out her captor's softer side and for a little while, almost convert him to the side of good.
But she also remembered how scorned she was by so many people. She was well-loved by her subjects and beyond, true, but there were harsh things about her as well. She was a sweet woman, somehow always managing to find the good in others, when there seemed to be no good to be had. She had proven it time and time again when she had charmed the Koopa King's softer heart to the surface and when she had convinced a plucky little plumber that he was destined for much more than hopping through a few pipes. Yes, she was good and sweet and kind, but still the criticisms came.
Perhaps harshest among them all was how weak she had been, how although she was a princess who lived in a palace full of loyal Toads, she would still get kidnapped at least once a month. The criticisms did not bother her much at first, but the moment she learned that she was to appear in the Melee Tournament of Smashers, the disapproval spread like wildfire. How had she, weakest of all beings, managed to wriggle her way into a tournament featuring the greatest fighters in the known worlds? Had she bribed the Master Hand? Had she assassinated the more eligible fighters?
But that was over a hundred years ago. A hundred years ago, she was the weak child in a pink dress who could never take care of herself. A hundred years ago, endless questions about her fighting ability had been asked and endless answers had been avoided. But a hundred years later, she had a question of her own.
What would they say now?
CLANG!
Her frying pan whirled through the air, slamming right into the head of a nearby Primid. Peach felt a smile forming on her incorporeal face as Sakura then wheeled around and kicked a Primid in the stomach without a single pause. Yes, her Guardian was a strong one.
There was no time to mourn. No time to run to Wolf and pry him away from the corpse of one of the men who caused Heather's death. No time to run to Zelda, who was clutching the Hero's chest as his life's blood slowly drained away.
"We're going to have to resort to something other than kicking and punching if we're ever going to find anyone in this mess," Peach told her.
Sakura nodded. "I'm working on i— WHOA!" she ducked flying Shadow Bugs. "MS! Watch where you're killing!"
"You watch where you're fighting!" MS snapped back.
"Guys, just calm down, alright?" Green asked. He grabbed two Primids by the neck and whirled out a Luigi Tornado, flinging them away at lightning speed. "If we're trying to avoid Shadow Bugs here, it's going to be tough. These guys are crapping them out like there's no tomorrow!"
"Avoiding? I'm trying to kill 'em, darn it!" MS snapped. "Why won't these guys stop reforming?"
Peach's sharp blue eyes darted back and forth across the battlefield, searching for a weakness, a weapon, anything that could help them with the ever-growing mass of Primids that surrounded them. But no matter where she looked, there seemed to be nothing and no one that could lend their aid. Just about every Guardian was currently engaged in battle, even Master and Crazy Hand- whom were doing their best to help cleanse the field of the Subspace Army- could provide no aid.
"MS! DUCK!" Sakura chided as she nimbly dodged a cloud of Spaak electricity by rolling to the side. As soon as she landed on her feet, her frying pan was pulled out and sent flying. It sailed over MS' head and hit a Shaydas on the head.
"Excellent, Sakura!" Peach cried. "You've become a great fighter."
Sakura smiled to herself. "I've had a great teacher."
Such a comment greatly warmed Peach's heart. But such a warmth quickly faded as she noticed a turnip flying their way. The face upon the strange little vegetable was one of anger and hate.
Only one person in the world could ever pull turnips like that.
"It's my body!"
And lo and behold, there it was. Her body moved faster than she ever had in her long years as a Smasher, little more than a great pink blur that would make Sonic the Hedgehog green with envy. Not surprisingly, her body came surrounded by a corona of red and green flames, which soon gave way to a duo of all too familiar plumbers as they landed on the ground.
MS was just barely able to swing his katanas in time to slice the turnip in half. The two pieces, powerful even when divided, ricocheted off the Primids, Spaaks, and Shaydas behind them. But while the army was reasonably pushed out of the way, the approach of the three former Smashers did little to ease the tension in the air.
"Well shit," Green muttered next to Sakura. "It's either fight a thousand weak little Primids or try to fight off three pumped up Smashers."
"How about we take Option C?" MS asked.
Sakura gave him a questioning look. "And what would that be?"
"RUN LIKE CHILDREN!" MS shouted before preparing to bolt in the opposite direction. However, Mario's body jumping and landing on the ground changed his plans quite a lot. "… On second thought, just ATTACK LIKE MEN!"
And so they did. Green and MS charged without a second thought, taking their respective Smashers by surprise. But while Mario's body, finely tuned with pretty decent reflexes, was able to recover significantly from the impact of MS ramming his shoulder into it, Luigi's took the hit and literally went flying. Peach would have laughed, had it not been for the fact that her body's golf club was already on its way towards Sakura's head.
"SAKURA!" the Princess cried. Her warning came just in time for Sakura to bring up an arm in order to take the blow. Her Guardian's limb was jarred severely, causing pain to bloom forth from the blackened bruise inflicted by her heavy club.
A flurry of green fire appeared from behind the princess, setting her pink dress aflame. As soon as Peach's body whirled to take on Green, Sakura was already on her way with a good shoulder ram.
WHAM!
Shoulder connected with stomach, sending the unfortunate Smasher flying. For a moment, a bubble of hope swelled up within Peach. They were winning!
And then something extremely heavy, dirty, and not to mention on fire slammed itself right on top of Sakura's head.
"OW! OW!" Sakura tried batting at whatever was jumping on her, only for her fingers to be met with air. MS, using Mario's superior jumping power, had tackled the plumber's body in midair and was now locked in a wrestling match. At the same time, Green was nimbly dodging Peach's golf club, his eyes darting back and forth for a weak point.
Meanwhile, Luigi's body was nowhere to be found.
During all of this, Peach was seeing red. "Tabuu, that monster! I'll never forgive him!" if she had her body back at that moment, she would have been crying. "Mario would never do that! He never jumps on a fellow human! NEVER!"
Sakura, breathing heavily, rubbed the spot on her head. Thankfully, Mario's signature form of attack had not drawn blood. "Ugh… my head…"
Anger for Tabuu became concern for her Guardian. "Sakura, maybe you should—"
"No, Peach," Sakura said quickly. "I'll be fine… I'm just… ah…" she winced. "I've just got a headache, that's all."
Peach pursed her lips, struggling between a desire to take over for her Guardian and a wish to order her Guardian to pull out of the battle. "I…"
"Hey Sakura, you okay?" Green asked as he ducked a flying turnip. "That looked like it- OOMPH!"
Now it was Green's turn to be stomped on as Luigi's body, covered in mud, returned. Luigi's Guardian was sent to the ground in a flurry of green flames.
"Green!" Sakura cried. Without a second thought, she leaped into the air, pointing her bottom at the enraged green-clad plumber's body. She struck home, causing a large pink heart to pop out of nowhere and managing to push Luigi's body right off his target.
Green and Sakura stood back to back, facing their adversaries. MS, meanwhile, was quite close to them, eyeing Mario with unfailing ferocity. There they stood, the Smashers and the Guardians, glaring at each other with the animosity only bitter enemies would possess. For a moment, there was a lull in the battle around them. Time seemed to slow.
Then, they charged, the Mushroom Kingdom Smashers and the Guardians of their souls. In a flurry of color and sound, fire met with fire, tornado clashed with tornado, and the resonant clang of golf club meeting golf club rang through the air.
It was then that fate, perhaps guided by the hand of revered Roselina herself, played a truly unforeseen prank upon the slaves of Tabuu. For in the middle of the ring of steel, the pounding of fists, and the Hellish heat of the flames, there were three resounding cracks.
Peach, through Sakura's eyes, saw Green engulfed in flames. But these flames were not green like his nor were they red, like MS'. No, these flames flashed a whole plethora of color, shifting from yellow, to green, to purple, to blue all in a matter of seconds. MS, meanwhile, was also engulfed in flames. But he seemed not to notice as he continually swiped his red katanas at Mario, only to miss as the powerful jumping power of the plumber saved him time and time again.
It soon dawned on her what had happened. "The Smashballs! They must have shattered somehow!" she quickly turned her attention to Sakura, determination edging in her voice. "This is our chance! We have to do it now!"
Sakura's hand met Peach's cheek in an extremely hard slap. But as she got ready to unleash every bit of power the Smashball had gifted to her on the Princess, a rather strange sight stopped her. Both she and MS abandoned their attempts at subduing the bodies of their Smashers long enough to gawk wide-eyed at Green.
Green was doing an odd combination of the disco, the bunny hop, and the hula. Of course, while his dance was rather efficient when it came to causing their adversaries to apply palm to forehead through the sheer ridiculousness of it, it was what happened next that truly took the day. From out of one ear, a bubble of multi-colored energy bloomed forth: a representation of every single negative feeling that Green- and to some extent, possibly Luigi- had bottled up over the years.
The next thing anyone knew, the unfortunate Subspace denizens and Smashers unfortunate enough to be engulfed by this darkly colored dome were keeling over as flowers burst from their heads and other various side effects took place. If anyone knew the Negative Zone better than Luigi, it was Peach, who had always hidden her ill-will towards those who dared call her weak. And she saw it now, her own body succumbing to the horrors of Green's own misery and hate, that she would never be called "weak" again.
She watched as Green, dark eyes shining with insanity in this world of twisted fantasies, sneered at his Smasher's body and charged. Peach knew at that moment that it would be a perfect hit. There was no way for the Super Jump Punch to fail now…
Then, it was Sakura's turn.
A rhythm filled the air as Sakura began pounding her feet into the dust. Peach couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be following the gentle pulse and flow of a waltz of some sort. But as the waltz continued, the tempo passed from Adante to a full out Allegro. No longer was this strange dance a waltz, but a tarantella, a fast-paced "dance of the spider".
And what a dance of the spider it was. Peach watched in wonder as small white circles appeared all around her body, each pulsing in time with the deadly tarantella of her young Guardian. But the true horror came when Sakura's dancing reached an impossible level of speed and accuracy. For each time her foot hit the ground, one of the little white circles would explode. As Sakura literally danced circles around her body, strange things began happening to the hundred year old spirit within her mind.
There were three…
She felt like she was floating. For the first time in a long time, she could taste the air again. It tasted sad, somehow. Like a lost soul, wishing to find its owner.
Two…
And her skin! It was tingling! She hadn't felt her own skin in so long… it felt alien to her. What was this feeling? It hurt, yes. It burned and seared right down to her very bone. But she embraced this pain. This glorious, glorious pain.
One…
Blue eyes gazed upon the skies at long last.
(flashback)
There was a beauty in this place that he could not quite place his finger on. On one hand, the sunlight was comforting. It was a rare sight to see such a thing in this realm that had long ago lost the life it once held. On the other hand, there was a cold, harsh tone to the color of the horizon. The sun was beautiful, yes. But it was the one colored spot upon this world of blacks and grays and whites. As such, it stood out- not in the good way- and therefore seemed harsh to the still-living things whom had long evolved so as to be able to sustain themselves with minimal sunlight.
It was this place that he called home.
It was actually perfectly normal for him to come out here all alone to watch the sunrise. Despite the frostiness that this cold environment had drenched the sunrise in, it was still a beautiful thing. It would always help him forget, even if it was just for a few minutes, just how painful it was to simply be alive.
To be or not to be? That was the question asked throughout the decades. Had he been asked that only a few years before, his answer would have been the same as it was now.
Not to be.
It was survivor's guilt. Heather had told him as much when they first met. Then again, of course, it made sense. What else would you feel after your entire planet was destroyed, leaving you as the sole survivor of your race with nothing more than the memories of the golden times and maybe a scrap or two to remind you of who you are?
Oh, speak of the Devil, here she comes now.
"Good morning Teal," Heather said quietly as she approached. The young anthro-morph couldn't help but notice that there were dark circles under her eyes.
He merely inclined his head. "Heather…"
She sat down next to him, this woman in red and black, and allowed a small sigh to escape her mouth. Teal retracted his legs and hugged them as the two sat in silence for a rather long while. It was inevitable, then, that it would be broken by that very same woman.
"How are you feeling, Teal?" she asked. "I noticed that you come out here often…"
Teal hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "I… yes, I suppose I do."
She seemed to nod off for a moment, before her great orange eyes snapped back to meet his light blue ones. "You still have that survivor's guilt, huh?"
For a moment, he was slightly taken aback. While it was true that she tended to be a rather forward and blunt person, it was still a bit shocking to have those words come from her lips, even after he had been training with her and their mentor for how many months.
"I suppose…" he looked out to the sunrise, with its many splotches of red and gold, and sighed. "I suppose… I suppose you can say there is much I have come to regret…"
He winced as she pounced upon that word. "Regret? What do you, of all people, have to regret?"
Here was that fear again. That fear of opening up too much, of being rejected for who and what he was. It surrounded him like a bubble, consuming his mind and soul whole.
"I suppose… you can say I regret many things I have done in the past…" he kept his voice unfathomable, completely devoid of expression. "I suppose you can say that sometimes, I wonder if I should have truly escaped the ruins of-"
Heather stopped him with a hand. "Listen, Teal. I don't know what has got into your head that makes you think this, but for once in your lifetime, don't live only to regret. Move on, Teal. Move on and find happiness. That is what your loved ones would have wanted." she placed a sisterly hand on his shoulder. "Teal… I'm concerned for you. You helped me pull through one of the hardest times in my life… and in return, I have done nothing. Please, Teal… live… live your life and let go of the past. You told me as such..."
It was truly a shame that she did not know that it was for that exact reason why he had considered, many times, to simply fall upon the nearest sword. How could he give help and advice to others when he couldn't even solve his own problems? How he would have shamed his loved ones so…
He hated himself for doing it. But nothing could have prevented him otherwise. To be or not to be came back to him. Heather wanted him To Be. But never before had he ever had to make one extremely hard decision so easily.
Blue eyes, shining falsely, smiled and nodded.
(end flashback)
He was a monster.
He hated every fiber of his body because of it.
He had stood by and watched as millions were killed, as his greatest friends were ripped right from their bodies, and encased in prisons of glass. He had stood by and watched as his second home was destroyed completely. He had stood by, and hid, hoping to escape the tears, the screams, and the pain.
How different were they, really? They had both lost everything because of one mad man and his mad dreams. They had both remained shy and reserved in their ways, fearing that should they speak their fears, they would face only rejection. They both cursed themselves for being the Reapers, the bringers of death. If it weren't for them, would those they cared about still be alive?
Would Tabuu ever have existed?
"Heather…" Teal whispered, his knees turning to jelly. "H-Heather… Heather…"
There was something broken in him. Lucas saw it before him, symbolized by a nearly severed ribbon. The thin threads that still held the precious piece together were slowly fading away.
"Teal… please… get up… we have to fight, Teal… for Heather…"
Teal didn't answer, too busy concentrating on directing his icicle attack on the Spaak. Shadow Bugs sprayed all over his fur as the battery pack upon the floating clouds exploded in a shower of sparks. Whatever Spaak were left floating were quickly dealt with by Lucas' own PK Freeze.
"That's right!" Lucas half-heartedly cheered. He could still see the ribbon, held together by a few little tendrils. As another little string broke, he felt fear well up in him.
Teal couldn't break now.
Suddenly, there was a sound, like the scraping of metal against metal. Lucas needed no other introduction as the Shadow Bugs suddenly curdled together in midair, encasing a glowing red orb in a cloud of black. The Shaydas appeared after a single spin, deadly scythes gleaming tauntingly at their unfortunate victims.
"DUCK IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"
Teal obeyed, getting down on one knee just in time to avoid the all too familiar Super Sheet swinging above him. Xavier retracted the sheet, allowing Teal to throw a few icicles to pierce the sensitive weakness of the dreaded Shaydas. Lucas then quickly took over for his Guardian to wipe out what was left of the dual-blade wielders with a powerful PK Fire. But, as fate would have it, there behind the flames, Lucas was just barely able to make out a familiar shape of yellow and red. But just as he was ready to fire another PK Fire, the figure was gone.
"I found your body…" Teal said grimly.
"Teal! Lucas! Whoever you are!" Xavier shouted. "Stop staring at the pretty, pretty colors and move! In case you forgot, we're healers! We have big red targets painted all over us!"
Snapping out of his reverie, Lucas placed his hands together and released a PK Freeze. From the ice he created, he brought forth a wall. A group of oncoming Roadturrets slammed into the barrier, stalling them just long enough for Xavier's pills and Lucas' PK Fire to take them down.
"Rinku's got some nasty cuts," Teal said as Lucas scanned the battlefield for more incoming danger. Lucas could still see the ribbon before him. It was still desperately clinging to life by a few tiny little threads. It was all to obvious to him that his Guardian was trying his best to not allow his slowly ebbing away sanity to show. "And Cimar looks like he's lost his marbles… And will someone kindly tell Wolf that it is completely unnecessary to dismember a corpse once it's dead…?"
"Teal! Hey Teal!" Xavier yelled as he ran around throwing pills. "Wanna know something I noticed? I noticed that, by observing our enemies, I can easily form the hypothesis that… once they're dead… THEY CAN NO LONGER BE ALIVE!"
Lucas could only stop in his tracks and stare at the suddenly hyperactive Guardian of the famous medical man. This allowed Teal to slowly ease his way back into control without his noticing. By the time Lucas did notice, he was already sitting back in the darkest corner of his Guardian's mind.
"Xavier," Lucas heard Teal say. He could quite easily hear that his Guardian was holding back, reserving his emotions. "You haven't happened to see anything involving…"
"Lucas' body? Nope. I've been on the look-out for Dr. Mario's…" suddenly, Squall's smoking form landed right in front of them. "And anyone dumb enough to try to charge Tabuu head on."
"Who you calling dumb…?" Squall muttered. Teal sighed and placed his hands together. A light rain fell on Toon Link's Guardian, closing up a few of his more serious wounds. Within seconds, Squall was up on his feet again and charging at Tabuu… Again.
"Is he suicidal?" Lucas asked.
He regretted those words almost immediately. Another little thread disappeared.
Before Lucas could so much as attempt to reticify his mistake, Teal was forced to leap to the side as a PK Fire came from out of nowhere and singed the earth. Teal only had another few seconds to shield his eyes and roll out of the way as a PK Freeze bit the tip of his tail. Of course, from the moment the first flame had leaped at his Guardian's ankles, Lucas knew exactly who was the cause of it.
His own body glared at Teal, yellowed eyes- once blue- narrowed in malicious intent.
Xavier chose that moment to insert a comment. "… Teal, I found Lucas."
Another Smasher suddenly appeared right next to Lucas, white lab coat billowing in the wind. He glared at Xavier, as if knowing exactly whose soul the young healer held within his mind. Lucas couldn't help but wonder if Tabuu or the Shadow Bugs had granted the Smashers some kind of special ability to know who was whose Guardian.
"… Don't hold back your pain, Teal," he whispered as his Guardian tensed considerably. It took him a moment to realize that his voice was trembling as he spoke. "Stay alive, Teal… hold on… hold on, for Heather…"
Then he heard it. Six words, echoing around Teal's mind. It was just barely above a whisper, but audible nonetheless.
To be or not to be?
"Teal! TEAL, NO!"
His Guardian, as if guided by some unnamed horror, released the PSI magnet. At the same time, his body released a great pillar of fire. Lucas watched its approach in slow motion, bracing himself for the final impact...
"Teal, I wish for you To Be..."
It was a shield. A great red shield. It appeared from nowhere, giving seemingly no warning. The PK Fire slammed against it, rattling it, but still it held firm.
It was nearly unnoticeable, but the tiniest bit of thread returned to the ribbon. It was a small change, but a change nonetheless. Lucas couldn't help but feel the faintest touch of a familar Wolfon hand on his own ghostly shoulder before the shield and the presence disappeared.
The ribbon was mending. All the while, Xavier and Teal stood side by side, regarding their respective foes. For a moment, Lucas could've sworn that he saw a tumbleweed make its way across the grounds.
Xavier, not surprisingly, opened things up by reaching into his pocket. However, his hand got no further as Dr. Mario's body took that time to charge forward and, quite literally, jumped on his head. With a cry of pain, Xavier grabbed the unfortunate plumber-doctor's foot and wrenched him to the ground.
Lucas could only watch in shock as the once benevolent Doctor's body charged, easily swinging a darkened version o the Super Sheet without breaking a sweat. Xavier planted his foot into the ground and braced himself catching the Super Sheet and quickly tossed a pill at the unfortunately exposed face of his foe.
Teal and Lucas' body both had the same thoughts at the same time. Two PK Fires, followed by one PK Freeze, and rounding it all up with a PSI Magnet to rack up the projectiles in order to heal. That was how it went, each blow being equally matched with the occasional interruption by a stray pill. Lucas, having mastered his PSI powers over his couple of years as a Smasher, knew all of his own strategies inside and out. And, it seemed to him, his own body did as well.
"Use the Smashball!" Lucas shouted desperately. "We wouldn't have to do this if you just use your Smasball!"
"I'll use my Smashball as soon as your body allows my hand to get into my pocket," Teal replied as he hurriedly wrenched his hand out of said pocket to absorb an incoming PK Freeze. "We need a way to keep them distracted!"
Lucas bit his lip, unsure of how to reply. It was blatantly obvious that they needed a distraction. But such a distraction had to be huge. Big enough for the Guardians to gain the upper hand in combat, but not so large that they were distracted as well. But how…
A roar split the air, causing the ground to tremor and quake. For a moment, there was a lull in the fight as each member of the two armies dropped their guards to search for the source. Even Tabuu, who had been engaged in a fight against the two Hands themselves, snapped his head around in the direction of the noise.
The first thing Lucas saw was the flames. It was a great pillar of fire, shaped in such a way that it reminded him greatly of one of the Smasher's- he could not quite put his finger on the name- final smashes. Truly, it was a glorious and terrible sight.
The most gorgeous of all sights, however, was what happened next. The pillar twisted and pulsed in the air, as if taking a life all on its own. Soon, Lucas could make out the shape of a great reptilian head forming within the flames. The head was soon followed by a great snake-like body and an ornate tail.
The dragon, its body made entirely of flames, reared upon its hind legs and let out an earth-shattering roar. It flamed once before charging, revealing he who summoned it to all those present on the battlefield. There, standing in between a bubble of the Negative Zone and what looked like some kind of deadly variation of the Peach Blossom, was MS.
This was all the distraction needed.
Everywhere across the battlefield, Smashballs were pulled out and crushed with resounding cracks. Lucas felt quite overwhelmed when a sudden rush of energy, provided by the Smashball, flowed through Teal's veins. There was an intense heat radiating off him, as if every part of his body was aflame. As his body's eyes widened in perhaps shock or fear, Teal planted his foot into the ground and prepared his Final Smash…
... Only to be interrupted by the site of Xavier pulling out a stage from out of nowhere and pull Dr. Mario's body- bound and gagged, mind you- onto it.
Both Lucas' body and Lucas himself watched with some amusement as Xavier pulled out a clipboard and started writing on it, brows contracting in concern. However, his expression of concentration was soon replaced by one of comical shock as he looked up to the sky and ran away. Lucas followed his gaze and in spite of himself, let out a small gasp. A giant bottle of pills fell from the sky, spilling its contents all over the unfortunate Doctor's body.
Random vitamins rolled around, bacteria whacked him relentlessly, viruses cackled in glee. And all the while, Dr. Mario was being continually pelted by all of this. Lucas had no idea how such a beating would get the Smashers' top healer back, but there were greater things to concentrate on.
Like Teal's Final Smash.
Teal placed his hands together, as if he were praying. Then, turning his eyes to the sky, he released all the energy built up within his chest. As this happened, Lucas felt himself leaking out of Teal's mind and spiraling up into the clouds above. Below him, he saw his own body- a tiny yellow dot on a field of black-, and gasped. Never before had he been so high up in the sky.
Objects around him began to shine. The air suddenly became ice cold. It chilled him to the bone. Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, these great shining objects suddenly formed together and began raining down on his body below.
PK Starstorm?
No, this was different. These were not stars, but icicles. They fell much faster than the stars, but were not nearly as powerful. But while his body was able to dodge or melt some of the icicles, nothing could prepare it for what came next.
A giant icicle, large enough to pass for the Iceberg of the Ice Climbers', fell on top of him. And within that final icy spike was Lucas' soul. The impact of the ice was enough to jar him, causing him to travel downwards towards the very tip, where he knew his body- probably battered and broken by now- awaited him.
But as the yellow film that had long covered the eyes of the young boy was forcibly lifted, it became all too evident that there was a war. As blue eyes turned to the sky and wept for the first time in years, it gazed upon a sky red with blood, grey with misery, and black with hate.
The battle was won, but the war raged on.