Epilogue III: Rebirth

"There's a rebirth that goes on with us continuously as human beings. I don't understand, personally, how you can be bored. I can understand how you can be depressed, but I just don't understand boredom." – Dustin Hoffman

How ironic was it that, after everything that had happened, he was the only one not celebrating?

He saw the Smash Mansion, nay, the Palace of Tabuu getting blown to bits. He saw numerous Guardians and Smashers sparring as if they had not another care in the world. He saw numerous Guardians and Smashers running towards the source of the Smash Mansion Explosion, laughing and pounding each other's backs like this was just another day at the base upon Mount Smash.

But the only thing he had eyes for was the lone figure sitting in front of two large rocks.

Fate had a tendency to be incredibly cruel. Not only that, but it also had a tendency to favor some people. While many of the Guardians managed to evade death on the battlefield, some of the Smashers weren't so lucky. While many of the Smashers managed to leave the battlefield with little injury other than the ones sustained during their beatings through Final Smash, the Guardians were not so lucky.

But even death would be better than what happened to her.

She had been carried in by him and him alone. Her broken body- even lighter in his grasp than he had expected- had been laid upon a hospital bed, where healers swarmed around her. He had been pushed aside and made to wait outside as the healers worked.

It seemed like years, but she eventually managed to walk- or in her case, limp- out of the tent. Whatever magic was being used upon her ribs to allow them to mend seemed to be working. She was having trouble breathing, but smiling. Pale, but glowing.

As usual, Fate had been cruel.

A whole life-changing journey was lost that day. Lessons learned, bonds created, victories savored, were all lost. Whatever blows she had sustained upon her head from Tabuu's crushing chops had caused so much trauma that everything she had worked for, strived for, and suffered for was lost.

His Guardian no longer remembered who he was.

He sat now upon a branch in a tree, watching as she reached out and touched each of the two stones one by one. Her brow was furrowed in that all too familiar way, the expression reminiscent of when she was attempting to remember something. He watched her slim fingers trace the letters etched upon these two rocks, tears threatening to roll down his cheeks as she blankly stared at each of them.

A for "Austin".

T for "Takashi".

But only he understood who they were.

"It is cruel, you know," a voice behind him remarked. "To simply allow her to be in such a state."

Pit, taken by surprised, whirled around, his bow out and ready. The pristine white glove of Master Hand met him. Ashamed, the angel stowed his weapon and gave the Creator a deep bow. "M-Master Hand, forgive me, I-"

Master Hand stopped his words. "I should be the one apologizing, Pit. I did not mean to shock you so."

Pit shook his head. "I… it's nothing. Please, don't let this bother you." he shifted a little as he attempted to get into a more comfortable position. "What… what brings you here?"

Master Hand gestured to the landscape around them, restored in some part by his power. "I simply wished to observe my work… I hope it is to your liking."

"It's… nice," Pit said evenly, unsure of how to respond. Indeed, now that a few leaves and blades of grass were poking their way through the newly fertilized soil, Smashville would be reborn again.

"Could use some flowers, though," Master Hand continued, pointing to the many soil patches surrounding what was once the mansion. "I believe young Princess Peach and a few of the Guardians would be perfectly happy planting flowers… that is… once the proper mourning is done with…"

Pit nodded, his gaze shifting once again to the girl sitting in front of the two rocks. She had long ago given up her tracing, now content with simply laying down on her stomach and humming to herself. Although he could not hear it, Pit was almost sure he knew exactly which song she hummed.

It was not one that you would forget easily.

Pit heard a strange noise coming from Master Hand. If he didn't know better, he would have thought it sounded a lot like a "ho-hum". But Master Hand would never do that…

… Would he?

"… I suppose… you know of her condition," Master Hand said quietly, placing his pinky on Pit's shoulder. The angel sighed and bowed his head, wishing that he could disappear.

"I… I just can't believe that after everything we went through, she just…"

"Fate is cruel, Pit," Master Hand said sagely. "It has played many tricks upon unsuspecting heroes in the past. The only thing you can do is to take those tricks and endure. Endure and grow…"

"But why did it have to be her?" Pit protested. "All of the time we spent learning from each other… she doesn't remember any of it! She doesn't remember her past, her Smasher… she can't even remember her own name!" his hands curled into fists, shaking with every ounce of his frustration. "Why… just… just why did it have to be her? Why her? Why now? Why?"

Master Hand regarded him for a moment, before he turned away. "As I have said… Fate can be cruel…" he touched Pit's shoulder. "There is nothing I can do to help your Guardian… but I assure you that I believe it is best that if you care for her, if you truly care for her, that you do not leave her in such a state." Pit heard the smile in his voice. "You are the only living person that knows her best, Pit. While you cannot truly give back her memories, you can help her re-shape who she once was… and the brave young warrior you know she is destined to be…"

Pit looked away as Master Hand removed his finer from his shoulder. "I just don't know if I can do it, Master Hand, I-" but when he looked back, the Creator had vanished.

The angel turned and regarded his Guardian once again. She had abandoned the kneeling and was now simply standing before the two stones. Once again, her brow was furrowed. Once again, he knew all too well that she was trying to call forth some memory that now lay buried deep within her sub-consciousness.

It couldn't hurt him to try.

He spread his wings- which he was still not used to using after all these years- and took off. The sound of his sandals touching the damp grass caught her attention. She turned to him and smiled, brown eyes shining.

"Hi! How are you?" she asked. The smile she gave him was unfamiliar. He had long ago become accustomed to the sweet smiles she gave him, or the mischievous ones she often wore. But this smile, this was very similar to the one she gave him when they first met.

He was a stranger.

"I'm… fine," the angel replied, struggling to find words. "And you?"

Psyche shrugged. "I've been kinda wondering about these rocks… I mean, who would etch such random letters into them?"

Pit managed a small smile. "Yeah, does seem pretty silly, doesn't it? But… you know, they're kind of honoring letters. Paying respect to two really, really brave people."

She laughed. "That's real cool!" she looked back at the two rocks. "I… I hope I get to meet them soon. Everyone here seems really nice, but they keep looking at me funny." she shrugged. "I know I'm not much of a looker, but…"

Pit cleared his throat. "Yes, well… maybe you should try talking to some of them?"

It nearly broke his heart, the way she waved her hand at him. She had often done that when she thought he was saying something idiotic or ridiculous. "Yeah, yeah, right after I'm done admiring this place. That's what I came here for, after all?" she flashed another smile at him. "What about you? What's a… whatever-you-are like you doing here?"

Pit took a deep breath. "I… I came here to speak to my Guardian."

She tilted her head, brown eyes gleaming in the bright sunlight. "Oh? What's his name?"

He swallowed, fighting back against the lump that was quickly forming in his throat. "Her… her name's Psyche… and she's the bravest person I've ever met."

She reached out and took his hand. "Why don't you lead me to her? She sounds cool!"

He smiled. "Yeah… yeah, she's pretty cool." he knew that bringing the Psyche he knew back would be tough. It was highly likely that she would never be the same again. But in spite of everything, this was a start. And perhaps, if he tried hard enough, it could lead to something more.

He pulled out his Mirror Shield with his free hand, making sure the surface was free of dirt and dust. Steeling his courage, he lifted it up to her face, taking extra care to capture every feature of it. It was with her face reflected in his mirror, his eyes, and his heart that he spoke.

"She's right here."

I've heard legends of those people

How they plunged into enemy territory

How they saved the Golden Land

I've heard legends of those people

How they traveled the breadth of the land,

Reducing all they touched into rubble

I've heard legends of those people

I've heard legends of the Guardians

Revered by many—I, too, revere them

Feared by many—I, too, fear them

Now, those people

Stand at my side

Now those people stand at my side

Now my friends are with me

Some of them were once heroes

Some, my mortal enemies

And as we face each other in battle, locked in combat

We shine even brighter.

Guardians Arise!

A/N: Thank you. Thank you for everything.

Thank you to Archsage_Julz, my beta-reader, for being there for me through good times and bad, for helping me grow as a writer and as a person, and for inspiring me to push beyond my limits.

Thank you to Pikana, my greatest source of inspiration, for your Circo de la Luna, for your friendship, and your crazy, crazy obsessions.

Thank you to Wrath_Draconian, the artist that made the Guardians come to life, for being a wonderful friend, and for being a voice of reason in my world of wild happenings.

Thank you to Austin and Takashi without whom chapters would be years in the making.

Thank you to everyone at Fanficunderground, without your support, this story would have been abandoned long ago.

Thank you to Foxpilot, for being a shining beacon of cheek and humor when I drown in the midst of Writer's Block.

Thank you to every single person that contributed a Guardian to this story. Without your help, there would be Smashers without Guardians, words without meaning, and a tale without substance.

Above all, thank you, my dear readers, for staying with me- through good chapters and bad- until the very end. Without your support, I would have given up on this story long ago. Without you, Guardians would never have happened.

Though our tale comes to an end, our adventures with the Smashers have only just begun. While I cannot guarantee a sequel, I will say that I have stories in mind. For now, they are simply plots bouncing around my mind. But, with your support, I know that I can help them take root and grow. Remember, the writer of the story only places the words on the page. It is the readers that make them come alive.

See you around.