Temple, Legend of Zelda dimension
"You're mine, plumber boy!"
Mario rolled away from a blue sphere, punting it away like a soccer ball as it rolled back towards him. He shot into the air just before a bolt of lightning struck near his position, touching down perfectly in time to spot his next opponent lunge at him.
"PIKA!"
Mario bent backward, the electrified tail missing his face by inches. Pikachu jumped to strike again, only to get punched into the air. Bounding after him, Mario slammed Pikachu into the sprinting Sonic to take both of them down at once. Mario landed again, this time hearing something behind him.
The plumber spun around and threw out his cape, deflecting the arc of green energy back to its summoner. The wave dissipated upon contact with a large broadsword, the spiky-haired blonde man charging for Mario. The plumber ducked and jumped over several swings, landing on the flat end of the blade before flipping off and nailing Cloud in the process.
As Mario, Cloud, Sonic, and Pikachu continued to pursue and attack anyone they came across, the plumber relished the chance he had. Everyone needed as much practice as they could get before the next wave of puppet fighters and it was happening smoothly. Mario had just finished a fight with Mega Man, Peach, and Terry, where he'd managed to nail the robot with the martial artist's body during a throw. Who won and who lost didn't matter to him, as long as it meant everyone would be ready.
Mario rolled behind Cloud just as the swordsman swung downward, knocking him away with a sweeping spin kick. Something rushed past him with a swoosh of wind, but as Mario tried to track it down, he failed to see Pikachu come in from above and lob a small ball of electricity at him.
By the time Mario noticed the orb, it was already coursing through his body and rendering him immobile. A split second later, something hit him hard in the head. "HA!" The plumber felt himself sail through the air, flying and further and further away from the stage.
"Oh, yeah!" Sonic cried. "Score one for the hedge-"
Suddenly, a portal blinked up in midair and breached the open sky. When Sonic noticed it, Mario had already flown right through with a flash of light. And before the others could see it, it vanished without a trace.
Sonic's smile fell. "...hog?"
Cloud and Pikachu paused their standoff, now realizing something was off. "Sonic? What is it? Where's Mario?" The Pokémon tilted his head while looking around the scene. "Pika?"
"He was…" Sonic stumbled on the words, still shocked at what had just happened. "I… I don't… wide open… hit… flew off… then portal… gone… ugh…" He rested a gloved hand on his forehead. "My head hurts…"
"Pika pika?"
A worried Cloud looked out at the open sky, his brow furrowed in thought. "Would you… care to repeat that?"
"Oh boy, this is bad," Sonic muttered. "Stop the match. Stop it. We need to head back. Like, right now. This is serious. Very serious. Oh, boy…" The anxious hedgehog spoke in a rushed tone and was already on the move. Still feeling very confused, Cloud and Pikachu ran after him towards the revival platforms responsible for returning them to the stage after a KO. The three fighters quickly hopped on and the mobile platforms started to hover in the air, flying away from the temple.
…
The trip through the portal was quick and unexpected, just as its initial appearance was. Mario himself was surprised when he found himself surrounded by the blue and white colors of the rift instead of the colors of the sky. He fell through the vortex for about ten seconds before he was spat back out, his eyes taking in the sight of the sky.
But something was wrong with it.
Before Mario could even comprehend the difference, he felt a shock through his body as he smashed through something hard and solid; something like stone. There was a sound that- strangely- didn't sound like breaking rock, but instead shifting sand. And then came darkness and the hard impact of the ground. Mario let out a gasp as he tumbled and slid across the cold floor, coming to a stop as silence filled his ears.
Mario slowly climbed to his knees. "Oh, mama mia…" He shook his head and tapped his fist against the side of his face, shaking loose gravel from his body. He blinked open his eyes as his hands instinctively reached for his hat, straightening it atop his head. His thoughts turned to his current location: it was dark, and he had certainly felt stone just now. Was this a cave? And what world was he in now?
Mario suddenly tensed up and his eyes went wide with a gasp. What was that noise just now? It sounded like it came from behind him… didn't it? He stood ready in case of an attack, but nothing came. Still, Mario couldn't help but feel watched.
Something made itself known to him: a series of red squares in the darkness followed by small, nigh-undetectable hisses. Mario swore he heard something skittering about just nearby… and he felt something cold run up his spine. Those purple lights he just saw- or think he saw?- were those eyes?
The sounds continued; eerie calls and noises of unfamiliar creatures. Mario felt them creeping closer and closer from every direction, ready to pounce at any moment. But he couldn't see, he had no way to track them down unless he had a light…
Wait a minute! Light!
Mario held out a palm and ignited it with flame, swinging it in the direction of the closest noise. The fire illuminated the floor of the cave… but whatever was just there had fled, no doubt frightened or startled by the flame. The noises had stopped as well, but the cave…
Mario held his burning hand to use it as a makeshift torch. Something was weird about this cave. The ground looked like swarms of pixels and square-like rocks hung from the ceiling. Mario could see colored ores trapped in some of the gray cubes, urging him to investigate further. But before he could, he heard something else.
Something from outside the cave.
Extinguishing the fire in his palm, Mario turned to the source of the sound. A light tapping. The curious plumber crept to the wall, holding up a fist to it. The tapping came again, prompting Mario to gently knock on the rock. "Hello?"
The rock he had just touched immediately burst into pixels, making Mario yelp and jump back as sunlight flooded the cave. No sooner did the rock break apart did the one beneath it shatter as well. Mario shielded his eyes and blinked; he could make out a figure standing in the light. The plumber turned to meet the stranger… and his jaw dropped open with a confused gasp.
It was a person, yes… but a person made entirely of squares!
He wore blue pants and a light blue shirt, holding a pickaxe in one of his rectangular hands. Square blue eyes stared at Mario and his mouth looked frozen in place, a mass of brown-colored tiles that appeared to be hair atop the blocky head.
Mario stood frozen in shock for what must have felt like minutes. Finally, he snapped out of his daze and brushed himself off, all while staring uncomfortably at the squared stranger. "Ahem… hello!" he called, waving a hand. "It's-a me, Mario."
The stranger did not respond. Not only did it not talk, but it also didn't even move. Or blink, for that matter. The awkward silence made Mario feel even more nervous. The plumber scratched the back of his head as his ears picked up the moo of a cow close by.
The pickaxe in the stranger's hand suddenly turned into a piece of pixelated meat, to Mario's surprise. The stranger lifted it to his mouth and… well, while it sounded like he was eating it, his mouth never opened and roasted pixels just flew everywhere. Mario could only think of what a mess he was making.
The meat vanished and a burp reached Mario's ears… but again, the facial expression of the stranger stayed the same. Nothing but stone-cold silence. Mario took a step forward, which finally got a response from the stranger. He hopped off the ground and backed out of the cave with his arms and legs moving around in straight patterns.
"Wait!" Mario could only cry out before the stranger resealed his entryway with two blocks, trapping Mario inside once again. The plumber placed his hands on the rock wall, sighing in defeat. Now what was he going to-?
Hsssssss…
Mario spun around to the source of the new sound, and his eyes laid open a green, pixelated creature that seemed to be flashing for some rea-
BOOM!
Mario was sent flying out into the open, the ensuing blast destroying a good chunk of the cave wall and exposing it to the sunlight. He hit the ground lying on his back, blinking open his dazed eyes. What kind of creature was that?
That thought was gone once he took in the sight of the sky he had briefly seen before. The clouds… were rectangular! Mario hopped to his feet, his disbelieving eyes something impossible. He was in a forested area, but everything- everything!- was made of squares and cubes! The trees, the bushes, the rocks, and even wild sheep were blocks!
Mario's thoughts about that green exploding creature were quickly replaced by a new question: one that implanted itself into his head as he turned around in a full circle, furtherly surveying his surroundings.
What crazy corner of the multiverse did that portal dump him in? And how was he going to get back home?
…
"I'm telling you, I have no idea what happened to him!" Sonic exclaimed to the group. "I punched him hard, he went flying, and then poof! He disappeared through a portal! He could be anywhere by now!"
"Oh no…" murmured Luigi, his hands gripping the rims of his hat. Beside him, Peach and Daisy had their hands over their mouths in shock. "That's terrible!"
"And a portal appearing out of thin air?" Captain Falcon asked. "That close to an active battlefield? Something doesn't add up…"
"Then what are we standing around for?!" Pit spoke up. "We gotta go find him!"
"Hold on to your wings for a moment," Fox interrupted. "We can't just go searching blindly for Mario through every universe. We'd be wasting our time, and those puppets could hit us again at any moment."
Falco noticed his partner's look of concentration. "I know that face… you got a plan?" Fox just nodded. "Possibly. It's risky, but it might just work…"
"And just what idea would this be?" Zelda inquired.
"I'm sure some of you remember that radar system we had back at the old base," Fox explained. "It scanned for dimensional breaches that would trigger the challenger alarm. We managed to relocate it here shortly after the war, along with other stuff the base had, and I'm thinking we could use it to help find Mario."
"How so?" asked the blue Inkling.
"It was intended to scan for exit portals. But now we need to reverse-engineer it to detect entrance portals. More specifically, entrance portals that had opened recently. If we can pull that off, we might have a shot at tracking down Mario's location. Like Sonic said, he could be anywhere: either in one of our universes… or somewhere else entirely."
"Like a new one?" asked Pit. Fox nodded at the angel. "Maybe. We won't know for sure until we make it happen. So, listen up. Here's the plan."
The Smashers listened closely to Fox's words. "If any of you have experience with modifying technology, meet me at the power plant in thirty minutes. If you have a friend that does, bring them over here. Alongside reprogramming the radar, I'm gonna need some of them to investigate why that portal appeared that close to a combat zone… and learn if anything like that is gonna happen again. Everyone else, you're on patrol. I have no doubts that some of you are believing our enemy is somewhat behind this. There's a chance you might be right, and we need to be fully prepared for whatever they have in store. Now, let's move out!"
…
Several hours later outside the base, the finishing touches were being put in place while Diddy and Meta Knight touched down. "Patrol complete, Fox," reported the warrior. "All clear."
The pilot turned to Samus. "Is the rescue team set up?"
"Pretty much," said Cloud, assembled near Pikachu, Link, Pac-Man, Pit, Sonic, Luigi, Kirby, Olimar, and R.O.B. "How are the tech guys doing on that radar system?"
"The cross-wiring is complete and we almost have the coordinates," reported Slippy Toad while Miis, Mega Man, Tails, and some Toad assistants fiddled with the device. "Just need to run a scan for any dimensional breaches within the past twenty-four hours."
"Commencing scan… now," replied a Mii after typing an entry in a nearby console. The room fell into silence as the radar began to beep. All eyes were glued to the monitor, which had the words "Please Stand By" displayed over three dots. The beeping continued like a heart monitor for an incapacitated person… before the screen lit up. It now read "Dimensional Signature Detected".
"We have a lock!" the Mii called out. "Replicating frequency… and opening!" He inputted several more commands and two beam conductors fired streams of energy at each other, materializing into a swirling rift within seconds. "The door is open! Rescue team, you are a go!"
Cloud turned to R.O.B. "Once we reach the other side, lock onto Mario's position," he ordered. The robot gave a short nod in reply. "Acknowledged."
"Alright, let's do this!" Sonic cried, making a break for the portal with everyone else behind him. "Time to get our friend back!" Each of the team members jumped into the rift, their surroundings fading into bright light. They appeared to travel as fast as the light flashing by them as the tunnel curved slightly in several directions, serving as their only means of navigation.
"Alert," beeped R.O.B. "I have analyzed the dimensional coordinates, and they do not match any known universe in my database. I advise caution."
"So he landed somewhere completely new, huh?" Pit asked while Link looked back at him. "That narrows it down. How much farther to the exit point?"
"Five hundred meters and closing. Rapidly."
Olimar held his Pikmin close to him. "Brace yourselves, little guys! It's gonna be a rough landing!"
"Woohoo!" cheered Sonic as he shot for the end of the tunnel. "Bring it on, new universe! I'm ready for anything you throw at us!" The light at the end grew increasingly bright, causing Luigi and Pac-Man to shield their eyes. The light washed over everyone as their velocity reached its peak until it abruptly halted.
Everyone hit the ground rolling, Cloud and Link drawing their weapons. Kirby bounced up, Luigi stumbled to a stop, and Sonic immediately sprang up with balled fists… that immediately dropped to his sides as his eyes went wide.
"Uh… is it too late to take that back?" asked the hedgehog. "Because this I was not ready for."
"What is…" Cloud immediately noticed his surroundings, which made him go quiet in shock. Everyone else noticed as well, looking around at everything in sight. They examined the world they had just arrived in, the same thought lingering in all of their minds.
"Mama mia…" whispered Luigi while Pac-Man and Kirby had their jaws dropped open. The plumber had to blink and rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing it right.
"Why…" Pit asked in sheer confusion. "Why is everything so square?! Are we in the right place?"
"Affirmative," beeped R.O.B. "I am detecting Mario's presence in this world. We must move out immediately if we are to find him."
"Out of all the worlds in the known multiverse…" Olimar muttered. "This would be the strangest."
"Yeah, no kidding!" said a disbelieved Sonic. "Look at this place! The trees are square, the ground is square, those rocks are square, the clouds are square…" he looked into the sky and gestured to the world's source of light. "...and even the sun is a square!" He suddenly flinched and drew back. "Ow! And it still hurts to look at!"
Luigi moved up to a tree and knocked on it with his fist. He expected to hear the sound of his hand on the wood, but what he heard instead was a softer noise. Frowning, he tapped it harder three more times… and a piece of the rectangular tree trunk vanished before his eyes!
"WAH!" Luigi darted away and cowered behind Cloud, bracing for the crashing sound of the tree hitting the ground… but nothing came. "Eh?" He peeked open an eye and left his cover. To everyone's surprise, the tree hadn't fallen at all and was still standing despite missing a part of its trunk, which left Luigi scratching his head. "Yeah," said Sonic. "Definitely the weirdest."
"Weirder than Game and Watch's world?" Cloud asked. "That one's completely two-dimensional."
"But how can you beat a world that's full of nothing but blocks?!" the hedgehog retorted. "Besides, where do we even start? Mario could be anywhere!"
"Then how come we're still standing around?" Pit replied. "The sooner we get going, the sooner we find him! Come on!" The angel darted off into the cubed woodland, prompting everyone else to follow him. The group set out into the unfamiliar and blocky world, unsure of what they could come across during their search. Signs of Mario's presence could prove helpful… but who knows what this world had in store for them?
Unbeknownst to anyone, the square sun in the sky was already beginning to descend beneath the horizon…
…
Elsewhere in the blocky world, Mario trudged through a small forest and glanced at everything with a curious expression. Several animals made of squares seemed to stare back at him with equally-confused stares; to them, Mario believed he must have looked like something that didn't belong.
There was only one thing on the hero's mind: how to get back. But where could he find a portal in this world? Searching could take forever, but if only he had a little help…
That's when it hit him. He needed somebody familiar with this world if he was going to get out of here. And that meant looking for that weird square person he saw back at the cave. Mario broke into a light sprint and dashed through the forest, keeping his eyes open for any sign of people or civilization in this world.
It wasn't long before his run led him to the end of the forest and along a cliffside: one that overlooked a still-looking sea and a sky that was lit orange by a bright square that was this world's sun. Off in the distance, Mario could see a plume of black squares; that had to be smoke, right? And smoke is evidence of a fire… and out here, that had to mean a campfire.
With his new lead in sight, Mario adjusted his cap and dashed towards the smoke. But as he began his trek, the sun started to dip beneath the horizon… and something lurking in the bushes let out a gurgling groan.
…
"Ugh…" groaned Sonic after pulling away from a pixelated bush. "We're never gonna find him in this wilderness! It'll take hours! Hey, Pit! Can we get an angel-eye view over here?!"
"Sorry, pal," the angel sighed. "But I don't think I can call upon Lady Palutena when we're worlds apart."
Link turned his eyes to the sky. The sun was starting to set, and the following darkness would diminish their search chances. He glanced at Cloud, who appeared to have similar thoughts, The swordsmen shared a nod before Cloud directed everyone's attention to him. "It's getting dark. I suggest we find somewhere to set up shelter."
"I agree!" added Olimar. "Nothing good ever happens at night… I've learned that from experience. Who knows what sort of inhabitants this world has?"
"Pika…" The little Pokémon froze before it could continue, his ears perked up in alarm. Noticing Pikachu's stature, the team turned warily… and noticed that there was something peculiar about one of them.
Kirby was waddling towards them… and was shaped like a cube. Even his hands and feet were square-like in appearance. "Kirby?!" Pit sputtered in shock. "What… what happened to you?"
"Processing…" R.O.B. beeped. "He appears to have consumed some local vegetation, presumably berries. Unsurprising, given his notable appetite. Fortunately, these effects should be temporary."
"So… eating food in this dimension makes you square?!" Pit yelled with horror. "How am I gonna cope?!"
"Calm down!" Cloud snapped back. "Kirby must have inhaled it and mimicked its properties as a side effect. It's not like he's gonna stay that way, anyway."
"Aww!" Sonic couldn't help but laugh and pet the puffball (puffcube?) while Luigi looked at him from all sides. "I think I'll call him 'Cuby'! That's just adorable!"
"So, as I was saying…" Cloud continued. "We should find a place to rest for the night. A cave, a clearing, perhaps even-"
"A town?" answered Pit.
"I suppose. Why?"
"Because I can see one right down there," The angel pointed down a hill that led out of the forest… where a small locale of buildings rested behind a fence. Some were made of wood, others of stone and metal. Square animals moved about in pens while rectangular-looking people walked down streets and approached houses. Some rummaged through chests while others whacked at straw dummies with pixelated swords and axes.
"Hm. I guess that's a start. Let's go, and we can ask about our friend while we're there."
The team descended the hill and made their way into the village, where the people were quick to notice their out-of-place appearances. Several of them had long noses, and those ones turned their heads as if they were statues. Pit had to recompose himself before clearing his throat and turning to address one of the villagers.
"Uh, hi," he began. "We're looking for a friend of ours. Kinda on the small side. Mustache, overalls, blue eyes, and a red hat with the letter M on it. You can't miss him."
"Hm?"
"I said he's got a hat with the letter M on it," the angel repeated. "Have you seen him?"
"Hm…"
The rest of the villagers continued to stare at the newcomers, each of them making "hm" noises as the heroes passed them. "Uh… something tells me they're not the talkative type," Sonic spoke up. "Or helpful, on that note."
"We can at least look around the village," Cloud suggested. "Mario has to be here somewhere." Everyone silently agreed with the swordsman, splitting up to check separate parts of the village. Sonic ran to check the perimeter while Link, Pit, and Cloud began investigating the buildings. Pikachu, Kirby, and Olimar wandered the streets while R.O.B. initiated a scan during his patrol.
"Mariooooo!" called Luigi, jogging through the village and peeking down every alley he saw. The most response he got from his calls were wary looks from the villagers (which he sheepishly smiled to before fleeing) and squawking noises from jumping pixelated chickens. Not wanting to find out if they were just as dangerous as Cuccos, Luigi avoided taking a single step into their pasture.
The green brother's efforts seemed to be in vain until he spotted a peculiar-looking building off in the distance, away from the village. It seemed like a long shot, but Luigi was willing to go off any lead he found. Bounding over a wooden fence, he sprinted towards the mysterious building.
Upon further inspection, Luigi noticed that it looked more like a castle. But what would a castle be doing this close to a village? Luigi shook the thought from his head; he needed to see if his brother was inside, not ponder about building positioning. Approaching the stone fortress, Luigi opened a door and crept his way inside.
It was dark. Creepily dark, at that. It was a level of spookiness that brought back Luigi's ghost-hunting adventures. He had to force the memories away, but he couldn't stop the nervous gulp that came as an instinct. "H-helloooo? Mario?" There came no response… until Luigi heard a noise he was unfamiliar with. His eyes glanced about the black-covered room, watching for any signs of movement.
There were some pixelated cobwebs scattered about, an unnerving sight no matter what form it took. Luigi tore his eyes away and slowly crept further inside, training them on whatever he could see… which wasn't much. "M-M-Mario?"
The good news was there was a response. The bad news was that the response in question was something that let out a low growl. A chill went down Luigi's spine as he turned to look… and saw a strange green square man with outstretched arms shambling his way.
Luigi jumped back with a yelp, holding up his arms and desperately waving his arms in frantic karate movements. Another growl made him spin around, revealing another of the creatures. As they moaned and moved towards the quivering plumber, several more green creatures- including ones that walked on four legs with skull-like faces- creepily closed in on Luigi. One of the green creatures was starting to flash with some kind of hissing sound.
Luigi realized he was trapped; the creatures coming in at all sides. He continued to hold up his hands defensively, hoping to drive the creatures away as best as he could… until he felt his leg bump into something. Daring to look away from the creatures, Luigi spotted a red cube on the floor that was now flashing white.
And he could make out some letters on the cube: TNT.
And he now noticed that there were other boxes just like it throughout the room, each of them flashing white. When the realization struck him, the plumber froze up.
"Uh oh…"
With a loud blast that consumed the entire castle, pixelated explosions destroyed the building block by block. Undetonated TNT crates flew into the air before they burst into pixelated explosions that seemed to lack any element of fire. Even though certain parts of the castle were blasted away, the structure itself did not fall and its remaining foundations remained untouched until explosions took them out.
Launched skyward by the blast, Luigi screamed and flailed his arms before he plummeted to the ground, landing face-first in the square ground. Some of the blocks beneath him broke apart, leaving a rectangular hole behind while smaller dirt-shaped blocks hovered in the air. Luigi slowly rose to his feet in a dazed state, stumbling out of the hole…
…and the first thing he noticed was that it was dark. The second thing he noticed was that some of the creatures from the castle had survived the blast and were coming his way. The third thing he noticed was that more of them were coming out from the nearby treeline. So, Luigi did the only thing he could think of in a situation like this.
"HEEEELLLLLLLP!" He took off running at full speed towards the village, screaming his lungs out as the monsters slowly followed him. Back at the village, everybody had regrouped to discuss their findings. "We've searched this whole place…" Sonic explained. "...and we haven't found any sign of him! I'm starting to get worried."
"We'll find him! I know it!" Pit reassured, trying to keep everyone's spirits up. "After all, this is a big… wait, where's Lui-"
"AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAA!"
"-gi?" The angel turned to where the screaming was coming from to see the green plumber running as fast as his legs could carry him. Behind was a swarm of weird green men and bright green creatures that were making some kind of hissing noises. Backing them up were monsters that appeared to be skeletons with bows. The villagers had spotted them as well, as they were scrambling indoors and boarding up the doors and windows.
"What are those things?" Pit gasped when he laid his eyes on the monsters.
"Trouble," answered Cloud, his Buster Sword already drawn. "Let's clear them out, fast!" He and Link charged forward while Pit readied his bow, launching himself towards a rooftop. Sonic and Pikachu charged headfirst into the oncoming horde just as they reached the outer fence, resembling blue and yellow streaks as they smashed against creature after creature. The beasts flashed red and jolted back before several of them fell with enough hits.
Strangely, this consisted of their bodies turning red and them just falling flat (literally) on their sides, poofing away into nonexistence and leaving some strange materials behind. Kirby, R.O.B., and Olimar moved to engage the monsters alongside a still-panicked Luigi, who felt a little safer in the presence of his friends. Steeling his nerves, the plumber inched forward at a snail's pace with balled fists, keeping his eyes open for any of the monsters.
Pit rained down arrows of light on the horde below, nailing some of them with precise shots. Some of the skeletons down below spotted him in no time, turning their own bows on the angel. Pit only noticed their attack when a pixelated arrow flew past his head, prompting him to shoot at the skeletons and blow them to bony bits… if that happened. Turns out they just flashed red, toppled over, and vanished just like the other monsters, leaving pixelated bones and arrows in their stead.
Olimar's Pikmin swarmed one of the green humanoids and swatted its body with their stems… but the creature did not react to them. Olimar had to guess it was either unaware of the attack or being unable to do anything about it. Unhindered, the creature continued to shamble forward… until Kirby spat out a rock that knocked it back. The creature flashed red before vanishing into thin air. Several more immediately shuffled forward to take its place, advancing with outstretched arms.
Nearby, Sonic found himself surrounded by the creatures. His green eyes darted between each of them, his mind racing as fast as his body for a way out. "These things just won't let up!" He spun up and bashed off their heads, knocking them down like pillars. "They can sure take a hit, but they don't go down easy! Wait a second…" He ran around in a circle and conjured a blue whirlwind that sent most of the creatures sailing through the air. "Are these things supposed to be zombies? Green skin, moaning sounds, traveling in numbers…"
Link raised his shield and blocked an arrow volley from a bunch of skeletons, hurling his boomerang to deal with them. He then lashed out at an approaching zombie, cutting it down with a single stroke of his sword. He bashed another one back with his shield… but a hissing noise drew his attention. When Link turned to look, one of the four-legged green creatures violently detonated in front of the hero. Link barely protected himself from the blast but fell on his back with a pained gasp.
"It seems so," Cloud calmly answered, slaying two zombies with a single blow from his Buster Sword. "They are resilient, yet mindless. But that just leaves the other green creatures… I have no idea what they're supposed to be."
"PIKA!" Pikachu used Skull Bush to ram one of the flashing green creatures, sending it flying into another bunch of zombies. It blew with a loud bang, taking out the zombies with it. Another sprinted right for the building Pit was standing atop, its body blinking white with another hiss. By the time the angel noticed it, the creature had exploded against the wall, blowing a hole in it and staggering the angel.
"Whoa!" Pit yelped. "I don't know, either, but they've got such destructive personalities!" He was met with a stern look from Cloud. "What? Can't a guy lighten the mood?" The blonde swordsman just shook his head and proceeded to kick a zombie to the ground, stabbing it in the chest. Pit just shrugged and split his bow, leaping down from the rooftop and aiming to slice off a zombie's arms. When his attack just made the creature blink red, Pit kicked it away and it vanished into thin air.
The following moans turned Pit's attention to the ghoul's friends, who looked like they wanted nothing more than to chew on the angel's wings like drumsticks. "Eat this, you brain-munching freakshows!" With the grace of the angel he was, Pit sliced and diced at the zombies with fluid movements, with one slash nearly decapitating one of them. Downing another with a spinning kick, Pit ran both blades through separate zombies. The moment he yanked them out, the monsters glowed red and fell like logs.
Sonic spun into another of the green creatures, sending its flashing form towards a few skeletons. In the ensuing explosion, the hedgehog pumped a fist. "Goooaaal!" He shot away from an arrow barrage, the pixelated projectiles hitting the grass behind him.
Meanwhile, in the distant forest, the monsters' assault did not go unnoticed. A figure parted a pixelated bush, red eyes glaring at the town's new defenders. As impossible as it was to believe, the evidence was right in his sight. "What are they doing here?! How did they find this world? It was supposed to be a secret staging ground for our forces!"
"Never mind them. Let the local mobs deal with them. The Smashers may be few, but they'll be overwhelmed momentarily."
"Are you sure about that? Look at them! They're mowing them down like grass!"
"Then we deal with them ourselves when the time is right. They won't be expecting us. Follow my lead; we'll enter the village undetected and catch them by-"
"Hey! Who's that?"
They all turned to see two rectangular-like people standing behind them: a male with a blue diamond-crafted sword and a female with a golden ax. One of the figures scoffed at their appearance. "Don't mind them. It's just the locals. They're probably lost or some-"
"Hello!" called another voice. "It's-a me, Mario!" The figure's red eyes widened in shock as it took in a waving shape dressed in red with a familiar-looking hat. With a smile on his face, Mario put up his fists as the square-shaped people beside him raised their weapons.
"What the-?! It's him! ATTACK!"
Back at the village, the horde's numbers were dwindling by the second as the Smashers made quick work of them. Sonic knocked away zombies with a breakdancing spin and Cloud swiped at several of the green explosive creatures. Link used his bow to counter the skeletons' archery skills, landing some headshots. R.O.B. fired lasers at the exploding creatures, making some self-destruct on the spot. Kirby, Luigi, Olimar, and Pikachu darted about and landed whatever hits they could while Pit went wild on the last of the zombies.
When the final monster poofed into nothing, everyone lowered their guards and looked around. "I guess that's it, then," Pit broke the silence. "A little bit of practice didn't hurt anybody." Cloud nodded at the angel's words. "Whatever those things were, they were the least of our worries. Let's turn in for the night, and we can start looking for Mario in the mor-"
"Wait, shh!" Sonic quickly shushed him. "I hear something! The treeline!" The team went silent at the hedgehog's words and looked towards the rectangular trees off in the distance. Sure enough, they could hear fighting sounds and yelling, as well as glimpses of bright light.
"What's going on over there?" Pit muttered. "Should we check it out?" Before anyone could answer the angel, someone was sent flying out of the woods and landed flat on its back. From what the team could make out, it looked like a Mii Brawler dressed as one of the explosive creatures, its mask knocked clean off its head. But what got everyone's attention was a pair of red eyes that woozily blinked open.
"Puppets!" Cloud shouted, breaking into a run for the trees. "They're here!" Everyone moved quickly and followed the swordsman, with Olimar shouting something to Pit. "Puppets?! Could it be an ambush?"
"Maybe! But who got to them before they got to us?"
"Let's just hope they saved some for the rest of us!" Sonic surged ahead of the group and charged into the trees in his ball form, smacking another unaware Mii in the back of the head. Everyone else entered the forest in no time, searching for any potential targets. It soon became clear that the puppets in this location were under attack… but the only hints of the assailants' identity came from clashing swords and flashes of orange light. Fighting their way through the enemy legion, the Smashers ventured further into the woods.
After a minute, they emerged into a clearing… and had to ask themselves if they were seeing things.
"Mario?!"
Sure enough, the red plumber was jumping all over the place and throwing fireballs at a small pack of puppets, his projectiles detonating in orange flashes. Bounding off a giant Kirby puppet, he landed a soaring kick on a Link puppet's shield before pounding a Mii Brawler dressed as a pig in the face. But it wasn't just their friend the group was stunned by, but rather who was fighting alongside him. Two rectangular, pixelated people were swinging light-blue swords at enemies and moving around in every direction, their legs swaying back and forth like boards held by only one nail. One of them- who looked like a male- successfully struck a Kirby clone with the sharp end of his blade… if pixels were meant to be sharp, that is. The team couldn't help but think of how such a weapon would feel; like a saw, maybe? Or a-
A green Mr. Game and Watch clone went splat against a rectangular tree, snapping everyone out of their stunned trance. With a motion from Cloud, the group charged into the fray and surprised the puppets from behind. They barreled into their enemy full force, earning the attention of both Mario and the strangers standing near him. The plumber paused in his movements while the other two just slowly turned their heads, their faces incapable of making any kind of expression.
"Yoohoo! Mario!" Luigi broke from his current attack to wave at his brother; an unwise move as Mr. Game and Watch puppets took that moment to swarm him. Quick to jump into action, Mario dashed towards his accident-prone bro… only for a fishing line to latch on to Luigi and yank him away from the puppets. The green plumber landed facefirst before one of the pixelated people, giving him a thumbs-up without even raising his head.
The man was already off, striking at other pixelated green men that held weapons, unlike the ones the Smashers had previously encountered. A woman struck flint and steel at a Link puppet, driving it back from the sudden flame and leaving it open for the real Link to charge into it. Cloud was already engaging two other duplicates; Pit and R.O.B. covering him by attacking some Kirby clones. Mario and Luigi broke into a run, the latter punting away a Game and Watch clone while the former pounded a Mii Brawler in the face. Mario turned to some of the pixelated zombies and lobbed some fireballs at them, aiding the strangers by making their enemies go up in flames.
Link used his shield to bash away the copy of himself, searching for his next target. He didn't have long to look, as some purple lights could be made out in his peripheral vision. The hero of Hyrule spun to look… and he saw pixelated black men with weapons of their own.
Odd… were these puppets merely resembling this world's creatures, or were the creatures more intelligent than Linki initially believed?
Pikmin were flung at the black beings, temporarily deterring them as the small creatures whacked away. Link pressed on to engage the Mii Brawlers, passing both Sonic and Pikachu as they tag-teamed a giant metallic Jigglypuff clone with blue and yellow flashes. A large laser blast was enough to drive them back, but this only prompted them to turn their attention to a giant R.O.B. copy and race towards the two pixelated clones defending it. Kirby stepped in to attack the Jigglypuff clone, slamming a copy of himself in the process.
The last of the zombies fell to Mario's flames, bursting into a flash of light and releasing a spirit of a similar creature. Mario turned to leave the floating soul… before its body fully materialized before him, the energies of the spirit's home dimension playing their part. The figure stood with a weapon in hand, turning its head as if confused. Mario stood in silence himself… before Link cut down the final duplicate of himself, releasing the spirit of a skeleton.
Sonic collided with the giant robot with a loud slam, sending it toppling to the ground. Pikachu zipped between the two pixelated strangers and finished them off in quick succession, moving as fast as the lightning he generated. From their remains, the spirit of a villager and a strange entity of stone emerged. Kirby beat the last of his copies to a pulp, causing the spirit of a gelatinous green cube to appear.
The giant metallic Jigglypuff relented to Cloud and Pit, toppling to the ground and releasing the soul of a white squid-like creature… at least, that's what it looked like. With the area now clear, the team turned to Mario, who had just been hug-tackled by a relieved Luigi. "We found you at last!" Olimar called. "I feared the worst!"
"Glad to see you're alright," Cloud spoke, Mario nodding in response before Sonic spoke up. "Alright, next order of business; who the heck are these guys?" he gestured at the pixelated people behind Mario. Their weapons were now nowhere to be seen. Had they holstered them or did they just vanish into thin air?
None of the two verbally responded. Instead, a block of what looked like dirt appeared in the man's hand. He placed it down, then placed another one on top of it. Soon enough, he had placed enough blocks to spell out a message.
HELLO MY NAME IS STEVE
"Steve?" read Pit. "That's an… oddly normal name for a cube guy."
I AM ALEX, spelled the girl before breaking apart the words and recollecting the blocks. WE CAN HELP YOU FIGHT
EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT ONE OF US, replied Steve.
"I'm perfectly fine not being square," answered Pit. "Thanks for finding our friend."
YOU ARE
Steve didn't finish building his message before he started jumping and punching. Everyone blinked in confusion before Alex drew her sword… and an earsplitting shriek shook the forest. After recovering from clutching their heads, the Smashers turned in the roar's direction… where several black pixelated people with glowing purple eyes emerged from the brush with weapons drawn. Behind them were tiny pixelated people with swords, tiny gold Mii Brawlers dressed as pigs… and a Ridley puppet that tore apart the trees when it burst into view, screeching loudly.
Alex lobbed a TNT cube at the tiny fighters, blasting away several of them and leaving the rest for Luigi, Olimar, and Kirby to take care of. Link and Cloud engaged the pitch-black creatures, the former shoving one away with his shield. Pit dove at another and slammed his foot into its chest, knocking it against a tree. A quick blade slash across the neck caused it to blast into light. Two more moved on the angel, prompting him to split-kick them back.
The Ridley puppet unleashed a blast of flame from its mouth, hoping to deter the fighters. Mario leaped over the blaze while Sonic charged right through, striking from above and the sides respectively. Steve used a piston to push a Mii away, and Alex finished it off by dropping an anvil on top of it. She quickly swapped her sword with an ax, whacking it at enemies. Steve turned to another of the black creatures, using flint and steel to ignite it. Olimar's red Pikmin, unbothered by the flames, whacked the burning creature as it ran about. Steve followed up with a magma block and dumped a bucket of lava at his feet, burning some of the other enemies. Alex splashed another of the black creatures with a water bucket, weakening it and allowing Pikachu to add a little shock to the mix and deal critical damage.
Steve ran to form a perimeter, laying down stone blocks to trap the Miis and tiny Alex puppets. With them boxed in, Cloud dove in from above and crashed into the crowd with a mighty slam. Those that survived were inhaled by Kirby and spat back at the Ridley puppet, staggering it. The black creatures moved to defend the Ridley clone, causing the Smashers to alternate between the boss and the minions.
They were dealt with swiftly, with Sonic bouncing off them in quick succession and the Mario Brothers jumping and stomping on their heads. Olimar's fling Pikmin distracted them while Steve and Alex landed some hits. When the last one fell, the spirit of another black creature emerged… and instantly rematerialized, shorter than what the spirit had depicted. It looked around in confusion before locking its eyes with the zombie and silently staring at it.
With the Endermen dealt with, Steve hopped into a minecart and rapidly laid down some tracks as it advanced. Snarling, the Ridley puppet swatted it away and caused Steve to land on a bush. Alex used a piston to launch a TNT crate into its face, causing the puppet to howl and swipe at its head in irritation. Everyone charged in and tag-teamed the Ridley puppet, striking from everywhere at once and leaving it impossible for the puppet to defend itself. With a final shriek of pain, the clone collapsed and exploded, leaving behind the soul of a black pixelated dragon.
"Whew…" Pit wiped his brow in exhaustion. "Is… is that all of them?"
"I believe so," Cloud confirmed. "I can already see the villagers checking the area for any more. But if puppet fighters were on a world we were unaware of…"
"You think they could be hiding somewhere else?" Pit realized. "There could be a world that we don't know of that they're hiding on?"
"Possibly," the swordsman said. "We'll need to relay this information back to Fox and the others. They'll want to hear about this."
"And if it weren't for me," Sonic continued with a triumphant smile. "We still wouldn't have known about this! So, you know, you're welcome." The hedgehog took an appreciative bow. He was met with only silence from his friends and the pixelated people. "Okay, so I may have accidentally sent Mario here during a match, but still…!"
"So, what do we do about them?" Pit asked, gesturing to Steve, Alex, and the two creatures who seemed different from than their usual brethren. Perhaps those two were the result of spirit experimentation if Cloud had to guess. Whatever weaknesses their source material possessed, the puppets had probably found a means to nullify them for their new warriors. Warriors that were now in the Smashers' possession. Steve stepped forward and placed down some more blocks.
WE WILL JOIN YOU
"Wait, really?"
THOSE THINGS ARE DANGEROUS
ARE THERE MORE? spelled Alex.
"Well… yes," answered Olimar. "Are you sure about this?"
YES
WE WILL FIND THEM AND FIGHT THEM added Steve.
"Additional numbers are also acceptable," reminded R.O.B. "Despite their peculiar stature, I believe they could be worthy allies. Their combat data is fascinating and I look forward to analyzing it further."
"Alright then," Cloud said, crossing his arms. "Let's find a portal and get back, Everyone else is waiting for us."
…
Fox had already burned through most of his patience and was on the verge of sending himself or another team after the rescue force. If something happened to them, he needed to know. Luckily, the pilot didn't need to act; the rift device was starting to show signs of activity. According to the Miis, they had received the teams' signal and were in the middle of pulling them back to base. As the rift flashed open, Fox stood ready to greet the team when they emerged.
"Took you guys long enough!" he exclaimed. "Did you find… him…"
The pilot's words got stuck in his throat when he noticed an odd sight among the team. As expected, Mario was with them… but so were some strange-looking people made of nothing but squares. There was a man, a woman, a green guy, and a black creature with purple eyes. Pit awkwardly scratched his head before clearing his throat and turning to Fox.
"Yeah… we're gonna have to explain some things…"
...
"It is ready," spoke one.
"Then let it begin," said another. "When the light is restored, only then can vengeance be ours."
"Once this ritual is complete, the light of Galeem shall shine down on the multiverse once again! Our master shall be reborn!"
"And the Super Smash Brothers will be wiped out for good. All obstacles that obscure the path to enlightenment shall be removed."
"Let them enjoy their final days. Soon, we shall relish their true defeat and guard Galeem's reclaimed world for all eternity. His war with Dharkon will be won at last."
"And all will be peaceful. Now... commence the reawakening of our master! All hail Galeem!"
"ALL HAIL GALEEM!"