The Four Cardinal Heroines

by The Crimson Yinglet

Peach, Amy, Krystal, and Zelda have been pulled from their worlds to save another world from the Wave of Calamity. But there seem to be other forces at play to make them suffer. Hopefully, their strength and teamwork can overcome these evil forces. Rated M for adult themes.

5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer I do not own the rights to Rising of the Shield Hero, Star Fox, Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Super Mario characters

Chapter 5: The Cardinal Alliance

Earlier at Rosalina's Observatory

The space station had finished ahead of schedule thanks to all the work everyone put in. It was massive, it was a cross shape with a copy of Rosalina's observatory in the center. In the four arms of the station were the areas familiar to the four heroines. One was a copy of Peach's castle, the other had a building shaped like Tails' head, the other, rested the Greated Fox with smaller buildings surrounding it, and finally the last contained a copy of Hyrule's castle. Now they were loading up on power-ups, rings, and other gear that Peach, Amy, Krystal, and Zelda would need. Rosalina was gazing upon the space station when Starlow flew up to her.

"Everything and everyone is ready, Rosalina."

"Good, get Shadow and Silver and meet me at the viewing platform."

"On it."

Rosalina went to the platform while Starlow fetched Shadow and Silver. E. Gadd was typing away on the console nearby when she got there.

"Alright, is everyone ready?"

"We're all set here."

Tails replied.

"Hey, what about Shadow and Silver? Are they not coming with us?"

Knuckles asked.

"They are staying behind so we can open the portal whenever we need to. Someone has to man the doorway."

E. Gadd answered.

"Okay, we will be doing a test run. The four bases on the arms separate so you can spread around the world and end these "waves" faster. Luigi, we will be sending you, Daisy, Yoshi, Dk, Diddy, and Dixie first."

"Okie dokie."

Luigi replied over the radio. While the top of the base resembled Peach's castle, the inside of the bottom looked more advanced. There were various screens, devices, controls, and consoles that helped guide the space station. Manning these controls was a crew of various toads and lumas sent by Rosalina to help the four heroines and their allies. The crew began the procedure of detaching their section from the main base. Peach's castle soon separated from the rest of the space station and began to float towards a bright light.

"Hey," Falco started, "What's powering these things Slippy? Will we be able to get more fuel?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Falco. Rosalina provided six grand stars to power the station. One for each arm and two for the center base."

Slippy explained as he and the others watched Peach's castle float away. Rosalina, Shadow, and Silver began to channel the power of the Star Spirits and the Chaos Emeralds to open the portal. Soon, a large portal opened in front of the Mario crew.

"Alright, let's-a go."

Luigi said to a toad. The toad pushed a button that sent the castle into the portal. Luigi, Daisy, Dk, Dixie, and Diddy watched in awe as they traveled between the void separating their multiverse from this one. Soon they came out into an open space. Luigi looked out a window and saw the earth.

"Luigi, are you there? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, we read you loud and clear E. Gadd."

Luigi answered the communication device in his hand.

"Good. Readings are normal. No signs of damage to the base. And I'm not picking up any deteriorating effects from multiversal travel. A successful test run."

The Mushroom group began to cheer and celebrate.

"Now, the others will be joining you in a bit. I will contact Peach and Mario to let them know about your arrival. Also, send a few lumas down to the planet so they can bring them up."

Luigi nodded and waved over some lumas that were nearby. After explaining things to them, the lumas gave happy cries while they flew toward the planet.

At Lurolona

Mario and Sonic had just finished rebuilding the town. All of the residents just stood in awe. What would normally take weeks was done in a few hours.

"Unbelievable, to do such work in such a short time. You two are truly companions of the heroes to have such skill."

A goat man said. Mario and Sonic just looked at each other in confusion. Not sure if that was praise or not.

"Umm, thanks?"

"Don't worry about it, Sonic. They see the Shield as a god."

Amy explained. Sonic just nodded in understanding and continued on his way. Mario and Peach were chuckling about the ordeal when the lumas came down from the sky.

"What the!?"

"What is that!?"

"Are we under attack!?"

"Lady Amy, save us!"

The villagers of Lurolona began to panic as the lights danced around them. Amy and Sonic got ready to fight, but Mario jumped in front of them holding out his arms.

"Wait!"

"It's okay everyone! They are no threat."

Peach said. Everyone began to calm down, but then they heard the lights begin to giggle.

"Why are they laughing?"

A cat woman asked in concern.

"It's okay, they're children. It looks like Rosalina sent our help already."

Peach explained as the lights died down revealing small and colorful star-shaped beings.

"Oh, those are lumas right?"

"That's right, Sonic."

Mario answered. The demi-humans watched in curiosity and caution.

"Um, what are "lumas", Lady Peach?"

Raphtalia asked.

"Well, short answer: they are baby stars."

Their caution turned to awe at the sound of that. They started at the lumas with wonder now.

"Amazing."

"So, are they here to bless us?"

"Don't be stupid. They're here for the heroes."

"Now, now, no need to argue. They are here to help us in some way I'm sure."

Peach said as Mario spoke with one of the lumas. He then walked up to Peach.

"Peach, it seems our base is here."

"Oh, are the lumas going to take us to it?"

Mario nodded.

"Great."

"Alright then, let's go. I'm excited to see our base."

"Me too!"

Sonic and Amy said.

"Hold up. We need someone to watch the village since Krystal and Zelda are still training in the woods."

Peach explained.

"Huh? Watch the village? From what?"

Sonic said in annoyance.

"From some morons who are hiding in the bushes."

Mario said pointing to the woods. Sonic dashed through the woods at super speed and came back with a cloaked man.

"Oh look, a shadow."

Amy said in an annoyed tone.

"What's a shadow?"

"They are secret spies sent by the king or other people like him. They work in intel gathering and assassinations. Krystal has already dealt with a few of them and, thanks to her skills, can tell when one is near."

Amy explained to Sonic.

"Then maybe we should hang on to this one until she gets back."

"Good idea, Sonic. Can someone bring me some rope?"

Mario asked the villagers. Mario tied the church's shadow up and the villagers took him to a nearby shed and locked the door.

"Now, it's just a hunch, but I think there may be more of them in the forest."

"Are you sure, Mario? I searched and couldn't find any except him."

Sonic said.

"Well, Sonic, shadows can also learn magic. They may have a spell that makes them invisible, intangible, or both. Like a ghost."

Amy explained.

"Right, so while Me, Mario, and Rino go up and examine the space station, you and Amy will watch the village. And besides, it's just our base here for now. Yours is on its way."

Peach explained.

"What, Tails lost the race to Luigi?"

"It's not a race, Sonic. Our friends volunteered to go first to see if the travel between our worlds was safe."

Oh, is that so? I guess I owe Luigi thanks then."

Sonic said to Mario. Mario, Peach, and Rino flew up with the lumas while Sonic and Amy stayed behind. In the trees, the shadows belonging to the king and queen just sat in silent awe. Thankful that they chose to high ground.

"That speed, all I saw was a blue blur."

Both shadows thought. They were also concerned about how the red-capped individual knew of their presence.

"It's not just the heroes who are skilled. We'll have to watch for their companions as well."

The shadows watched the village cautiously and made sure to keep an eye on Sonic.

In space

Mario, Peach, and Rino were flying through the stars. While Mario and Peach were used to this, Rino was not.

"Oh my! I can't believe this! We're soaring through the stars! This is incredible! Is there anything the Cardinal Heroes can't do!?"

Rino exclaimed with a wide smile. Mario and Peach couldn't help but chuckle at this. Soon they came upon their base.

"Wow, it looks just like my castle."

"It looks amazing, Lady Peach."

"Thank you, Rino. Now get ready to land."

Peach said as the three were coming upon the castle's main doors. As soon as they landed, the doors opened, and Luigi came out.

"Mario! Peach! You're both okay!"

Luigi said as he hugged Mario.

"Yep, glad to see you're okay too. I was worried when E. Gadd was listing off the risks of multiversal travel."

"There's always risks, Mario. Remember that book on the new and improved F.L.U.D.D.?"

"Oh yeah."

Mario said, still not understanding how a device that was essentially an extremely powerful and versatile water gun could burst into flames. While Mario was pondering over that the rest of his friends were looking at Rino.

"Hmm, who's this?"

Daisy asked, pointing to Rino.

"Oh, this is one of my party members. Her name is Rino."

"Hello, I am Rino. One of the Spear Heroine's companions."

Rino said with a bow.

"So you made some friends here. That's nice. Hi, I'm Daisy."

Daisy said as she held out her fist to Rino. Rino just stared at it in confusion.

"Come on, don't leave me hanging."

"Um, what do you mean? What are you hanging from?"

Daisy just stood there, dumbfounded at Rino's response.

"They do things differently here, Daisy. I don't believe she knows what a fist bump is."

Peach explained.

"Watch Rino. This is what she wants you to do."

Peach then walked up to Daisy and bumped her fist.

"Is that how you greet people in your world?"

"It's one of the many ways, Rino. We still do handshakes and bows, but fist-bumping is done between close friends. Ones who would be considered brothers or sisters."

"Oh."

"Yeah, so come, Rino. Fist me already."

Daisy said as she held out her fist. Rino, though hesitantly, did reciprocate it.

"There, now we're pals."

"Wow, I didn't think you would be so trusting."

"Well if Peach trusts you, then so do I."

With the greeting done, everyone went into the castle to inspect it.

"Oh my, they replicated my castle. This is a replica, right? There's not a big hole where my castle was, right?"

Peach asked with concern and some annoyance in her tone.

"Of course, Peach. Do you believe Toadsworth would let E. Gadd rip your castle from the ground?"

Luigi said.

"I guess you're right, Luigi. How is Toadsworth by the way? It must have been quite a shock when I vanished."

"He's doing okay. He's running the kingdom right now with the other advisors in your absence. He tried to convince Wario and Waluigi to try and help, but that didn't work out."

"Let me guess, they want payment up front."

"Yeah, Toadsworth tried to explain payment will be made once you return safely, but they refused to budge."

"Typical, at least you managed to get some help."

Peach said as she saw the Kongs and Yoshi. They all went up to Peach to talk to her about what was happening and about her new look. That's when Dixie noticed Rino. She and Diddy began to examine her, much to Rino's discomfort.

"Hey! Be careful you two! Rino isn't used to this and I don't want to overwhelm her."

Peach said.

"What kind of beasts are these?"

Rino asked.

"They're Kongs, Rino. This is Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Dixie Kong."

"A pleasure to meet you."

Rino said, but only received chitters and grunts in response.

"They say it's good to meet you too."

"You can understand them, Lady Peach?"

"We've had many adventures together and I consider them close friends. It would be rude to not understand them."

"Oh."

"And this is Yoshi."

Peach said as the green lizard creature walked up to Rino.

"It's good to meet you."

"Yoshi!"

Rino was confused that Yoshi just said his name.

"That's how they speak, Rino. He says it's nice to meet you."

"I see. You have unique friends, Lady Peach."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you're taking it in so well."

"I admit everything I've seen is strange and a bit much, but I'm holding on, for now. Let's just hope there are no more surprises. I might just faint with one more,"

BARK! BARK!

The excited barking of Polterpup, Luigi's ghostly canine companion, was heard as he ran towards the group.

"Ah, it's a puppy!"

Rino said in excitement.

"No, wait Rino!"

"What? It's just a dog."

Rino was ready to catch Polterpup, only for it to go through her.

"What the!?"

"Yeah, he's a ghost dog."

Luigi explained.

"G-G-Ghost dog?"

Rino said as she fainted and fell to the ground.

"You killed her."

Daisy said while Peach just shook her head. A few toads came and took Rino to a room nearby to rest while Peach and Mario chatted with their friends.

Present

Rino was waking up from the earlier incident. She looked around, wondering if everything she experienced was a dream.

"Hello, Miss Rino. Are you okay?"

A toad who was watching over her asked. Rino was shocked to see a mushroom person talking to her, but then she remembered the stories Peach told her about the Mushroom Kingdom.

"So, it wasn't a dream. I've met some extraordinary people today."

"Just take it easy for now, Rino. You'll get used to it. By the way, the rest of our allies arrived while you were unconscious. Peach, Amy, Krystal, and Zelda are already meeting them."

The toad said as he walked out. Rino took a moment to compose herself and went out to meet the others. The space station was now complete with all the allies of the heroines present. The Melromarc natives were in awe at what they were seeing. This space station, these people, they were all full of miracles and wonders. With these people fighting the waves hope filled their hearts. The natives of the Nintendo-verse all chuckled at the expressions of the new guests.

"Wow, Amy, you look so beautiful now."

Cream said admiring Amy's new look.

"Yes, indeed. I had a small heart attack when I saw you. I thought it had been a few years since you had vanished."

Vanilla said with relief.

"I can see why, but it's just the way this world works. Since we count as "demi-humans" we'll age as we level up."

Amy explained.

"Is that why I have this tiny blue square in the corner of my vision?"

Knuckles asked.

"Huh, I thought only the Cardinal Heroes had access to that."

"Well, Amy, those heroes were most likely alone. I don't think any of them had friends who followed them from another universe."

Tails explained.

"I see, that makes sense. So if you focus on that square it'll expand and show you all your stats, titles, abilities, and other information like that."

The Sonic crew did just that and examined the stats this world gave them. Meanwhile, everyone else was mingling and meeting the allies that joined them. Team Star Fox was meeting with their new allies. These were Katt Monroe, Miyu Lynx, Fay Spaniel, Lucy Hare, Amanda, and Bill Grey. While Fox and Peppy were talking with them, Krystal and Falco were looking over the Arwings with Slippy.

"So, thanks to help from Tails, Purah, and E. Gadd, I was able to make many more stealth units. Enough for all our allies and am currently working on a stealth mod for the arwings. From what Rosalina told us, this world doesn't have tech like ours and it would be best if they didn't know about it."

"Yes, that's true, Slippy. Though, I think we can show some of our tech. From what I've gathered the kingdom Faubrey is technologically more advanced than the other nations."

"How advanced, Krystal?"

"If the information I gathered is correct, they're in the steam engine era. With muskets as their main weapons."

"So still nothing compared to us, right?"

"Yes, but people won't be too shocked about our blasters. If anything, they'll think we just come from a more advanced place than Faubrey."

"And we can use that to our advantage."

Fox said, joining the conversation.

"Slippy, how long before the stealth mods are ready?"

"Let's see. Give me a few more days and our arwings will be good to go."

"Good, once they're done we need to do some reconnaissance. We need to know more about the other nations of the world. Also, we need to keep how advanced we are and our exact numbers a secret. We don't know what the people of this world would do or how they would react if they knew how strong we were."

"While you bring up good points, Fox, they already think Peach is some kind of god. Thanks to our affinity reading they know she is extremely powerful with access to rare magics."

"Is she really that strong? Isn't she always getting kidnapped?"

Falco asked.

"Hey bird brain, when was the last time you fought a being who was going to erase the universe?"

Daisy asked in an annoyed tone.

"Um, never, but Peach didn't do that, right?"

"Uh, yeah, she did. Ever heard of Dimentio?"

"Yeah, Mario told me about that during one of our Smash tournaments. Don't underestimate the Mushroom Kingdom, Falco. If anything, it's a testament to the strength of those that managed to kidnap Peach."

Fox explained causing the Star Fox crew to look at the Peach and her friends in a newfound light.

"Damn. Why are you here anyway?"

Falco asked Daisy.

"Because Peach is calling everyone to discuss what to do. Oh, and someone is on the arwing by the way."

Daisy said as she walked to Peach. The Star Fox crew looked and saw Keel on the arwing while Raphtalia and Rifana were yelling at him.

"Keel, get down! You might hurt yourself!"

"I won't, Raphtalia."

"What if you break something?"

"I won't."

"You sure about that?"

Falco said, appearing in front of Keel.

"Whoa!"

Keel was shocked and fell, but was caught by Fox.

"What were you doing?"

"Oh, I was just looking at the cool metal bird."

"It's called an arwing, and you really shouldn't do that. I get you're fascinated by these new wonders and all, but you need to be more careful around them. We brought a lot of stuff that is dangerous to handle."

Keel went back to his friends after Fox's scolding. Soon everyone gathered in the main area while Peach, Amy, Krystal, and Zelda stood in front. That is when Peach walked up to address them.

"First, I would like to thank everyone for coming to aid us. I know you all have lives and other responsibilities so it means a lot that you came here to help us out of our predicament. Now, as for why we are here. Amy, Krystal, Zelda, and I, have been summoned as this world's heroes to stop the waves of calamity. We know that they appear in intervals and thanks to our synchronization with the hourglass we know when they will happen, and will be teleported to where they will happen. But other than defeating some monsters that come out of the wave we have no other information on them."

"Don't worry about that. Thanks to some modifications we made, we'll be able to watch and monitor you on this station."

Purah said as she pushed a button on a remote she had. Then a bunch of drones that seemed to be made of technology from Hyrule and The Lylat System.

"Slippy, Tails, and I will be mission control for this job. We will be staying on the space station and reviewing any information we get from our drones."

"But it would help to have some samples to examine. Any tech, gear, or pieces of the monsters from these waves would help."

Tails added.

"Got it. Now, while we have a small army up here it's best if we work in small groups. So, teams will have no more than six members."

Peach said. That's when Sidon spoke up.

"And how will you pick the teams, Peach?"

"That will be based on the situation at hand. In fact, not all teams will have a heroine in it. Some teams will have to deal with research surveys, gathering information from around the world, and sometimes just helping out the locals. While the king and many nobles may despise the cardinal heroines the local people have differing opinions. And it would be best to bring them to our side."

"I see."

"Now, we have decided that we will need a name and a symbol. One that can bring hope to the people of this world. Many of the nations regard the Cardinal Heroes as gods so we came up with this."

That's when Mario and Luigi flew up with their tanuki and kitsune power-ups to display a flag. The flag displayed the Smash symbol but in each corner of the circle was a cardinal weapon. The top left had the spear, the top right had the shield, the bottom left had the bow, and finally in the bottom right was the sword.

"This will be our symbol and we are now officially the Cardinal Alliance."

Everyone began to nod and clap at that. Soon, the Cardinal Heroines began to discuss their next step.

In Faubrey

Queen Mirellia had just finished her bath and was now resting on her bed. That is when one of her shadows appears in the room, kneeling in front of her.

"I have a report, my queen."

"What do you have to report?"

"It appears that the four Cardinal Heroines can summon allies from their world."

"What!? How did you find this out?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, my queen. The heroines pointed the gems of their weapons to an open area. Soon a beam of light shot out and there stood four new people. All seemed to know the heroines and were quite familiar with each other."

"That is incredible. No hero before has had this ability."

"I'm afraid it only gets stranger, my queen."

"How so?"

"These new companions seem to possess strange and wonderful abilities themselves. With their help, Lurolona now stands proud once more."

"What!? How is that possible? Wasn't it in complete ruins after the attack my husband sent?"

"Yes, but the heroine's companions were able to rebuild it in less than a day."

"I see, what do these companions look like?""

"The Spear's companion is a short mustached man wearing red. The Shield's is a blue hedgehog demi male. The Bow's is a blonde young swordsman. And finally, the Sword's is another fox demi with brown fur."

"Okay, and what abilities have they shown?"

"We haven't seen the fox demi or the swordsman's abilities, but the mustached man in red appears to have super strength and was able to rebuild houses in minutes. The blue hedgehog demi has shown super speed. All we saw was a blur when he ran."

"Amazing, where are they now?"

"That, my queen, is the most amazing part."

"What do you mean?"

"The Spear had summoned four shining spirits that surrounded the heroines and their companions in a bright light, and then they all flew into the sky."

"What!? They flew into the sky?"

"Yes."

"Were you able to discern where they were going?"

"From what we heard, it appears they have a home or base in the sky. I believe that is where they were going. And from what they said they have more allies in their base."

Queen Mirellia was dumbfounded. No hero has had the ability to summon allies from their world. And now the heroines have more allies and a base in the sky. That would make it hard to reach them. And how many allies did they have? Was it a small group or a small army? She needed to know soon.

"I need you to keep an eye out for the heroines. If you see them try to make contact them and let them know I wish to speak with them."

"As you wish, my queen."

The shadow soon left, leaving Mirellia alone with her thoughts.

"I need to make sure the heroines do not view Melromarc as an enemy due to my husband's actions. I need to let them know that he acted of his own accord. Oh Aultcray, why couldn't you let go of your prejudice? Why did you have to make enemies out of the heroines?"

Mirellia said to herself in concern.

Meanwhile in Melromarc

"What!? That cannot be possible!"

Aultcray yelled at the shadow kneeling before him.

"I saw it with my own eyes, my king. The four heroines can summon allies from their world, and have left to some fortress in the sky to rendezvous with more of them."

"Unbelievable, but still, there is no need to worry. They may have new companions but they are nothing to our armies."

"Well, these new companions have displayed remarkable abilities, my king. The spear's companion could lift boulders with ease, and the shield's companion moved at speeds too fast to keep track of. They were the only ones who displayed amazing powers, but they were able to summon spirits that granted them the ability of flight."

Aultcray was beside himself. These new powers, these new allies. Now his plans to attack Lurolona again would be useless if it was constantly guarded by the heroines and their companions. He had to act now, while the heroines were away.

"Quickly, gather up a battalion of knights and contact Rabier right now. Tell him to lead the knights in an assault on Lurolona."

"But, my king, what about the heroines?"

"They flew off to their base in the skies, correct? This is the perfect chance to strike while they're gone. Now go!"

The shadow bowed and left to complete his orders. Aultcray sat on his throne, still distraught over this new development.

"This isn't good. Even if they are successful it's just buying time. Eclair is still under the protection of the heroines and will be much more difficult, if not impossible to capture again. And with the heroines resting high above us, we cannot reach them. Any attempt to attack or force them to cooperate would be futile, and I still don't know much about their other allies. Is it a small group or a small army? How strong are they? What weapons do they possess? If they can command spirits that can grant flight, what else can they do? Damn it!"

Aultcray shouted as he slammed his fist into the armrest.

"I need to get the other three heroines on our side quickly. With this amount of power on our side then there will be nothing that can stand against Melromarc. Hopefully, Malty's plan will work. If everything works out then we will have a new power under our command and I can lock Eclair away in a dungeon far, far away."

Later that night

Rabier was leading a platoon of knights back to Lurolona. He couldn't believe it when a messenger came telling him that Aultcray had summoned him for another raid on Lurolona. He could've sworn it was destroyed. He led the attack himself. But that's when the messenger told him about all the villagers that were there, his former slaves. Did Persephone lie to him? Was she even real? Was she merely a disguise created by the Shield Demon? It didn't matter, he would have his answers soon enough.

On the space station

"And that's how things work here. So, to anyone who is animal-like, like Sonic or Fox, you need to level up before we get you gear. If you are not at your prime you will age up."

Zelda explained.

"Hmm, good thing I'm one hundred and thirty-five years old then. I have no danger of a sudden growth spurt."

Sidon said with his signature smile. That is when Riju had a look of concern.

"Will I age up as well?"

"Don't worry, Riju. I've leveled up already and have remained the same. This world considers us "humans" in its rules."

"I see, thank you, Zelda."

"Hey, what about me?"

Yunobo asked.

"You're already nineteen, right? I don't think you will change that much."

Link said. Suddenly alarms started blaring and everyone was on alert.

"Hey guys, we got a problem."

Tails said as he looked at a monitor.

"What is it, buddy?"

"It's bad, Sonic. There's a bunch of knights prepped for war marching towards Lurolona."

Tails pressed a few buttons and a large hologram displayed in the center. It showed all the knights led by a fat man.

"Idol Rabier."

Eclair growled out.

"Who?"

"He's the noble who enslaved all the villagers of Lurolona, Falco. He and the king must have found out they were freed and are sending knights to capture them again."

Krystal explained.

"Then we need to head down there immediately! The lumas can get us there in minutes, right, Lady Peach?"

"Yes, Eclair. But the lumas can't take everyone. We need to choose who to send."

"Hang on, why use the lumas?"

Purah said with a grin.

"We can just teleport you there."

"We have a teleporter?"

Mario asked.

"E. Gadd and the others made it after you left, Mario."

"That's right, Luigi. And now it's time for its maiden run."

Purah said.

"Okay, now we need to decide who goes with us."

Lurolona

Some of the villagers were finishing things around the walls at this time. An ox-man is whistling a tune when he sees something.

"Huh, what is that?"

The ox-man squints to get a better look, and he is horrified.

"Oh no. The knights of Melromarc are here!"

He shouts as he runs inside the village. Rabier and the knights have arrived at Lurolona.

"Tsk, to think they rebuilt this shit hole in a day. Damn, demi scum."

Rabier sneered. He then looked to all the villagers in good health.

"You all seem to be doing better now. That is a grave sin. But not to worry, I will make you repent and ensure your place in heaven. Now, attack!"

Rabier shouted. All of the knights roared as they charged at the village. All of the villagers stood frozen in fear. Some got on their knees and began to pray.

"Please, Shield God, Lady Amy, save us."

As the knights were about to reach the village a beam of light shot down from the sky. It hit right in front of the knights, stopping their advance.

"Halt! This village is protected."

A voice shouted from the light.

"Protected? By who?"

Rabier said in anger. That is when Peach came out along with Krystal, Amy, Zelda, and their other allies as well.

"By the four Cardinal Heroines and the Cardinal Alliance!"

Peach declared as she placed a flag with their new symbol into the ground. The villagers were hopeful that they were saved while the knights stood still. Some in fear, some in anger, and others in dismissive disgust. Rabier was of the latter.

"The Cardinal Alliance. Hah! What a farce! You may be the Cardinal Heroes, but you are outnumbered and outmatched. I am a veteran who fought side by side with King Aultcray himself! Men, show them the might of Melromarc!"

With Rabier ordered. The knights roared again and charged once more. The Cardinal Alliance did the same. Their forces were comprised of Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Fox, Falco, Katt, Link, Sidon, Teba, Sonic, Knuckles, Espio, and finally Eclair along with the four heroines. A group of knights soon attacked the Mushroom Kingdom group.

"Hah! What could two mustached losers do?"

"Don't kill the lady now. We could have fun with her later."

Two of the knights said. Daisy just sneered at them while Mario and Luigi braced themselves. Four men swung their blades at the two, only for the brothers to effortlessly dodge the attacks.

"What the?"

"You just got lucky."

The knights continued to attack but with no success. Mario and Luigi were too agile to be hit. Mario then pulled back his fist and punched a knight trying to attack him. The strength of which sent the knight flying.

"What the!? How did he do that?"

"Was it some sort of enhancement magic?"

Some of the knights asked. Mario just threw his hands out in disbelief.

"Mamamia, I didn't even put much into that punch. I thought they would be stronger."

"Come on, Mario. It's not like they've gone through what we have. I doubt any of them could take on a simple goomba or koopa troopa."

"Hmm, I guess you're right bro. I mean, what can we expect of knights that attack a helpless village."

Mario and Luigi said while they and Daisy laughed a bit.

"You dare mock the knights of Melromarc. That is a crime punishable by death. Charge!"

Now a hundred knights charged forward to defeat them.

"Well, let's-a go."

"Hey, don't leave me out!"

Daisy said as she, Mario, and Luigi jumped into the fray. Meanwhile, another group of knights were attacking the Hyrule team. Ten knights tried to attack Sidon who blocked the attacks with his tridents.

"Damn, demi! How dare you raise your weapon against a knight of Melromarc. Know your place!"

One knight said as he and his allies tried to overpower Sidon. But he just looked at the knights with annoyance.

"I heard that the hylians of this world greatly discriminated against other species. How sad to see it's true."

Sidon pushed all the knights back with his superior strength. Then, while they were caught off guard, he swept out their legs with one trident and finished the attack with an upward thrust from the other trident.

"They're called humans, not hylians, Sidon."

Link clarified as he finished off another group of knights.

"Ah, thanks for clarifying, Link."

While Link and Sidon were taking the brunt of the knights, Teba was providing support with his bow.

"Take down that damn bird demi!"

One knight shouted. A group of archers aimed at Teba and fired. Teba saw this and was able to evade and fire arrows back at them, taking out the archers. With the mobian group, Sonic was blitzing past knights and taking them out at supersonic speeds. He was also taunting them any chance he got.

"Hold still you damn rat!"

A knight shouted as he tried to hit Sonic with his mace.

"Hey! Over here. Oh, so close."

Sonic taunted while evading the knight's strikes. Every time, he dodged in a way that the knight struck one of his fellow knights.

"Damn it!"

The knight performed an overhead strike that Sonic dodged. The knight's mace was caught by Knuckles, who was in the way.

"You did that on purpose, Sonic."

"I knew you would catch it. Or are you saying that these guys are too much for you?"

Knuckles just growled in annoyance at Sonic's jab. All the while, the knight was desperately trying to free his weapon from Knuckles grasp.

"Damn you. Release my weapon you red rat!"

Knuckles shot a glare at the knight that sent a shiver down his spine. He then pulled the knight towards him and delivered a powerful punch into the knight's chest. The punch sent the knight flying into a tree, knocking him out. The other knights just stared in horror at the indent left in the chest plate by Knuckles' fist.

"Okay, who's next?"

Knuckles asked while beckoning the knights to try and fight him. While they were debating whether to attack or not, another group of knights was fighting the Star Fox team. They were able to evade the sword swings of the knights while countering with a mix of punches, kicks, and blaster fire. While Fox and Falco were doing this, Katt jumped into the group of knights. They tried to hit her, but she evaded with flips and jumps. All the while dropping small objects between them.

"Hold still you filthy demi!"

"Now is that any way to talk to a lady?"

Katt said as she re-joined Fox and Falco. She then pulled out a switch and pressed it. All the objects were concussion bombs she dropped and they exploded taking out many of the knights.

"Damn it! Don't fall for their tricks men! They have no armor. Archers, take aim."

Another group of archers aimed at the Star Fox group and let loose their arrows.

"Morons."

Falco said as he and Fox activated their reflectors, sending the arrows back at the archers. Seeing this, some shield knights came to block the attack.

"What the hell was that?"

"Damn, demis. Shielders, march forward! Everyone else, follow behind them!"

One of the lieutenants ordered. The knights followed formation, intending to overwhelm the Star Fox team. But Fox, Falco, and Katt threw some concussion grenades under the shields.

"What the?"

One of the knights said as he stared at the ball. Soon they exploded, knocking out many of the knights.

"Damn it! They have bombs! Where the hell did they get these weapons?"

The lieutenant asked before he took cover from blaster fire. While the fighting was happening, Tails and the others were watching it from the space station.

"I thought we weren't supposed to show our strength?"

Yunobo asked.

"No, we're not supposed to show all of it. We need to keep most of our tech a secret. But, Peach's plan requires that we show what we are capable of. There are around five hundred to six hundred knights down there. It will send a message if they are taken out by twelve of the Heroines companions without the Heroines help."

Tails explained. Pointing out that Peach, Krystal, Amy, and Zelda were just watching from the back.

"I see, is there a point to this?"

Miyu asked.

"Yes, it's to send a message to the king and the rest of the nations that we are not to be messed with. You know, a way to say back off and let us do our jobs."

"Oh, wait, why the other nations as well?"

"Well, when Peach and the others were discussing what to do about the racist king, Amy brought up a good point. What if the other leaders are like him? What if they try to take advantage of the heroines or their allies? With this show of force, hopefully, it'll deter others from trying anything with or against the heroines."

"Ah, now it makes sense."

"Yep, that's also why everyone is holding back. The goal is not to kill anyone so they can go back to tell them of the overwhelming strength the Cardinal Alliance has."

"What if they still try something after this? From what Zelda told me, the king is a stubborn man."

Riju asked.

"Well, then we'll have to take more drastic measures. First, Peach suggested they kill any aggressors sent their way, after getting information from them. After that, if the attacks persist, we go after the mastermind behind them. From what Krystal told us, it's not just the king, even the church of Melromarc is trying to either get rid of or use the heroines for their gain."

"I see. What a truly corrupted kingdom."

"It seems just to be the higher-ups in power. The queen has been trying to fix her kingdom, but many of the nobles and the church are resisting her. The church has been around since the beginning so they have strong ties with people. But, Peach plans to fix that with us performing good deeds."

"What do you mean, Tails?"

Slippy asked.

"Peach wants us to keep an eye on the quests posted at the adventurers guild. We'll take quests from people that need help. Quests that seem genuine."

"Genuine? What does that mean?"

"Well, anyone can put up a quest. Even nobles who just want to line their pockets. According to Neia, many nobles put up well-paying quests, but they are shady jobs. Such as attacking rival businesses, shaking people down, or even kidnapping and assassination. Of course, they cover it up with their money, so no one bats an eye at these jobs. And the king won't do anything about it as long as those nobles keep supporting him. We'll ignore these quests and focus on the ones that are of a more noble venture."

"That's a good plan. It'll increase the people's belief in the Cardinal Heroines while lessening the church's influence."

"That's right, Riju. And the kicker, we'll do these jobs for free."

"What!? For free!? What about money!? The Cardinal Alliance will need that."

Keel said.

"The Cardinal Heroines have special weapons that can generate gold, silver, and copper. Plus, thanks to certain power-ups Mario and Luigi brought, money will not be an issue."

"But what about other stuff, such as legendary items or gear that the quests offer? Surely they won't turn those rewards down."

Tails thought about this for a moment.

"I'll talk to Peach and the others about it, but that's a good point. We may need those kinds of items. They could help us understand more about this world."

With that, everyone turned back to the screens to watch the battle. Most of the knights were defeated, all that was left were a few lieutenants and Rabier.

"Damn, it wasn't supposed to be like this. The Cardinal Heroines were supposed to be gone. That's why Aultcray was so adamant to strike now. Damn it, damn it!"

Rabier muttered to himself in anger. He then saw the lieutenants backing away in fear.

"What are you doing you fools? Are you going to retreat? That's a sign of treason and a need for a death sentence."

"But, but, they took out all our men. What are we supposed to do?"

Rabier thought for a moment before an idea came to him.

"Listen, Aultcray, my good friend and king of our land, entrusted me with a special magical item in case things went south."

Rabier said as he reached into his coat.

"It'll take a while to charge, but if you lot can buy me enough time, it will guarantee our victory."

"What? Really, Lord Rabier?"

"Yes, now get ready."

The last knights nodded at each other.

"For Melromarc!"

They shouted as they charged forward. Rabier was glad his rouse worked. He had no such item. He just needed those fools to buy enough time for his escape. As soon as they charged, he turned tail and ran. The knights took swings at the Cardinal Alliance, none of which were hitting.

"How much longer, Lord Rabier? Lord Rabier?"

One knight turned to see Rabier had abandoned them.

"That damn coward!"

He shouted before Mario knocked him out with a punch. With all the knights unconscious, Peach looked to wear Rabier ran off to.

"Sonic, if you would be so kind, can you catch the fat man who ran?"

"You got it."

Sonic said as he ran after Rabier.

"Okay, now let's gather up the defeated."

Everyone began to round up the knights. With Rabier, he was running as fast as he could. The horses they had brought were all scared off during the fighting. He cursed them, he cursed the weak knights that were brought with him, he cursed the Cardinal Heroines and their allies, he cursed them all.

"So, where you going?"

Sonic asked as he ran beside Rabier.

"I'm off to let the king know of the Cardinal Heroines allies and their strength. We need more men to overwhelm..."

Rabier stopped himself as he stared at Sonic.

"What the hell!? How did you catch up to me you filthy demi!?"

Rabier yelled as he pulled out his magic whip.

"Well, you are fat and slow."

"You dare mock me! I'll have to show you your place!"

Rabier stopped and swung his whip at Sonic. Sonic just effortlessly dodges all of Rabier's attacks.

"Damn it! Hold still!"

"Okay then. Give it your best shot."

Sonic said in a snarky tone. Rabier let out a furious snarl.

"Suffer you filthy rat!"

Rabier swung his whip at Sonic, but Sonic managed to catch the whip in his hand.

"Ha, you fool! My whip is magically enchanted with a curse effect. Any enemy it so much as grazes will feel unimaginable pain. Now curl on the ground and grovel, you filthy demi! Beg for me to spare you! Give me an entertaining show!"

Rabier taunted as he let out a mad laugh. But Sonic stood there, unaffected by the curse enchantment.

"Huh, not that much different from the curses Void tried to use on me. I'd say his were much stronger, and I took those no problem."

"What the hell are you?"

Rabier said in fear.

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, and you're coming with me."

"No! Stay back!"

Rabier tried to back away, but Sonic dashed at him at kicked the back of his head, knocking Rabier out. Sonic then dragged the unconscious Rabier back to Lurolona. Once all the knights and Rabier were tied up. Peach woke Rabier up to address the group.

"Huh, what happened? Where am I? You!?"

Rabier said as he got his bearings. He started to struggle against his bindings.

"Damn, you peasants! Release me at once! Don't you know who I am!?"

"We know full well, Idol Rabier."

Eclair answered as she approached the group of knights.

"Eclair Seaetto! So this is where you've been hiding. You are ordered to return to the castle at once to answer for your crimes, you filthy demi lover!"

"I refuse! I will return once the queen does and tell her all about what you and the king did. I'm sure she'll be very interested."

"How dare you!? This is a direct order from the king! If you refuse you will be charged with treason!"

"I was already charged with treason for defending my home and the people under my protection. Go ahead and tell the king where I am. Tell him that Lurolona stands proud once more and is under the protection of the Cardinal Heroines and their Cardinal Alliance!"

"Damn you all. I will see you all hang for this!"

"Hmph! I've said my piece. The next time I see you will be when the queen returns and you and that racist bastard of a king are put on trial. If I see you before then, it will be the last time I see you, and the last time you draw breath. Do I make myself clear, Idol Rabier?"

Eclair asked as she unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Rabier.

"Damn, demi lover. You will pay for this. You will all pay for this insult!"

Rabier yelled in anger. Eclair and the others just shook their heads in disappointment at his ramblings.

"There's no further point in talking with you. Lady Peach, do what you will with him."

Peach then walked up to Rabier with a sickly sweet smile.

"I hope you're ready."

Peach transformed her spear into the golden star spear. She unlocked this spear when she fed some power-ups to it. It grants near unlimited access to any power-ups she has fed into the spear. It also increases her stats and the stats of any nearby Star Children when she activates the Star Boost mode. The Star Boost lasts for five minutes and is powered by Super-Stars.

"No, stay back!"

Peach waves her spear over them and a bright mist covers them. Rabier and his knights began to shrink until they were no bigger than a mouse. Peach then picked them up and placed them into a box Mario had.

"What do you plan to do with them, Peach?"

Amy asked.

"We are going to send them to the king. With our invisibility and time-stop power-ups, we'll be able to do so without being noticed."

"Nice."

With the show over, the people of Lurolona came up and began to cheer for the Cardinal Heroines and the Cardinal Alliance. That is when someone approaches them from the nearby woods.

"Impressive."

Everyone turned to a robed woman with a mask on.

"A shadow? Why are you here?"

Peach asked as she pointed her spear at the woman. But the woman raised her hands to show that she meant no harm.

"No need to be alarmed. I work under the queen and was sent here to keep an eye on you and offer aid if needed."

"Really?"

"Yes, Lady Spear. I even killed four shadows that were under the employ of the church and king. They attempted to cast buffs on the knights during your fight. But I don't think that would have made a difference. The power you and your comrades have shown is legendary. Still, better safe than sorry."

"Okay, thank you, I guess. But is that all you were sent to do?"

The shadow smiled at Peach's question. Impressed that she knew of her other mission.

"I do have another mission. I am to retrieve the Cardinal Heroines and bring them to the queen."

"What!?"

"Yes, we should leave immedi-"

"Not so fast!"

Another voice said. Four more shadows appeared in the clearing. Two were male humans and the other two were demi-humans, based on the cat tails protruding from their cloaks.

"The queen of Melromarc preaches fairness and equality between races and kingdoms, but we have caught her shadow in the act of hoarding the Cardinal Heroes to herself. How despicable."

One of the other shadows said.

"Do not insult Queen Mirellia with such accusations! She merely wishes to discuss the actions her foolish husband has committed against the heroines and wants to offer reparations to them."

"Ah yes, the accusations and rigged trial. Why should they though? What reason do they have to believe the queen is any different? Please, Cardinal Heroines, allow me to escort you all to Faubrey. You have my word that the king will greatly compensate you all, and we do not discriminate against demis."

"You will not steal our Shield Goddess from us as Melromarc has, you Faubrey scum!"

The cat shadow yelled out.

"Please, great Shield Goddess, come back with me to Siltvelt. The people are in dire need of their god. The waves have stripped us of hope and we need your divine guidance."

"I do not believe that to be a wise choice, Lady Shield."

The other cat shadow said.

"What!? How dare you! Did you forget that it was agreed that Siltvelt would summon the Shield Hero?"

"Did you forget, that it was also agreed that the Shield Hero would be shared between Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden? The actions taken in Siltvelt so far have caused some concern on our end. Especially the fact that the death of the previous Shield Hero is still a mystery."

"That was the actions of Melromarc! They hired assassins to kill our god!"

"And where is the proof? How did these assassins get in and out of Siltvelt when your soldiers were supposed to protect him?"

"Are you accusing us of killing our god?"

"The evidence speaks for itself. Many Siltvelt nobles were displeased that the Shield preferred Shieldfreeden over Siltvelt. And many of the high priestesses were even angrier that he chose to have one wife in Shieldfreeden than participate in your disgusting harem practices."

"How dare you question our loyalty to the Shield God!"

While those two shadows were arguing, the last one was trying to approach Krystal.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

The queen's shadow asked.

"I am retrieving Zeltobe's hero."

He answered. He then turned to Krystal.

"Lady Sword, come with me to Zeltobe. We offer the glory and riches of battle in our coliseum and will compensate the legendary sword greatly."

"She must see the queen first so the queen could apologize for her husband's actions."

"The queen could apologize by compensating the sword with lands, riches, or both. Now come, Lady Sword. We must make haste."

"Don't think you can steal one of the heroes away."

"Like the your foolish king did?"

Soon the shadows began to just yell at each other. It was evident that this would become bloody if it didn't stop soon.

"Um, excuse me."

Peach said, trying to get them to listen to her. But they didn't.

"Excuse me."

She said louder, but still nothing. Peach then activated her spear and grew larger. Towering over the village.

"I SAID EXCUSE ME!"

Peach said as she slammed her spear into the ground. The shadows stopped yelling and started at Peach in fear and awe.

"Okay, now stop talking! We have questions we need to ask and you five will answer, understand?"

The five shadows nodded.

"Good."

Peach then shrunk back to normal size.

"Okay, now, what is all this talk about "retrieving" and "stealing" the heroes? It sounds like we weren't supposed to be here in Melromarc."

That is when the queen's shadow spoke up.

"Yes, you see, Lady Spear, the Cardinal Heroes were supposed to be summoned to different countries. One for each major power, as to better fight the waves."

"I see, and why were we all summoned here instead?"

"That was due to King Aultcray's and the church's foolish actions. They went against the treaty while Queen Mirellia was gone and summoned all four heroes."

"I'm assuming that didn't go over well with the other countries."

"Ha! That's putting it lightly. We were ready to go to war with Melromarc to rescue are heroes."

The Faubrey shadow answered.

"Yes, but the queen has been in diplomatic meetings with the leaders of the other countries. Putting out the fires Aultcray has caused and preventing all-out war against Melromarc."

"If she wishes to prevent all-out war, then you should let us retrieve our chosen heroes."

The Faubrey shadow said to the queen's shadow with the others nodding in agreement.

"And what if we don't want to go?"

Peach said, getting the attention of the shadows.

"What if, say, we decided to stay in Melromarc. What then? You saw us in action just now. Twelve people defeated a platoon of knights with around six hundred members. And they were holding back. I'm sure you noticed no one was killed, correct?"

The shadows nodded in fear and understanding.

"Plus, I'm not the only one who can turn into a giant. He can do it, he can do it, and she can do it as well. And we have many more tricks up our sleeves."

Peach explained while she pointed to Mario, Luigi, and Daisy.

"Plus, fighting massive armies is nothing to us. Mario, how many of Bowser's minions do you have to go through when he tries one of his dastardly plans?"

"Oh, somewhere between a couple thousand to a couple million, at least."

Mario's answer shocked the shadows.

"You see, and that's just him. He normally does it alone. Now account for the rest of us, what then?"

"Um, well, we didn't think that,"

"That what? That we wouldn't like to be treated as political pawns? That we would just go along with whatever plans your leaders are scheming? The king of Melromarc has already tainted the reputation of leaders in this world, and, except for the queen so far, your leaders sound just like him. Promising us wealth and glory so long as we are good little heroes and do as we're told. Am I wrong?"

The other shadows began to stumble upon their words while the queen's shadow just smiled at this development.

"Now, where is the queen?"

"She is in Faubrey, speaking with the leaders of the other nations, Lady Spear."

The queen's shadow answered.

"Okay, good. We'll head to Faubrey then to speak with the queen and the other leaders of the world. The waves are happening everywhere, correct?"

"Yes."

One of the other Shadows answered.

"Okay then, we want to end them as soon as possible because we all want to go back home. So it's in our best interest right now to meet with your leaders and discuss a plan to defeat the waves."

The shadows took a breath of relief. They would be able to retrieve their heroes.

"Very well then, if you'll follow me."

The Faubrey shadow said.

"Uh-uh, not right now. We will meet with them in the morning. It's been a long day and we deserve some rest after that battle."

"But,"

"No! Go tell your leaders that the Four Cardinal Heroines will meet them tomorrow morning. Until then."

Peach said as she and the others walked into Lurolona. While the shadows wanted to protest, they didn't want to draw the wrath of Peach, the other heroines, or their allies. If what they said was true, then just this small group could conquer the world. They would have to report what has happened to their employers and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, back in the space station. Raphtalia, Keel, Rifana, and Neia were left in awe at the strength shown by the allies of the heroines.

"Did you see that!? A small army of six hundred knights was defeated by twelve people. The allies of the heroines are amazing!"

Raphtalia said in joy.

"Lady Amy's friends were incredible! Espio was using some kind of teleporting magic, Knuckles was so strong, and Sonic was so fast! With them on our side, defeating the waves will be easy!"

Rifana said excitedly.

"Yeah, I want to know what kind of weapons the Sword Heroine's friends used. They shot beams of light and could make giant explosions from small objects. And that shield of light they used sent the arrows back at the archers. I hope they'll accept me as a party member."

Keel said.

"Keel! You would abandon Lady Amy!"

Rifana said offended by Keel's words.

"You heard them, Rifana. They have to divide manpower between the heroes. So, we're going to have to join different teams. And I want to ride in one of those metal birds."

"Arwings, they are called arwings. And who knows, maybe with proper training. We'll have to ask Fox once he gets back up here."

Slippy said hearing their conversation.

"Really!? You think he'll say yes?"

"Maybe, depends if you put in the effort to learn and get stronger."

"Of course I will!"

Keel was excited at the prospect of flying in an arwing. Meanwhile, Neia was admiring Link's swordsmanship.

"He's so skilled. I hope he'll still be willing to teach me."

Neia said as she gazed at her sword. While this was happening, Purah and Tails were going over the schematics of the base.

"So, we're going to have to split up, huh?"

"Yep, but we foresaw this already, Purah. That's why the base can be split into five parts. The main core that'll stay here as an anchor back to our world. And the arms that will serve as the base and living quarters for our friends. Plus, with the teleportation system we made, we'll be able to reach each other if we need to."

"Good, I'll begin preparations for base separation."

Purah left to do that while Tails was going over the data he got when he scanned the legendary weapons.

And that's the end of this chapter. Thank you so much for reading feel free to leave a review and I hope you have a nice day.