Disclaimer I do not own the rights to ROTSH, Super Mario, Star Fox, Sonic The Hedgehog, or Legend of Zelda characters.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. One of the main reasons I made this crossover is that I didn't see a lot of crossovers with the above franchises, so I decided to write one myself. Now there will be many artistic liberties taken since I plan for our four heroes to explore the other kingdoms and the creator of ROTSH didn't go into too much detail about them. Also, the version of ROTSH I will be using will be mostly from the manga and anime adaptations with some parts from the light novel to fill in the missing pieces. Also, mature rating for some gruesome deaths and adult subject matter. Thank you and please enjoy.
Chapter 1: Summoning the Cardinal Heroes
In Peach's Castle
Princess Peach enters her room after a long day of diplomatic meetings with the other kingdoms of the world. The meetings were long and grueling because of a certain rumor. Peach was no stranger to rumors going around about her and her friends. The most common one is that she and Bowser were in a relationship and the "kidnappings" were just a way for them to be together while she cucks Mario. While annoying, that rumor was easy to ignore and held no real repercussions to her or her friends and kingdom. But this one made many kingdoms question if they should trust the Mushroom Kingdom.
Someone with too much time on their hands went around and began to spread a rumor that the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kingdom were working together to rule the world, and the kidnappings were just a cover-up so no one suspected anything until it was too late. Despite no proof of this rumor, many kingdoms began to question Peach if this was real. She had spent all day explaining to the diplomats from the other kingdoms that this rumor was completely false. Luckily, many allied kingdoms such as the Bean Bean Kingdom, Sarasland, Nimbus Land, and others, supported Peach and helped to explain that there was no chance this rumor was true. Thanks to the diplomats from these kingdoms aiding Peach in the discussions, they were able to nip this problem before it grew out of control.
Peach was now in her room, trying to decide what to do next. It was late, but she didn't feel like going to bed yet, since she had spent all day in meetings and wanted to do something else before turning in for the day. But what? What could she do? That is when she turned to her bookshelf. It had been a while since she read a good book, but which one to read? While going through them, one book caught her interest.
Amy Rose's apartment
Amy entered her apartment, finally done with the day. After the day she had, she just wanted to relax. Unfortunately, that proved to be somewhat difficult today. It had been a busy day at her bakery today. After so many adventures with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, she began to think of what she wanted to do with her life. After some encouragement from Vanilla and Cream, as well as some borrowed funds, she opened her bakery; The Rosey Baker. It was very successful thanks to years of cooking for herself and help from Vanilla. But it did bring in new problems.
While having many customers was good for business, many men tried to hit on her, make her give them free products and/or money, or both. The ones that tried to extort her pissed her off because they assumed she was a weak little girl. They either didn't know or forgot that she fought and destroyed many of the Eggman robots they run in fear from. A few quick bops from her hammer sets them straight. But the ones that hit on her were the most annoying.
During their last adventure, Sonic seemed to have caved to Amy's request and the two were now dating, unofficially. They would go on the occasional date and stay in contact, but it was a secret with only close friends knowing of their relationship. It annoyed her that she couldn't just say she was already dating Sonic. So she would just say she was saving herself for Sonic, which would normally shut them up. But sometimes there were those creeps that were extra persistent. One of them happened to visit the shop right before closing.
"So, how about a date sweet rose?"
A coyote man asked.
"No thanks. My heart belongs to Sonic."
Amy replied. Now most males who were persistent normally tried to flatter her. To show her that they could make her happy instead of Sonic. But this one took a different approach.
"I think you should give up on that dream. Think about it, Sonic is a legendary hero who saved the world plenty of times. Why would he go out with you?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah, I mean, he has his pick of the litter. No girl would refuse him. So why date an average girl like you when he could have a supermodel as his lover? Face it, I'm the best you're going to get."
Amy was extremely pissed at this comment. But she put on a fake smile and addressed the asshole in front of her.
"Congratulations. You've just convinced me to give you a free cake."
Amy said as she grabbed one of the cakes from the display.
"Really?"
"Yep. It's on the HOUSE!"
Amy screamed as she smashed the cake on top of the coyote, knocking him onto the ground.
"You bitch! Why I oughta,"
"Oughta do what?"
Vector the Crocodile said as he and his team came into the shop.
"Um, well, uh."
The coyote stuttered out. After a few moments of silence, he quickly ran out of the shop. Vector and his team were regular customers, always coming in for late-night donuts and to see Vanilla. After today's episode, Vanilla told Amy that she would take care of closing the shop tonight. Suggesting she needed to recover from what that jerk said. Amy thanked her and went home. Now she was wondering what to do, and that's when she saw her bookshelf. She never had time to read since she opened up her bakery, and now was the perfect chance to pick up a good book. And this one caught her interest.
Lylat System, on the Great Fox
The Star Fox team has completed another escort job and were now winding down for the day. Ever since the Aparoids were defeated, the Lylat System has enjoyed a period of peace, mostly. There were still bandits, pirates, and other scum out among the stars. And it kept the Star Fox team busy and paid. The escorts ranged from military escorts to escorting luxury cruisers. The military jobs were the ones they enjoyed the most.
It was nice meeting some of the soldiers that idolized the Star Fox team. Krystal even met a few pilots who were inspired by her to join the cornerian military. She was happy to give courage to those who wanted to do more with their life. Then there were the luxury jobs. Being hired to escort rich and pompous assholes who wanted to visit the battle sites of the previous war. While they didn't enjoy it, they couldn't turn down the job, especially when it paid so well. Unfortunately, Krystal hated them the most as they always requested she board the escorted ship.
This was not an uncommon request as she was able to tell where ambushes were waiting thanks to her telepathic powers. She did not mind doing this with the military vessels as the crew was always respectful, listened to her advice, and thanked her for helping them. She even liked meeting young pilots that saw her and her team as heroes. The luxury vessels were a different story.
It was obvious that the crew of these vessels only saw her as a sex object. Eyeing her with lust and only wanting her for eye candy, not for her help in avoiding ambushes. Now she tried her best to not peek into other people's thoughts to respect their privacy. But with the thoughts most of these men had and how loud they were thinking it, they might as well be saying "I want to see you naked and on all fours in my bed tonight" to her face. It was infuriating, as were all their attempts to hit on her. Many captains try to convince her to be their "first mate" with promises of better pay and expensive gifts. She would always turn them down, and avoid attempts of them trying to grab or smack her ass.
With this mission finally done she went to her room on the Great Fox while Fox Mccloud, the leader of the Star Fox team, dealt with getting the payments from the escorted vessels. She was relaxing in her room, thinking of showering and heading to bed. She then turned to her bookshelf, she had purchased all of these books from the team's last visit to Corneria. She managed to get a bargain by buying a bulk of books from a store that was closing. She thought that now would be a good time to start reading them. One book managed to catch her eye.
Hateno Village
After the defeat of Calamity Ganon, Zelda and Link were hard at work, trying to restore the kingdom of Hyrule. It would be a long and arduous process, but she owed to her friends, the now-deceased champions, and her father to try and rebuild Hyrule. Thankfully she wasn't alone, her trusted knight, Link, was by her side. Offering help in any way he can. One of the main problems would be funding the rebuilding process. Luckily, Link befriended many merchants during his adventures to rescue her and defeat Ganon. And they had connections to even more merchants with plenty of wealth and were very eager to lend her aid.
Unfortunately, that aid would come at a price. Many of these merchants wanted to be lords in the new Hyrule. Upper status and with a degree of power and control in Hyrule's governing. Zelda could see why they would want this, and she would need advisors to help her in ruling Hyrule. But these merchants wanted to make Hyrule their playground. Where they have all the power and force the common folk to work for them. Zelda could not allow this as that was not what her deceased father or her deceased friends wanted.
She would try to negotiate with these merchants. Trying to make them see the noble vision she and the other champions saw for Hyrule. But these merchants were not having it. They saw an opportunity to make a land where they hold all the power and they weren't going to let this young princess stop them. Many tried to force her to agree to their terms. Some even try to wed her or make her marry their sons. But Link would be there to stop them and remind them that he and Zelda were the ones who defeated Calamity Ganon, a being they all feared. Most merchants left, not wanting to lend aid anymore. Some stayed behind, hoping to somehow convince Zelda that they were right.
Zelda was now in a house Link had purchased in Hateno Village. He had graciously offered to let her live there while they worked on rebuilding Hyrule. While the wealthy merchants were a bust, the other kingdoms of the four champions were more than willing to help. Having been allied to Hyrule back when it was in its prime. Zelda was going to meet King Dorephan of the Zora tomorrow, to see what aid they could offer and give her condolences on the death of his daughter Mipha. She was sitting on the bed Link had made for her, staring at the ground and the little belongings she had left. She and Link had ventured into the old castle to see what had survived. Not much, unfortunately, just a few books from the royal library.
Link was out getting firewood and Zelda was just sitting there, doing nothing. She remembered feeling useless all those years ago before the calamity. She snapped out of her stupor and vowed to never be that way again. With renewed confidence, she went through the books to see what had survived all these years. That's when she came across one she never saw before.
"'The Four Cardinal Heroes' sounds like a fun read."
"'The Four Cardinal Heroes' never heard of this book before."
"'The Four Cardinal Heroes' sounds interesting."
"'The Four Cardinal Heroes' I don't think I've read this one before."
The four girls said as they opened the book.
"The world has lived in relative peace for many years, but this peace is shattered by a terrible event. The Waves of Calamity. A phenomenon that happens every thousand years. Tears begin to open in the sky and bring forth terrible beasts and monsters. All hell-bent on destroying the world and its people. There is only one hope for them, the Four Cardinal Heroes of Legend. The Spear, The Bow, The Sword, and The Shield. Only the Four Cardinal Heroes can defeat the Waves of Calamity and bring peace back to this world."
The page was turned, to a blank page.
"Oh no, did I get a defective book?"
"Huh? Oh, come on. Did I get scammed?"
"I guess that's why this was in the bargain bin."
"Oh dear, time has stripped the pages of its words."
Peach, Amy, Krystal, and Zelda said. But as they were about to put the book down, something happened. They began to glow and were being pulled into the book. They tried to fight it, but the force was too strong. Before getting sucked in, Krystal managed to grab her staff. Soon all four of our heroines were pulled into the book.
In a dark room
We see robed men around a magic circle, chanting some kind of spell. These were mages, trying to summon something or someone.
"O' brave heroes. Please come and save our world."
The leader of the group said. The magic circle began to glow and four figures appeared within it.
"Yes! The summoning ritual was a success!"
The leader said in joy.
"Oh, mamamia. What happened?"
The tallest of the four asked.
"I don't know. Wait, is that you Peach?"
The smallest of the four asked. Peach turned to the voice.
"Amy?"
Peach and Amy looked at each other and smiled. Then they hugged each other while laughing, confusing the room of mages.
"Amy, it's good to see you. How did you get here?"
"I don't know Peach. One minute I was reading a book, the next I was being sucked into the book."
"Hey, the same thing happened to me."
"Ugh, where am I?"
"I would like to know as well."
The other two figures said. When Peach saw them, she smiled even more.
Krystal! Zelda! I haven't seen you two since the last Smash meeting."
"Huh? Oh, Peach! What are you doing here?"
Zelda asked as Peach hugged her.
"I'm assuming the same reason you are here. Hello, Krystal."
"Hello, Peach. It's nice to see you again."
Krystal said with a nod and a hug. That is when the lead mage spoke up.
"Excuse me, but the king requests to meet you four."
"Oh, and why is that?"
Peach asked.
"Because you four are the cardinal heroes of legend. We summoned you to save our world!'
"Huh?"
Peach was confused until she noticed that she was holding something. She looked at her hand to see that she was holding a spear. She looked around and saw Krystal with a sword, Zelda with a bow, and Amy with a shield.
"Oh dear, I think we are the cardinal heroes from the book."
The other three looked at their arms and their eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, that is why we summoned you cardinal heroes."
"Um, are you sure you weren't trying to summon Link?"
Zelda asked.
"We do not know who that is. The summoning can be unpredictable. Please see our king, he will have more answers for you."
"Very well. I think it's best if we see the king girls."
Peach said, getting nods from the other three. As they were climbing the stairs, Zelda looked out a window and saw a town that reminded her of the castle town of Hyrule.
"Huh, looks like home."
"Really, Zelda? Hmm, then that means we're in a medieval era."
"I see. Luckily I have experience in outdoor survival."
Krystal added.
"Nice, by the way, do you also have a tiny blue square in the corner of your vision?"
Amy asked, the other girls looked and saw it.
"I wonder what that,"
Peach was interrupted when the square she focused on opened up and took most of her vision.
"Oh my, it's like a video game."
"What?"
"Yeah Amy, if you focus on the square it'll open up to show stats and other information about you."
The others did as Peach did and saw their stats open up.
"Interesting, so does that mean this world works like a video game?"
"Don't know, Krystal. Maybe in some aspects. Let's meet the king first to get answers."
The others nodded and followed the men into what appeared to be the castle's main hall. Above them were balconies filled with important-looking people. In front were two thrones. In one was an old man in royal purple robes and a crown while the other was empty.
"So, are these the heroes of legend?"
The man asked the lead mage.
"Yes, your majesty."
"Good, welcome to Melromarc Cardinal Heroes. I am King Aultcray XXXII. Please, tell me your names."
"Hello, I am Princess Peach."
Peach said with a bow.
"Princess? That's odd, never before has one of the four heroes hailed from royalty."
"Well, then I would be among the first. Now, I understand that your lands are in danger and that is why you summoned us, but is there a way for us to get home?"
"I can understand you wanting to go home, Lady Peach. Your kingdom must be in chaos with you missing."
"More than you know, King Aultcray. You see, I am the sole ruler of my kingdom."
"What? But what of the king and queen?"
"My parents passed away while I was an infant. A council of advisors and my private attendant governed over the land until I came of age to rule."
"Oh, I'm sorry for bringing that up."
"No need for apologies, you couldn't have known. But now you see why I need to return as soon as possible."
"Yes, indeed I do. But you cannot, unfortunately. Once the legendary weapons choose their wielders, the ones chosen cannot be returned home until the Waves of Calamity are stopped. But once they are, we will use our magic to send you home."
This came as a shock to the girls, they had essentially been kidnapped to fight a battle for people they didn't know. What would their friends think? How would they react to their disappearances?
"Now I can understand your troubled expressions, but the fact is that your only option of going home is to defeat the Waves. Worry not though, we will gather adventurers to help you along the way. Forming new parties and the kingdom itself will aid you with monthly funds."
Seeing that was true, and not sensing any deceit from him, Krystal continued with her introduction.
"I am Krystal."
The king smiled, but Krystal felt something off from the way he looked at her. Zelda stepped up next.
"I am Princess Zelda."
"Oh, another princess?"
"Yes, King Aultcray. Though my kingdom was destroyed by Calamity Ganon, a being of pure evil. Me, and my knight, are all that is left."
"It seems the Waves have affected your world as well."
"I don't believe they are the same. There have never been "Waves" of calamity before in my world. The beast known as Ganon just arrived and decimated my home one day. I was in the process of rebuilding when I was summoned here."
"I assume you would like to go home as soon as possible to continue, Lady Zelda."
"Yes, I would."
"Then it would be best to defeat the Waves as soon as possible."
Amy was about to go next, but,
"Now then, let me explain what you need to do. You see, the Waves,"
"AHEM! You forgot someone."
Peach said, directing everyone's attention to Amy.
"Oh, forgive me, young lady. Please, tell me your name."
"Okay, my name is Amy Rose."
Again, Krystal noticed that, while he was smiling, there was that look again. She decided to peer into the king's thoughts to figure out why.
"Of course, the Shield would be a filthy demi, but the Sword as well. No matter, as long as they are under my control it shouldn't be a problem."
This shocked Krystal, but she didn't show it as to not draw suspicion. What did he mean by "demi"? Krystal looked around and saw that everyone besides her and Amy was human.
"Does demi mean people with animal traits? I'll have to learn more about this and why he seems to hate us."
Krystal thought. The king continued to explain the nature of the Waves. How they appeared at certain intervals and how to defeat them. He also explained the way for the Cardinal heroes to get stronger. By venturing into the world and gaining exp by defeating monsters and completing quests. The king also explained that the four heroes could not form a party, as the weapons would have a negative side effect by being too close to each other. The more the four heroines listened to this, the more they thought it sounded like some kind of game. But it felt too real to be a game. Peach and Amy were wondering if this was some pocket dimension created by some villain or monster who wanted to play with the four women. After all, they fought beings who can alter reality to their will before.
After the king was done, he asked the four heroines to check their status screens to confirm their hero status. The four checked them and confirmed they were the legendary heroes. After that, the king suggested they rest in a room he offered to prepare for the next day. The girls agreed and followed a servant to their quarters. While walking there, Peach noticed a large family portrait. Depicted in it was the king, a woman with purple hair she assumed was the queen and two girls. One with red hair who appeared to be of adult age, and a younger one with purple hair. She made a mental note of this and continued to the room the king provided.
Once there, the four went into their status screen to learn more about the way this world works. The screen worked like it was part of a game. It even had a help menu, a menu the four heroines quickly opened to learn more about their weapons.
"So strange. The way this status screen works is very simple. Almost like it was made for a child."
Krystal said aloud.
"Well, we aren't the first heroes summoned here, Krystal."
Peach said.
"There were others before us. Perhaps they were much younger and the legendary weapons adapted to explain the rules of this world in simple terms. The more I learn about this world, the more it sounds like one of those "teleported to a new world" stories. You know, the one where the main character is in high school and they get teleported to a new world to be their hero."
"I heard of those stories. I believe they're called "Isekai" stories."
Amy said. The others just nodded in agreement, as that explanation made about as much sense as anything else at this point. That was when Zelda noticed the "stats" menu. See opened it to see what her stats were.
"Oh, this is interesting."
Zelda saw that her level was seventeen. Her current age, so to speak. In truth, she was one hundred and seventeen years old since she held Ganon back for a century. But, due to this magic, she hasn't aged at all and still had the body of a seventeen-year-old. She saw her stats and most of them were average. It made sense since most of the fighting was done by Link while she studied the ancient weapons. But her intelligence, magic, and MP stats were high. Probably due to how long she held Ganon at bay and the Triforce of Wisdom within her. She even saw it in her status, "Wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom" it said beside her "Bow Hero" title.
"What it is, Zelda?"
"There's a "status" menu on our screens. It shows us our stats in this world as well as any titles we have. Give it a try, Krystal."
Krystal did just that and focused on her "status" button. The stats menu came up and showed her stats. They were all above average, probably due to her years of fending for herself and the adventures she had with Fox and the rest of her team. She then saw her titles, "Cerinian Telepath" and "Sword Hero", as well as "Star Fox Member". She wondered if these titles granted any bonuses to her stats or any other helpful abilities.
"Thanks, Zelda. Amy, Peach, you two should check yours as well."
Amy and Peach nodded and did that. Most of Amy's stats were high, most likely due to her many adventures with Sonic and her friends. Her intelligence was average as well as her magic stats. Makes sense since she doesn't use magic too often and isn't a super genius like Tails. But then she saw her attack, it was one.
"Huh? One? One measly attack point? How am I supposed to do damage then?"
Amy thought, then she saw her titles, "Shield Hero" and "User of Chaos" were there.
"Huh? "User of Chaos"?"
She asked in her head. She questioned if this meant she could use the Chaos Emeralds like Sonic. During a recent scan by Tails, he discovered that he, Knuckles, and Amy could use the Chaos Emeralds to achieve super forms like Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. She has never gone super before, at least not yet. This prospect excites her.
Peach saw her stats were extremely high and was shocked by them. But the more she thought about it, the more her stats made sense. She did go with Mario during some of his adventures she then saw her titles. "Spear Hero", "Star Child", and "Holder of a Pure Heart" were there, along with one title that was obscured.
"I wonder why that one is hidden."
Peach thought, then she remembered one title, "Holder of a Pure Heart". That one shocked Peach, during the fight with Dimentio she, Mario, and Bowser used the Pure Hearts to break the barrier Dimentio created to defeat him. Afterward, Mario and the rest of the group met up with Merlon, the sage who told Mario about the Pure Hearts and asked about them. Merlon explained that after everything that has happened, the Pure Hearts didn't return to their previous homes. Instead, they found hosts to reside in, in case another threat like The Void happens again.
"Does this mean that one of the Pure Hearts is within me? Can I use its power? And who are the other holders?"
Peach thought. Suddenly, Krystal had a serious look on her face and communicated to everyone with her telepathy.
"Girls, we need to stop talking now. Three people are watching us."
Amy, Peach, and Zelda were shocked but did what Krystal said and communicated with their minds.
"I see, and you were able to find them with your telepathy, Krystal?"
"Yes, Peach. It's also how we are communicating with our thoughts."
"Where are they?"
Zelda asked.
"A cat maid is listening in from the door, one person from the window, and one is hiding behind the painting."
Krystal explained the others didn't look around to not raise suspicion.
"It's best if we head to sleep."
Everyone did that and after Peach turned out the lights everyone went to sleep. But while they all lay down, they continued to communicate telepathically.
"So, should we sleep with people watching us?"
"We can sleep in shifts. I'll go first."
Peach said to Amy. The night went on like this, with the girls changing shifts every two hours.
The next day
In the morning, the king summoned the four heroes to the main hall to assemble their parties. Before they left though, Krystal made sure to warn the others about the king's prejudice against "demis", which they discovered were people with animal-like traits. As the four heroines entered the main hall, they saw a group of people in front of the king. These were the adventurers that the king and his servants had gathered.
"Welcome Cardinal Heroes! We have gathered great adventurers who are willing to aid you in your quests."
The king greeted.
"So, how do we pick? Do we take turns?"
Amy asked.
"No, Lady Shield, they will pick you. Now go forth and choose your hero."
The adventurers went to the hero they wanted to join up with. Three chose to be with Peach, four with Krystal, four with Zelda, and finally none with Amy. No adventurers chose to join Amy's team.
"Well this is odd, it appears the Shield Heroine will have to gather a party on her own. To aid her in this, we will give her additional funds this one time."
The king said.
"Excuse me."
Someone said. It was a redhead woman from Peach's group.
"I would like to join the Shield Heroines party."
"Are you sure?"
The king asked.
"Yes, would that be fine Spear Heroine?"
"Oh, of course."
Peach said, but she had a bad feeling about this woman. She didn't say anything for now as she had no evidence against her.
"Hello there, I am Myne Sophia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Shield."
Myne said as she extended a hand to Amy.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Myne."
While she seemed happy, Peach and Krystal were getting bad vibes from her. Peach looked to Krystal who nodded in agreement. She used her telepathy to read Myne's mind.
"Filthy shield demi! Soon we'll put you in your place."
Myne thought. Krystal questioned what she meant by "we". She then noticed the king's satisfied grin and read his mind.
"Excellent. If all goes according to plan, the shield demon will be too weak to fight the waves. Hopefully, she dies while fighting them, ridding the world of her vile presence. And we'll be free of any involvement with her death."
Krystal was seething at learning of the king's plot and made sure to tell the others later. Four servants came out and gave the heroines bags of silver.
"The Spear, Sword, and Bow Heroines will receive six hundred silver while the Shield Heroine will receive eight hundred. Now that all parties have been assembled, go forth and begin your noble quest Cardinal Heroes!"
With the king's proclamation, the four teams left the castle into town.
"What to do first."
Amy said aloud.
"We should purchase some armor. I know the perfect-"
"We need to head to the church first. So we can sync our weapons with the hourglass there."
Krystal said, interrupting Myne. While she was angry that a filthy demi interrupted her, she made sure not to show it.
"Oh, and how do you know about that, Lady Sword?"
Myne asked in surprise.
"I did a bit of research on my own. There's an item called the dragon hourglass that calculates when the waves will arrive. We need to head over there and sync our weapons with it."
Krystal explained. Ever since this morning, she has been reading minds left and right. To learn more about this world and whatever other plots the king is making for them.
"I see, well let's head there then. And then to the blacksmith's shop."
Myne said, but she was wondering how Krystal found out about this. When did she have to do research? The groups continued to the church and were greeted by a nun.
"Hello and welcome to the Three Heroes Church."
She said with a bow.
"Three heroes?"
Zelda said in confusion.
"Yes, Bow Heroine, where we worship the Spear, the Sword, and the Bow Heroes."
"And what about the Shield Hero?"
Peach asked.
"Oh, well, there have been altercations with past Shield Heroes that have made many in Melromarc view the shield in a more, unfavorable light."
"Does that mean I can't go in?"
"You still need to sync with the hourglass Amy. Just come in with us. After all, it was the past Shield Heroes that did the wrongdoings, right?"
Peach asked the nun.
"Y-Yes, Lady Spear."
"So, Amy is allowed to come in with us then, right?"
"Well,"
"If she can't come in, then we won't either."
Krystal said, with Peach and Zelda nodding in agreement.
"There's no need for that! Of course, the Shield Heroine can enter. Please, I'll lead you to the hourglass."
The nun said as she led the four inside. While she was guiding them, Krystal read her mind to find out more about the Three Heroes religion.
"Damn it. The Shield Demon is now in our church and the other heroes are helping her. No matter, once the plan is in motion the Shield Demon will be shunned in all of Melromarc. That filthy whore better enjoy her time of bliss while she can."
The nun thought. Krystal was getting more disgusted by this kingdom with every mind she read. Soon the four heroines reached the hourglass.
"It's huge."
Amy said in awe.
"It really is."
Zelda said in agreement.
"So what now? How do we-"
Peach was interrupted when a beam of light came from the hourglass and struck all four legendary weapons. Now all four had a timer that showed when the next wave was going to happen.
"Good, now we know when it'll happen, but how do we find out where it'll happen?"
"Now that we're synced with the hourglass, we'll teleport to the wave along with our party."
Krystal explained. The other three nodded at this when a nun came with three small purple bags.
"Here, Cardinal Heroines, use this to aid you in your journey."
"What is it?"
Peach asked.
"It's sand from the hourglass. Let your weapons absorb it and they will unlock new forms to aid you."
"Okay, but why are there only three bags?"
"It is unfortunate, Lady Spear, but we only had enough sand for three heroes. I suggest that the Spear, Sword, and Bow heroes unlock these forms first. The Shield Heroine can come again when we have more sand ready."
"Well if that's the case, then Amy can have my bag."
Peach said while handing her bag to Amy.
"What!? Are you sure?"
The nun asked in shock.
"Of course. I'll come back later."
The nun was beginning to fumble over her words when another nun came and whispered something to her ear.
"Ah, good news, we have just enough sand for her."
The other nun came with a dirty brown bag.
"Now the Shield can return the-"
The nun didn't finish as Peach grabbed the brown bag.
"Wait! Lady Spear!"
"What? It's still sand from the hourglass, right?"
"W-W-Well, yes. But-"
Peach then poured some of the sand into her spear. It then transformed into a tan-colored spear that had sand flowing from it.
"Sand Spear?"
Peach asked as she examined the rest of the sand in the bag.
"This is regular sand. What happened to the sand from the hourglass?"
"Um, well, we, she,"
"Girls put the sand in your weapons already."
Peach said. The other three did that and unlocked new forms.
"It seems we now have teleport weapons."
Krystal said. Peach then turned to the nun with a strained smile.
"So why was that bag filled with regular sand? I thought you said there was enough for the shield as well."
"I-It was just a mistake. Get the Spear more sand!"
The nun ordered. The other nun quickly came back with another purple bag. Peach took it and let her spear absorb the sand.
"There we go, Teleport Spear unlocked."
Peach said, she then turned back to the nuns
"Now why were you so adamant about not letting my friend Amy have any sand for the hourglass?"
"Well, you see, um, we, uh."
"It's because she's a demon!"
The other nun screamed.
"She's the dreaded Shield Demon! She'll bring disaster to us all! She shouldn't even be here, that filthy demi should just drop dead!"
The second nun yelled. The four heroines were shocked and disgusted by her outburst.
"Silence! Take her away, now!"
The first nun ordered. Three other nuns came and dragged the deranged one away.
"I apologize about her outburst. As I said, the past actions of previous Shield Heroes caused great harm to our country. As such, many people here do not like the Shield."
The nun tried to explain.
"Whatever."
Peach said, turning away with the others. While what she may have been true, this nun was also in on it and tried to make sure Amy didn't get any sand from the hourglass.
"Okay, I get why they hate the Shield, but why does she hate demi-humans?"
"Look, Amy."
Peach said, pointing to a nearby cart. Two animal children were loading it up while a man was barking orders at them. Any time one of the children would fall or drop a box, he would hit them. All the while calling them filthy and stupid demis.
"Demi-humans must not have the same rights as regular humans here. Haven't you noticed that almost every person with some kind of animal tail or ears is in rags and doing hard labor? While all the regular humans order them around and call them names."
"Correct, Peach, slavery of demi-humans is legal here. That might be the reason the Shield is hated. Perhaps he saved many demi-humans from slavery and the people here didn't like that."
Krystal explained.
"Oh, I see. Wait, what about us?"
Amy asked pointing to her and Krystal.
"Do they hate us? And will they try to turn us into slaves?"
"Don't worry Amy, they need us. We are the "Cardinal Heroes" after all. Plus, I checked in the help screen, we're immune to all slave seals."
"Slave seals?"
Zelda asked.
"It must be how they enslave people here. It's probably magical and prevents slaves from refusing their master's orders."
Krystal explained.
"I see, it's good to know that we're immune. But still, this isn't right. No one should be a slave."
"Perhaps we can bring it up with the king, Zelda?"
"Don't bother, Peach. The king hates demi-humans and will not do anything to stop it. Plus Melromarc is a matriarchy, the queen is the one who holds the real power. Also, I learned that she has been trying to ban the slavery of demi-humans for a while now. But many nobles and the church are resisting her."
Krystal explained.
"Well, where is she?"
"On some diplomatic mission. That's all I was able to learn. We should do some more investigating later."
"Agreed."
Peach said with a nod.
"Enough of that now, we should head to the blacksmith to buy gear. I know the perfect shop."
Myne said, getting everyone's attention. The four heroines nodded and followed her, but they made a mental note to investigate further into the laws of Melromarc. Soon the four Heroines and their parties arrived at the blacksmith's shop. A large, muscular man came out from the back to greet them.
"Hello and welcome to my shop. I am Erhard, if you have any questions feel free to ask."
"Hello, I am Princess Peach, and this is Amy, Krystal, and Princess Zelda, and we are the new Cardinal Heroes."
"Oh, so you're the new heroes the whole town's been talking about. I heard that the heroes were better looking this time around, but I wasn't expecting lovely ladies such as yourselves."
Erhard said, the four heroines just smiled in gratitude. But Krystal noticed the worried look Erhard gave her and Amy.
"Is something wrong, Erhard?"
Krystal asked.
"Well, just wanted to tell you and Miss Amy to watch yourselves out there. If you hadn't noticed, this is a human supremacist's kingdom. You may be the Cardinal heroes, but I wouldn't put it past some people to still try and make your lives hell."
"Yeah, we noticed."
"Just be careful out there, now, what can I help you with?"
"Well, we'll need some armor first, and then our companions can see what weapons you have."
Peach said.
"Okay, but what about you four? Don't you need weapons?"
"Well, Sir Erhard, we already have weapons."
Peach and the other three showed off the legendary weapons.
"But what about you, Lady Shield? Won't you be needing a weapon to fight with?"
"Please call me Amy, and as for your question,"
Flashback to the morning
Peach, Amy, Zelda, and Krystal woke up before the knights summoned them to the main hall.
"That was a good sleep. Krystal, is there anyone watching us?"
"No, Peach. They left around four in the morning. We're in the clear, for now."
"Good, now Amy, do you still have your hammer?"
"Yeah, Peach."
"Where do you keep that hammer by the way?"
Zelda asked, Amy just giggled before she answered.
"That's my secret."
"Probably a special item space that only she can access. It's not an uncommon ability. I mean, where does Link keep all the weapons and tools he carries?"
Peach explained.
"I see, you make a good point, Peach."
Zelda said in agreement while Amy had a pouty face since Peach ruined her secret.
"Well, can you pull out your hammer, Amy? I want to check something."
"Okay, Peach. What do you want to check?"
"When I was reading the help menu on my weapon I found something interesting. A rule that stated we couldn't use any other weapon except the Legendary weapon we hold."
"What!?"
Amy said in shock. She pulled out her hammer and was shocked into letting it go by the shield.
"OW!"
Amy was waving her hand to ease the pain, and that is when her status screen opened up.
"Huh? So it's true? I can't use anything except this shied. How am I supposed to fight then?"
"Maybe the shield has other ways to fight? Amy, try placing your hammer over the gem of your shield."
"But I'll get shocked."
"The shield will only do that if you try to fight with the hammer. It should be okay to just pick it up."
Amy did as Peach asked, she was thankful that Peach was right and she didn't get shocked. She then placed the hammer over the shield and something amazing happened. The shield seemed to absorb some of the hammer's essence and transformed.
"Cool, I unlocked the Piko Piko Shield. Now I can fight."
Amy said as her shield grew larger with blunt edges. It now looked similar to a gauntlet that Amy could use to punch things. It gave her a massive boost in attack to match her strength from her world.
"Amy, can I see your hammer?"
"Sure, Peach."
Amy tossed Peach her hammer, already guessing what she wanted to do. Peach held the hammer to the gem of her spear and it also absorbed some of the hammer's essence. The four did this with Amy's hammer and Krystal's staff, unlocking new forms for their weapons.
Present
"And that's how we found out we could only use the legendary weapons or weapons similar to them."
"I see, well then, feel free to look at my shields. Just bring up the stuff you want to buy when you're ready."
"Thank you. Alright everyone, let's see what he's got."
After an hour of browsing, the four teams brought their items to the counter. It was all weapons for the teams.
"You don't want any armor?"
Erhard asked.
"We want to talk to you about that, but first, I would like to ask for a discount on some of the weapons."
Peach asked.
"What? I'm already giving you a discount because of your hero status, so why should I give you more?"
"Because of this."
Peach grabbed a spear she picked out and held it next to her spear. The legendary spear then transformed into the other spear.
"What the!?"
"Peach, how did you do that?"
Erhard and Krystal asked.
"It's called weapon copy. I found it in the help menus. You can copy any weapon that is the same type."
Peach explained. Myne was cursing out Peach in her head for sharing such a valuable secret. They could've gotten weapons for free. Plus she hated that Amy now knew about this secret.
"You better pay for that."
"Of course, Erhard. I wouldn't think of stealing from you. But, since you'll still have this spear in your store, and can sell it at full price to someone else, I think we should pay a lower price for using the weapon copy ability."
"That makes sense, Lady Spear. So, how much of a discount were you thinking?"
"Please call me Peach, and how about fifty percent off?"
"No chance. I'm already giving you a discount because of your hero status, I'd say thirty percent off is fair."
Peach thought about it before turning to her friends. They nodded in agreement that it was a fair price.
"Deal."
"Good, now what else did you want to discuss?"
"Well, we would like to order custom armor."
"Ah, I see. Well, come back here so I can get your measurements."
After Erhard got the measurements for Peach, Amy, Krystal, and Zelda, and got some of the finer details about what they wanted in their armor, the four groups took off for the plains around Melromarc. The first creatures they encountered were balloons. Small, basketball-shaped creatures that were easy to deal with. Amy was popping them left and right thanks to her Piko Piko Shield.
"Wow, Lady Amy, you are defeating the balloons so easily. Unexpected of the Shield Hero."
Myne said in surprise.
"It's thanks to my Piko Piko Shield. Now let's try the shield I got from Krystal's staff."
Amy changed her shield and it was now golden with a large blue gem in the center of it. Amy aimed the tip of the shield at some balloons and fired off some fire blasts. Then she sprayed a cold mist that froze them. And finally, after charging some power into the shield she struck the ground, creating a small earthquake that popped the rest of the balloons.
"Krystal's staff has some neat abilities. I'm glad she let us use it to upgrade our weapons."
While Amy was gathering pieces of the balloons to feed into her shield, Myne was watching her. Taking note of the shield's strength so she could report it back to her father and the church. The other three were also trying out their weapons as well as gathering pieces of balloons to feed into them. Krystal and Zelda were also using this opportunity to get used to their weapons and their teams. Seeing how the adventurers interacted with each other and them.
Peach was busy pulling turnips from the ground. Since her level and stats were already high, thanks to her adventures with Mario, she decided to try and unlock new forms for her spear. That is when Rino, a brunette mage who joined Peach's party, walked up to her.
"Excuse me, Lady Peach?"
"Hmm, yes? What is it, Rino?"
"I'm just wondering what you're doing."
"I'm trying to unlock new forms for my spear, Rino. I've already unlocked the balloon spear so there's no point in fighting more of those things."
"Okay, I understand that, but haven't you already unlocked the Turnip Spear? Why are you pulling more out of the ground?"
"Because I can pull more than just turnips, Rino. It's just a matter of chance. Aha!"
Peach yelled as she pulled up a small creature with a big nose and whiskers.
"What is that?"
"This is Mr. Saturn, Rino."
Peach said as she placed the creature over the gem of her spear. It sucked it up and transformed into a pink spear with a bow at the tip.
"Now to test it out."
Peach looked at her other two party members, Lesty and Elena, who were resting under a tree.
"Excuse me!" Peach called out to them. "I need one of you to come and help me with something."
"Do we have to? Can't the peasant girl help you?"
Lesty asked in annoyance. Peach didn't like how she addressed Rino and was getting fed up with her attitude.
"Are you refusing an order from your leader, Lesty?"
Peach asked in a calm, but intimidating tone.
"Um, no, Lady Peach, I'm coming!"
Lesty quickly went to Peach to help out.
"Okay, just stand there and take a guarding stance."
Peach explained.
"Okay, um, what are you going to do?"
Lesty asked in fear.
"I'm just trying out my new spear."
Peach said as she changed her spear into the Mr. Saturn Spear.
"What!?"
"No worries. It won't kill you."
"Will it hurt!?"
"Maybe a little."
"But what about the peasant girl!?"
"Rino has been helping me fight the balloons, unlike you two."
"But they're just balloons! Surely you didn't need help to fight such pitiful creatures, Lady Peach!"
"True, but the point is she helped me despite that fact. You two sat on your asses all day while I did all the work. That's not going to fly. So, to make up for it, you're going to help me test my new spear. Now keep that guard stance."
Peach ordered. Lesty held up a block while Peach came closer. But to her relief, Peach just touched her with the new spear. The relief was short-lived though because as soon as Peach touched Lesty's guard with the spear, a great force broke it, and she was left stunned. Peach finger flicked Lesty's nose to break her out of her stunned state.
"What the hell!? What happened!?"
Lesty asked in shock.
"That was the effect of my new spear. It does minuscule damage but can shatter guards in one strike."
Peach explained.
"Amazing, Lady Peach! With such a powerful weapon, no monster can defeat you."
Rino said in amazement.
"It is a strong weapon, but a weapon is just a tool. It's up to the wielder to be unbeatable."
Peach said as she began to pull up more turnips.
"Uhh, is there something else to find?"
"Yes, Rino. There is one more item I can pull out, just have to find it. Oh, and you can go back to relaxing Lesty. Thank you for your help."
Lesty nodded as she walked back to the tree. But she gave one more angered look to Peach and Rino. She didn't like the fact that Rino was getting into Peach's good graces instead of her.
"Damn peasant. No matter, if all goes according to plan I won't have to see her ever again."
Lesty said to herself with a grin.
Soon night came and the four groups went back into town. While walking through the gates, Myne went up to Lesty to discuss some plans she had.
"So? How is the Spear Heroine?"
Myne asked.
"She seems to be getting too close to that peasant girl and she doesn't seem to be easy to manipulate."
Lesty replied.
"Well, just continue as planned. After the "show" tomorrow, she should be putty in our hands."
Myne and Lesty snickered at this, but Krystal was getting bad vibes from them and read their minds. She learned of their plot and told Peach, Zelda, and Amy about it through her telepathy. The four heroines discussed what to do and came up with a counterplan. Once the plan was made they set off to their places.
And that is the end of this chapter. Thank you for reading also I want to say that the locations in this story will take a lot of inspiration from BKL777's ROTSH crossover. I already asked and he did permit me to borrow some elements from his story. Once again thank you and have a nice day.
