Author's Note:
As you know, Sephiroth will mark his debut as a mansion resident in this chapter. Tifa and Barret could've done the same, but by the time their Mii costumes were revealed, it was far too late into the writing process of this chapter. And uh, as for the guest reviews, which I said I would be answering this time around...that will, unfortunately, be pushed back to next week. Still getting around to gathering them all. If I actually had spare time for going all the way back to chapter 232, and gathering all the reviews from that chapter up to now, then no problem. But I have been a very busy man these days, and I have been more prioritized keeping this story up to date. Haven't replied back to a review for so long...wouldn't say it makes me feel bad, like really, really bad...but it's an odd feeling. Maybe I'm just in my feelings, going through the motions...but I digress.
So yeah...there's that. I'll be answering reviews next week (hopefully), so consider that as a Christmas present from me...actually, no, don't do that. That's just weird.But enough diddle-daddling. Enjoy!
Episode 261: Snowball
Today was the day that Cloud had been rueing for a very long time. Or, well, at least since last Thursday.
It was no secret that Cloud had major strife (ba dum tiss) with his archenemy, Sephiroth. He and Sephiroth had always been at each other in the past, dueling with each other in highly personal fights. Cloud's Buster Sword constantly clashed with Sephiroth's Masamune, and every time the two swordsmen squared up, things always got heated.
And now, Cloud had to share the mansion with his archenemy Sephiroth, who was now officially part of Smash.
If episode 31 proved anything, it was that Sephiroth's mere presence was more than enough to strike fear into any mortal. When word broke out that Sephiroth planned on coming to the Smash Mansion, Mario and others did everything they could to thwart the one-winged angel, only for Pit and Corrin to save the day in the end. With Sephiroth set to be a mansion resident, everyone under the mansion roof had to get themselves adjusted to living with Sephiroth, whether they liked it or not.
"You two aren't scared?" Master Hand asked Banjo and Kazooie, who were both hanging out with the giant hand at the front of the mansion. The bear and bird duo served as the mansion's welcoming committee...and also sacrificial prey if the occasion ever arose.
"I'm pretty scared, can't say the same for Banjo..." Kazooie replied as she looked down at Banjo, who was the happiest he had ever been. Did that bear have any idea whom he was about to meet?
"I have been waiting for this moment the entire week!" gleamed Banjo, unable to contain his excitement. That poor bear was probably gonna be murdered soon.
Master Hand: I only explicitly told Cloud and Zelda about Sephiroth's arrival, and told everyone else that the "One-Winged Angel" will be making his abode at the mansion. Only because I knew they couldn't handle hearing Sephiroth's name. Two people literally fainted when I mentioned the one-winged angel moniker, another person almost had a heart attack. Bunch of wimps!
A wicked black-and-white thunderbolt struck the mansion from the sky struck the field, as a man with long silver hair, black coat, black trousers, and black boots had finally arrived. It was Sephiroth, and he was back to being his one-winged self again, his lone black wing stretched out from his back.
"There he is..." said a very eager Banjo, who was growing even more eager when Sephiroth made his way towards the mansion. Sephiroth came to a stop before looking up at the mansion, seeing how different it was from the last time he was around. While also noticing the new Christmas decorations.
"A lot has changed since the last time..." the one-winged angel remarked, as he was back at the mansion after three years. Now he was going to call that very mansion his home, as he walked to Master Hand.
"Good afternoon, Sephiroth!" Master Hand greeted the one-winged angel, acting all nice and hospitable just to get on his good side. "Haven't seen you in so long, you almost look like a stranger!"
"Don't think I haven't forgotten about what happened during my first visit. Leaving me trapped inside that wretched urn..." Sephiroth frowned as he thought of that experience, which to him felt like an eternity. Master Hand nervously gulped, as he kept his cool.
"...yes, you were trapped inside that urn, but it was for your own good. Didn't want you to hurt anyone. And I don't want you to hurt anyone now, since you are now a part of..."
"Welcome to the Smash Mansion, Kenny Omega! Guh huh!" Banjo happily greeted Sephiroth as he candidly shook the one-winged angel's hand. Sephiroth looked down at the bear, all confused, as Kazooie facepalmed.
"Really, Banjo?! I wasn't even finished yet! And his name is Sephiroth, for crying out loud! Stop embarrassing yourself...and me!"
Banjo: I was beyond stoked when I learned that the one-winged angel himself was going to be a resident! Can you imagine how cool it would be to have a professional wrestler at the Smash Mansion? Personally, I would've settled for someone like Jake "The Snake" Roberts, but Kenny Omega will do for now.
Sephiroth: Master Hand invited me to stay at the mansion - even though many of its denizens are clearly afraid of me. It will be either the greatest choice he ever made or the worst. Regardless of whatever the result may be, the entire mansion shall know despair...
"So Kenny Omega, what brings you to the mansion?" Banjo asked a still confused Sephiroth after he let go of the one-winged angel's hand. "Are you here to be the new janitor? They don't call you the Cleaner for nothing!"
"Who is this Kenny Omega fool, and what must I do to kill him?" Sephiroth asked Master Hand, wanting nothing to do with Kenny Omega. He thought of Omega as a loser, a man who used "Omega" as a fake last name to make himself look cool.
"You will not be killing anyone today," Master Hand said to Sephiroth, who found those words pretty hard to abide by. The one-winged angel's insane bloodlust was always high. "Banjo here is just being stupid."
"Yeah Banjo, this guy clearly isn't Kenny Omega!" Kazooie said to the bear, who apparently couldn't tell the difference between Sephiroth and Kenny Omega. "Since when did Kenny Omega have silver hair?"
"Kenny Omega always had silver hair," stated Banjo, refusing to let anyone else tell him different. And that included Master Hand. "At least he did back when he wrestled in Japan..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah...get back inside before I make you scrub all the floors or something," Master Hand commanded Banjo, who scurried inside the mansion to avoid punishment. With Banjo and Kaoozie gone, Master Hand focused his attention on Sephiroth.
"Thank goodness that bear is gone," remarked Sephiroth, who found Banjo's ignorance to be quite baffling, if not pitiful. "I personally couldn't stand to hear him talk anymore..."
"Well he sure does have a goofy voice...so Sephiroth, you wanna come inside the mansion? Unwind a little, make yourself at home?"
"I have been around the earth for as long as I can remember...I suppose a much-needed break wouldn't hurt."
Like any other new resident, Sephiroth would be shown to his room, and be welcomed by his new roommate. But Master Hand postponed that since he wanted to save it for a "surprise". In the meantime, Master Hand accompanied Sephiroth throughout the mansion, getting the one-winged angel accustomed to things.
"Why are these people running away from me?" inquired Sephiroth, as he saw Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong run for cover when they saw the one-winged angel coming their way. "Are they that afraid of me?"
"Yes, they are that afraid..." replied Master Hand, before realizing that he might have to cover some of the residents' butts. "...afraid of just how awesome you are. Your awesomeness makes them feel insecure!"
"Never knew I had that kind of effect...good to know." Sephiroth came to a stop when he and Master Hand encountered Min Min near the lounge. Min Min was holding a bowl of ramen noodles while looking nervous.
"H-Hi Sephiroth, I-I'm Min Min..." Min Min introduced herself to the one-winged angel, before offering him the bowl of ramen noodles. "Made you these noodles, as a welcoming gift...
"Min Min has extreme social anxiety," Master Hand explained to Sephiroth, who was staring at the noodles. Min Min offered the bowl of noodles to Sephiroth as her hands and arms were shaking. "Something about silver-haired dudes dressed in black makes her feel frightened."
"You made a bowl of noodles just to appease me...pathetic," Sephiroth said to Min Min as he smacked the bowl of noodles out of the martial artist's hands. Min Min just stood there all shook, shaking uncomfortably.
"...it was nice getting to meet you, Sephiroth!" Min Min said to the one-winged angel as she politely bowed before walking away out of fear. Sephiroth and Master Hand continued down the hallway, as Meowth came around...freezing in place when he saw Sephiroth.
"Oh, Sephiroth...you sure came a lot sooner than I expected!" said an extremely nervous Meowth, doing his best to keep his cool as he was hyperventilating. The scratch cat was all alone, without Jessie or James to bail him out. Then again, those two would just run out of fear and leave Meowth in the dust.
"This here is Meowth, he's been having some severe breathing issues as of late," Master Hand explained to Sephiroth, as Meowth was breathing heavily due to how freak-stricken he was. "Not even our resident nurse can remedy his problem!"
"A breathing problem? I can put him out of misery...if I wanted to," remarked Sephiroth as he unsheathed his Masamune sword, showing it off to Meowth. The mere sight of the Masamune, and how long and deadly it was, made Meowth faint on the floor.
"Did I also mention that Meowth is very light-headed? Pretty rare for a Pokemon, I'll say." Sephiroth, looking down the hallway, saw Ness walking with his friends Paula and Poo. The one-winged angel recognized Ness, having encountered the PSI whiz back in episode 31.
"You think Lucas is gonna like that gift?" Paula asked Ness, who was carrying a Christmas present in his hands. Judging by how Ness was holding the present, a whole lot of thought and care went into it.
"Been thinking about getting it for Lucas for a long time," replied Ness, who was just dying to see Lucas' reaction to the Christmas present. "It's sure gonna put a big smile on his...face." The PSI whiz trailed off, as he and his friends came to a stop when they came across Sephiroth.
"I remember you...you're the boy that tried to stop me from entering the mansion," Sephiroth said to Ness, who was filled to the brim with fear as a rush of bad memories filled his head. Paula and Poo remained vigilant. "Where's your mythical guardian to protect you?"
"M-Merry Christmas, Sephiroth!" Ness quickly offered his Christmas present for Lucas to Sephiroth, in the hopes of appeasing the one-winged angel. Poo saw what his friend was attempting to do, and knew he couldn't stand for it any longer.
"No, Ness, save your gift for Lucas...don't appease this edgelord," the martial artist said to Sephiroth, brushing Ness to the side as he bravely confronted Sephiroth without any fear. "Leave him to me!"
"Poo, what are you doing?!" Ness questioned his friend, hoping that Poo had any idea who he was going up against. Sephiroth could easily wipe the floor with Poo with his eyes closed, without even trying.
"Leave him alone, Ness - Poo obviously wants us to be killed," Paula said to the PSI whiz; Sephiroth stared down Poo, seeing that the martial artist was barely even worth any of his time.
"Out of my way, you insignificant speck..." the one-winged angel said to Poo as he pushed him down to the floor, before snatching the Christmas present out of Ness' hands. "...let's see what's inside this box." Sephiroth unwrapped the present and took the lid off the box...
...before seeing a slingshot inside the box. Sephiroth took the slingshot out, analyzing it out of slight curiosity.
"That was a Christmas gift meant for my good friend, Lucas," Ness explained to Sephiroth, still feeling pretty nervous as he expected Sephiroth to break the slingshot in half. "He always wanted a slingshot..."
Ness: Lucas has been asking for a slingshot for Christmas (and to a less extent, for his birthday) for a pretty long time now. It feels weird to give a teenager like Lucas a slingshot for Christmas, but...it's better late than never. Just know that I won't be viable for anyone Lucas injures with the slingshot - accidental or on purpose.
"Since you chose to appease me with this gift...I shall accept it on your behalf," Sephiroth said to Ness as he put the slingshot away. Ness would've asked Sephiroth to give the slingshot back, but that seemed like a pretty precarious thing to do. "Merry Christmas to you."
"For the record, that was meant for Lucas only..." Ness said to Sephiroth, who showed no signs of giving up the slingshot. "...I just gave it up because, uh, I was showing off how nice I was."
"Anything you wish to show me, Master Hand?" Sephiroth asked the giant hand, as he no longer cared to entertain Ness and friends. The one-winged angel had stuff to do before winding down for good.
"I can show you the arcade room, if you like," Master Hand said to Sephiroth, before leading the one-winged angel down the hallway. Sephiroth still had the slingshot, and there was nothing Ness could do to get it back.
"Way to give up the slingshot, Ness..." Poo said to the PSI whiz in a disappointed manner, before shaking his head. "Should've just let me take Sephiroth to town...stop laughing, Paula."
Peony made some major strides with Peonia, giving her some of Sonic's Christmas cookies (which were meant for Sora and his friends) while claiming that the cookies were baked by him. And even though he got on Peonia's good side, the explorer knew that there was more work to be done. With Mario at his side, guiding him whenever necessary, Peony had nothing to fear.
But when Peony wasn't doing everything he could to win over Peonia, he was keeping himself busy inside Mario's house...and outside. The explorer was exercising with Mario in the plumber's backyard, with some weights he had found one day. Quite frankly, Mario never even knew he had those weights until Peony's discovery.
"Put in the work, boys! No stoppin'!" Peony encouraged Mario, Luigi, Ike, and Soren - all of whom were lighting weights with Peony in the backyard, while also shirtless for added effect.
"You heard the man, Soren!" Ike shouted at the wind sage, who was weight-lifting with the smallest weights while barely putting in the work. "Never give up! There's no quit in all of us!"
"I think you're forgetting one person..." mumbled Soren, staring into the distance as he felt uncomfortable without a shirt on. Heaven forbid any woman walking by and getting a good look at the wind sage's chest.
Ike: Don't be fooled, Soren actually has six-pack abs. Worked pretty hard to get 'em! He prefers to keep it hidden under his skin, so he won't be as much of a showoff. I wonder how he even does it; maybe one day he'll share with me his secret.
"Is all of this even necessary, dad?" Peonia asked Peony as she came outside with Spyro to see what the men were up to. The girl felt weirded out seeing her own dad shirtless. "Mario has a living room for you to work out in, you know."
"Only real men work out in the cold, with no shirts on," said Peony as if he were stating a scientific fact, as he continued to lift some dumbbells. "Real men sweat it out through the hot AND the cold!"
"Sorry, boys, but I'm-a calling it quits," Luigi apologized to Peony and the others, lifting a dumbbell one last time before ending his workout. Soren was surprised that he lasted longer than Luigi. "The cold-a is starting to get to me."
"Guess that means you aren't a real man, Luigi! Always knew that your wife was the one who wore the pants around your house!"
"She always-a has...a joke, it was a joke!" jeered Mario, before quickly taking his words back when Luigi gave him a death glare. As Luigi put away the weights, Hunter came around the corner with his notepad.
"Flaunting his chiseled body in front of the other men..." the cheetah observed Peony whose body, was barely even that chiseled. Spyro came over, sighing when he saw Hunter back to his usual shenanigans. "...the dude sure is vain."
"Hunter, you seriously need to find a hobby," Spyro said to the cheetah, who was jotting down notes about Peony on his notepad. It was Hunter's second notepad; Hunter spent the entire week filling up the original notepad with countless notes about Peony.
"This is my hobby, Spyro. But unlike all the other hobbies, this one is contributing to the greater good. I'll expose Peony, and then one day I'll..."
Hunter would find himself interrupted when a snowball was hurled at his face. A second snowball struck Spyro, nailing the purple dragon in his wing. Then a flurry of snowballs was hurled at everyone else outside, tossed back and forth, as Peonia screamed and ran for cover.
"Peonia!" shrieked Peony when he saw his daughter making a run for it, as he and the other "real" men stopped their workout. "Where did all those snowballs come from? What is the meanin' of this?!"
"Shoot, did I accidentally hurt someone?" asked Richter as he appeared out from his hiding spot among the shrubbery. Peonia returned to the scene when the flurry of snowballs ceased. "If I did, I'm very sorry..."
"Richter, what the heck-a was that?" Mario questioned the vampire hunter, angrily confronted him while dusting some of the snow off his shoulders. "Were you trying to kill-a us?"
"Sorry Mario, we were just having a harmless snowball fight. We've been fighting outside for most of the snow, throwing snowballs and stuff."
"You and Simon are having a snow-a ball fight?" Mario was pretty shocked; he didn't know that Simon was even capable of having fun. "Let-a me guess, you're winning so far."
"Apparently, I couldn't get Simon to participate. He just me a heathen...whatever that's supposed to entail...and walked away. So I had to ask the others to join in on the fun."
"Told ya I'm too elusive for ya, Belmont!" Waluigi taunted Richter from afar, before turning his back to the vampire hunter and shaking his butt in a taunting manner. The lanky man then slapped his buttocks, as Mario and Richter couldn't look away.
"Now that's one-a mental image I'll never get out-a of my head," remarked Mario as Richter nodded his head in agreement. Suddenly intrigued by the snowball fight, Peony came over to Richter to propose something to the vampire hunter.
"So you and your fellas are havin' a snowball fight, eh?" the explorer asked Richter with a big grin, as Peonia warily looked on fearing for the worst. "How about you enlist me and my daughter? Quality bondin' time!"
"We were originally playing for fun," stated Richter as he stroked his chin in thought, with Peonia hoping that the vampire hunter would turn Peony down. "But we can always play for keeps! You and your daughter are in!"
"Yes!" Peony smiled as he pumped his fist, as Peonia sighed. Peony didn't even ask his daughter if she wanted to be in the snowball fight, but winning her over was his only priority. "Much appreciated, my good man!"
"Don't mention it!" Looking over, Richter saw Waluigi still shaking his butt, finding himself too much in the groove. "Hey, Waluigi - we're gonna restart the snowball fight! Gonna play for keeps!"
"Playing for keeps, eh?" overheard Waluigi, his ears perking up as he came over to speak with Richter. "I sure love playing for keeps! What's wrong with having some bragging rights, amirite?"
"Oh, and one more thing - this man and his daughter wants to play with us." Richter brought Waluigi's attention to the eager Peony and the very hesitant Peonia, with Waluigi being more intrigued by the latter.
"In that case...I will pick the girl! Girl power!" Waluigi raised his fist, as Peonia grunted out of extreme disgust. "What? Why did you groan? Is 'girl power' only acceptable when only women say it?"
Peonia: My dad enlisting me in the snowball fight is bad enough. What's even worse is that one of the folks I'll be playing with is some lanky man with a pedophile mustache. He looks like an absolute pervert...You say that he's the head man of the Assist Tower? Must really say a lot about the tower, then...
Peony: It's very important that I win the snowball fight, and be the last man standin'! Otherwise, Peonia would think that her old man doesn't have it anymore! It's a good thing that Nia and I aren't playing on teams and playing on the same team; because then she might accuse me of draggin' the team down. Win or lose!
As a fellow swordsman, Rex had a pretty high amount of respect for Sephiroth. Yet at the same time, he feared the one-winged angel and everything that made him so frightening to many. Rather than hiding like most residents, Rex chose to meet Sephiroth whenever the opportunity came about. He didn't want Sephiroth to think of him as a coward.
"Sure is pretty quiet around the mansion today..." observed Rex as he walked through the hallways, assuming that Sephiroth had something to do with the mansion's tranquility today. The swordsman came across Incineroar, who was standing next to a cardboard box lying on the floor. "...Incineroar, what are you doing hanging around with Snake?"
"It's not Snake who's hiding underneath this box..." a deep, muffled voice said from underneath the box, albeit sound a bit squeaky. Rex had a hunch for whoever was hiding under the box, as he lifted the box and saw Pit.
"Really, Pit? You're hiding under there?" Rex grinned at the angel, who quickly pulled the cardboard box down. That voice of yours couldn't fool me!"
"Shh! I'm just trying to hide from Sephiroth," Pit whispered to Rex, worried that Sephiroth might seek revenge on him for how he got manhandled at the end of episode 31. "Kirby's hiding with me; Incineroar's on watch duty."
"Help me, Rex...I can't breathe," Kirby pleaded for help to the swordsman, who was likely suffocating under the box with no wiggle room to speak of. Pit shushed the pink puffball, for he was speaking too loud.
"Should Sephiroth ever show up, Incineroar will kindly tell him to turn around and walk away. Or he can just punch him in the face. Personally, I think he should go with that."
"Ah, there's my cardboard box!" gleamed Snake when he came down the hallway and saw his box. The former spy tried to grab the box, only for Pit to hold onto the box from underneath and keep it still. "What the..."
"Pit and Kirby are hiding underneath your box," Rex explained to Snake, who gave up on getting his box back. "They're trying to hide from Sephiroth." Upon hearing Sephiroth's name, Snake let out a chuckle.
"Sephiroth? You mean the one-winged loser who thinks he's all cool with that dumb blade of his? Is that who Pit is so scared of?"
"I won't lie, Sephiroth is pretty intimidating..." That only made Snake chuckle even more. "...the stuff he did in the past is no joke!"
"Sephiroth himself is a joke. The man is overrated, he's not even that good. And his own mother is some stupid alien, haha! Mama's boy!"
"That's...not particularly funny. If you really think that way about Sephiroth, Snake, then why don't you say those things to his face?"
"I'll say it to his face...I'll say everything he needs to hear, and then some. Then I'll stick that stupid sword up his butt! Heck, I'd do it now!"
"Oh really, is that so? I'd hate to tell you this, but...Sephiroth is standing right behind you."
Snake, who at first was all smiles as he dissed Sephiroth, slowly went from happy to nervous as his smile turned upside down real quick. The former spy, very slowly, turned around...until he saw Sephiroth standing right behind him. Safe to say that the one-winged angel wasn't amused.
"Hey, Sephy, buddy...want a hug?" Snake asked Sephiroth as he extended his arms out for a hug. Sephiroth would reject Snake's offer, as he backhanded the former spy and sent him down to the floor.
"Quick, Incineroar, get rid of Sephiroth!" Pit called out to the heel Pokemon, who quickly rushed to the offensive. Incineroar tried to neutralize Sephiroth by taking the Masamune out of the one-winged angel's hand, but Sephiroth was one step ahead as he swiped away at Incineroar with his sword and sent the heel Pokemon flying back.
"Let's see who's hiding underneath this box..." said Sephiroth as he lifted the cardboard box off the floor, before seeing Pit and Kirby. Pit was holding onto Kirby for dear life with his eyes closed, before lifting one eye to see Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth...what's up?" Pit greeted the one-winged angel, as he flashed some gang signs that no human has ever seen before. Pit's greeting didn't phase Sephiroth, who grabbed the angel with both hands and pulled him up to his face.
"Don't think I haven't forgotten what you did to me, boy..." Sephiroth glared down at Pit, who closed his eyes shut as he nervously looked away from the one-winged angel. "Trapping me inside that urn, imprisoning me for months on end..."
"It was nothing personal, man! I only did it to protect the others...and to protect Cloud!" Hearing Cloud's name made Sephiroth smirk, as he had some unfinished business to settle with the swordsman.
"Protect Cloud from me? That is laughable. He knows he can't hide from me. Wherever he is, there I will be also..."
"Wouldn't that make you a stalker? That's pretty gross. I guess you really don't have a life!"
"You can say whatever you want...but Cloud can never escape me, no matter what he does."
"That's what you think! Cloud's somewhere nearby, and once he gets through with you..." Pit suddenly gasped and covered his mouth, realizing that he said something he probably shouldn't.
"Oh? Cloud is somewhere nearby? As in, somewhere in the mansion? And here I thought he was trying to run away from me." Delighted, Sephiroth dropped Pit to the floor, sparing the angel. "I find that to be very...delightful. For there is something I must say to him."
"Uh, yeah, very delightful indeed..." Acting as if he had dun goofed up, Pit backed away to where Incineroar was, bringing Kirby along with him. For the first time since he arrived at the mansion, Sephiroth was now smiling...as he now had a target in mind.
"Hi, Sephiroth...I'm Rex," Rex introduced himself to the one-winged angel as he waved, trying not to look nervous. "...very nice to meet you!"
"Likewise..." responded Sephiroth, not even giving Rex any eye contact as he walked past the swordsman and down the hallway. Once Sephiroth was gone, Rex let out a big sigh of relief as he wiped a few droplets of sweat from his forehead.
It was Fox and Krystal's first Christmas together as a married couple, and they had the opportunity to decorate their lovely home with Christmas decorations. While Krystal wanted to keep things simple - since it was her first Christmas with Fox - her husband wanted to go up and beyond. And when you go up and beyond, things tend to get very costly.
So what did Fox get, you ask? A Christmas-themed carousel. Not a toy carousel that you could just put in your living room...the kind of carousel that you ride on at a carnival somewhere. Fox, who purchased the carousel online, was looking proudly at the moving carousel while Krystal stood nearby, displeased.
"How is this a Christmas decoration?" Krystal asked Fox, having to shout over the carousel music. The carousel was playing classic Christmas songs, which was a huge selling point for Fox.
"It's a decoration if you use a thing called 'imagination,'" replied Fox as he twiddled his fingers for added effect, as Krystal rolled her eyes. "It was either this carousel or the giant fiberglass ten-ball seven-inch ornament stack on Amazon. Man, that was a mouthful to say..."
Krystal: The carousel was well over ten grand, and no matter what I did Fox still bought it anyway. Starting to think that letting him take the leftover money from our wedding was a bad idea...should've just taken that money all for myself! Could have spent the money on something worthwhile, like motorized ice cream cones. Never knew how much I wanted those until now...
"I'm sure that Falco will fall head over heels over this carousel," remarked Krystal, as she envisioned Falco riding on the carousel until Fox and/or the police told him to get off. "Though I fear the carousel might 'inspire' him."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Fox said to Krystal, disgusted that his wife used air quotes. Fox wanted to inspire others - which was one of the reasons why he bought the carousel in the first place. "When Falco sees this carousel, he'll be like...FALCO?!"
Fox's eyes almost bulged out of his sockets, as the pilot saw his best friend Falco riding on the carousel. But Falco wasn't just riding on the carousel - he was trying to get away from Peony, who was armed with a snowball.
"Bruh, Fox, save me!" begged Falco, before Peony threw a snowball at the avian pilot's head. Falco screamed for his life and got off the carousel, as Peony chased after him.
"There's more where that came from!" Peony shouted at Falco as he chased the avian pilot to Fox's backyard. Falco slipped on the patio and fell on his back, as Peony pulled out a few snowballs from his pockets.
"Spare me, man, just spare me!" Peony was in such a competitive mood that he showed no mercy, as he pelted Falco with snowballs until the avian pilot couldn't take it anymore. "Alright, alright, I concede! I give up..."
"Oh yeah! Another elimination!" Peony pumped his fist as he walked away, looking for more prey. "Come out, come out, wherever you are...just know that Peony's comin' after ya!"
"chill out fam...this is snow laughing matter," said a certain skeleton, as Peony darted his head to the right and saw Sans standing by with a snowball. "consider your chances at winning the snowball fight...frozen."
"That's what you think! Hit me with your best shot!" So Sans threw a snowball at Peony, aiming for the explorer's head...and Peony caught the snowball in his hand, without even flinching. The stuff of legends.
"welp, it's a good thing this ain't dodgeball..." Sans quickly turned around, running for his life, only for Peony to throw the snowball at Sans and hit the skeleton in the back of his head. Sans fell face-first into the snow, as Peony celebrated.
"One down, many more to go! Anyone else wants to challenge Peony?" Two more challengers appeared, in the Inklings, as the kiddies appeared out of some shrubbery with their Splattershots.
"Attack!" the female Inkling shouted, as she and the female Inkling fired a flurry of snowballs out of their Splattershots at Peony. Peony did some kind of weird Matrix moves to dodge the snowballs, before taking two snowballs out of his pockets and tossing them each at the Inklings.
"Wait, why are we even in this snowball fight to begin with?" the male Inkling wondered after being struck, as the snowballs melted on his and the female Inkling's flesh. "These snowballs are practically water!"
"AH, IT BURNS, IT BURNS!" the female Inkling screamed in pain, as she and her male counterpart headed back to the mansion. Peony could only laugh, as he was now on a roll.
"Nobody can stop me now!" the explorer exclaimed as he looked up at the sky and pointed with both index fingers. "Peony is the best, Peony's number one!"
"Dad, what are you doing?" a voice asked behind Peony, who shrieked and turned around to see Peonia standing by. Peony pulled his hands down in a hurry. "You're not embarrassing yourself, are you?"
"No, Nia, I was just...finding myself in the groove. You know, this snowball fight reminds me of the ones we usually have back at Freezington!"
"We barely even had any snowball fights in Freezington. And when we did, we'd always end them early. You're always crying whenever I strike first."
"Excuse me for showing some mercy to my daughter...I oughta expect the same mercy from the others!"
"Well, I've been laying low for the most part. Trying to avoid everyone so I wouldn't be hit. Think I could last until the very end."
"Excellent strategy, Nia! Maybe then, we'll be the last ones standing!" Peonia knew that was coming, as evidenced by her exasperated sigh.
"...whatever you say, dad." Peonia walked away, as Peony grinning from ear to ear as he went his separate way. Lurking behind him was Hunter, who was scribbling down notes on his notepad.
"I got my eye on you...Petunia," the cheetah said quietly to Peony while using a very mocking name to boot. A name that almost made him laugh.
In addition to Sephiroth, two other folks were set to join the mansion - Tifa Lockhart and Barret Wallace. But the thing was, neither one of them showed up yet! This was of great concern to Master Hand, who brought Zelda and Link to his room to contact Tifa and Barret. Also brought in Mario, as well.
"Just tried calling Barret, he didn't answer," Link said to Zelda, after calling on one of Master Hand's phones. The Hylian was filling in for Cloud, who was currently MIA at the moment.
"Tifa hasn't responded either," said Zelda, as she was looking at the cellphone in her hand. "How did Master Hand acquire so many flip phones...?"
"At least we know how Master Hand keeps-a in contact with the newcomers," remarked Mario, who was trying to call Tifa and Barret on his phone. So far, no luck for the plumber. "Where's Cloud? He would know how to reach-a his friends."
"Cloud's been gone since breakfast," stated Link, as that was very discouraging for Mario to hear. "Which is why I'm filling in for him. Bet you he's chilling somewhere in peace..."
Cloud was in fact chilling...chilling away from the mansion, that is. To keep himself distanced from Sephiroth, for the time being, the swordsman opted to hang out with Rayman and friends at Rayman's house. Cloud was sitting outside on a bench with Teensy, watching Rayman and Globox fishing at a lake.
"Can I be invited to a holiday function one day, Mr. Strife?" Teensy asked Cloud, salty that he was missing out on all the fun at the mansion. Not being a part of Secret Santa made the creature feel some type of way.
"We'll let you come to our Christmas party this year," replied Cloud, leaving Teensy a very happy camper. He was finally getting to do things with his friends. "And maybe even the New Year's Eve party, if we ever plan for one."
"Neat-o! Thank you very much, Mr. Strife! Rayman would never let me leave the house...he says that whenever I do, I always leave the oven on, or some dumb drivel like that!"
"Have you ever tried, I dunno...turning the oven off?" Apparently Teensy never even thought of that, as he looked up at the sky deep in thought and awe.
"So the kitchen oven never turns itself off, eh? Why can't it be like all the other house appliances? Never had any trouble with the washing machine..."
Rayman: Teensy really comes through when we leave him behind at the house. Can't let our home go unguarded - otherwise, your place will be invaded by a pack of wolves. Day or night. I don't know why those wolves love our camping in our house so much...could be that beef jerky that I eat every morning. That could be it.
"So Globox, when are we actually gonna catch a fish?" Rayman asked his amphibian friend, as he was starting to lose his patience. He and Globox were fishing at the lake for what seemed like an hour, and so far neither man has made a catch.
"There's no fish in his lake, to tell you the truth," confessed Globox, as Rayman responded by angrily smacking his forehead. "Globox just comes here to this lake with his fishing rod to pass the time. The fishing rod is just a prop."
"Can't believe I gave up wrapping Christmas presents for this..." Rayman ran his hand down his face, as he felt like sucker-punching Globox to oblivion. "...Globox, you seriously owe me a fish dinner."
"Heads up, laddies! We got ourselves a visitor!" announced Barbara as she showed up at the lakeside, grabbing Rayman and company's attention. Cloud was surprised to see Alex with Barbara, showing up with her blocky self.
"Greetings, Cloud," Alex greeted the swordsman, waving with her hand; it took a lot of effort, and it looked awkward, but the craftswoman got it done. "I flew here on my elytra to deliver a message."
"Cool, so what's the message?" inquired Cloud, hoping that he wouldn't have to go back to the mansion. He just wanted to kick back at Rayman's place until he believed the coast was clear.
"It is about Sephiroth, your arch-nemesis. He is currently looking for you." The news didn't seem to faze Cloud, as he sat back on the bench he was sitting on and folded his arms behind his head.
"Tell him to keep on looking. I'm sure he'll find me eventually...or not." The way things were looking now, Cloud might not return to the mansion until after midnight, or even much later than that.
"This is no laughing matter. Sephiroth is exhibiting delinquent behavior at the mansion, and Master Hand and Zelda are too preoccupied at the moment. Which is why, you, Cloud, should..."
"Is Link still around? Let him handle Sephiroth for me. I'll come by sometime later to clean up the mess behind him."
Pit, Kirby, and Incineroar were strolling through the mansion, with Pit grateful that Sephiroth let him off easy. Sephiroth could've given the angel a piece of his mind, but after hearing that Cloud was supposedly at the mansion, the one-winged angel shifted his focus in a snap. Which turned out to be bad news for everyone else.
"Cloud is gonna kick my butt for sure..." fretted Pit, fearing that he might receive a butt-whooping of epic proportions from Cloud. Although Cloud would probably just reprimand Pit, and leave it at that.
"I'm sure he'll let you off easy," Kirby assured Pit, who thought otherwise as he envisioned Cloud literally kicking his butt in his head. And also speaking his butt too, for whatever reason. "I know he won't get physical with..."
Kirby stopped speaking, he and his friends coming to a stop as they encountered Yosuke lying on the floor outside the lounge. Yosuke was holding his ankle, and it was clear that the young man was in pain.
"Sup fellas, don't mind me..." Yosuke grinned at Pit and company, seeing the visible concern on their faces. "...just twisted my ankle on purpose!"
"Why would anyone want to twist their ankle on purpose?" questioned Kirby, as Incineroar checked on Yosuke and his ankle. A mere tap on the ankle from Incineroar made Yosuke yelp in pain.
"Speak for yourself...I twisted my elbow on purpose," stated Pit, as Kirby gave the angel a weird look. Which had become one of the pink puffball's signature moves at this point. "Learned something new that day."
"This was my own doing, I just wanted to feel the pain for myself," assured Yosuke, although Pit and company didn't buy the young man's excuse. "Not like some dude with a long sword kicked me out of the lounge!"
"Wait, are you saying that Sephiroth's in the lounge?" Kirby asked Yosuke, who realized that he might've said too much. Sephiroth was on the hunt for Cloud, and it seemed that a few residents were met with the one-winged angel's fury.
"No, no, not at all...this is a different swordsman we're talking about." Again, Pit and company didn't buy Yosuke's excuse, as they went inside the lounge. "Those guys are so done for..."
Inside the lounge, Pit and company saw Akihiko and Ryuji writhing on the floor in pain. They also saw Sephiroth, who was holding Joker against a wall with his hand on the young man's neck.
"I will ask this again..." Sephiroth said to Joker, who was struggling to break free of the one-winged angel's grip. Sephiroth held his neck real tight. "...where can I find Cloud?"
"Once again, you're asking the wrong guy!" replied Joker, as he felt his breathing slightly constrained. Pit and company were left helpless, too afraid to help out Joker during his time of peril.
"You are testing my patience...I have no time for your silly games. Tell me where Cloud is, or else I'll have to..."
Suddenly a loud thwack was heard, as Sephiroth felt something steel clash against his leg. Dropping Joker to the floor, Sephiroth turned around and saw Ryuji, armed with a steel chair. Ryuji wasn't backing down.
"You have made the wrong choice..." Sephiroth said to Ryuji, who used his Masamune to knock the steel chair out of Ryuji's hands before the delinquent could make another move.
Ryuji: Why is it that hitting people with steel chairs is justifiable in the wrestling ring, but completely discouraged everywhere else?
"I-It was just a prank, bro!" Ryuji said to Sephiroth, falling back on the floor as he backed away. Sephiroth followed after Ryuji, having some unfinished business to settle with the delinquent.
"I don't find your humor to be quite...humorous," Sephiroth said to Ryuji as he backed the delinquent into a couch. Ryuji had no other means of escape. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't make an example out of you."
"Ryuji!" Joker called out to his friend with a hand on his aching neck, not wanting to see Ryuji get hurt. Pit assessed the situation and realized that he should step in and save the day.
"Leave him alone!" the angel shouted at Sephiroth before standing in-between the one-winged angel and Ryuji. Pit had his arms out wide, as Sephiroth looked at the angel with a skeptical stare.
"Or else what, angel boy?" Sephiroth asked Pit, not even bothering to waste his Masamune on the angel. "Do you honestly believe that you stepping in my way will stop me?"
"Well, I would do the T-pose on ya, but I know you wouldn't be able to handle it. So I'll just do this instead..." Pit was about to pull down his pants, with Sephiroth looking on very inquisitively, until...
"Cloud, is that you? Why are you running down the hallway?" someone called out from outside the lounge, and it was a female voice. Sephiroth immediately perked up when he heard Cloud's name.
"I shall deal with you another time..." Sephiroth said to Pit as he left the lounge. By the time Sephiroth had left, Pit finally got his pants loose.
"Aw, dang it, I didn't get to moon Sephiroth!" frowned Pit as he readjusted his pants; Ryuji sighed in relief, but not because Pit saved him from Sephiroth. "That really could've put him in his place."
"It's good that Sephiroth left before you did anything," Kirby said to Pit, worried that the angel might've flashed the wrong body part by accident. Soon Makoto and Aigis came into the lounge, to check upon Joker and Ryuji.
"Joker, are you okay?" Makoto asked her boyfriend, who was seated against the wall recuperating. Joker's neck was still sore, as Makoto lightly massaged it. "You look pretty roughed up..."
"Sephiroth's no joke," replied Joker, not yet having the strength or the fortitude to stand up on his own. Makoto had to help him up. "I'm just glad that he didn't use his sword..."
"Yosuke informed us about Sephiroth harassing people while looking for Cloud," explained Aigis, who was busy checking to see if Ryuji was okay. "Makoto called out Cloud's name, to make Sephiroth leave the lounge."
"That's very kind of you, Makoto. At least you didn't try to hit Sephiroth with a steel chair like Ryuji had done..." Frowning, Makoto turned and looked back at Ryuji, silently judging the delinquent's decision-making.
"I mean, it totally works in the wrestling ring!" Ryuji said to Makoto as if wrestling logic could be applied in all situations. Said logic could easily get anyone arrested. "Sephiroth just didn't know how to sell his pain."
"Should've just used a sledgehammer instead," Pit suggested to Ryuji, who nodded his head in agreement as he considered the idea. Makoto facepalmed.
After some pestering from his sons, Timmy and Tommy, Tom Nook agreed to be a part of Richter's snowball fight. To avoid elimination, the tanooki tried to lay low by hanging around Mario's house, keeping himself hidden. Having found the perfect hiding spot, Tom Nook quietly sipped his cup of hot chocolate in peace.
"Ah, finally, some peace..." the tanooki sighed in relief, as he longed for solitude ever since the snowball fight began. He was about to take another sip of hot chocolate, savoring its rich flavor...until a snowball was thrown at him.
"Haha, bullseye!" cheered Richter after hitting Tom Nook with a snowball, as he made the tanooki drop his cup of hot chocolate on the ground. The cup dropped on the ground and broke into a million pieces, as Tom Nook's eyes went wide. "What's the matter? Wasted all your hot chocolate?"
"You fool...that was Peach's cup! She gave me that to drink out of!" Realizing the terrible life decision he had made, Richter panicked as he put his hands on his head, running his fingers through his hair. "We're going to be done for!"
"Okay, let's just take this one step at a time." Desperately wanting to save his hide, Richter came over to inspect the broken cup, which was beyond repairable. "There might be some way to repair this cup...like a time machine, or something..."
"How would that even work?! Just put the broken pieces through a time machine, and hope that all the pieces together somehow?"
"No, I was thinking that we have some kind of time machine gun, that can use some...some reanimating beam to put the pieces together and, and uh...I'll just stop talking, all this fear is making my brain hurt..."
Tom Nook: Peach tends to take her drinkware very seriously. Mario got a severe concussion from Peach's frying pan when he chipped a miniature teacup. A small, two-inch teacup. I shudder to think what breaking Peach's entire fine china set could do to a human.
"How's it going, fellas?" Mario asked Richter and Tom Nook, returning from the mansion; Richter and Tom Nook, who were frantically putting the cup pieces together, looked crazily at Mario. "Why do you both-a look so scared?"
"Mario...do you mind looking after Timmy and Tommy for me?" Tom Nook earnestly asked the plumber, who was both humbled and befuddled by the question. "As well as making sure that my will is distributed..."
"Yeah, and uh, tell Simon that he'll be flying solo at the mansion from now on," Richter said to Mario, as he realized that his life was soon coming to an end. "And as for Alucard..."
"Hold up, why are you two acting like-a that?" questioned Mario as he came over to Richter and Tom Nook...before seeing the shattered cup pieces lying on the ground. Mario's eyes went wide. "Mama mia!"
"Is it too late to ask your wife for forgiveness?" Tom Nook asked Mario as he grabbed the plumber's hands, pulling Mario close to him. "I promised her I'd take good care of her cup, but now I failed her..."
"No, Tom Nook, I should be forgiving you," Richter said to the tanooki, fearing that there was a point of no return and his death was imminent. "Because of my actions, we're both going to die!"
"You two just chill-a out for a second," Mario said to Richter and Tom Nook, as he had grown tired of seeing them freak out so much. "Tell-a you what - I'll just go to the store, and buy the same-a exact cup that had broke. Sounds good?"
"Thanks, Mario, you're a lifesaver! But do you think Peach might notice something different about the cup?" Maybe Peach could tell how different the new cup is not by how it looks...but by how it smells. Which would be a high level of attachment.
"Of course not! I go to bed wearing the same-a pair of underwear for four weeks, and Peach has yet-a to notice." That garnered weird looks from Richter and Tom Nook, as Mario smiled sheepishly. "Perhaps that was the wrong-a example..."
"The cup that broke was pink and had a crown on it," Tom Nook explained to Mario, hoping that the description provided was suitable enough. "I know you must've seen that cup several times..."
"More times than I want-a to remember. You two run along-a now, I'll go get my wallet." So Mario went inside his house, leaving Richter and Tom Nook alone. Tom Nook was too afraid to move a muscle.
"Peach is probably expecting me to give the cup back..." the tanooki said to Richter, before seeing some snow on the ground. "...just bury me under this snow until Mario comes back."
Mario left his house with his wallet, about to make a quick trip to the store. On his way to the car, the plumber encountered Sonic in the driveway.
"Hey Mario, mind giving me a lift?" Sonic asked the plumber, as he too had to make a trip to the store. Had to buy a gift for a certain friend. "My car is still in the shop."
"Sure-a thing. You doing some-a holiday shopping?" inquired Mario as he unlocked his car, before cleaning out the passenger seat. Sonic was disturbed to see Mario toss away so many burger boxes on the ground.
"I'll never understand how you don't get any fatter...anyway, I need to go by the store to buy a Secret Santa gift for Crash."
"I see. And what is it that you have-a in mind? A new bazooka? Some-a new pants? A Surface Pro 3? No, Crash would break-a that..."
"Nah, I'm looking for something more simple. Nothing too flashy. For the gift I have in mind, it's...it's more of an apology gift than anything."
"Oh, an apology gift?" Mario had never known Sonic to genuinely apologize to anyone, so the plumber was fully intrigued. "Why an apology gift, Sonic?"
"I just felt like I needed to apologize to Crash somehow..." Sonic was looking down at the ground while scratching the back of his head, showing how genuine he felt about buying the gift. "...for trying to instigate him and his siblings in a beef with Sora and friends."
"A beef between the bandicoots and the Keyblade-a wielders..." Mario thought that some beef like that seemed legit on the surface, but he could also see why it would never come to fruition. "...I guess our little karate fight got-a you in a rivalry mood."
"Guess you could say that...but I'm here to right my wrongs. So I need to find the right Christmas present, to make up for..."
"Can you go and get that stupid cup already?" Richter called out to Mario, as he had Tom Nook completely buried under the snow. Per request of Tom Nook. "Peach is going to be wondering about Tom Nook..."
"I'm on-a my way!" Mario responded to Richter, as he grabbed Sonic and pulled the hedgehog inside his car. "You can explain everything else-a along the way. Let's just make-a this shopping trip real quick..."
Cloud was still chilling at Rayman's place, as the swordsman was showing no signs of returning to the mansion anytime soon. Meanwhile, Rayman and Globox were on their backyard basketball court, playing against each other.
"Globox, why again are we playing basketball outside?" Rayman asked the amphibian, who was showing off some very poor handles. Somewhere, Allen Iverson was crying himself to sleep. "It's freaking cold out here!"
"Do they not play basketball up in Minnesota?" retorted Globox, leaving Rayman with very little room for a comeback. "Now watch Globox's excellent handles!" Globox tried to handle the basketball between his legs, only to hit himself in the groin with the ball instead.
"That would be pretty impressive if you had actual legs to bounce the ball through." Globox was more than inclined to agree, as the amphibian groaned in pain and collapsed on the concrete. Cloud witnessed Globox's blunder, and he couldn't help but smirk.
"Even on a basketball court, he's such a goofball," the swordsman remarked, wishing that he had enough energy to laugh at Globox's expense. Standing near Cloud was Alex, who was starting to violate the swordsman's personal space. "Alex, can you back off just a bit?"
"You must return to the mansion at once," Alex stressed to Cloud, strongly alarmed by how chill the swordsman was. Knowing that Sephiroth was up to no good, Cloud would be rushing to the mansion in a hurry. "Sephiroth..."
"Yes, I know, Sephiroth is now at the mansion and all. But I won't see him until later. Just gonna enjoy this time I have right now..."
"There is no time left. Sephiroth might burn the mansion to smithereens by the time you make it back to the establishment."
"Now you're just overreacting. Master Hand obviously wouldn't let Sephiroth get away with that. As long as Sephiroth doesn't know where I am, I should be fine for now..."
"Did you ever disclose your current location to anyone within the mansion confides?" Not a chance that Master Hand was on Cloud's list.
"I told Mario, Zelda, Isabelle, and even Pit...but only because he wouldn't stop bothering me."
"Pit? I have seen Pit appearing nervous before I left." That got Cloud furrowing his brow, as he realized he made a huge mistake. "His body language seemed to suggest that he did something wrong."
"Pit must've given away my whereabouts..." Cloud heaved a sigh, as his time away from Sephiroth was now coming to an end. "...knew I should've just kept my mouth shut with him."
Cloud: I thought that I could trust Pit with something so simple, and yet he finds a way to screw it up. Can't do a simple thing right. At this point, he should just stop existing.
"Leaving so soon, Cloud?" Rayman asked the swordsman, who put on his shades while Globox was still lying on the basketball court in pain. "Barbara is still making some buttered croissants!"
"Dang it, Teensy, you left the oven on AGAIN!" Barbara shouted at the creature as she poked her head out from the backdoor. Teensy, who was just chilling near Cloud, gave Barbara a frown.
"The dishwasher has a mind of its own, so why not the stove?!" questioned Teensy, as if his lousy argument would absolve him of all blame. "Always blaming me for stuff I shouldn't have any control over..."
"Uh, no thanks, I got some big fish to fry at the mansion," replied Cloud as he left the premises, with Alex following after him. "But it was nice hanging out with you guys."
"Cloud, come back, you gotta give the buttered croissants a chance!" Rayman called out to the swordsman as he ran to the front of the house. By the time Rayman reached his driveway...
...Cloud had already driven off on his motorcycle, with Alex flying away on her elytra. Hanging his head low, Rayman retreated back to his backyard...
"Well, Rayman, somebody's gotta eat up all those awful croissants..." the limbless hero said to himself, about to put his taste buds through the absolute torture of a lifetime. "Can't give 'em all away to Globox..."
The snowball fight was still ongoing, as Peony was wandering around the mansion backyard looking for anyone to throw a snowball at. Provided they were playing in the snowball fight, of course. He wanted Peonia around, so she could see that her dad "still had it".
"Jackpot..." said Peony, as he saw Captain Falcon and K.K. Slider having a conversation with one another. Taking two snowballs out, the explorer threw the snowballs at Captain Falcon and K.K., striking both the racer and the hippie dog at the same time.
"AAAAH, I CAN'T SEE!" screamed Captain Falcon after the snowball hit him in his helmet, the snow obstructing his visor. The racer ran around frantically until he ran into a tree, as Peony chuckled.
"Welp, looks like I'm out," said K.K. Slider, taking his elimination with grace as he waved to Peony before walking away with his guitar. "Best of luck the rest of the way, cool cat."
"Thanks, talking hippie dog!" Peony said to K.K. Slider as he gave the canine a smile and a thumbs-up, watching as he returned to the mansion. "Talking hippie dog...never thought I'd see one of those in my lifetime."
"Bet you never saw a talking cheetah before you showed up in Seattle either..." a certain cheetah said to Peony, who turned around and saw Hunter standing by with his notepad. Hunter was staring down Peony, looking all serious, while Peony was the exact opposite.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Hunter! I'm afraid it's a little too late for you to join the snowball fight - 'cause I'm coming for the crown!"
"I don't care about throwing snowballs...all I care about is exposing YOU!" Hunter pointed at Peony, expecting the explorer to feel slighted...but instead, Peony just laughed his head off.
"Expose me for what? Being too chipper? I think you should let loose, buddy. And what's with that notepad?"
"I've been keeping track of the many transgressions you have committed. You're not all that you seem to be...Petunia."
"Dad?" uttered Peonia as she showed up in the backyard. Peony was beaming the moment he saw his daughter. "Are you still in the snowball fight?"
"That's right, Nia!" exclaimed Peony as he flashed a toothy grin; Hunter took that as a sign of overconfidence, which he wrote down on his notepad. "It seems that we're the last ones standing!"
"Not quite - I'm still standing," stated Richter as he showed up at the backyard...only for Peony to throw a snowball at him, eliminating him. "Aaaand it looks like I might've spoken too soon..."
Richter: After I buried Tom Nook under the snow...fulfilling his weird request, Tom asked me to keep him company. Obviously, I couldn't do that with the snowball fight still ongoing, so I just walked away. I won't know if I made the right decision unless Tom Nook gets some pretty bad frostbite.
"Alright, now we're the last ones standing," stated Peony, as the now eliminated Richter walked away and let Peony and Peonia have at it. "Now's the time that your dad shows you all he's got, Nia!"
"I'll work on exposing your dad later," Hunter said to Peonia as he hid behind a tree, to hide from any potential snowballs thrown in his direction. "Eliminate him, do it for me!"
"Whatever you say..." replied Peonia, wondering why Hunter was so obsessed with her dad. Peony took out several snowballs, as he was eyeing his daughter with a mean streak in his eyes...
Cloud had finally arrived at the mansion, with Alex not too far behind him, as the swordsman entered the foyer. His one task was to find Sephiroth, and stop the one-winged angel before anyone got seriously hurt.
"Cloud! You made it here just in time!" Master Hand said to the swordsman as he appeared in the foyer, sounding like some serious business was afoot. "Sephiroth, the new guy, he's..."
"Say no more - just tell me where he is," interjected Cloud, as he was now in a rush to put Sephiroth in his place. Time was now of the essence. "Where is he, where can I find him?"
"He's in the gaming room, having diabolical conversations with Bowser! I had Isabelle clear out the gaming room, it's pretty bad..."
"Must be really bad if everyone had to be evacuated. Just take me to the gaming room, I'll see what I can do..."
So Master Hand took Cloud to the gaming room, so the swordsman could hear the "diabolical conversations" that Sephiroth was having with Bowser...and quite frankly, the conversations weren't as diabolical as Cloud was told to believe. Bowser and Sephiroth were casually chatting in the gaming room, which Cloud believed was ransacked by Sephiroth himself.
"I would love to kill Mario, but it would be a waste of my time," Sephiroth said to Bowser, who apparently was still dead-set on killing Mario and taking Peach all for himself. "He isn't the right person for me to kill if you know what I mean."
"Is Mario not your ideal type?" questioned Bowser, who was ready to offer Sephiroth some money if he wanted to sway the one-winged angel's mind. "Do you just prefer to go after grown emo men instead? You have zero taste!"
"...this is what you were so worried about, Master Hand?" Cloud asked Master Hand, who was visibly shaking at the rather villainous conversation that was taking place. Master Hand's blood, if he even had any, was boiling.
"Sephiroth is literally enabling Bowser!" Master Hand said to Cloud, disgusted that he was the only one who cared so much about Bowser's bloodlust. "Hasn't even chided him for his willingness to kill..."
"You're so dramatic sometimes, Master Hand..." Taking several steps forward, Cloud got closer to Sephiroth and Bowser and shouted: "...hey, Sephiroth!"
"Hm?" Sephiroth perked up, cracking a wicked smirk as he recognized that voice from anywhere. Slowly turning his head to the right, Sephiroth smiled when he saw Cloud, standing in the flesh. "Ah, Cloud Strife...finally, you come."
"Just so you know, I'm not here looking for a fight. So just put down your Masamune, and let's handle this like adults."
"If that is what you ask for...then I shall grant your wish. Why don't we handle this like adults, shall we?"
To Cloud's surprise, Sephiroth dropped his Masamune on the floor, holding out his hands to show signs of tranquility. Even Bowser was shocked, not expecting Sephiroth to drop his sword so fast.
"So you two aren't going to duke it out?" the Koopa King asked Cloud and Sephiroth; his disappointment was immeasurable, but his day wasn't quite ruined. "Man, I've been waiting for days to see you guys fight! How am I gonna make money off you guys now..."
"That was...unexpected," remarked Cloud, unsure of what to make of the power move Sephiroth had pulled off. "So you're actually not going to fight me, Sephiroth? I gotta say...I'm surprised."
"It appears that we are to coexist under this same roof," Sephiroth said to Cloud, with his current pacifist nature still surprising Cloud. "I've come to realize that because of this, we should put our personal conflict...aside."
"Are you really going to do this? Seems very unlike you, Sephiroth." Sephiroth acknowledged that was the case, as he laughed somewhat evilly while holding his hand to his face.
"That might be true, but with Master Hand looking over my shoulder, I feel...restricted. Like a little child discouraged from running around in the playground. For that reason, we must put our differences aside, and continue our battle another day."
"That's what I like to see!" exclaimed Master Hand, as he wanted to applaud Sephiroth. And Cloud, too, for giving Sephiroth a chance; the swordsman had yet to speak out. "Putting issues aside for the greater good. This will make the surprise later turn out well."
"I am sure that it will." Sephiroth picked up his Masamune, carrying his legendary blade in his hand. "Just remember this, Cloud, wherever I go..."
"...there you will be, I get it," Cloud would finish for Sephiroth, who smiled in response as he left the gaming room. As he passed by Cloud, Sephiroth had one more thing to say to the swordsman.
"Just so you won't forget...I will never be a memory," the one-winged angel whispered into Cloud's ear, allowing Cloud to soak in the words as he left the gaming room. Words that were pretty familiar to Cloud.
"So no fight, huh?" asked a still disappointed Bowser as he shook his head in dismay. "Thanks for ruining my day, Cloud..."
Cloud: What Sephiroth did in the gaming room was still strange to me, but I can see why he did it. If Mario and Bowser could coexist in the mansion and get along, then so can me and Sephiroth. The strife Mario has with Bowser might not be that personal (if it ever was), but I think I can make things work with Sephiroth.
Master Hand: While we're on the subject of Sephiroth...gotta say that I respect the heck out of Professor Herschel Layton. That man not only brought Sephiroth to the mansion during the hotel investigation but also had the chutzpah to stand face-to-face with Sephiroth himself! Meanwhile, all the weenies today were literally shaking at the mere sight of Cloud. Layton might be practical, but it must be that practicality that makes him fearless!
Mario and Sonic returned from their shopping trip, which took a bit longer than they expected. Regardless, Mario found a cup to replace the broken one, and Sonic found the perfect Secret Santa gift for Crash - a win-win.
"Do you think Crash will like this gift?" Sonic asked Mario, as he and the plumber got out of the car. Mario was holding the cup gently in his hands, making sure not to drop it.
"No, he won't-a like that gift...he will love it," guaranteed Mario, as he gave Sonic an assuring smile. One that gave Sonic full confidence. "Run along now - if you need-a help to wrap your gift, I'm-a your guy!"
"Alright, cool. Thanks for the ride, Mario!" So Sonic sped to the mansion with his gift in hand, as Mario walked to the front door. But not before Tom Nook lifted his head out of the snow.
"Mario! Did you find a new cup?" Tom Nook asked the plumber, who took the cup out of the shopping bag it was in. "Oh, thank goodness!"
"It was the last-a one in stock," replied Mario, as a shivering Tom Nook pulled himself off the ground to accept the cup from Mario. "If Peach ever asks, just tell-a her you misplaced her cup and you had to wash-a it in the lake."
"That might warrant me a black eye somehow, but I'll still go through with it. Thank you, Mario!" Taking the cup in hand, Tom Nook ran to Mario's front door, ringing the doorbell so he could be let in.
"Mario! You made it back," Richter said to Mario as he ran over to greet the plumber. The vampire hunter saw Tom Nook entering Mario's house, with Peach kindly letting the tanooki in. "And I see you found a new cup!"
"And Peach doesn't even know-a the difference," stated Mario, realizing that he lowkey saved Tom Nook and Richter's lives. "Just like the dirty underwear that I sleep-a in...ugh, TMI. How's the snowball-a fight coming along?"
"It's down to Peony and his daughter. Peony's taking things too far, at the moment. You should come and see for yourself..."
So Richter brought Mario to the backyard, where he saw Peonia hiding behind a tree from their vantage point. Peonia looked quite nervous, for her dad Peony was roaming the backyard with a snowball in hand.
"Come out Nia, and face me!" shouted Peony, with Peonia looking too afraid to leave from her hiding spot. "Face me like a, uh, um...a woman who thinks like a man! Yeah..."
"Psst, Mario, over here!" Hunter quietly called out to the plumber, who was still hiding behind a tree. Mario and Richter came over to Hunter when Peony wasn't looking in their direction.
"How long has Peony been patrolling the backyard?" Mario whispered to Hunter, as he was able to see Peonia from where he was. Peonia looked like she wasn't ready to emerge anytime soon.
"For a couple of minutes. But check this out!" Hunter showed off the notes on his notepad to Mario, as if the plumber was supposed to care. "Peony gave me enough material for me to take notes on. He's such a goner!"
"Forget the notes, we have to end his snowball fight soon," Richter whispered to Hunter, seeing that Peony was still like a lion on the prowl. "Peonia can't be hiding from her dad forever!"
"You're right..." Mario agreed with Richter, before looking towards Peonia and making sure that the girl could get his attention. "...Peonia, over here!" Peonia looked up, her eyes meeting Mario's. "You have to take-a the hit."
"But I don't want to," frowned Peonia as she was showing some reluctance in regards to Mario's suggestion. "Dad will brag about how he beat me in some stupid snowball fight..."
"What dad wouldn't brag-a about beating their child?" Mario ended that sentence on an awkward note, accruing dubious looks from Richter and Hunter. "I-In a snowball fight? Just let him take-a the win!"
"You sure that's a good idea?" Mario gave Peonia a nod, leaving the girl with no other choice. "Okay then, but if this makes my dad insufferable..."
So Peonia appeared from behind the tree, standing where her dad could see. Peony took sight of his daughter, grinning when he saw Peonia standing out in the open.
"So, my daughter is willin' to admit defeat..." said Peony as Peonia closed her eyes and turned her head away, bracing herself for impact. "...not the route I expected you to take, Nia, but it's your choice!"
"At least you got that final 'father-daughter' showdown you wanted..." said Peonia as she slowly lifted one of her eyelids, before seeing a certain lanky man running towards Peony. "...dad, watch out!"
"For who?" Peony quickly turned his head and was startled to see Waluigi running towards him. Letting out a valiant battle cry, Waluigi threw a bunch of snowballs at Peony.
"Take this, and this, and some of this!" Waluigi screamed at Peony, striking the explorer multiple times with his snowballs and causing him to fall. Once Peony fell down, Waluigi shook his fists in a celebratory manner, as if he had the snowball fight won. "Haha, the Wah-Man reigns supreme!"
Waluigi: When playing in friendly competitions, it's always a good strategy to lay low and let yourself be hidden for the majority of the game until time is almost up. Sure, people will ultimately hate you in the end, but the pride you feel afterward is ENDLESS!
"Don't get too cocky..." someone said to Waluigi, who furrowed his brow in confusion as he looked towards Peonia. Peonia was now holding a snowball in hand, smirking at Waluigi with Peony looking on. "...I'm still standing!"
"Huh...?" uttered Waluigi, only for Peonia to strike the lanky man in the face with her snowball. Waluigi fell back on the ground, having been eliminated as he threw a temper tantrum. "Waaah, I thought I had it won! Waaah!"
"Acting like a child...some man of the tower you're supposed to be!" As Peonia threw shade at Waluigi, a proud Peony got up and hugged his daughter, catching her by surprise.
"I'm so proud of you, Nia!" Peony said to Peonia, as he resisted the urge to cry tears of joy. Wanted to save those tears for later. "Won the snowball fight AND avenged your father! Good stuff!"
"Thanks, dad...now let me go." Granting his daughter's wish, Peony stopped hugging Peonia, even though he was still proud of her. "Since the snowball fight's over with, we should head back to..."
"Not so fast, Nia - I think you deserve an award for first place. RICHTER!" Richter came out from behind the tree, having some news to deliver...
"There is no prize for winning the snowball fight, Peony," the vampire hunter informed the explorer, who snapped his fingers in disgust. "We were just playing for keeps, remember..."
"That's okay, dad," Peonia said to Peony, not wanting her father to stress out over some meaningless award. "I'll just have some of Peach's hot chocolate. Especially after the long day we had."
"SHE FINALLY APPRECIATES PEACH HOT CHOCOLATE! That's my girl!" Peony headed back to Mario's home with Peonia, feeling like a proud father. Mario and Hunter emerged from behind the tree, the former elated by how things turned out in the end.
"Not the kind-a of father-daughter bonding Peonia wanted...but it did-a the trick," remarked Mario with a smile, before noticing Hunter scribbling some more notes down on his notepad. "Really, Hunter?"
"Peony is still suspect in my eyes," replied Hunter, finishing the rest of his notes before walking away. "Still got an eye on him...Petunia. Hehehe..."
Master Hand brought Link, Champion, Link, Cloud, and Sephiroth to the room where the three swordsmen stayed in. Link and Champion Link were keeping their distance from Sephiroth, for pretty understandable reasons.
"This surprise comes with some good news and some bad news," Master Hand explained to the swordsmen, unsure of how they would handle the news. "The bad news is...Link, Champion Link...you're both being evicted."
"WHAT?!" reacted Champion Link, as he and Link were irate. Evicting the two Links was a pretty big move by Master Hand. "You can't just kick us out of the mansion, Master Hand!"
"Not out of the mansion, you fool...you and Link will be moving into a new room down the hallway. This means, the good news...Cloud and Sephiroth, you are now roommates! Congratulations!"
"I have to share a room with him?" Cloud and Sephiroth asked Master Hand simultaneously, before looking at each other in disbelief. Master Hand surely had to be joking...but nope, the giant hand was dead serious.
"If you two ever wish to coexist, then this is the best possible move. Just don't throw any hands, okay? Play nice!" And with that, Master Hand vanished away, as Cloud and Sephiroth struggled to accept the news.
Cloud: Eh, could be worse - could've gone back to having Lloyd as my roommate. Wouldn't say that Sephiroth is much of an upgrade, but we'll see how this room situation goes. Better keep a close eye on Sephiroth...
"Hehehe...sucks to be you, Cloud," Champion Link jeered at Cloud, not imagining what it would be like to have your archenemy as a roommate. "But hey, maybe you and Sephiroth might actually get along..."
"It looks like our time as roommates is coming to an unexpected end," Link said to Cloud, whom he had much appreciation for over time. His friendship with Cloud had grown a lot over the years. "If you need me, I'll be down the hallway...you know."
"Yeah, I know," replied Cloud, as Link and Champion Link went down the hallway to check out their new room. Isabelle must've had it all prepared. "You guys enjoy your new room...I guess..."
"So, Master Hand has paired the two of us together..." remarked Sephiroth, as Cloud responded by letting out a sigh. "This calls for a gift..." To Cloud's surprise, Sephiroth pulled out a slingshot - the same one Ness gave him earlier.
"A slingshot? Really?" Cloud accepted the slingshot from Sephiroth, accepting it as a peace offering of sorts. "You have been full of surprises today..."
"I know it isn't much but as a peace offering, it'll do for now. Here's to being great roommates..." Sephiroth walked down the hallway, cracking an evil smile behind Cloud's back as he kept on walking. Obviously, Sephiroth couldn't suppress all that evil inside of him.
Cloud went inside his room, opening the bedroom door to see if anything had changed. Inside the room, where the bunk bed the Links slept in was, there was now a cylinder pod - one tall enough for Sephiroth to fit in. And to sleep in as well!
"This...this is going to take some time getting used to," remarked Cloud as he stared at the pod. Readjusting for Cloud won't be too easy...
