A/N: Enjoy!
Chapter 112: Investigation Starts Now
August 17th
9:30 A.M.
The Smash Grand Opening turned out for better and for worse. The place was a mess and it was the Smashers' responsibility to clean up the mansion. Earlier the better.
As many of the Smashers would start with the living room, Zelda paused herself from sweeping away the strings of confetti into one huge pile. Samus and Lucina were near her at the moment and noticed Zelda's distant gaze.
"Hey," Samus called out to Zelda with a broom in her hand. "What's wrong-"
"Have any of you girls seen Peach and Daisy since last night?"
"Daisy came back with Peach right?" Lucina said.
"I. . . I don't think so?" Zelda said.
"Let's check if she's back. Probably sleeping in from last night." Samus suggested.
The three girls headed for Daisy's room. Samus knocked and they waited for a response. After a few minutes of no response, the girls decided to head in. They all couldn't believe what they saw.
They found Daisy's sash and a letter with a black feather attached to it. After discussing what they found, the girls headed for Peach's room, knowing she wouldn't be there.
(oOoOoOo)
At the same time that the girls searched, Miru waited for Makato to open her door.
"Princess? It's breakfast! They have cinnamon rolls."
". . ."
"Makato- -Princess Makato?" Miru asked through the door. Hearing steps towards the side of his ears, he glanced over his shoulder, seeing Ike holding a plate of cinnamon rolls.
"Why didn't I think of that. . .?" Miru muttered.
Ike walked up to the door and stood by Miru in dead silence. It grew awkward for a brief second, standing there. Waiting for Makato to wake up, or one of them start up a random conversation.
"Hold this." Ike handed the plate of cinnamon rolls over to Miru. He took it, hesitantly, watching Ike turn the knob with his hand.
As he opened the door, the smell of rotten eggs and hot milk stung their noses.
"W-what the?!" Ike squinted his eyes and pinched his nose from the intense stench, not only burning their noses but their eyes as well.
Miru puffed his cheeks and pinched his nose with one of his free hands. "It. . . it looks like Makato was making a potion, and didn't finish it. . . She rarely leaves a boiling pot without supervision."
As they both entered the room, Ike and Miru decided to cover the pot with the lid that synced in perfectly to prevent more odor from fuming the room.
"I see something on her bed. . ." Ike pointed out, walking toward it. His eyes laid upon a letter with a black feather attached to it.
(oOoOoOo)
Nurse Room
"Ugh. . ." Solo groaned in his sleep. The other Heroes slept in the unused hospital beds, just to keep watch over their ill brother. Robin watched from afar on a different hospital bed and checked the quiet space they were in.
The tactician assumed Solo was awake amongst the four and asked after a dinosaur's yawn, "You. . . finally know what pain is don't you?"
". . ." Solo immediately lifted his back in one swoop, but groaned from the quick movement. He squeezed his stomach and gave a bloody eyeshot to Robin.
"Buster Wolf. Quite. . . a move is it?" Robin had a hard time speaking from the punch. His whole body wasn't working the way he wanted it to.
"Hey at least. . . we have something in common. Buster Wolf Brothers for Life." Robin teased.
"You know what? Screw you." Solo's eyebrows dug deeper into his face. "Once I'm all healed up, you'll be next to die. I'll make sure of it."
Robin gasped, "Wow. Screw you? Buster Wolf definitely took a toll on you. That's not the Solo I know."
"You don't even know me."
"And soon you will, my brother."
"Call me brother again, I'll hurt you- -oh my gosh. . . This Buster Wolf screwed me over. . . ugh! I can't even speak properly. . .!" Solo dug himself under his blankets, hoping more rest and Tylenol will give him the speedy recovery he desired.
Their short conversation came to an end, and Robin let out another yawn, drifting back to sleep.
(oOoOoOo)
Darkness. And even more, darkness cradled him as if he was the baby of a demon. Too intense for him, Robin cracked one of his eyelids open.
"Who's there. . .?" He asked, yawning.
Five dark figures hovered above him without a word.
"Looks like I'm dead. . . dammit. I didn't think Solo was the type to poison me in my sleep. Do what you want, demons." With that, Robin closed his eyes and snored away.
"Who're you calling a demon? Awfully cocky for being a traitor." Ike cracked his knuckles.
"Tie him up," Zelda said.
"How about we test out that stone torture?" Samus suggested.
"Sounds good." Miru agreed.
"Yes, for the better." Lucina nodded.
Robin was too drowsy to understand the situation that was upon him, rubbing his closed eye. "Huh. . .?"
(oOoOoOo)
Living Room
Before Robin knew it, he was surrounded by most of his fellow friends, comrades, enemies, and the one female he hated. Bind to rope with two slabs of stone, sandwiching his legs. The Smashers were given details from Zelda's group, Ike, and Miru on what they discovered at each of the three Princess' rooms and who the prime suspect was.
"As you know, I'm still recovering from the Buster Wolf. This is abuse." Robin claimed.
"Shut up! Cis-pect!" F. Robin spat.
"Care to explain yourself, Traitor?" Ike had flames bursting from his body in anger with his arms crossed.
"Traitor?" Robin sweatdropped. "Whatever do you mean?"
Marth, who was holding a slab of stone, dropped it on top of Robin's knees. Now the ratio of 2:1 slabs crushing his knees.
"YEEEOOOOW!" Robin's eyes popped out from his sockets from the devastating pain.
"The evidence is stacked against you." Zelda started. "What we found this morning. . . And what Ike and Miru found."
(oOoOoOo)
Moments Ago
Daisy's Room
Zelda, Samus, and Lucina entered her room. Oddly clean, a little scattered with the makeup and dresses on her bed. Her sash from the wedding fashion show. A bucket of sports balls in one corner and trophies on a shelf with her name plastered on it.
"She's not here in her room," Zelda said, gazing upon her bedroom.
"Maybe she's jogging?" Lucina thought. "Or shopping?"
Samus eyed the orange bed, noticing something that was out of bounds with Daisy's aesthetic. The bounty hunter walked over to the edge of her bed and picked up what seemed to be a note attached with a black feather.
"'BLACK FEATHERS'." Samus read the note, tilting her head. "Who in the hell wrote this?"
The two girls gathered near Samus, reading the note to themselves for a bit. They both exchanged shrugs and confused expressions, not able to interpret the weird message.
"Did Daisy, perhaps?" Lucina asked out loud.
". . .Maybe. Let's keep it with us. . ." Zelda said.
The three girls continued to search around the room. Lucina reached for the orange sash and picked it up gently, not to get the glitter stuck on her fingers. "She was so excited for the wedding show. . . It's a shame we didn't know who won."
"Yeah, I think we're better off not knowing." Samus laughed.
"Probably me, but you're right. I think we're better off not knowing."
". . . Uh. . . yeah."
Upon gazing at the orange sash, Lucina felt her fingers touching the sand at the other side of the sash. She lifted her fingers and saw black, grainy sand sticking to her fingertips.
"E-ew! What is this?" Lucina said.
Zelda and Samus hurried over to Lucina and checked what made her gasp.
"What's that?" Samus asked, staring at Lucina's fingers that were covered in black grimy stuff.
"I don't know. . ."
Zelda glanced at the sash and touched the substance as well. No reaction whatsoever as of now. She rubbed it between her fingertips and glanced back at the sash again.
After rubbing it away with a nearby napkin, the elf princess curled her lips from the interesting discovery. "Strange. I don't think our sashes have black sand sticking to it."
"True." Samus nodded. "If it did, it would have made a big stain-"
"Oh, yea! Look!" Lucina interrupted, pointing her finger to a curled-up white gown. The same gown Daisy wore for the wedding fashion show. An imprint of the sash in a black grainy substance stuck onto her dress, front and back.
"Once the sash was off. . . But it never showed when she wore it." Zelda murmured. More searching continued in Daisy's room, as they gathered evidence that may lead to Daisy's disappearance.
Nothing more to search, they headed for Peach's room, which had been missing since the wedding fashion show.
(oOoOoOo)
Peach's Room
When the girls entered Peach's room, it wasn't a surprise that it was tidier and pinker. Everything was clean and organized. The girls tiptoed their way inside her room and searched for clues.
"She was wearing her wedding dress since she went missing." Lucina frowned, opening her closet to see her pink mushroom dress.
"Yeah. . ." Samus nodded. "I hope she's okay. . ."
"Girls, there's another letter," Zelda called out to them. The same handwriting with the same black feather was attached to the note on Peach's pillow. "This time it says, 'A JAR OF'."
Samus walked up to Zelda, showing the previous letter they found at Daisy's bed, and placed it with the one Zelda found side by side.
"'A JAR OF BLACK FEATHERS.'" They both said.
"Ooh. . . Chilling!" Lucina shook her head, squeezing her body. "Is this some kind of game?"
Samus furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, it's not a funny one is it?"
"Someone is giving out a message. . ." Zelda then said. "It only makes sense when you put these two notes together."
"Do you think. . . there could be more?" Lucina frowned.
"Likely," Samus answered.
"Let's ask Makato if she knows anything about this message. Or. . . black feathers." Zelda suggested. "She does collect unusual ingredients for her potions after all."
(oOoOoOo)
Makato's Room
"'THE TRAITOR OWNS.'" Ike read the black feather note that was placed on Makato's bed.
Miru saw the note and arched his brow. "I'm quite confused. . . This isn't Makato's handwriting. Who wrote this?"
". . ." Ike glanced at what was on her table. A single glass jar of the black powder, being attached to the cloth. It was sealed with purple tape and written in a language that he didn't understand.
"That's right. . . she wiped that grainy stuff that you guys exploded on my face. Pause on that." Ike said, remembering those bitter memories as he picked up the jar.
"It was an accident," Miru said. "Robin is to blame. He brought it with him and I was trying to stop him from creating a catastrophe."
"Wait till I get my hands on him. . ." The mercenary turned away from the desk and headed for the door. Once he pulled it open, Zelda, Samus, and Lucina appeared before him.
"Oh- -Ike," Zelda was taken back. "What. . . are you doing here?"
"Makato's gone. And we found this-" Ike explained in less than ten words, pulling up at the black feather note.
"Makato's gone as well. . .?" Zelda widened her eyes. "And that note-"
"It's the same note we found in Daisy and Peach's room!" Lucina said.
"What does that note say?" Samus asked.
Ike glanced back at the note. "'THE TRAITOR OWNS. . .'"
Lucina held up the note from Peach's room. "This one says, 'A JAR OF-'"
"'BLACK FEATHERS.'" Zelda finished the sentence. "'THE TRAITOR OWNS A JAR OF BLACK FEATHERS.'"
"A traitor, huh? Someone that is trying to sabotage the Smash Mansion. . ." Miru said.
"And all three of them are missing as well. What could this mean?" Lucina said.
"There weren't any black feathers in Makato's room. Just this from yesterday." Ike showed the girls a jar of the black grainy substance being attached to cloth from Makato's room.
"Oh! It's like what we found on Daisy's sash." Zelda said, holding the orange sash. "The same grainy, black stuff."
Ike rubbed his hair and sighed. "Everything's connecting like a puzzle."
"Now. . . if what the anonymous notes say is true, then who's the traitor?" Samus asked the group. From her question, a bubble of silence floated upon their way. Nobody came up with a name that could be a traitor.
"Maybe one of the evil guys!" Lucina said.
"You mean Ganondorf, Bowser, etc.?" Samus shrugged. "That's too obvious."
"I agree with Samus," Zelda nodded. "Someone I think is more intelligent to put up with this kind of scheme. Who could it be?"
As the girls were left into thought, Ike crossed his arms and eyed Miru.
Miru came into eye contact with the mercenary. "What is it?"
"Who was it that brought that black powder again to Makato's room?"
Miru paused for a moment and sweatdropped. "It. . . it was Robin."
(oOoOoOo)
Present Time
"And this is what we found in Robin's room." Zelda presented the jar of black feathers to everyone. Just as it was described upon the mysterious black-feathered note.
"Just as the note says, huh?"
"So the traitor's Robin!"
"Bring them back!"
The Smashers agreed with the evidence and bombarded Robin with shouts and screams to bring the girls back.
"D-d-don't I have a-a-a. . . say in this?!" Robin panicked. The slab of stones made it worse for him to focus, for his knees were getting crushed slowly but surely. "I never received such a jar of black feathers! I'm being wrongly accused! Framed!"
"I believe Robin is telling the truth! He would never do such a thing-" Chrom said. "But, Robin, please-"
"Cut the b-b-b-bullshit and tell us!" Ike grabbed three more slabs of stone from the stone pile and placed them all on his crushed knees.
"HOT DIGGITY DOG!" Pain channeled from his ears to his eyes, to his lips. He began to laugh-cry from the pain which creeped most of the Smashers out.
"No, that's wrong! It wasn't that weirdo!" A high-pitched underwater voice cried out. Everyone turned to the voice to see Inkling far from the crowd with tears in her eyes.
Silence filled the room, waiting for Marmalade to give out her explanation. "I. . . I know it wasn't him. Last night, I saw Peach and Daisy and Makato before they all disappeared! I was with them!"
"Then tell us, Squid Breath," Ike demanded. "Who besides Robin-"
The Inkling didn't hesitate to point her finger at the ex-SOLDIER and the Prince of Altea. "Cloud and Marth took them away! I saw Cloud with Peach and Marth with Daisy! I think they took Makato too! They. . . they kidnapped them and buried them!"
"Huh?!" Marth cracked a nervous smile. "Did you s-say, kidnapped?! I haven't seen Daisy and Makato since the fashion show! Let alone Peach!"
"Buried?" Cloud widened his eyes, not expecting to be a suspect alongside Robin. Robin. Him.
"My Marth-sama?!" Lucina gasped.
"Our Hero-King would never do something so cruel!" Chrom also defended.
"Now that I think about it, it all makes sense," Roy said, swaying his head back and forth. "I think. . . I saw Marth with Daisy too. . . Yes. . .!"
"Roy, stop lying! You were backstage with us this whole time until after the fashion show." Link said.
"She may be telling the truth," Rosalina said.
"Daisy and Marmalade were close friends after all," Zelda said.
"So are you going to take her side?" Marth said.
"Let's get 'em, Ike said with laser beams in his eyes.
"W-wait! Hold on a sec!" Marth's face went pale, as he hid behind Cloud.
Richter tugged the extra rope that was used to tie up Robin. "Poor Inkling, waited a whole NIGHT to confess her worries upon us. May God be a witness to us all."
Cloud and Marth were backed into a wall by the Smashers and tied up with stone slabs sandwiching their legs.
"So. . .'' Mario scratched his mustache and started the conversation once the crowd calmed down a bit. "We have three suspects that led to the disappearance of Peach, Daisy, and Makato."
"Just tell us where they are- -Marth." Ike pointed his Ragnell up his nose.
"I don't know! I'm innocent!"
"I agree. I'm innocent-"
"No, you're not, Robin."
"One of them is lying. . . how do we know what they're saying is true?" Zelda said.
"Taking this to court, obviously. Our very own class trial!"
That voice. That little buttery voice always scheming something smart or extremely dumb. Everyone in the mansion turned their heads to the pink puffball, who had a gavel in his hand.
"Figure out whodunnit! Who is the traitor amongst all of us? You may call anyone from last night. They may help you in the class trial to clear your name. Heck, I got a list of the guests each Smasher came into contact with! If you get it right, you win!"
"Um, what the heck is a class trial?" Roy asked, showing an awkward smile.
"I don't know." Link shrugged. "Probably another way to say court. That's what I'm getting."
"Seems like we're taking this to the next level. . ." Meta Knight said.
Ike scoffed and grabbed Kirby's head-body. "You telling me you know whodunnit this whole fucking time? Cap-"
"That's Captain Kirby to you. You, idiots, don't know I brought some of my distant relatives. Come on out, MicroKirbies!" Kirby then snapped his fingers and a bunch of MicroKirbies from between the couches, under the pictures, the cups, every nook, and cranny tight space they relieved themselves to the Smashers. All of them a different shade than the next with cameras on the head like a headband.
"They're ants!" Roy exclaimed, lifting one of his feet off the ground.
"I think I feel one of them crawling up my tail. . ." Fox said.
"Aww! They're so cute!" Palutena smiled at the ant-sized Kirbies.
"Don't touch me you green, slobbish slut!"
"Hehehe~" Palutena giggled. "I can't understand what he's saying!"
"Yeah, the MicroKirbies are illegal aliens from Planet Snapstar, so they only speak Kirbanese. But anyway, my cousins have the proof! So I know who did it! Even if you try to rob my cousins, you'll get stabbed by a fatal, lethal poison, and die."
. . .
"Let's get to it, shall we?! I have the courtroom prepared!"
(oOoOoOo)
Court Room
And so as Kirby put it, he had full control of the sticky situation. Kirby even prepared a whole Danganronpa-style courtroom where everyone could see each other. The Smashers, all in a circle, facing each other. The people from yesterday were also participating by becoming the audience or somebody's witness/alibi, and Kirby was the monitor and the judge of it all. Robin and Solo were healed up with Makato's healing potions just before the trial.
"Poyo! Now that we have a reasonable crowd, let's get this party started!" Kirby cheered. "We'll each hear the suspect's testimony one at a time before we conduct the argument. Who's going first-?"
"Cloud!" Marmalade started the debate, bringing her desperate feelings into the matter as she pointed her finger at Cloud in the circle they are in. "I saw you with Peach! I know you did something to her!"
". . ." Cloud kept his eyes toward the ground in silence for a hot minute, which made the situation for him a bit worse.
"He's not saying anything, nor denying it. . ." Little Mac muttered.
"Guilty. I'm calling it right now." Toon Link commented.
"Well, Cloud," Ike crossed his arms, glaring at the blonde mercenary. "Say something."
"Ooooorrder! I need ooooorder!" Kirby lifted his pink, Kirby Super Star sponsored gavel and banged it on the wooden block. "Ok, Cloud. Go ahead and prove your innocence!"
The blonde mercenary crossed his arms and looked at the Smashers that had his eyes glued upon him. ". . . I was stuck in the men's restroom. For my so-called meet-and-greet."
"You ate those Min-Min noodles, didn't you?" Roy swayed his head from side to side, pitying him.
"Noodles, not Taco Bell, yes!" Min-Min burst out in flames to anyone that would disrespect her cooking.
"No," Cloud answered. "I was trapped with a bunch of. . . girls. I escaped through the air vents and found some creep peeping at the girl's changing room. He had. . . an orange bandana. When the girls left the room, we both left the vents and headed for the baths due to the intense heat. That's all."
"Certified pervert." Ike coughed out.
"Shut it," Cloud said.
"Do you have any witnesses that prove your claim?" Marth said.
"Why should that matter?"
Roy sighed, shaking his head. "You obviously don't know how Ace Attorney works."
A young woman waved her hand at the audience stand.
"My name is Jessica. And I'm an employee at Macy's. Cloud's meet and greet definitely took place in the men's restroom on the second floor. I was there. And there were a lot of girls too!"
"Damn. I hate to take a number two in that situation." Roy laughed.
"Who's this perverted bandana boy?" Inkling asked.
"It's me, ya!" Eight shot himself from his seat waving to the Smashers with a rectangular grin. "I was with Cloud the whole time! Oh my gosh, he was sooo cool! Those eyes, beautiful. Chef's kiss! Muah!" Eight then kissed the tips of his fingers while everyone in court processed the weirdness he just spattered from his lips.
"So embarrassing. . ." Eleven buried himself with his long brown locks to keep the eyes away.
"Eight! You were peeping?! Again!" Arusu cried out.
"An addiction is an addiction, ya!" Eight grinned in a boastful tone. He whistled, placing his arms over his back.
"I can't believe it was those two perverts eye-googling us!" F. Robin showed her fangs, angry at the situation.
"Eight and Cloud bathed together, huh? So that's why you guys left the restroom together." Robin rubbed his chin, chuckling.
"You know him?" Richter asked.
"Yes, that guy is Eight. One of those Dragon Ball Z freaks that you people sold me to!"
Richter closed his eyes, picking the inside of his ear with his pinky. "Uhhhh. . . we did?"
". . . Fake friends, I swear. . ." Robin snapped his fingers over to Cloud. "Good for you Cloud. I claim to be a witness on your behalf. Consider yourself lucky."
"When Daisy said something about rats, it was actually. . . Cloud and that bandana guy," Samus said. "That's a solid alibi if you asked me."
"W-wait! It doesn't make sense!" The Inkling shook her head in denial, gaining all the attention. "I saw what I saw! Cloud was with Peach! In the forest! You weren't wearing your suit, you had this weird one-sleeved dark outfit on and you looked a bit older I think."
"Older?" Ike questioned.
Marmalade nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. . ."
Marth glanced at Ike next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, Ike?"
"It's nothing. . . At least. . ."
"But Cloud said he was with that Eight guy," Miru said. "With an alibi like that, it's impossible for him to be at two places."
Cloud nodded. "Eight was with me. I never saw Peach after she left the changing room."
"Ding, ding, ding!" Pit cheered. "Maybe Cloud teleported!"
"Have you seen him teleport?" Falco asked.
"Uh. . ."
"That's what I thought." Dark Pit said.
Snake scratched his chin and stared at the ceiling. "Was the Squid high?"
"Perhaps she's seeing a dream? Or an illusion of two Clouds." Marth added.
"No," Ike said. "Call me crazy, but what if Cloud had a clone?"
"Yes, a clone may be what Marmalade saw." Zelda agreed with Ike's statement. "Let's consider the fact that Marmalade did see Cloud with Peach. It only makes sense if it was a clone that looked like Cloud. As Marmalade said earlier, she claimed Cloud was wearing something different, and he looked a bit older."
"Ahh. . . okay!" Roy said with a cat grin. "Praise be to Auta- -wait, what the hell did I just say?"
"Ike," Marth turned to Ike once more. "What made you think Cloud was cloned?"
Ike turned his attention toward the ground. ". . . Makato, she said the same thing after the performance."
Flashback
"It is. . . strange." Makato said, letting out a shaky sigh, "I could have sworn the last time I saw you, I thought you've gotten. . . taller. And older. You weren't wearing this suit." Makato tilted her head and frowned. "Rather it was your regular clothes, but different."
"What?" Ike said. "Is someone trying to dress up like me?"
End of Flashback
"And. . . now, she's missing." Ike tightened his eyes shut, as regret buried his shoulders. "She thought I was older and I ditched the suit for something else."
"Interesting. . ." F. Robin commented.
"Let's take it into account. Perhaps we'll reveal the truth of the traitor." Zelda said.
"HEH. . ." Ridley growled, "Whoever did this is one sinister bastard. I, too, saw Peach in my basement. There was a black feather traveling right behind her."
"Y-you did?!" The Inkling cried out.
"That's quite the observation, mate," Shulk said.
Ridley blinked drastically. "The black feathers had something to do with Peach's disappearance."
"Yea, no shit, acid breath." Ike rolled his eyes.
". . ."
(oOoOoOo)
"Ok!" Kirby gained the attention of the whole court. "Next up, Marth! Explain your story."
"Sure. Ok." Marth brushed his hair through his hand. "So, Marmalade claims I was with Daisy. Which isn't true. I have an alibi. It might be the whole cloning situation that Marmalade and Makato saw. So, after the fashion show, I began my search for Ike because he disappeared somewhere. I checked the kitchen and talked to the ramen chef, Min-Min. Say hi, Min-Min! Let the Smashers know I'm not bullshitting!"
Min-Min stood up from the audience and waved her hands in the air. "Hello! Marth no shitting bull! Came into the kitchen, yes?! Ramen we eat, yes?!"
"Hahahaha!" Richter laughed. "You never changed, Min-Min!"
"I can feel the 2nd hand embarrassment growing on Marth. . ." Ike snickered.
"Sh-shut up!" Marth's face already brightened up to a soft pink. "English isn't her first language. So, I eventually find Ike near the living room area, holding a camera. In short, I was never outside after the fashion show."
Everyone expected the Inkling to argue back. Now only a few seconds of silence had passed.
"Not going to argue back, Marmalade?" Robin asked.
"Do you swear you weren't in the forest with Daisy? Because. . . when Daisy and I were looking for Peach, we saw you there." Marmalade said.
"I swear on my mother's grave," Marth said, raising his hand.
"Hold it," Ike said in a serious tone. "You have a mom? Don't you mean the orphanage?"
Veins stretched Marth's cheeks, controlling his anger with a fake smile. "I always had a mom, dipshit."
"Ahhh, okay. Guess you weren't shitting bull after all."
"C-can we continue?!" Marth's face was already a flaming hot cheeto from Ike's comment.
"Then. . ." Marmalade shivered. "Then that Marth that appeared before Daisy. . . wasn't Marth?"
"Can you describe what my Marth-sama looked like at that time?" Lucina asked.
"He wasn't wearing a suit. . . that for sure I know of. And we were so deep in the forest. . . too."
"Weren't you with Daisy when she disappeared?" Chrom asked.
"Um. . . no. When we saw Marth, Daisy wanted some alone time with Marth. And Marth wanted to talk to Daisy."
"I did. . ? No! As I said, I was inside the mansion." Marth sweatdropped. "And I still had my suit on, too."
"So, Peach with Cloud, Daisy with Marth. . . And what Makato said to Ike which matched the descriptions of Marth and Cloud. Why those three? It could have been anyone. . ."
"It's strange. . ." Link said.
"With these strange encounters. . ." Ryu said. "What made them see Cloud, Marth, and Ike?"
"The black feathers of course," Ike said. "It made them see people. . . who they wanted to see."
"You actually said something smart," Roy said.
"Love. . . They all saw someone they admired." Lucina said, looking into Marth's eyes. "I mean, of course, my love for you, Marth-sama, is stronger than any of the girls!"
"Ehehehe. . . ." Marth coughed an airy laugh.
"I think we're getting somewhere with this trial." Sonic said, "Ain't that right, buddy?"
The buddy, Cloud, broke from his daze and side-eyed Sonic who stood next to him.
"Mh. . ."
Robin rubbed his hair and showed a lazy smile. "Such a beautiful thing, though I'd hoped one of the girls had visions of me, oh well."
Kirby raised his little hammer and smacked it against the wooden plate. "The most guilty suspect, Robin. It's your turn to tell your story!"
"Before we do," Ganondorf's dark voice echoed throughout the courtroom. "No point continuing the shitty trial. We already know who did it."
The Smashers went into a silent shock, not expecting somebody to come to a fast conclusion.
Kirby tilted his head. "Poyo."
Ganondorf smirked and pointed his fat finger at the weeping, talkative person for the first time in forever. The one that was close with the three girls during the Grand Opening.
"Why don't you stop your blubbering and fess up, Squid."
"W-wamee?" Marmalade froze with wide eyes.
