Chapter 114: Parallel Worlds
Right after the so-called Class Trial, some of the people from the audience left and some decided to stay to help, and maybe earn the title of becoming a Smasher themselves. With a quick breakfast, most of the Smashers gathered up for a meeting for their next move.
Flashback
August 16th
3:00 A.M.
Smashville
Despairful Gifts
"Hello, welcome to Despairful Gifts! The bigger the despair, the greater the hope you'll have!"
Mega Man entered the store and checked their products. Spellbooks, voodoo dolls, crystals. This place screamed witchcraft in every nook and cranny of this store. Yet opened 24/7 in the busy streets of Smashville.
He walked up to the front desk with a dead gaze. "I want to bring despair upon someone. Give me the best you got."
"Wonderful!" The owner clasped his hands together and stood up from his yoga ball. "Come with me to the basement. I got something special. . . for you. Your eyes say it all. Hehehehe. . ."
". . ."
"You. . . know? Because. . . your eyes? I see like a. . . um, you're glaring and. . . Eyes don't talk and- -I'll shut up now."
As said, the owner led Mega Man into the basement of the store, showing him a blood-colored chest. He showed Mega Man the key and unlocked the chest for him. A click indicated it was unlocked. The moment that it was unlocked, Mega Man felt chills coming from whatever was inside. His legs shook and his breathing became abnormal. His stomach twisted and turned like a rollercoaster before the drop.
"I don't feel. . . so good." Mega Man said, cringing.
The owner shook his head. "Pathetic. You're not ready to fill people with deep, dark, despair. Just to expect from a C-average, midget ironman." As he was about to close the chest, Mega Man grabbed his arm from fully closing the chest.
"No." Mega Man shook his head and took in a deep breath. "I'm. . . I'm ready."
". . .Ah, I see. You want to change the world. That's more like it."
". . .Change the world?" Mega Man let go of his arm, confused about what he just said.
The owner nodded once more, grinning. "Yes, your world will change. With these: Sephiroth's Feathers. Even the name itself is taboo amongst those who know him. It's better in the public to call them crow feathers or just black feathers."
As he opened the chest, a jar of Sephiroth's Feathers appeared before his eyes. Each feather stacked between each other. Larger than a crow's feather.
"What would a bunch of feathers do?" Mega Man said.
"Hehehehe. The surprise is in the pudding. That's what makes it so despairing. What I do know is you must place one feather near somebody you want to curse. Physical contact works the best. Even their clothes or their belongings would trigger these black feathers." He whispered in a rusty tone. "I heard that placing them near girls of flowers would strengthen the curse."
"Girls of flowers?" Mega Man murmured. "Um. . . okay. Just one feather then?"
"Yes. Be careful when dealing with these feathers. It would curse about anyone that touches them. Consume one feather, and Sephiroth will know you come into a covenant with him. You won't be cursed."
". . .Who's Sephiroth? Some kind of dark mythical god from a story?" That name bothered him too much, he just had to ask.
"You'll know once you'll eat one. Someone as useless as me could never obtain the dark despair I thirst for. . . ." The owner hugged his body in a masochistic way, wanting a punishment.
". . ."
(oOoOoOo)
Mega Man left the store feeling. . . uneasy after drinking the grounded feather into a cup of grape juice since Mega Man loved grape juice.
He had a brown paper bag with the product he bought and held one of the feathers for deep observation.
"It's. . . so huge. And I don't feel sick near these feathers at all."
"Well, . . .what do we have here?"
"W-who's there?!" Mega Man cried out. A voice so cynical made the feather from his hand slip out from the wind. He slowed down his steps and entered a nearby alley to calm himself.
He counted to ten, hoping it was just a bird or some kind of prank. Mega Man clenched his robotic outfit where his head was and looked up toward the moon. His eyes shriveled up when he saw a silhouette of a tall man with long, graceful hair, carrying a blade, longer than his own body. Then came along, an unnatural wing attached to his body. Chills crept back to Mega Man's body and his stomach began to turn even worse from the sight. Worse than the feeling he felt back in the shop.
Mega Man's face turned pale. 'This. . .! This guy must be Sephiroth!' His body shook so bad to the point his legs collapsed on him, crashing down to his knees.
The silhouette of what seemed to be Sephiroth came closer and closer to him, descending like the fallen angel he was.
"Mega Man," The voice called out again. The closer he got, Mega Man's ears cried, hearing an uninvited symphony. Harsh strings and a booming choir calling out the One-Winged Angel's name: Sephiroth. Sephiroth. The song praised him as their god amongst gods.
"W-what?! What do you want?!" Mega Man panicked. This time the silhouette revealed himself from the shadows of the night. Silver hair, a dark outfit, and the sword he had in his hands. The black wing folded itself, becoming one with the rest of his body.
"I want the girl that would bring me to the Promised Land. Don't disappoint me."
"I. . . I don't want to do that!" Mega Man denied his order. "I have someone else in mind- -ahhhhh!"
Pain.
So much pain.
It attacked from the inside of his throat as his skin became transparent with a black liquid spreading all over his body like a virus. Mega Man cried out in tears and curled up his body, hoping the pain would subside.
Sephiroth tilted his head and smirked. "I'd expect great things from you, Mega Man. With my feathers, you can gather as many that would bring me to the Promised Land. Or you can suffer from the geo stigma eating away your frail body. The choice is yours. . ."
With his last lingering message, he disappeared, leaving Mega Man hanging in pain.
Letting out a tired breath, Mega Man crawled back up on his feet, as sweat-drenched him top to bottom.
"No. . . this isn't what I wanted. . ."
End of Flashback
August 17th
3:00 P.M
Smash Mansion
Dining Hall
Mega Man explained everything from the moment he obtained the feathers to give the Smashers a quick insight into the situation. And who he believed was the real mastermind behind all of this. Maybe it would help find the princesses' whereabouts.
"Every night, I hear his voice. Whispering in my ears." Mega Man showed one of his bare hands that had been tainted with black grainy stuff coating his hand. "If I don't obey, this stuff spreads all over my body."
What felt like lightning shocked Cloud's body after seeing the same familiar stuff Mega Man had on his hands. His hands slammed on the table, causing everyone to turn to him in pitch silence.
"Cloud? Is something the matter?" Marth asked.
Cloud didn't speak, but got up from the table and marched away, leaving everyone out of the dust.
"Wait, Cloud!" Miru called out.
Cloud paused his steps and turned to Miru with a serious look on his face. "What?" He answered bitterly.
"I know. . ." Miru paused, trying to figure his words out that wouldn't make him dash off. "I know you want to save the princesses, just like we do. But I get the feeling you're not telling us something. . . about Sephiroth."
"That's right, as Miru said, we all want to save the princesses," Marth said.
"I want to save Daisy!" Marmalade said, standing up from her chair.
"Peach's cooking is the best!" Ness said.
Cloud sighed and turned his back on the Smashers. "Sephiroth. . . you don't know him. Not like I know him. He's merciless, . . .dangerous. If any of them gets into contact with Sephiroth. . . ." Not finishing his sentence made the Smashers aware of who Sephiroth was.
The mood in the dining hall turned into a storm. A storm of worry. The way Cloud talked about Sephiroth made the Smashers on edge.
"Ah, speaking of trouble. . ." Richter cracked his neck, breaking the storm. "There's this steak house that just opened in Smashville. How about we grab some grub and eat on it?"
"What does steak have to do with finding the girls?" Mario frowned. "And weren't we talking about Sephiro-"
"I have faith, something you non-believers lack." Richter grinned.
"Faith?" The Inkling sweatdropped.
"That's why I'm so calm. So calm, I'd order a pizza during an earthquake while doing the macarena with my eyes closed." Richter placed his legs on the table, crossing them. He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head, tilting his chair as it rocked back and forth. "Peach got her pots and pans for a reason. Makato has her wizard magic and Daisy. . . Daisy can kick ass! Talk about an unbeatable trio! I bet those girls are beating up Sephiroth as we speak! All we gotta do is find their location!"
"You're delusional," Cloud said, crossing his arms.
"Clowns get crowns."
"That's right." Ike stared at the table, realizing the wise words from Richter. "I have steak- -I mean faith."
"Alright, to the steakhouse!" Richter got up from his table, along with Ike and Min Min joining along. Simon sighed, shaking his head, not joining the three.
The word faith brought a bit of hope from the Smashers as it loosened the tension of the three missing Princesses.
"You're coming with me." Cloud walked up to Mega Man, staring down at him.
Mega Man sweatdropped, feeling his tension. It wasn't that he was forgiven by the blonde mercenary, so he cracked a nod.
"Ok. . ."
"I'm quite worried," Tifa said, joining Cloud's group as well.
"Starting a search would be a great start," Miru said, joining the three. The Inkling walked behind Miru's legs, also tagging along with a determined look.
"Ok, girls. Let's give it a go and start our search!" Zelda said.
"Yeah!" Most of the female Smashers cheered, raising their fists in the air.
"Female power!" F. Robin said.
"Let's do it." Samus nodded.
"Yes, we can!" Lucina cheered.
"Count me in!" F. Byleth said.
"And count me out-." M. Byleth turned away. Her sister forced his head to crack in the girls' direction, causing the brother to wince in silent pain.
"Uhh, I don't think so. We still haven't finished what we started!" F. Byleth said.
"Don't tell me? That. . . wedding?" M. Byleth furrowed his eyebrows and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Isn't it a bit too late? I still have homework to grade."
"Well, grade faster."
Slowly, everyone started to form their groups which brought Mario into a hyper panic.
"W-wait a minute! Shouldn't we be working together?" Mario said.
"We are." Link said, walking beside Shulk. "Just. . . in groups."
"Don't sweat it, mate!" Shulk said.
"We'll do our search the smart way, right, Daddy Terry?!" F. Corrin didn't give him a choice, as she hopped on top of his back with her legs wrapped around his muscular chest.
"H-hey! That's rude!" M. Corrin said, walking up to her sister with Pac-Man.
"He obviously gave his consent!" Another muscular blonde in a karate uniform gave a hard smack to M. Corrin's back, causing him to tumble over his own feet.
"O-ow!" M. Corrin hissed. "W-who are you?"
"I'm Ken! Ryu's rival!" Ken greeted.
"Why sh-should I care?"
"I apologized for his behavior. . ." Ryu said.
"Honestly, Ken. . ." Chun-Li shook her head.
"Ok. . . let's do our best then! The sooner we find them, the better." Mario said.
"Good thing we got animals. . ." Marth turned his head down at Duck Hunt.
"Woof!"
"Quack!"
Chrom nodded. "Certainly, Hero-King. They'll be of great use. . ."
"I got the best pets in the world!" Roy grinned, holding his cat, Whiskers De Pablo with one arm, and his other hand holding a leash that connected to Wiggles.
Inceneroar ground his teeth and kept silent, knowing his actions carried consequences.
Ren held his backpack with his black cat and walked up to Roy. More specifically, Roy's large monstrous cat. "That's. . . a cool cat you got there," Ren said, staring through the fog of his glasses.
"Thanks! One of a kind. A gem in the making!" Roy brushed the red fur of Inceneroar's body, feeling the vibration of held-back rage. "He needs to be trained more properly."
"I got a bad feeling about this one, Ren. . ." Morgana murmured.
(oOoOoOo)
Outside of Smash Mansion
While many Smashers formed new friends and groups for a search of the three princesses, a certain someone still had their head in the Class Trial.
Robin wasn't done feeling salty. Salty to the point he gathered the same people that tortured him with water just outside of the mansion.
"Hmph. All lies. It didn't change the fact Mega Man framed me." Robin hissed. "You know what? I got an idea, and if you guys want to get into Smash-"
"But, didn't you say we're already the new Smashers, ya?" Eight asked, recalling that special memory.
"That's correct. Why else would we be here?" Eleven said.
Robin sweatdropped and curled a baby smile. "YES! You four are already Smashers! Hahahaha!"
"On God?" Arusu asked just to make sure.
The tactician gulped. "Jokes on you, I'm not religious."
Solo glared at Robin in silence, forcing Robin to spill out the beans.
"Ok, maybe. . . maybe you guys aren't Smashers and I didn't just lie to you guys just so I can get away with death! But good news!" He clasped his hands forcing a smile to hide his fear. "We're going to prove how much they need us! Us four will take the princesses (hostage) and demand what we want. How about it, boys?"
The silence was a given answer upon Robin.
"Let's write what we want! Anything to make Mario shake a bit!" Robin continued, clasping his hands together. He pulled out a few rolled-up pieces of paper and some used Crayons, spreading them on the ground. "Here, I have some Crayons. We can draw what we want coming forward! I call dibs on the purple!"
"We're not kids-" Arusu said.
"I want the hot pink, ya!" Eight dashed for the ground, scooping a pink Crayon and a piece of paper.
"Black. Like my soul." Solo said, joining in.
"I'm done. At this point. What the hell. . ." Eleven sighed, giving in.
Arusu watched his band of brothers gather coloring sticks and papers, as they doodled their wishes on a piece of paper.
"Give me a red," Arusu demanded.
After a few good minutes of doodling and meditating. The Heroes handed their papers to Robin as if he was their math teacher.
"Let's see what Eleven wished for. . ." Robin stared at a peace symbol with hearts and flowers circling it.
"Who's Peace? Next!" Robin tossed the drawing aside and was showing a hot pink-colored car with a stick figure inside the car.
"You're thinking big, my friend." Robin grinned, glancing up at Eight.
"That's right! I want my own whip! A Tesla! An orange one with lots of pretty, big-boobed, anime girl stickers, ya!" Eight smiled.
"Not bad. . . Next," Robin swapped onto the next drawing with a stick man figure having X-eyes and a crescent moon on the right corner of the paper.
"Um. . . such a metaphoric drawing. . ." The tactician squinted his eyes, to further inspect the artist. "The stick man figure and the moon. . . Solo. You want to show people that you're a feminist and you have such a spiritual connection to birth and death and reincarnation. Also with the moon can represent our deepest and personal needs and-"
"The fuck you talking about?" Solo interrupted with a dark look on his face. "Enough with your spiritual bullshit! This stick figure is you having a fucking heart attack, and the moon means I want a fucking moon pie! Can't you fucking open your eyes, you cumologist?!"
"O-oh. . ." Robin paused and curled his lips. "Me having a heart attack and a Moon Pie to satisfy Solo's desires. . . Didn't see that coming. Tell me, Solo, do you like Moon Pies?"
"It's his favorite when he's in a good mood, ya!" Eight said.
"Good mood? Since when?" Robin carefully swapped onto the next piece of art with a red percentage that said, "35%".
"Thirty-five percent? Of what?" Robin dared to ask.
"The mansion," Arusu answered. "For me and my brothers."
"How thoughtful!" Eleven and Eight gleamed.
"Well for me, I'm aiming for fifty percent. Great minds do think alike." Robin folded the drawings and tugged them into his cloak. "Let's get going, boys! The sooner we find the princesses, the better our wishes will come true!"
"Didn't Mega Man and Cloud warn us about Sephiroth?" Arusu asked.
"Sephiroth? Heh. More like Sephi-myth." Robin waved his hand, disregarding the warning. "Sephiroth is a Greek Mythology man that joined forces with Loki to stop Thor!"
"Huh?" Eleven said, confused.
"Let's do what we gotta do, alright? Nobody will stop our dreams." Robin took a head start walking as the Heroes followed. Little did they know, a little majestic butterfly trailed their footsteps and their greedy plans.
(oOoOoOo)
Unknown
Makato slowly began to open her eyes from the drowsiness consuming her. Rubbing her eye, she lifted her back off the bed.
"Why do I feel so tired?" Makato rubbed them once more, checking her surroundings. Silence filled the room, giving her time to remember what happened after the Grand Opening.
She saw what seemed to be Ike. An older version of Ike and. . . and. . . Her mind went blank, not knowing what came after that. A dream?
"Am I back in my room. . .?" The space in this room felt familiar but still questionable. She got up from the bed and checked the witch pot that caught her eye.
Approaching it, she wasn't expecting a small and dusty witch pot with cracks that could leak any potion. She eyed her shelf, noticing mold covering the bottles like a blanket. Things in this room were practically going bad as if someone hadn't been here in a long time.
Looking up at the ceiling, spiders already owned each corner of the room with their webs.
"Something. . . doesn't feel right." The room, her room. Everything was placed the way she usually placed it, but it was different. Makato walked toward her desk, seeing a facedown picture frame.
Her hands touched the wood, as dust stuck to her fingertips. She lifted the frame to where her eyes met a familiar face. Faces. Two of them.
"This picture. . ." Makato's eyes widened. The details were too alike. Between the girl in the picture and herself. A woman with pink hair tied in a singular bun. Gentle ocean eyes with a soft smile across her face, wearing a long-sleeved pink lace kimono.
Ike was next to her. Much older and taller with more muscle added to his body weight. Not smiling, but everyone had their way of showing happiness.
"This girl is me. . .? From the future?" Makato couldn't help but stare at her eyes. Like a puzzle, things were being put together.
"What is this place? Have I traveled time?" Makato frowned, still confused as before. Her eyes made contact with the door as she walked toward it. She paused for a brief second, hearing intense breathing from the other side of the door.
With a cautious mindset, she placed her fingers on the knob with an added twist. Just when she opened a bit of the door, a large hand shoved her back into the room where she stayed.
"Ah!" She tumbled back, losing her footing, falling on her back. The impact caused her to groan a bit from the unexpected shove.
A dark, malicious voice breathed out, "Stay."
'. . .That voice. . .' She thought.
She then lifted herself, to be caught in a pair of raging red eyes. A part of his short blue hair with a red headband leaked through the door, not showing his full body.
The same Ike that visited her in her room during the Grand Opening. The same Ike in the picture appeared on the other side of the door. This time possessed with rage and despair fogging up around him.
"Stay. Leave. . . and I'll kill you." He threatened.
Terror wrapped Makato's throat, losing her breathing for a brief second as she quietly gasped for air. She couldn't look away. It felt like those eyes could shoot out daggers at any moment.
Makato then remembered a similar glare, as her fingers brushed against her neck.
'Ike. He's much older. Different than before. More terrifying. . . Filled with rage. But what did he mean by staying here? Does he plan to keep me here? And why is he like this? What happened to him?'
She watched his finger come through the door, pointing to a tray with a piece of bread and milk.
"Eat." He demanded.
Makato gulped, feeling shivers crawling her spine. ". . .Ike-"
"I said, eat!" His voice boomed through the room, startling Makato.
She couldn't disobey. Not with those red eyes glaring at her. As he watched her every step, Makato walked to the tray and picked it up from the ground.
"This. . . is your home. . ." He grumbled.
Makato lowered her eyes to the food and glanced at Ike. "Why? Why are you doing this?" Her lips trembled and her eyes became moist. "Y-you know I. . . I can't stay here. Please, . . .let me go, Ike."
Ike furrowed his eyebrows deeper into his face and let out a harsh breath. "You don't have a choice."
A tear of sweat dripped down her chin. Her somehow rebellion was triggering him.
"Until it's done. . ." He then murmured, making it inaudible for her to catch.
"Wait, Ike!" She called out. Piles of questions rammed through her head, but before she had a chance to ask, the door slammed right in front of her with a click, indicating the door was locked.
'Locked from the outside?' Makato set the tray back on the ground and hurried to the room. With attempts of nudging and pulling the doorknob, the door didn't budge.
A wave of panic brushed inside of her, making her hands pound on the door. "Please, Ike! Let me out! I can't stay here! I need to- -. . . I need to find Peach. . ."
She remembered Peach going missing and working with Daisy and Marmalade to find her. But now. . .
Makato didn't know what to think.
Lowering her fist, Makato sighed and leaned her ear against the door. The heavy breathing wasn't present, so she assumed he wasn't there.
Compared to this dead room, there might be life outside of this room.
"Ike. . . Looks so scary. Like before, but worse." She murmured. Her fingers shook visibly. The thought of going up against him made her blood tumble with fear.
Makato turned her head to the witch pot.
'Escaping is one thing with a potion. But confrontation is another thing. . . I need him to talk to me.'
Her eyes then turned back to the food on the tray she left on the ground.
(oOoOoOo)
"B-bleh, huh? Who, what?!" Daisy snapped her eyes open after a long slumber. During the Grand Opening, she recalled Marth being in the forest with her.
She searched the area of dark walls and grandfather clocks around, hoping to find him, but the sounds of weeping rang her ears. Following the trails of cries, she spotted a blue-haired kid, crying in a corner.
"Oh, shit. No way. . . is that you, Marth?" The distinctive features of his little wooden tiara and the blue cape made her guest it was Marth. "Weren't you. . . older?" Daisy arched an eyebrow in confusion. Seeing a kid version of Marth, crying with his knees tucked to himself.
Young Marth turned to her with watery eyes. Big, glass eyes.
'Oh, my gooosshhh! He's sooo cute!' Daisy did her best to contain her joy, knowing it was quite inappropriate to smile at a crying kid.
"I'm so scared!" He cried once more, rubbing his eyes. Daisy crouched down to his size and patted his head.
"Hey, I'll help you! Don't cry! I'm stuck here too, trying to find Peach!" Daisy said, assuring him.
Young Marth stared at her eyes and sniffled a bit. "Who. . . are you?" His voice croaked.
Daisy contained her arms to herself to keep them from squeezing the life out of him like a teddy bear. "I'm D-Daisy! What's yours?!"
". . .Marth."
"So fucking cute." Daisy managed to comment under her breath. "Let's get out of here! Big Sister Daisy will lead you the way!"
Daisy picked Young Marth onto his feet and held his hand. He flinched from her touch, before cupping her hand.
With Daisy walking ahead, Young Marth glared at the back of her orange dress. 'Heh. This is too easy. . . Fucking simp.'
(oOoOoOo)
With Peach being the first to dive into this unknown place, she spent her remaining time with an older version of Cloud.
"Something about this place feels like home. Don't you think so, Cloudy~?" Peach smiled, cuddling against his warm body. The wedding dress was kept on, making this reality a bit more exciting for the mushroom princess.
In the dark living room, Cloud sat on the couch with Peach, lost in thought. He sighed and glanced at her. "Peach."
"Yes?" She batted her eyelashes.
"I'm sorry for bringing you here." Cloud started, furrowing his eyebrows. "Even if I wasn't left with a choice, I had to see you again. Just one more time."
Peach's smile dropped, unwrapping her arm around him. "Cloud. .dy. . ."
"You said this place feels like home. Well, it is, but in a different world."
"A different world? I don't understand what you're saying. . ." Peach frowned.
Cloud got up from the couch and stretched his gloved hand toward Peach. "Follow me. I want to show you something."
"Ah. . ." Peach placed her fingers against his palm, slowly feeling his large hand. Walking down a different part of this unknown manor, Cloud led her to a wall of dusty picture frames, hung on the wall.
He stopped his steps and turned toward the pictures.
Peach's eyes widened, not remembering the events that led to the pictures, but surely she knew every Smasher that was posted in each one. At least most of them. There was Mario with Luigi, holding a bass with Villager. Herself with. . . short hair, standing next to Daisy, who had the opposite length of Peach's hair. Both hugging.
"I look. . . older. . . And Daisy too! Oh my. . ." Peach brushed her hair, hoping it wasn't the short hair as in the pictures.
There were so many pictures that covered the wall completely. The memories in her head compared to the pictures didn't match at all. On top of it all, everyone was either older or younger from their current ages.
"Who's this brown bear with the bird?" Peach pointed.
"That's Banjo and Kazooie," Cloud answered.
"Aww! We got more furries! Ohh! She looks so cute! Who's she?" Peach then pointed to an unfamiliar face that was posing with Shulk and Link doing the Woah.
"That's Pyra. Her other self is called Mythra when she has blonde hair."
"A Yakuza!" Peach pointed at a man in a black suit and tie.
"That's a demon- -I mean Kazuya."
"Wow. . . so many new faces. . . I can't keep count- -the twin Priests live here as well?" Peach smiled at the green-haired twins in their dark outfits.
"W-what?"
"Oh, Makato! She has one bun now!"
"Ike doesn't like it when other people stare at her pictures. . ."
"So like him!" Peach giggled. "Ohh! Marth. . . he's a kid! So cute!"
"I'm assuming the Marth in your world is a young adult."
"Yep!"
Aimlessly scanning at the photos, her eyes caught a man with long silver hair which brought shivers down her spine. Next to that was a picture that made her heart race.
Peach and Cloud, holding hands.
Peach blushed, asking, "What was I like in this world?"
"Cheerful and kind," Cloud answered. "Always putting yourself before others. You always cherished the little things."
"Were. . . we lovers?" Peach then asked, turning to Cloud's blue eyes.
Cloud stared at the picture frame before giving a direct nod. ". . .Yeah."
"Oh. . . How I wished to be her." Peach smiled. "The moment I laid eyes on you, Cloudy, I knew we were meant to be! I can't wait for the years to pass!"
". . . How about me? What am I like in your world?" Cloud then asked.
"I'll be honest. You're playing hard to get. I had to go to some. . . extreme measures. . . Tee hee." Peach said. "It's not like I tied you up and left you in my love basement. . . That would be so evil of me!"
"How ironic. . ." Cloud couldn't help but smirk. "I almost wanted to do the same. . . I'm glad you're not as possessive as myself."
Peach's smile stayed the same. For as long as she could fake it. "I'm glad. . . hehehe. . ."
"Well. . . our worlds are different after all. Seeing you with long hair said so otherwise."
Peach smiled brightly. "I like this version of your world. At least I know it's confirmed."
"The Smash Mansion. . . was filled with so many people and memories. Just like in your world. But then Sephiroth decided to join Smash. And things turned for the worse."
Peach gulped and eyed back at the silver-haired man. "Is that man, Sephiroth?"
Cloud nodded. "The moment he decided to take over, we. . . we were too weak to stop him. He first killed Pastor and Lazy Hand. Then every month, Sephiroth would want a girl of flowers that would lead him to the Promised Land. In the first month, the Peach in our world offered herself in exchange for the safety of everyone's lives. You could imagine his response. . ."
"So. . . you're saying Peach. The other me. . . died for the sake of everyone?"
"Yeah. . ." Cloud sighed, lowering his eyelids. "But. . . It was all for nothing. Sephiroth continued. The next month came and Daisy tried fighting him one-on-one but ended up getting stabbed through the chest, dying on the spot. Then Makato was next. Then Samus. It continued till every last girl in the mansion was gone. Or. . . sacrificed. Us guy Smashers tried fighting him at once. . . Hoping he would know the damage he brought upon this place."
"No. . . are you saying?" Peach's voice trembled in fear. "The only one who survived was you?"
"Fortunately, with Ike and Marth, us three barely made it out alive."
"H-how terrible! This is so sad. . ."
Cloud tightened his eyes. "After that. . . for the first time, the Smash Mansion was quiet. We didn't know what to do. Marth stopped caring and now works for Sephiroth. And Ike's rage made him into a wandering demon." Slipping the grasp out of Peach's hand, Cloud then placed her hands on her shoulders, staring at her blue eyes.
"Peach, you must leave this place. With Daisy. . . and Makato. The reason why you three are here is so that Sephiroth could continue his plan to find. . . this stupid Promised Land he so preaches. There's no time."
"This is all. . . too much." Peach felt tears pouring out from her eyes. She lowered her head, rubbing her eyes with her palms. "Cloudy. . . I can't imagine the pain you're going through. . ."
"I'm fine," Cloud murmured. "Seeing your face again. . . is all enough for me."
Peach sniffled and tried to smile. "Ok. . . How did we get here? How did you know Daisy and Makato were here?"
"You were traded by someone you knew in the Smash Mansion. And that person brought you three here. I don't know their reasons, but they're working for Sephiroth."
"Oh my. . ." Peach muttered. "Is it Ganondorf? Bowser?"
"As I said, I don't know. . . the identity." Cloud looked away, trying his best to finish the lie. "Anyway, the sooner we find Daisy and Makato, the better. Ike would never hurt Makato, so I think she's fine. But Daisy. . . , I'm quite worried."
"Daisy? Why?" Her voice cracked a few pitches down, showing Cloud her favorite fake smile. "I mean-" She cleared her inner demon out of her throat and smiled genuinely. "Tee-hee~! Thank you for worrying about my lovely cousin, but may I ask why?"
"Marth and Daisy were very close in our world. Almost like siblings. I can't imagine how he felt witnessing her death right in front of his eyes. Whatever happened, made Marth what he is today. He may try to kill her and offer her body to Sephiroth."
(oOoOoOo)
"Call me an asshole, but you're heavier than you look, little Marth. . ." After walking around the mansion with Young Marth on top of her back, Daisy stumbled on her footing, grunting at each step she took.
Young Marth frowned. "But. . . my feet. . ." Marth blushed, too embarrassed. "All of this walking. . . made me tired. I'm sorry if I'm as fat as an elephant. . ."
"N-nono!" Daisy shook her head and straightened her back. "You are A-OKAY! Anyways, you must be hungry being in this place all by yourself, do you want to eat something?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Well, I am. This place does seem familiar as if I've been here before! Pretty freaky ain't it?! Watch me go to the kitchen in one go! Ready?"
"Uh. . . sure. . ."
"Alright! Hang on tight!" Daisy quickened her steps with Marth against her back. As she was distracted finding the kitchen. Marth held onto her shoulders and used his right hand to point a dagger directly at the back of her neck.
Marth's pupils dilated into a pit of darkness and a wide demonic smile spread across his cheeks. 'For the sake of the Promised Land. . . I'll sacrifice you!'
