Again, this chapter's title is a reference to a song. I won't say what yet, but it goes in tandem with the next chapter's title I have planned! Anyways… Uh, it's kinda wild that we're actually nearing the final battle. It's not gonna be short, don't worry, but I hope you all are ready. Also, fair warning, but I had fun showing our heroes traveling across the multiverse. Enjoy!
-Joost
Shattering the Stars
Chapter 27: Choose The Way
The star-shaped portal closed behind Kirby, him being the last to step through following the rest of the crusaders. Instantly, the smell of seawater filled his invisible nostrils, the stark, blue color of an ocean facing him. Looking down, there was sand, tons and tons of sand, stretching out along the edge of the massive, glistening oasis.
"Where are we?" Mario's voice didn't recognize a lick of the environment, nor did the others.
Link had a feeling he knew. They appeared to have touched down on an island, meager in size yet offset by the large, looming ridge of rock winding around the back and creeping up before being suddenly cut off. However, another island connected by a bridge seemed to continue the mountain just barely. Behind the group was a simple hut, standing still against the cool ocean breeze. Across the beach, a pier sat unsuspectingly with a watchtower topping it, a dirt path leading from them to the hut.
"I remember this…" Link murmured to himself, a haunting memory of his teenage years coming back, when he chased one of the witches through realities. Yes, Kotake, if he remembered correctly. It was so quick, yet the image of the beach stuck with him.
"Poy…" Kirby mumbled, staring at the ocean with wide eyes.
"Kirby, don't you dare, we don't have tim-" Link didn't even get to finish his sentence, Kirby bolting for the water, giggling happily.
"Poyo!" Kirby cried with joy, splashing around.
Empyrea flapped her wings graciously, having gotten a survey of the surroundings in the short time since her arrival. "Outset Island, home to another hero like you, Link," she announced, landing by the pier.
"Link, is this where Shatterhand is?" Erdrick asked, putting his hand above his eyes to protect them from the harsh sunlight as he looked around.
"…" he sighed. As when he was a child, Link was of little words now.
"This place is nice, though, can't deny that," Luigi admired the scenery, taking off his hat to feel the wind in his hair. "What do you think, bro?" he asked Mario, turning to face him.
Mario took a deep breath and exhaled, sighing deeply. "Honestly, I hope Shatterhand is here, I do not wanna leave…" The tired tone from the red plumber was shared among the rest of the group, none of them feeling the greatest mentally speaking after all the chaos it took to simply get to this point in their journey.
"The sand is pretty nice, but the water… uh…" Crystal, along with Amy to an extent, were hesitant of water. Rain was one thing, all they needed was to stay inside, but an ocean was another level entirely.
"Yeah, if we're gonna cross all that, we're gonna need a good boat… But, why'd you bring us here, Link? This doesn't much look like a place where that Jones guy would spend his time," Amy put away her Dualies and ran her hands through the leaves of a nearby bush. It was rather nice to touch a plant that wasn't wilted or coming out of her arms.
"I don't know, must've just been a mistake…" Link stared at the Ultra Sword for a moment, wondering why he took the group to a place from his memories. Was it his mind trying to dissuade him from finally finishing this? For a second, his faith in himself waned, but he couldn't fully articulate why. "Would anyone else like to try? Maybe it's something on my mind that made me take us somewhere else…" He held the sword out towards the others, waiting for someone to take it.
After a quick glance between each other, one of the four swordsmen, Eleven, decided to volunteer. "Eh, why not? It's worth a shot," He stated, grabbing the hilt of the Ultra Sword. The effort he had to use to hold the weapon was decent, but he managed to get a feel for it again after just a few seconds.
"Be careful, alright?" Eight warned.
"Don't worry, I've got this…" Eleven smiled, closing his eyes and breathing slowly. He had an image in his mind, and as The Passion emerged from his arms and wrapped around the Ultra Sword, he swung, opening a new portal.
"Okay, Kirby!" Link hollered, calling out to the distracted pink puffball, "Come on, bud! Let's go!"
"Poyooo…" the Star Warrior fretted dejectedly, reluctantly swimming back to shore.
As before, Empyrea and Landia were the first to go through, then Eleven this time, him being the wielder of the sword. The others followed one by one, the gateway in space and time closing behind Luigi, leaving no trace of the crusaders' presence as an old man left the nearby hut to check on the sudden commotion. Not even noticing the mess of footprints across the distant sand, he shrugged and went back inside.
Upon entering the next reality, Empyrea instantly knew that is wasn't the one she and the others were hoping for. Still flying up to scout out the land, she almost retched at the sight of the sky, a hideous, sickly green that reminded her of vomit. Landia didn't care, but he saw that his Godbird friend was having a difficult time flying due to her disliking for the world she was in. Once they made it back from their short expedition, the group was completely assembled.
"I'm afraid we're not supposed to be here," Empyrea said bluntly, swinging her head around in search of a certain creature she knew was native to this infernal planet.
Erdrick, Solo, and Eight slowly turned their heads to stare at Eleven, the same annoyed expression on each of their faces.
"What? I… I guess I didn't have a clear mind!" Eleven crossed his arms, pouting.
"Okay, my turn," Solo took the Ultra Sword from Eleven, hoping his attempt would be more successful.
"Why're you so worried, Ramia?" Erdrick was the first to spot Empyrea's sullen look, raising an eyebrow. "Is there something about this place that makes you anxious?"
"Yes, Arusu, there is," she said.
"What is it?" Tael asked, flying up to the phoenix's face worriedly.
While Solo tried a couple of times to summon a new portal, Empyrea explained her concern. "This planet, I'm not sure how we're even standing on it… It's a place that should've been destroyed at the hands of a hunter, yet it appears as if she's never even set foot here," her advanced ears picked up the rustling of leaves and she instantly went on alert.
Over three hundred feet away, a floating creature appeared, distinct in shape. It looked like a giant cell, a thick, green membrane making up most of its body. On the bottom it bore menacing talons which it notoriously used to latch onto prey. It emitted a shrill scream, sensing the presence of life to hunt.
"That!" Empyrea exclaimed, causing a few of her crusaders to tense up and peek over in the direction the Godbird was looking. "That… thing! The dominant lifeform of this accursed planet! A mockery of nature!"
"Huh?" Amy and Crystal were the last to acknowledge Empyrea's startling words. The pair finally looked behind to see the floating monster careening towards them. Breaking away from each other, the Inkling and Octoling knew right away to ink the ground around them and hide.
"What is it?!" Mario backed away, greatly stirred by the bizarre creature. It shrieked, targeting him. Grunting, the mustachioed hero started charging some fire into his palms, preparing to attack.
"Don't! It's only weak to freezing temperatures!" Empyrea shouted. From where the creature appeared, two more followed, having heard their ally's call. The sight further stressed the Godbird, and she turned to Solo, the hero still trying to summon a portal. "Hurry!"
Link, acting quickly, reached into his bag and got two ice arrows. He chucked one at Kirby, the Star Warrior jumping up to swallow it and gain the Ice Ability. With the knowledge that these things were weak to the cold, the Hero of Termina readied his bow and shot his arrow at the first beast, freezing it solid. Kirby followed suit, exhaling a frigid breath to dispatch the other two. They fell out of the air and landed on the ground with a thud, the membrane protecting their internal organs hardening as it turned a light blue.
Solo, having seen all the chaos unfold in just the span of seven seconds, stopped trying to create a dimensional doorway and used the Ultra Sword as it should be, a blunt instrument. He swung the hulking blade over himself and onto the frozen bodies of the enemies, shattering them into pieces. They scattered across the ground, sparks flying from the last remnants of life that remained in the now dead husks.
The crusaders, including Empyrea, panted, their hearts all racing for a good moment after the dust settled.
"What… the hell?!" Mario finally shouted, "What was that?!"
"Affronts against nature, they're known as Metroids," Empyrea elucidated shakily, having a well-earned fear of the bioengineered beasts. "Weapons created by a foolish race given life, they can suck the life from anything…"
"You… You know what all that was?" Eight wondered aloud.
"Yes, because someone from a realm like this was in consideration to be one of my crusaders, however…" Empyrea flapped her wings, blowing the chunks of ice away to ensure they didn't pose a threat. "The hunter proved to be quite busy with her own personal affairs, so I decided not to bring her into this."
"Huh, we could've used her help with this…" Tael remarked quietly.
"I never intended us to encounter these… things…" Empyrea said distastefully. This time, she summoned her own portal, quickly flying through and keeping it open so that the rest of the group could follow. However, her own clouded mind after the exasperated experience led her to another world that clearly wasn't the right one.
Shatterhand cut down another Hylian guard that was trying in vain to protect Hyrule Castle. A frightening glare of murderous intent flashed before the last defender as he stood against the Archfiend of Reality. Galaxia, stained with blood, glimmered in the dim sunlight peeking through the large, stained-glass windows of the hall.
"You fools don't seem to understand when you've lost!" Shatterhand snarled, lunging towards the guard and clashing with him.
"You'll find us Hylians don't give up easily!" countered the guard, keeping confident even as the odds were opposing him.
"Indeed they do, I'm aware," Shatterhand grunted, thinking about all the variants of Link he had killed. Two specific ones came to mind, the old man he met with in his base some time ago, and the younger one that somehow managed to pose a threat. Such nuisances.
The combatants pushed against each other, the guard managing to be faster. He slammed his blade down on the madman's repeatedly, sparks raining onto the already ruined carpet. Then, both weapons met in the middle, locked in a desperate struggle. Their swords fought for dominance, but eventually, Galaxia won out. Shatterhand forced his opponents sword to the floor and kicked, knocking the guard down and defeating him.
"Any last words, Hylian?" Shatterhand asked, pointing Galaxia at the guards' neck.
"See you in hell!" taunted the guard.
"Sure," Shatterhand said mockingly, tearing through the guards' throat, taking yet another life. Finally, his assault on the castle was done, all its forces thoroughly wiped out.
Shaking his head in disappointment, Shatterhand continued on his way through the lavish corridors of the castle, making for the throne room. The sounds of boots against marble echoed through the halls, accompanied by the flowing of a cape. Once he found the grand entrance that marked the place where the king once sat, he pushed open the doors and smiled at the serene silence. Taking his time, the fiend approached the throne, putting his only good hand on the right armrest. Slowly, he sat down, sighing contently as if he had earned the right to be on the throne.
The ambiance of the castle was somber, all life exterminated except for Shatterhand. He took a minute to appreciate his work, removing the Dark Matter gauntlet and letting his malformed hand breathe.
After a while, the silence became displeasing, so using his other arm, he summoned a holographic tablet and contacted his second in command. It rang twice before it was finally answered.
"Sir," the captain's first words when greeting were always the same.
"I've finished with all the little… annoyances at the castle. How were the folks down in town?" Shatterhand spoke casually, not even looking at the screen. His eyes were tilted to the side, focused on something that was off screen for the captain.
"All cleared out sir, although there was no sign of the princess," the captain gave his report without much emotion, thinking nothing of the lives he or his men had taken while their commander was busy.
"Hm, interesting…" Shatterhand mused, fiddling with his deformed hand for a second. "Are you in position for the arrival and Link and his pitiful little band?"
The captain chuckled before responding, "Of course, sir, I did not forget the arrangements. Five of our finest are stationed at the Temple of Time."
Shatterhand nodded, refraining from cackling. He wanted to save it for the right time. Instead, he put both his good hand and mangled hand together and ruminated on his plan. It brought glee to his face, the ever-present grin growing. The thought of putting an end to these remarkable few that somehow managed to stand up when so many others before them couldn't, made Shatterhand feel a sense of relief. He smirked, putting his gauntlet back on, letting the darkness shimmer as the light from the windows dimmed.
A revolting, sinister, spine-tickling laugh resonated through the halls of Hyrule Castle, the source waiting for the enemy to face him. He would be their final opponent.
"Something tells me this isn't the right place, again…" that was the first thing Mario said upon laying eyes on the world Empyrea brought them to. Luigi shared the sentiment, the hills and loop de loops looking very out of place.
Empyrea was overcome with shame, unable to look her heroes in the eye. Facing away, she shook her head, her posture exuding pure, unfiltered embarrassment. "F-Forgive me," she pleaded softly, refusing to believe that she made such a blunder. Landia consoled her for a moment as the others gazed out on the strange world filled with striking robots and oddly-shaped flowers.
"Why do I smell oil?" Amy complained, holding her nose.
"Reminds me of the smell when Violet tried to drive…" Crystal also held her nose, finding the stench of gasoline unfavorable. A part of her wanted to hide in her ink, but she wasn't certain that inking the grass would do the smell any good.
"Green Hills… Unbelievable…" Empyrea grumbled, coming to terms with her foolish mistake and collecting herself. "I-I must've been thinking about the homes of the other heroes that Shatterhand had killed… But I'm not sure why," her words were stunted, confused, and unnatural compared to normal.
Landia just rolled his eyes, all eight of them. He thought Empyrea was just being overdramatic, but he helped her regardless. "Look, it's alright that you fumbled, don't worry. I do it all the time," the four-headed dragon said, "Here, I'll make a portal this time just so you can take it easy."
"A-Alright, thank you, Landia," Empyrea stuttered.
"No prob," Landia turned back to the others, beginning to protect his thoughts, "Alright, stand back everyone."
The crusaders backed away, letting Landia prepare himself. He reared his heads back and roared so loudly that the ground shook. Just a couple dozen meters away, a portal of his own opened, sparkling majestically.
"Poyo poyo! Poy!" Kirby hadn't seen Landia summon a portal in so long, he instinctively reacted with joy. He pulled out his Warp Star and hopped on, being the first to go through.
Link laughed, Kirby's enthusiasm always making him smile. Once he and the rest of the team stepped beyond the portal, the pink puffballs' joy was gone, some curiosity being all that was left. Before them was an orange, barren landscape, just like the desert realm they were in before. However, they were right at the foot of a volcano, a horizon of stars behind it. Again, they were not where they wanted to be.
"Poyo?" Kirby thought out loud.
"Halcandra?" Link repeated, not knowing what his little friend was talking about.
"Huh, I was thinkin' about home… Neat…" Landia was down to rest for a while, but he was dragged out of his hopes of relaxation when Mario grabbed the Ultra Sword from Solo, causing a ruckus.
"I'll handle this, I have an idea of where Shatterhand might be!" Mario exclaimed, fighting against the green-haired swordsman for the weapon.
"Mario, you don't know how to use that!" Link warned, breaking up the scuffle, but after Mario secured the sword.
Mario was struggling a bit to hold the Ultra Sword steadily. "How hard could it be? I remember you said that it just takes thoughts, right?" His hands, as tight as their grip was, couldn't hold the blade properly. Grunting, he swung haphazardly, giving Link no time to explain now the weapon fully worked. Somehow, but some miracle, his movement managed to cut the air just right, another portal opening.
"Woah…" Link was shocked that the plumber opened a portal, but he decided not to instigate anything further. The group had to find Shatterhand, so swiping the sword from Mario's grip, he jumped into the opening first, the others right behind him.
The next world was familiar only to Mario and Luigi. A vast battlefield greeted the crusaders harshly, the two warring factions unsure how to grant the new visitors their attention. Cannons fired off, their projectiles flying into the sky and letting the forces of gravity act on them. The way they cut through the air made a screaming sound, revealing itself to be a giant bubble as it neared the ground.
"Watch out!" Luigi dived across the ground and tackled Link, saving the Terminian from an injury that'd force him to sit out their final battle with Shatterhand, if they were ever going to find him.
"GAH! We're getting nowhere!" Mario groaned, dropping the Ultra Sword.
"We need to get clear! C'mon!" Luigi shouted, helping Link up and running away from the battlefield, leaving the Bob-Ombs massively bewildered. Mario begrudging followed, initially wanting to just let a bubble hit him just so he could feel something besides frustration.
Empyrea picked up most of the crusaders and flew off, Landia letting the rest onto his back or picking them up carefully with his talons. After a minute of aimless flying, the two touched down in a clearing to reconvene and figure out what to do about this portal dilemma. Fortunately, Link managed to grab the Ultra Sword before being swept up by Landia.
"I don't get it, why can't we just focus enough to find where Jones might be?" Amy paced back and forth, hand caressing her chin. A bit of her leadership skills were starting to emerge, though not many of her companions noticed, instead dwelling on her words in hopes of figuring something out.
Link was the only one not quite thinking about Amy's question, simply being hunched over and staring at the sword that he placed on the ground before him. His eyes scanned the blade, the hilt, everything, but his mind kept going blank. Nothing he could come up with could properly explain why this was happening, why the uncertainty was a common feeling that even Landia was feeling. At least, he guessed it was uncertainty that was causing all their portals to lead them to places the team didn't desire. With Landia's case, he didn't see it unlikely that the dragon just wanted to go home.
"Maybe we're thinking about this the wrong way…" Eight suggested, his brow furrowed. Erdrick, Solo, and Eleven glanced at him, urging him to continue. "I think we just need to retrace our steps and go back to the beginning. Why are we trying to portal anyways? Shatterhand, right?"
"Yeah…" Erdrick and Eleven said.
"We gotta stop him, that's our plan," Luigi restated, his words unhelpful.
Link was still thinking but had kept an ear on the conversation between his allies. Then, like clockwork, he focused on what Eight had proposed. Back to the beginning. Those four little words repeated a couple of times in his head, surrounding a mental image of Shatterhand. At last, that sickening smile did some did, as it clued Link on what Shatterhand's plan might be. An epiphany finally dawned on him.
"I know where he is…" Link pulled his head up, addressing the rest of the group.
"W-Wait, really? Just like that?" Mario was skeptical.
"Mhm… What Eight said helped out," Link began to explain, "Shatterhand, he's a cunning lunatic, so he probably thought of some sick way to make this all come around for him," his tone was serious. Taking the Ultra Sword into his hand, he stood up. "He's going to take this back to the beginning, but not for us. For him. Where all this started for him, the place that somehow led to me getting this sword."
"Link, you mean the home of your…" Tael couldn't finish his thought, guilt following the memory of his friend's variant that landed on the beach in Great Bay. In was strange to think that it was so long ago now.
"The place my other-self came from, that's where I think Shatterhand is hiding," Link surmised.
"Hang on, you're saying he's in a place he likely knows?" Erdrick stepped in, "You know that he's probably set something up for us, don't you?"
Link looked down at the ground, sighing. "Yes, he probably has, but I doubt we're going to be able to coax him out now. He's no fool." The hero walked to the side and held the Ultra Sword up, swinging downwards to open one final portal. "We need to do this, no matter what this bastard has planned. He's not going to let us play by anything other than his rules."
"Dammit…" Erdrick cursed to himself, thinking it was wrong to go into a world that was almost definitely set up like a spider's web, waiting for the unsuspecting flies to entangle themselves in it.
Link, without another word, stepped through the tear, vanishing. Tael flew in next, followed by Kirby, Mario, Luigi, Amy, and Crystal. Empyrea and her four heroes took a moment to glance among themselves before finding the resolve to continue, Landia flying in first before the Godbird and her four swordsmen.
Link's eyes naturally became tired once he set them on the land. It'd been so long since he had been 'home', even if it was a different realm from the Hyrule he knew. This one had the unfortunate dishonor of harboring the worst kind of scum reality ever knew.
"This… looks the exact same, Link…" Mario complained, at first only getting a look at the similar field that the group had stepped onto from the portal.
"Nope, look over there," Link pointed out the structure far across the landscape. A white, stone wall, with a destroyed drawbridge that led right to what remained of this Hyrule's Castle Town.
Mario stifled a gasp while the rest of the team emerged from the portal, his brother, unlike him, fulfilling the need with a sharp inhale. Seeing smoke pluming from town, blood stained against the grass by the bridge, and Shatterhand's dreadnaught hovering in the sky was cause for great shock. Finally, however much at a disadvantage the modern crusaders may be, they were going to face the man they guessed was none other than Mike Jones, regardless of what would befall them once they were tasked by the ultimate hand of fate.
In unison, they summoned The Passion along their arms, the collective hum coming from the vines audible for nearly a mile. The glow was intense, rivaling the murky beams of the sun as clouds obscured their light. Link took one step forward, fully prepared to tame his destiny, whatever it'd be. One last thought went to the picture in his pocket, reminding him that death was not an option, at least for him.