Sonic: Previously, on Smash Emissary...

"Mario!" Peach screamed.

"Peach!"

Peach was just as the others had become: a bronze-like statue. And before Mario knew it, the robot holding her blasted off into the sky. "Peach!" He cried again.

Link saw Zelda's form as now a bronze-like statue.

"Zelda!" Link exclaimed. He watched as the machines flew off into the sky, and then with another flash of white light, were gone entirely.

"I do not know why he kidnapped your friends, and due to the fact he cannot leave Subspace, he has employed the aid of many evildoers to lead his army and further his conquest, such as the Koopa King Bowser, as you have seen."

"We got his next two hits: somewhere back in Link's homeworld, and a place called Abel City," Sonic answered.

Before X stood a brawny man in peak physical shape. Aside from his appearance, something else about him was off putting to X; the man was radiating a dark purple aura whisping off of him like smoke.

The shadowy, smoke-like purple aura was billowing off of him, before it suddenly shot out of his body with the sound like a shrieking, dying creature.

"Ugh… everything hurts… why does everything hurt…?" he groaned. He then looked up at X directly, who was still aiming his weapon down at him. "Uh… what did I miss?"

"You're not the first to be taken. In fact, Captain, you would be the fifth that we know of. Though you are the first we've seen to be possessed in such a way."

"So the scared little girl shows her face again," it hissed, then cackled.

"Ridley…"

"What's going on?!" Alia questioned. They shot out of the building into the open sky outside.

"I think we're about to find… out…" X looked around and his eyes rounded as the horizon was quickly being filled with a dark purple energy, and it was racing towards them, eating up entire districts of the city in seconds.

"Abel City… it's… it's gone…"

Smash: Emissary

Chapter 4: Guardian Graveyard

Link was the first out of the rift onto the ground, with Mario, Sonic and Kirby immediately behind him. The four of them found themselves just outside what had to be at least a full acre of scrap, metal and disabled machines, dirty and forgotten, lifeless. The rest of the world around them was such a contrast: bright green fields and vibrant trees. But the scrapyard emanated a sort of haunting warning.

Link furrowed his brow. It would make sense for the enemy to come here. There was plenty here to use for an army of machines.

"What is this place?" Mario asked.

Link answered without taking his eyes off the scrapheap. "After the Calamity ended, all of the ancient technology we had access to shut down permanently. It was all gathered here for study. Then after the Upheaval, an excess of Zonai technology was discovered, much of it was brought here as well."

"It feels almost like a graveyard," Sonic said.

"In a way, it almost is," The Minister chimed in over their comms. "This is a testament to Hyrule's passage of time. So much accomplished, so much achieved, and yet those old civilizations faded away all the same. It makes you wonder what could change after your lifetime. Or perhaps, even during it. What could make a world change?"

As the Minister kept wondering aloud, Link continued on, leading the way into the scrapyard. The others followed closely behind.

"It's kind of like the ancients back on Mobius. No matter how advanced you are, there's always something too big and too dangerous for advanced technology alone," Sonic said.

"Any sign of the bad guys, Minister?" Mario asked.

"After I sent you through, I detected multiple energy sources within the scrapyard. I fear our enemy has arrived just before we have. From what I can tell, the same is true in Abel City as well. Samus has already engaged them. I would anticipate heavy resistance within the scrapyard," The Minister reported. "And if I were you, I would follow Link's lead. I'm positive he'd know best how to approach the situation. Now, I will be on standby. Good luck, heroes." The Minister's transmission fizzled out, leaving the four others alone. Link looked back at them and waved them forward before taking the lead into the scrapyard.

It was like a maze, piles of metal and dead machines creating impassable walls the team had to circumvent. It almost felt like hallowed ground, as if the spirits of the technology itself, Zonai and Guardian alike, still remained. Link now thought of the abandoned battlefield back on the Isle of the Ancients. It had a similar feel, if not more seeped into the very ground there.

Link couldn't pretend to understand the technology that now lay dormant here. Even the best researchers in Hyrule had only begun to scratch the surface. There was so much to their own world they didn't yet understand, and yet he found himself in a situation on a far grander scale. To be honest, it made Link feel even further out of his depth. That's why he kept his mind on something simpler: save Princess Zelda. That did always seem to be his mission. He chose it. He swore loyalty to her, swore to protect her. So far, he'd done that, through the Calamity and the Upheaval. Despite time itself keeping them apart in one way or another, he found her.

This would be no different. He would overcome the trials in his way, and save her, just as before. He was confident in that. Time could split them apart, but fate would bring them together again. And yet…

He took a silent breath before refocusing himself at the task at hand: inspecting the scrapyard.

It had been a few minutes of nothing but silence. Link would normally prefer that, but if the Minister was right, there were foes to be found here among the metal. Link couldn't be at ease.

The painful silence was broken by Mario. "Hey, Link, out of curiosity, you keep mentioning these things: the Calamity and the Upheaval. What exactly happened?"

Link didn't feel like living in the past right now. He needed to be in the moment, be ready. But there were four of them here, four who were very capable. So he figured talking wouldn't hinder his ability to stay on guard.

"Over a century ago, when Hyrule was at its peak, and we had first discovered the ancient's technology, a beast called Calamity Ganon emerged and plunged our kingdom into darkness. It took control of our Divine Beasts and killed the champions of our world… my friends. I would've joined them had the princess not taken me to a sacred place, where I would heal for a hundred years while she single-handedly held Ganon back. During that time, Hyrule was in a state of chaos. When I awoke from my slumber, I went to work regaining control of the Divine Beasts and finally defeating Calamity Ganon. That was the Calamity, now seven years in our past," Link informed.

"Wait, so you're over a hundred years old?" Sonic questioned.

"It's… complicated. While I was being healed, I didn't physically age. Neither did the princess. Her stalemate with Calamity Ganon left them both in suspended animation. But the world around us still moved forward. Friends once peers became our elders. We found ourselves in a Hyrule almost foreign to us. After the Calamity was over, we spent the next six years growing accustomed to it." Link frowned a bit. He'd never actually talked about this. The "after". What it was like outside of these conflicts. How he dealt with it. He just dealt with it.

No, that's wrong. They dealt with it. He and his princess. Together. But even then, he never spoke of it. Not how they dealt with losing the lifetime of experiences with their friends, not about trying to help rebuild a kingdom a century in ruin, not about how out of place Link himself felt at times. Hyrule was home, but the one he found upon reawakening wasn't the one he knew. Even now, seven years later, he still hasn't felt like he was quite adjusted to what Hyrule is over what it was.

That's where Zelda would come in. She was so ready to keep moving forward, Link didn't have the chance to dwell. The kingdom needed her, needed them. That's what mattered. That's what still matters. This exact train of thought is why Link didn't want to dwell in the first place. It slowed him down, made him unfocused. They had a job to do here, an important one at that.

"We should get moving," Link simply said before picking his walk up into a brisk jog to get ahead. The others took up his faster pace, though Sonic and Mario traded an offside glance with one another.

The four would continue through the scrapyard until they picked up voices nearby. Link signaled silently for them to stop, then gripped the hilt of the Master Sword above his right shoulder in preparation. He crouched down and motioned them forward, and the group quietly moved onward around a corner and behind a shorter, but still thick, wall of metal. The four peeked out of their cover to spot a fairly large clearing in the scrapyard that seemed to be fairly populated.

Within the clearing was a woman with white hair put up in a thick bun with red-framed glasses and a pair of golden spectacle-like goggles atop her head. Link recognized her as Purah, effectively the royal scientist for Hyrule. She seemed to be being interrogated by a robust man in a spherical floating pod. The man wore a red flight jacket with white highlights, blue-lensed glasses over his eyes and goggles atop his head. On the ground behind the man was a robot strikingly-similar to Sonic, with sleek metal blue plating covering most of its body with intimidating digital red eyes. Filling the robot's chest cavity was a full turbine. Around the rest of the clearing were a full squad of ROBs.

"Guess we found the bad guys," Mario remarked. "With a mad scientist at the head."

"You know the man?" Link asked.

"Yeah, Dr. Eggman. Evil scientist, inventor, wants to rule the world, the whole shebang," Sonic whispered. "I'm sure he'd love to figure out how to get some of this old stuff working."

"How do I get this stuff working?!" They heard Eggman exclaim.

"Told ya," Sonic said.

"That is the entire purpose of my time here, to find out exactly that. Or at least it was before you showed up and took me hostage," Purah spat back.

"Then I'll take whatever data you have so far. I'm interested in the technology of your ancients and Zonai. I could put it to good use on my 'rodent' problem," Eggman snickered.

"I won't be giving you anything," Purah said, standing her ground with the mad scientist.

"Stubborn with your research, eh? Gotta admit, I respect it, as a fellow scientist. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to chat for too long, so perhaps some motivation is in order," Eggman smirked. He snapped his fingers, and two ROBs at the back of the clearing split apart from one another and made way for two more figures who joined them.

It was Peach and Zelda, however the princesses did not seem themselves. They stared ahead blankly, their eyes glowing an unnatural gold rather than their normal sky blue and emerald green respectively. Their bodies also let off a thick dark glow, a blackish-purple smoky-like aura wafting off of them in thin wisp trails. They joined Eggman's side like they themselves were machines.

"That's Peach…" Mario muttered.

And Zelda… Link thought. The stakes here just got higher. They needed to find a way to save both princesses.

Once Purah recognized her monarch, her eyes rounded. "Zelda?!"

"Ah yes, this one is your despot, isn't she?" Eggman sneered, lowering his pod down to place a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "She won't hear you. If she can, there's nothing you can do. She's a puppet now, being moved by a force greater than you or I. And you will become the same if you do not give me that data. So I advise you to give up what you have of your own free will while you still have one."

"This doesn't sound good. We need a plan," Mario said. "Sonic, how about-" The heroic plumber turned to his left, expecting to see the Mobian Hedgehog crouched at his side, only for the space to be vacant. "Sonic? Oh no…" He, Link and Kirby all looked back forward to the clearing.

"I won't be giving you anything," Purah spat with venom towards Eggman.

"Unfortunate. Then perhaps your own princess would be able to persuade you," Eggman snickered. The mindless Zelda approached Purah, pulling a small dagger from her belt and gripping the hilt tightly, her eyes blank of any emotion behind the golden glow. Purah backed away, only for two ROB's to boost behind her and block her escape.

Zelda readied the small blade in her hand, only for it to be suddenly gone in a blue blur. "C'mon, Egghead, is this really what you're down to now? Hunting around for scraps?" Eggman's pod snapped around to see Sonic standing atop one of the massive mounds of scrap, twirling the dagger between his fingers before tossing it aside. "Seriously, this is a new low."

"Ah, Sonic! I knew it would only be a matter of time until you showed your blue furry face," Eggman grimaced.

"Wherever you stir up trouble, I'll always follow," Sonic said confidently with a wide smirk.

Eggman chuckled. "That's what I'm counting on, rodent."

"Well, no choice but to get in there now," Mario said before standing up, with Kirby ready at his side as well. Link started to stand up to his full height, only for his sense for danger to spike. He noticed a shadow moving quickly on the ground, a figure behind them. Link quickly spun on the spot and lunged forward with his Hylian Shield in front of him, only for more metal to meet it and send him through the air. He went over the mound of scrap they were sheltering behind and landed on his back in the clearing, skidding and kicking up dirt into a small cloud before he stopped. He groaned, although Kirby and Mario quickly landed harshly and joined him in the dirt.

Eggman glanced over at Sonic's allies, and cackled. "Your new friends, I presume?" Sonic frowned and blasted forward for Eggman, only for the robotic Sonic to quickly meet him and spin-kick his form midair. Sonic flipped backwards from the impact and landed on his feet on the ground.

"Rrrg, I didn't miss you either, Metal…" Sonic groaned while holding his stomach. Metal Sonic bared his sharp fingertips, but didn't attack further.

"Luckily, I've made some friends of my own," Eggman smiled devilishly. Link, Mario and Kirby's attacker came from around the mound of scrap, revealing himself. He was a broad moan with brownish-green skin and flaming red short hair and matching beard. He was tall and muscle bound, strapped in a brown armor Link recognized as Gerudo design and carrying a wide bronze sword. But it wasn't just the armor he recognized, but the man as well.

An Evil King had returned.

"Sonic - and friends - meet Ganondorf. Although I believe one of you is already familiar," Eggman snickered.

Link scowled and was on his feet and launching forward in seconds, Master Sword drawn in less than an instant and aimed right for Ganondorf's neck. The Gerudo's own weapon clashed with it quickly. Their fighting speed was even, even when wielding such a large weapon. Link wouldn't be deterred. In the same moment the swords clashed, Link swung his shield down onto his broader opponent. No way was given, and Ganon's knee suddenly and harshly dug into Link's torso, sending the Hylian Hero backwards. Link stumbled upon landing, and Ganon moved quickly. After a brief rush that closed the distance between them, Ganon's bronze blade began an upward swing that Link barely moved his shield in time to block. The force still sent Link further back, catapulting him further away attacker. Link dug his own sword into the ground and carved a streak into the earth to slow himself down. Once Link stopped himself, he dropped down to one knee, still holding onto the Master Sword's hilt. The attacks were sudden and unexpected. Even the opponent himself was unexpected. By all means, Ganondorf should be dead and gone, slain in their previous encounter.

Ganondorf let out a hearty chuckle filled with malice. "Surprised to see me, boy? I knew you would be."

"Tch…" Link grunted as he returned to his feet and pulled the Master Sword from the ground. Mario, Kirby and Sonic took his back, gazing around as ROB's encircled the clearing, but did not move in, simply creating a perimeter around the others. Metal Sonic lifted off the ground and floated in the air beside Eggman's pod.

"You 'heroes' can't be the only ones who get to team up," Eggman said. "We all have debts to collect."

"And this time, none of you will stand in our way," Ganondorf added.

"Yeah, we'll see about that, tough guy," Mario said confidently.

"We've beaten you guys before. We can do it again no problem," Sonic smirked.

"Poyo!" Kirby chimed in agreement.

Link did not share the confident optimism. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Ganon. This man, this monster that he had felled had come back, and come back with a vengeance it seemed. Ganon noticed it, and laughed.

"I can see it in your eyes, swordsman. The anger, the venom. You want to kill me. To run me through with that holy sword of yours," Ganon deduced. "Oh, I know you hate me for all I've done to this pathetic world of yours. And for what I could still do." Link's grip tightened on the Master Sword. Link was angry. Ganon was right, he'd like nothing more than to cut him down himself. But as Link eyed both Purah and the possessed Zelda, he took a breath. He reminded himself of the bigger goal here, but also assured himself the Gerudo would meet his end eventually.

Mario whispered to Sonic, "We need to get the princesses and that scientist lady out of here. And fast."

Sonic glares at his robotic counterpart next to Eggman, who was staring daggers through him. "I won't be able to get to anyone with Metal right there," Sonic whispered back. "The second I move, he'll be on me. That's not counting the other bots surrounding us."

"But if Metal's distracted, you might have a chance?" Mario questioned.

"A few seconds is all I need," Sonic replied. Mario nodded, then glanced down at the pink ball at their feet.

"Kirby, think you can do that?" The plumber asked. Kirby nodded.

Link listened as they planned. He couldn't argue with it, it was a good plan. And it offered them a chance to save their friends and get them out of harm's way. He tightened his grip on the Master Sword, priming for the moment they were ready to move.

"Any last words, vermin?" Ganon smirked.

"Yeah, I got one, tough guy," Mario smirked back. "Now."

The same instant Mario spoke the word, Sonic blasted from his spot, making it over to Purah in an instant and quickly taking her off her feet to carry her in his arms. "Hold on tight!" He blasted out of sight again with the Sheikah scientist held firmly in his grip, returning the way the group came to exit the scrapyard. Metal's turbine kicked up just as quickly, but in the moment the robot began to follow, his flight was brought to a dead halt midair. He glanced back to see Kirby pulling him back with his cyclonic breath. Metal wasn't being sucked towards Kirby's maw, but he wasn't escaping its pull either. Metal looked forward as the blue blur disappeared into mounds of scrap with Purah, now out of reach. With his primary target now gone, Metal glanced back at Kirby, who was still in the process of trying to suck Metal into his black hole of a mouth.

Metal would not be deterred by something so insignificant. He boosted his flight power and quickly broke free of the gust's strength, and zoomed himself back around behind Kirby, wheeling around and slamming his heel into the pink ball to send him flying into a mound of scrap.

As soon as the action kicked off, Link rushed towards Zelda, but Ganon was quick to cut him off. Link brought his shield up just in time to block the first strike. Ganon's large blade kicked up sparks on contact with the shield, and nearly sent Link off his feet with the first blow. Link braced himself with his back foot, then quickly slashed at his opponent with a downward swing. Ganon blocked with the flat side of his broadsword, then kicked his leg out, connecting the sole of his foot harshly with Link's stomach, sending the Hylian stumbling backwards. As Link was staggered, Ganon grabbed him by his golden locks of hair and smashed his face into his armored knee.

Link became dazed for a few moments, blood trickling from his nose, but his sight cleared in time for him to see Ganon holding his blade above his head with both hands, priming a powerful downward slash. Link's eyes rounded and reacted just quick enough to put his shield between his body and the blade. He wasn't prepared for the force, however; Even though he blocked the blade, ensuring he survived the attack, he was still sent off his feet and back-first onto the ground. He wasn't stunned for much longer, and his senses returned as he saw Ganon leap into the air with the tip of his blade pointed downwards at him. Link quickly rolled out of the way and up into a crouched position to avoid being impaled. Ganon landed and drove the sword deep into the earth. Link, still crouched with his back to the Gerudo, twisted around and swiped his blade backwards. Ganon was still his match. He stopped the blade in his own left hand, catching it and holding it tight. It wasn't a clean grab, though. Ganon's blood dripped into the dirt quickly from his hand. The Master Sword began to glow a bright blue hue, and steam began to waft from Ganon's gripping hand as the weapon itself began to burn him and make his skin sear. Link took the chance to apply pressure, forcing a cry of pain from Ganon's lips.

After the push, Link pulled his weapon from Ganon's grip quickly, slicing further into his hand, then swung again for the neck. Link's blade was caught in Ganon's other hand, which once again began to sear his skin. Ganon powered through it, and slowly pushed back against Link. Link met him with all his strength, but Ganon returned to his full height and started to twist Link's blade arm back, opening his guard inch by inch. Ganon shifted and quickly forced Link's arm out, then backhanded the Hylian harshly, tearing the Master Sword out of Link's grip and sending him flying back. Link felt the air blow out of his lungs upon landing. His face stung and his jaw ached. He still had his shield in his off hand.

Ganon tossed the Master Sword aside, his hands still dripping steaming droplets of blood. "Not so powerful without the aid of Rauru or the Sages, are you, boy?"

Link let out a strained groan as he started to recover. He looked up to see Mario fighting off both the troop of ROBs and Eggman, even using the ROBs themselves as projectiles to throw at Eggman's pod. At least he was faring better.

A shadow cast over Link, and he looked up to see Zelda staring down at him, her golden-glow eyes blankly looking forward. "Zelda…?" Link groaned. Zelda revealed she still had the dagger and hand, and raised it above her head. Link's eyes rounded and he rolled out of the way just before the knife was plunged into the dirt where he had laid. Link got his feet under him and raised his shield. Zelda pulled the knife from the ground and turned to face him.

Mario dispatched the last of the remaining ROBs, feeling the weight of his body. Fighting them wasn't easy, but now they were dealt with, and only Doctor Eggman remained, sitting in his floating pod with the possessed Peach standing behind him.

"You lost your entourage, Doctor. It's just you and me," Mario smirked.

"It has been some time, plumber. Can't say I missed you," Eggman grumbled.

"Surprised Bowser isn't at your hip. You two got along like best buds last time," Mario said.

"We are still allies in this conflict."

"What did this Tabuu guy do to convince you to join him anyway? Aside from Bowser, I thought you hated being a team player," Mario questioned.

"It is an unwilling alliance, I assure you. But I have not been given a choice in the matter. And unfortunately for you, I have your Princess under my control. She can't hear you past the corruption clouding her mind!" Eggman exclaimed, putting on a superior bravado. Mario seemed unfazed. He even crossed his arms and seemed impatient as he listened. "Even if you get past me, she is not the same Peach you remember! She will do nothing but attack you as if she was… was…" Eggman stopped as he saw Mario be unfazed and just stand there with a small smirk. "Why are you just standing there? The woman you care about's been taken from you and is being used as an evil puppet, why are you not angrier?" Mario nodded forward, gesturing behind Eggman. Eggman spun his pod around to find Peach missing. "What?!" He snapped his pod back around to see the blur of Sonic leaving again, having nabbed Peach and zoomed off again. He sighs and facepalms. "I can only blame myself for this…"

Mario leapt up and kicked the pod out of the air, sending it swerving out of control and crashing through a mountain of scrap. Mario landed and wiped his hands clean of dirt and metal scraps from his battle with a proud smirk.

Kirby had started to pull himself out of the mound of scrap he had been thrown into when Metal collided with his body, blasting into him like a supersonic rocket. Metal's claws kept a strong grip on Kirby's body as the machine basically used him as a shield to break through countless piles of scrap, eventually stopping when Metal plowed through a mountain of scrap with him and slammed him against the deactivated form of a Guardian, it's cylindrical white body caked in dirt and rust. The impact from Metal slamming Kirby into its chassis spread cracks throughout the entire shell.

"You are weak," Metal taunted before punching Kirby hard enough to send him straight through the Guardian, shattering the dead ancient machine and kicking up a thick fog of dirt and dust. Metal slowly lifted up into the air and turned to fly away, aiming to return to his creator.

Then he was taken out of the air by the Guardian's body slamming into his and dropping on top of him, cratering the ground. Kirby pointed and laughed at the buried Metal Sonic.

It was only a momentary setback. The Guardian's body exploded out into shrapnel, and Metal stood atop what was left. Metal looked up to see Kirby midair with a massive hammer in hand above his body, priming to swing it downwards. Metal put his hand out and created a diamond of dark energy around himself. Kirby's hammer swung downwards. Metal was confident th barrier would hold, and that he'd be able to counterattack. No one had ever broken the barrier before-

The hammer strike cracked his energy field with a single strike, surprising the robot. Kirby landed and started an upward swing immediately. Metal put all of his power into reinforcing the barrier, but it wasn't enough. The second strike shattered the barrier and the head of the massive mallet connected with Metal's body with extreme force. Metal's chassis screamed in resistance before he was sent blasting off into the sky, far out of sight of Kirby's own eyes. Kirby laughed again before hopping along back to rejoin his comrades.

Sonic was on his way back to the exit of the scrapyard with Peach being carried along in his arms, zooming through the maze of deactivated machines and torn apart metal. "Don't worry, Peach, we'll get you out of here safe and sound!" Sonic assured her. Peach, however, glared at him with her possessed golden eyes, and before Sonic could react, he was struck in the head, sending them both tumbling down to the ground. Sonic lost his grip on Peach, and lost her in the ungraceful crashout. He groaned when he finally came to a stop and started to get his feet back under him. He glanced up to see the possessed Peach do the same, recovering from her own rough tumble.

"Ugh, right. Mind controlled by the new evil force of the week," Sonic remarked with a groan. "Minister, we've got a problem."

"What seems to be the issue?" The Minister responded.

"We found Peach and Zelda. Or maybe 'found' isn't the right word, but- Anyways, they seem almost possessed, mindless. Y'know, the usual fair of scary dark aura and glowy eyes?" Sonic explained. Peach rushed him and took a swing, but Sonic quickly sidestepped her, then zoomed around her and further back down the path from which they came.

"I see. Samus has reported a similar instance in Abel City. From what I gather, enough concussive force will free their minds and bodies, albeit leave them in a weakened state. I'm afraid you'll have to knock Miss Toadstool silly for a moment to free her," The Minister informed.

"That's what I was afraid of. Thanks, Minister," Sonic said before cutting the line. He saw Peach approach him with pure malice, no sign of the kind princess he knew her to be previously. "I don't wanna hurt you, Peach, but I don't really have a choice here. So, y'know, don't hold this against me." Peach took another swing for Sonic once she got close, but Sonic ducked the swipe before leaping up into a spin and connecting his heel with Peach's head, sending her twirling through the air and landing harshly on her side in the middle of the path. That didn't seem to break her free, much to Sonic's chagrin. He frowned. "Okay, really don't hold this against me…" Sonic crouched down and began to rev up his legs like tires on a race car priming to blast forward. Once he built up enough momentum, he shot forward faster than a bullet, and rolled his body up into a spiked quilly ball that was rushing right for Peach's now crouched form. Just as Peach was getting to her feet, Sonic's projectile body slammed into her torso in a powerful homing attack that sent the princess flying through the air until she crashed down onto a pile of scrap. Sonic returned to his full height with a slight frown.

"Sorry Peach. I know that hurt…" The smoke-like purple aura bled off Peach into the air in small wispy trails, before suddenly and violently all blasting out at once, letting out a shriek like a dying banshee before dissipating in the air above. "... but at least you're free." Sonic approached her. She let out weak groans, but her eyelids remained shut. Sonic must have hit her harder than he thought. He gently picked her up off of the metal scraps, then raced her out to the exit of the scrapyard.

Mario hopped over the scrap to find Eggman crawling out of his wrecked pod and wiping dirt off himself. "Blasted plumber…" Eggman grumbled.

"Y'know, I could let you off easy, Doc, on one condition," Mario said. "Tell us what Tabuu is trying to do. What does he want with our friends? With us? Our worlds?"

Eggman growled and quickly pulled a small firearm from his coat and aimed for the red-clad plumber. Mario dove out of the way just before Eggman fired a bolt of energy that narrowly missed Mario and hit the wall of scrap behind him, the connecting blast creating an explosion that sent scraps flying everywhere. "We all have plans of our own at the end of the day, don't we? Like how you and the Hylian want to save your little princesses. And I won't let you stand in my way."

"C'mon, Egghead, you're gonna have to try harder than that!" Sonic appeared on the opposite side of Eggman, leaving the mad scientist boxed in. "I mean come on, is Tabuu not giving you enough motivation? This is tame for you."

"Oh, there is plenty of motivation, Sonic. More than enough to make me do this whether I like teams or not," Eggman replied with hate.

"What could he possibly have on you? Aren't you normally the guy with the master plan?" Sonic questioned.

Eggman sighed. "He has taken Sage from me and imprisoned her."

Sonic's eyes rounded, his cocky demeanor falling away for a moment. "Sage… is alive?"

"Don't pretend to care, rodent!" Eggman snapped, aiming his laser weapon at the Mobian. "After The End was destroyed, you left the Starfall Islands without a second thought! While I was left to pick up the pieces and scavenge for any sign of Sage! And I found her, tucked away in the far corner of what was left of the Cyberspace data. But before I could recover her, he appeared and ripped her away from me!" Eggman was rabid with anger, veins pulsing from his head. He took a few breaths to regain his composure, but kept his weapon aimed forward, also keeping an eye on the plumber behind him. "You're right, I do have a plan, a plan to get Sage back, and it starts with this."

"We could help you, help you get Sage back!" Sonic insisted.

"We all have a part to play, Sonic. And this is yours!" Eggman fired the weapon again, forcing Sonic to quickly dodge out of the way. Both Sonic and Mario rushed for Eggman, but before either could reach him, the mad doctor warped away in a flash of light, now far out of their reach. "Dangit!"

"We almost had him!" Mario frowned. He then glanced at Sonic, who seemed a bit spaced out and distracted, far from the in-the-moment Sonic he knew. "Sonic…?"

"It's nothing," Sonic quickly replied. "Where's Link?"

Link could still feel the trickle of blood from his nose. The Master Sword still sat far out of his reach in the dirt behind Ganondorf, who just stood and watched idly by as the possessed Zelda bore down on him with a dagger in hand, slashing at Link every chance she got. Link blocked each attack with his shield, but he didn't want to hurt Zelda, so he stayed on the defensive, blocking her dagger strikes and just letting the small blade kick up sparks off the shield.

"What's wrong, hero? Defend yourself! Fight back against your enemy!" Ganon taunted from the sideline. Link gritted his teeth. He wanted so desperately to attack Ganon, but with his own royalty at his throat, he was given no opportunity.

Ganon watched with an entertained look, until a blur of movement in his peripheral caught his eye. He moved quickly and put his hand out just in time to catch Sonic's balled-up form attempting to strike him from the air. Ganon slammed him into the ground with the force to crack the very earth below them. Sonic's body unfurled and bounced back up for the briefest second, which was long enough for Ganon to kick him away. Mario attempted to leap out and strike Ganon from behind, but the Gerudo sidestepped him and backhanded him away with little effort. Finally, Kirby joined the fray from above, priming a downward slam with his oversized mallet. The weapon stopped dead against Ganon's palm, though the pure strength behind the blow forced Ganon down to one knee. He was surprised by the pink ball's sheer amount of power, but it wouldn't be enough against him. Ganon gripped the head of the mallet harder, then crunched it into nothing but splinters. Kirby's eyes widened in momentary panic before a harsh blow from Ganon's other hand sent him flying once again into a scrap pile.

"It seems our business here is done," Ganon grimaced before turning back to Zelda and Link. Ganon stretched his hand out, and it gave off a magical glow. Zelda was suddenly yanked through the air and brought to Ganon's side. Link bolted for Ganon and Zelda, but Ganon simply smirked and chuckled lowly, and then the two were gone in a flash of light. Link skid to stop, panting heavily.

Zelda was gone, and so was an adversary more dangerous than any other. Link was frozen there, breathing heavily for a moment, and then dropped to one knee, supporting himself on his shield.

"Ugh… my head hurts…" Sonic groaned.

"Owww…" Kirby also whined.

"Minister… we need a pickup…" Mario said.

Upon returning to Peach's Castle, Peach herself was still unconscious, and was taken by Toads to be tended to. The returning heroes brough Purah with them as well, with the Minister assuring she would be safer in the same place with them for the time being. Currently, the entire team was united in the still somewhat wrecked conference room, as well as Purah and the Minister.

"The results of the two missions are as follows:" The Minster began to recap. "Forces of ROBs attacked Abel City, it seemed for the express purpose of pulling it into Subspace. The army as well as Ridley the Space Pirate was used mostly as a distraction force while a Subspace Bomb was triggered deeper in the city. Now, Abel City currently resides with Tabuu's domain of Subspace, although X and Alia are safe."

Alia looked away with somber eyes, while X remained more composed. "We're willing to help all we can to get Abel City back where it belongs, and end this threat for good."

"Secondly, the scrapyard in Hyrule. A more covert operation was discovered with Dr. Ivo Robotnik and the Gerudo tyrant Ganandorf attempting to discover a way to re-activate either Guardian and Zonai technology, for purposes we can only guess," The Minister continued.

"What exactly were they trying to get from you?" Samus asked Purah.

"Yeah, you were keeping things pretty close to your chest back there," Mario remarked.

Purah seemed unsure if she was going to answer at first, still reeling from the whole experience. She glanced over to Link, who seemed distant from the conversation as whole for a moment, but when he noticed her looking for any guidance from him, he gave her a simple nod, trying to tell her it was alright. Purah took a quick breath. "I was researching the possibilities of being able to merge ancient and Zonai technology in an effort to reawaken the Guardians and create a new defensive force for Hyrule, so that something like the Calamity or the Upheaval would never happen again. Or at the very least, we would be better equipped to fight it," She answered.

"Then perhaps Tabuu thought similar to you, and wanted to claim the Guardians as a new addition to his army. But now, with no way to reactivate them, we have limited his options," The Minister said. "And finally, we have discovered Tabuu's use of corrupted figures from other worlds as well, particularly the cases of Captain Falcon and our host, Princess Peach."

"Yeah, I still have a headache from all that," Falcon said.

"Thankfully, the corruption is easy to purge. Simply defeating the figures in question will free them from Tabuu's control. We also now have the identities of what must be Tabuu's currently leading generals: Bowser, Ridley, Robotnik and Ganondorf."

"Yeah, but Egghead isn't being given a choice. Tabuu has Sage," Sonic said.

"Indeed," The Minister nodded. "We must assume that Tabuu has these four villains working for him either under promise of power or possession of leverage."

"Ridley only cares about power and murder. I'm sure convincing that monster wasn't hard," Samus remarked.

"Ganondorf is supposed to be dead," Link said. "But if he's really alive and her, he'll be searching for power. If anyone can promise him that, it's Tabuu."

The Minister nodded, then regarded the team as a whole. "Either way, these four are some of, if not the most dangerous beings from your universes. Tabuu has chosen his new generals well. This just means we have incredible challenges ahead in order to cut Tabuu's conquest at its head. But after today, I think you've all earned some rest and recuperation. Take this opportunity to meet your new teammates and take a breath. I will be watching for any other sign of Tabuu's movements. Rest well." The Minister then floated away out of the conference room, leaving the ever growing group of heroes alone with one another after quite the day.