//------------------------------// // Ch1: Stranded in the Acropolis // Story: Super Smash Brothers: Disharmony // by Dusty the Royal Janitor //------------------------------// (A/N: This story effectively takes place in an AU, after the events of issue 4 of the MLP comic book, but does not recognize any events of Season 3 onward. Reading issues 1-4 of the comic will only help, but are not required.) _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Super Smash Bros: Disharmony by Dusty the Royal Janitor Chapter 1: Stranded in the Acropolis The three little ponies were trapped. Behind them, the portal had closed up leaving their backs to the polished stone wall. In front of them, the monster loomed over their heads. The great beast’s maw opened wide as he let out a deep, evil roar of a belly laugh. Applejack leaped into action. Twilight and Fluttershy remained on the ground in a tangle. “Applejack, don’t-” Twilight tried to say, but a sudden pang of pain lanced through her spent horn, sending her to the ground in a wave of dizziness. “Don’t worry gals, I got this one.” Applejack said, pawing at the ground with her hoof. She snorted a puff of air, ready to charge. The monster flashed a razor-toothed grin. “Oh, how cute. Looking to start a fight already, pretty pony?” “Ain’t starting nothing.” Applejack growled. “But if’n y’all are gonna threaten my friends, I’m sure as sugar not gonna let ya get to ‘em.” “Adorable” The monster growled, still holding his smug grin. Applejack charged straight at the monster, hoping to catch it off guard in the middle of its gloating. She didn’t quite get the reaction she wanted. The monster opened its maw and released a gout of flame from deep within its belly, heating the floor to a bright, glowing orange. Applejack yelped and skidded to a halt, stopping just short of the superheated stone and flame. The monster laughed his scratchy, feral sounding laugh. He took a great step forward, advancing upon the ponies. “Away with you, cur!” The voice came from around a corner, ringing with a familiar feeling power. “Princess Luna?!” Twilight whispered, disbelieving. All four figures turned their heads to see another strange, bipedal being come up a staircase and step towards them. This one was decidedly different from the monster, however. From the voice, she sounded female, and she somewhat resembled the body shape of a slim, female minotaur, save for the face which was flat with an odd, triangular shaped nose. She had a mane of long brown hair, but was completely hairless everywhere else on her body. Her eyes were dark blue, and her ears ended in sharp points. Upon her head, she wore a tiara shaped to look as though it were made of golden leaves, with a sapphire jewel in the middle of the forehead. Her arms ended in five slim fingers, as opposed to a minotaur’s thick, sausage-like four, and they were covered by ornate silk gloves. She wore a purple, flowing dress decorated with golden designs and a white skirt with glyphs reminiscent of a great bird and three triangles running down the front. Twilight’s head drooped. It had obviously been too much to think they’d been rescued. The strange being sauntered up to the monster, not the slightest shred of fear showing in her eyes. “Bowser...” she spoke, disapprovingly. “Making sport with the newcomers again?” She shook her head. “You never cease to disgust.” The monster rolled its eyes. “Zelda” It greeted in a bored tone. “Nice to see you again.” “Let us not mince words, Bowser. Neither of us are glad to see each other.” She jabbed a finger at the gathered ponies. “Do not trouble these young competitors and go make your mischief another place.” “I was just giving them a bit of a scare, your royal prudishness.” The monster known as Bowser said with an annoyed grunt. “All in good fun.” The one called Zelda scowled. “The ways in which you make merry are repugnant and impertinent, Bowser.” She waved a hand at him sharply. “Now begone. I believe that the loathsome troll Wario and his gangling brother wished to speak with you.” The monster narrowed its eyes, staring down the noble Zelda, but eventually he snorted, turned around and stomped down the hallway away from the ponies and noblewoman. As soon as he was gone from sight, the one called Zelda let out a breath the ponies hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The three of them however, still felt ill at ease. Twilight untangled herself from Fluttershy and stood next to Applejack, horn at the ready, though she still felt drained from her encounter with the portal. Fluttershy remained behind the two of them, trembling from the encounter. Zelda turned to them and sighed. “I deeply apologize that he was the first one you met upon your arrival. He’s almost harmless, actually. Really, little more than a big schoolyard bully. Nevertheless, I doubt he’s left a good first impression of this place upon you all.” “You could say that...” Twilight said cautiously. “Who are you? Where are we?” “My name is Zelda, High Princess of the land of Hyrule.” The noblewoman bowed, placing a hand upon her chest. “And I apologize if I frighten you. I too was intimidated the first time I came here.” She smiled softly. “The Master has never been particularly specific about what sorts of people one will associate with when they accept his invitation.” She spread her arms in a welcoming gesture. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss...?” “Twilight Sparkle,” the lavender unicorn said, standing up slowly, her muscles still coiled and tense. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack...” “...Howdy” AJ said, giving Zelda a suspicious glare, “...and Fluttershy.” Twilight finished. “eep.” The pegasus squeaked, hiding behind her mane. The princess smiled coolly, motioning for Twilight and the others to follow her. She led the three ponies up to a railing and made a grand sweeping gesture. “Then it is my honor, Twilight Sparkle, to welcome you and your friends to The Acropolis.” The three ponies gasped as they looked upon the structure below them. They stood upon a marble, wrap-around catwalk, overlooking a grand meeting hall, surrounded by columns that looked to be Pegasopolian in origin. The entire structure appeared to be made of polished white and green marble, the walls and floor reflecting anything that stood upon it. Set into the floor was a silver design, appearing to be a circle with a cross through one corner. Above them rose a grand vaulted ceiling made of the same polished marble but inlaid with mosaics of grand deeds of heroism unknown to the little ponies. Similar depictions of heroism could be seen in paintings and tapestries along the walls. And down below them in the meeting hall, creatures of all shapes and sizes gathered, all chatting, bickering, laughing, and connecting with one another. Twilight stared, transfixed at the sight of so many alien beings before her. There had to be at least forty-five creatures, unlike anything she had ever seen in the meeting hall below them. Her eyes flitted from being to being madly, taking everything that she could in. Most of them appeared to have a similar shape and body structure to Zelda; something like a slim, hairless minotaur with flat faces and prominent noses. There was, however, a fair amount of variety among the collection. A green dinosaur with a red shell and a long tongue. A big brown ape wearing a necktie. An emaciated looking purple dragon. A yellow mouse with long ears and red cheeks. A fox that walked on two legs. A pink puffball. A yellow starfish-looking thing. One being was all black and even looked to be two-dimensional! It was too much for Twilight to take in. Here she was, standing among beings that, if the inscriptions upon the stone were correct, were from totally alien worlds. Her mind was sent into dizzy fits thinking about everything she could learn from these creatures just from a few minutes of observation. She didn’t even know where to begin. Fluttershy and Applejack, on the other hand, seemed to be far less enthused than she. “Nope!” Applejack shouted, backing away from the railing. “Nope nope nope! I can’t do this! Just nope! Noping all the way back to Equestria! Jes’ massive amounts of nope for lil ol’ me!” “AJ?” Twilight asked, astonished at her friend’s behavior. “What is the matter with you?” “Indeed,” Zelda asked the farmpony, curiously. “What troubles you, Miss Applejack?” Applejack stared pointedly at her unicorn friend. “Twilight, there comes a point in every mare’s life when she must plant her plot down and “Nope.” I’ve reached that point.” “You’re not making any sense, Applejack,” Twilight stated, a frown creasing her face. “...Applejack is scared of aliens remember?” Fluttershy said softly, hiding behind her farmpony friend. “A-and frankly, I’m not sure I want to stay here any longer either. My animals will be needing me and it’s Spa day with Rarity tomorrow and I think I see a dragon down there and-” Princess Zelda raised a hand, clearing her throat. “I’m afraid, Miss Applejack and Miss Fluttershy, that going back to your home will be wholly impossible for the time being,” she said, looking puzzled. “Until the tournament is over, the portals to all our homes remain shut. Until such time, we are all to remain here.” “WHAT?!” All three ponies shouted at once. “There is no need to shout,” Zelda said, disapprovingly. “Only the Master can open the portals once again, and he shall not be inclined to until his tournament is finished.” “That ain’t gonna fly, missy!” Applejack barked. “Y’all get yer ‘Master’ down here right now so I can give him a right proper talking to, and maybe a nice hoof to the face while I’m at it!” Zelda held her hands up. “That would be a most foolhardy thing to do, Miss Applejack. The Master would surely look ill upon such actions, and I would not advise you find yourself on the end of his wrath.” “B-but I can’t stay here!” Fluttershy wailed. “My animals... oh no!” “And as fascinating as this all is, I have to get back to Ponyville too.” Twilight chimed in. “I hate to pass up learning from all these folks here, but Princess Celestia and my friends are all probably worried sick about us!” “Silence!” Zelda snapped, a flash of light blasting from her hands and her eyes suddenly alight. All three ponies suddenly shut up, Twilight and AJ getting ready for a potential fight while Fluttershy ducked behind a column. The strange Princess glared at the three of them. “What is the matter with you three?!” She snapped before any of them could say anything. “If you were all so frightened of coming to meet beings from other worlds and to leave your own behind, then why would you answer the Master’s invitation in the first place?!” “I...” Twilight stammered. “We didn’t!” she shouted. “The meteor- the invitation- did something to my magic! I didn’t mean to answer it at all until we knew what it was we were getting into!” She stamped a hoof. “We didn’t even figure out what everything on the invitation said before we were teleported here! The translation barely made any sense!” Twilight collapsed to the floor and covered her head with her hooves in frustrated exhaustion. “Oh, this is a hell of a mess we’ve gotten ourselves into this time...” The noblewoman stared at the three ponies, stunned. “This should not be...” she whispered under her breath. “You knew not what the invitation said and it still let you through? And it did so by force?” she asked them, bewildered. The ponies all nodded at her solemnly. Zelda tapped a finger to her chin, crossing one arm under the other. “How curious. Such a thing has never occurred before to my knowledge.” She looked at all three of them pityingly. “Well then no wonder the three of you are so alarmed. You never anticipated being whisked away in the first place!” She said, bowing her head. “I deeply apologize for losing my temper then, fair Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Fluttershy. I should not have been so cross.” “It’s... it’s fine.” Twilight stammered. “But maybe that means a mistake was made? Maybe you can call your Master and get him to send us home then? At least until we’re ready?” Zelda shook her head. “I doubt it. If the Master truly brought you here by force before you even knew what was to occur rather than by informed choice as he always did the rest of us, then surely he must want you here more than anybody else. I can see no other reason you would ever be here in such an unprepared state.” None of the ponies took the news well. Twilight sighed, bowing her head between her hooves. Applejack shook her head and started pacing and mumbling to herself, and Fluttershy simply curled into a ball and started shivering. Zelda looked sorrowfully between each of them before sighing. “Come with me,” She said softly. “I shall introduce you to the greatest of our number. He will not be able to send you back, but perhaps he may be capable of sharing some insight with you.” She smiled faintly, motioning for the three of them to follow her down the stairs from the catwalk to the main meeting hall. “If nothing else, he should be able to explain what is going on to you properly and get the three of you situated.” “I still ain’t ready to go down there with all them aliens.” Applejack said, warily. Zelda retained a neutral look, shaking her head. “You have it on my honor as Princess of Hyrule that no harm shall come to you here. In fact it is quite impossible. The one you shall meet can explain more.” Applejack looked to her unicorn friend. “Twilight?” she asked. Twilight stared between her friends for a moment, and then looked at Zelda. Then she turned to look over the railing again at the multitude of beings all communing in the meeting hall. She sighed and shook her head. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice. At least until we find this Master pony. Maybe then we can convince him to send us back home.” She looked back at her friends. “Until then, I guess getting a proper explanation about what’s going on is the best thing to do.” Applejack huffed, adjusting her hat. “Fine... but I don’t like it.” She turned to her yellow pegasus friend. “C’mon Fluttershy. We’re getting some answers.” She said trotting up behind Zelda, still eyeing the Princess warily. “O-okay.” Fluttershy squeaked, uncurling from her ball and following behind her orange friend. Twilight stared over the railing for a moment more before following as well. * * * The blue pheasant leaned against a column coolly, a cigarette in his mouth and a glass of hard cider in his feathered hand. Falco Lombardi was certainly no greenhorn when it came to Smash Brothers tournaments. He’d been a regular since the second one, after all. Still, it never ceased to surprise him what some of the other contestants could manage. It had almost completely blown his mind when the new kid with the silly red hat pulled a notebook out of his backpack and started making things appear out of thin air. Not that he’d ever let anybody know he was impressed, of course. He was, after all, the best of the best, and he had a reputation to consider. Still, while he tended to hide it, he did genuinely find most of the other contestants at these tournaments remarkable. But Falco couldn’t help but snigger at the three latest newcomers he saw making their way down the catwalk stairs behind Princess Zelda. “Hey...” he chuckled, elbowing a buddy of his in a princely royal blue cape and outfit with long blue hair. The Prince of Altea known as Marth looked up from his wine at his feathered friend. The mercenary gestured towards the stairs where Zelda and the three ponies were descending. “...Is that a three-foot purple unicorn?” The prince asked, incredulous. “And a yellow pegasus and an orange pony in a cowboy hat.” Falco sniggered. Marth rolled his eyes. “Honestly, Falco, don’t go making the same mistake you did with Meta Knight. You remember how that turned out.” “I’m not, it’s just...” He chuckled, motioning at them. “Look at them!” Marth cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, because they’re obviously so ridiculous for our company. Far more absurd than the likes of Kirby or Olimar.” “But they’re ponies!” Falco cackled, spilling his drink a little. “Little colorful ponies that barely come up to the knee with horns and wings and little hats! How do you expect me to think something like that can put up a decent fight?” The prince smirked. “I seem to recall you saying something similar when you went up against that kid’s Squirtle last time. You were hacking up water for days.” “Whatever, man.” Falco waved the prince off, taking a drag from his cigarette. “I’m not gonna let something like that happen again. Just you watch.” * * * “Oh my, aren’t they adorable?” The blue fox woman held a paw to her muzzle, stifling a small giggle as she watched the three little ponies follow Princess Zelda through the crowd. The Cerinian vixen known as Krystal could hardly tear her eyes away from the little creatures. Tapping the shoulder next to her, she got the attention of her beau. “Fox? Fox, dearie?” Fox McCloud, commander of the Starfox mercenary group, turned away from a conversation he’d been having with a woman in futuristic orange armor. “What is it, Krys?” he asked. “Do you recognize those three?” Krystal asked, pointing to the three ponies being led through the pack. Fox looked to where she pointed. “No, I can’t say I do. They’re newcomers, certainly.” He looked around the crowd. “We should ask around and see if anyone knows who they are. They look like they could be from a number of previously contacted worlds.” The vulpine commander scanned the crowd for a moment before calling out a name. “Hey, Kirby!” A little pink puffball momentarily ceased his assault upon the buffet table to answer. Locating Fox, he gave an animated wave to his furry friend. “Hiiiiiii~!” Fox pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the ponies. “You recognize those three ponies, Kirbs?” Kirby tapped his little mouth a bit, then took in a great puff of air, puffing his cheeks out like a balloon. The puffball quickly floated up into the air over the crowd. Quickly finding the ponies Fox was referring to, he let loose the air he was holding in and fell to the ground at Fox’s feet. Righting himself, he shook his head ‘no’ enthusiastically, then scampered back off to the buffet table. “Drat.” Fox shrugged. “Looked like they coulda been from Dreamland. They’re certainly cute enough.” “Perhaps that ‘trainer’ woman knows.” Krystal tapped her chin, before locating the person in question. “Excuse me,” she called out, “Miss... Leaf, is it?” A young girl in a white hat, red skirt, and blue tank top turned to look at her, her long brown hair fluttering a little. The Pokémon trainer called Leaf looked taken aback for a split second at Krystal’s bestial appearance, but shook it off quickly, remembering where she was. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out!” she twittered. “Krystal, right?” “Yes, a pleasure.” Krystal nodded, extending her hand. The two of them shook hands quickly, before Krystal turned the girl’s attention to the three little ponies. “Do you recognize those three? Are they some of these... Pokémon... that your world hosts?” Leaf cocked a head, looking at the three ponies being led through the crowd. “No Pokémon that I recognize.” The girl said, pulling out a little red device. “NO POKEMON DATA FOUND” the Pokédex chirped. The girl shook her head. “Nope.” Leaf said definitively. “If they’re Pokémon, then they aren’t any that have been catalogued yet, but even then it should have given me a type readout and movelist, so I doubt it.” Fox hummed a little. “And nothing like them showed up as assist constructs last time, so there’s no way to look them up in that database...” Leaf shrugged. “Maybe they’re from Starfy’s world?” Fox waved her off. “Nah. They don’t look aquatic enough.” “Perhaps they’re simply from a new world?” Krystal asked. “You said that nobody had met that Belmont fellow before this point.” Her lover scratched his head. “Well... maybe. But if they’re from a new world then that’s a lot of fighters their world has for one only just joining. Most of the time a newly joining world will only have one representative sent to Smashworld the first time they come in contact. Only a few exceptions come to mind. Mario and Luigi were sent the first time, as well as Pikachu and Jigglypuff. And Marth and that Roy kid were both sent the second time around, but aside from those three times, a new world usually only sends one rep.” he shrugged. “And in all those cases, only two reps were sent. Getting three fighters for a brand new world is unheard of.” “Would that be a problem or something?” Leaf asked, cocking her head. Fox shrugged. “I guess not. I suppose I’m just not comfortable with a lot of new people coming in I know nothing about from who knows where that might grab the prize.” He shook his head. “We’ve been obscenely lucky that nothing disastrous has happened so far, given what happened the last two times. I don’t want to leave anything up to chance.” * * * Twilight looked around warily as Zelda led the three of them through the crowd of colorful characters. The little pony couldn’t help but shrink into herself as she saw everybody’s eyes upon her and her friends. She wondered if this was what Fluttershy felt like every day. She turned around to look at the butter colored pegasus to see that, yes, she was definitely feeling similarly. The three ponies were just barely keeping any semblance of calm, all of them on the verge of outright panic. The only thing that kept Twilight from downright freaking out was the fact that, while everybody’s gaze seemed to be upon them, few of the gazes were particularly hostile. A couple of them were, though. The turtle monster called Bowser was among the crowd, and he wasn’t looking particularly friendly at that moment. Neither was the skinny purple dragon nor the strange, green-skinned man with a red mane. She was also particularly unnerved by a blond man dressed in a militaristic-looking outfit with electrical scars all over his face, looking at her with an evil, lopsided grin. She shivered and averted her eyes to the other side of the crowd, only to see a redheaded woman in pirate garb, a strange creature in glasses and a blue robe flying on a broomstick, and a man with a short-cut manestyle in a pinstripe suit all measuring her up. She opted to try and ignore the crowd around her and focus upon following Zelda. ‘Keep it together, Sparkle,’ Twilight thought. ‘We’ll talk to Zelda’s leader and he’ll get this Master thingy to send us home. No muss no fuss. We’ll regroup, tell Celestia what’s going on, and maybe she can send some diplomats and guards to this event to do the whole “friendship across worlds” symposium... event... thing.’ She shook her head. ‘After all, I may be the element of magic, but I’m certainly not qualified to represent all of Equestria in something like this. Even if it IS a fascinating opportunity for research.’ “Ah, there he is.” Zelda said, looking across the room. Twilight followed her gaze to the corner of the great hall, where there stood a young blond man with pointed ears dressed in green making some odd motions with his hands. He looked a strong, courageous, heroic sort and even from a distance it was obvious he carried himself with a certain measure of dignity. He certainly looked like one who might lead such a bunch. “The fella with the pointy green hat?” Applejack asked. Zelda scowled at the figure before giving a small huff. “No, not him. Behind him.” The ponies watched as the young man in green soon moved out of the way to reveal a short, pudgy man in a red shirt, a cap with a stylized letter M stitched onto it, and overalls. Perhaps most prominent about him, though, were his striking blue eyes and his incredibly prominent black, bushy moustache over a great big grin. All in all, he looked like a carpenter or something. Twilight blinked. “...That’s your leader?” “He is a true warrior. Likely the best of us all.” Zelda nodded. “Well, um...” Fluttershy said, her voice barely audible amongst all the chatter in the hall, “He looks... nice...” “There are few among our company as accommodating as he.” Zelda nodded. “I shall make the introductions. Wait here, if you please.” She said, striding forward, leaving the three little ponies in a small clearing amongst the crowd. Twilight fidgeted, looking at her two companions. “You two okay?” “Everypony is looking at us.” Fluttershy managed to squeak out, her knees shaking as she felt all the eyes in the room boring into her. Applejack’s hackles were standing on end and her muscles were tense and coiled. “I don’t like this, Twi.” she grunted through her teeth, her eyes shifting from side to side. “We ain’t supposed to be here.” “I know AJ,” Twilight muttered. “I want to go home too. Hopefully Zelda’s leader can make that happen.” “...do you?” AJ whispered. Twilight blinked. “What?” “Do you really want to go home?” the farmpony glared out of the corner of her eye. “Y’all are sure ya don’t want to stay and learn all sorts of fancy-schmancy bookworm stuff from these here aliens?” Twilight was taken aback. “Applejack, what are you saying? I mean, yeah, I’m intrigued. Who wouldn’t be? The things we could learn from all these creatures... it’s astronomical!” She shook her head. “But I’m not the pony for the job. That would fall to the Princesses and any chosen diplomats they wanted to bring along. Maybe if I was lucky I’d get to come, but...” “I ain’t hearing a no...” Applejack growled. “AJ...” Fluttershy said, attempting to place a hoof on the farmpony’s shoulder, but the orange filly jerked away. “Why’d you go and do it, Twi?!” Applejack snarled. “What were you thinking?! We didn’t know nothing about this place and y’all just went and opened up some portal thingamajig and y’all dragged me and Fluttershy along with ya! Why would you go and do something so stupid?!” Twilight backpedaled, backing into a column as Applejack bore down on her. “We’re lucky we ain’t dead already, and from the looks of things we ain’t gonna get to go back home! We’re stuck here in this wacky Apoptosis place with things that could do who knows what to us! We’re in more danger than we’ve ever been in on account’a these here aliens and y’all are sitting here thinking about writing a book on them!” “...stop...” “I-I didn’t mean to open the portal!” Twilight choked out. “The meteor did something to my magic! I couldn’t stop it!” “Oh that’s a likely story. THE Twilight Sparkle completely losing control of her magic? Don’t make me laugh.” Applejack stamped a hoof. “Y’all admit you want to study these things.” “Who wouldn’t?!” Twilight snapped defensively. “Stop...” “Just because I was, and am, intellectually curious about the creatures here does not mean I’m so brain dead as to just accept an invitation from an alien world without learning more and taking proper preparations, AJ! Taking foolhardy risks is how magicians and scientists get killed!” Twilight mustered herself and stepped forward challengingly towards Applejack. “If I could take us home I would, but the portal is closed and I don’t know how to replicate it. Even if I did, I’d have no idea how to get us home, or if I’d just send us to some other world!” “If y’all were so unprepared then why did you use your fancy magic on the rock in the first place?!” “I told you that it did something to my magic! I couldn’t control it!” “STOP!” The two quarreling ponies turned to look at the butter yellow pegasus, now standing tall and scowling at the both of them. Twilight and Applejack both shrank under Fluttershy’s stare as the shy pony told them off. “Applejack, I know you’re scared of these other creatures, but that’s no reason to take your fear out on Twilight.” Fluttershy said sternly. “But she-” Applejack started to say, only for Fluttershy to clamp a hoof over her mouth. “Don’t interrupt.” Fluttershy snapped. “Now I know that you’ve always been scared of aliens. I’m scared too. Everyone is looking at us and talking about us and they’re all so strange. I know how scary that is.” She tilted her head towards the purple unicorn. “But you can’t take your fear out on Twilight. It’s not her fault we’re here, or do you really and truly believe she’s lying? You are the bearer of honesty after all.” Applejack stared at Fluttershy for a second, then looked at Twilight. They locked eyes. What felt like ten minutes of silence between them really only lasted about five seconds. Finally, Applejack sighed and bowed her head. “She ain’t lyin’.” She muttered. “Sorry, Twilight.” “There you go.” Fluttershy said softly, turning to Twilight. “And you, Twilight. Applejack is terrified. We know you’re fascinated by what you could learn from these creatures, but could you try to be just a little more sensitive?” “Yeah...” Twilight trailed off, turning back to the farmpony. “I get that you’re scared, AJ, but there’s really nothing I can do. Believe me, if I could send you home I would. And I wouldn’t have dragged you along if you didn’t want to come if I’d been in control.” She sighed. “I’m sorry that you ended up being pulled into the portal with me though.” The three ponies sat in silence for a moment until Applejack spoke up. “So what do we do now?” Twilight shrugged. “We talk to their leader. See if he can convince this mysterious ‘Master’ to send us home, and if he can’t...” she hesitated. “If he can’t or won’t, then I guess we have to stay through whatever this function really is.” She shook her head. “I’m sure it can’t be that bad, AJ. I mean, the translation certainly wasn’t anywhere near perfect, but it sounded like just a function to share knowledge and play some friendly games. You can handle that, right?” Applejack looked down to the floor. “I guess,” she mumbled. “Still don’t like having to deal with this. And I don’t want to be away from the farm for long. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom need me.” “Well, maybe once you explain that to the leader he’ll be able to convince the Master to send you back at least.” Her ears perked up suddenly. “Speaking of which, heads up. I think their leader is coming to talk to us now!” * * * MEANWHILE * * * Zelda strode purposefully towards Mario. The Hylian Princess shook her head. She knew, back in the recesses of her mind, that the ponies’ request was impossible. Once you were in Smashworld, you only left when the tournament was done. Indeed, people had asked before to be sent home, and they were all denied. To date, the Master had not sent anybody home before the tournament was finished, even if they were to act openly against him. That said, he’d also never really taken action to punish anybody that acted out of turn. That was left up to the other contestants. The Master was an odd sort that way, and not simply because of what he looked like. She just didn’t have the heart to tell them that herself. The three ponies looked so terrified and distraught at apparently having been brought against their will. To tell them that they’d have to stay here for the entirety of the tournament would probably drive them over the edge. At the very least, they needed somebody who could give it to them more delicately. She stalked up towards Mario, bluntly pushing herself in front of the man in green. The hero known as Link frowned as she pushed past him, interrupting one of his delicate hand motions to get to the red-capped plumber. “Sir Mario, I would have words with you,” Zelda said, her voice neutral. Mario cocked an eyebrow. “Sure Zelda, but Link and I were kinda in the middle of a-” Mario was cut off as Link held up a hand and shook his head. The hero of Twilight made a few quick, sharp motions with his fingers and hands at Mario and then at Zelda before turning on his heel and stalking off towards the buffet table, throwing a quick glare over his shoulder back at the Hylian Princess. Zelda’s glare followed the hero as he stormed away into the crowd. The elven princess huffed and turned back to the red-capped plumber. Mario cleared his throat. “It may be none of my business, but-” She cut him off with a hand. “No,” she said flatly, “no it isn’t. Please, Sir Mario, just drop it.” Mario sighed and nodded. “Alrighty, Princess.” The plumber straightened up. “What did you need to talk about then?” Zelda motioned towards the three little ponies whispering to each other about ten meters behind her. The three of them appeared to be having an argument of some sort. “These three are newcomers to the Smash tournament this time around. However, their arrival here was most unorthodox. They are from an entirely new world and yet they are many, and the poor souls claim that they were ripped from their world unwillingly. They know not why they are here, or even what they are expected to do here.” Zelda shook her head. “The three of them are terrified and I fear they may consider us malicious and even turn violent should they not be assuaged. I sense powerful magic in the purple one and great strength and courage in them all. They now demand a way to be sent home, but we know that this is impossible.” She looked askance between the ponies and Mario. “I had hoped you’d be able to calm the three of them and explain the situation to them gently. You have always had good people skills.” The Italian plumber let out a long breath. “Mama mia, what a state.” He frowned. “You’re right, though. Nobody has ever been brought here like that before, though. How strange.” Mario stroked his mustache thoughtfully. “The Master must really want them here in this particular tournament if he brought them to the Acropolis unwillingly without even telling them what they were getting into. I wonder what he’s up to.” “I was wondering the same thing.” Zelda nodded. “The Master has always been enigmatic, but he’s never done anything quite like this... and to bring so many...” “Hmmm...” Mario pulled his hat off and scratched his head. “A lot of things have been a little bit weird this time around.” He nodded. “I’ll talk to the little ponies for you, Zelda, but I’ll tell you what,” he said, motioning for her to lean in a little and listen closely. “You should go around and tell a few more of the contestants about this. Not everybody, of course. We don’t want to put everybody on edge around them if they’re that nervous. But a few of the veterans; Peach, Luigi, Fox, Captain Falcon, Samus... the ones that have been around the block a few times.” Zelda nodded as Mario continued. “Have them keep an eye on them, make sure they don’t lose it or get into too much trouble. Keep a lookout for anything suspicious.” He held his hands up. “But tell them not to treat them any differently from anybody else. We don’t know the whole story, after all. There could be nothing strange at all and they’re just average contestants like everybody else. Can you do that for me?” “Of course.” Zelda bowed. “I shall go take care of that then.” “Okie Dokie! I’ll see what I can do to calm these little ponies down.” Mario said brightly, clapping a hand down on Zelda’s shoulder. The Hylian princess went rigid at the touch, but said nothing as she stalked off into the crowd. Straightening his hat upon his head, Mario took a deep breath and strode confidently towards the three little ponies. * * * The three ponies steeled themselves as the red capped figure came closer. Applejack swallowed hard as the figure approached, but Twilight relaxed a little as he got close. Unlike Zelda, this figure walked with a relaxed gait and a friendly smile on his mustachioed face. The man raised a gloved hand in greeting. “Hello!” he said, reaching up and tipping his hat. “It’s-a me, Mario!” The three friends looked between each other for a moment. Fluttershy shrugged and Applejack made a quick motion at Twilight with a hoof. Giving a little sigh, Twilight stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Hello, Mr. Mario. I take it you’re the one that Zelda was talking about? You’re the leader of all of these people?” Mario chuckled lightly and nodded. “Everybody seems to look at me that way. Never quite asked for the position though.” Twilight smiled slightly. “Well then, it’s good to meet you. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack and Fluttershy.” Applejack tipped her hat a little. “Howdy” Fluttershy made a little squeaking noise that may or may not have been a hello. “Molto bene!” Mario grinned at the three of them. “It’s great to meet you all! But,” he trailed off, “I understand that you did not come here by choice, no?” “Yes, that’s right!” Twilight said. “We were inspecting a meteor that fell from the sky that turned out to be an invitation. I hadn’t even managed to properly translate the whole inscription when the meteor did something bizarre to my magic and tore open a portal, bringing me and two of my friends here.” She finished, the other two nodding the whole time. Mario stroked his moustache, his eyes pensive and downcast. “That’s strange. That’s never happened before at all...” Twilight nodded. “That’s what Princess Zelda said too. And, well,” she trailed off, clearing her throat a little, “we were wondering if maybe you could fix it so that we could be sent back home?” Her eyes widened and she held up a hoof, speaking quickly. “I mean no offense, it’s not that our world wouldn’t love to join your gathering or anything, it’s just that we aren’t ready. The three of us are hardly prepared or qualified to join your symposium or convention or whatever this is supposed to be.” The red-hatted plumber whistled and rolled his eyes. “Mama mia... you three really don’t know what’s going on at all, do you? Why would the Master snatch you up if you had no idea what you would be getting into?” The purple unicorn shrugged. “We were thinking there was maybe some kind of mistake? That maybe your Master wouldn’t mind sending us home then?” “Ehhhhhh... I don’t know... The Master usually isn’t one to make mistakes like that.” Mario said, taking his hat off and scratching the back of his neck. She shuffled a hoof on the ground. “Well, maybe you could... ask him anyway? Please?” she said. The three of them all gave him pleading looks. Mario’s heart melted at the sight. The man sighed and replaced his hat “...I can try, I suppose.” All three of them visibly brightened. Twilight practically bounced at the news. “Oh thank you! Thank you so much!” “It’s-a no trouble.” Mario said, looking around the room. The three ponies faces fell as they watched Mario’s face take on a slightly darker look. He frowned as he pointed around the room with a gloved hand, as if he were counting out the number of people in the room. After a minute or so of silence, he came to a stop. “...hmmmmm” Twilight stepped up beside him. “Is something wrong?” Mario shook his head, a pensive look on his face. “I’m not sure. Just wondering... We were told there would be fifty of us this time. We’re one short. Are you the only three that came from your world? Are you sure there wasn’t one more?” Twilight’s ears cocked. “No, it was just us three. Why do y-” she tried to answer but she was suddenly cut off by a horribly familiar voice. “Unhand me, you cretins! I demand to see whoever is in charge here!” Fluttershy gasped “That voice...” “It can’t be!” Applejack growled. Mario cocked an eyebrow, looking for the source of the voice through the crowd. “Who’s that?” he just barely managed to ask when a fourth equine barged through a couple contestants and into the clearing. She was a vile shade of blackish-green and covered in a chitinous exoskeleton. A long, tangled green mane cascaded down the back of her neck, with a tail to match. Atop her shelled head stood a gnarled and twisted horn, glowing green with foreign magics. Her eyes were a two toned shade of green and dangerous looking fangs could be seen as she bared her teeth. On her back proudly sat two ragged insectoid wings and her hooves were serrated and porous. Following close behind her out of the crowd were two other figures who were dressed oddly similar to Mario. One was shorter and fatter, wearing a yellow cap and shirt with purple overalls. The other was tall and extraordinarily thing, with a violet cap and shirt and black overalls. The short one’s cap had a letter ‘W’ on its front, while the tall one had the Pegasopolian letter ‘Gamma’ on it. They both had rather pasty faces, big flushed noses, beady little eyes, and somewhat unkempt mustaches as opposed to Mario’s expertly groomed one. Twilight’s eyes narrowed and her face lifted into a snarl. “Queen Chrysalis...” she growled. The shorter man panted as he chased after the rogue changeling. “Jeez, Queenie, settle down!” “Waa! We’re almost to him!” The taller one protested. “Keep your shell on!” The fuming Queen of the Changelings snapped her teeth at the both of them. “This is intolerable. I demand to speak to someling competent this second!” Applejack shook her head and grumbled. “Y’all gotta be kidding me.” “How could she be here?” Fluttershy whimpered, hiding behind her long mane. Mario looked at the three of them, whispering, “I take it you know her?” Twilight nodded grimly, leaning towards him and whispering back. “She’s the queen of the changelings. She tried to invade Canterlot -that’s our capital- a few months ago when my brother was getting married. Then a month ago she tried to use a magical surge from a comet to drain my friends of their emotions and me of my magical power so she could become a goddess. I trapped her in a pocket dimension,” she explained. Sadly, Twilight did not speak softly enough. The Queen’s ears immediately swiveled towards her and the changeling’s full attention was brought upon the lavender unicorn. The Queen’s scowl only deepened as she saw the three little ponies. “Oh wonderful. The Elements of Harmony. Decided to snatch me up from my other prison so that you could throw me into a freakshow circus, did you?” The two others that had been escorting her quickly scampered up to Mario, practically groveling. Mario rolled his eyes at the two of them. “Wario, Waluigi...” he greeted with a dull nod. The short one known as Wario chuckled embarrassedly. “Mario, I know we’ve had our...” he trailed off, looking for a decent word, “differences in the past, but-” The taller Waluigi stamped a foot and started shouting. “Take this ugly bug off our hands, please?! She’s been driving us bananas, waa!” Queen Chrysalis horn glowed with fire as she glared at the two of them. “Ugly?! You simpletons! Do you not know who I am? What I can do to you?!” Waluigi rolled his eyes. “TERRIBLE things, I’m sure. You’ve only been telling us over and over for the past ten minutes.” Wario sidled up to the red-capped plumber. “Mario,” he said, patting the man’s shoulder, “you’re good with the newcomers. Calm her down for us, would you?” Mario sighed, pinching the bridge of his big nose with his fingers. “Fine, fine just leave her here so we can talk before the Master shows up and gives his-” he was cut off when a booming, cacaphonic voice exploded throughout the massive hall. “WELCOME, CHAMPIONS OF SMASHWORLD!” Mario groaned “...Address...” Everybody in the meeting hall immediately ceased talking and snapped to attention. The ponies and the changeling could not help but gawk at what they saw next. All of them, even the dignified Queen of the Changelings, felt their jaws drop as two double doors opened in the back of the hall and a massive white shape floated out from a black void behind them. The being could only be described as a massive hand, like one of a minotaur or the hands she had seen on most of the beings in the hallway, but with nothing attached to it at all. Where it would normally have connected to a wrist, it just seemed to fade away into nothingness. It gestured at them with its phantom fingers, pointing at the crowd. The being had no mouth to speak of, but a deep, commanding voice reverberated out from it nonetheless. “I AM GLAD YOU ALL COULD ATTEND. TO THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THE ACROPOLIS, I AM THE MASTER HAND; SPIRIT OF CREATION AND INGENUITY. I WELCOME YOU ALL, VETERANS AND NEWCOMERS ALIKE, TO THE FOURTH SUPER SMASH BROTHERS FIGHTING TOURNAMENT!” Fluttershy squealed, quickly hiding behind Mario. “F-fighting tournament?” Applejack snapped her attention to Twilight. “What in the hay is he talking about, Twi?” The unicorn stuttered, her mouth hanging open. “I-I don’t know, AJ... from the invitation it sounded more like this was some kind of science symposium or something...” she babbled, only for Mario to put his hand around her muzzle. “Shhh...” the plumber looked down at her, putting a finger in front of his mouth. The Master Hand continued, making no indication he had heard the group. “AS YOU ARE ALL AWARE, YOU WILL ALL BE COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER IN AN ATTEMPT TO WIN THE PRIZE: ONE FREE WISH GRANTED TO THE VICTOR. WHATEVER YOU MAY DESIRE CAN BE YOURS, SHOULD YOU WIN THE TOURNAMENT!” At that, Queen Chrysalis’ eyebrows suddenly lifted, her mouth slowly twisting into a grim smile. “A wish you say?... Suddenly this whole situation seems like it could be more... favorable.” “REST WELL, CHAMPIONS,” the hand boomed, floating higher over the crowd. “THE FIRST FIGHTS BEGIN ON THE MORROW! GOOD LUCK. YOU WILL ALL NEED IT!” The crowd was silent as the Master Hand began to retreat through the double doors it appeared from. His retreat ceased, however as Mario spoke up. “Master, wait.” All eyes were on Mario and the ponies as the man began to make a case to the massive entity. Mario motioned to the four equines that surrounded him, looking pleadingly up at the master. “These four, “he began, clearing his throat, “they claim that they were taken without understanding what they were getting into. They were wondering if you might send them ho-” The Master hand did not move as he gave his response. “EVERYBODY IS WHERE I DESIRE THEM TO BE! NOBODY SHALL BE LEAVING UNTIL THE TOURNAMENT HAS FINISHED!” Mario took his hat off. “But sir, surely there has been some sort of mistake. Nobody has ever been brought to the tournament without knowing what they were in for.” “I DO NOT MAKE MISTAKES.” “But sir...” Mario tried to say as he was cut off again by the master’s shout. “DO NOT APPROACH ME WITH SUCH A REQUEST AGAIN.” There was no anger or passion to the voice, but it had definitely taken on a harder edge and a tone of finality. There was no room for argument. Mario sighed. “...okie dokie.” The Master made no apparent reaction towards Mario’s concession as it just floated silently out of the hallway. The doors slowly creaked shut behind him with a final, resounding slam. Applejack suddenly shook the encounter off and flew up into a rage. She stamped the ground with a hoof, pawing at the tiles as she snorted out her nose. The orange farmer screamed at the double doors. “Hay no it ain’t ‘okie dokie!’ Get out here ya lily-livered severed limb! I’ll show y’all the back of my buckin’ hoof!” “Applejack, stop!” Fluttershy said, flying up to her and resting a wing on her withers. “Everybody’s staring...” she peeped. Applejack sighed, visibly wilting. Her head drooped and her ears flattened as she plodded back over to Twilight. The unicorn put a hoof over the farm mare’s shoulder. Twilight looked up at Mario. “Sooooo...” she trailed off softly. Mario sighed. “Mi dispiace,” he muttered, “I’m sorry, Twilight. It looks like you and your friends will have to stay. The Master isn’t willing to send you home.” Twilight sagged, her head and shoulders drooping. She exhaled softly and nodded, looking back up into his eyes. “It’s alright, Mr. Mario. You tried to ask him.” “It ain’t alright, Twi!” Applejack protested weakly. “My family needs me! Harvest time is coming and I need to help my family with all the work!” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “And I need to take care of my animals” she moaned, her wings fluttering nervously. “Not to mention that there just isn’t any way I could be a part of a f-fighting tournament.” She stammered. The Queen of the Changelings had been silent for a while, but she spoke up as well. Her voice was soft, but deadly. “While the prospect of a free wish intrigues me,” she said, pensively, “I cannot be away from my swarm. My hive would be lost without me and I am responsible for them.” Twilight looked pleadingly at all three of them. “Please, Mario has done what he can.” AJ suddenly snapped. “Done what he can?!” She growled at the student. “He barely said a thing!” Queen Chrysalis nodded “I have to concur with the hick” she said, getting a dangerous look from the farmer, “The mustachioed fool did not even try.” “Enough!” Twilight shouted. “Did you not feel the power coming off of that Master Hand guy? His power was comparable to Discord! What would you expect him to do?” she yelled at the three of them. “I think,” Mario said, finally speaking up over the argument, “that everybody needs to calm down.” The four turned to Mario to let him continue. Mario nodded, leading them away from the hall and all of the staring contestants. Mario stepped out onto a balcony overlooking a vast landscape. The land before the five of them was beautiful, but almost jarring and schizophrenic in its layout. Tundras were crammed next to forests and jungles and icy mountains jutted up out of deserts. Patches of city were scattered throughout hilly plains and all of it rested on the edge of a vast, endless ocean. Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, and the Changeling Queen Chrysalis all watched him step out onto the balcony, bidding they follow. One by one they stepped out after him, looking over the senseless countryside below. Mario sighed. “It’s obvious that I’mma gonna have a lot of explaining to do. If the four of you are gonna have to stay here, then I suppose it’s time I explained how things work in the Smash Brothers tournaments.”