Ch2: Old Stories, New Allies
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Super Smash Bros: Disharmony
by Dusty the Royal Janitor
Chapter 2: Old Stories, New Allies
Off in the corner of the meeting hallway, there sat a box.
Not a locked steel crate or ornate treasure chest. It wasn’t marked ‘fragile’ or ‘danger’ or ‘biohazard’ or ‘handle with care’ or anything like that. It wasn’t some sort of fantastical blue police box that could travel through time and space.
It was just an ordinary, everyday, cardboard box.
That was what made it the perfect disguise for the person inside it. Nobody ever looked twice at an ordinary, everyday, cardboard box.
His name was David, but he was better known to both his world and the gathered crowd as Solid Snake: former Green Beret and member of FOXHOUND. The son of the legendary soldier, Big Boss. Founding member of Philanthropy; the internationally recognized anti-Metal Gear NGO.
He was also an accomplished musher, though that was neither here nor there.
Snake sat silently in the box, watching the crowd slowly disperse out of the meeting hall, now that the Master Hand had made his address. The grizzled man grunted at the throng of strange characters exiting the foyer, looking at the majority of them bemusedly. As the last of them passed out the door, Snake threw his cardboard box off and crouched behind a table, putting a finger to his ear. He closed his eyes, signaling a mental command to the nanomachines running through his veins.
Call frequency: 140.96
Initiate CODEC group call...
A soft, chirping ringtone ran through the small bones of Snake’s ear, inaudible to anybody else. A few moments later, a small, green tinted window opened in the corner of Snake’s vision, an image of a female face moving around in it.
“Mei Ling, do you read me?” Snake rumbled, his voice low.
“Loud and clear, Snake!” the little image of Mei Ling, Snake’s friend and communication specialist replied. “Trans-dimensional frequency is holding, and you’re coming in strong.”
“Good.” Snake replied. “This interdimensional travel thing always throws me off. I can never tell what’s going to happen, so it’s good that comms are at least working.”
The image of Mei Ling giggled and rolled her eyes. “It’s only your second time, Snake. And besides, communication held last time. I’m not entirely sure how the physics of it work yet, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” She coughed and looked aside. “Well, so long as you don’t have to go ‘outside of space and time’ again.”
“I sure hope not. That was a nightmare.” Snake grunted.
“We’re all here and reading you, Snake.” A fatherly voice said as an old man in a beret appeared in another window in Snake’s vision.
“Colonel!” Snake said as happily as his smoker’s growl of a voice could muster. “Good to hear from you again.”
“Well,” Colonel Roy Campbell chuckled, “Technically I’m not a Colonel anymore, Snake. Remember, I was retired after the Shadow Moses incident.”
“Ugh, that mess didn’t end well for anybody.” Snake rolled his eyes. “It was a pain having to relive parts of it the last time I was here.”
“Tell me about it,” a third voice said. “Just having to look at that place through your camera feed sent all sorts of bad memories just rushing back.”
“Otacon, there you are!” Mei Ling chirped as a third window opened, displaying a nerdy looking man with thick glasses and messy black hair.
“Hello again, Mei Ling. Nice to hear from you again after you left Philanthropy,” Otacon said with a smile.
“Just in time, too.” Snake rumbled. “You’d have hated to have had to deal with the crap me and Otacon have been through since the Tanker incident.”
“Yes, the both of us heard about what happened on the Big Shell.” Campbell said, his voice neutral but his face betraying his anger. “Heard about that poor kid... Raiden you called him?”
“Yeah. The kid was pretty good. Greener than a bad cut of meat, but he had talent.” Snake rumbled. “Mission screwed him up pretty bad, though.”
“The whole thing was a mess.” Otacon nodded.
Campbell grunted. “Pisses me off that they would use my likeness like that though.”
Mei Ling scratched her head a little. “I read about it, and I’m still not entirely sure what happened. A lot of what I read didn’t really make much sense.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Snake said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “It’s not like it’s relevant to this particular mission, after all. Honestly, as crazy as everything is here, it’s a reprieve. Don’t have to deal with the Patriots, Liquid, Metal Gear or any more long lost brothers when I’m here.” The soldier took a long drag from his smoke. “I mean what’s next? Vapor Snake? Plasma Snake? Antimatter Snake?”
“Don’t get cocky, Snake.” Otacon said. “I’ve been going over the footage from your nanos and I’m seeing a lot of unfriendly faces.”
“Are they all from those video games you play?” Snake chuckled. “I seriously never thought that your habit would ever come in handy like this. Funny old multiverse, ain’t it?”
“Makes you wonder what connects our worlds that the Master Hand would summon you.” Mei Ling mused. “Like... what if our world is just a game in some other universe, like a lot of those characters are games in ours?” She shuddered. “What if every time some player in another universe gets a Game Over, a universe branches off where you ended up dying and the world ended up a terrible place at the hands of Liquid or Solidus?”
Snake let out a long puff of smoke. “Probably best not to think about it too much Mei Ling,” he said casually. “You’ll go right out of your gourd.”
“Anyway, if I could continue...” Otacon said, clearing his throat.
“Right, go ahead, Otacon.” Mei Ling said. Snake nodded for him to go on.
“Alright, I recognize a number of the characters from the great hall. Most of them are still heroes, buuuut...” the computer specialist trailed off. “There are a lot more villains here than there were last time. A lot of them are probably going to be pretty tough.”
“Do you recognize anybody in particular?” Snake asked.
“Sure.” Otacon replied. “Captain Syrup, Kamek, Waluigi, Vaati...”
“These names mean nothing to me, Otacon,” Snake said, a deadpan expression on his face.
Otacon snorted. “Look, all you really need to know is that these are very bad guys.”
“So... more people to keep from getting the prize then.” Snake said, smoke pouring out of his nostrils. “Wouldn’t want any of these types to get any sort of multiverse spanning wish granted where they become the ruler of everything, right?”
“Exactly.” Otacon said.
“Well, the vast majority of the people here still seem to be good guys.” Mei Ling added. “As long as they’re around it shouldn’t be too hard to keep them from getting their hands on the wish.”
“Like I said,” Snake smirked. “Compared to a brush with a Metal Gear? Easy pickings.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Snake.” Campbell suddenly spoke up. “I’ve been going through the video footage and I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
“Oh?”
The Colonel nodded, another window opening in Snake’s vision, this one of video footage taken from his own eyes by the nanomachines in his bloodstream. The image played for a few seconds before an image of a blond man in a militaristic outfit with scars all over his face appeared. The Colonel stopped the footage.
“Snake, you know how I was acquainted with Big Boss before you defeated him at Zanzibar Land, correct?” Colonel Campbell asked.
“Yeah. You said that you first met at the San Hieronymo incident, and you worked with him at FOXHOUND before he was revealed as the mastermind behind Outer Heaven.” Snake replied.
“Yes, that’s right.” Campbell nodded. “I considered him a friend for a long time. And in that time, he occasionally told me stories about his first big mission back in the sixties. A mission called Operation: Snake Eater.”
“Where are you going with this, Colonel?”
“One of the people he was forced to take down in that mission was the leader of a rogue team of Soviet special operatives. A Colonel Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin. He described him as, and I quote ‘a sick son of a bitch with scars all over his face who could shoot lightning out of his hands because the universe hates me.’”
“You think this guy could be Volgin?” Snake asked.
“Well, he is wearing a Russian military uniform that was worn in that era.” Campbell added. “We haven’t seen him shoot any lightning, but it seems like it could be him.”
“He’s not from any game I’ve played, I can tell you that.” Otacon said, scratching his chin.
“But how can that be?” Mei Ling asked. “I mean, he’s been dead for over forty five years!”
“I don’t think the Master Hand necessarily cares about that.” Otacon said. “The guy can seemingly warp reality to his whim after all. It wouldn’t be too hard to assume that he could bring the dead back to life to take part in this tournament if he wanted to.”
“Or it’s possible that he pulled Volgin out of time itself to take part in this.” The Colonel added. “It’s all speculation of course, but it’s possible that were you two to make contact, it could have disastrous results on your father’s mission if you reveal too much of the future to him. You could create a time paradox!”
“Isn’t that all assuming a lot?” Snake asked.
“I’m just bringing up the possibility.” Campbell said. “It could be dangerous to make too much contact with him.”
“Sounds like it’d be dangerous to make contact with him regardless,” Snake rumbled as he blew out a puff of smoke. “Still, you’re right. I should probably try to avoid him if possible. If for no other reason than to keep from having to relive Ocelot’s little game back at Shadow Moses.”
“This sounds like it’ll make the mission more difficult.” Mei Ling murmured.
“Still, it’s suspicious.” Otacon hemmed and hawed. “I can’t help but wonder why the Master Hand would bring in so many more villainous types, seemingly going out of his way to get some of them back from the dead or out of time.”
Snake nodded. “Yeah, something doesn’t feel right here. I can’t help but think something’s going on.”
“Hey Otacon, I have a question.” Mei Ling said, fast forwarding the video to reveal three little ponies walking through the crowd. “Do you recognize these three? They and a fourth showed up, and there was a lot of commotion around them.”
Otacon shook his head. “No, actually. They’re not from any game that I’ve ever played.”
“Hnnnnnnh...” Snake grunted. “The plot thickens.”
“Wild cards then.” Otacon said. “You’ll want to keep an eye on them. Learn what you can about them and see if any of them are a threat.”
Snake chuckled. “They sure don’t look like one. They’re little colorful ponies.”
“Let’s not be too hasty, Snake. Remember Kirby and Pikachu.” Mei Ling added.
“Don’t worry about me, Mei Ling. I’ll be careful.” Snake said taking another drag.
Campbell nodded. “Alright Snake. Your mission objectives are as such. First: Do whatever you can to aid any other friendlies in keeping any enemies from obtaining the prize from the Master Hand. Second: Keep out of Colonel Volgin’s sight as much as you can. Do not make contact with him if it can be avoided. Lastly: Learn more about these four ponies and any other unknown elements you find. We don’t want any potential game changers to suddenly throw you off.”
“Also, Four!” Otacon chimed in, “Try to remember to get me an autograph from Samus this time.”
Snake rolled his eyes. Campbell cleared his throat. “Yes, well, did you get all that, Snake?”
“Gotcha.”
“Alright then.” Colonel Campbell said with a smile. “You should probably find yourself a balcony then and scope out the area. Survey the land you’re going to be fighting on. I’ll contact you tomorrow at 0800 unless something comes up.” His window closed.
“Talk to you later Snake!” Mei Ling said with a smile, her window closing, leaving Snake alone with Otacon.
“So...” Otacon said, his voice trailing off.
“So...?” Snake asked, prompting him to continue.
“You doing okay, Snake?” Otacon asked, an awkward tone in his voice.
“I’m fine, Otacon.” Snake deadpanned. “You don’t need to keep pestering me.”
“It’s just... you know. You were hacking up your lungs right before you left for the tournament. You even passed out once or twice. It’s not like you.” Otacon said, a somber look on his face. “I’m worried about you.”
“It was probably just a virus or something, Otacon. I feel fine.” Snake assured him.
“Still.” Otacon said. “You should probably go easy on the cigarettes. I think they might be starting to really have an effect on you.”
Snake wore a neutral expression. “Otacon, I’m here in an alternate dimension with pink marshmallows, unicorns, past nemeses of my father, anthropomorphic starfighters, and a whole crew of other insane characters straight out of your video games,” Snake deadpanned. “And you’re asking me to go easy on the smokes? Believe me, cigs are the tamest thing I could possibly indulge in.”
“Alright, alright,” Otacon sighed, massaging his forehead with his fingers. “Still, I’m taking you to see a doctor the moment you get back from the tournament, okay?”
Snake rolled his eyes. “Fine, Mom,” he chuckled. “I’ll call you if I need any intel about the people here.”
“Okay...” Otacon said, though he still looked plenty unsure. “Talk to you later, Snake.”
Otacon’s CODEC window closed, leaving Snake alone in the great hall.
* * *
The orange gunship sailed over the schizophrenic looking continent, flying low to the ground over the mishmashed terrain. Deserts and jungles and tundras flew by nonsensically beneath it as the crew aboard it took in the landscape through the green tinted windows. Aboard the craft, an orange-armored figure sat in the pilot’s seat, steering it through the foreign sky, face invisible behind the emotionless green visor. Aboard the starship, several figures watched the land beneath them out the windows. One little figure, though, was right up front with the pilot, her mouth running a million miles a minute.
“-how do you get such a machine to fly without magic, though? I’ve never seen such advanced technology! How fast can it go? Mario said this was a spaceship so does that mean it actually goes into outer space? Because that would be incredible! Does it only move locally or can it actually cross vast distances? Can it simulate gravity? How do you dampen the inertia to keep yourself from disintegrating at high speeds?” Twilight continued to yammer on to the pilot, who just remained silent, seemingly ignoring the little unicorn drilling her with every question one could conceivably ask about the ship.
Twilight was stopped, though, when she felt a hand rest on her back. Jolted out of her trance and shying away a little, Twilight looked up to see the blond man in green from before. He shook his head at her, his long, pointy green hat flopping about his face. He made some intricate motions with his fingers and then pointed out the window.
Twilight blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
“He says you should be watching the land outside, not grilling me about my ship.” The pilot finally spoke in a gruff but feminine voice.
Twilight practically jumped out of her skin and ended up falling on her rump. Getting to her hooves, she chuckled. “Oh! I was starting to think you couldn’t talk!” she cocked her head. “And you’re a girl, then? I couldn’t tell through the suit.”
The pilot reached up with an armored hand and detached a latch on her helmet, causing a burst of pressurized gas to release from her suit. Grabbing the top of her helmet, she pulled it off her head, revealing a full head of blonde hair cascading down over her shoulders, with long bangs reaching to just above her deep blue eyes. The pilot cocked a blonde eyebrow at the purple unicorn. “Most people just assume that I’m a man until I take my suit off.”
“Why would they do that?” Twilight asked, curiously.
“Never really got that myself.” The pilot muttered. After a moment, she looked away back to the windshield, surveying the landscape. Not looking at her, she held out a hand towards the little pony. “Samus Aran,” she said, gruffly.
Twilight blinked for a moment, before realizing what she was doing and tapping a hoof to her outstretched, armored palm. “Twilight Sparkle.” She smiled widely. “It’s very nice to meet you!”
“Likewise” Samus grunted, gripping her hoof and shaking it for a moment, when the sound of a clearing throat echoed from the back of the ship. “I think somebody’s waiting on you” she said, evenly.
“Oh, right!” Twilight jumped up. “Mario wanted to talk to me and the others when we got on board! I almost forgot when I saw your amazing machine.” She trotted off back into the belly of the ship. “Talk to you later, Samus! I have so many questions about your transport!”
Samus rolled her eyes as the little unicorn trotted out of sight through an automatic door, which whooshed closed behind her. Locking the door with the flick of a switch, Samus hit a button labeled ‘autopilot’ and turned in her swivel pilot’s chair to look at the blond man in green, now leaning against the wall of the cockpit. “So, Link... thoughts?”
Link shrugged with a neutral look on his face. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and wove out more precise signals with his fingers, coughing a little in a ragged voice. He pointed at the door Twilight had just left through with a smile.
Samus nodded. “Yeah, the three little ones seem alright,” She said, scratching her chin with her armored hand. She sneered, pulling up a camera feed of the passenger hold that she used as something of a living quarters where she saw Mario talking with the four newcomers. She scowled at the one that had announced herself as the ‘Queen of the Changelings’ and helped cause a ruckus in the great hall after the Master Hand’s speech. “The big black one might be trouble though.” She added with a suspicious tone.
Link nodded, making a few more gestures with his hands and pulling on his long, pointed ear. His heavy boots made loud thumping noises as he stepped forward to get a better view of the camera feed, waving at them with an open hand.
“I’m not sure what it means.” Samus sighed. “Everybody else that’s ever come here has known what they’re getting into. Twilight seems to be getting into the swing of things, but I can’t say the same for country jamboree or butterfly butt.” She pointed at the ponies. Twilight seemed very engrossed in what the plumber had to say, but the orange one in the cowboy hat couldn’t stop fidgeting and the pegasus seemed to be trying to curl herself into a singularity. The big, black one just looked bored and seemed to be absentmindedly flipping through a magazine on Samus’ coffee table. “Sounds like Mario’s doing his best at damage control, for all the good it seems to be doing for them,” she hummed.
Link sidled up next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Samus turned back to look out the windshield. Link stepped to the side, making more movements with his hands and arms as Samus watched the landscape pass below them. As they passed over a section of city that she didn’t recognize, she huffed.
“I don’t know.” Samus said with a grunt as she fidgeted with the buttons on her arm cannon. The cannon opened up, revealing a slender hand clad in a light blue glove. With her newly revealed right hand, she firmly pressed a large green button on her left. Her armor suddenly dematerialized around her, revealing a tall, curvy, well-muscled woman in a blue, skintight suit. Glowing pink symbols ran up and down her back and wrists. The suit’s disappearance caused her to hiss as the surgical implants in her spine connecting the suit to her flesh and bone suddenly vaporized, replaced by her natural sinew, muscle, and skeleton. She stretched, the bones in her back and legs popping as she raised her arms above her head.
“Jesus that feels so much better...” she muttered, clearing her throat and turning to Link. The elven hero was staring at her, a mixture of disgust and shock on his face.
“...what?” She asked. “Link, you’ve seen me in my civvies. What are you staring at?”
Link pointed to Samus’ left arm.
Samus blinked, inspecting her left arm, where three jagged, tooth-like growths were poking through her zero suit, looking like bone daggers as they ripped through the fabric. “Oh yeah! You haven’t seen my teeth yet,” the hunter smirked. “I’ve been thinking of having them removed, but they’re actually pretty handy in unarmed combat.” She shrugged. “Yeah, long story short, I ended up infected by an alien parasite, had Metroid cells injected into me, and now my left arm has teeth. What’cha gonna do, you know?” she said with a small shake of her head.
Link grimaced and made a pinching motion with his fingers.
“Nah.” Samus waved him off. “I mean, yeah, it hurt when they sprouted, but my whole world was pretty much blinding pain at that point.”
Link shook his head and waved a hand over his face, motioning at Samus with a bemused expression. He put his hands on his hips.
Samus chuckled. “Buddy, in my line of work, nothing ends up fazing you after a few months.” She grinned mischievously, holding her toothy arm up to her friend. “You can touch ‘em if you like. They feel pretty weird. I can even flex them a little!” The teeth wiggled a little on her arm as she held them up to Link’s face.
Link’s face started to turn a shade close to that of his outfit as he grimaced, holding up his hands in front of him and backed a few paces away.
“Alright, alright.” Samus chuckled. “Boy, if that was your reaction, I should wiggle them in front of Peach’s face when I get back. She’ll probably faint on the spot.” She coughed a little, her face returning to a mask of esriousness, looking back up at Link who seemed to be recovering. “Anyway, can we get back on track?”
Link nodded vigorously, clearing his throat and wincing a little. His eyes shifted back to the teeth on her arm a few times, though.
“Right.” Samus said, flipping a few switches on her dashboard. “By all rights, it just seems like another normal tournament like the first two, but after the last one I have to say I’m a bit suspicious. Especially with all the other gruesomes that have joined this time around.” She clenched her fist. “I mean, what the hell is that damn glove thinking, bringing Ridley to the tournament?”
Link replied with a frown and a nod as he fidgeted with his boomerang, pulled from a pouch on his waist. He made a few extra cues before going back to watching the world below them.
“Exactly. And I know we’re not the only ones that see it.” Samus leaned forward, resting her head on her arms and closing her eyes. “We’ve managed to keep these things civil the past few times. It was easy the first time around since it was only the twelve of us heroes, but things got difficult the second time and it almost turned into outright anarchy last time, friends fighting friends and the like. I’d rather not have that sort of thing happen again.”
Link nodded slowly, scratching the back of his head and shuffling a foot.
The huntress eyed him with a smirk. “Yeah, Mario told me about that time you tried to run your sword through his head.” Samus chuckled.
Link made a few wide movements, a scowl on his face. He slapped a fist into an open palm and then crossed his arms and glared at the bounty hunter, causing Samus to snort.
“Oh please, like Mario would ever outright kill anything,” The armored woman scoffed, sitting back in her chair again as she observed a very peculiar castle below them. “Anyway, what I’m trying to get at is that everybody’s always a touch on edge at these things at the best of times. Nobody ever completely trusts anybody else with the power to change worlds on a whim. The number of thugs here this time can only make that paranoia worse, and now, after little miss bumpkin’s outburst in the great hall, everybody probably knows that there are suddenly people being taken without permission, which can’t mean anything good.” She glanced aside. “Mario’s attempts to keep that quiet sure died in the cradle. Anyway, it won’t be long until everybody figures out something is going on and just starts questioning everything about this whole setup. I can’t tell what’ll happen after that, but if we want to keep those power hungry bastards like Ridley or Ganondorf from getting their hands on a free wish in the confusion, we need to make sure everybody sticks together and that this doesn’t devolve into an ‘every man for himself’ situation.”
Link shrugged and responded with a long string of gestures. He sighed and looked at Samus with a puzzled expression, leaning against the dashboard.
“I’m saying we’re going to need to play peacekeeper. Keep the order. Smack down any smart guys that try to rise up and cause problems and help settle any arguments or fights that happen between friendlies.” She growled, clenching a fist tightly. “We got lucky that we all managed to sort our crap out last time. If there’s something going on this time we’ll need to join forces against it again, and we can’t do that if everybody is in self-preservation mode. So you, me, and the other longtime vets need to get together and come up with a plan to keep shit straight.” Samus looked up at the medieval warrior. “You with me?”
Link gave her a thumbs up.
“Alright, so here’s what I have in mind-”
* * * MEANWHILE * * *
Fluttershy and Applejack looked around nervously as the craft sped through the sky. By all rights, it looked like a very nice one-room apartment, if a little heavy on the chrome surfaces. There was a bed tucked in the back with some sort of screen hovering above it, a low, chrome table in the center of the room, a miniature fridge and kitchenette towards the cockpit, and a sofa against the wall, which the two of them and Queen Chrysalis were currently sitting on. Mario was seated upon a hovering chair across from them on the other side of the table. All of it looked very sleek and clean and futuristic to the ponies and changeling.
Applejack hated it.
While Fluttershy seemed to be content with curling in a ball and going to her ‘happy place,’ and Queen Chrysalis was merely looking around with a dispassionate curiosity as though none of this fazed her, Applejack hated the sterile, otherworldly feel of it all. It was too cold, too utilitarian, and too desolate. It was everything she expected, really, out of an alien spacecraft, and it nagged at her. She was as far away from the Apple Family as she could seemingly get at the moment, and she longed for home.
Mario huffed. “Please, Applejack. I know Samus well.” He smiled softly. “Nothing bad is-a going to happen to you here.”
Applejack groaned. “I don’t like it, though.” Applejack shuddered. “It’s like something out of them ‘Star Trot’ comics. How can anypony live in a place like this.”
Queen Chrysalis scoffed. “It might help that they aren’t ponies, genius.”
AJ growled. “Don’t matter! What kind of creature do y’all know of that can live in a flying hospital room?” She pointed at the table in the middle of the room. “Betcha they’ve done dozens of dissections on that thing.”
“Heh.” Mario chuckled. “Samus isn’t exactly one for operating on anything.”
‘She’s really more the type to blow things up,’ he finished in his head.
Applejack grumbled, crossing her arms and turning her head away from the plumber, only to clench her eyes shut when she caught a glimpse out the window. Watching the land fly by below her as she apparently sped through the sky faster than Rainbow Dash made her feel sick. “Why are we even on this here doohickey, Mario?”
“I told you” Mario said, folding his hands. “After the Master’s speech, everybody goes out and gets a sense for the lay of the land. We’re going to be fighting the tournament in this world he’s constructed, so it’s best to get familiar with our fighting ground before the tournament actually begins.”
Fluttershy raised a hoof, barely peeking out from under her mane as she curled up on the couch. “Why do you fight?” she peeped. “Aren’t you all friends? Friends shouldn’t fight.”
“Ah yes.” Mario said with a nod. “That was what I wanted to explain to you.” He said, standing up and striding over to the automatic door separating the cockpit from the living area. The door opened with a woosh and a hiss of air. He loudly cleared his throat as the door opened, catching a glimpse of Twilight shaking hands with Samus. The purple unicorn quickly finished up with the bounty hunter and trotted over to him, sitting politely down on the couch between Applejack and Fluttershy.
“Sorry about that Mario.” She said, sheepishly, her ears turned back. “It’s just so exciting! All this new technology and culture. It’s so much to take in and all so fascinating.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes and scoffed but Mario just chuckled. “That’s okay, Twilight,” he said cheerfully. “But I think it’s more important you learn about how the tournament works, yes?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, that’s right. I’m sure we’re all very curious... and concerned... about this fighting tournament.” She said with a grimace of distaste.
“Okie Dokie...” Mario exhaled sharply, sitting back down and leaning back in his chair. “Where to begin.”
“The beginning seems like an obvious place.” Chrysalis grunted with a roll of her eyes.
“Alrighty.” Mario nodded, blinking a little as Twilight’s horn flashed and a little notebook and quill suddenly popped into being. Shaking it off, the plumber began his tale. “Well, the story goes like this...”
---
Twelve heroes appeared in the foyer of a great hall, all of them summoned from far off lands. Two creatures called Pokémon from a land of battle and adventure. A child from a land of psychic horrors. A hero from a land of fantasy. A bounty hunter from a universe of racing and intrigue, and another from one of endless war and death. A mercenary pilot from a system locked in combat. A dinosaur and an ape from peaceful islands, and a puffy pink creature from a land of dreams. Lastly, two simple plumbers from a kingdom ruled by a beautiful princess and constantly besieged by powerful enemies.
They had all been invited to join a tournament, though the method of invitation was certainly an unorthodox one. Great comets had screamed out of the sky and landed near them. Only when they managed to translate the strange runes upon the invitations were they allowed to open a portal to Smashworld. And once there, they were met by the Master Hand: A massive, ethereal hand, bigger than all of them put together.
The Master Hand introduced himself as the ‘Spirit of Creativity and Imagination,’ and he lived up to his name. The spirit seemed capable of conjuring anything from his fingertips. He claimed that he had a hand in creating all their worlds, and that he’d been watching all of them, and many more worlds, for eons on end. He said that he wished to see which of his creations was the most powerful of all, and that he would grant the most powerful of them a single wish, should they fight and win in his first ever ‘Super Smash Brothers’ tournament.
The purpose of the tournament was not merely to fight, however, as the Master Hand encouraged that all of them get to know each other and forge friendships with one another.
It was difficult to create friendships with those you were ordered to fight, but it was soon revealed that it was incredibly difficult to be hurt in the Smashworld, and downright impossible to be killed. The violence soon came to be treated as a mere sport; a sparring match between friends.
---
“Wait, wait, wait...” Twilight said, holding up her hooves. “How does that work?” she asked.
Mario blinked. “How does-a what work?”
“The part where you said that nobody could be hurt or killed.” Twilight replied. “I mean, if everybody is fighting each other, well...” she scratched the back of her head. “It’s just some of the people I saw were carrying some pretty nasty looking weapons or using pretty dangerous looking powers.” She muttered. “If everybody is hitting each other with things like that, how can nobody be hurt?”
“Ah.” Mario nodded in understanding. “I don’t completely know how it works, you see, but there’s some sort of power over this place,” the red capped plumber said, looking at the three of them. “It’s probably best if you ask Zelda about it. She’s really the only one familiar with magic here who isn’t um...” the plumber trailed off, stealing a quick look at Chrysalis who was still idly flipping through Samus’ magazines, before turning back to the ponies, “...less than friendly,” he finished.
“I see...” Twilight mumbled, scratching another little note into her pad. “Sorry, go on.”
Mario cleared his throat.
---
The tournament lasted for some time when-
---
“How long?” Applejack suddenly blurted out.
Mario sighed, slapping a palm to his face. “What’s that?” he asked, exasperated.
Applejack twiddled a hoof, and straightened her hat. “I just wanted to know how long the tournament lasts.”
Mario winced. “Okay, don’t get excited...” he said warily, clearing his throat. “It lasts about eight months.”
“Eight months?!” all four shouted in alarm.
Mario grimaced as all four of them started to protest. Applejack was shouting something about her farm and family and Fluttershy worried for the sake of her animals. Chrysalis spoke of the safety of her changeling swarm and Twilight worried for her other friends. Before they could get even two sentences into their protests, Mario held up a hand. “Hey! HEY!” he shouted, causing them all to stop. “Calm down, paisanos!”
“Again, Zelda would be better to explain it, but there’s a funny thing about the Smashworld.” The ponies all sat on the edge of their seat, urging him to continue, save for Chrysalis who fixed him with a glare. Mario let out a breath. “Basically, time works differently here.”
“How so?” Twilight asked, chewing on the end of her quill.
The little man massaged his forehead. “When we all go home, a different amount of time passes for all of us,” he explained. “While we will spend eight months here, less time will have passed when we get back to our own worlds.” He put a hand on his chest. “For example, when my brother and I get home only two weeks will have passed.” He motioned to the cockpit. “For Samus, it’s a month and a half. For Link, it’s only a week.”
“How do we know how long we’ll be gone?” Twilight asked, concerned.
Mario sighed. “There’s no way to tell until you get home.” He said, shoulders slumping. “Everybody here experiences a different loss of time. The shortest time anybody’s had is three days. The longest is the full eight months.”
“So... we could be gone for almost a year?” Fluttershy stammered.
“I doubt it.” Mario shook his head. “The people that experienced the full eight months had some sort of contact with their own worlds while they were here, and you don’t have that. Zelda says, and I’m using her words, that the contact they had with their worlds probably synchronized the passage of time between universes.” He shrugged. “At least that’s her theory.”
“...what?” Applejack asked.
“Basically, if we had contact with our friends, we’d be gone in Equestria for the full eight months,” Twilight explained to the farmpony. “But since we don’t have contact with them, presumably, we’ll be gone in Equestria for substantially less time.”
“B-but we could still be gone for more than a month!” Fluttershy stuttered. “I can’t be away from my animals for that long!”
“Mi dispiace, my friends.” Mario said somberly. “There’s nothing I can do.”
There was silence in the cabin for a time. The three ponies all hung their heads, their faces masks of worry.
“...you three disgust me.” Chrysalis hissed.
The three ponies turned to the changeling queen, scowls on all their faces. “Oh sure, like you have anything to worry about.” Applejack snapped. “Not like y’all got anypony you have to worry about back in Equestria.”
“Have you not heard a word I have said?!” Chrysalis barked. “My hive is back in our world without me,” she hissed, baring her fangs. “I know it’s hard for you ponies to understand, but I do care about my swarm. They are lost without me, directionless without a queen to maintain our telepathic link.”
The ponies all blinked as Chrysalis continued ranting. “Yes, I’m worried about them. The world hates them, and you ponies would throw them in prisons and leave them starved of love. But at the moment, there’s nothing I can do to help them. So what point is there in worrying needlessly? It will only make what we do here harder.”
The ponies all blinked. Mario cleared his throat. “She’s right, actually.”
Chrysalis turned away and continued absentmindedly flipping through the magazine she found.
Mario continued. “There’s no point in worrying if you can’t do anything about it, is there?”
The three ponies all sighed. Applejack flopped onto her belly and started to circle a hoof around on the ground, her ears folded back and her tail drooping. “I suppose y’all are right.” Applejack droned. “It don’t sit right with me, though.”
“I’m sure somepony will help take care of your farm and animals, girls.” Twilight said softly, attempting to placate the two of them. “Celestia wouldn’t let your lives fall into ruin while you’re gone.”
“Yeah...” Applejack still sounded gloomy and nervous, but calmed, or at least as calmed as she could get. Fluttershy nodded as well.
“It’s not really worth too much worry anyway.” Mario explained. “Most of the people who come here don’t turn out to be gone for more than a couple weeks. Samus has one of the longest amounts of time pass other than the ones that have contact with their world. You probably won’t be gone more than a week or two.”
Applejack fidgeted. “Iff’n you say so...”
Mario gave them all a little nod. “So... can I continue then?”
The ponies and changeling all motioned for him to go on.
---
The tournament lasted for eight long months, and in that time, the twelve of them ended up forging friendships of some form or another. At the very least, they all grew to respect one another, and all of them became better fighters, and arguably better people because of it. Eventually, though, the tournament began to draw to a close.
The Master Hand never explained exactly how he judged the tournament. Who can really say how such a being thinks or judges the battles when they are all so chaotic and frenzied that the fighters themselves can sometimes barely keep track of what is going on around them? However, one by one, he would eventually declare fighters to have lost and be out of the tournament. The losing fighters were free to remain in the world and interact and spar with those still in the game, but were not a part of official battles.
Eventually, one fighter won the tournament, and the fabled prize that the Master Hand offered: one wish from the spirit of creation and imagination himself. The multiverse was in his hands. Whatever he wished for could shape the destinies of countless realities and the fates of all beings within.
---
“Who won?” Fluttershy asked, softly.
Mario chuckled for a moment before answering. “Kirby won the first Super Smash Brothers tournament.” The plumber said, sounding amused.
Twilight blinked. “Kirby?”
He nodded. “I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough. He’s a little pink guy with big red feet.”
“And... what did he wish for?” Applejack asked.
Mario laughed softly, leaning back. “A slice of strawberry shortcake.”
The ponies were all silent. Twilight cocked her head.
“...seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“That... seems like a mighty waste.” Applejack muttered.
Mario shrugged. “You’d think, but if you’d seen the little guy’s face as he ate it, you’d know he was the most contented little bambino that ever lived then.”
Fluttershy chuckled. “It sounds like something that Pinkie Pie would do.”
“Must’ve been good cake.” Applejack nodded.
The girls all giggled at the thought. Queen Chrysalis pointedly ignored the bunch of them.
“Anyway,” Mario continued. “After that, we were all sent home. Everything went back to normal for all of us until some time later...”
---
The Master Hand was contented with his work in the previous tournament. The most powerful of his creations had been chosen and had gotten his wish. However, not all was at peace in the Master Hand’s world.
The Master Hand’s brother, the Crazy Hand, took every chance he could to provoke and prod at his sibling. The Crazy Hand, the ultimate spirit of Destruction and Ruin, proposed that the Master Hand had not found the most powerful of all of his creations. For while he may have found the most powerful champion of good, the Crazy Hand proposed that evil was far more powerful a force. After all what good is creation when anything that is created can be destroyed in an instant? What good is it to promote peace and the creation and preservation of life and civilization, when but a single horseshoe nail could bring it all tumbling down?
Indeed, the Crazy Hand made an interesting case. Which was the more powerful force? Good or Evil? Creation or Destruction? The question troubled the Master Hand’s mind, and the Crazy Hand proposed that he host another tournament to put it to the test. Eventually, the Master Hand agreed, and summoned up even more champions from even more worlds. Most of them good, but a number of them evil.
Bowser, the King of the Koopas, was summoned; A powerful sorcerer and kidnapper. Ganondorf, the king of thieves and wielder of the Triforce of Power too was called; A dark wizard of the cruelest intentions and scourge of the land of Hyrule. And Mewtwo, the world’s most powerful pokémon bred and tested upon in a cloning lab; The most powerful psychic anyone had ever seen and hateful of all human life.
The tournament began anew, but this time there was an air of tension over the whole thing. The heroes were forced to work together to keep these three villains from ever obtaining the Master Hand’s prize.
---
“And did you?” Twilight asked. “Did you keep them from winning the prize?”
“Shucks, Twi.” Applejack said. “’Course they did. They’re still here after all, right?”
Mario shook his head. “No, actually. We failed.”
The ponies all blinked. “What?!” they all shouted. Even Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.
Mario shrugged. “We lost. All of us.” He straightened his hat on his head as he continued. “We managed to defeat Bowser and Ganondorf, but all of us ended up falling to Mewtwo’s psychic ability. He wiped the floor with each and every one of us.”
“But y’all said he hated all human life!” Applejack said. “Wouldn’t he have used his wish to wipe y’all out or something?”
Mario stroked his moustache. “Well, he almost did. But something strange happened...”
---
Mewtwo watched as all of the creatures he fought against forged bonds and friendships that he had never known. Mewtwo’s thoughts were troubled as he watched these humans laughing, dancing, sparring, and living together in friendship and harmony. It was all so different from Mewtwo’s experience with humanity. The humans that Mewtwo had known and hated had been cold, analytical, and cruel, prodding him with needles and shocking him with electrodes just to test his limits. The humans Mewtwo had destroyed were different from these people. Mewtwo considered this. If he were to destroy humanity with his wish, would he be destroying innocents the way his humans had nearly destroyed him when he was once innocent? Would he be any better than his tormentors?
Mewtwo still fought with every ounce of his being in the tournament, and eventually won. The Crazy Hand gloated over his brother. The Master Hand seemed crestfallen as he offered Mewtwo his wish.
It was tempting for Mewtwo to wish for the destruction of humanity. The destruction of humanity in all universes. But as he looked over the faces of those who had fought him, he felt too conflicted to wish for such a thing. Instead, he looked at the Master Hand and wished for one thing.
“Understanding”
That was all he said. Mewtwo wished to ‘understand.’
The Master Hand and the Crazy Hand both were surprised. The Master Hand granted the wish.
None of the fighters in the tournament ever found out exactly what happened. All they knew was they looked into Mewtwo’s eyes as the wish was granted then and there and they saw something different. Mewtwo looked as if some great puzzle had finally been solved. His posture was more relaxed and his telepathic voice softer.
He stood there, reveling in his epiphany for a few moments, before turning to the Crazy Hand and speaking only four words.
“You are a fool.”
The Crazy Hand cried out in rage. Somehow, even in his victory, he had met with defeat. In his rage, he attacked all of the fighters, even the ones he had summoned to fight for him.
All of the champions were forced to fight the most powerful foe they’d ever faced: The Spirit of Destruction himself. In the end though, they succeeded in defeating him against all odds. Mewtwo struck the final blow, sending the Crazy Hand hurtling into the void of the Final Destination to lick his wounds.
And so, the fighters were all sent home, and when the call came out once more, Mewtwo did not join them.
---
“So um...” Fluttershy spoke up. “Why did you get called a third time?”
“Yeah, if y’all had already found out who the most powerful of y’all was and already proven that good was better ‘n evil, what else was there to call y’all about?”
Mario sighed. “Well... that was where things got messy,” he muttered.
---
Once again, the champions were summoned, in even greater number this time. However, this time there was no test awaiting them. The Master Hand said nothing about a test between good and evil or a test to see who was the strongest among them. Instead, they were merely told to fight.
Behind the backs of the heroes though, the Master Hand was making pacts with the nefarious Ganondorf, Bowser, Ridley, and Wario. He claimed that although Mewtwo eventually relented and claimed that Good was more powerful than Evil, he was still technically aligned with Evil when he actually won the tournament. Therefore, whatever he said afterward must have been wrong. The Master Hand claimed to have had an epiphany and proposed an alliance with the villains. He claimed that he would make all of them the rulers and gods of their own worlds if they agreed to help him destroy those who were obviously inferior: the champions of Good.
For seven months, the tournament was waged. The heroes all eventually became complacent as the villains were supposedly all eliminated from the tournament early on in the games. However, that merely allowed those who followed Evil to gather together in a mysterious realm called Subspace uninterrupted by the heroes. There, they constructed weapons, armies, and entire cities, all with the purpose of destroying that which was good with the help of an enslaved army of robots called “R.O.B.s” or “Robotic Operating Buddies.”
And when they struck, none of the heroes were prepared. The R.O.B.s were made to sacrifice themselves to detonate bombs that absorbed the power and energy of the Smashworld and powered the subspace engines that they would use to destroy the heroes. The heroes attempted to fight back, but in all the confusion ended up fighting each other as much as they ended up fighting their aggressors.
Eventually, the heroes managed to get themselves together and coordinate to destroy the R.O.B. army and the bomb factory, defeat Wario, and seemingly thwart the plans of the evildoers. Ridley was beaten twice, and the heroes gathered together to invade Subspace and thwart the villains. Only Ganondorf, Bowser and the Master Hand remained. Ganondorf attempted to pin the blame of their imminent failure on Bowser to save face with the Master Hand and stabbed Bowser in the back. It was then revealed, however, that for the Master Hand, everything was going according to plan.
For you see, the Master Hand was not actually the Master Hand that the fighters knew. The Master Hand was being controlled by a villainous lord of emptiness. A vile creature known as Tabuu: Lord of the Space between Spaces.
Tabuu discovered the Smashworld when the Crazy Hand was defeated by Mewtwo. When such a powerful entity was broken, it caused a rift to open in space and time and alert Tabuu to the existence of the Smashworld. For Tabuu was obsessed with expanding subspace and consuming all worlds to become the ultimate being, but his imprisonment in the space between spaces made that impossible. The Smashworld, being by nature an amalgam of many worlds’ energies mashed together, was a perfect way to worm his influence into many worlds at the same time and eventually give him the strength to consume all worlds. But he was too weak to do it on his own, so he slowly and carefully weakened the Master Hand from the safety of Subspace with his corruptive influence. The Master Hand was already in a sorry state from his fight with his brother and eventually he managed to break the spirit of creation. From there, he immediately summoned the means to construct an army that would absorb the Smashworld into Subspace and thus grant him the energies of the world and its heroes, making him more powerful than ever.
Tabuu revealed to Ganondorf that he intended for the heroes to catch on and reach his lair. That way, he could absorb their powerful energies along with the energies of the world itself. He had played Ganondorf, Bowser, and Wario for fools. The only one who had known about Tabuu was Ridley, who sided with him when Tabuu promised to make him his highest general. Tabuu set everybody up and revealed that he fully intended to betray Ganondorf, then stole his energy and left him for dead. The weakened Master Hand attempted to fight back, but Tabuu swiftly defeated him and absorbed his energy as well. He then went on to do the same to the heroes and with that, he managed to absorb the whole of the Smashworld.
He would have gone on to absorb all of the heroes’ homeworlds and eventually the entire multiverse, but after absorbing so much energy and with his foes seemingly defeated, he decided he could spare time to rest. It was merely serendipity that the heroes managed to ever fight back. Kirby, the most powerful fighter from the first tournament, was saved by a strange artifact he had taken from his on-again-off-again nemesis, and proceeded to restore every other champion. The champions united and managed to fight through the mangled Smashworld that now floated about in subspace and confront Tabuu.
They reached him too late, however, as Tabuu ripped holes into every world in the multiverse. It was only by luck that Tabuu was startled out of his feast by a speedster from one of the universes he ripped into, and in his confusion, the other fighters managed to take him down. The last of the R.O.B.s managed to strike the final blow, angered at the loss of his race through Tabuu’s manipulations.
With Tabuu destroyed, the Smashworld was set right once again and Tabuu’s influence throughout the multiverse was severed. The Master Hand was restored and, though the tournament was ultimately a farce, he offered a wish to the last R.O.B. for his aid in defeating Tabuu. R.O.B. wished for the restoration of his race and the R.O.B.s went on to return to their pacifistic ways of aiding and serving those who are in need.
And so, the fighters were all sent home, having saved the multiverse itself from being destroyed by Tabuu and the armies of Subspace...
---
“...and that brings us to about now.” Mario said. “Now we’ve been called together again for a fourth tournament.”
The ponies all stared at him. Even Chrysalis was silent.
“So...” Applejack said. “What does the fella want this time?”
Mario grimaced. “We don’t know. He didn’t specify a purpose for the tournament in his address, and you bet your bruschetta that makes some of us very nervous.”
“He is a disembodied limb with the power of a god, though,” Twilight said, still jotting things down in her notepad. “I mean, if any creature has the right to be enigmatic and incomprehensible it’s something like that. So it’s entirely possible that this is just another tournament right?”
“As far as we know that’s the case,” he said. “We’re going to treat it like another normal tournament until we know otherwise, but we’re going to remain on guard this time. Nothing is going to sneak up on us or make us complacent.”
“But that’s why you were so startled when we said we weren’t invited.” Twilight murmered. “It’s suspicious and you worry it might be indicative of something more going on.”
Mario nodded. “That’s-a right.”
“It must be awful.” Fluttershy muttered, uncurling from her ball. “You get a chance to see friends that you wouldn’t ever be able to see otherwise, and you’re going to spend the whole time worrying that something bad might happen all because of us.” She got up off the couch and trotted over to Mario, surprising him with a big hug. “I’m sorry.” She said, softly.
Chrysalis made a mock-retching noise but otherwise remained quiet.
Mario blinked, but eventually smiled and patted the pegasus on the back. “It’s all okie dokie.” He said gently. “There’s a lot of us keeping watch, and we’re not going to let this ruin the whole time we have together.” He chuckled. “And if it’s any consolation, you’re not the only suspicious thing about this tournament, so don’t you go thinking that you’re ruining this for us.” He gave the others a wan smile. “Heck, even if it was a normal tournament we’d still be busy trying to make sure that certain sorts don’t end up getting the prize.”
“It all sounds pretty stressful.” Twilight said.
Mario nodded. “Yes, but it is stress shared among friends, and that makes it a little easier to bear, am I right Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight smiled. “I understand better than you know, Mario.”
Applejack huffed and shivered a little, her tail twitching back and forth. “Mr. Mario, I think I may have misjudged y’all. I owe you an apology, I reckon.”
Fluttershy broke her hug. “We’ll help as best we can.” Her ears folded back. “...even if it means having to fight...”
Mario grinned widely. “Eccellente, girls.” Patting Fluttershy on the head, he turned to Queen Chrysalis. “And what of you, Queen?”
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “I hardly think of myself as evil, plumber. My race has been oppressed and forced to scavenge for scraps in the shadows for ages. Only by my hoof have the changelings even survived as long as they have.” She snorted. “If I cannot be with my hive this minute to guide them, then I will use my wish to bring them out of the shadows and into the light where they will thrive. I am going to get that wish. I will help my hive one way or another. You are welcome to try and band together to stop me, but I promise that I will destroy you if you do.”
Mario’s mouth flattened into a thin line. “I have no problem with you helping your people, Queen. But I may have a problem with how it you plan to do it.”
“I do not answer to you, plumber.” Queen Chrysalis sneered. “I don’t have to explain what I intend or justify myself to you.” She stood up. “I tire of this,” she said, walking over to the door and placing a hoof against the opening panel. When it did not open, she snarled, lighting her horn and blasting the panel, causing the door to open.
* * *
The Queen strode into the cockpit, interrupting a conversation between Samus and Link.
“Hey!” Samus shouted. “The hell do you think you’re doing to my ship?!”
“I tire of this!” Queen Chrysalis announced in her most royal voice. “Set the ship down and let me depart. I am returning to the Acropolis.”
Samus snarled at her, fixing the Queen with a fiery glare. The Queen glared back, ice in her eyes to match Samus’ heat. The two of them stared at each other in silent challenge for several moments before Samus grumbled and punched several switches and buttons on her dashboard. The ship slowed to a halt and lowered to the ground, coming to rest in a glade in a spooky looking forest. Activating a switch on the dashboard, Samus opened the entrance hatch in the living quarters. With a mocking nod of her head, Chrysalis wordlessly buzzed her wings, fluttering through the main living room and out into the open, flying back towards the large plateau upon which the Acropolis’ fortress sat.
“Bitch, isn’t she?” Samus muttered when the Queen was out of sight. Mario and the three ponies ambled into the cockpit with the two other veterans. Link made a very particular rude gesture out the window at the queen, who was now a fair ways into the distance.
“So what’s the word?” Samus asked Mario.
The plumber cleared his throat. “I can’t get a decent bead on the Queen.” He said. “She claims that if she wins the prize she will merely use it to the benefit of her race, but she blew up and refused to explain how she wanted to do so or any other ulterior motives.” Mario stroked his bushy moustache. “I can’t say I like her, though.”
“You shouldn’t.” Twilight said. “There’s no reason to trust her at all. The last few times she tried to ‘help her race,’ she did it at the expense of other civilizations in Equestria. She brought the kingdom of the Cuddle Cats nearly to ruin in her latest attempt at helping her race, and every time she intended to destroy the pony race in an attempt to raise up her own.” The unicorn shook her head. “She could have attempted to merely open relations with Equestria and the other nations, but she didn’t even try such a thing. She jumped straight into infiltration and invasion. Chrysalis doesn’t seem capable of helping her own people without bringing down another.”
Mario nodded. “I see... I know exactly the type,” he muttered.
“We can’t let her get the wish then.” Samus mused.
“No.” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “At best, she’ll bring ruin to our world, but she might get it in her head to go bigger if she thinks it will ‘benefit her people.’”
“Alright.” Samus nodded. “We’ll add her to the list of ‘unfriendlies’ then.”
“These three on the other hand...” Mario said with a smile, opening his arms to gesture to the three little ponies, “I believe we can trust.” The plumber smiled at the three of them. “You all seem plenty nice to me, even if your arrival was unusual.”
Fluttershy blushed. Twilight beamed. Applejack scuffed a hoof. “Aw, shucks.” Link strode over to her and placed a hand on her withers. The farmer froze up for a moment, but eventually relaxed a little. “I’m still a little skittish, y’all understand. Being so far away from home and among such strange company... it puts me on edge.”
“Of course.” Mario nodded. “I’m sure if you let yourself ease up, though, you’ll find we aren’t that scary.” He added with a grin.
Applejack drooped. “I’m mighty sorry I freaked out at y’all back in the great hall.”
“Forget about it.” Samus said with a dismissive wave. “First time we were here we had our fair share of freaking out at each other, eh Link?” The green-capped hero just rolled his eyes. Samus chuckled. “Yeah, we have fun.”
Fluttershy and Twilight smiled. “We’ll help you any way we can, Mario,” Twilight said. “It’s a little weird, but we’ll help you to keep Chrysalis and any of our other enemies from getting the prize, and if anything goes awry we’ll be right there! We swear as the elements of harmony!”
Fluttershy nodded. “That’s right... even if I’d... prefer not to fight so much...” she muttered.
“Alright, then!” the plumber said with a flip of his cap. “Then let’s-a go!”
The orange ship’s thrusters lit with a glowing, blue fire as the gunship took off from the dark forest, sailing into the sky over the absurd landscape.
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I would have figured Kirby to wish for food
I must say, I enjoyed this immensely, and can hardly wait for more.
If you don't like making him a mute, you can always have Twilight ask him about it, attempt to analyze whatever keeps him from speaking, and find a magical solution. While Twilight's magic might not be as powerful as a piece of the Triforce, she's certainly more versatile.
Also, Samus's new teeth. What the hell?
4075314
Ah, Samus' teeth. That's a reference to Metroid: Fusion, the last game in the series chronologically so far. I've planned out exactly when in all of the various characters timelines' this is, at least when it's relevant, and for Samus, this story is taking place after the events of Fusion.
Samus basically summed up what happened in the game. She got infected with a horrible alien parasite, but was injected with Metroid cells (which was the parasite's natural predator) and it cured her. However the game went onto say that the Metroid Cells mutated her. In the game, this really only amounts to Samus being incredibly vulnerable to ice and cold (since cold is the Metroid's only real consistent weakness as a species). However, she also gets these weird pointy things on the arm of her suit in the game for no apparent reason.
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080329203233/metroid/images/8/83/Hueg_official_fusion_suit_artwork.jpg
At the end of the game, she got her old suit back, but fans have often speculated about the spiky things. Some people have speculated that she has Metroid-like teeth on her arm now, and frankly, I liked the idea so I adopted it.
4075367
Oh! That's what you were referring to!
I've played Fusion and know the story, and knew this then took place post...but I was picturing a ring of teeth around her arm, or on one side...or something she could slam into someone's side and drain them with Metroid style.
I really like your take on the "story" of the Smash games.
And Kirby's wish made me laugh. 
..I wish Mewtwo was back...He was one of my favorites.
4075406
Nah, just the three pointy thingies. Though, I'm not going to count out the idea that she can slam them into people and drain them like a Metroid with them.
But no. A ring of teeth would be rightfully horrifying, but that's not what I was getting at.
I actually made an endeavor in this chapter to reference a bunch of the various stories of the Nintendo characters involved, and have been trying to hint at things and make nods towards their original games. For example, I gave a lot of information about Snake's timeline in his section with his support team, and the Strawberry Shortcake that Kirby wished for was a reference to Kirby Squeak Squad, I believe.
4075424
Thanks! :)
4075478
That's why it got a what the hell reaction from me.
Besides, those teeth are visible through her power suit. She didn't get her original suit configuration back, just the original color scheme from absorbing an SA-X.
Wow, this story is freakin amazing.
Just caught up to it. I love how you explained the smash universe so well, including why mewtwo not returning. And love links communication
This is one I will follow.
Quite pedestrian, I must say.
Finally! I was so anxious for this to update you have no idea.
But after reading it, I'll say that it was worth the long wait, as it's all-but-perfect.
I eagerly await more.
super smash bros for wii u/ for 3ds is coming soon
4075509
Yeah... I'm taking an artistic liberty or two, to be fair. In this story she has her regular power suit, still has the teeth, but they aren't usually visible through the armor. Way I justify it, the SA-X from Metroid Fusion was, in fact, basically confirmed to be an X-clone of Samus that basically formed itself inside her old power suit when it was removed from her. When she defeated the SA-X, she grabbed the power suit's remains, repaired them, and reconfigured it back onto her. Also, she gave her purple Adam-ship an orange paint job.
4075643
Thanks! Yeah, it was fun coming up with the backstory to the SSB universe.
4075653
It's probably a firearm magazine. I suspect she stole it from a waiting room somewhere.
I'm glad people seem to be liking this chapter after all the difficulty I had writing it.
4075663
Okay. I guess all that makes sense.
Really? I mean really? Kirby won and wished for a piece of strawberry short cake...
Man that just hilarious as f*ck man. 
Good one man good one.
Wow. This is turning out to be quite impressive. I mean, there is a lot of exposition. But, I think that it's pretty awesome how you gave Smash Bros. a sense of continuity. As if it has an evolving plot. I especially love the story you gave Melee, and how it ended.
The dialogue between the MGS characters seemed like it was written by Kojima himself. It really had that classic, codec conversation feel to it.
I can't wait see what direction this will go in. And, how the MLP characters will be incorporated to the overall plot and character interactions.
Of course Kirby would wish for food. XD
And I loved that you had Mewtwo win Melee and explain why he did not return. Looking forward to more.
This chapter was well written and wonderful. I just think the Solid Snake part, at the beginning, maybe shouldn't have been so long.
Still wonderful as a whole though.
Next, I sense there is will be one more tough thing for the three mares to realize, especially about Fluttershy : That in some matches, one of them may find herself facing one of the (or the) two others...
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Heh heh.
I had to laugh at that part of your comment. See, I modeled that particular part of the chapter after the codec conversations that you'd actually see in a Metal Gear Solid game. You have no idea how many people out there get really frustrated at the endless expository CODEC conversations in those games. I take this as confirmation that I probably did Kojima justice.
There's still a few tough things for them to have to deal with. The beginning of the next chapter is going to hit them a little bit hard, then hopefully will lighten up after a little bit.
I fricken' loved the lore you put in the Smash Universe, especially with Mewtwo winning the 2nd tourney. Plus, I loved the Equestrians' reactions after Mario talked about the third tournament.
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I'm really eagerly looking forward for the next chapter then.
4076308 Or a differently colored version of themselves.
Out of curiosity, Will we at some point see the ponies/Chrysalis interact with each Smasher/Brawler/Character/Whatever at least once at some point? Or is this going to be one of the kinds of stories that only include some characters? Also, does this story include all the characters from previous games, or did you remove some?
Hey wait a minute... Why did Mario only mention Kirby in the Subspace story? What happened to Ness, Dedede, and Luigi? I mean, they saved lots of people too, including Mario himself if I'm correct. Also, isn't it true that Kirby didn't "Take" the badge from Dedede, but instead found it when Bowser dropped it by accident?
4076443 Wait, have any characters outright stated that Link is completely unable to talk? Because if you're having trouble with having Link be mute, you could maybe just write it off as him staying quiet for a reason, or maybe that he was sick and couldn't talk. Or maybe if that doesn't work, you could use Toon Link as an alternative. I don't know, just making suggestions. Can't wait for more!
Mega man?
So Mewtwo; aka the lowest tier character in Melee alongside Bowser, won the whole thing... stranger things have happened i guess
But yeah, loved your interpretation of the Smash Bros "story," and your knowledge of the myriad of video game universes here is impressive and makes the story all the more better to read. You've set up an actually pretty intriguing plot now and I look forward to more!
I also look forward to see how you put my little AW primer to use!
Great chapter. I'm looking forward to see how they interact with rest of the smash brothers characters hero and villain alike. Who will become dear friends and who become hated enemies?
Well worth the wait good sir. Exposition heavy, but when the exposition is interesting, and this certainly was, that isn't a bad thing.
The Metal Gear part seems long to me as well, but given that I don't follow the series that comes as no surprise.
You could always translate Link's gestures, which would solve the problem of a mute hero without making him speak.
I loved the backstory to the Smash Bros series, the explanations for the first and second games especially. Though in game Mewtwo wasn't all that, he probably is the strongest canonically of all the Melee fighters.
Also, thank you for not excusing Chrysalis's crimes with 'it's for her people'. Obviously she sees it that way, but to anyone with half an understanding of ethics her actions are deplorable. People who excuse her of wrongdoing not only erase the essence of the character, but lose an excellent chance for her to develop character as well.
It makes sense that Mewtwo would have won Melee. He was, for all intents and purposes, a little OP.
But yeah, explaining the history of the Smashverse is something I haven't seen much at all. Really enjoyed that.
Though now I wonder what happened to Roy and Pichu.
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Watch Did You Know Gaming: Super Smash Bros on youtube for the likely answer to that.
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I've seen it, but in the context of this story it doesn't make sense. If no one's allowed to leave unless they win, then there would still have to be two -chu pokemon, regardless of evolutionary state. The only reason I don't mention Dr. Mario and Young Link is because they're effectively the same character as their counterpart, and as such can be counted as the same. The only way I can think of that working is if Pichu is Pikachu's younger self, as evidenced by the prior existence of Young Link.
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Thank you
Getting the ponies' reactions down was something I worried about, especially with Applejack and Fluttershy. Twilight and Chrysalis are easier to pin down, though.
4076544
That's going to be an interesting explanation down the line
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I'm HOPING that I'll find a way to get the ponies to interact with pretty much every character. I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off at this point, though. While I do have an outline for the story, a lot of the middle section is a nebulous, mysterious, wibbly sort of zone. The thing is, this story will probably allow for a lot of wiggle room where I can write short one-off character piece bonus chapters. The MAIN story will focus on the ponies and a select group of Nintendo characters, but hopefully we'll get to see characters interact beyond the core group.
And I did end up removing several characters that I couldn't think of a way to use.
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That was one of the things that got edited out in the rewrite. I tried to include it, but it ended up reading in an incredibly clunky way and I couldn't figure out a way to leave it in without having it read very oddly and go on way too long. Call it a sacrifice to better the flow of the story.
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Toon Link isn't in the story. And I still find Link being mute to be a good character trait and nod to his original series (plus, after all the work I've put into establishing it, it would be contrived to suddenly have him talk now). It's occasionally frustrating, but I feel it's worth it.
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Sadly, no.
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I'm not really working with tiers or anything. If I were, Meta Knight and Snake would have been the ones to ultimately defeat Tabuu, for example. That said, canonically, Mewtwo is the world's most powerful Pokemon (Arceus is a total lame-o) and by extension, one of the most powerful psychics that I've seen in fiction, so I felt it appropriate that he win.
I've been noticing a lot of praise for the Smash Bros. lore that I've set up, so I'm glad that people enjoyed that bit.
Thanks!
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I'm glad people found it interesting. I was worried that there would be too much exposition and not enough substance that people wouldn't like it.
I don't know exactly how I'd pull off translating Link's gestures. Maybe I'll figure something out in the future.
Thank you! ^_^ As for Chrysalis, I almost went the route of "she's just in it for her people" and tried to make her sympathetic to get away from just making her a villain that wants to take over the world, but then I realized that doing that would just make her a hero with a bad attitude which was also not what I wanted, and didn't fit with her actions in previous appearances. As it is, I hope I'm striking the right balance of "cares about her people" and "ultimately a megalomaniacal villain."
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I don't know. They're ultimately not important to the story so I didn't consider Roy or Pichu. I guess I can invite you to come up with your own reason why they might not have come. After all, except in the case of the ponies, everyone that's here is here of their own volition and had the choice to opt out, so I guess you should come up with your own reason why they might decide not to.
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I guess maybe Roy decided to quit so he could look after the kingdom/his wife/family. Still sticking with Pichu is a young Pikachu, but he was a toddler-kid so he doesn't remember.
4080571
Oh yeah, she should care about her own people no question there. It's what she does to anyone not a part of her hive that makes her a villain. Hell, Hitler cared about the people of Germany, but nobody pretends he was anything less than a monster. None of which is to say she can't change; I'm fine with stories wherein Chrysalis reforms. Just not ones where she is given a 'victim card' and made out to be some suffering saint.
Pardon, that's just one of things that irks me to no end.
4080571 Aw well... the story still awesome... Sonic?
I wondered why this chapter was taking so long. I see now it was because awesomness takes fucking TIME! Excellent lore, dude. I love it! Smashbros backstory you came up with is genius. Basicaaly what everyone else is saying. I hunger for more!
Ooh, this updated. Commenting as I go:
Other than that time Slippy hacked in. That was weird.
It's amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw blink on Hara-Kiri Rock. What's not to understand?
Bose-Einstein Condensnake, actually.
Proof that the universe doesn't just hate Naked Snake.
Also, it makes sense that Samus would understand HSL (Hyrulian Sign Language) after three tourneys with Link.
I can't help but notice the parallels to "Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony." (Also, heads up: you described him as the Spirit of Creativity and Ingenuity last chapter.)
Hmm. Seems to be inversely proportional to the amount of magic in the universe, though that's working from just three data points.
And it makes sense that interaction with home would synchronize the time streams. Quantum mechanics are probably involved. (This does not preclude magic as well. Quantumancy is totally a thing.)
I can understand Kirby winning the first tournament; SSB Kirby is OP as crap. Mewtwo winning the second one... well, I suppose that's reintegrating segregated gameplay and story. While Mewtwo isn't terribly impressive in Melee itself (not in my experience, anyway,) he was genetically engineered to be on par with deity-level Pokémon. When you can compare with the local equivalents of Poseidon, Chronos, and so forth, you're going to wipe the floor with plumbers and such. R.O.B. winning the third is really just a matter of karma. Poor guy.
In all, a great chapter for exposition and character building. I especially like that Applejack's getting over her xenophobia (Maybe not the best term. Ufophobia?) quickly, but not ridiculously so. Though I'd hate to see her reaction if Big Mac is an Assist Trophy...
Eagerly looking forward to more, whenever it may come. I especially hope to see Fluttershy and Luigi connecting. Overcoming fear, deeply suppressed rage, greater strength than they realize... there's a lot to work with there. (I admit bias. Luigi is my favorite Mario character. I'm a little brother myself, and he actually has characterization beyond "the hero.")
4080448 Pichu evolved, and Master Hand decided to only invite him back for whatever reason and not the original Pikachu.
It's back! Woo!
Three months... I haven't updated Sweetie Bot X in over a year, and it was six months between updates for Dreamscape of a Spoon because I was on about other things. I can wait.
I adore how you take the time and effort to bring these characters to life. Albeit only a few of them are memorable because hey, not everybody will understand where the other person's headcanon came from, especially fictions.
I can see the difficulty of Making link Mute, but I feel Link is best portrayed as a mute, or at least a Man of VERY few spoken words.
Still, You've done a good job of now keeping him from being emotionally stunted... You can try making him be very expressive with his eyes or body language.
Massive crossovers like these are extremely difficult to do in writing, especially with fandoms involved: Each character has a history and often is presented in different ways in each canon, let alone fanon.
Just do the best you can, but have fun first and foremost. Characterization is key here... make it believable, but don't feel too constrained by canon or fanon. Just write the best story you can, and wear your flak-armor... you won't be able to please all the fans.
(For example, I'm a proponant supporter of Bowser being a semi-punch clock villain... why else would Peach keep inviting him and his kids to go golfing or go-karting? Bowser is a wonderful Ham in the RPG games... but I digress.)
You can carefully use the varied characters you have though... even if you have to re-interpret them slightly, the sheer quantity of fighters in the Smash Bro's franchise gives you lots of options.
So far though, you're doing an acceptable job establishing the 'world' of your story, and keeping things interesting. I'm looking forward less for the fighting, and more for the interactions between the ponies and the characters.
Good luck and godspeed, crossover-writer.
Dang. Hey I just realized kamen rider fourze would make a great competitor for super smash brothers. His powers revolve around friendship and space. Just like the first tournament right. So yeah he is an ally. For his villain I was thinking the villain from mega max. Anyway one thing to note. Chrsyailas may need help with her wish so why don't you have twilight wish for the changelings to have good terms with the other races.
Wow, this story is pretty awesome. Although, I never played Melee; I have Brawl and my old roommate had 64, are you going to keep the Final Smash Ball? It'd be interesting what'd they pull off with them. You also did an amazing job mixing the story lines together between the games, and I'm glad you kept Snake (my favorite to play as after Bowser), I hope he's kept in the new game, especially since they kept Sonic.
I like how you are portraying Chrysalis; she's clearly a villain, but because of her reasons she's not really evil, balancing out the sympathy/lack thereof quite well. I wonder, was Mario referring to the Koopa King as the similar case?
Was there any reason why these 3 from the mane6 were chosen? (not that there's anything wrong with these three) I'm trying to figure out how Fluttershy will doin a fight, unless she's underestimated like Jigglypuff.(god I hate Jigglypuff)
Because of this, I am now going to play smash bros 64 for a while.
Are the Ponies going to get their own stage?
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I have set aside a stage for every character. This includes the ponies for a total of 60 stages (including Final Destination, Battlefield, and eight past stages)
If you need final smash ball ideas, I can certainly help with that! Though, I bet you aoready have that figured out.
My votes on Chryssie winning
I love you so much right now.
Y'know what's funny? I was listening to the Doctor Who theme as I read that.