Chapter Text
My best friend is alive. I can’t believe that my best friend is alive. And due to gracious circumstances, I’m alive as well. I realize that I was near-death. I was only allowed to live because of grace. Really, I don’t deserve to be alive right now. I should’ve been dead, but I’m here anyway. I can finally reunite with my closest friend, and see how he’s doing. There aren’t any characters in the room anymore aside from him and I. They’ve all gone downstairs to continue the clean-up effort or to other hospital rooms. It’s been a few days since I was admitted here. I guess now is the time for me to ask some questions.
“Lucas, everyone will go free now, right? How are the others doing?” Lucas nods and gently holds up a candy bar. It’s nugget covered in chocolate; one of my favorites. I already ate mine earlier, though. Lucas takes a small bite and munches for a bit. After mulling the candy bar over in his mouth, he speaks. “I heard word from Mario that the Smash World Circuit will go on hiatus for at least one season.” My heart sinks a little. I somewhat expected this, but being without this world for a while will feel awfully strange, like any chance of nostalgia is destroyed. “We’ll see each other again, right Lucas? I just got you back and I can’t lose you again.” Lucas chuckles at me. “Yeah, of course. The invites are never too spaced out; we’ll be fine. I gotta go home and see my friend Kumatora, and you have your girlfriend and mom to see.”
“Don’t forget my little sister,” I quip. We exchange smiles. It’s nice to finally have some pleasantries after over a year’s worth of suffering and uncertainty. It hasn’t been without loss though, and the eeriness of such crosses over my mind again. “Lucas… I still can’t believe Isabelle’s gone. What is Villager going to do? His home world is going to be in disarray.” Lucas sighs and leans forward. “Her surviving brother is qualified. Villie told me that he’ll be able to assist him well with running the town back home, even with the loss.” Lucas shakes his head, and I can feel his dismay. “We’ve lost a lot of people, haven’t we?” “Yeah… Luigi, Joker, Isabelle, Link…” “Falco and Wolf, too. When is the funeral for all of them, Lucas?” “Mario informed me that we’ll have a ceremonial service by the end of the week. After that is over, their bodies will be transported through the portals back to their home worlds so that their loved ones can grieve back home.”
I click my tongue and rub my temples. I’m in awe. “The sooner that their families know, the better. Ganon’s regime kept the entire multiverse in a dark tunnel of mystery.” I shake my head quickly. My heart is racing slightly; I need to relax. I hold my chest with my right hand and lean as far back in my bed as I can. “I don’t know what it’s like for them; to have that pain. Not just friends and family from back home, but all of the assist characters who were with us, too!” “You’re right, Ness. I was walking down the street the other day and saw Starfy and Skull Kid on the corner bawling like babies. I don’t blame them, though. I did the same thing when I thought you were dead.”
My entire body feels tense now. I slowly get up from the bed and walk over towards the window, with the IV bag handle in my hand. I shiver; my hospital gown is not doing its job. But, I don’t care. I need to move. “Ness, you’re injured! You should stay in bed.” “Lucas, I can’t. I need to see something.” I appreciate how Lucas is trying to take care of me, but I need to see outside. I need just one look.
I walk up to the window, and the first thing I notice is that there are no clouds in the sky whatsoever. It’s a bright blue; so pretty. I love it. I look down below, and I see Mario and Fox waving at each other while they part ways. There are various characters walking all around the city of New Pork. Characters from all over the map are here.
“Ness…”, Lucas’ voice sounds out. “This place has gotten way more active over the past few days. Everyone’s been helping with the clean-up effort! And, we’re having one last little bit of joy before we part ways again.” I nod. “I bet they’re loving it. With the 22nd circuit being cancelled half-way through due to fighting Ganon, they’re starved for time. It’s a shame that the 23rd circuit got cancelled.” Lucas pats me on the shoulder. “Yeah, but this is for the best. While we wait, Mario’s taken the lead on rebuilding society like how it was.” I see Lucas’ head droop a little. “Is something wrong, Lucas?” “No, no… I’m fine. I think I am, anyway. I’m just worried that things won’t be like they used to be. Even though we won, we’ve still had plenty of death. We still haven’t found Master Hand since Ganon overthrew him when this whole fiasco began. There will probably be far less participants next season as well. I know Peach is banned indefinitely, even with her turning to our side. She’ll be allowed to watch the events, even in the stadium, but no participation. Not to mention, the other members of Dekagon seem so lost and there’s so little interest, like their fighting spirit is dead or something and…”
I think it’s my time to do something. I gently tip-toe closer to Lucas and hug him. “Uh… Ness? I appreciate it, but I’m not hurting or anything. You don’t have to do that.” He’s still hugging me anyway. This is what friends are for. Besides, I can still tell that he’s very unsure about what will happen next. “Lucas… time must change and so do we. We all change, when you think about it. We are all different people all through our lives and that's okey, that's good. You've got to keep moving so long as you remember all the people that you used to be.” I can feel Lucas’ figure go lax slightly. He’s thankfully easing in mood. “Let’s learn from this time and grow from it. And, we’ll come back better than ever before. We’ll be able to better build bridges, we’ll be more aware of how all of this division destroys and how to avoid it in the future. We’ll get there. We’ll be more prepared and we’ll get there.” I let go of Lucas and he steps back, smiling. His face beams with warmth and joy. This is the happiest he’s looked in a long while. “Yeah, I promise to remember it, Ness. I will not forget one line of what you said… I swear.”
I fist-bump him and slowly walk back to the bed. I can hear Lucas laughing and I turn around to face him as I crawl back into my bed. “What’s so funny, bud?” “You just know what to say to make me feel better. It’s like you watched one of the greatest speeches ever and recited it to help me feel better.” I shrug. “Sometimes life teaches you big things. Sometimes, you just hear something that makes sense. We haven’t heard the latter a lot lately, but it’s finally back, I guess. I’m just thankful that we’re free, and that everyone’s free.”
Lucas nods and looks at the clock. I notice it too; the hands are turning quickly. I look outside again and the blue sky has now adopted a slight bit of orange. “Ness, I’m going to get some dinner and then head to bed. I’ll be back in here tomorrow, okey?” I nod and wave to him. I think it’s time for some rest. The room goes dark and I let my eyes draw to a close. This feels so nice; like I’m floating. My vision goes black.
“Ness… Ness…” I hear a voice speaking into my ear and a slight nudge on my shoulder. I feel dead. I slightly open my eyes and see a boy in a green cap sitting beside me. He smiles and hands me a glass of milk. “Here you go, Ness. Thought I should bring you a drink so that your bones can get strong and heal.” I rub my eyes and the picture is now crystal clear. “Oh, hey Toon. Thanks.” I take a sip. The milk drops dance on my tongue and I swallow. The cool temperature calms my insides and I feel at ease. “Thanks for bringing this to me, bud. I haven’t had a glass of milk in a long time.” Toon chuckles and leans back in his chair, pulling out his own bottle and taking a sip. “Better than what you used to drink, huh?” Toon nudges me a little and I roll my eyes. “I haven’t had a single can of soda in a long time. I’ve begun to take care of my weight and watch my teeth.” Toon just shakes his head. I think I got defensive again. “Yeah, I’m just kidding.”
“Toon, how have the others been? How are you doing?” Toon takes another sip and then pulls out his sword, examining the blade. His eyes have gone from shimmering to cloudy. “Well… Lucas just went to bed. It’s almost midnight and he was helping Mario clean up outside and inside the cafeteria.” I take a quick look at the clock. The hands are nearly together at the top of the circle. “Well dang, I must’ve been out for a while!” “Yeah, you have. I don’t blame you, though.” He looks down at the blade again and continues. “Sheik is tutoring Yink right now. He’ll have to step it up as the next Hero of Time in their sub-section of our world.” “What about Bayonetta?” Toon smiles and puts his sword back. “She’s doing well. She’s awake again and is recovering.”
I look outside. The moon is very high in the sky, and the pale light shines down on all of New Pork. The city lights are turned on, and the bricks in the street continue to be re-arranged. My ear burns as I hear a slight clanging downstairs. “Ness, do you hear some juicy gossip about you?” “Wouldn’t know, but I do hear them downstairs. There must’ve been a lot of damage.” Toon nods. “Yeah, there was. There were projectiles flying all over. If you didn’t learn, the guards were soulless husks. There were no bodies inside; just costumes firing bullets at will and they didn’t fall until you and Lucas cut off the head of the snake.”
My heart drops slightly, but then quickly slingshots back into place. “I figured. There was always something eerie about those guards. There is probably information in Ganon’s journals about that kind of thing, but I have yet to look through it.” Toon Link droops his head, and rubs his hands together. “What’s wrong, bud?” “Ness, I’m scared. I know I’m supposed to be a hero of time myself and the representative of courage, but I’m scared Ganon’s back. This is the strongest that he’s ever been. Even when he enslaves Hyrule, it doesn’t take too long to save my friends. But this time? He had a stronghold over all of us for nearly a year and a half! That feels like an eternity. When he comes back, he’ll be more prepared. I’m not sure what I’ll do.”
I shake my head, reach out to Toon’s shoulder, and gently pat it. “Don’t you think we’re more prepared as well? Yeah, he knows our might. But, we know what we can do and how he might be back one day. If he ever returns and begins where he last started, we’ll be ready because we already know where he’s been. Our friends are smart, and strong, and we’ll get through it together if he ever comes back. You have assurance now, right?” Toon looks up at me and gives me a weary thumbs up. “It helps a little, yeah. You were always the bravest friend I had.” I blush and rub my head. “It’s nothing. I just don’t want to see you give up. We are stronger together. Let’s move forward together.” Toon chuckles and extends a fist. I extend mine and we fist-bump each other. “Yeah, Ness. That sounds good to me.”
…
“I’m finally glad to be about of all this mess. Wouldn’t you agree, Snake?” Snake looks out behind the coffin line in the field of Battlefield, and then stares back at his accomplice. He pulls a smash ball out from his back pocket, smashes it, and his aura burns brightly. He pulls out a grenade launcher and nods. “I suppose, Zero Suit. This was the least I could do given the circumstances. These characters fought honorably and deserve an honorable ceremony to remember their heroism in the war.” Zero Suit Samus nods, and then strokes her hair, letting it flow in the wind. “Mario’s a pretty forgiving person. I have no doubt he understands that punishing the puppets wouldn’t make sense.”
Zero Suit sighs and looks at the ground. She fretfully folds her arms and her eyes narrow. Snake walks up to her and pats her on the shoulder. “No need to fret. There’s no use dwelling on something that isn’t your fault.” Zero Suit waves Snake’s hand away, and sighs deeply. “I’m sorry, Snake. There’s still a lot going on in my mind. We’re supposed to be heroes. I protect my home from the metroids, and with you it’s against the metal gear. Yet, for the past year and a half, really… there’s something very wrong with that picture. Don’t you see?” Snake nods and inspects his grenade launcher. “Yeah… I getcha. But you do realize that nobody sees you any differently, right?”
Zero Suit ties her hair in a ponytail and nods. “Well, you are right there. I have noticed that. Everyone’s forgiven us, and all the anger is pointed at our former leader. Yeah, a bunch of them are still incensed at Peach. I get that part of it.” Snake nods. “Even that isn’t that strong in vitriol, ZSS. Peach flipping to the good side probably saved her bacon, honestly. If she stayed on Ganon’s side, I’m in full confidence that her punishment would be far worse.” Zero Suit glances down at the ground. “Yeah…”
Snake slowly walks up to Zero Suit. He gently places his hand on her chin and stares at her. She looks at him, and their eyes lock. “You may rest easy now. Let’s focus on this funeral and give our fellow heroes a fond farewell.” Zero Suit’s eyes soften and she nods, while smiling slightly. “I like the sound of that. Be careful when you fire that thing off, though.” Snake lets go of Zero Suit’s chin, and nods. “Roger.”
Snake waits a moment, then the crowd of characters that have gathered in the field look at him. A bunch of them nod, and Snake nods back. He soldier walks now towards the crowd, with his shiny, crisp grenade launcher in hand. His headband flaps in the wind quickly as his strong, stony figure finds a spot to stand as the farewell is at the ready. In the other corner, Zero Suit walks quickly past the many figures and characters that have gathered here today, and makes her way towards the back of the crowd. As she places herself gently into one of the back seats, she breathes deeply and calmly looks on at the coffins.
…
All of the medic room patients are seated right next to each other. I’m glad to be back in my normal clothes. Well, I still have my lucky red cap. But, I’m wearing a black shirt with black pants. It doesn’t fit me, but right now it’s more than appropriate. The IV bag is thankfully gone, but having bandaging all over my body is getting a little uncomfortable by now. I’ll take the itching though; I’m alive and I can’t complain about that.
Lucas and the other uninjured characters are seated beside me and into the expanse of the chairs. The grasses of battlefield are flowing gently, and the home world portals in the distance glow with vigor. Everyone is here. Every character I know, and every assist character I know, is here. Solid Snake walks to the front of the crowd, nods softly, then pulls out his grenade launcher. Right behind him is a row of six caskets, each with a picture of one of the deceased on it. All six friends that we lost in the war are portrayed. Snake looks at the sky, aims the grenade launcher, then fires six times into the air. There are six explosions way up high, and the echoing passes over the expanse of the battlefield region quickly and seamlessly.
Snake then retracts his grenade launcher, turns methodically, then walks away from the area up front. I now see Mario coming from my right. Clad in black and white, he gently removes his cap from his scalp, clears his throat, and holds his hands together. They’re shaking. That poor man; he has to see his brother buried. He hasn’t even hit 30 yet.
Mario opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Tears well up in his eyes, and he wipes them. This is hard to watch. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and a friendly, familiar face leans in towards me. “Oh, hi Bayo.” “I’m glad to see you made it out in one piece, dearie.” “Same. I am worried about Mario right now, though. Do you think we should do something?” “That’s quite the thought, Ness. Perhaps it would be good if one of us were to jump in. However, you’re in no condition to speak. You’re still healing!” “I appreciate it Bayo, but maybe I should…”
I would like to speak, but I guess I won’t. From the back row, a lady in pink and black approaches the front of the crowd. Her blonde hair is illuminated in the sun. Her rosey complexion reflects the rays of the sun as she approaches Mario. It’s Peach. (Wow, talk about impressive.) Peach nods gently at Mario, pats him on the shoulder, and he goes back to his seat with his head in his hands. Peach clears her throat and folds her hands in front of her.
“Ladies and gentlemen… I’m the princess from the universe of the Mushroom Kingdom.” She looks left and right, then clears her throat again. “I know that you probably have mixed feelings with me speaking up here. Even with remembering who I am, I am still a major traitor to you all. I am sorry. But, if you will allow, I would like to dedicate this time to making a respectable tribute to our fallen heroes, and hopefully regain dignity in the process.”
She breathes in slowly, then cracks her neck and lets her words fall out. “I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused you all. This especially goes for our friends and family who have passed on since the Dekagon War began. Today, we remember Luigi, who stood bravely in the face of Ganon and his diabolical actions. We remember Isabelle, who had a cheery nature that put a smile on everyone’s face and whose medical prowess proved useful during the war. We remember Falco and Wolf, who were loyal allies and even better friends.” She taps her thigh a few times harshly, but then continues. “I wish we finished under different circumstances. But, in my unbridled rage I forgot who they were. They were remarkable members of the army of the Resistance, and I respect them both, highly. We remember Joker, who was another rival of mine. He fought valiantly. Finally, we remember Link. He was a dear significant other of one of our own, and may we all mimic his bravery and courage in the future.”
Peach takes a moment to swallow, then pulls out a Smash Ball and holds it up as high as she can. “May we never forget our loved ones. The ones who risked their lives to free us from the ruthless tyranny of Ganon. For the ones who were part of the Resistance, all gave some. But sometimes, some give all. This was the case with these six. May you all rest in peace.” The crowd falls silent. The moments transform into minutes. We all needed this time, and they did even more than us.
…
The coffins were already sent through the portals yesterday. Most of the characters have already gone home. I fold my arms as I walk towards the portal that leads home, which I like to call my mother world portal. There’s a little chatter, coming from the others left who still have yet to head home. All of the assist characters are gone. Most of the fighter characters have left for home as well. All who remains are me, Lucas, Sheik, Mario, Bayonetta, Fox, Sonic, and Palutena. They’re huddled in a circle near the barrier between the portal area and the rest of the world. (I should say goodbye to all of them. I’ll do that right now.)
Their voices are calm, yet filled with tension. I walk up to them and smile. It seems to put the group at ease a little bit, but the bad vibes still linger. “We all getting in one last hurrah before we head on out?” Lucas nods and shrugs. “You could say that. We’re just trying to figure out what to do next with this world.” Palutena pulls out her rod and examines it as she speaks. “It is unbearable to me to think that we all got conned by Ganon. I will forever be sorry for how we caused so much bloodshed.” Bayonetta shrugs. “In all fairness dearie, you were being mind-controlled. Even with our differences, this is the Palutena I remember. It doesn’t make such easier, though. I’ll give you that.” Palutena nods gently. “You have my thanks, Bayonetta. I just hope that we can find Master Hand for next season, or else reuniting for another action-packed circuit will be much harder to accomplish.” Sonic, in his seemingly never-dying pep, flashes a thumbs up to the group and smiles. “We’ll get there! Where there’s a will, there’s a way. But hey, I gotta get home to my little buddy and other friends. They’ve been waiting for me.”
Before he leaves though, he turns towards me and gives me a pat on the head. The fabric of my hat bounces up and down. “I’m glad to have met you, Ness. Met the real you, I’d say. Without ya, we’d all be cooked geese!” I rub my brim. “I couldn’t have done it without you all.” Sonic grins widely. “No problem, bud. And if we ever get that café up and running again, I’ll see you in Delfino next time around!” I smile and Sonic waves at us, and he turns towards his home portal. “Ciao, my friends!”
Sonic runs towards his portal and disappears through it. That’s one more character home. Palutena and Bayonetta nod their heads, then look back at the group. “We should be going as well”, they say simultaneously. Bayonetta walks towards me and hands me a lollipop. She smiles. “One more for the road, and until we meet again.” “Heh, thanks Bayo. I’ll see you again soon!” Bayo and Palutena wave at us, then walk towards their portals. With a quick flash, the blue light emits from their portals as they pass through them, and now they’re home, just like with Sonic.
Fox is next. “Peppy will probably help organize the funeral Falco, and he might even take on the one with Wolf. Besides, Krystal is waiting for me.” Fox waves politely then fox illusions his way into his home world portal. Sheik nods. “I suppose I’ll go now. But remember Ness, keep growing in wisdom and never stop serving others. You’re well on your way to becoming an even greater hero than before.” I really appreciate her words. She’s always been so kind to me, even when she seems distant. But, something’s bugging me. “Will you make it through? I suppose you’ll train Young Link to become the next great hero, right?” Sheik nods. “You could say such. I can’t train your friend Toon Link because he’s from an alternate timeline within our dimension, so Yink will do. I’m confident I’ll be able to help us be more aware of when Ganon resurrects.” “Will we ever see him again, Sheik?” “If we do, it’ll happen in our world first. And, we’ll make sure to take care of him if he ever gets this powerful again.”
Sheik nods and then rushes off into the Hyrule portal. There’s just three of us left. “Now then, Ness… Lucas. Let’s-a go?” I nod, and so does he. We all stroll towards our portals together, and Mario looks at us as Lucas and I begin to take a branching path towards our home world portal. Mario waves at us and holds up his pointer finger. “Ness! Lucas! Never stop-a reaching out to others and protecting-a them!” I nod, and so does Lucas. “We won’t”, we say simultaneously. Mario nods and smiles widely. “Very good. Thank you-a very much for playing in this-a game. I will send both of you invites as-a soon as I figure out how to fix this-a mess.”
Mario disappears through his home world portal, and I turn towards Lucas. “You ready, bud?” “Yup.” Together, we jump through the blue portal. The swirling waves of the time and space energy swirl around my body. We land in a small room, with the walls having the same bright blue hue that the portal face had. There are two smaller portals in front of us now. Both have the same blue hue, but one is on the left and one is on the right. One takes the player back to Onett, and the other to the Nowhere Islands. Well, the REAL Onett and REAL Nowhere Islands, I should say. My destination is on the left, while Lucas’ is on the right. I guess this is where we’ll finally head off.
“Lucas, one more thing before we go back home?” “Yeah, what is it?” I hug him tightly. I hug him until my hands feel like they can’t wrap around him any more closely. I’ll miss him so much. Through all the pain and struggle, this war has brought us together. It’s funny how that works. “Take care of yourself, bud. You hear?” “Yeah, heh. I will. You do the same, Ness.”
We stop hugging each other. I didn’t want to let go, but I had to. All good things must come to an end. Well, most good things, anyway. Lucas waves at me, and walks through his portal. It probably will be another couple years before I see my best friend again, but for friends like him, it’ll be worth the wait. I breathe in loudly and enter my portal. The blue energy flows around me once again, and a few seconds later I land with a thud on some grass.
My chest hurts a little, and my arm feels a little more bruised than what it was before, but I can take it. I slowly get up from the ground and look at the building in front of me. It’s my home. I’m crying now. I can’t believe I’m crying; I made it. I’m finally home. This is real. The blue roof, the tan paneling, the mailbox… all of it is still there. My dog, King, is asleep in the backyard getting sunbathed. Everything is still here; I can’t believe my eyes. I wipe my eyes and stare at the house again. It’s here.
I walk slowly through the front door. There are three people at my kitchen table. One is a tall, respectable, proper blonde woman. That would be my mother. A tiny girl is sitting on a stool near her, wearing pink. Yeah, that would be my sister. Finally, there’s an older girl around my age who’s wearing all pink, save the big red bowtie in her hair. Everyone’s here. It’s Paula, my girlfriend. I’ve been waiting to see her the most out of any of them. All of their heads are bowed. None of them look well; their faces are pale. I hope me being home will cheer them up. This time away has made me really homesick, and I’m sure they’ve been worried sick. I’m normally only gone for a few weeks on average with these things. I can’t imagine.
“Mom? …Sis?... Paula? I’m here. I’m home.” My sister looks up first. “MOMMY, he’s home!!!” Heh, yup. My sister is just as excited as I expected. My mom is unloading her tears onto the table. “Oh dear, I’m so relieved.” Paula’s running towards me and hugs me tightly. She kisses me on the cheek. I blush. (Hoo boy, I missed this). I kiss her back, and on the cheek as well. She hugs me again. “Ness… I’ve been praying for this day for a long time. I’ve been praying so hard that this day would come.” “Yes, Paula. I know.” Paula looks at me. Her face is filled with joy that I haven’t seen in a long time. Her smile stretches from ear to ear, and I smile widely back at them. At her, at my sister, and at my mom. They’re all here to see me, and they’re all safe and sound. I’m so thankful that this happened.
Paula looks at me intently and then gently hugs me again. Neither of us let go.
“Ness… welcome home.”
...
The End