"Red is the color of spirit."

The corridor was dark, a sleek black stone acting as its overall surface. The walls were lined with obsidian that circled outward, much like a cave. The floor, an iridescent marble, reflected images in a colorless abyss. Torches that lined the hall were some of the only hints of color, as the fire they held were an unnaturally blood red flame flame, dancing across every reflective surface possible with shadows of the other lights in tow. At the far end of the hall, a wide window depicted a full moon that graced its light into the dark hall. On the other end was where a small ledge sat, were scarlet curtains draped upon the walls, a plush scarlet throne, littered with golden emblems and embellishments, centered in its presence.

A woman bathed in ruby cloth stood before the moonlight, her face obscured in shadow. If one were at the right angle to see her satisfied smile, a line of freshly brushed white teeth could be seen ear to ear. Her long strands of thick vermillion hair cascaded to the floor in subtle waves, to her draped cape and dress. By her side stood an ebony staff, twisted and gnarled like black roots and seemingly thorny at the touch, but her gloved hand curled around its post with ease., A glowing red stone glimmered as its centerpiece, pulsating with a strange sort of energy that one could find safety in looking at, but only be deceived by the demonic aura surrounding it.

"Red," she spoke again, the acoustics of the room reverberating her silky voice, "is the color of passion." She tapped her staff to the floor, and in a brief shimmer of light, a multitude of envelopes appeared and encircled her. Their parchments were worn and yellowed, but a red dot of wax stood out in each envelope, each pressed with an ornate insignia of a peculiar circle with an off-center cross. "It is the color of lust and sexuality. The color of hunger, the color of power, the color of war…" She pursed her painted lips in a smile, mentally counting each letter to herself, the names of its recipients scrawling itself in ancient script. "The color of the blood that circulates our very existence. But, more importantly," she paused as she stroked a passing envelope that just finished its 'm' at the end of its name, a stylish flourish curling at its end. "It is the color of revenge and will." She sighed, and whisked her head to face the window.

The woman chuckled as the envelopes danced around, creating shifts in her shadow and passing parchment in her sight. "The souls of this universe are such interesting creatures. What they each think of red is always contrasting." She sighed dreamily, as if she were wistfully thinking of another sunrise to come. "They always choose the Id over Ego, though. They may all be different, but in their basic form, they are all the same. Innately selfless, disorganized-" she spat at the perfect floor in distaste, "Heroic. Pah. Surely these beings require a lesson - a lesson I will bring in song."

With a flick of her wrist, she raised the staff and pointed it towards the path of the blue-white moon through the open window. "I'd love to see how these particular creatures enjoy their color red." As if taking orders, the envelopes rose towards the window and out into the open sky, disappearing into the soft moonlight in flashes of glyphs and magic.

"Shall we begin the prelude to our symphony of revenge?" She called to the night, bending her body to see each paper disappear in the realm. With a hand tucked under her cheek, she closed her eyes and concentrated with an excited grin.

A king sat in his castle, staring out the stone window and into the world below. The air was dry, but a gentle wind continued to dwell in the area, through his blue locks and into his aged, sapphire eyes. The same eyes, though brilliant and bright, have been worn down through the countless years of war, as many a death have been viewed in these eyes. Nonetheless, the man continued to smile and be content, as his beloved nation, while continued to be in ruin, has been peaceful for years and is rebuilding, returning to the beautiful and powerful continent the prince had remembered in his youth more and more every day. Naturally, there were the occasional bandits and rogues, but the people of his nation worked hard for him, as he lived for the people, and the people were happy. Thus, he was happy.

A brisk knock on the door interrupted his thought. The door creaked open and a girl, face soft and hair a vivid turquoise, peaked her head through, smiling playfully. "Dear, I bring amazing news," she announced rather loudly to ensure that he listened.

"Caeda," he greeted, curious of her sly actions. "What is it?"

Caeda frowned, stepping into the room dramatically her arm clearly tucked behind her back. "My, you don't seem that excited. I guess it isn't that important to you when your own wife brings news of something you love dearly." She giggled playfully, beaming at him with an expectant gaze.

The man laughed as he was drawn toward his partner, gently kissing her lips upon his arrival. Very stealthily, he slid his hand to close his fingers around hers, smiling when they met foreheads. "I have no reason to be excited if I don't even have a clue as to what I need to be excited for, Caeda." He teased.

"Guess then! C'mon Marth, I know it's something that you love to do." She smirked. "Well, more than me."

"Caeda!" He drew back, blush burning at his cheeks that he tried to cover with his hands. "Th-thats-"

"Joking! Now guess already!" Caeda teased, taking a step forward.

Marth noticed the slight movement of Caeda's arms held behind her back. They moved, as if she were waving the item behind her. "Hmmmm…. is it flowers? Or chocolate?" The king guessed.

"Horrible guesses." Caeda deadpanned, shaking her head. "Try again."

"Dinner?" Marth perked up immediately, hunger at the tip of his tongue and growling stomach. His wife tittered yet again, shaking her head with a newfound smile at her lips.

"I may be a great cook, but that is beside the point. Guess again."

Marth paused, carefully processing what her initial conversations provided. "Caeda... Are you pregnant?" Marth gasped.

"Marth! Gods no!"

He shrugged, tossing up his hands in surrender while shaking his head in clear defeat. "I guess I am too bad at playing this game. I give up."

Caeda pouted. "You're no fun at all," she sighed. "but I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore." She held up her right hand and dangled an envelope in front of his face. The parchment was slightly discolored from white, and a bright red dot of wax sealed the letter. A circular logo with two lines intersecting each other was stamped into the wax, his name written in a curled script of charcoal, as if it had been burned into the let

The moment Marth's sight caught the red of the wax symbol, his heart stopped. He quickly grabbed the enveloped and broke the seal, his eyes scanning the ink words at an alarming rate. "I…" Any coherent words at the time had left him his mouth gaped open in mere shock. "I can't … it really has been a while since they hosted another one…"

"Is that really all you have to say?" Caeda interrupted. "I want to see you happy! There's another tournament!"

"There's another tournament…" he muttered to himself, his voice increasing in volume. "There's another tournament!" He dropped the letter and grabbed Caeda by the hips, lifting her and spinning her around and lost in the joy he felt. "I was pondering about my friends there the other day," he breathed, setting down his laughing wife. He passed a kiss to her cheek as he spoke in her ear. "I had remembered that Link still owes me a rematch from our last spar." He moved backwards, fists closing to his chest. " A-And I must pass down your roasted chicken recipe to Ike. Oh, what tremendous news!"

"Now that is a much better reaction!" she giggled. Her laughter halted as she glanced at her husband with a more serious reaction. "I know how happy this makes you, and believe me, I want nothing more than to see you be happy. But…" she glance away for a moment, "please promise me you'll be careful and safe. With what happened last time…"

"I know," he reassured her, literally brushing her words aside with his hand. "But Subspace no longer exists, nor does Tabuu. We had taken care of that a long time ago." His memories flooded in a blink of an eye, all of how the 3rd annual Smash Tournament had been halted by the presence of the Subspace Emissary. A chill ran up his spine as he remembered how the purple flecks in the ground would combine to create such foreign monsters to him, threatening himself and the other competitors. He remembered the man behind it all - Tabuu, a higher power than the Master Hand himself, that played everyone by the strings. It took a combined effort of everyone to assure Tabuu's defeat - but still, Marth found himself wondering of his or his consorts' return.

"Still… promise me that if anything happens, come straight home. Your country and your wife need you more than this tournament." He rose his head to see Caeda, worried swept across her eyes and her hands curled to her chest. She loomed closely to him, carefully wrapping him in a hug.

He smiled warmly and kissed her lips again, rubbing her back in careful assurance. "I promise that nothing will happen, I swear on it." To seal the deal, he brought his pinky to hers in a closed swear.

"Good." Caeda sighed, pulling herself away to firmly grasp Marth's shoulders. "Now, I should help you gather your things. It's starting in a few days!"

A Pokemon was in his master's house, wrestling said master in a friendly play-fight that he was thoroughly winning due to his massive size, particularly in comparison to the sixteen-year old human that he had pinned to the floor. His long time rival, the Pikachu his master also owned, clapped and cried excitedly, his red cheeks buzzing with enthusiastic electricity. The same electricity was why he wasn't participating in the sparr, as he could accidentally electrocute the poor boy. Having a fire-breathing Charizard fight with him wasn't the best choice either, in hindsight.

The boy, whose odd name was Red, had his favorite hat knocked off his head from the sheer, but restrained, strength of his Charizard and revealed a messy mop of brown hair. The boy, while shoving and wrestling with his Pokemon, was laughing and clearly having the time of his life, Charizard noted. His love for Pokemon was vast, nothing like anything the dragon or Pikachu had ever seen before, and would sacrifice anything for the sake of his friends. His Squirtle and Ivysaur, safely tucked away inside their respective Pokeballs, would agree.

However, his strength didn't necessarily lie in playful combat, and was hastily forced to yield under the crushing weight of Charizard. The Pokemon lifted himself off the boy and sat himself on the floor beside him.

"That was….. so unfair ….!" Red heaved in between breaths, sprawled across the floor. "I'll never … challenge a Charizard again… you can have those PokePuffs now… you too, Pikachu..." Charizard and Pikachu joined in cheerful roars. After catching his breath, the trainer sat up and grabbed his hat, placing it over his messy hair. "Man, note to self, never wrestle a Charizard again until I become a wrestling champion." Charizard growled in response. "I know, buddy, you definitely deserve the medal more than me. Now, lemme grab my bag-"

The doorbell rang, followed by numerous, questionably excited knocks on the door. Charizard watched as Red hurried to his feet and to the door, to which he jumped in surprise as he opened it.

In the frame of the door was the Lucario that Red, Charizard, and Pikachu had both been familiarized to a long time ago. The wolf-like Pokemon bore a friendly scowl, and a nod in greeting to each resident. Next to him was an unfamiliar face: a human girl, with an admirable fashion sense that Red would enjoy, with long, thick curly hair and clear grey eyes that beamed with a sort of charming friendliness. Charizard felt a familiar presence in her, but couldn't quite remember where he had seen her before.

"L-Lucario…" Red had managed to speak, immediately recognizing the lone Pokemon, "it's been a while…" He turned to the girl. "And, uh…" Lucario, Red remembered, was only loyal to Sir Aaron and no one else. So it was easy to deduce the girl was not his trainer. Nonetheless, why would the Pokemon travel with her? Red's puzzled face must've been written across his face, because the girl immediately leaned closer to him.

"Hello!" she chirped, her voice ringing in bell-like tones. "This Lucario and I have special deliveries for your Pokemon. May we come in, please?" Still baffled, Red turned to courteously allow the visitors in.

"Sure, but," Red inquired quietly as the two passed him, "who are you exactly…?" The girl and Lucario brushed past him and into the small living room that seemed much more cramped with the amount of people and Pokemon in it.

"My name is Serena," the girl said, lowering her purse onto the living room table. She took her seat, smoothing out her skirt on her lap, and sat primly in a lady-like position. "I'm all the way from the Kalos region. It has been quite a trek."

"Serena… wait, the Serena, the new Kalos Pokemon League Champion?" Charizard now remembered where he had seen her face. It was on TV, where a parade was happening in her honour for both becoming the Champion and stopping Team Flare from unleashing a horrible disaster onto the world for their need of a more "perfect" one. "I-I can't believe it…" Red stuttered, "you're like a movie star! And an actual fashion icon, apparently! So many magazine covers..."

She giggled at his stammering. "It's ok, I'm not actually that big of a deal. I think you're the first person in a long time to be so starstruck." She smirked mischievously, nodding her head towards him. "Besides, I should be saying the same about you, Red the Kanto League Champion."

"I-It's not that big of a deal… that was a while ago." Red huffed, looking at the floor with a hand scratching the back of his head.

"So we're even then!" She paused, still retaining her smile. "Now, you're probably wondering why we're here, right? Well, have I got a surprise for you." With that, she opened her purse and pulled out two envelopes, each sealed with a dot of red wax. She threw her free fist into the air in pure passion. "Your Charizard and Pikachu were both invited back to the new Smash Bros. tournament!"

Red, Pikachu, and Charizard immediately recognized the envelopes and felt an immediate flurry of joy. The trainer grabbed the envelopes from Serena, tearing them open and reading them immediately. He practically glowed in excitement at reading the invitational words, then paused very slowly at the envelope's address. "... Wait, only Charizard and Pikachu were invited?" His words were coated in a bit of sadness.

Serena's smile dropped. "Yeah, sorry… I know that you were in it last time, but they got rid of multi-person Smashers."

"O-Oh…" His posture slumped. "Squirtle and Ivysaur are gonna be disappointed."

"But hey, it's ok!" Serena patted his shoulder. "You can still go! You just won't be a fighter. That's what I'm doing!" Her hand cupped around a pokeball while she glanced at him, concerned brows propped in sympathy. "My Greninja was invited, so I'm acting as his escort. He'll be fighting by himself, but I'll be there to cheer him on."

Red pondered the thought for a moment. "... Yeah, it's alright, I didn't really fight in the tournament last time, anyway. I kinda just … stood on the sidelines to give orders." He turned towards Lucario, whom he had almost forgotten was there in the first place due to his quiet nature. "Did you get invited, too?"

The Pokemon held up a torn envelope in response, the curl after the 'o' in Lucario in tatters. "I was the first of you all to receive one," he stated, the telepathy almost throwing Red off guard. Strangely, Charizard found himself understanding his words nonetheless - it was always Lucario's special ability along with the ways of aura. "I was also told specifically to greet the new Pokemon Smasher and his trainer. I had thought that it was a good idea to bring them over here so that we may all travel to the tournament together."

"Right!" Serena smiled warmly at Red. "Don't worry about not being in the tournament, Red. You and I can be the best cheerleaders in the whole complex! I'll even help you look the part if you need to." The last sentence was presented with a playful wink. Charizard snickered at the idea of Red holding pom-poms to cheer on his Pokemon,

He laughed nervously in response, not as entertained by the same idea. "Nah, it's ok, I'm good on the whole 'looking the part' thing." He waved off the idea. He finally turned to grin at his Pokemon. "Hey guys, are you excited? You're gonna do the tournament again!"

Pikachu was certainly enthusiastic, since he was a Smasher even before Red owned him. Charizard, however, had only become a Smasher in the recent tournament, where the festivities were interrupted by the Subspace invasion. Yes, afterwards it was fun, Charizard noted, and he and Red had bonded tremendously, but he felt an aching hunch deep inside that something was going to happen again. He wasn't sure what, or even how to describe the feeling, but it certainly unsettled him. A displeased snort came from the dragon Pokemon as he reminisced.

Red was suddenly next to the Pokemon, slapping his back. "What's up, buddy?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Aren't you excited?" His eyes held the same concern, Charizard noted, and it was something he wouldn't like on his face at the moment. Charizard merely tackled the boy to the ground in response. He was worried, but Red needed to be happy. He was going to be happy for his trainer.

Lucario caught the brief unsettled look on Charizard, and merely grunted at the interaction.

A goddess sat in her palace, an envelope with a broken seal placed in her hand. She held a towering staff that shimmered in the harsh sunlight, alongside with her cascading emerald hair and golden armor. She smiled as she stood in the court patio as she overlooked the various centurions and angels that fluttered by. It baffled her how she had created such small, idiotic creatures, but she loved them, nonetheless. She wouldn't tell them the negative thoughts of hers, anyway. She was going to miss them for certain, but once again, she would keep her thoughts to herself. Where she was going was of no public concern, unfortunately. She just hoped that there wouldn't be search parties or adorably pathetic centurions panicking over her absence.

Several clacks resonated throughout the marble floor as a boy with magnificent white wings hurried to the goddess's side. He respectfully knelt on one knee, but less as respectfully kept his head raised. "Lady Palutena!" he cried, a wide grin plastered on his face. He waved a paper the flapped in the air in front of her. "Lady Palutena, look! I got invited back! I got invited back!"

"Pit?" the goddess asked as she turned to face the excitable angel, nodding as she allowed him to rise on his two feet. "Deep breaths, Pit," she mused nonchalantly "and slow down, would you? What in heaven's name are you talking about?"

"The tournament!" Pit begun to hop up and down in pure enthusiasm, fists closed tightly to his chest. "The Smash Bros. tournament! They invited me back! I can't believe they actually invited me back! Lady Palutennnaaaa!"

Palutena laughed as his embarrassing motions, waving at Pit for him to stop without much demand. "Have more confidence in yourself. You did help save the universe from that Tabuu character, and you worked alongside that one person with the overalls and the red cap that they love. What was his name again…?" She took a moment to think.

"Mario? Yeah, he was a pretty cool guy," Pit responded, shrugging at the goddess.

"It's only natural that they invite you back, then, since you're friends with their mascot. We have been gaining some popularity, too. What, with the whole new ga-"

Pit hushed the goddess before she could say another word. Nervously, he glanced left and right with gritted teeth, and spoke in a lower voice, "woah there, you don't wanna break down the you-know-what here and piss off you-know-who, right?"

She merely smiled and lowered her own tones into a whisper. "Right, sorry."

"I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Pit screamed again, his bubbly hyperactivity returning ten-fold. It made Palutena nearly chuckle yet again. "It was so fun last time! Well, save for the whole Subspace thing and everyone almost dying and the universe almost being destroyed. But it was still really fun! Constant battling, eating tons of food, kicking people's butt, eating tons of food, playing those weird video game things a lot, hanging out with everyone, eating tons of food-"

"Pit-" Palutena sighed sternly.

"Gosh, I wish I could show you everything there, Lady Palutena. The mansion is really beautiful! Not as pretty as here, mind you - you're a great decorator, Lady Palutena - but you would really like it there! You'd love the people, too. I'm sure you and Zelda, or maybe Peach, would hit it off super well and talk about dumb stuff like nail polish or things that I don't even know about-"

"Well, I can see All anyway, but that's not the point-" She tried again, bringing her hand closer to her.

"And you would LOVE the fighting! It feels so good to beat up all these villains from other worlds, or even beat up their heroes and other cool dudes that you know well but can beat up anyway!" He was literally jumping up and down at this point, as if trying to fly. Raising his fists in the air, he whooped and shut his eyes in excitement. "I can't wait!"

"Pit…" Her tones were deadpanned in a large amount of annoyance.

"Gosh, talking about it has got me even more excited! I really wish you could come down there and be part of it all."

"Pit…" She tried again, impatiently tapping her foot to deaf ears.

"It's such a shame that you're so busy here being a goddess and all. I mean you would really like it there. Too bad I was the only one invited-"

Palutena cleared her throat rather loudly and tapped the open envelope she was holding on her cheek nonchalantly. She skillfully brandished the name of 'Palutena' in Pit's direction, while making a huge whistle noise as she took sudden interest in the ceiling. "Hm, yes, it's such a shame that I wasn't invited in the first place," she asserted, her tone becoming more sarcastic.

With a gaping mouth, Pit was caught mid sentence staring at the envelope the goddess held, the red wax seal grabbing his attention wholly. He practically froze in mid-jump, but then returned on to his feet when he squinted his eyes to see the letter more. "I-Is that…?"

"Yup." Palutena responded casually, closing up the letter in one hand.

"Did you-"

"Yup."

"Are you really-?"

"'Yup' is such an ugly word, are you really going to make me say it again?"

"YOU GOT INVITED TO THE TOURNAMENT!" All activity that buzzed below the court patio screeched to a halt as the various centurions and angels stopped their tasks to look up at the source of the obnoxious noise. Palutena was quick to tap the hyperactive angel on the head with her staff to shut him up.

"SHH SHH! Keep it down," she whispered harshly, patting the side of her index finger to her lips. "I haven't told anyone else yet. You know how they are, freaking out every time I leave, even if it's for a two minute errand."

Pit yelped and rubbed his new head wound. "Sorry," he whimpered. "I'm just- that is so awesome that you're coming!"

"Aww, was the little angel gonna be wonly without his goddess there with him?" She teased, tapping her clean nails against her bottom lip while stifling a chuckle. For a second, she could've sworn she sounded more like Viridi.

A sudden hue of red plastered itself on his cheeks. Sweat trickled down his temple when his large eyes widened like dinner plates. "N-No! But... I-I'm really glad you're coming with me, s'all…"

Palutena came close to him, patting his head with an endeared smile. "Aw, what a sweet angel! Maybe I'll feel only a little bad when I beat you over and over again in one of these battles!" She cooed, smiling mischievously at the last bit of her words.

"H-Hey, that's not-"

"Well, you do need to prove all your bragging about how you 'beat everyone up,' or you'd be lying to a goddess. You'd better start training, the tournament's only in a few days…" She turned back around, forest locks replacing her front view.

Pit jumped at the sudden dark tone of his lady. "I-I'll be back later, I got to go find a punching bag!" With a flurry of his wings, he ran off, a trail of feathers and worried noises falling behind him. Palutena smiled and waved him off when he heard his footsteps diminuendo, but as soon as he left the courtyard, her expression turned grim. She raised her staff in the air to summon a black envelope, not unlike the invitation, in a small burst of light. It floated down to her palm and she opened it again, studying the faint cursive with an unamused glance.

"Now," she muttered, her brows furrowed, "what are we going to do with you?"

A man clad in green, normally an idle layabout, was certainly not sitting around in his home. He was, in fact, dashing with the utmost vigor through the halls of a grand stone castle, past baffled guards and servants alike. Normally, one such man of crazed actions would be halted and be escorted out, but he was lucky that the guards knew him so well. He had visited these halls so many times, the dwellers of the castles were quick to call it his second house. In truth, he didn't care for the sheer dullness of the environment. He'd much rather prefer living in his treehouse, herding goats and being with nature like his old life was like. What made him come so often was certainly not the aesthetic of the castle, though. Rather, it was a certain someone that called this place her home that kept making him come back and show her his daily wonders.

And by the Goddesses, he was going to show her this very important thing before anyone else.

The green man hurried past tall curtain after tall curtain until he finally spotted the one that indicated the queen's private study. Not even bothering to knock or check if she was in there - which he knew she was, she was always reading at this point in the afternoon - he slammed open the door, seriousness written across his face.

"ZELDAAAAA!" he cried as he burst into the study. He caught the sight of the queen, clad in purple and white, gazing out the window only moments ago. She really was beautiful as he always found himself imagining her, he had noted amidst his excitement, with her long brown hair that reminded him of elaborate wood rings and petite features that seemed to glow in the golden light of the outdoors. While initially shocked, Zelda's expression softened at the sight of the loud one before her.

"Link?" She beamed as she turned towards him with an opened envelope in her hand. She held the parchment almost triumphantly between her gloved fingers. "Did you receive an invitation as well?"

Link flashed a toothy grin as he ran towards her and enveloped her in the tightest of hugs. "It's back! We're going back!" he proclaimed joyously, lifting her and twirling her around as she laughed like chimed bells. After a moment of bliss, he let her down, joining in her laughter. It was only after a few moments where he had realized where they have placed each other's hand - his on her waist, hers on his shoulders. They split apart and brushed their hands against each other, a blush creeping on each other's faces.

"I-I'm really glad," Link had finally said, breaking the awkward silence that ensued. "It's been a few years since they hosted one, right?"

Zelda nodded, hesitating to make eye contact for a moment before smiling warmly. "It will be incredibly pleasant to see all of our old friends again. I do miss their company." she whispered softly.

He laughed at sudden memories. "Man, I still need to fight Marth. He owes me a rematch, remember?" With only a subtle reaction from the queen, Link's mood suddenly turned worrisome. "Hey, are you alright? I know I'm a bit … excited about everything but…"

Zelda faltered for a moment. In truth, a worrisome dream occurred in her slumber the night before, long before she had even discovered the information regarding the tournament. Normally, a dream like this wouldn't startle her as much, but the similarities it had to the dream she had before Zant's invasion of Hyrule was very unsettling to the queen. The subject matter of this particular vision was… no, she wasn't going to think about it. Her recurring thirst of escape and the concerned face of Link had her tuck away her worries. If it was only a dream, and just that, then there was nothing she should be torturing herself over.

"I am perfectly alright," she affirmed, a sunny smile returning to her face. "In fact, I am exceedingly more than thrilled. Link, will you do me the honor of staying here for the next few days, so that we may travel together? We can assist each other in packing." Her gray eyes twinkled in obvious excitement as she casted her arm toward him.

He seemed to radiate now, any previous concern washing away. He grabbed her hand, smiling with his lax brows raised. "Of course! Wouldn't want to forget anything important. You are good at reminding me what to bring, after all." He grabbed both of her hands now. "Zelda," his tone darkened, now taking immediate seriousness, "if you're worried about something, please don't be, the tournament's gonna be awesome, I promise you."

She smiled once again. She'll be happy for Link, if anything else. "I shall hold you up on that quote there, or you shall be deemed a liar." She squeezed his hands, finding herself looking at how tightly knit they were.

"Liar liar Din's fire?" He asked, and they both burst into laughter.

In her mind's vision, a woman in red viewed two elves exchanging conversation. The image morphed to a bounty hunter in a futuristic ship, sailing the cosmos, an envelope placed gently by her side. A mother stood in her observatory, star-like children playing with a yellowed envelope. Two animals that stood like humans shared a handshake as they exchanged envelopes. A muscular man with navy hair stood over the horizon, viewing an envelope and brandishing a golden sword as he gazed into the sunset. A boy donning a red cap hugged a girl and two boys goodbye before dashing away, waving an envelope into the air. A boxer quickly jabbed a punching bag in training, an envelope resting on a nearby stool. A fitness instructor stretches her arms in a contortionist manner as a class mimics her, an envelope resting by a water bottle and towel, Two plumbers and a princess garbed in the shade of blossoms feast together with cake and tea, rejoicing over several opened envelopes.

Her eyes opened, red as the blood that ran through mortal bodies, and she withdrew herself from her window. Sauntering towards her desk as she saw more images - a turtle-dragon laughing evilly with his son and a few other similar children, a cartoonish figure hurriedly preparing pasta in excitement, a pink star-rider who bounced happily on his mode of transportation - she only smiled further as again and again, images of different creatures of odd shapes and sizes passed through the woman's vision, all holding the very envelope she willed them to have.

"Only a few more to go…" she mused, as the picture of a young man in blue studied a peculiar envelope on his desk.

Chrom huffed some more as he stared at the strange writing of the mysterious envelope. Most words to describe his current thoughts had left him as he was only experiencing utter confusion.

A pair of arms seemed to wrap themselves around his sides as he was studying the letter, silver hair dripping onto his shoulders, some of its strands tickling his cheeks. "I could hear you huffing and puffing from the other room, dear," a voice chimed in, seeping with mockery. "Would you like me to decipher whatever you're confused about?"

"Robin, I'm not really confused about anything," Chrom quickly lied before smiling and turning his head to kiss his queen on the lips. She smiled, and opened her brown eyes accusingly, to which Chrom sighed in quick defeat.

"This letter baffles me, however." He admitted. When she had opened her hand, he handed her the envelope.

Robin stood back up straight, adjusting her dress and reading the letter slowly. "... 'Smash Brothers tournament?' What on earth is that?"

"My exact thoughts." Chrom stood from his chair and stretched his arm, the Brand of the Exalt ripping on his arm as his muscles moved. "It's apparently a recreational tournament that invites the best fighters 'from across the universe' to join in a friendly brawl." He made his way over to Robin and looked over the letter again. "Do you think it's something to do with the Outrealms again? Must I berate Old Hubba again?" He groaned at the thought. "I really do hate that old man."

"Perhaps…" she said absentmindedly, most of her focus on the text. "In truth-" she handed him the envelope again, "- I think it's purely what it says it is: recreational. It's says it only happens for a few months, so you wouldn't be gone long…"

"Are you already planning for me to leave?" Chrom gasped, mockingly holding a hand on his chest. "So hasty to push aside your husband, Robin, I'm so offended."

"Well I certainly think that it would be beneficial." Robin frowned, clearly unwilling to play along. "You have been very stressed lately, Chrom. Even Frederick and Lissa have noticed it."

Chrom sighed as he placed the invitation back onto the desk, daring not to deny her accusations. "I guess it comes with being Exalt," he noted to himself. "It's been a few years, and yet I still cannot get used to it, especially with all the rebuilding of the villages and helping Valm get back in order."

"Which is why I think you should go." She made her way to his side and rested a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Everyone needs a break once in a while, Chrom, even the Exalt. While it's not resting, having you fight other opponents is the best kind of therapy for you." She playfully poked his side, causing him to yelp and jump. She laughed all the more. "And if I hear anything about the country needing its Exalt, I'll blast you with a Bologanone spell. The Queen can certainly handle the state of affairs."

"Especially since the Queen is a master tactician and is the smartest person I know." Chrom wrapped an arm around her shoulders and planted another kiss on her cheek, allowing it to linger for just awhile. Robin could smell his scent - how he smelled like the fields on the outer edges of Ylisse, from the tall grass to the wildflowers that would sway in any small breeze that would pass. "Would you even miss me, though, like I would miss you and the children?" He whispered softly.

Robin's only response was another slow, gentle kiss. "Of course," she responded quietly, smiling into his skin. "As much as I tease you, you know I would miss you."

"I'll have to think about it then," Chrom smirked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know, I really do miss those pigtails of yours. You should start wearing those again."

Robin snorted at the comment. When she was indicted as Queen to the Exalt, she began wearing her hair down and pinned back into a set of regally-tended waves, along with a noble dress unbefitting of her, she thought, in order to appear more professional. The stiff corset around her underbust and the multiple petticoats only made her think of Lissa's attire, and how she seemed to move just fine amidst her skirts. While she did yearn to wear her old, ragged tactician coat again, she knew that her days of fighting were over. She found it best to hide it away in a trunk somewhere in the castle, likely never to be seen again. "I'll check back on you later," she finally stated, giving a quick parting kiss before making her way to the door. "Don't stay in here too long, you'll end up like Morgan is, always hidden in a study."

"Like son, like mother." Chrom responded casually, chuckling to himself when she finally made her leave. His eyes only turned to read the invitation more thoroughly this time, smiling at the exchange he had with his wife.

"Let the symphony of revenge begin."

Author's note: SORRY FOR ALL THE PAGE BREAKS AND JUMPING, THEY'RE WILL BE LESS IN THE FUTURE.

Hello, I'm sorutan, your wonderful host for this bumpy journey! Like a lot of people, I was fairly irate at the lack of a story mode in the new Smash Bros, despite still being an awesome game nonetheless. Subspace Emissary used brilliant storytelling without anyone uttering a word, and was truthfully the thing that made Brawl so enjoyable. Being the person I am, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to write my own story mode, because these new characters deserve to be told in a new story. However, also being the passionate psychology student that I am, I figured it was also a good opportunity to tell this story in my own way.

Since I thirsted for more exploration in the family dynamic between Robin, Chrom, Lucina, and Morgan in Fire Emblem Awakening, this fic will seriously dive into that, including Lucina and Robin's relationship, so fair warning if you're not into that. Also, Female Robin is the protagonist because Female Robin is FAR more important than Male Robin. Trust me, I'm a professional.

Also, I left a few Sound Horizon references in here. Kudos to whoever can spot them!

With that being said, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and enjoy the rest of the story!