Hello! After seven years, I am back with another Smash Bros fanfiction. I wrote another one called Tournament of Terror years back on another account and made some creative choices that are embarrassing to look back on. Eugh. I will definitely be more serious this time around, but there are still some changes I've made because I think it will make for a better story or I felt I would write a character better. What I'm saying is, I chose to write for Female Robin, Female Villager, and Male Wii Fit Trainer. Seems I have a bad habit of liking the non-default.

You also might be interested to know which characters will receive the most focus. While I will try to include everyone, I will let you know my major fandoms of Smash are Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Earthbound/Mother 3, Mario, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, and Pikmin. But there are a lot of characters I like and will choose to focus on. I haven't played ALL of the games so I hope I can still do justice for the characters I know little about!

Whew. If you're still here, thanks for sticking with me! I hope you enjoy the story with all its twists and turns, and I hope it gives you plenty of feels as well. ;) I'll do my best!

Chapter 1: Just Another Day

It started with a dream.

A dream that had begun occurring every night Kirby slept. As someone who looked forward to escaping into his exciting subconscious, this distressed him greatly. The Fountain of Dreams from his homeland always kept out the nightmares. Perhaps its power did not reach the Smash Mansion. Up until now, he always assumed it had.

Kirby pawed at his eyes, yawning. His little heart thudded loudly in his chest, as though he had just run a mile. In the dream, he was fighting something—or someone. But when he was forced awake, he never could remember what it was. This was getting old, fast.

He hopped out of bed and waddled out of his private room. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, the smell of bacon and eggs hit him like Peach's frying pan. He inhaled blissfully—then was run over by Ness and Lucas.

"Breakfast, breakfast!" Ness shouted, sprinting at breakneck speeds. He was gone in an instant.

Lucas skidded to a halt, having noticed the speed bump in their path. "Sorry, Kirby!" he gasped, helping the puffball to his feet. "Saturday breakfast is big deal."

"It's okay!" Kirby smiled. His stomach rumbled at the thought of breakfast.

Master Hand and Crazy Hand always cooked an amazing breakfast for the smashers every Saturday. Master Hand's creations were always delicious. He cooked everything; bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, waffles, hashbrowns, muffins…but everything was coveted and therefore in short supply. If you slept in, you'd be left with the food Crazy Hand made. And if you were desperate enough to eat it, you'd be sick with food poisoning for the rest of the day.

By the time he made it to breakfast, Kirby had forgotten all about his strange dream. Food was the only thing that mattered.

Pac-Man, Wario, Roy, and Charizard were already there, stuffing their faces. Charizard kept pausing to breathe fire on his sausage, preferring his meat thoroughly singed.

Nearby, Zelda and Rosalina were chatting over tea and danishes.

"—and I told Link, it's okay if you want to sleep in on the weekend. Most of us do," Zelda said.

"Peach said the same thing. Something about beauty sleep," Rosalina chimed in.

"That's fine. But after Link wakes up, he always eats Crazy Hand's breakfast and gets food poisoning. Someday his laziness will be the death of him." Zelda sighed and sipped her tea.

"Enjoying your breakfast, ladies?" Master Hand hovered over the pair, a chef's hat resting on the main joint of his index finger.

Both girls nodded. Then Rosalina sniffed the air. "Is something burning?"

An insane cackle arose in the direction of the kitchen. Master Hand went flying towards it, cursing. "CRAZY!"

Everyone at the table chuckled. Ness was too absorbed in his bacon to take notice. "This is the best food in the world!" he gushed. He spoke with a slight speech impediment, not fully pronouncing his 'l's' and 'r's.' When he had first come to the Smash Mansion, no one could understand what nonsense he was yelling during his attacks. It had been anyone's best guess. "This is even better than trash burgers!"

"Look. Master Hand made this omelet just for me," Lucas said, showing his omelet to anyone who would look at it.

"Big whoop," Wario muttered enviously. He was just mad Master Hand always refused to make him garlic pancakes.

Kirby tried to resist from consuming every morsel of food like a gluttonous black hole. He forced himself to eat slowly, so all of his friends would get a chance to fill their bellies.

As he took his time, smashers came and went. Marth, Roy, Ike, Lucina, and Robin ate as a group. Fox and Falco came by, giving each other a hard time on who would win today's one-on-one match. Olimar and his Pikmin took up seven seats at the table. Lucario and Mewtwo, who never seemed to get along, got into an argument over maple syrup. Duck Hunt Dog sat by Wii Fit Trainer's feet, begging for scraps until Palutena kindly reminded him he was allowed to eat at the table.

Suddenly, a chill ran up Kirby's spine as he felt a presence behind him. He turned around to see Meta Knight standing there. His eyes gleamed gold behind his mask.

"Good morning, Kirby," he greeted in his deep voice.

"Mmph…g'mormig," Kirby said through cheeks full of food. He felt a strange sense of déjà vu steal over him, but couldn't understand it. He saw Meta Knight every day.

The masked swordsman calmly smuggled a chocolate chip muffin into his cape and left the scene. He never ate in front of anyone.

When King Dedede came along, Kirby left the rest of the table scraps to him. The greedy penguin inhaled food right out of smashers' hands, giving no regard to their empty bellies.

"Hey! That was mine!" Shulk complained, as he watched his strawberry waffle disappear down King Dedede's gullet.

The penguin patted his belly. "Was," he emphasized with a wicked grin.

The day moved along like any other. Morning turned to afternoon. Most smashers were relaxing. The mansion was full of lounges with big windows, high ceilings, and endless entertainment. Those that weren't utilizing the lounges were outside enjoying the mansion's pool or playing on the sloping lawn that led down to a lake.

Battle Central, the room where smashers could organize fights, was practically empty. In this room, a computer could be used to organize a brawl. The type of battle, the stage, the payoff, and more could be customized through the computer. Once everything was in place, the smashers stepped into a transporter—there were eight—and were whisked off to their fight.

Crowds of fans usually came to watch the smashers duke it out, particularly for tournaments. But today, all was quiet. It was a day for themselves.

Still, some smashers would not allow themselves to relax. Fox and Falco had a bet to settle; Fox was currently in the basement training facility, pummeling a sandbag in an effort to warm up. The training room was filled with state-of-the-art technology, everything from simple weights to a machine that could create shadow-clones to fight against.

Mewtwo was customizing a clone to train against, upping its speed stat in order to push his limits. Nearby, the Wii Fit Trainer led a zumba session for a small group of female smashers.

"That's it! Fabulous job, ladies!" he shouted, stepping back and forth with the beat of the music. "Stretch those shoulders!"

Samus and Peach exchanged a glance, pleased with themselves.

Fox flattened his ears, mildly annoyed. The noise was ruining his concentration. While his mind wandered, he took notice of Lucario entering the room. As soon as the Aura Pokemon stepped inside, the air crackled with tension. Fox could feel his fur stand on end.

Across the room, Mewtwo's shoulders had tensed. His tail lashed with barely-concealed agitation. It was no secret the two Pokemon held a deep hatred for each other. Fox wondered what Master Hand had been thinking, inviting the both of them.

As if he harbored a death wish, Lucario strode straight towards Mewtwo. Fox pricked his ears towards the two of them, straining for a catch of their conversation. A few heads from the zumba class turned their way as well.

"May I?" Lucario asked, coolly pointing a paw at the cloning device.

Mewtwo didn't move a muscle. He didn't even look at Lucario. "I just got here."

His deep voice sent shivers down Fox's spine.

Lucario's eyes narrowed. "You are always here, monopolizing this area. You are not the only smasher living in this mansion, I will have you know."

Mewtwo's voice was colder than ice when he replied, "Perhaps a match between colleagues would be a superior form of training in comparison to this."

Fox suppressed a bark of laughter. He's challenging him to a fight!

A smirk pushed at Lucario's lips. "I agree. I could use a warm-up before I take on the strength of my shadow-clone."

Mewtwo finally whirled to face Lucario, eyes flashing dangerously. Neither spoke, each Pokemon glaring at the other. Fox would have loved to stay and watch the drama unfold, but at that moment, Falco appeared in the doorway of the facility.

"Hey, Fox!" he called. "You ready to do this or what?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Fox said, delivering one last kick to the sandbag. Then he turned and bounded across the room to his buddy's side. "Final Destination, no items, right?"

Falco grinned. "What else?"

The two left behind the training center and headed for Battle Central, Mewtwo and Lucario's exchange already gone from Fox's mind.

"Come on, Junior, give the ball back!"

"No way! This is what you get for not inviting me to play with you!" Bowser Junior stuck his tongue out, using his clown car to hover out of their reach. The soccer ball was held proudly above his head like a trophy.

"Only because you pull this stunt even if we do invite you to play with us," Toon Link snarled.

Ness and Lucas stood on either side of him, looking cross. Nearby, Duck Hunt Dog squirmed on his back, enjoying the feel of the cool grass.

"You know what, fine!" Bowser Junior snapped. "You guys are boring anyways." With all his might, he chucked the ball. It flew a fair distance and went bouncing down the nearby hill. The boys' hearts sunk when they heard it reach the lake with a splash.

Ness sighed. "I'll get it." But before he could take a step, a brown blur shot past him.

"I got it, I got it!" Duck Hunt Dog yipped joyfully. He bounded away over the hill, leaving the three boys to burst out laughing as he plunged into the lake without a moment's hesitation.

His plan to inconvenience them foiled, Bowser Junior left, grumbling to himself. "I'm outta here!"

"What a loser," Toon Link scoffed, watching him sulk back to the mansion.

"I don't understand why he has to act like that," Lucas added, frowning.

"I think he's just trying to be like his dad," Ness said, his attention focused on the crest of the hill. As soon as Duck Hunt Dog came into view, Ness bent down and slapped his knees. "Here, boy! Good boy!"

Duck Hunt Dog deposited the drool-soaked ball at their feet. His tail was wagging so hard it seemed it might fly off. "Am I really a good boy?" he asked, tongue lolling, eyes bright.

"Yup!" Ness scratched him behind the ear, while Lucas stroked his smooth pelt. As dog owners, they were avid fans of the spirited newcomer.

Toon Link stood back, shielding the sun from his eyes. "Hey, where's the Villager? Isn't she going to play with us?"

Ness paused. "Uh, I didn't invite her."

"Why not?"

While Ness shuffled his feet nervously, Lucas spoke up. "Ness feels like he's being disloyal to Paula when he's with her."

Toon Link grinned. "Ooh! You player."

"I'm not! It's complicated!" Ness huffed.

"That's what they all say."

Ness gave Toon Link a playful shove. Toon Link shoved him back, which led to Lucas leaping in to defend him. Pretty soon, all three boys were wrestling on the ground, laughing. Duck Hunt Dog leaped about excitedly, at a loss for what to do, while the duck on his head quacked his irritation.

Meanwhile, Roy and Link were sunning themselves on the patio, next to the mansion's beloved pool. Link had wisened up and settled for a safe breakfast of cereal. Now he was free to enjoy this beautiful day.

Nearby, Robin and Lucina sat with their legs dangling in the water. Greninja was floating nearby, eyes closed. Pikachu snoozed peacefully on top of her skinny chest. The pool consisted of two levels, with a waterfall cascading between the two of them. It filled the air with a soothing sound.

"Where is your father? It's not like him to be late," Robin fretted, fiddling with her hair.

Her daughter was focused on flicking water at Pikachu, trying to see how much it would take to wake him up. "Maybe he had a late night."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin narrowed her eyes playfully.

Lucina just laughed. "Never mind, never mind! Gods, I didn't realize how wrong that sounded until after I said it!"

A few yards away, Roy uttered a loud sigh.

Link lifted his sunglasses, blinking. "You okay?"

"What? Um, yeah. Fine," Roy mumbled.

"Get over your prince, toots, and start lookin' for a real man!"

Everyone turned to see Wario waddling his way over to the pool, his greasy chest hair glistening in the sun's rays. His love handles were spilling over the edges of his purple swim trunks, which were way, way too small for him.

Robin and Lucina cried out, "Oh Gods!" at the same time.

Roy was instantly on his feet. "Wario, everyone signed a petition that you couldn't wear your swimsuit in public anymore!"

Wario turned on Roy, tweaking his scraggly mustache with a grin. "Loopholes, my friend. This isn't my swimsuit. I stole this from Waluigi's room over in the guest house." He jerked his chin towards the smaller house that stood downhill from the Smash Mansion. The guest house contained those that served as "assist trophies" and others such as Robin's husband Chrom.

Link's nose wrinkled. "Those are Waluigi's? No wonder they're so small."

Wario guffawed heartily. "It was too easy! That house is deserted. Man, I can't wait to see the look on Waluigi's face when he finds out! Ha ha haa!"

Robin's disgust faded and was replaced by a look of concern. "Deserted…?" she murmured.

In the short lull of silence, Link's keen Hylian ears picked up a distant sound. At the same time, Pikachu's ears twitched. He sat up, balancing precariously on Greninja's lithe body.

"Do you hear that?" Link said sharply.

The other humans looked to him, confused. Pikachu leaped to the edge of a pool in a single bound. "Someone's screaming," he squeaked urgently.

Greninja's eyes flew open and she followed, spraying water in every direction as she leapt from the pool. The two Pokemon went sprinting into the mansion, followed by the others. On their way in, they ran into the Villager.

She blinked up at them with her famous shiny eyes and innocent smile. "Hiya! Have any of you seen Ness around?"

Robin and Lucina stopped to address her. "Not for a while. But have you heard—"

Link and Roy didn't hear the rest of the conversation, for they had run on ahead, following Greninja and Pikachu. Despite the size of the mansion, with its many halls and rooms, Link had managed to pinpoint the location. It was coming from Battle Central.

He felt his feet were moving in slow motion as he ran down the maze of hallways that led to the screaming. As it grew closer, the senseless sound formed words.

"HELP! Someone help! MASTER HAND!"

Before the two swordsmen and Pokemon had reached the room, someone stepped out into the hallway. It was Falco, his eyes bright with terror. Something was draped around his shoulder.

The stench of blood hit Link's nose as soon as he laid eyes on the smasher. And something else—burnt flesh and fur.

"Fox!" Roy choked out, frozen in his tracks.

It was then Link realized what Falco was dragging along with him. It was Fox—his fur and clothing singed and covered with dark, sticky blood. Link barely recognized him.

Falco limped hurriedly towards the pair, looking slightly relieved to see them. "Where is Master Hand?!"

"How did this happen?" Roy stammered.

"There's no time! We have to help Fox! Go get Master Hand, or Doctor Mario!"

"We'll get Doctor Mario!" Greninja said, with a nod at Pikachu.

"I'll go get Master Hand!" Roy shot away, sprinting towards the part of the mansion where Master Hand had his quarters.

It's too far away—will he make it in time? Link wondered. Fox looked bad. Really bad. Then an idea popped into his head.

"The hospital wing! It's right down the hall."

Falco nodded. "Good idea."

The hospital wing was never used because the smashers were nearly invincible. Battles never harmed them physically and they rarely felt pain. The hospital, Master Hand said, was there for emergencies. No smasher had thought it would ever actually be put to use.

Falco and Link quickly got Fox into a bed, setting him down carefully. His body was horribly limp. Link forced himself to stay calm, going to grab gauze and press it into Fox's wounds. But there were so many, he didn't know where to begin. He couldn't tell where the blood was flowing from, or how bad the burns on his skin were.

Falco, who had seemed composed at first, was now settling into a state of shock. His eyes were impossibly wide as he gazed down at his friend. "How did this happen?" he murmured.

Link looked up. "How did this happen?"

Falco's beak clacked senselessly. "I…I don't…this is all my fault…!" He couldn't stop staring at Fox, replaying the memory of their fight over and over in his head.

At that moment, Mario burst into the room, donning his doctor's uniform. He was instantly at Fox's side, stethoscope in hand.

"Save him!" Falco blurted out, watching Mario check for Fox's heartbeat. "It's not too late!"

While Mario checked Fox's pulse, each second seemed to turn to an hour. Both Link and Falco held their breaths, waiting for his assessment.

Then Mario's eyes dulled. He took off his stethoscope and shook his head hopelessly. "It is too late. Fox is dead."