This is it! The Grand Finale of An Old Snake! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. Thanks to everyone who supported this story, especially Loke Groundrunner for his reviews and noting any grammatical or spelling errors in my chapters. Enjoy! And don't worry, I have more stories planned soon.

David opened his eyes from what felt like a deep sleep. He looked at his surroundings, but there were nothing to be seen. All he could see was pure white, nothing else in sight.

"Where am I? Is this…is this heaven?" David asked himself

David began travelling the white area, trying to find anything else but white.

"Heaven looks nothing like I pictured it."

"That's because you're not in heaven David." A mysterious voice told David.

"Who was that?! Where are you?!" David yelled nervously.

"He's not the only one here." Another voice spoke.

"Who else is here?!"

"We are the Sages David." Another voice answered.

David had a look of shock on his face.

"The…the Sages? Z-Zelda told me about you."

"Yes I did, didn't I?" A familiar voice responded.

A woman then appeared in front of David. The woman was no stranger to David. The woman was none other than Zelda.

"Zelda! W-What are you doing here?! Are you dead to?" David asked in confusion.

"No David. I'm here because I am a Sage. I am the leader of the Sages." Zelda answered.

"Why are you all here?" David asked

"Because David, we're here to send you into the next phase of your existence." Zelda said

"So…the afterlife I'm guessing."

"No David. Let me explain."

Zelda stretched her arm out, and cast a spell of magic. The spell created a orb that showed the events of David's life.

"Throughout your life, you have always fought for the protection of others. To protect humanity from destruction and giving them a chance to build a future."

"But I killed people to do so. And many of times I was lied to and my mission was for the personal gain of a government or politician, not for the safety of mankind."

"While that is true, you killed those people for what you believed in. You always fought for others, with no concern for your own safety. You put yourself in harm's way for the sake of others."

The orb then showed flashbacks of Shadow Moses Island in 2005.

"In the Shadow Moses Incident, you were tortured by Ocelot. You were allowed to be free of the torture if you gave into the pain, but it would be at the cost of Meryl's life. You refused to give in for the sake of Meryl. You could of freed yourself from that torture at any time, but you chose to go through the pain for the sake of another person's life."

The orb then switched to flashbacks of the events of Liquid's Insurrection in 2014.

"Despite your body's condition caused by accelerated aging, you still chose to risk your life to stop Liquid. You were stabbed, your eye was burned, and you chose to walk through a microwave hall that nearly killed you to stop the Patriots."

The orb then showed David's activities in the Smash Universe.

"Perhaps one of your greatest traits is your wisdom David. You gave Lucas confidence, You convinced Hal to be free of his fear of losing a loved one, you inspired Michael to become a better leader, and you did what we thought to be impossible. You brought out the good in Ganondorf, convinced him to fight for the good of others. Your leadership is just astounding." Zelda said

"So what is this next phase of my existence that you were talking about?" David asked.

"You lived your life as a shadow of a man. You were a clone, your genetics were modified. You were meant to be a weapon. Yet you showed more humanity and care than most humans have. Now, you will live a new life as a man." Zelda answered.

"What do you mean."

"You're going back to the Smash Universe David. This time, you will be the man you're supposed to be. You will have the life of a man, a life taken away from you by the Patriots. David, we are releasing you from the binds of your modified genetics. No accelerated aging. No sterilization. All of this can be done because of the shot Michael gave you."

"So that's what it was for?"

"Exactly. Now go David. You're free. Now go and defeat Liquid."

Back at the Smash Universe, everyone was still grieving over David's death. Samus was still crying over his body. Hal walked over to Samus with tears in his eyes, and touched her shoulder.

"Come on Samus. We need to get a burial ready for him." Hal said.

Samus stood up and began walking with Hal. Donkey Kong was walking towards David's body so he could carry him to the mansion. But David's eyes opened, and his body began levitating. Donkey Kong jumped back in fear.

"What the hell!" Captain Falcon yelled.

Samus and Hal turned around and saw David levitating. Suddenly, the ground below David began rising, sending rocks flying into the sky. David then began yelling in what seemed like a scream of pain.

"What's going on?!" Samus yelled

"I've never seen an Aura like this before. He appears to be… gaining power." Lucario stated.

Four lightning bolts from the sky began striking David, but he was not hurt from it. Then David's body began to drastically change.

"It…It can't be!" Link said in shock

"What?!" Samus yelled

"It's…It's the Sages! They're bringing David back!"

David's hair turned from gray to brown, his original hair color. His wrinkles disappeared, then the burn on his eye disappeared. His damaged right eye was healed and the eye patch covering it ripped off. His face looked like it did the first time he came to the Smash Universe.

"Oh my God!" Samus said in disbelief.

David's shirt ripped off, revealing his scar-covered body that was not in very good condition due to accelerated aging. But the scars began to disappear, and his body suddenly returned to the muscular form he had before. The lightning stopped striking David, and the ground stopped rising. David stopped levitating and landed on the ground, catching himself with his knee and hands. He stood up with a smirk on his face and faced the Smashers, all of who had their jaws dropped.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" He said with a grin.

"DAVID!" Samus screamed with joy as she ran to him and embraced him.

"Oh god David! I thought I lost you." She said sobbing.

"Samus, I promise I'll never leave you again." David assured her.

"It's great to see the real David." Michael said

"Michael, where's Liquid?" David demanded

"He headed North of here I believe."

"Ok thanks. I'm going to go stop him!" David said and began running North

"David be careful!" Samus begged

"Don't worry Samus! I'll be fi-"

David was interrupted as a ring of fire surrounded him.

"What the hell?!" David yelled

"Damn it! He's here David! He came to fight you!" Michael yelled.

Liquid teleported in front of David at that moment.

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST FUCKING DIE!" Liquid yelled in frustration

"Sorry to disappoint you." David said sarcastically

"So what's the ring of fire for?" David asked

"We're having one final battle Snake! A grand finale! A fight to the death!" Liquid yelled in excitement.

"You always want to end it with a fist fight."

"Well you are in the condition to be a Smasher now Snake! Apparently you were the best when you were last here. I'm going to beat the best, I'm going to take away any hope these Smasher freaks have of victory. We've both been given second chances at life Snake! Let's see who makes the most of it! Either you kill me, and the Shades will be defeated once and for all. Or I kill you in front of your friends and kill them all afterwards." Liquid said sadistically

"I think it will be the former." David responded angrily

"We'll see about that!" Liquid said as his eyes began to glow red, expressing a lust for killing.

David and Liquid got in their fighting positions. They were both shirtless, just like when they battled on top of Metal Gear REX at Shadow Moses. They stared each other down with a look of sheer intensity. The two brothers began moving towards each other, still in their fighting stance. They were finally close enough to strike the other. Liquid went for the first strike with a right cross. David side stepped the punch and grabbed his arm and countered with a CQC slam. Liquid wasn't slowed down one bit, and got back on his feet instantly, with anger showing on his face. David attacked Liquid with kicks, Liquid blocked each one. Liquid ducked under David's kick and struck his stomach with an uppercut, stunning David. He followed it up with a right cross to David's face, knocking David on his back. David stood back up very quickly, not affected by Liquid's strong punch. They both threw a punch at each other at the same time, and in turn, they struck each other in the face at the same time. The impact of the punches knocked both of them back. Liquid dashed towards David, who reacted by throwing Liquid to the ground.

"WHAT THE!" Liquid yelled as his back hit the ground with great force.

David mounted Liquid to prevent him from getting up. David began striking his defenseless opponent with strong punches to the face. He then began to choke Liquid with his forearm. David finally finished his assault by lifting Liquid's head from the ground, then hitting him on the head with the powerful punch, making the back of Liquid's head slam into the ground. Liquid got up to his feet, it took him a few seconds this time though.

"Ha. Impressive brother." Liquid taunted

David attempted to hit Liquid with a spinning kick, but Liquid backed away from it. Liquid countered by ramming into David with a shoulder tackle, knocking David to the ground. Liquid followed up with a strong punch to David's stomach while he was still on the ground. Liquid went for another stomach punch, but David rolled out of the way, causing Liquid to slam his fist into the hard ground. As Liquid was recovering from the pain in his knuckles, David got up and struck Liquid's forehead with his knee. The attack cut Liquid's forehead and he began to bleed.

"Son of a bitch!" Liquid yelled furiously

He began wailing at David with strong blows. While David was able to block them, they were still hurting his arms due to the power of the blows. David's arms began to tire out, giving Liquid an opening to attack. Liquid struck David's forehead with his elbow, causing David to bleed from the forehead as well.

After a few minutes of exchanging blows, with each getting weaker and weaker, the two stopped to catch a breath. Liquid stood up and began to speak.

"You were right Snake." Liquid said

"What are you talking about?" David questioned

"A fist fight to the death is really losing its excitement. It's not fitting for our final battle."

"Then what do you suppose is Liquid?" David asked although did not care about the matter.

"We're in the Smash Bros. Universe. What do you think?"

"You…want a Brawl Match?" David asked

"Exactly, I already have on set up. I'm sure your friends couldn't get a good view of the fight with the ring of fire in the way. Now they'll have a Giant monitor to watch the match."

After Liquid finished, a giant monitor erected from the ground near the Smashers.

"Let's go Snake!" Liquid ordered and teleported both of them to the stage of battle.

"Just like old times eh Brother?" Liquid yelled to his brother.

David looked at his surroundings, they were in front of a disposal facility, spotlights, and several familiar things. He realized Liquid brought them to the Shadow Moses Island Stage. He also noticed he had the sneaking suit he used for the Shadow Moses Incident on, so he could use his special attacks.

"How fitting." David muttered.

The two brothers faced each other and got in fighting position.

"READY…GO!" The announcer yelled

David pulled out a grenade and held it for two seconds after pulling the pin. Liquid jumped towards David, planning to land an aerial strike. David lobbed his cooked grenade towards Liquid and leaped away from the explosion that threw Liquid into a wall.

"Impressive. You're definitely a strategic fighter." Liquid said as he was getting back to his feet.

David ran to Liquid and attacked with his standard 3 hit combo. The first two punches landed, but Liquid shielded the spin kick that followed. Liquid grabbed David by the neck and slammed him onto the floor. David rolled away from Liquid and got back on his feet. Liquid attacked with a running shoulder slam, but David side stepped out of its way. David took the opportunity to counter, and kneed Liquid in the back, followed by a strong hammerfist to the back of his head. Liquid was dazed from the attack, and David began to move towards him. Liquid surprised him and took out an Item Capsule and threw it at David, hitting him in the face. While the attack wasn't incredibly painful, it stung for sure. When David recovered from the attack, he saw Liquid kick a Crate on Wheels at him. It was coming at him fast. Thanks to his great reflexes, David jumped on the crate to avoid being rammed by it. He jumped off the crate, using it as a platform, and hit Liquid with an Axe kick to the head. Liquid got up, holding his head in pain, and threw a smoke ball at David. David couldn't see anything because of the smoke. Before he knew it, he was knocked on his back by a strong source of energy. He realized he was hit with a fully charged Super Scope shot, and it hurt like hell. The smoke cleared, and the first thing David saw was Liquid standing over him. Liquid began stomping on David relentlessly. David was looking for an opportunity to break free from the attack. He got one when an explosive crate appeared behind Liquid. David slid a stick of C4 to the box. David pulled out the detonator and activated the C4, exploding and in turn, making a larger explosion from the explosive crate. The explosion threw Liquid at a wall with massive force. David wasn't able to attack Liquid in his injured state, as he himself was recovering from the pain of Liquid stomping on him.

"Well brother, you're putting up a good fight I'll admit. But let's see how you do against me true form." Liquid said as he got back on his feet.

Liquid stretched out his arms and his body began to exude black and red aura, and his muscles grew significantly.

"Have at you Snake!" Liquid yelled

David charged towards his brother and began punching his abdomen repeatedly. None of the strikes were damaging Liquid due to his increase in power. David stopped his attack and stepped back, shocked that Liquid didn't feel a thing.

"Now it's my turn" Liquid said with an evil grin and punched David in the chest, launching him back several feet.

David got back to his feet, but was disoriented from that massive blow he just took. He decided to attack Liquid from a distance. He took out his Nikita Launcher, and shot a missile at Liquid. The missile hit Liquid in the chest and exploded. To David's misfortune, the missile did nothing to Liquid. He didn't flinch or stop moving. David launched another missile at Liquid. This time, Liquid grabbed the missile and threw it back at David. David rolled back just in time to avoid being hit by his own projectile. David dashed at Liquid and threw a punch. Liquid slapped his arm away and punched David in the face twice, then struck him in the sternum with a powerful kick. Liquid picked up a home run bat and struck David's knee with it, making David scream in pain. Liquid swung the bat, and broke the bat over David's left arm, causing the limb to bleed. A laser sword appeared in front of David. David took the sword and stabbed Liquid's right thigh, hoping for the best. To his and Liquid's surprise, it penetrated through Liquid's thigh, causing Liquid to yell in pain. Liquid pulled the sword out of his thigh, and was shocked to see he was bleeding. Liquid was too distracted by the sight of his blood that he didn't react to David's boot smash into his face. Liquid didn't fall down from the kick, but he was disoriented from it. Liquid came back to his senses and pushed David to the ground. David got back up but was back on the ground shortly after, as he was hit by a wooden crate Liquid threw at him. The crate cut David's body in several areas. David's sneaking suit had rips and tears all over and was red with blood. David struggled back to his feet, barely conscious. Liquid pulled his arm back, and his fist began glowing with crimson colored energy.

"DIE!" Liquid yelled and struck David's face with the powerful punch.

David collapsed to the ground. The Smashers all watched the fight in horror, believing David was done for. David was on his back looking up at the sky. His vision was blurred, and he had no clue what was going on. Suddenly, David began having flashbacks. The time he talked to Lucas and encouraged him to move on and enjoy his life. The time Michael became a great leader. The time he convinced Hal he wasn't cursed, leading him to find love in Peach. The time he played with Lucas and Samus in the park. The first time Samus kissed him. Ganondorf, saying his final words to David. Finally, something he said recently went through his head

"Samus. I promise I'll never leave you again."

Remembering the promise he made, David came back to his sense, seeing Liquid stand over him.

"It's time to die brother!" Liquid taunted.

"No, not yet." David said

Liquid looked at him with a look of confusion.

"Cause I have a promise to keep!" David yelled.

David stood up and screamed in a fit of rage. His eyes turned yellow, and flames surrounded his body, changing colors frequently. It was the energy of a Smash Ball, but more powerful.

"What the hell?!" Liquid said in shock

Liquid jumped on a platform above him and dove off the platform, attempting to hit David with an aerial attack. David jumped in the air and countered Liquid with 4 consecutive kick, and followed up with an axe kick, sending Liquid to the ground with massive force. Liquid became frustrated, and decided to attack David with brutal strikes. Liquid threw a punch, while David did the same. Their fists collided with each other. The impact caused the ground below them to shake. David hit Liquid's chin with a right hook, angering Liquid even more. They both attacked with a kick, their legs collided. Liquid threw a right cross. David rolled behind Liquid, avoiding the punch. Before Liquid could turn around, David put a chokehold on Liquid. David tightened the chokehold gradually. Liquid tried to escape the hold but had no success. David finally released the chokehold and slammed Liquid to the ground with a suplex. Liquid picked up a ray gun and fired away at David. David flinched from being hit with the shots. After Liquid's final shot, David yelled in pain and collapsed to the ground. Liquid believed David was unconscious and decided to finish him off. He walked to David, and pulled out a knife. When he got close, David leaped back to his feet, took the knife from his hand, and began cutting away at Liquid's chest. He had played dead, and it worked perfectly. After repeatedly slashing Liquid's chest, David's brother was a bloody mess. Liquid looked like he was about to pass out. David raised his fist in the air, and it began glowing with red aura.

"It's over." David whispered

David punched Liquid straight in the chest. This wasn't an ordinary punch however. David's fist penetrated through Liquid's chest and David grabbed his heart.

"Why? W-W-Why can't I b-beat you?" Liquid muttered, with blood spewing from his mouth.

"Who is it that you fight for Liquid? What is it you fight for?" David asked his brother

"I-I fight for no one…no one but myself…for my o-own desires."

"There's your answer Liquid."

"Well. What are you waiting for? Kill me. Kill your brother."

"You're a demon. A shadow. You're no brother of mine."

David ripped Liquid's heart out of his chest and crushed it.

"I pity you Liquid. You never knew peace. I didn't either for most of my life. But with you gone from this universe, I can finally experience it. I only wish you could have done the same."

The Smashers watched David's victory on the monitor and rejoiced at Liquid's defeat. David was teleported back to the Smashers. He was greeted with applause and cheers. He smiled to everyone, and then noticed Samus running towards him.

"You did it David! You did it!" Samus cried with joy and jumped on David and embraced him.

"Yeah, I did. It's all over now…" David whispered to her as he held her in his arms.

"It's over. The Universe is at peace. I'm no longer bound by modified genetics. I won't die prematurely. It's time. Time for me to do it." David thought to himself.

"Samus, I gotta ask you something." David told her

"What's is it?" She asked

David got down on one knee, and looked up at her.

"Will you spend the rest of your life with me? As my wife?" David proposed.

Samus gasped and began to cry. She pulled David to her and kissed him.

"Yes! Of course I will David!" She yelled.

The two embraced for several minutes. The Smashers cheered for the two. They finally released each other, then David looked over to the Smashers and looked at Lucas.

"There's still one more thing I got to do." David said

He signaled Lucas to come see him. Lucas understood the signal and walked over to David.

"You did it David! You saved everyone!" Lucas cheered in admiration

"Yeah, and me and Samus are going to be a family." David responded.

"That's great David."

"And…I want you to be a part of it."

"Huh?" Lucas responded in confusion

David kneeled down to Lucas' level.

"Lucas. I want to adopt you. I want you to be my adopted son, and I want to be your adoptive father, and Samus your mother. Is that ok with you?" David asked.

A large smile grew on Lucas' face, and he ran up to David and Samus and hugged them.

"Yes! I'd love to!" Lucas answered with excitement.

The 3 of them gathered together in a group hug, as they were now a family.

"Thanks Lucas." David whispered with a tear of joy dropping from his eye.

"You're welcome…Dad."

1 year later

David and Samus married 10 months after the proposal. David, Samus and Lucas live together happily in a small neighborhood near the Smash Mansion.

Hal Emmerich continued his relationship with Peach and the two became engaged recently.

Raiden, Now known by his real name Jack, lives peacefully with his wife Rose, and son John in the same neighborhood David lives.

Present Day

Michael was walking up a hill, carrying a duffle bag. He was leaving the Smash Universe. Or was planning to. As he was walking up the hill, a voice called out to him.

"Michael! Michael wait!" the voice of a woman yelled.

Michael turned around and saw it was Rosalina that called for him.

"Rosalina? How did you find me?" Michael asked.

"Never mind that. What are you doing? Where are you going?" Rosalina asked

Michael gave a heavy sigh.

"I-I don't know really. I mean, I did what I came here for. The Shades are gone."

"So you're deciding to leave. You've become good friends with a lot of the Smashers. Why would you want to leave them?"

"I don't know…I feel like I'm missing something."

"What is it?"

"I…I thought that once the Shades were gone, my life would start getting better. But that's not the case. It didn't bring my wife back."

"You're feeling lonely?"

"That describes it pretty well. I don't know if I can find what I'm looking for here."

"You can Michael. I'll make sure of it. I'll be with you to help you find what you're looking for."

"Rosalina…I appreciate it. But I really think I need to search else…"

"Well then I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"I'm coming with you. I'll follow you across the world to help you find what you're looking for."

"You'd leave this place for me?"

"Of course I would."

"Rosalina…I don't know what to say."

"By the way, I never got to thank you properly for saving me from the Shades."

"You don't have to thank me."

"Yes I do."

Rosalina put her hand on Michael's cheek and leaned her face towards his, kissing him passionately on the lips.

"Thank you Michael."

Michael was shocked from what just happened. He didn't know what it was about this mysterious woman. She has something about her that really influences Michael. She made him feel like a better person when she was around him.

"Uh, you know what? I think staying here a little longer wouldn't hurt." Michael said with a smile

Rosalina giggled at this.

"Let's go back to the mansion. I hear Peach has cake for everyone." Rosalina said

"Sounds good." Michael answered

Michael held Rosalina's hand as they headed back to the mansion, ready to face what the future holds in store.

"Life isn't just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature and movies...what we've seen, heard, felt...anger, joy and sorrow...these are the things I will pass on. That's what I live for. We need to pass the torch, and let our children read our messy and sad history by its have all the magic of the digital age to do that with. The human race will probably come to an end some time, and new species may rule over this planet. Earth may not be forever, but we still have the responsibility to leave what traces of life we can. Building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing."

"We can tell other people about - having faith. What we had faith in. What we found important enough to fight for. It's not whether you were right or wrong, but how much faith you were willing to have, that decides the future."

-Solid Snake

Thanks to everyone who supported this story. I loved writing it, but all good things must come to an end. Reviews of the whole story overall would be appreciated. I've got some more stories in store. In my next story, I think I'm going to write a humor story. I think I need a little break from Drama and Romance. Until next time, see you later!