Gery: Hi guys, I'm back! Okay, I really wanted to write something else, and I will, I'm working on other stuff, but I just had to get this started. The beginning to the Sequel to Silent Courage, everybody! And a crossover with Super Smash Brothers! This is going to be fun, but a little difficult. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be fine ^_^

Nura: Gery doesn't own Zelda or the Smash Bros. series

Alex: If she did, they would suck

Gery: You're still mad at me, aren't you?

Alex: Yes, you killed me!

Gery: I said I was sorry. If you haven't read Silent Courage, I suggest you do that, if you don't want to be confused about some things or have spoilers happen. Enjoy!

Adam: Let's do this!

Chapter 1: Letters from the Master

With a quiet gasp, Link sits up in her bed fast, causing blood to rush to her head. She rubs her temples, eyes closed as she runs the dream through her head.

She was walking down a path, but there was nothing around her. Just a long void of darkness, with just a small circle of grey light surrounding her wherever she walked. Then the path would crumble under her feet, sending her deep into the depths of the void. There she would be stopped short, landing on her back, having somehow turned around. As she stood, there was a low, familiar laugh that vibrated around her, and she would feel like she was being strangled. The laugh became louder with each passing minute, before it faded as her senses dulled. And before she woke up, she heard a voice shout out to her. A cry for help. She reached out to help them, but she missed their invisible hand, and that was always the part she woke up.

Link inhales deeply, trying to calm down her pounding heart. Once it falls back to the right rhythm, she turns her head to the drawn curtains. She can see a stream of silver light peeking through and grumbles, lying back down in bed and pulling the covers over her head. Way too early to wake up. Stupid nightmares, always ruining sleep.

-A few hours later-

Sheik opens the door to Link's room gently, looking through to find her snoring under the covers. With a fond smile, he walks over and shakes her shoulder. "Hey, Link, time to get up."

'Fif mer mints,' she thinks groggily, turning over. He chuckles and sits on the edge, shaking her more.

"No, you need to get up now. Zelda's asking for your help with something."

'But I don't wanna!' she mind-whines, curling up.

He shakes his head. Time to use the last resort. He starts tickling her, making her squeak and thrash about, trying to get away while her face turned red from laughing. 'Sh-Sheeeeik! Stooop!'

"Will you get up?"

She just nods, still laughing, and sits up. 'What time is it?' she yawns, rubbing her eyes with her hand.

"Still morning, ninth ring," he sits up, going over to the curtains and opening them. Link flinches from the light and blinks, clearing the spots dancing in her sight.

She mind-grumbles. Still too early. 'What did Zelda want?'

"I'm not sure, I didn't have time to ask. And I need to get going, the new trainees are coming today," he says, kissing her forehead before going to the door. "I'll see you around midday."

With a sigh, Link pushes the covers off and gets up, dressing into a blue tunic and grey breeches. She ties her Rupee Bag on her belt beside her Twilight Dagger and takes her shield off of the wall. She smiles as she runs her hand over the face. It's still as amazing as the day Rusl gave it to her. Her heart aches for the lives lost that day, but she pushes the thoughts away, trying to think of happy things.

But it's hard to smile in the face of death.

The Siege of Hyrule has left many scars, some not fully healed. The deaths of husbands, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters has weighed heavily on families. But, slowly over the last five months, Hyrule is recovering. The field the battle was in has regrown, the buildings have been rebuilt, the dead have all been buried in their respective graveyards, and families are picking themselves up.

She comes out of her thoughts when she almost bumps into somebody. "Watch where you're walking, will ya, Twi-Twi?" Shadow asks. He and Vaati disappeared for two weeks after Link, Sheik and Zelda got out of the Demon Realm. No one but themselves knew why they came back, since they were done their job fr the Goddesses, they were free to go. But they just stuck around. Link didn't mind, she liked going pranking with Shadow. And even Adam joined in sometimes, when he wasn't taking care of Aly.

She nods her apology and goes around him, continuing her search for Zelda. Luckily the Princess isn't hard to find, she's just in her study, reading some letters. "Good morning, Link," she says, not looking up.

'Mornin'. What do you need me to do?'

"I was hoping you could drop by Telma's Bar and give her her pay. The only messenger who's in Hyrule Castle Town right now is sick and he can't go," Zelda pushes the bag of Rupees toward Link, who takes it and stores it in her Baggie.

'Sure thing. What're you writing?' she leans on the desk, looking at the writing upside-down.

"Just a reply to Sonja. She only has a few more trials to finish up and so far only several have been found guilty of their charges."

Link snorts. 'Doesn't surprise me. Osamu was a spiteful stinky butt.'

She looks Link in the eye, noticing how tired she looked. She frowned. "Did you not sleep well last night?"

'I was hoping you wouldn't notice,' she sighs. 'Yeah, haven't for the last few weeks. Last night was the closest I've gotten to a full night's sleep without being woken up by nightmares.'

"What happens in these nightmares?" Zelda takes some paper out from her desk. Link tells her and the Princess hums, brushing the feather of her quill over the paper. "Can you recognize the laugh?"

'Sorta, but that's the thing I forget the most outta the dream. It's never fully clear to me.'

"If you have this dream again, come to me straight away. Your dreams tend to become real."

'Will do,' she nods and leaves the room to deliver Telma's pay.

-Later-

She's making her way back through Castle Town, keeping her head low when people noticed her. She can hear their whispers from here. "I still can't believe she's a girl," a very familiar red-head whispers. Link smirks to herself, that's one of the girls she throws eggs at. She was never really nice to anyone, even when she thought Link was a boy like the rest of Hyrule.

"I still find it funny that you had a crush on 'him'," one of her friends laughs.

"Shut it," Link hears her say before she gets out of sight. Sadly she's not the only person who hasn't accepted her yet. She got many dirty looks from some of the boys and girls her age, both for different reasons. The girls because she doesn't act like a 'lady', and the boys because they had all tried, and failed, to beat her in a sword fight. Some came close, but they've never fought Grandpadorf or Majora.

At the thought of Majora she brings her hand to her face, frowning. A bandage is wrapped around her wrist and part of her hand, but under it her hand is still an unpleasant sight. The cauterized wound has healed mostly, but it still aches and itches sometimes. Sheik's injury hasn't healed yet either, but he adjusted to having only one eye much faster. Although he does knock things over sometimes.

In her musings, she bumps into somebody in a less crowded street and falls back. She curses quietly when she lands on her tailbone and looks up. "Oops. My fault, sorry missy miss!" the man she bumped into smiles and lends her his hand. She grabs it and he brings her to her feet with surprising strength. The man has snowy white hair and red eyes, making Link think he might be a Sheikah, and he has a bit of a wild look to him. She can almost feel the crazy yet powerful aura coming off of him.

'Oh please don't let this be another Majora,' she prays.

"Ye're Link, Heroine of Time, yes?" the man asks. She nods. "Good! That wasn't too hard. I have some letters fer yer friends and yerself. Be sure to read all o' it," he smiles after handing her three letters and turns sharply. "Final place! Final place! Finally I am done! No more worlds, no more times, laady laady daa!" he sings off-key as he skips down an alley. Link frowns. There's no way out of that alley other than the way he went. She walks to it and blinks. He's gone. The only proof he was there at all are the letters in her hands. She slowly looks down at the letters and sees her name written in Ancient Hylian. Tucking the other two letters into her Baggie, she reads it.

'To Link (Heroine of Hyrule/Twilight),
You have been invited to a special occasion that has been held only a couple times before; the Smash Tournament. This Tournament is designed for people and creatures from different lands and times to fight one another in combat. It is all friendly competition, no real harm will come to anyone you fight or yourself. If you accept this letter, a portal will appear for you a day later. That will give you enough time to pack and inform anyone of where you are going. If you decline, the letter will shred itself and you can go about your life. We hope you take the time to consider coming.
Master R. Hand.'

She reads the letter over three times, making sure she understands everything. Whoever this 'Master Hand' is, they know her alternate title and somehow know where she lives. Although, the Post System always confused her. And what happened to mister 'laady laady daa?' She shakes her head and heads off to the Castle, looking over the last two letters. One's for Sheik and the other for Zelda.

She walks with a skip in her step, a goofy smile on her face. Despite the confusing letter, she's excited. What if she and her friends can go? It would be so much fun! A nice vacation with no worries about saving anybody! Just friendly competition and that like. Link's smile grows at the thought of going. She really, really wants to go. 'I really hope Zelda and Sheik agree!'

'I gave Telma her Rupees and got some letters from a weird man,' Link thinks as she enters the study, but frowns when she doesn't see her. 'Eh, guess I'll give Sheik his letter first, then.' She backs out of the study and turns down the right hallway, toward the Training Courtyard.

She hums when she doesn't see Sheik. That's odd, where are those two at? She leaves before the training Knights spot her (they always try to fight her the most of out anybody, it got annoying really fast). 'They don't have anything to do outside the Castle today. Or at least I think so. Where in Hyrule are they?'

When Link enters the Mess Hall, she only sees a few servants cleaning up. One notices her and walks over. "Lady Link," she bows her head. "I assume you're looking for Princess Zelda?" she nods. "She just went to the library."

'Should've figured,' Link thinks, giving the maid a wave and running out of the Mess Hall. She finds Zelda sitting in her usual armchair near a fireplace. 'Finally found ya. Here, I got a letter for you,' she fishes it out and hands it over before sitting on the arm of the seat.

"Who gave it to you? I heard no news of a Messenger coming today," Zelda says, opening the letter.

'Some man gave it to me. Along with one for me and Sheik each. I already read mine.'

Link stays quiet as Zelda reads, watching her brow furrow. "Smash Tournament?" she mouths before putting the letter down. "I think I've heard of that before."

'Really?'

"Yes. But I don't know how, it's not in any books I've read, I know it. Maybe our ancestors went to a previous one."

'Maybe. I didn't get any feeling it was familiar to me. Will we go? It could be a nice chance to relax for a while. That trip to Ordon feels so long ago,' Link looks at the ceiling, thinking of the visit. She took Zelda to Ordon a month after the Siege, introducing the Princess to the Village. They welcomed her with open arms, like Link expected. Zelda had seemed surprised about it all.

'Ordonians tend to give warm welcomes,' Link had told her. 'Why d'you think I was able to grow up here without any problems? They accepted me as part of the Village right when I was left here. Although I was a handful.'

"I will have to think about it," Zelda says, cutting Link out of her thoughts. "There's still so much to do, I can't just abandon Hyrule for a bit of fun. There are still bills passing through that I have to accept or decline, letters coming from the construction of Tamriel(1), messengers giving treaty declarations to the Wind Tribe and over the North Wind Sea to those lands."

'Can't the Chancellor deal with those? Why can't you have any free time to yourself?'

Zelda smiles slightly, shaking her head at Link. "It doesn't work like that. No matter how close we get as friends, I'm still a Princess, Link. And I'm almost nineteen. Soon men will come from all across Hyrule, perhaps even farther lands, to try and court me."

'I don't care if you're a Princess, you're still a person. And people need time to themselves.'

"If only it were that simple, Link. You really do have so much to learn about Hyrule."

'Still don't care. We should go. We could probably even make friends and have an adventure! One that doesn't end with us having to save the world! Get someone you trust to take care of the treaty stuff and let's go!' Link punches her fist into the air. If she could speak, she probably would have yelled that and gotten kicked out of the library by Gladys.

Zelda sighs. "I'll consider it, but don't hold your breath," she receives a hug and laughs. "Would you go without me?"

'Nope,' Link smiles. 'Even if it would be fun, I would like to know at least a few people. And it's always great to talk to somebody.'

"Go find Sheik and give him his letter. Last I saw him he was in the field."

'See you later, Zelly!' Link waves as she runs out.

She smiles when she finds him, playing his harp in a tree. His eye is closed and he's slightly humming. Link laughs lightly, she keeps forgetting Sheik gets really into his music. 'Hi Sheik!' she mind-yells and he jumps lightly, opening his eye and looking down. He smiles when he sees her.

"Hey, Link," he tucks his harp under his arm and jumps down. "Are you more awake now?"

'I guess,' she replies, stretching her arms behind her back. 'A weird man came this morning and gave me three letters, they seem to be about the same thing. Both me and Zelda opened ours,' she hands him the letter.

"Smash Tournament, huh?" he asks. "Are you thinking of going?"

'Of course I am! It'll be the first time I fight strangers for fun and not saving my life!' she grins. 'And I managed to get Zelda to think about it, too! So we might all be going! She says not to get my hopes up, but I bet she'll come.'

"I don't know, Link. She's still busy."

'That was her excuse,' she rolls her eyes. 'Fifty Rupees says she comes.'

"I don't gamble."

'Fine,' she sighs in fake disappointment. 'Are you thinking of going?'

"Maybe. Sonja still needs help with the odd task at the City."

'Oh. How is everything?' Link asks, trying to hide her nerves. It looks like, at this rate, neither Sheik or Zelda will be going.

"Better than it was," he says. They start to head back to the Castle. "Of course, anything is better than Osamu."

'Agreed,' Link thinks bitterly.

"Will you go?" Sheik asks after a few minutes of silence.

'I dunno. I will if you guys will, but I don't want to go alone and have no one to talk to,' she looks down. 'I'd like to go, but it wouldn't be as fun without you and Zelly.'

Sheik just nods. When they reach Castle Town, Link pulls out a cloak and drapes it over her. He snorts. "Still disguising yourself outside the Castle?"

She mock-glares at him. 'You try having the entire kingdom convinced you're a boy, then let them know you're really a girl and see how you like it. Girls pester me about acting like a lady and guys won't stop bugging me to fight them. More now than before. I think they don't believe I was the one who saved Hyrule.'

He raises an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Link shrugs. 'Dunno. There are only about five of them who seem to think I didn't save Hyrule. I think it's because of my height.'

"You...really think it's because of your height?" Sheik asks, sceptical.

'Yep. What else could it be?' Link tilts her head. Sheik lets out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

"As innocent as ever," he mutters. This makes Link blink in confusion. What'd she think?

'How come you keep calling me 'innocent?' I mean, I don't think I can be very innocent after all the stuff that's happened to me,' she ducks behind Sheik when they pass the group of girls she and Adam used to throw eggs at.

"It seems that no matter what happens to you, you're as innocent as a child. I don't know how you do it, but it's just how you are," he smiles over his shoulder.

'Um, thanks?' Link tilts her head the other way. She didn't think she was very innocent. Having almost been-she shivers at the horrible thought-two times and being tortured for no reason other than being born a Hylian. Besides, she was eighteen! She wasn't a kid anymore! No matter how much she acted like one sometimes.

They got to the Castle without anyone realizing who she was and went to the courtyard near Link's room. They look at each other and laugh at remembering the first time they were here together. They sat down under the tree, Link leaning into Sheik with her head on his shoulder, and Sheik has an arm wrapped around her.

After a fifteen minutes of silence, Link sighs. 'I had a nightmare last night.'

"Did you?" he asks. "What happened in it?"

'Nothing much. I walked down a path, I couldn't see very far, then the ground broke under me. Then I felt like I was choking and heard a voice. It felt a bit familiar to me. I tried to reach out, but whatever was choking me stopped me. And I kept hearing a dark laugh. Then I would wake up. I've only gotten it a few times, about five the last three weeks, but it still worries me.'

"You should tell Zelda. It's not usually a good thing when you have a nightmare."

Link yawns. 'Already did. She told me to tell her if I have it again.'

He nods and they fall silent again. A moment later, Link fell asleep, making Sheik chuckle as he brushed a bit of hair from her face. "Only you, love," he whispers.

-Later-

Luckily she doesn't get any nightmares, and when she wakes, she finds herself on her bed. She smiles to herself and sits up, looking around. The sun is about to set. She groans. Great, now she'll be up all night. Her stomach growls loudly and she blushes lightly, even though no one's around. 'I can't believe I forgot to eat all day,' she thinks to herself, strolling down the corridors. 'Can't even remember the last time I forgot to eat because of running errands.'

"I don't think it is safe, Princess," Link stops in her tracks in front of Zelda's study, her left foot not even on the ground. She glances around before going to the door to listen.

"Why do you think so, Chancellor?" Link makes a face. Oh, the new Chancellor. He's apparently close friends with Matthew, the father-in-law of Adam and Alex. He lost the will to lead and fight after Alex's death, and he retired early from his position, giving it to a greasy-haired man/wizard named Salvator. He doesn't like Link very much and she doesn't like him. She likes to call him Salivator.

"This Tournament doesn't seem safe. Fighting for fun? No. That is not what Princesses do."

"I am fully aware of what I expected from a Princess, Chancellor, thank you. But I believe it could be a nice change."

"That gender-confused Hylian convinced you, didn't she?" Link pouts, she's not gender confused! Goddesses, this man doesn't know the difference between a disguise and a cross-dresser.

"She is not 'gender-confused' as you say. She was hiding as a boy to attract less attention. As you should know, Chancellor."

"She still wears tunics and breeches."

"We're not here to talk about my friend. I'm going to this Tournament, Salvator, and I'm putting Nura, Adam and Maria in charge while I'm gone. You'll pass bills and such to them. Understand?"

Link smiles, Zelda doesn't fully trust Salvator yet.

"Yes, Princess," Salvator growls out and Link's heart skips a beat when he comes to the door. Thinking fast, she hides behind a suit of armour on the left of the door and waits for his footsteps to fade before coming out.

'Whew, got outta that one,' she grins to herself.

"You eavesdrop too much," she jumps and spins, seeing Zelda standing in the doorway, arms crossed. She smiles sheepishly.

'Heh, sorry. So you're coming?' Link's face brightens when Zelda nods.

"I thought it through, and you're right. I need some time away from the Castle."

'Yes!' Link jumps in the air, clearly excited. 'I really hope Sheik can come.'

Zelda smiles, watching Link jump up and down. "I'm sure he will. We'll wait to accept the letters until we know he's coming."

'Okay,' Link stops jumping, but she still bounces a bit. 'I'm going to run around the field.'

She takes off and Zelda laughs, shaking her head fondly.

Once she got to the field, Link hit the back of her neck, shifting into a wolf and shaking out the mane-like fur around her neck. She stretches her front legs forward and lets out a yawn before straightening and bounding off, running as fast as she can. She weaves in and out of the trees, rolls down a few hills, and splashes in rain puddles. She turns into a wolf every week and goes out to have fun, so she doesn't fall out of being used to a wolf. It's a useful weapon and also very fun to be an animal. Plus howling is the closest thing she can get to singing, and that's something she's always wished she could do.

There's no moon tonight, just stars twinkling when the few clouds don't cover them. She's just a shadowy blur in the darkness, unseen by any late-night travellers. Which is a good thing, she doesn't want to risk getting injured or killed because they think she's a threat. Coming down a hill, she doesn't spot a large dog, about twice her size, sitting at the bottom. She bumps into it, making her stop short, and she takes a few steps back, ears on her head as the dog turns on her, snarling. She lies down, putting her head on her paws with her ears flat on her head. The dog sniffs her, trying to find any sent of danger. It doesn't find any and licks her snout. "You should watch where you run, Wolfos," the dog, a male, says. "My Master is hunting right now and trusts me to guard his stuff," he looks at the camp. "He doesn't like your kind, so you must run and get away before his return."

Link nods, her heart still pounding slightly, and runs off. That had been close. She likes animals when she's human, in fact she loves them (except cats. Cats are evil), but when she's a wolf, she's in more danger around animals. She's just lucky that dog didn't wish to harm her, he could have easily overpowered her small, runty form.

She finds a small waterhole and sits down to take a drink. Small fireflies fly above the water and the occasional bat flies down, but other than that, the night is peaceful. She stays by the waterhole for a while longer before deciding to go back to the Castle. She finds a branch low enough to hit her neck and bumps her head on it when she's human again. Sticking her tongue out at her own clumsiness and rubbing her head, she walks back to the Castle.

On the way, she trips over a reed and sighs, pulling her foot out. She looks to see what reed she tripped over and her heart aches. It's a Horse Call Reed. 'Epona,' she thinks sadly, plucking the reed. She missed her horse. Much more than anyone knew. She watched her being born, she was the first horse she rode, she was her loyal, stubborn mare that saved her life. Some people think she's stupid for feeling so sad over a horse, but she can't help it. Epona was her companion, her Familiar, a part of her. She can't even think about getting another horse, even though Zelda and Sheik both mentioned it. No one seems to understand that Epona was as much family as Rusl, Ilia or Charlie.

For old-times sake, Link blows on the reed, hearing the tune ring through the wind and air. It echos on for a bit before dying out, and she looks around sadly. She almost half-expected Epona to come out from behind a tree, neighing at the sight of her.

But instead, a roar comes from above and she looks up, seeing a serpentine body flying overhead. It circles around her and lands, a loud, happy purr coming from it. "Hi, Ma. Are you alright?" Rocky asks, lowering his head onto the ground to get a better look at Link. He has been talking more over the last few months, now that he's had actual social contact with other creatures. He had been alone inside Death Mountain for six years after all.

She sighs, looking at the reed disintegrating in her hands. "You miss Epona?" he asks, curling around Link and putting his massive head beside her. She nods. "It's okay. Everybody misses somebody. I missed you," he licks her face, making her smile despite her sadness.

'I missed you, too,' she thinks, scratching between his eyes. He purrs. After a while, Link takes a deep breath and gets up, patting Rocky's nose. 'I need to get back to the Castle.'

Rocky nods and picks her up, hugging her. She looks like a toy in his talons. "I'm going north soon, Ma. Time for migration."

Link nods, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sort of, she couldn't reach her arms fully around. 'Stay safe,' she thinks and he puts her down, knowing full well he would make the Townspeople uncomfortable with his presence. He licks Link's entire face before taking off. Link smiles as the air currents whip around her, being manipulated by the dragon. He soars away and she lets out a sigh. Good thing she saw him before he migrated, he'll be gone for the next five months. She wonders if he'll find any other dragons.

Back at the Castle, she finds Sheik sitting on the windowsill in her room. "Good, you're back," he says, looking at her. "I thought it would be best if I told you I'm coming to the Tournament."

Link beams. 'Really?' she sits beside him on the windowsill, vaguely remembering Midwinter's Eve.

"Yes. Sonja sent me a letter, she's completely done with the trials and is going to start reforming the City. She doesn't need my help at the moment."

'Whoo! We're going!' Link cheers, laughing with giddiness. 'This is going to be great! Oh! I should get my Clawshots, shield, bombs, bow and a decent sword. Those would be good for a Tournament, since no one will really be hurt.'

"Sounds like you're ready," Sheik smiles. "Zelda and I have signed our letters and they vanished. I assume they were taken to this Master Hand person. You should sign yours."

Link nods quickly, fishing out the letter and taking a quill on the dusty desk she never uses. She signs her name and, as Sheik said, the letter vanishes in a puff of smoke. Now with the task complete, they will be going tomorrow night! Link's smile grows even larger. This is going to be great! No harmful adventure, no saving the world, and no injuries. She can't wait.

Gery: There we go! First chapter! Now, a quick warning about all this. I am back at school, as many people are, and may not be able to write nearly as much, so I hope you guys can be as wonderful as you always are and be patient. And also, some of the other characters, like Marth and such, may be a bit OOC, because I haven't played some of their games. I'll try my best, but cut me some slack if I get something wrong, please? *puppy dog eyes* Thanks for your consideration! And yes, these chapters will be shorter than the ones in Silent Courage, hope you don't mind. See ya!

Question: Who are your favorite characters to play as in SSB? Mine are (Melee): Ice Climbers, Young Link, Pikachu and Kirby and (Brawl): Wolf, Lucario, Pokémon Trainer (Ivysaur), Kirby, Toon Link and Olimar (I get him a lot when I'm random and I beat my friends with him most of the time, even when they laugh at me :D).