The Legend of Zelda

And Peach

Partners and Enemies

Prologue

Lakitu

"Do I have to?" An orange turtle moaned. He was in a seemingly empty space, yet an odd sense of impatience echoed all around him.

"You do." A voice rumbled. "Eo is smart. Very smart. You have to do this, Lakitu."

"I don't like the idea, Author." Lakitu pouted.

"Whether you like it or not doesn't matter. You have to."

"Fine. But, if they figure it out, I'm stopping right there and then."

"Of course. I'd expect you to."

"Remind why it's so important?"

"Lakitu, you already know why. I've told you several times. I will not repeat myself again."

"Alright, alright." Lakitu sighed. "Then, I'll get going. Gotta get them into gear, after all."

"I don't like it any more than you, Lakitu. But, it's the only chance we have."

"I know, Author." The turtle sighed heavily, running his hands down his face. "I know. We'll just have to swallow the bitter taste it'll leave, and get on with it."

"I am sorry." Then, the strange presence surrounding Lakitu disappeared, and he was back in Adia's house, in the spare room. Majora and Adi sat next to him, eyeing him with apprehension.

"Well?" Majora asked. "What did he say?"

"Nothing much about Adi. It seems he doesn't want them swapping back yet."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Yeah, we've got a lot of work ahead of us. And it'll taste awful."

"What work?" Majora frowned. He didn't like the sound of this. Lakitu took a deep breath, and explained.

New Heroes

Fionie snuggled against Vincent as the pair laid on the grass and gazed up at the night sky. Somewhere behind them, Rune and Pent were enjoying some alone time. Normally, Fionie would enjoy this private time with Vincent, but this time she felt guilty for being with him. After all, she had Vincent, and Rune had Pent, but who did Connie have? No-one, as far as Fionie knew. In fact, only Lakitu and Taken knew about Connie's recent relationship with Isabel. The Seperationists, and the other New Heroes, had no idea that Connie was seeing who they believed their enemy. At this moment, while Fionie worried for her friend, the girl in question was far away from their campsite, locked in a tight embrace with a certain tiny girl. Connie and Isabel hugged each other tightly, happy to see each other again. It had been over a week since Connie and Isabel had first met, and first got together. They had spent all of twenty minutes together before Isabel had been forced to leave, and return to Eo's castle. This was the first time within that week that they had seen each other since their first meeting. Naturally, the girls were very happy and excited. Fionie was tempted to see Connie, and see if she was alright, but the idea of spending quality time with Vincent made her stay where she was. She decided to talk to Connie in the morning, when they broke camp.

Shadow

The screaming next door hurt his ears, and his heart. But, he had been told that it would be better if he waited outside. He didn't want to, though. He wanted to be there with Amy while she was giving birth. Only the fact that Lakitu had expressly ordered him to wait outside kept him from going in. It sounded extremely painful, and his heart ached every time Amy's screams renewed. He gripped his hands tightly together, wishing this next scream would be the last, and the only noise afterwards would be the crying of their newborn baby, and possibly cries of jubilation from Amy. It was a while before Amy was finally quiet, and Shadow looked to the door expectantly, waiting for the tiny whining of his baby girl or boy. No noise came. A frown fell over his eyes as Shadow edged toward the door. He was within reach of the handle when the door opened, and Lakitu floated out the room, holding a tiny bundle of towels.

"Is... is it...?" Shadow breathed.

"She's fine, Shadow." Lakitu smiled. "A perfectly healthy baby girl. Wiiith... one tiny problem."

"P-problem?!" Shadow shrieked; his loudest and highest shriek ever. "W-what's wrong with my daughter??" He only just managed to stop himself from grabbing Lakitu's throat.

"Nothing life-threatening, Shadow." Lakitu replied calmly. "She's mute, that's all."

"Muh... mute?"

"She can't talk. Somehow, while she was growing, the cord wrapped around her neck, and basically stopped the growth of her vocal cords. Basically. It's more complex than that, but... that's basically what happened." He thought for a moment. "Basically."

"But... she'll be okay, right?"

"Of course. She'll grow just the same as she would've. She simply can't speak, or make any noise at all, it seems."

"No noise at all? No squeaks or gasps?"

"Nuttin'." Lakitu shook his head. "Here, hold your daughter. I believe you chose the name Nina?" He handed the tiny bundle to Shadow. The black hedgehog pulled the towels aside a little, to better see his daughters' face. He then saw a tiny, slumbering baby, with the most serene look possible on her tiny face, and a complexion of a dark purple, with pale crimson streaks on her spines. She was beautiful, and Shadow found himself with tears in his eyes as he gazed upon his silent daughter.

"Little Nina." He sighed. As if in response, the baby roused, and turned to look at him. A minute smile stretched across the voiceless lips, the eyes narrowed, and miniscule arms reached toward him. A thoroughly happy child, and a very healthy one.

Chapter 1

Adia

The White Witch had been in this alternate TimeWorld for almost a month now, and was no closer to figuring out how to get home than she had been when she first arrived. At the present moment, she sat with her lovers; Vincent and Fionie, on her bed in her room, reading through a magic book. Despite Fionie's reluctance to help her originally, she now smuggled books from the Scholar Library for her. Vincent, on the other hand, had been all for it, muttering 'more power to you' whilst patting her on the head. Adia had enjoyed the pat on the head, and had enjoyed Vincent's kiss afterwards even more. Lakitu had kept his word, not only providing study materials for her, but also keeping quiet about Fionie and Vincent's stealing of magical texts, tomes and books. Adia found she enjoyed re-learning magic, even though she often had very close shaves with her 'guards', and even her 'father', Ganondorf himself. Only once was she caught with a magic book, and that was while she was sneaking to the island library, trying to put it back. Ganondorf had seen her then, and almost exploded with rage. It was only with the direction of Adi's soul, and her own acting skill, that Adia managed to convince Ganondorf that she had found the book and wanted to take it back. However, she was not so lucky another time. It was late at night, while everyone else was asleep. Adia had been practising in a forest to the rear of the castle, when one of her spells mis-fired; a common mistake during early magic training. Unfortunately, this had alerted someone in the castle, who had mistaken it for a late-night assault. When the assailant (Adia) was apprehended, she was placed in a tiny prison cell for the entire day, with only fruit and water for meals. It was a terrifying experience, not least of all because she had no hope of escape; all she could do was wait for Ganondorf to release her. It was a sharp reminder of just how careful she had to be, and a harsh realisation of how desperate Ganondorf was to keep his 'daughter' away from magic. Following this, Adia learned a cloaking spell, to hide any more mis-fires while she trained in the forest, with Lakitu providing his own cloak should Adia's fail. Adia had also begun to exercise, in an attempt to build up her body, because, as Lakitu (from this TimeWorld) often said; 'a healthy body has a healthy mind and soul'. Several people had question Adia's recent fit appearance. It was only Vincent's quick thinking that saved the day.

"She's been feeling really tired lately, and has trouble sleeping and waking up. We decided that she should keep her body fit and healthy. So far, it's worked." He told everyone. Ganondorf believed his explanation, and even offered an exercise course for her to follow. Although, this did interfere with her magic practise a little. Adia sighed, shaking all these memories from her head, and focused on her book.

"You okay, Adia?" Vincent, on her left, asked, stroking her arm lightly. Adia shuddered at the touch. She really liked him touching her that way.

"Maybe we should rest for tonight." Fionie, on her right, suggested, pulling the book from Adia's hand.

"No, a little more..." Adia moaned, reaching for the book. However, her moan turned into a yawn.

"You're tired, Adia." Fionie said, gently touching Adia's lips. "Let's all get some sleep, 'kay?"

"Mmm..." Adia stretched. " 'kay." Another yawn. Now that she had stopped reading, Adia realised just how tired she actually was. Now she wanted nothing more than to curl up between her two partners, and sleep soundly until morning. Although, it was probably morning already. Vincent placed the book on the bedside table, and the three of them snuggled together.

"We've got seven hours to sleep." Vincent reminded her. "You've got your exercises."

"I'no." Adia murmured, already half-asleep. " s'lee nah..." Then she fell into her usual deep slumber; Adia had slept alot more soundly since coming to this TimeWorld. Adia dreamed of her home, and finally gathering the courage to confess her feelings to the person she had liked since she had become Head Scholar, and them accepting and reciprocating her feelings. It was the happiest dream she'd had in a long time. Vincent and Fionie smiled lovingly at her, kissing her on the cheek before sharing a kiss of their own, then going to sleep themselves.

The Seperationists

"So, that's how the situation is." Lakitu sighed after explaining the task The Author had given him. All the people gathered; Link, Malon, Mario, Eraf, Luigi, Daisy, Erk, Nino, Gaea, Kae, Sereng, Ganondorf, Nerra, Mitrea, Shadow and Darius, all wore looks of disgusted shock. Luigi wore the least severe expression, because he knew of this already, but even he couldn't hide his anger. "You know it makes sense, no matter how awful it seems."

"It does make sense." Luigi said slowly, "But if my daughter finds out about it... it'll destroy her."

"None of us like the idea," Mario began, "But it doesn't change the fact that The Author decreed it. But, how do we go about this? How do we hide our involvement?"

"I'm still working on that one." Lakitu confessed. "I just thought you should all know about it. I'll... I'll let you know what we're going to be doing."

"I refuse." Darius spoke up. "I've already caused everyone enough pain. I'm not going to cause any more on top of that."

"That's understandable, Darius, but you can't refuse. You're one of the best people I can ask for this. Please, it's for their own good."

"They say you hurt the ones you love." Eraf growled. "But this... this takes it too far." She clenched her hands into fists. "I can't do something like this..."

"It's the only way they can win." Lakitu sighed. "Listen, I sulked about this for ages after I told Majora and Adi. I hate it, I really really do. I've resigned myself to this, because it's for the good of all. Look, I'll give you some time to think about it, alright? You'll realise, just like I did, that it's the only way." With that, he teleported, Majora following, taking Adi with him.

"I'm in already." Luigi told the others. "All I've gotta do now is prepare myself for it." He teleported away, Daisy following him. The others stared uneasily at each other. They all knew that this was the only option they had, but none of them were prepared to do it. The fact that Lakitu seemed upset about it, but still wanted to go through with it, told them how vital it was. Without a single word to each other, the remaining Seperationists teleported themselves to their homes.

Adi

"Alright, Adi, let's get started." Lakitu said with a sigh, as he and Adi stood in the training grounds of the University. His burden weighed heavily on him, but he still continued to teach Adi magic and combat. Today's lesson was magic. "We'll begin with yesterdays' spell, the Sight Cloak." A simple enough spell; the Sight Cloak shielded the spells' target from view. It was relatively weak, though, and could be easily broken by several spells, including the Shimmering Light Spell, and the Reveal Spell. However, it was an excellent spell for encouraging a magic users' technique and skill, as it required a large amount of both. Fortunately, Adi was already quite skilled in spells, owing to the assistance of Adia's soul, so lessons progressed relatively quickly. Adi cast the spell without showing even a trace of effort, and disappeared from Lakitu's view. The tortoise then cast the Light Render Spell. Two streaks of light rushed toward where the spell was, but passed through and hit the wall. Lakitu frowned, and attempted the Shimmering Light Spell. The light all around him shook, in a shimmering effect, including the area where Adi's Sight Cloak was. This was odd. "Adi? Are you still here?" Lakitu attempted the Reveal spell. A wave of energy washed over the room. Still Adi remained invisible. "Adi?" Lakitu grew concerned. Why couldn't he lift the Sight Cloak? He decided to resort to the most powerful revealing spell he knew. The Spacial Distortion Renewal Spell. The entire room darkened, and the air trembled violently, becoming visible, and rippling like water. Then the ripples became waves, growing larger and larger. Even the area where Adi was rippled, which was odd. The waves grew enormous, then crashed to the ground, like a tidal wave, before rushing skywards, like a backwards waterfall. As the waves soared, the cloak over Adi was dragged with it, revealing the tiny pale girl. She was giggling, but trying to muffle it with her hand. Lakitu sighed as his spell ended. "Adi, did you cast a blocking spell? Or a phasing spell?"

"Nope!" She grinned widely, flashing her pointed teeth.

"Then how did you stay hidden?"

"I thought, since the Sight Cloak is lifted so easily, why not make it heavier?"

"Hea...heavier?"

"Yeah! Since nearly any spell can lift it, I weighted it down." She giggled again. "Adia says that it was a really smart idea."

"It... it was. But, even so, the spells should've at least revealed your location. How did you hide yourself so well?"

"Oh. That was easy! I just made it like water."

"Wa-?! WATER?!?!" Lakitu was stunned. Such creative methods of spell casting, that even he'd never thought of, successfully employed by this magical beginner! But, to alter the Sight Cloak, which was known as a 'Steadfast Type', meaning it was almost impossible to change, showed that Adi was naturally gifted. Even more so than Adia. Adi cringed at Lakitu's raised voice, worried that she had done something wrong. "How...? Ho-how...?? Adi, do you realise what you've done?"

"N-no..." Adi whimpered.

"You've made a new spell, Adi! A brand new spell!"

"I-is that bad?"

"Bad?! Of course not!" Lakitu boomed. "A new spell is always good! Tell me, what will you name it?"

"Name?" Adi frowned. "It's called Sight Cloak, isn't it?"

"No, that was the spell you were supposed to use. This is a whole new spell. It's similar to Aqua Veil, but... that only distorts images. You need to name this brilliant new spell you've created."

"A name..." Adi thought for a moment. "I-I don't know... what should I call it?" She appealed to Lakitu.

"It's your spell to name, Adi."

"Can Adia help?"

"Since she's co-creator, sure."

"Adia says we should call it 'Mizu Mirror'. But I don't like mirror. I like 'Mantle'. Mizu Mantle."

"Where'd the Mizu come from?"

"Adia says that it's from Earth, and it means 'water'."

"Very well. Mizu Mantle." Lakitu clapped his hands together, smiling brightly. "Right, lesson's over. Go straight to your room, and write down everything you can about that spell. What you did, how you did, how hard it is, and so on. Adia will help you."

"No more magic?"

"No. You've just invented a new spell, so you have to write down now, while it's still fresh in your mind. Write it so others can learn it."

"Y-yes, Sir." Adi bowed, then trotted toward the Syau Building, where Adia's room was. Lakitu's smile dropped as soon as she was out of sight, and the tortoise sighed. While Adi's talent was amazing, it was also potentially alarming. There were two people he had to tell, and quickly. He sighed again, then teleported away.

-

As Adi wrote down the new spell she had concocted, she also felt uneasy. Actually, it was the soul of the body she was in; Adia, that felt uneasy. Adi didn't understand why, but couldn't question as Adia made sure she carried on writing, ensuring she wrote down everything she needed to. It took four hours until Adia was satisfied, and Adi finally relaxed. After a few minutes of rubbing her eyes and massaging her wrists and hands, Adi decided to ask Adia what she was so worried about. Adia stayed silent for a long time, before finally speaking.

'You needn't be concerned, Adi.' The White Witch sighed. 'This is something for myself, Lakitu, Majora and Gaea to worry about.'

'But... your worry is making me worry. What's wrong?'

'It's nothing, Adi. Please just ignore me.'

'I can't. I'm your mind right now, and we're connected. You told me that yourself. I'll worry about whatever you're worrying about, but I won't know why.'

'You'll only worry more if I tell you, so it'd be a pointless endeavour.'

Tell me, Adia. I need to know.'

'Fine, but I'm gonna be vague. It's about your natural talent.'

'Is there something wrong? Is it bad that I've got talent? Talent for what?'

'For magic. And no, it's not 'bad' in that way.'

'Then, how is it bad? What's wrong with talent?'

'Sorry, Adi, but you don't have the right way of thinking to understand what we're worried about. It'd be best you just ignore my worrying.'

'But I can't! Because it's like me worrying! And that doesn't go away! Especially since we're two different people. I can shut my own thoughts away, but not someone else's!'

'Then, I'll shut it away.' Adia snapped. Then, Adi felt empty. There was suddenly a void within her. There was nothing. She felt lonely. As lonely as person could possibly. It was like the days and nights she'd spent in that tiny prison cell whenever she was lonely, but countless times worse. She couldn't even feel her own self. She knew she was there, but she couldn't feel herself. It was like her entire body and being had disappeared, and her mind was just floating in the air. Adi didn't like it. She was scared. And she screamed.

Lakitu

Gaea and Majora shared Lakitu's concerns. Adi's extreme talent for magic was quite worrying for them, and all three wore concerned frowns as they sat in Adia's house.

"Adia must have these same concerns." Majora muttered. "Her soul, at least."

"No doubt." Lakitu nodded. "Unfortunately, there isn't really anything we can do about it. Adi has to learn magic, and there's no way to supress natural talent. We'll just have to..."

"Watch and hope." Gaea sighed. "But, what can we do when Adia comes back? Assuming she does, of course."

"That's the bigger worry. As if her being able to bend our magical laws wasn't enough, Adia might not be able to handle this newfound ability." Majora groaned. "Her mind won't be prepared for something like that, and it could destroy her."

"What's this about bending laws?" A new voice asked. A familiar person entered the room. A large, spikey-shelled person, with large claws and bright orange hair.

"Serko." Majora greeted him. "We were discussing Adi's unnatural natural talent."

"Oh?" Bowser settled himself into a seat. "Let's hear it."

"Adi can alter spells that are almost impossible to alter, and with incredible ease."

"I see. Yes, the New Heroes of that TimeWorld also used spells very differently from what I've experienced. I told you all about those."

"You have." Lakitu agreed. "And, Adi has a natural talent which, it seems, is from that TimeWorld. That talent has been brought here, and is now bending our magical laws. Naturally, this talent will be passed on to Adia's body and soul. When Adia's mind is back where it belongs, this ability will no doubt frighten her. And, if her mentality isn't equipped to deal with it, she could have a mental breakdown."

"Ah. Then, that could be bad." Bowser's face fell into a frown just like everyone elses'. "But, there's nothing to be done. Except..."

"We know." Lakitu sighed. "Watch and hope." He rubbed his temples. "I hope my daughter will be okay."

"There's one good thing, though." Bowser said, his features lifting slightly.

"What's that?" Lakitu asked. He didn't believe there could be anything good of this.

"Adia is in that TimeWorld, in Adi's body, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, she may learn how to use the spells in different ways. Since she's sure to be learning magic as quickly as she possibly can, she'll surely come across a way to alter a spell or use it differently. If she does learn that, she'll expand on it as much as possible. Therefore, she'll be perfectly fine with discovering that she can still do it here."

"Hm..." Lakitu thought for a moment.

"Well, she may be surprised that she can still do it here, but she'd still be prepared for it."

"Yes, that's an excellent point." Lakitu's frown turned into a small, relieved smile. "Thank you, Lord Bowser." Bowser chuckled.

"You get polite as soon as things go your way, don't you?" Bowser smiled. "Like when you asked to borrow that Dark Beacon."

"Which I still haven't received."

"Things have been busy."

"Yes, and the Worlds know it." Lakitu chuckled. "Well, then, I'd best be getting back to Adi." He bowed to Bowser, hugged Majora and Gaea, then teleported back to the University.

--

When he arrived in Adia's room, Lakitu was shocked to discover her crying and trembling on the floor, and being held in the arms of a Scholar by the name of Brendan, a tall and bulky humanoid with two cat tails. Lakitu stared at the pair for a moment, then gathered his wits.

"What's... going on?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, Lakitu." Brendan told him. "I just heard her screaming, so I came to see what was wrong. When I opened the door, she was curled in a ball, crying and wailing. I've calmed her down a little, but..."

"Adi, dear, what happened?" Lakitu asked the weeping girl.

"Sh... she's gone..." Adi whimpered. "I can't find her... I can't find... m-me..."

"Who? Who can't-" He stopped. He knew exactly what she meant. "Adi, listen to me. Calm down. Calm down, Adi, it's going to be fine." Adi stared at him, and tried to calm herself. "I'll need you to switch your mind off for a few seconds. Can you do that? Like, crawl into a dark corner somewhere?"

"I... yes. I did it before... in the dungeons..."

"I'll not pry. Do it for me now, please."

"Yes, Sir..." Adi said, then her eyes went dead. There was no life, as if Adi herself had just died.

"Brendan, I'll need you to stay here, and hold her. Alright?"

"Sure thing." Brendan nodded. Lakitu then cast a spell that Brendan didn't recognise, and disappeared.

-

Lakitu floated around inside Adia's mind, carefully scanning the area. Somewhere, off in the corner, he saw Adi, sat and waiting patiently. In the opposite corner, he saw what was looking for; the door to Adia's soulspace. He quickly floated over to it, pulling it open, and entered Adia's soulspace. He was greeted almost instantly by the soul of Adia.

"Master." She greeted him. "I was wondering when you'd use the Space Dive Spell."

"No time for pleasantries, Adia." Lakitu said brusquely. "D'you realise what you've done?"

"Huh? The last thing I did was shut myself away from Adi, so my worries wouldn't rub off on her."

"Yeah, that one." The tortoise frowned. "So, I'll ask again. Do you realise what you've done?"

"N...no. What did I-"

"Imagine, Adia, if you could no longer feel your own soul. Your soul is your self, Adia. Imagine if you couldn't feel yourself. Imagine if you suddenly disappeared, with nothing but a mild awareness of being in a certain location."

"Um... o-oh!!" Adia shrieked. "I-I didn't realise... I-I thought... I-I mean, this isn't her body, s-so... I thought... I didn't think..."

"Never mind that, Adia. Just hurry up and open your soulspace to Adi."

"R-right away." Adia said, and the area flood with a pale purple light; Adi's mind. "Wow, I really scared her... h-hey! I-i-is Brendan... h-h-h-h-hugging me?!" She gasped, blushing.

"Yeah, he was comforting Adi after you shut yourself away." Lakitu said. Then a grin spread across his face. "I wondered who your crush was."

"Y-you knew I had a crush?"

"Of course. Daughters can't keep secrets from their fathers, you know. So, it's Brensen Oradan, is it?"

"Y-yes..." Adia mumbled, blushing deeper.

"Well, anyway. I'll go back to the real world now." Lakitu then disappeared.

-

"How are you, Adi?" Lakitu asked the girl once he reappeared. Adi's eyes were alive again.

"Much better, Sir." Adi replied.

"Sir?" Lakitu asked. "You never called me Sir before. Well, once, but..."

"I'm not sure. Maybe that once was what made me say it more?"

"Perhaps."

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I feel embarrased, for some reason. I think he might have something to do with it." She patted Brendan's arm.

"Ah, yes. Well, don't worry about it."

"Adia says she wants to talk." Adi said. "I'll have to speak for her."

"Sure thing." Lakitu nodded. Adi closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, they seemed somehow different, as though someone had possessed her.

"I didn't think that would work..." Adia's confident voice sounded. "It's tiring, though." She grinned, flashing her pointed teeth. "Master, I've temporarily taken control of my body." She told Lakitu. "I don't think I can do it for long, though. Besides, Adi's getting restless already." She turned to Brendan. "Brendan, how are you?" Her pale face turned bright red.

"Um... fine, thank you, Head Scholar."

"Call me..." She stopped. "Ah, wait. Brendan, listen. My mind, the mind of the real Adia, is in another world right now. The person you were holding a moment ago was Adi, the mind of the me from that other world. Somehow, myself and another me swapped minds."

"I... I see."

"So, I want to say something that my mind would never have dared before." She gulped hard, her face glowing brighter. "I... like you, Brendan. When my own mind comes back, would you... go out with me?"

"Huh?" Brendan was stunned. "Y-you? Th-the Head Scholar... likes me?"

"I do." Adia nodded. "Alot."

"Well, I, uh... I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to answer now. You have alot of time to think about it."

"Adia." Lakitu cut in. "You realise that your mind might never come back?"

"Oh, it will. I had Adi read the sand a little while ago. In every single vision, our minds were back where they belonged. I'll definitely be me again eventually."

"I see." Lakitu nodded.

"Brendan, you can go now, if you want. Just... think about what I asked, alright? Please?"

"Of course, Head Scholar." Brendan replied.

"Adia."

"A... Adia." He blushed a little, then stood up and walked out the room.

"Well, I'm out of energy." Adia sighed. "Time for Adi to come back." With that, her eyes flickered, and once again had the mild gaze of Adi.

"That was scary!" Adi gasped. "Not as scary as going empty, but..." She shuddered. "She could've at least warned me."

"Adi, is it true that you can read the sand?" Lakitu asked.

"Yes, Sir. Adia showed me how. It's kinda scary, though."

"I agree. But, we'll most likely need you to read it for us on occasion. Would you be willing?"

"Of course, Sir!" Adi gasped. "Anything to help you."

"Would you mind reading it for me now? Majora and I daren't read it any more, because we'll probably get trapped. It's almost happened to us a few times, now, and we've both agreed to never read it again. Adia was our sand-reader until you and she swapped. But, since you can, we'll have to use you instead."

"Yes, Sir." Adi leapt to her feet, and trotted over to the sand bowl, then carried it to her chair, placing it on her desk.

"I'll link with you, so I can see what you see. Is that alright?"

"Yes, Sir." Adi half-responded, already going through the motions of sand-reading. Lakitu cast the mind linking spell, just as Adi slipped into the trance.

----

Welcome back, Star Witch. Come and see....

-

Adia, in her own body, stood among a mass of rubble. This rubble had once been the University.

"Damn... damn those fools." She growled, shaking with anger. "I told Ganondorf that I'm not his Adia... but still... still, he had his people destroy the University..." She looked over to the bodies. "Brendan..." She whispered, for Brendan was among the corpses. Adia shuddered, tears escaping her eyes. She raised her head, and glared at the sky. "I'LL KILL YOU, GANONDORF!!"

-

Adi, in her own body, stood among a mass of rubble. This rubble had once been her castle home.

"H...how..." She whimpered. "How could she? Daddy... Mommy... Vincent, Fionie... e-everyone..." She cast her tear-filled eyes over the collection of dead bodies. "I'll... avenge you..." She bit her lips, furiously wiping away her tears. "ADIA!!" She howled at the sky. "ADIA, YOU'RE DEAD!!"

-

And so, the two stood face-to-face, in the Void. Anger filled their eyes, and radiated from every part of their bodies.

Prepare yourself, Adia, for your punishment. Adi telepathed to Adia.

Your father took away everything I ever loved, Adi. You, as his daughter, share his crimes. Adia replied. The two spoke no further, instead soaring at each other, charging spells in each of their hands. They fought fiercely, wiping out entire worlds as they did.

--

See how careful you both must be. Never hate each other, and never fight each other. Now, let us see the future of those around you...

--

Isabel wailed, tears flooding endlessly to the ground. She was on her knees, Connie's head resting upon them. The Twilight Angel's eyes were closed, her body cold and lifeless. Vincent and Fionie stood before them, their faces devoid of emotion. Pent and Rune stood to one side, looking confused and upset.

"She was a traitor." Fionie sighed. "I don't have any compassion for people who betray us."

"She didn't!!" Isabel cried.

"She was seeing you." Vincent said. "You, Eo's puppet."

"I'm not his puppet any more! Ask Lakitu! I was working against him, spying on him!"

"Lakitu?" Fionie called. The orange tortoise appeared beside her. "Is it true that Isabel was working for us, and spying on Eo?"

"I've no idea what you're talking about, Fionie." Lakitu replied calmly. "The last time I saw Isabel was before she joined Eo."

"LIAR!" Isabel roared. "I... I told you! Taken told you!"

"Taken's dead." Lakitu said coldly. "I just killed him. Carry on, Fionie." He then teleported away.

"NO! Lakitu, please!" The tiny girl sobbed. She cradled Connie's head in her hands, weeping more than before.

"Prepare yourself, Isabel." Fionie said, as she and Vincent drew their blades of dark and light.

-

A purple hedgehog, Nina, the daughter of Shadow and Amy, wept. She was only young, around nine years old. She was curled between the lifeless bodies of her parents. Though she wept, no sound came from her mouth.

Damn those New Heroes... She thought. Damn them to Hell.

-

Nina, now aged sixteen, faced the remaining New Heroes; Vincent, Fionie, Pent and Rune.

You killed my parents. She said telepathically. I will have my revenge.

"We don't know what you're talking about." Fionie replied. "Why would we kill Shadow and Amy?"

DON'T SAY THEIR NAMES!! You monsters!

"Clearly, she isn't willing to listen." Pent sighed. "We have no choice but to fight."

"I guess so..." Fionie sighed.

"Let's get this done, quickly." Vincent said. The four drew their weapons of choice, then charged.

-

Nina, now aged eighteen, stood before Kaishin, who was now the same size as Bowser.

Sir, all is going as planned. Nina told him. Then, Peach entered.

"Hello, Nina. Progress report?" She asked.

I was just telling Lord Kaishin that the plan is going smoothly.

"Oh, good." Peach smiled, standing besides Kaishin. "Isn't that good, Son?"

"It is, Mother." Kaishin nodded, smiling. "Nina, start preparing for the next phase."

As my Lord wishes. Nina replied, bowing. I will prepare the Gaia invasion team.

"Good. Go now."

"It's all going so well, Kaishin. I keep worrying that something will go wrong." Peach said.

"We'll face that when it happens, Mother."

-

Daisy, Okami, Mighty and Nino sat around a table in Daisy's castle.

"Lord Kaishin has finally started invading Gaia." Nino told the others.

"Then it's time for our plan to begin." Okami said, grinning.

"Hold on, Okami." Daisy raised a hand. She wasn't wearing her usual yellow dress. Instead, she wore all black; jeans, t-shirt, trainers, cap and long-sleeved gloves. Her hair was shorter, and tied in a ponytail. "We should wait a little while. We can start getting ready, by all means, but wait a little before moving."

"Yes, Milady." Okami replied.

"Go with Mighty, then, and start the preparations."

"At once, Milady."

"Yes, Milady." Mighty said, and the pair left the room.

"Milady..." Nino began. "Are you... prepared... to fight Peach, when the time comes?"

"I am." Daisy's voice turned to steel. "I'll fight everyone allied with Kaishin."

----

Lakitu yelled, surprising Adi, who fell off her chair.

"No way!" Lakitu gasped. "There's no way... how could... ARGH!" He teleported away.