Disclaimer: I do not own the various Nintendo trademarks, characters, etc. depicted within this story.

Dark Intentions

A meeting had been called to order in a boardroom of an office building. Even though it was a cloudy day outside, it had been decided to close the blinds over the large windows. Without the lights on, the room was very dark. Bowser was seated at one end of the table, near the window. Ganondorf sat at the other end, now fully recovered from his fight. Various underlings were seated between them. The dim settings made their eyes all stand out menacingly. The shadowy figure of a young woman in a dress stood in the corner near the door.

"First things first," Bowser grumbled. "I want a status report. Bolt."

"Our conquest of Dinosaur Land is complete," he said solemnly. "All Yoshis have been placed in captivity and are being domesticated as per your orders."

"Good. Shadee?" he said, turning to the Shaman cloaked in black, making his yellow eyes the only visible part of him.

"We've fully secured Nimbus Land," he said. "We suspect a few rebels have escaped into Land's End, but it shouldn't take long for us to track them down."

"Loser," Death Guy muttered.

"What was that?" Shadee asked irritably.

"Nothing," Death Guy said innocently. "Just thought you might want to cover your ugly face next time…"

"At least I didn't lose to a bunch of fairies!" Shadee retorted. Then, he glanced at Bolt, who was looking somewhat annoyed. "And at least I didn't lose Peach and Zelda."

"Did you find Merlon and his family?" Bowser asked threateningly.

"…Well…uh…"

"Out with it!" Bowser bellowed.

"Begging your pardon, sir… I'm afraid they've all escaped into Rogueport. It will take some time before our forces are able to get that far. Sarasaland's been stretching their forces near there…"

"Baby," Death Guy chuckled.

"What about you, shrimp?" Bowser growled, staring at the black-clothed Shy Guy.

"We got a complete and unconditional surrender out of the Kremlings," Death Guy said confidently.

"And the Kongs?" Bowser asked.

"Uh…we haven't been able to locate them…"

"This is all well and good," Ganondorf spoke sarcastically, "but I think we have more important matters to discuss."

"What?" King Boo asked, the only being fully visible because of his ghostly glow. "The princesses?"

"No."

"You talkin' about that Link look-alike that showed up?" Bowser asked.

"If it were him," Ganondorf said, narrowing his eyes, "we wouldn't be here to discuss it. No, I'm speaking of a much less obvious threat. During the course of the fight, I happened to notice a strange man wearing a mask that magically made him less noticeable. I believe he may be leeching on our plans for his own good."

"Like how?" Bowser inquired. The woman in the shadows stepped forward. It was the Zelda doppelganger.

"I did a quick check in the Dark World," she said. "It seems our dear friends Mario and Link attempted an escape."

"What?" Bowser fumed.

"Oh, don't worry," she smirked with a sparkling, toothy grin. "I made sure to put them back in their places. However, the fact that they've awakened means that their souls have been restored. Given the danger involved, I would recommend terminating them."

"…No," both Bowser and Ganondorf said.

"Huh?"

"It's not going to happen," Bowser said.

"The boy is not a threat to me without Courage," Ganondorf smirked. "He can rot in there for the rest of his life."

"Okay, but Bowser, sir," she said. "If you want to kill Peach, why not your arch nemesis?"

"It isn't worth the energy," Bolt said simply.

"I don't understand…"

"He's right on the mark," Bowser said, growling lowly as he placed his elbows on the table. "Mario is my worst enemy, but there's no use in trying to kill him. That blasted plumber's been a pest that won't go away."

"I'm sure a dip in the lava pits will take care of him nicely," she suggested.

"Yeah, he'd be burnt to a crisp," Bowser said with disinterest. "But he'd just come back and ruin everything."

"Over the years," Bolt explained, "Mario has eaten over a thousand green mushrooms. If we were to kill him, he would only come back, presumably free of his restraints. You've played enough videogames to know how it works."

"I thought that was just a game mechanic…" she said, astounded.

"Nintendo is very thorough when it comes to being true to its inspiration," he said. "As it stands, our best bet would be to keep him imprisoned and under surveillance."

"Right," Bowser nodded.

"That's not the only thing that concerns me," Ganondorf grunted. "There was a great power with that masked man. He's been hiding something from us. And I have the distinct feeling that he's just a pawn."

"We'll keep an eye out," Bowser said. "In the meantime, I want everyone to see what they can do about Sarasaland. They're really starting to tick me off." Everyone began to leave, except Ganondorf and Bowser.

"What about those blasted fairies?" Ganondorf asked.

"I already replaced the barrier," Bowser said, displaying the Star Rod. "It'll buy us some time."

"And when they finally break through?" Ganondorf asked, balling his fist.

"I've got a friend who can take care of them," Bowser laughed, looking at the red and gold mask of a Phanto on the wall.

The Zelda look-alike stood outside the boardroom, eavesdropping on them. A smile slowly appeared on her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Bolt staring at her. She spoke quietly, "It's not too late to change your mind."

"I've made my decision," he said, turning his back and walking down the hall.

She walked through the various halls of the building, loosely observing the various workers. She had never seen so many humans in one place like this. They had been allowed to continue their work, but she could tell that they were all nervous about being commandeered by Bowser. She couldn't help but notice many of them stealing glances at her. They had never imagined that Zelda, in any form or shape, could be a real person. Despite the circumstances, she could tell it was a treat for them to see her.

Feeling somewhat bored since her companion was currently unavailable, she teleported deep down into the basement, where the R&D Lab was. It was always entertaining to see what the nerdy Koopas and ingenious Shy Guys could come up with. She walked into a room where many Koopas and Goombas in lab coats had gathered around an exhibition.

One Koopa with particularly thick glasses was speaking. "There comes a day when something is made that could change the world forever. What I have here may very well be that thing. Gentlemen…I present the weapon that could very well win the war." The floor opened up next to him and a Bullet Bill-like missile protruded out. It was the same size as any other Bullet Bill, but its black plating did not reflect any light at all. It also did not appear to have a mouth.

"It looks like a regular Bullet Bill," one of the scientists said.

"That is the beauty of it," the lead scientist said. "You see, if we were to make an ultimate weapon that stood out, it would be targeted."

"What does it do?"

"It's a modification on the Killer-series," he said. "Notice the singular-smoke propulsion unit and the trademark eyes. However, whereas the standard Killers are made with low-grade iron, this particular model is armored with a high-grade alloy, scientifically named necromantium. Under the suggestion of Drow, our supplier…"

"You're welcome," she said, as they all noticed her.

"We've decided to simply refer to the material as Death Metal," he continued. "This so-called Death Metal is supposed to be infused with some sort of magical essence, dark matter, and other things I wouldn't know about. We've yet to name the Killer itself… It has the power to kill all living things within a fifty-mile radius. Any suggestions for a name?"

"Nuclear Ned?"

"Deadly Dan?"

"Killer Kyle?"

"Do you have any suggestions, Drow?"

"Hmm," she smiled. "Why not just call it by its special armor? Death Metal." They all looked as if they had never thought of giving it such a foreboding, untraditional name.

"It works…" the lead scientist said. "Now, on to the newest modifications to our Giga mutant program. First, I would like to present the elite of our army…Dark Giga Koopatrol." A screen appeared and showed a grey-skinned Giga Koopa with a black, spiked shell. It had a silver helmet with a spike-top and faceguard, much like a knight. It wore clawed gauntlets and boots. The most noticeable change was its soulless, glowing red eyes.

"Impressive," Drow noted.

"The Dark Giga Koopatrol is fully equipped with titanium armor, fiery breath, password-locked shells, built-in radio, and of course, the Dark Koopatrol's trademark power-up technique.

"Next, I'd like to present a specimen that has already been used in our Hyrule campaign quite effectively. This is the new and improved Buster Beetle. It has been genetically altered to enhance its strength twenty times or more. This allows it to pick up and toss things that a Giga Koopa would strain to lift. The beauty of them is that, like the Death Metal, they look nearly identical to the orthodox type."

Drow decided to leave and see what the 8-Bits Club was up to. They were in a lab room down the hall. They disliked showing off their new gadgets to outsiders, so she stood outside and peaked through a crack in the door.

"What are you doing?" a cold, familiar voice asked. She turned and saw Bolt standing there next to her.

"Just eavesdropping," she smiled. "You know how bored I get."

"Be bored somewhere else," he said, entering. He closed the door tightly behind him. She looked around and saw that no one else was around.

"You were right," she spoke mentally to Ganondorf. "They are planning something. I can't go any further without giving myself away."

"I see," Ganondorf replied. "Keep an eye on them. If these overgrown turtles think they can double-cross me and get away with it, they are sorely mistaken."

She teleported to another basement level. The walls here were metallic and the surroundings were of higher technology. Doors slid open for her to pass through. Noticing that there was no one around, she called out to another person. "Milady. Everything is going perfectly. The seal is breaking. Only two more remain, and then you shall be free."

"Good," a female voice replied. "Oni has done exactly what I expected him to do. Be sure that Ganon and Bowser do not ruin my little plan. You and Morel will meet Zelda and Peach soon. It will not be long before this thousand-year curse is broken."

"Hey, everybody!" a Moblin yelled from down the hall. "They're beginning the big one!"

Daisy sat at a large table amongst her generals and commanders. The room was actually a large gray cavern. On the massive screen against the wall, they could see a small fleet of Doomships approaching Li Wei, the capital city of Chai, Sarasaland. Daisy was wearing a yellow top and long white skirt despite her surroundings. For some reason, she also had baby blue parasol at her side.

"How much time until they get within firing range?" Daisy asked.

"About twenty minutes at their current speed," said Toadette, the pink-capped Toad. "Shall we send reinforcements to help?"

"Of course!" all the generals said.

"Nah," Daisy said, getting up.

"What!"

"We should focus on keeping Easton secure," Daisy said, stretching.

"But isn't your sister in Chai?" Toadette asked.

"She can handle herself," Daisy said, walking to the door. "She's used to fighting and she's got one of our most powerful military sectors at her disposal. She'll be fine." She walked out the door and through the halls. She soon saw Toadette chasing her down.

"Princess!" Toadette called, finally catching up to her. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You've been acting a little strange lately… Is it because Luigi left for the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"No, I'm just trying not to stretch our military," Daisy sighed. "You know how rough it's been. And what with Peach gone missing…just a fake Peach and a fake Zelda… It's just been a little stressful, ya know? Like, suppose a fake me shows up somewhere and tries to cause confusion. How will they tell it's not me?"

"I understand," Toadette said as they came to Daisy's room. "We know that you're here and not somewhere else. But please, leave the military decisions to the military experts. Get some rest, okay?"

"Okay," Daisy said, entering her room. Like the rest of the facility, it was in a cave. However, only the walls and floor were stone. It was fully furnished with everything she would usually have. There were even doors to a walk-in closet and personal bathroom. She lay on her bed and sighed. She glanced at her clock and saw that it was nearly five o'clock in the evening. She got up and walked to her closet. She opened the door and grinned upon seeing the real Daisy tied up in the back of the closet. She would have been yelling and screaming had her voice been working. She was in nothing but her underclothes.

"Guess what?" the impostor said, spinning the opened parasol. She suddenly took on the form of Peach. "I'm about done here. So, I guess this is about time I said goodbye." There was a glow outside the closet. Drow walked in next to her and was amused to see Daisy tied up and muted.

"Hello, dear," Drow said. "Ready to go?"

"Yep," she replied. "I was getting tired of walking around in caves and watching ugly statues…and having to wear such horribly colored clothing. It's always yellow, white, and orange with her."

"I think it looks good on you, dearest," Drow smiled.

"Why thank you, honey," Morel replied.

"Nothing looks bad on my little snookums," Drow said, pinching her cheek.

"Awww…" They both began to notice that Daisy was gagging, as if she was about to throw up. "That's just immature, Daisy." She snapped her fingers, allowing Daisy to speak.

"Like, get a room already!" Daisy yelled. Drow and Morel glanced outside the closet. "Not my room!"

"Let's take her with us," Morel said. "Wouldn't want her spoiling our fun on this side so soon."

"Very good, darling," Drow said, picking up Daisy.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To Chai," Morel said.

"Why?"

"To frame you. Cupcake?"

"I'll take care of everything, my little muffin-head," Drow answered affectionately.Then they heard Daisy gagging again and rolled their eyes.