Before we continue, I want to thank midnightsXdarkXangel for putting this story in their favorites. When I saw that I got so excited I gave myself a headache. So to anyone reading this THANK YOU!!!! Also, don't be afraid to send me review, please, I encourage it. I need to hear what people think of this story. Sorry to ruin the flow, now back to the story.

Next Move

The two strangers took Mario, Luigi, and Daisy to a cave a good ways away from Sarassa Kingdom. They were grateful to these two for saving them, but who were they? Also Daisy was a little upset that she had to leave her kingdom behind.

The ninja named Sheik had left the cave to make sure they truly lost Peach's army, while Link waited at the entrance for him to return. Mario, Luigi, and Daisy were all sitting together in the back of the cave all dealing with what happened in their own way. Luigi, who always needed an explanation for everything, was trying to figure out why Peach changed so suddenly. Daisy still blamed herself for what happened to Peach, since Peach basically told it to her face that it was all her fault. Mario was still out of it, just looking at the ring. He wanted to know what happened to her, and why she was acting out like this.

Sheik came back and went over to Link. "Well, did we loose her?" Link asked.

"I didn't see anyone from her army. Either she doesn't know where we are, or she doesn't see us as a threat," Sheik said, getting Mario, Luigi and Daisy's attention.

"Um, excuse me?" Daisy asked, "But who are you two, and do you know what's going on here?"

Both Link and Sheik turned them. "Sorry about that," Link said as they walked over to them, "My name is Link, and this," he said pointing to Sheik who started glowing, turning into Link's sister, Zelda, "is my twin sister Zelda, or Sheik in the form you saw her in before."

All three of them were shocked by the sudden change Sheik took. Daisy had started really paying attention to eyes and took note that while Zelda was Sheik, she had red eyes while like this she had blue eyes like her brother.

"It's a good thing we saved you when we did," Zelda said in a tone similar to Sheik's tone, but higher and more feminine, "otherwise she definitely would have killed you."

"By the way, who are you three?" Link asked.

Daisy got up to speak on their behalf, "I'm Princess Daisy of Sarassa Kingdom," she pulled Luigi up to her, "This is Luigi, and that's..." she said as both of them looked down at Mario, who still looked really upset, "Mario..."

Link and Zelda looked at Mario, Zelda with concern and pity of sorts, Link with a raised eyebrow.

"So you're the Super Mario Brothers I've heard so much about," Link said, causing Mario to look up.

"You've heard about us?" he asked, surprised that people from other kingdoms knew about them.

"Of course, you two are known even in our kingdom of Hyrule," Link said to them.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Princess Peach, I know that must have been a shock seeing her like that," Zelda said like she knew a little about what happened.

"Do you two know what got into her?" Luigi asked, shocking both Link and Zelda.

"You mean, you guys don't know?" Link asked in shock.

"I guess that is to be expected. I would assume that she didn't show any signs until recently," Zelda said.

"Signs of what?" Daisy asked, getting more and more confused by the second, "What happened to my cousin?"

Both Link and Zelda closed their eyes and looked down in sadness, "Do we have to tell them?" Link asked his sister.

"They have a right to know the truth about their friend, Link," Zelda said to Link, Daisy was getting pissed off now.

"The truth about what?!" she shouted. Mario got up and looked at them desperately.

"Please, if you know anything about how to change her back to normal please tell us," he begged.

Both Link and Zelda looked serious now. "It's impossible to change her back now," Link said in a serious tone.

"This is who she really is," Zelda added.

"Who she really is?" Luigi asked them, "How is that possible?"

"Since when was she this dark and twisted?" Daisy added, fearful of the answer.

"Since the day she was born," when Zelda said that, Mario, Luigi, and Daisy were shocked, "She has has the soul of Deas," Zelda added.

"Soul of Deas?" Mario asked. What was this soul of Deas?

"Deas was known as the Queen of Darkness," Zelda explained, "Thousands of years ago, she sealed away all of the light in the world creating an eternal night. Our ancestors," she said pointing to herself and Link, "defeated her and brought light back to the world."

"It's marked in the Temple of Time," Link added, "that on April 25, 1988, one sole child will be born. She will be Deas reincarnated, and shall inherit all of the abilities of her former life. Upon reviving her powers she shall try to unite the five kingdoms under her rule and bring about the eternal night once more. If I'm not mistaken, that's Princess Peach's birthday isn't it?"

Mario was horrified, that was Peach's birthday. He remembered the last time they celebrated it; Mario took Peach out to dinner at a gourmet restaurant. She was wearing a beautiful white dress that day, and her smile was so sweet and loving. Thinking about that time, Mario couldn't believe this person was the Peach he knew.

"But why didn't we see this before now?" Luigi asked, "Mario and I have been friends with her for three years and we both regarded her as the nicest person we knew. This change was so sudden." Mario nodded on that.

"It's possible that she showed small signs but you just didn't notice," Zelda said, "or that being loved by Mario actually had a calming affect on her holding the darkness at bay, or even both. I'd imagine something happened that she just had enough of, and that forced her darkness out."

Daisy remembered the hurtful things that Peach said to her at the castle. She didn't want to admit it, but what Link and Zelda was saying made sense with all that she said. What was worse was that she played a part in turning Peach into this person. Maybe it was her outburst at Peach's return to Rougueport that did it, after all, Peach started having the dreams after she came home. Feeling that all this was her fault, Daisy felt really guilty.

"So if we know know what triggered Peach's transformation then we can bring her back!" Mario said hopefully. Link was getting fed up with Mario's hope though, since he felt saving Peach was a waste of time.

"Like I said, that's impossible," Link said harshly, a remark that hit Mario hard.

"What do you mean?" Mario asked Link.

"She isn't being possessed by any outside force, this is all her," Link explained. That remark made Mario really angry.

"I won't believe that!" he said walking up to Link, "Maybe if I reason with her I can bring her back!"

"And she'll kill you," Link said standing up to Mario, "That thing doesn't have a ray of light in her. Trying to save her, as you put it, is a waste of time."

"So what are you two trying to do?" Mario asked Link.

"Zelda and I have come here to destroy the soul of Deas, and Peach," Link said, surprising everyone, even Zelda.

"Link, you don't have to be so blunt!" Zelda said to her brother, she did not appreciate how he said that. Sure that was their mission, but at the time she didn't think they would actually run into Mario. She was still trying to figure out how to tell them in a way that wouldn't make them seem like the bad guys, like Link just did.

"And how would you tell them? They were just going to find out anyway," he said to Zelda, then turned to Mario, "She's going to destroy anyone who tries to stand in her way, so you're going to have to make a choice. Are you going to waste your time trying to save the one, or are you going to do the right thing and save the world?" he then turned, and walked off. All Zelda could do was look at Mario's horrified face, "I'm sorry, all of you. I didn't intend on you finding out like this," she said to all three of them before walking out herself.

For a while, Mario, Luigi, and Daisy were speechless. "So, kill Peach, huh?" Luigi finally said breaking the silence.

"I don't believe it, what's happening to us?" Daisy asked, remembering how before this the four of them were always happy together.

"So, what do we do? Do we help them?" Luigi asked them, already knowing what Mario was probably thinking.

"Absolutely not!" Mario shot out, "I'm not going to fight Peach!"

"But Mario, we can't just ignore this!" Daisy said to Mario, hoping he didn't mean that he wasn't going to fight.

"Or are you planning to try and get Peach back?" Luigi said, startling Mario.

"I... I..." Mario was at a lost for words. On one hand he didn't want to fight Peach, but on the other hand he knew he had to save the world, and Killing Peach might have been the only way.

"Well bro? What's it gonna be? Do we kill Peach, or save Peach?" Luigi asked Mario as he walked up to him.

Mario looked up at Luigi with a look of desperation, "I don't want to loose her," he said.

Luigi put his hand on Mario's shoulder, "You haven't lost her yet," he reassured Mario.

"Right," Mario nodded.

Daisy just walked off by herself. She felt like all of this was her fault, and was too ashamed to stand there in the same area with Mario. If this was her fault, then she had to find a way to fix this herself, even if the only way to end this was her death.

Elsewhere in another kingdom, a princess with long brown hair, and a light blue gown and matching high heels was walking through her castle. She had heard rumors that Princess Peach had just attacked Sarassa Kingdom, and might be on her way there. Princess Eclair had heard that Princess Peach was a peaceful person who hated war and refused to believe the rumors. A knight came up to her, "Your majesty, there's someone in the throne room who would like to see you," he said to her.

"Thank you," she said to the knight as she walked to the throne room, unaware of the orange hue around the knight's pupils. When she got there she was shocked to see Empress Peach sitting in her throne. "Princess Peach?!" she asked, "What are you doing here?!"

"Hello Princess Eclair, you're looking well," Peach said as Eclair stared at Peach in horror. Now she believed the rumors.