Briefing

"You've come a long way in a short time, Peach," the simulated Morel said, as they stood on top of the castle. "See how far you've come with a little hard work?"

"Yes, thank you," Peach said.

"Now, let's do a quick review shall we? How do you double jump and float up?"

"Happy thoughts," Peach smiled, floating up and moving forward at the same time.

"Good. Now, how about your new Psychotic Bomb?"

"Blazing fury!" Peach yelled angrily, flinging bombs all over the castle grounds. Once she was done, she dropped out of the air panting, but not exhausted.

"How about Rage?" Morel asked.

Peach balled her fists and strained while cringing. "Shining Star!" The Shining Star appeared above her and turned red. Peach burst into a fiery aura.

"Very good," Morel said, prompting her to return to normal. "And based on everything you just did in such a short period of time, approximately how much magic do you have left?"

"Um, hmm… Well, that Psychotic Bomb was pretty tiring…floating wasn't too bad…and a short Rage… I'm going to say less than seventy-five percent?"

"Less than seventy-five percent, huh? Survey says…" she looked to the sky. A panel flipped in the sky revealing the number 74.91. "Wow, good guess."

"So, is this the end?"

"Actually, I've got one more trick to tell you about. I can't really teach it to you, but it'll be easy enough to do. Now, I have a teleportation trick that would take way too long for you to learn. But I've got something almost as good for you. I've been trying to think of a half decent name for it, but all I could think of was the Cosmic Control."

"That sounds a lot like another move…" Peach said thoughtfully. "It was really catchy too, with the same alliteration. Cosmic Control…no, Creature Control? No…"

"Anyway, it'll basically fuse your Rage and float moves together to give you high-speed, invincible flight. The problem is, even with your Shining Star helping you, you'd completely drain your magic and probably faint in the process. But with a powerful item, you'd be able to use it over and over. Any one of the legendary seven Star Spirits would suffice."

"But Bowser has all of them."

"Exactly. That's why you need something just as strong, if not stronger. Think, Peach. What's the only star with that kind of power that you know of? I'll give you a hint. Only one is made every thousand years. And you happened to win the most recent one at a certain party."

"The Millennium Star? But it's still an infant. And besides, I gave it to Daisy to protect it."

"It may be an infant, but it should have enough strength to get the job done. You may have to charge it up or something though. I'm sure it would be willing to help you out. At any rate, I've taught you all I can in the allotted time. I only have one last message for you, Peach."

"What's that?"

"If I see you during the battle, I'll kill you," Morel said grimly, but bluntly. "Don't bother showing up unless you're willing to take that risk."

"Wha? Why are you saying this?"

"I have my orders. I just wanted to give you fair chance. Goodbye, Peach."

"Well, done," Drow said to Zelda as they stood out in the middle of Hyrule Field. "I didn't think you'd actually pull it off, but you managed to gain complete control of your telekinesis. I've taught you everything I can for now."

"What about my Time Freeze?" Zelda asked. "I still can't do it without fainting."

"I assure you, Peach should have the energy source you'll need. Speaking of Peach, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What would that be?"

"Make sure that she does not go into battle," Drow said. "Morel has orders to kill her should she appear. None of us want her to get hurt. And I don't want Morel getting hurt by any avengers."

"What about you?" Zelda asked in a low voice.

"What about me?"

"Aren't you going to try and kill her, too?"

"Strictly speaking, I don't have to take orders from Bowser, so no. However, you will give the final Triforce piece to Ganondorf. I guarantee it."

"Why do you listen to him? You're powerful enough to resist him. You could even join us. Morel, too."

Drow smirked. "I never thought I'd hear you speaking to me like that, of all people. I'll be honest with you, Zelda. I'm not working for Ganondorf. Neither is Morel truly working for Bowser. We serve a…higher purpose."

"The Shadow Queen?" Zelda asked, her eyes narrowing.

"All you need to know is that there is only one last piece to the Forbidden Seal. It dictates that evil must never possess the entire Triforce. I intend to make sure Ganondorf will have the last Triforce piece and my mission will be complete."

"Darkness will consume all," Zelda murmured to herself.

"Take care, Zelda," Drow smiled darkly. "I'll be seeing you soon…whether or not you come to the battle."

"I'll be there," Zelda replied with a similar smile.

When Zelda stepped off the virtual pad, she found her mother waiting there for her instead of anyone else. Her mother took her hand and they teleported to another part of the facility.

In this new room, Peach and Daisy were talking to Geno, who was being upgraded and rebuilt by various engineers and robotic arms from the ceiling. Half of his face was incomplete and appeared completely robotic. For the most part, he simply looked slightly shinier than usual.

"Done, Zelda?" he asked in an electronic voice.

"So, this is where you've been all week."

"Yes, I'll be done in an hour or so," he said. "The rest of you go to Sarasaland with Ingrid. She can pick me up in two hours."

"Why are we going to Sarasaland?"

"It's where you'll be briefed on your mission," Ingrid said.

"And where my fleet is based," Daisy said.

"And I need to pick up something from one of Daisy's houses," Peach said.

"All right, then let's go," Zelda said. They all took hold of Ingrid and disappeared with her. They appeared in what seemed to be an underground base with various soldiers walking around.

"The briefing won't be for some time," Ingrid said. "Peach, I would like you to come to Hyrule with me."

Zelda began to protest, "But Sheik said…"

"That is why Sheik is not with us," Ingrid said. "I'm asking Peach, no one else."

"You want me to purify them, right?" Peach asked.

"Correct," she nodded. "You will not be harmed."

"I'll be okay, Zelda," Peach said. "This should only take a second." They disappeared.

"Hey, you," Daisy said to one of the Nokobon guards.

"Yes, your highness?"

"Could you get my sister on the phone? I need to talk to her." The guard immediately became nervous, as did every staff member within earshot. Many of them began to leave the area.

"Uh, I can't do that," he said.

Daisy saw how everyone was reacting and got a sour look on her face. "What did she do?" she sighed.

"Um… She left…without warning."

"Well, that's not so bad I guess…" Daisy saw that everyone was still anxious. "What did she steal?" she asked dryly. "Did she raid the treasury?"

"Yes…"

"And?"

"And…she took the XL-GBM…"

"She WHAT?!" Daisy boomed, grabbing him. "She took my mech?!"

He retreated his head into his shell. "Yes, ma'am…"

"Why am I just now hearing about this?"

"We didn't want to risk a security leak through a transmission. You said it had to be absolutely top secret."

"Oh, what-ever!" Daisy seethed. "As soon as this is over, I want her on our Most Wanted ASAP!"

"Isn't that a bit extreme, your majesty?" he asked. "I mean, she did design and build it herself."

"My idea, my money, and my base!" Daisy barked.

"Daisy, calm down," Zelda said.

"Shut up, Zelda! There's no flipping way I'm gonna' let this crud slide! I oughta have every freaking one of you here so totally court-martialed! Anything else happen while I was away? Huh? Maybe my house blew up and you just forgot to tell me?"

Ingrid and Peach reappeared, but Daisy continued to rant loudly. Ingrid covered her ears and leaned close to Zelda. "What is the matter with her?"

"Syrup stole one of her secret weapons, as well as a portion of the treasury."

"Please, stop yelling," Ingrid said, though her voice was drowned out by Daisy's tirade. She laid a hand on Daisy's shoulder and teleported with her. A second later, they reappeared, though Daisy was silent now and rubbing her stinging cheek.

"Peach, Zelda, let's go get something to eat," Daisy said. "I need a little relaxation before the briefing."

Once everyone had gathered into the briefing room, the Death Cap Commander took his place at the front of the room, in front of the world map. Although only the most important people were in the room, all the soldiers who would participate in the battle could see the briefing from anywhere on the base.

"Let's get through this quick," he said. The image of the map zoomed in on the border between the Dark Land and the Mushroom Kingdom. "As you're all aware by now, the Dark Forces have been amassing a large fleet. In the past few hours, that fleet has slowly been making its way across border to the Mushroom Kingdom. It's clearly an invasion force. However, it is…frighteningly massive. Bring up the picture."

The image changed to show dozens of huge battleships flying through the air. Of course, there were modified Doom Ships that were more heavily fortified than usual with large cannons and metal plating. But they were the smallest ships in the fleet by far.

"Now, these Doom Ships, though modified are actually standard size. There are at least twenty of them in that fleet. Next up on the ladder are these." The picture zoomed in on a ship that looked big enough to hold half a dozen Doom Ships. It had the appearance of a Bullet Bill with a much sharper nose. "We have no idea whether this 'Bill Ship' is an actual Bullet Bill or just a ship with the appearance of one. However, we do know that it is equipped with several heavy guns on its outer shell. There are at least seven of these ships. Each one seems to be flanked by two or more Doom Ships."

The image actually zoomed out to show the next ship. It had the shape of Paratroopa on all fours. They were only slightly bigger than the Bill Ships, but seemed to be more heavily armed because of the extra cannons and turrets along the wings. The wings actually made them seem bigger. "These Paratroopa Ships are potentially an even bigger threat because of their surface area. It wouldn't be too hard to imagine how easily just one of these things could blanket bomb an entire city. Finally, we have this sucker."

The image zoomed out more to reveal a ridiculously large ship that had the semblance of a large Piranha Plant with thorny vines entangling a Whomp and two Chain Chomps. There were reddish orange glowing areas on top of the Whomp amongst the vines. The Chain Chomps were pressed together towards the middle of the ship, just below the main head of the Piranha Plant. Though colorful, all were clearly just parts of the ship. Towards the back of the ship, there was a more conventional fortress structure that looked like one of Bowser's standard castles, complete with his visage at the top.

"Just to give everyone a clear idea of this thing, it's the approximate size of the entire city of Li Wei. For that reason, our mission is to cut through the exterior of the fleet and to this Flagship. Heck, we might as well call this thing an air base. It has the largest cannons I've ever seen, so only fighters and stealth ships are authorized to approach it. The fighters are our main weapon to get through all of this. Once they penetrate the outer fleet, they will provide cover for Angel Squadron to drop off Geno and Princess Zelda. Any place will do, but get as close to flagship as possible. Geno and Zelda…"

"Excuse me," Peach said. "I'll be coming, too."

The Commander had a look of annoyance, but continued. "…And Toadstool will join them. After reaching the Flagship, they must get to the inner sanctum and disable it. You'll be on your own then, so be careful. As insurance, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Jinx will be dropped off at separate points. Take down any ships you can. Bear in mind that the Flagship is within the Dark Land's territory, so there might be some complications. We've been detecting strange activity from the area the whole time, so stay on your toes. The Koopas probably used the Star Rod to build the fleet. Who knows what else they might do?"

"What about the Death Metal warhead?" Zelda asked.

"The bulk of our fleet will form a blockade against the enemy fleet. No Death Metals are to get past our defenses. We've devised a weapon that can nullify Death Metals, but only a few at a time. These come in the form of the L-7 missiles all ships will be equipped with. That is all for the air force. General?"

"Thank you," Ingrid said, taking his place as he stood aside. "On the ground level, I have arranged for Hyrulean forces to penetrate deep into Dark Land territory. The Gorons will traverse the lava lakes, while Hylians and Gerudo march across the wastes. The Sheikah will accompany them. Our mission is to capture the ground fortress that belongs to Bowser. If we can do that, we might be able to down the fleet prematurely. All ground forces will be escorted by Blue Team. Red and Yellow Team will perform surface-to-air fire to support the air battle at coordinates designated by the Commander. It's as simple as that. Bowser and Ganondorf are everone's primary targets. Dismissed."

"What is it that you wanted to show us?" Peach asked Daisy, as she and Zelda followed her.

"Your gear," Daisy smiled, leading them into an empty lab room. After dialing a few buttons on a wall panel, two glass tubes rose out of the floor, giving off mist. "First, your dresses."

One tube opened to reveal a dress that looked like Peach's typical dress. "Looks normal to me," Peach said.

"Check this out," Daisy said, taking a flamethrower from a hidden panel in the wall. She torched the dress, but it looked completely unharmed. "It's fireproof." She lifted up the skirt, which revealed blades along the hem. "With blades lining the inside. Very effective if you ever break into a spin at close range, but they won't ever cut the wearer."

"Okay…" Peach said nervously.

"Zelda, your dress is made for your ninja skills," she said, revealing her dress. The skirt wasn't as wide, but Daisy stretched it. "It extends to your body's movements and it's trip-proof. Plus, it stays close enough to the legs so that it won't snag. The whole think is made of a light material, also fireproof, and the bodysuit is actually just under the skirt. So, if it manages to get in the way, just toss it."

"Impressive," Zelda said, feeling the material.

"And this tiara's neat," Daisy continued, "because it will help you regenerate your magic over time. Peach, that's what your new brooch is for. Now, get dressed, and make sure you wear the underwear that goes with it." Without letting them respond, Daisy stepped out of the room and waited.

"Okay," Zelda said to her telepathically. "We're dressed."

Daisy stepped back in smiling. "Now, wanna know what's cool about the underwear?"

"I don't think I want to know," Zelda said.

"Watch." Daisy punched Peach in the chest. Peach recoiled out of instinct, but looked surprised.

"That didn't hurt at all," Peach said.

"Yep, the bras are shock-proof. You'd have to fall on a sword or something from pretty high up for it to hurt. And these stylish sneakers are made to cushion big falls. By the way, your dresses are super durable, so if you did fall on a sword, you probably won't die."

"Probably?" Zelda asked.

"And guess what's so special about the panties?"

"They're black?" Peach frowned.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Take off the dress really quick, Peach." Peach nervously did as told. "Now, try to take off your panties."

"No!"

"Just try."

"No way!"

Daisy tackled her to the ground, grabbing onto them. "Just let me show you something!" Despite Peach's struggling, Daisy tugged on them. With a grunt, she managed to lift Peach upside down, still holding onto them. "See? Neat, huh? They don't come off. Plus, they're just as durable and fireproof as the bras. We based them on Peach's Gard Gloves. Comfortable, but nearly unbreakable."

"Put me down!" Peach yelled.

"Interesting," Zelda said. "But how do we remove them? I don't intend to where these for the rest of my life."

"Easy, you don't," Daisy said. "We can remove them with a cutting laser later! That's why I had you guys go to the bathroom first."

"Figures," Zelda said.

"What about these pouches?" Peach said, putting her dress back on.

"Those will hold your support items," Daisy said. "Mostly Royal Syrup and Max Mushrooms."

"That sounds potent," Zelda said. "This is all very impressive, but we have to speed this along. The mission commences in ten minutes."

"Alright, gather your stuff and come with me to the hangar," Daisy said, walking out.

"Daisy, you've outdone yourself," Zelda said, surveying the squadrons of fighter craft.

"I know," Daisy blushed.

"Did you get the licenses for this stuff from Nintendo?" Peach asked.

"Well, they don't need to know about this," Daisy giggled nervously. "Besides, imitation is the best form of flattery. Arwings are awesome, especially since I maxed out the lasers and Nova Bombs. Did you see the Landmaster Division?"

"Landmaster?!" Peach exclaimed.

"Yep. Now, get into your ship before you decide to call up Nintendo."