Zhenxuan20002: Glad you think so.
Authorial Nerd: You'll just have to wait and see.
The reflectors fizzled out, and orange flames burst out from beneath. With only the crackling flames, Miracle Matter rushed toward Fox, like a meteor. Fox took a step back, startled.
Mario jumped in between them before it could connect. He swept his cape, and he batted back Miracle Matter, sending it crashing into a wall. As shards of crystals showered down on the floor, ringing out like bits of glass, Mario hissed in pain. The side of his cape had caught fire, and he extinguished it with a strong flap.
"It's gotten a lot stronger," he said. "You think it's got anything to do with that Star Rod energy Meta Knight mentioned?"
"That's as good a guess as any," Fox said, gripping his blaster tightly.
"I saw it give off sparks when Ganondorf activated it," Link said, and he drew his sword with a metal rasp. "It's holding Pikachu inside of it. That's probably where all its power is coming from."
"So if we take out Pikachu, we win." Fox grinned. "Anyone have any ideas?"
"I've got one." Mario turned to Donkey Kong and Link. "DK, punch it out. Kid, cover him."
"Got it!"
Link let an arrow fly. He had another arrow on the string the moment Donkey Kong took off. It whistled over Donkey Kong's head as the ape lumbered forward.
Just like before, Miracle Matter put up its reflectors. The arrows pinged off the sides and flew right back into Donkey Kong's face.
A flash of yellow flickered in front of Donkey Kong. The arrows clattered away, chipping off some of the floor. Mario leaped out of the way, his cape fluttering in his hands, leaving Donkey Kong to lunge for Miracle Matter.
Flames burst out from behind the electric barriers. They moved quickly to engulf Miracle Matter's form, but Donkey Kong moved faster. His fist connected with a thunderous crack. Sparks flew off the reflector's face as it caved. It hurled into the opposite wall, tearing chunks from the wall with the impact. When it ripped itself out from the crater, there was a massive dent in its front.
"See?" he said, smirking. "It ain't so hard if we all work together."
The smirk died as Miracle Matter changed its shape, bubbling and squirming like a ball of dough about to burst. For a moment, a streak of yellow appeared inside the dent. Then white gel smothered it down, leaving Miracle Matter just as before; it was like they hadn't even touched it.
"Okay, maybe it ain't that easy."
Red plates of armor emerged from the White matter, squashing it into the shape of a barrel. A low hum was their only warning before a blast of blue energy burst forth. Fox dove to the side. Everyone else did the same, and the beam gouged a deep scar into the blue crystal walls.
"Hey Yoshi!" Link said, shouting over the noise. "You can use your tongue to grab things, right?"
Yoshi paused, then he nodded. Link turned to Samus.
"Samus, could you blow an opening for Yoshi to get to?"
Samus replied with a thumbs-up. A grin split Link's face. He put away his bow, and his sword came out with a screech. He gave Yoshi a signal to follow him, and he jumped out toward Miracle Matter.
His boots rung out as he sprinted forward, the dull thud of leather pounding against the stone floor with each step. Miracle Matter locked onto him the moment he stepped into view. Another blue laser beam tore up the ground, but Link slid away, his boots allowing him to stay light on his feet.
It fired again. Link rolled to the left, feeling the heat simmering off from the attack as it brushed past him. He got to his feet and leaped aside when Miracle Matter fired once more time. Only one of his boots touched the floor before he jumped again. He wove back and forth, in and out, all while his sword flashed dangerously in the blue light. His constant moving seemed to confuse Miracle Matter, and for a moment it stopped shooting. It was an opening if Link had ever seen one.
His boot squeaked as he twisted it on the stone floor. His grip on his sword tightened. He allowed his other foot to touch the floor for a split-second. Then he jumped.
The tip of his sword glinted as he raised it above his head. It hung there for a second, before he brought it crashing down in a silver blur.
That was a mistake. Miracle Matter locked on to him when his blade was only inches away from making contact. His eyes widened, and a blue glow washed over his face.
He had enough time to think, Samus better pull through, before a heavy beam of energy slammed into his chest. Strips of his tunic burned away, and he sailed into the air, coming to a stop on the jagged crystals lining the walls and falling to the floor with a thud.
From behind Miracle Matter, a click sounded out. Samus stepped out into the open, loading the last missile in her chamber. Miracle Matter didn't have time to throw up its reflectors. Samus's retaliation was swift, firing one missile after another into it. The first one slammed smack-dab into the center, leaving a crater into its side, spinning it out of control. The second missile blew a large crystal off the wall behind it, the first explosion sending it flying out of its path.
Its reflectors flickered, trying to get up as it steadied itself. Samus adjusted her aim before it could fully recover, and the third missile connected to it, blasting open another hole. Miracle Matter stumbled back, right into the path of a fourth and fifth missile, completely submerging Miracle Matter in a blossom of fire. When the smoke cleared, white gel was splattered in every direction, sticking out like thorns on a rose.
Without missing a beat, Yoshi sprinted down the room. Miracle Matter gave a growl. The goop squirmed, whipping around wildly as Miracle Matter brought them back toward itself. Its body reshaped itself, opening and closing holes in its side as it rearranged itself back into its original form. Yoshi threw out his tongue just as a spot of yellow revealed itself. Miracle Matter tried to fold itself over it, but Yoshi's tongue stretched beyond it, latching on to something inside it.
The moment Yoshi's boots touched the floor, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Fox rushed to his aid. They grasped onto him, and together they pulled. Miracle Matter hummed angrily, and it pulled back. Between them, Yoshi hissed, not too happy about being the rope in their tug-of-war. His tongue began to reach its limits, and feet scraped against the floor as they gave their all against the shape-shifting blob. No matter how hard they pulled, however, Miracle Matter refused to let go, and Yoshi finally retracted his tongue, no longer able to stand the pain.
The moment they stumbled away, Miracle Matter engulfed itself into flames. From the side, Link watched as Miracle Matter dove at them, the others scattering as a column of fire burst out from it the moment it slammed into the floor. He tried to get up to help, but a sharp pain lanced up his side. His hand reached around his back. It came away with blood, sending a shiver down his spine.
Propping himself against the Master Sword, Link hobbled back to Fox, the person who had landed closest to him. Fox's ears perked as he approached, and his eyes brightened as he saw Link approach him. Link offered him a hand, and Fox took it with a hard grip.
"We haven't even scratched that thing," Link said as he dragged Fox back to his feet. "How are we supposed to beat it?"
Fox grunted. "It's got too many powers. We won't be able to form a plan to get Pikachu out if it keeps swapping tactics."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Link said, feeling a little hopeless.
Another explosion rocked the ground. Both of them looked back to the fight to see Samus fire another missile at Miracle Matter. Without Link to distract it, though, Miracle Matter had its reflectors up already, and no matter how many missiles she hurled at it, they just bounced harmlessly off its sides. Link's brows drew down as he watched yet another missile chip off a crystal on the ceiling, and he brought his sword back up. He stepped forward to rejoin the fray, but a tug on his sleeve stopped him.
"Do you see that?" Fox said, pointing at the top of Miracle Matter.
Link tried to follow his finger, but he couldn't see anything special and shook his head.
"At the top. There's a bit chipped off from our first encounter."
Now that he had mentioned it, Link did see that one of the top reflectors did have a piece missing. The side of Miracle Matter that Donkey Kong had caved in was untouched, but that reflector at the top was clearly damaged.
"I see it!" Link said, excitement rising in his voice. "Where did that come from?"
"Pikachu. Pikachu's electric attack damaged it." Fox frowned, and he touched the reflector strapped to his hip. "My reflector runs on electricity. Pikachu can only use electric attacks." His green eyes widened, and they snapped to Link. "That's it! The only way we can damage it is by using its powers against it!"
"Really?" For the first time since the battle had begun, Link felt a flicker of hope: hope of finally finding a way to beat the shape-shifting blob. Then a thought came to him, and he frowned. "But how will we get it to use our powers the same time we attack it."
Fox just offered him a grin. "Leave that to me."
He pressed a hand to his ear. The commlink activated with a static buzz.
"I've got a plan to beat this thing," he said, "but you're going to have to trust me."
"Okay," Samus said.
"We're listening," Link said.
"What's the plan, boss?" Mario said.
Fox smiled. It'd been a long time since he'd been called boss.
"Okay team. Samus and Link, keep distracting the thing."
"How?" Link said, giving him a confused look.
"Keep shooting at it. Pin it down."
"But it'll just reflect them back at us."
"And that's where you come in," Fox said, pointing to Mario.
"Me? What do I gotta do with..." Mario looked at the scorched cape on his back. Understanding dawned his face. When he turned back to Fox, he gave him a sly wink.
"Okie Dokie. I see what you mean."
Samus fired another missile. It tore through the air and bounced harmlessly off a shimmering blue faceplate. It spiraled back to Samus, but Mario jumped in front of her and swept it aside with his cape. As Samus stepped back to load another missile into her cannon, Link let three arrows fly. Fox dove under them, and they sailed overhead as he broke into a sprint. His sudden approach didn't go unnoticed. Link's arrows collided with Miracle Matter's reflectors once again, but it slammed them downward. Tips gleaming in the soft light, the arrows hurtled toward Fox.
In a flash, he had his own reflector up. The arrows embedded themselves into the floor. Fox jumped into the air, narrowly avoiding a reflected missile thrown at his feet. He launched himself at Miracle Matter without a second thought. Its reflectors bristled as he raised his own above his head. A gurgling sound reached his ears. Then he brought down his arm in a blur of electric blue.
His foot pressed up against a wooden shield. Fox jumped away, and an arrow zipped right under him, plunging into the shield.
"Link!" Fox yelled, keeping his eye on Miracle Matter. "Throw me your shield!"
"In a second!" In one swift motion, Link slid the shield onto his arm. He hurled it at Fox. The shield flew through the air, coming to a stop in Fox's waiting hand.
An explosion went off behind Fox. Hot pieces of shrapnel rained down on his shoulder as he watched a second missile sail overhead, slamming into the shields covering Miracle Matter. Fox spun on his heel and hurled the shield at Miracle Matter with a flick of his arm.
The metal edge of the shield crashed into the wooden face of its imitation. With a crunch, Miracle Matter's shields folded like paper. The formless blob shrieked, the inhuman sound echoing in the chamber. Flashes of white appeared beneath the crumpled shield, but before anyone could move the shields disappeared behind a searing wall of fire.
Mario stepped back, stunned. "Did we... finally hurt it?" he whispered, almost like he couldn't believe it.
"The only way we can hurt it is by using its own weapons against it," Fox said, watching as Miracle Matter retreated. "Since its forms retain the damage it takes, once you land a hit that form becomes useless."
"Gotcha."
Without missing a beat, Mario tore the feather off his shirt. The cape disappeared into the feather, quickly replaced with a bright red flower. Fire spiraled up from his fingers as they curled around the flower, engulfing Mario's form. As it burnt away, Mario's clothes were dyed white and red. The flames on Miracle Matter extinguished, replaced with a bright tan glow. Samus fired a missile at it as it charged toward her, but the explosion washed over it like it was nothing.
At the last minute, Samus rolled beneath the hurtling tan blob. Crystal shards flew in every direction as Miracle Matter crashed into the floor. It picked itself back up the floor, shaking the dust off from it, when the floor started shaking.
Behind it, Donkey Kong reared his fist back. Air whistled past him as he swung forward, bringing his arm forward for a devastating punch. Flames burst forth from Miracle Matter, and as Donkey Kong smashed it back into the ground, his arm was engulfed in flames.
Donkey Kong pulled back, hissing as he shook the fire from his arm. Miracle Matter popped out from the crater in the wall, whirring angrily. Smoke rose up from its form as it prepared to deliver a blow in return. A white hand touched it from below. Miracle Matter tried to extinguish its flames, but Mario lit his palm before it could do so.
A column of fire burst out from the ground. Flames swept everywhere, splaying out against the ceiling. As the flames slowly died away, Miracle Matter crashed into the crystals on the wall, smoke wafting off from its scorched white form.
At first, Fox thought Miracle Matter turned red with rage. He quickly realized, though, that the red he was seeing was actually the armored plates of the cannon staring him down. A blue beam of energy shot toward him. Fox swung his reflector out in front of him, and he stumbled back as the force of the beam slammed into him. He took a step back. From the corner of his eye, he saw Samus step out and fire an energy blast of her own.
The moment the beam on him disappeared, Fox turned to Donkey Kong. "Throw me up!"
A giant hand grabbed hold of his arm. The world around him spun, then he was flying through the air. He caught sight of Miracle Matter just as its reflectors came to life. Samus's attack deflected to the side without leaving a scratch. Fox's attack did not.
With a yell, Fox slammed his reflector into Miracle Matter. Reflectors sparked violently. Bolts of electricity lashed out in every direction. Beneath him, Miracle Matter bubbled and popped, like boiling liquid. One last wave of sparks surged out. Then, with a groan, Miracle Matter fell to the floor, stunned.
A grin broke out on Fox's face. "Samus, Yoshi!" he said, calling over his shoulder. "Now's our chance. Let's get Pikachu out of here!"
He heard a series of rapid footsteps behind him. Yoshi and Samus appeared at his sides a second later. They both turned to look at Fox.
Fox pointed to Samus. "You blow open a hole in its side." Then he pointed at Yoshi. "When she opens you a hole, you pull out Pikachu."
They listened to him without hesitation. Samus's hand reached into a compartment in her armor. She fumbled around a bit before her hand came out with a power bomb. Miracle Matter's white flesh squelched as she pressed the bomb inside, engulfing it completely when she pulled her hand away. Not a moment later, it detonated. White goo blew out, splattering all around them.
The second the smoke cleared, they all peered at Miracle Matter's side. The bomb had torn a gaping hole, rimmed with white matter. Not a speck of yellow in sight, though.
Miracle Matter started quivering, tiny electric sparks arching around its form. Below them, the goo around the crater inched back inside. They didn't have much time.
"Come on!" Fox hissed at Yoshi.
White specks began to pull back toward Miracle Matter. The flesh boiled, and the sparks around it only grew faster and faster. Fox and Samus stepped away. Yoshi remained glued to the spot. Fox's hand fell to his blaster as he moved. They weren't going to make it.
In a sudden burst of movement, Yoshi's tongue lashed out. It plunged into the bubbling white matter as bits of it flew around him, gathering back together as Miracle Matter slowly rose back into the air. He seemed to struggle for a bit. There was a wet sloshing sound.
Then Yoshi tore his tongue out from Miracle Matter. Blobs of white rained down on the floor. Behind Yoshi, Miracle Matter slumped back to the floor. Everyone stepped back, and something yellow hit the floor with a thump.
It was Pikachu. The pointy yellow ears, the jagged tail; he was lying on the floor at the center of the room. But his eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving.
Fox's eyes widened. Even after all he had done, had he still...
Before he could finish the thought, Pikachu let out a cough. His eyes flew open. Slowly, the mouse got to his feet. He glanced around, confused. Confused, but alive.
Pikachu was still alive. He hadn't failed after all. Fox sighed in relief. They had saved Pikachu.
He glanced around at the rest of them. They all looked just as relieved as him. Fox grinned, and with the battle over, he leaned a hand against a nearby wall. They'd finally won.
That was before he realized someone was missing.
"Hey, where'd the kid go?" Mario seemed to notice it too, from his reaction.
From the platform above, footsteps rang out. Fox looked up just in time to see a green tunic disappear into the hall.
Right. They still had to catch Ganondorf.
Once again, Link sprinted through the halls. The walls here were much cleaner, a contrast to the rough walls of the cave. There was no light. He was stumbling around in the dark, yet his instincts were telling him to run forward.
In the distance, he saw a light down the hall. Maybe it was a way out. Link ran faster. If he moved fast enough, maybe he could still catch Ganondorf.
A metallic glint caught his eye on the side of the hall. A sword? No, it was a mask. Link slowed a bit, just enough to catch a glimpse of the small figure lying against the wall. When he saw the mask over his face and the sword at his feet, he realized that it was Meta Knight.
A faint rasp rattled the mask. He was still breathing, so that was good, but he wasn't moving. No help there.
Link was so distracted by Meta Knight that he didn't notice the looming figure before him until he noticed that all the light had disappeared.
Drawing his sword, Link jumped back with a yelp. Blocking out the light at the end of the tunnel was none other than Ganondorf. It took Link only a second to bring his sword in front of him. In his master's stories, though, a second was all Ganondorf needed to make a move. Odd that, for all his talk before, he was standing still.
Not only that, but his sword wasn't glowing.
Link wasn't given much time to think about it. He wasn't given much time to react at all before Ganondorf's head exploded in a flash of rainbow light and a cloud of hearts.
The warlord's body tumbled over Link's head, smoke billowing behind it. Link's jaw hit the floor, exactly as Ganondorf hit the floor. He spun around. Who could be powerful enough to kill Ganondorf?
Of all the possible people he imagined would be standing behind him, a tiny pink puffball was the last thing on the list.
Link blinked. The pink puffball blinked back. Link rubbed his eyes, not quite sure what he was seeing. He looked harder. The pink puffball just became uncomfortable, shifting on its feet with the shiny rainbow stick in its hands.
"Did you do this?" he asked.
"Poyo!" the pink puffball said, giving him the most innocent smile he had ever seen.
What was he thinking? Of course, this cute creature couldn't be responsible. This was all probably some crazy coincidence.
"Link! Wait for..."
From behind him, Link heard Fox trail off. He turned to face him and the rest of the team and found Fox staring at the body. A pool of dark matter had formed on the floor. Link took a look at the pool, then back at Fox. No one seemed sure of what to make of it.
"Woah, kid, what happened here?" Mario said.
Link opened his mouth to reply. A chuckle echoed in the halls before he could speak. It bounced off the walls, ringing out like the inside of a bell. Link tried to find where it was coming from, but where the sound was loudest was...
The body.
The body rose off the floor slowly, dark sludge dripping from it. A black mist oozed out from somewhere, stewing on the floor like quicksand as the laughing only grew louder and louder. Link swung at the mist. It parted for the blade, only to pull back together. All the while, his blade never once started to glow.
If this wasn't dark magic, what was this?
The laughing reached a peak in volume. A low gurgle came from within the body, and an eye burst out of the stomach. Link's blood went cold. As the yellow eye swirled around the room, he could feel nothing but horror.
Voices, whispering voices circled in his head. Whispering, hissing words he couldn't understand. The cogs in his mind tried to piece together their meaning, despite that, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew there was none, and the harder his mind tried to understand, the harder it worked, all his thoughts twisted in one single direction, eroding any sense in the vast empty void. Suddenly, nothing made sense. Not the wet feeling in his shoes. Not the orange person in front of him. Not the way the yellow eye locked onto him.
Then there was a flash of bright colors. Link snapped back to reality, and he found himself on the floor. He didn't remember falling down.
Link looked up. No one else seemed sure of what had happened either if the confused looks everyone was giving each other was any hint. All that remained of the body was a trail of black mist curling up into the air, and as he peered closer, he noticed a trace of rainbow glitter fluttering to the ground.
A little warier, Link glanced over his shoulder. The pink puffball was still there, the wand in its hand sparkling with bright colors. The pink puffball met his eyes, and its grin grew wider.
It walked over to Link. To stunned to react, Link let it his arm, and, despite being half his size, it pushed him back to his feet.
"Poyo!" it said, using its arms to rub the dust off his sleeves.
What... what even was this?
I'll save most of what I have to say for the closing chapter. It's not the ending, it's just an ending for a part of the story. Don't hit that panic button just yet. (Or pull out the celebratory cake. You won't get rid of me so easily)
Also, cover art! I finally got around to doing it! Huzzah! Photoshop didn't want to cooperate, but I beat it into submission.
Next week is Christmas day, so I won't be updating this next Wednesday. I might update on next Thursday, though, since it feels too cruel to leave this so close to the finish line. Besides, I might want to start 2020 with something fresh. We'll just have to see how it all ends up.