14shiffna: Well, this is the part where our mysterious friend in black is revealed. Also, where does the "Ganondork" joke come from? I'd like to know,

Zhenxuan20002: Well, that makes me really happy to hear that!

Authorial Nerd: Hey, it worked this time, didn't it?

Link felt it before he saw it. Even in the middle of combat, it was impossible to miss the burning in his hand. His eyes strayed to his sword. The faint glow it was giving off had only intensified, almost blinding him. An unpleasant feeling crawled up his back, like an unnatural row of scales clawing over him. He shuddered.

That moment of distraction cost him.

He tore his gaze off his sword only to see a scaly blue fist close in. The hit sent him flying through the air. Smoke parted for him as he tumbled over the concrete. He bounced off the floor once, then came to a stop against a smoldering pile of wood.

His head pounded. There was a distant ringing in his ears. Through the dull aching in his head, he saw Donkey Kong fend off the three Space Pirates. With one sweep of his hand, he batted aside the first two coming in to attack him. The third fired off shot after shot, but he blocked his attacks with his other arm as he came charging in.

Just before he could connect, a tennis ball pelted him on the head. Waluigi stepped out from behind a pile of charred embers, a racket in one hand, a tennis ball in the other. He raised them in the air, and with a loud thwack, sent it hurtling towards Donkey Kong. He brought up an arm to block it, only for another tennis ball to swerve around it and hit him on the right side of his chest. Donkey Kong stepped back with a grunt.

Waluigi was on him in an instant, and tennis balls streamed at the ape in an unbroken torrent. The sight might have seemed comical if the assault wasn't so effective, driving Donkey Kong back under a relentless hail.

Then, Yoshi leaped out of the smoke. He swept his tail through Waluigi's feet, knocking him over. Waluigi landed on his hands and pushed himself back up, but an egg exploded in his face, blinding him. As he stumbled around, scraping the glittery contents off his face, Yoshi turned around and extended a hand to Donkey Kong.

He was unprepared when the smoke burst apart and Wario came at him spinning like a top. Dust clouds flew up around him, and he quickly closed in on a startled Yoshi.

Fox intervened, flying into the clearing surrounded by a stream of fire. He landed a solid blow to the side of Wario's head, halting his momentum. As he staggered away, dizzy from his spinning, Fox peppered him with a flurry of kicks, before sending him back into the smog with a foot to the face.

He hit the ground without a sound, and the flames around him vanished. Yoshi and Donkey Kong watched him with a sense of awe, his tail flicking as he looked at the rolling grey clouds. When he turned around, there was concern beneath his arrogant smirk.

"Are you two okay?" he said.

Yoshi nodded, a little dumbfounded. Fox opened his mouth to say more, but Wolf tackled him from the side before he could speak. They tumbled around, and the smoke engulfed them once again.

The ground trembled. In the distance, Link heard the sound of metal crunching. Link glanced over from his place on the ground.

He froze.

A few yards away, he saw Samus. Her armor was spitting out sparks, and there was a huge dent in her chestplate. One of her legs was torn open, spilling wiring into the air. And clutching at her throat was a man he'd only heard stories about from his mentor.

An imposing figure, he even towered over the struggling Samus in his hand. Where Donkey Kong was huge, he was massive, with shoulders as broad as a planet and as tall as a temple. While the ape was more muscular, this man made up for that with his overwhelming presence, from the evil look in his piercing yellow eyes and the wall of armor encasing his entire frame and the dark energy rippling through his arms. Most gripping of all was the white mask over his face. It shielded his emotions from view, giving the man a cold, emotionless stare.

Link knew who the newcomer was, without a doubt.

Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil had arrived.

He had prepared his whole life to face this man, and he was still scared out of his mind. His foe looked indestructible, all-powerful. Even with the body of an adult, he was still just a kid–how could he hope to stand against an unstoppable tidal wave of darkness? Out of all the tales his master shared with him about Ganondorf, none of them could have prepared him for the reality of it all.

Then his eyes traced up his arm, back to Samus. She thrashed in his iron-clad grip. Her hands beat against the Gerudo King. Ganondorf watched her struggle, his mask only giving her a blank stare. And Link?

He felt a surge of anger like never before. Dragging himself to his feet, Link pulled his sword out in front of him, the blessed steel of the Master Sword glinting in the failing lamps. He gave a battle cry. Ganondorf's eyes snapped on to him, and he charged.

His heart slammed in his chest with every step he took. The fights around him were nothing but a blur. The concrete floor passed with each stride. He couldn't be more terrified than he was, running towards the Great King of Evil. His breathing came out in ragged gasps, the hilt of his sword becoming slick in his sweaty palms. Even landing a scratch on Ganondorf was an impossible task.

There was no hesitation in him as he swung his sword. A hoarse scream escaped his lips as the blade arched down.

In an instant, he found the dangling body of Samus inches from his face. His blade halted mere seconds away from cutting into her. Ganondorf didn't even spare them a glance as he hurled the bounty hunter into him, sending them both crashing into a wall.

Samus and Link lay on top of one another, slumped against the wall, a tangled mess of limbs. They barely had a second to catch their breath before Ganondorf was upon them. An armored hand streaked towards them, whistling in the air. It crashed into where they had been moments ago, and the wall caved in a storm of dust. Link and Samus already had their weapons aimed down at Ganondorf as he pulled his fist out from beside the electrical generator stuck to the wall.

The moment his hand was free, Ganondorf locked on to Link. A second swing brushed against the tip of his nose as he attacked again, Link only just managing to avoid breaking his nose against it. He didn't see the third strike until it had already crushed his stomach.

Link doubled over. Pain flared from the hit, and his mouth felt dry as his breath was forced out of him. As his knee hit the floor, he attempted to recover his senses. Ganondorf wasn't about to give him the chance. Volatile dark magic flared up from his fist, crackling with energy as he reared it back to finish him.

Only, when he tried to follow through, it wouldn't budge. Ganondorf's eyes looked back. A blue grapple was fastened to his arm, Samus on the other end holding it down. He tugged again, stronger this time. Samus's feet dug into the concrete, refusing to move. A silent fury blazed in his yellow eyes. He twisted his hand around the grapple beam, and the cord holding it together disintegrated in his fingers, dark magic streaming out between them.

He lurched forward. His gaze fell to his chest to find a glowing white blade protruding between the plates of armor. Behind him, Link held the hilt of the Master Sword to his back. In the second he was distracted, Link had run him through.

Ganondorf's mouth gaped open, revealing the swimming darkness inside. A sound emerged from him, the first he'd made; it was an inhuman screech, tearing through both Samus and Link's ears. They instantly stepped back, clutching their ears as Ganondorf crumpled, hissing and shrieking.

Golden flecks appeared on his skin. They flickered and danced, like the yellow pupils in his mask. Ganondorf wailed as his skin curled and crinkled, tearing his form apart. Both of them found themselves unable to tear their eyes away from Ganondorf as he lay writhing on the ground, his skin peeling away, disappearing into twirling ribbons of shadows until all that was left was a black smudge on the ground. At last, the glow faded from his sword.

They stood together, staring at where the thing had been moments prior. No one spoke. No one even knew what just happened.

"Who was that?" Samus finally said, throwing her arms out to the darkness splattered on the floor.

"Ganondorf," Link said. His voice wavered even as he spoke. "Or, I thought it was Ganondorf."

"So it's not Ganondorf? What–Why–How?"

"It's just a phantom. They're made of dark magic, and they dissolve into dark magic. This one, though... only Ganondorf's shadow could be that powerful."

Samus fell back into silence. Link couldn't blame her. Magic creatures were hard to wrap one's head around, especially since magic was rarely discussed within the Galactic Federation.

Samus let out a long sigh and leaned back against the wall. As her armor scraped against the bunker, Link realized that the room had fallen into an eerie silence.

"Hey Samus."

"Hm?"

"Where is everyone else?"

Samus stiffened. She glanced up at him, regarding him with her green visor. Now that she thought about it, where had everyone else gone? The rolling clouds of smoke isolated them from the others, so they could be the last ones alive for all she knew.

"Let me check the cameras."

A few wires sticking out of her chest sparked in protest, but she forced the suit to bend to her will. Several screens popped up on her cracked visor, feeds from the various cameras around the building.

Samus hissed.

"What?" Link said, noticing her sudden change in demeanor

"It's not good."

To their left, Wolf had Fox pinned to the wall, his claws held back to strike. Fox clawed at his hands, and Wolf watched with a malicious smirk.

On the other side of the room, Mario and Yoshi stood guard in front of an unconscious Donkey Kong slumped against the wall, their fists raised. Wario, Waluigi, and Krusha loomed menacingly over, closing in.

As for her and Link-

The screens on her visor sputtered, going out in a sheet of static. Samus cursed, and she tapped the side of her helmet in an attempt to bring it back.

"Energy's low," she muttered to herself. "I can't keep this suit up for much longer."

"Look out!"

Samus instantly whirled around, swinging her arm cannon. The heavy machinery crashed into the skull of an oncoming space pirate with a crack. As the space pirate crumpled, Samus reversed her swung just in time to fire at the space pirate behind him.

The rounded shape of the power bomb latched on to the space pirate dead-on. It gave a garbled hiss, frantically swiping at the bomb on his chest. Samus lashed out with an armored heel without missing a beat. She connected a solid it, and the space pirate stumbled back just before the bomb went off, and the reptilian creature exploded into a splatter of green blood.

Samus stared at the fallen body at her feet, and the quivering pieces of flesh scattered on the ground. Her shoulders heaved, and her arm cannon fell to the floor. The space pirates attacking her were either dead or unconscious, and she relaxed.

A blow to her side caught her off guard as the third and final space pirate rushed her down.

With the energy reserves in her power suit already dipping low, she had almost no strength left to fight back. The space pirate slammed her helmet into a wall, and it tolled like a bell. Samus almost buckled there, barely managing to grasp the wall. The space pirate was on to her the moment after, and her head snapped to the side as it struck her on the cheek. She weakly pawed at the space pirate commando, but her digits slid off slanted metal plates.

Helpless to do anything, she was left at the space pirate's mercy as it hammered away at her armor. At such close quarters, the energy scythe would be unwieldy, so it slammed its clawed hands into her over and over again. An alarm blared inside her suit as her energy reserves took a dive. It struck her head, her chest, her stomach, as her arms flailed in an attempt to dislodge her attacker. She had no hope of winning. Yet she refused to give in.

Then, the space pirate squeaked. Its arms stopped inches from Samus's face, held back by a chain embedded into its shoulder. Link stood behind it, his hookshot extended. With a roar, he tore the space pirate off Samus. The space pirate shrieked as it hurtled through the air. Link flung the reptilian creature into the nearby power generator, and the space pirate commando crashed into it in a burst of sparks.

The metal casing of the generator folded around the space pirate. Electricity surged out of it and into the new weight pressed against it. The space pirate opened its maw to scream. A distorted gurgle was all it could make as white sparks of electric energy dug into its flesh, frying the reptile to a crisp.

Above them, the lights flashed violently. The shadows in the smokescreen flitted about from the dying light. As the generator coughed out one last burst of white, the lights finally faded into black. The bunker was plunged into darkness.

Pitch black surrounded Samus on all sides. The rubble strewn about the battlefield vanished in an instant. If it weren't for the floor beneath her feet, she might have believed that she had fallen into the abyss.

With the flick of a switch, Samus activated her x-ray scope, and her surroundings revealed themselves to her. Mounds of burning wood appeared before her, outlined in vibrant hues of pink and blue. Through the stacks of crates obstructing her path, she could see the outlines of everyone else. On the left side of the room, she saw Fox, still pinned to the wall by Wolf. On the other side, she could see Mario and Yoshi standing in front of Donkey Kong, surrounded by Wario, Waluigi, and Krusha, all of whom were glancing around in confusion. And a few paces away, she could see the distinct figure of Link, one end of the hookshot in his hands. The other was plugged into the generator.

Hauling the unconscious space pirate at her feet into her arms, she staggered over to Link. Slowly, she placed a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened at the contact. When he recognized her, he lowered his guard.

"Samus?" he whispered.

She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her in the dark.

"Yes," she said back. When he showed no reaction, she realized that the microphone in her helmet was disabled. With her power levels so low, she had to re-route all of it into her x-ray scope.

She sighed, and a quiet breath escaped through her vents. She reached up to the side of her helmet and turned, pulling her visor up an inch before she repeated herself.

His shoulders fell, and he let out a relaxed exhale. Now that she was no longer worried that he would attack, Samus stepped closer to him. When she was close enough, she unloaded the unconscious space pirate into his arms. He opened his mouth to protest. She stopped him, putting a hand to his mouth.

"We need to get out of here," she said.

"Right," Link said with a nod. He shrugged the space pirate over his shoulders, but as he did so, she saw him hesitate. "What about the others?"

"The others?" Samus shrugged. "What about them?"

Link frowned. He tried to glare at her. It came out as more of a childish pout. "You said they were in trouble."

"My exact words were: It's not good."

"That's not the point!" Link stopped hit foot, jostling the body slung over his shoulders.

Samus sighed, leaning more on her less wounded leg. "Kid, a bounty hunter only looks out for themselves. If the bad guy gets in my way, I'll take them down, but it's always better to just take what you can and get out."

"Well, if the others die, who do you think these 'darkness henchmen' are going to come after next? They know who we are."

Behind her visor, Samus's eyes narrowed. "My microphone is down," she said. Link's face brightened.

"Then it's a good thing I've got this," he said, pulling a tiny piece out of a pouch on his belt.

Samus tilted her head. She peered at the thing between his fingers. It took her a moment to recognize it as one of the earpieces Fox handed out to all of them earlier.

"Alright, kid. But you're doing the talking."

Oh boy.

Originally the fights with "the unnamed thing" and the "Heralds of the Demon King" were only going to take up two chapters, but somehow got split into three. I was going to show how the Brotherhood of Smash escapes from the bunker, but I think this has gone on long enough.

After three whole chapters of the group getting beaten into pulp, things are going to cool down. We'll get to see the aftermath of all that's happened, so this is the last action scene I'll write in a while. (Or, at least until I publish the other fic I've had floating around for a while)

Anyway, I'll see you all next Wednesday. (Or Thursday, if you have a decent sleep schedule, unlike yours truly)